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The MBL2 gene encodes the mannose-binding lectin protein (MBL), which is secreted by the liver. Several variants of MBL2 have been found to be associated with altered serum levels and susceptibility to various chronic diseases. Defects in MBL protein polymerization that result in functional impairments and/or low serum levels may influence genetic susceptibility to type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its complications. Therefore, the present case-control study was conducted to assess the potential association of six MBL2 gene variants and haplotypes with susceptibility to T2D and its complications in Morocco. The MBL2 gene was genotyped by PCR-sequencing for the promoting, non-coding, and coding regions in 435 individuals. Our findings revealed a significant association between the heterozygous CG and homozygous recessive GG genotypes of the variant at position -221 C > G in the MBL2 gene promoter with an increased risk of T2D. Similarly, for +4 C > T in the non-coding region, statistical analysis indicates a strong association with T2D risk, particularly with the heterozygous CT and homozygous recessive TT genotypes. The LYQC haplotype is also found to be associated with T2D risk. Furthermore, the heterozygous CT genotype, and recessive T allele of the variant at position +4 C > T, and heterozygous GA genotype of codon Gly54Asp of the MBL2 gene, are associated with protection against hypertension in T2D patients. However, no association was observed between MBL2 variants and dyslipidemia in T2D patients. The study concludes that -221 C > G and +4 C > T variants of the MBL2 gene significantly contribute to T2D susceptibility in Morocco.

Background and Objectives: The insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in ACE , the gene encoding the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE), has been suggested as a genetic variation that can influence exercise performance and risk of injury in elite athletes. The I allele has been associated with enhanced endurance performance and with reduced inflammation, while the D allele has been associated with improved performance in strength and power activities. However, the role of this genetic variant in the incidence of non-contact injury is underexplored. This study investigated the possible association of ACE I/D genotypes with the risk of non-contact injury in elite Moroccan athletes. Materials and Methods: Forty-three elite male athletes (19 cyclists and 24 field hockey players) from the Moroccan national team participated voluntarily. Non-contact injuries were recorded for all athletes and classified according to the IOC consensus statement by the medical staff of the teams. ACE I/D polymorphism genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using genomic DNA from blood samples. Results: There were four cyclists (21.05%) and eight field hockey players (33.33%) with a non-contact injury during the season. The distribution of the ACE I/D genotypes was similar in the athletes with vs. without non-contact injury for cyclists (DD/ID/II 25.00/50.00/25.00% vs. 46.67/40.00/13.33% non-injured, respectively; X 2 = 0.69, p = 0.70), field hockey players (DD/ID/II 50.00/50.00/0.00% vs. 50.00/43.75/6.25%; X 2 = 0.54, p = 0.76) and for the whole group of athletes (DD/ID/II 41.67/50.00/8.33% vs. 48.39/41.94/9.68%; X 2 = 0.22, p = 0.89). In the whole group of athletes, neither the dominant (DD + ID vs. II = OR: 1.17, 95% CI: 0.15-16.56, p = 0.89) nor the recessive (DD vs. ID + II = OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.31-4.89, p = 0.69) models showed an increased risk of non-contact injury. Conclusions: The distribution of the ACE I/D genotypes was similar in elite cycling and field hockey athletes with or without non-contact injury during the season. These results indicate that there is no significant association between the ACE I/D polymorphism and the susceptibility to non-contact injury in these athletes. Further research is warranted to validate these findings and to investigate their broader implications for advancing knowledge in sports injury prevention and optimizing athlete management strategies.

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D) is a complicated illness marked by the death of insulin- producing pancreatic beta cells, which ultimately leads to insulin insufficiency and hyperglycemia. T lymphocytes are considered to destroy pancreatic beta cells in the etiology of T1D as a result of hereditary and environmental factors. Although the latter factors are very important causes of T1D development, this disease is very genetically predisposed, so there is a significant genetic component to T1D susceptibility. Among the T1D-associated gene mutations, those that affect genes that encode the traditional Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) entail the highest risk of T1D development. Accordingly, the results of decades of genetic linkage and association studies clearly demonstrate that mutations in the HLA genes are the most associated mutations with T1D. They can, therefore, be used as biomarkers for prediction strategies and may even prove to be of value for personalized treatments. Other immunity-associated genetic loci are also associated with higher T1D risk. Indeed, T1D is considered an autoimmune disease. Its prevalence is rising globally, especially among children and young people. Given the global rise of, and thus interest in, autoimmune diseases, here we present a short overview of the link between immunity, especially HLA, genes and T1D., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Newborn screening (NBS) represents an important public health measure for the early detection of specified disorders; such screening can prevent disability and death, not only from metabolic disorders but also from endocrine, hematologic, immune, and cardiac disorders. Screening for critical congenital conditions affecting newborns' health is a great challenge, especially in developing countries such as Morocco, where NBS program infrastructure is lacking. In addition, the consanguinity rate is high in Morocco. This study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility of integrating NBS into a diagnostic laboratory for routine analysis. Six primary severe conditions were included: congenital hypothyroidism (CH), cystic fibrosis (CF), phenylketonuria (PKU), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency (G6PD), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), and hemoglobinopathies., Methods: A retrospective investigation was carried out to examine the outcomes of NBS in Casablanca, Morocco. A total of 5511 newborn blood samples were collected via heel-prick sampling and tested for the above disorders. Most of the samples were collected within the third and sixth days of birth. The dried blood spots were analyzed via a quantitative immunofluorescence technique and isoelectric focusing., Results: A total of 72 newborns had one of the six pathological conditions. The most prevalent disorders were hemoglobinopathies, which were identified in 47 newborns (0.9%), with 29 having HbC carrier status (0.5%), 15 having Hb S carrier status (0.3%), and 3 having an Hb Bart's carrier profile (0.05%). This was followed by G6PD deficiency, which was found to affect 16 newborns (0.32% of cases). CF was found in one case (0.02%), whereas five newborns (0.09%) tested positive for CAH. Additionally, two newborns (0.04%) tested positive for CH, and one newborn tested positive for PKU (0.02%)., Conclusion: Our findings underscore the importance and success of NBS programs in preventing morbidity and mortality and improving the quality of life of affected neonates. The significant gap in data and research on these disorders within the Moroccan population highlights the urgent need to integrate NBS into routine practice in diagnostic laboratories across Morocco. This integration is crucial for enhancing the health and well-being of Moroccan newborns.

Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels, an endemic Moroccan plant species from the Sapotaceae family, holds significant ecological, pharmaceutical, and socioeconomic value in the arid mid-western region. However, it is facing rapid degradation. Therefore, understanding its genetic diversity is critical for preserving this national heritage. We sequenced, assembled, and annotated the mitochondrial genome of A. spinosa and compared it to other plants in the Ericales order. Mitochondrial-like sequences from the A. spinosa genome were assembled using GetOrganelle, resulting in a 707,441 base pair mitochondrial genome with 45.75 % GC content. Annotation identified 32 protein-coding genes, 16 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of 15 Ericales species affirms that A. spinosa is closely related to the Theaceae family, which is in accordance with results from the chloroplast genome., (© 2024 The Author(s).)

Locked posterior shoulder dislocations are dislocations that remain unreduced for more than three weeks. In most cases, they are associated with other injuries. We report the case of a 38-year-old male who presented with pain and total functional impotence due to a complex injury, including posterior glenohumeral dislocation, a reverse Hill-Sachs lesion, and a clavicle fracture. Because of the unsuccessful attempts at closed reduction, the patient underwent surgery. We performed the McLaughlin technique, which included the transfer of the subscapularis tendon to the reverse Hill-Sachs lesion, stabilized by bone anchors. At the last follow-up, the patient was doing well and had regained full range of motion with no recurrent dislocation. Clinicians should maintain clinical and radiological suspicion about this injury to timely manage this rare and dangerous injury., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Lahrach et al.)

A primary malignant bone tumor, or more commonly, metastasis, can occur in the proximal femur. Surgical treatment can have palliative or curative purposes. In the case of the latter, it involves two stages: resection of the tumor, which aims to address the cancer, and reconstruction of the bone and soft tissue, which aims to restore function. It is important for the excision to be wide with adequate resection margins in the soft tissue, particularly when the goal is curative treatment. Typically, surgery involves excision and reconstruction to ensure good mechanical stability. Reconstruction can be done using different methods, such as a composite prosthesis or a massive prosthesis, which may be modular or custom-made. Joint reconstruction options include hemiarthroplasty, intermediate prosthesis, or, in some cases, total hip replacement., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Lahrach et al.)

Background: The difficulty of understanding the pathology courses and the student's dissatisfaction with the pathology modules is a universal problem. The principal aim of our survey was to assess the perception and satisfaction of teaching pathology by graduate medical students from nine Moroccan faculties of medicine., Materials and Methods: This study was conducted among graduate medical students regarding their preferences in pathology teaching modalities, their satisfaction with the current lecture-based courses, their perception of pathology as a specialty, and their thoughts on whether and how such curricula should be modernized. A qualitative and comparative analysis was performed. The differences in modalities of teaching used were investigated., Results: We received 274 completed surveys from graduate Moroccan medical students. Seventy-five (27.9 %) students were dissatisfied with the actual lecture-based courses. A total of 131 students (48.5%) considered that the methodology of teaching and learning used in their faculty is insufficient for learning, understanding, and memorizing pathology courses. Additionally, 233 students (86.3 %) considered that the curriculum should be modernized. The majority supported the implementation of case reports (74%), hospital-based rotation in the pathology department (68.7%), and virtual slides (60%) as the most preferred didactic methods., Conclusions: This survey based-study highlighted the limits of the current pathology teaching curriculum in Morocco, insufficiently in line with the aspirations of students. Furthermore, students' responses regarding their knowledge of the pathology laboratory functioning as well as their opinions toward considering pathology as a future career were very surprising, converging toward a huge lack of attractiveness of this discipline., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Background: There is extensive interindividual variability in response and tolerance to anticancer drugs. This heterogeneity provides a major limitation to the "rational" use of cytotoxic drugs, and it becomes a major problem in oncology giving a narrow therapeutic window with a vital risk. Among these anticancer drugs, irinotecan can cause dose-limiting toxicities, commonly diarrhea and neutropenia. Interaction among pathways of activation/inactivation ( UGT1A1 ) and hepatobiliary transport of irinotecan and its metabolites could, in part, explain its interindividual variability. The objective of this study was to perform an exploratory analysis to evaluate the correlation between the genetic polymorphisms of UGT1A1 and ABCC2 with the different toxicities associated with irinotecan treatment. Materials and Methods: Seventy-five patients with solid cancers were included, all were administered an irinotecan-based regimen in both Mission Bay Medical Center; and Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital from May 2016 to December 2016. The patients' genotyping was performed for both the UGT1A1 *28 polymorphism, and the ABCC2  - 1549G>A, and ABCC2  - 1249G>A single nucleotide polymorphism. Comparisons among qualitative data were assessed using the χ 2 -test, and Fisher's exact test in the case of small group sizes. Results: Diarrhea was observed in 40 patients (53.3%), among them only 9 patients had high grades diarrhea (grades III and IV). Grades III/IV of nausea were more frequently associated with the ABCC2 -1549 AA genotype (83.3% p  = 0.004) in patients with colorectal cancer. In pancreatic cancer, a significant absence of diarrhea grades III-IV was noted in patients with the ABCC2 1249 GG genotype compared to the other ABCC2 1249 genotypes.

The rapid and global spread of the novel coronavirus severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has raised serious public health concerns, including in Mauritania. We sequenced and analyzed the entire genome of 13 SARS-CoV-2 virus strains isolated from polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive symptomatic patients sampled from March 3 to May 31, 2021 to better understand SARS-CoV-2 introduction, propagation, and evolution in Mauritania. A phylogenetic tree using available data from the EpiCoV GISAID database and a variant network with non-Mauritanian sequences were constructed. Variant analysis of the 13 Mauritanian SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences indicated an average mutational percentage of 0.39, which is similar to that in other countries. Phylogenetic analysis revealed multiple spatiotemporal introductions, mainly from Europe (France, Belgium) and Africa (Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire), which also provided evidence of early community transmission. A total of 2 unique mutations, namely, NSP6_Q208K and NSP15_S273T, were detected in the NSP6 and NSP15 genes, respectively, confirming the aforementioned introduction of SARS-CoV-2 in Mauritania. These findings highlight the relevance of continuous genomic monitoring strategies for understanding virus transmission dynamics and acquiring knowledge to address forthcoming sources of infection in Africa., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Curcuma longa is a perennial native to India and Southeast Asia. We present the whole genome sequence of this species. Illumina paired-end reads were assembled by a de novo method followed by a finishing step. The raw and assembled data are publicly available via GenBank: Sequence Read Archive (SRR11229490) and assembled genome (JAOBBC000000000)., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest Statement The authors declare they have no conflicts of interest.

The emergence of a novel coronavirus that later on rendered a global pandemic, caused desperation within the communities and drove increased interest in exploring medicinal plant-based therapeutics to treat and prevent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus infections. Many medicinal plants have been reported to have antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory effects that hinder, cure, or ease the symptoms of COVID-19 infection. This exploratory study seeks to dock the active components of Cannabis sativa , a natural plant with several pharmacological and biological properties, with the angiotensin-converting enzyme II (ACE2) receptor. A total of 3 C. sativa active components have been found to bind to the ACE2 protein active site and could inhibit spike binding, although they do not compete directly with the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. 6-Prenylapigenin, cannabivarin (CBN-C3), and Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid-A (Δ8-THCA) have a greater affinity (-8.3, -8.3, and -8.0 kcal/mol, respectively) and satisfactory interaction with ACE2 than its inhibitor MLN-4760 (-7.1 kcal/mol). These potential drugs with higher affinity for the ACE2 receptor and adequate absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) values are candidates for treating or preventing SARS-CoV-2 infections. In vitro and in vivo investigations are needed to evaluate further the efficacy and toxicity of these hit compounds., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2022.)

We explored the gut microbiome composition in four Moroccan patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during hospitalization and treatment, using 16S rRNA gene amplicon metataxonomic profiling, and compared it with that in four healthy severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-free control subjects.

Early infancy is critical for the development of an infant's gut flora. Many factors can influence microbiota development during the pre- and postnatal periods, including maternal factors, antibiotic exposure, mode of delivery, dietary patterns, and feeding type. Therefore, investigating the connection between these variables and host and microbiome interactions in neonatal development would be of great interest. As the "unculturable" era of microbiome research gives way to an intrinsically multidisciplinary field, microbiome research has reaped the advantages of technological advancements in next-generation sequencing, particularly 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun sequencing, which have considerably expanded our knowledge about gut microbiota development during early life. Using omics approaches to explore the neonatal microbiome may help to better understand the link between the microbiome and newborn diseases. Herein, we summarized the metagenomics methods and tools used to advance knowledge on the neonatal microbiome origin and evolution and how the microbiome shapes early and late individuals' lives for health and disease. The way to overcome limitations in neonatal microbiome studies will be discussed., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Boudar, Sehli, El Janahi, Al Idrissi, Hamdi, Dini, Brim, Amzazi, Nejjari, Lloyd-Puryear and Ghazal.)

Background and Aims: The association between insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene and the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) remains controversial. This study aimed to assess the effect of the ACE I/D gene polymorphism on T2DM in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA region)., Material and Methods: Our data was extracted from PubMed, Science Direct, and the Web of Science. The predefined inclusion criteria included only the human case-control studies of English Peer-reviewed papers containing the data on genotype distributions of ACE I/D polymorphism and the T2DM risk. Review articles, meeting abstracts, editorials, animal studies, and studies not providing genotype distribution data or without sufficient data were excluded from this work. Results of this meta-analysis were expressed using odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Indeed, the potential sources of heterogeneity and bias were examined by the Egger regression., Results: Of 2755 identified articles, 10 studies were selected, including 2710 patients with T2DM and 2504 control subjects. Overall, we found a significant increased risk of T2DM susceptibility and the D allele of ACE I/D gene polymorphism (OR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.33-2.93, p = 0.0007), recessive (OR = 2.16; 95% CI = 1.27-3.67; p = 0.004), dominant (OR = 2.45; 95% CI = 1.54-3.91; p = 0.0001), homozygote (OR = 3.35; 95% CI = 1.78-6.29; p = 0.0001) and heterozygote comparisons (OR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.07-2.88; p = 0.024)., Conclusion: Our result suggests that this polymorphism may contribute to the development of T2DM in the MENA Region. This result needs to be confirmed by future well-designed studies with larger sample sizes in diverse populations and ethnicities., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interests regarding the publication of this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The COVID-19 pandemic and the draconian measures applied to limit its spread have accelerated the process of digitalizing many activities, including those within the health sector. In Morocco, a developing country in northern Africa, digital health has been deployed extensively, and in a remarkable way, to support the management of the current health crisis. Morocco is taking significant measures to become a key player in the process of achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) goal 3. The government has comprehensively integrated digital technology throughout its coordinated containment and mitigation processes. These processes encompass testing and diagnostics; virus genomic surveillance; telecare of suspected and chronic patients; COVID-19 patient contact tracing and tracking; a laboratory information system for medical material dispatching, biological sample collection, and data processing nationwide; and smart vaccination management. Moreover, the pace of amending legislation for enabling efficient telemedicine practice has been achieved at a record-breaking. The successful implementation of all of these digital health strategies testify to the effectiveness of digitalization for managing the health aspects of the pandemic and for the future development of health systems in Morocco and in the African continent, where digital health and telemedicine is set to become the cornerstone of medical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 El Otmani Dehbi, Sedrati, Chaqsare, Idrissi Azami, Merzouki, Raji, Rhalem, Al Idrissi, Nejjari, Amzazi and Ghazal.)

Over the last decade, it has become increasingly apparent that the microbiome is a central component in human well-being and illness. However, to establish innovative therapeutic methods, it is crucial to learn more about the microbiota. Thereby, the area of metagenomics and associated bioinformatics methods and tools has become considerable in the study of the human microbiome biodiversity. The application of these metagenomics approaches to studying the gut microbiome in COVID-19 patients could be one of the promising areas of research in the fight against the SARS-CoV-2 infection and disparity. Therefore, understanding how the gut microbiome is affected by or could affect the SARS-CoV-2 is very important. Herein, we present an overview of approaches and methods used in the current published studies on COVID-19 patients and the gut microbiome. The accuracy of these researches depends on the appropriate choice and the optimal use of the metagenomics bioinformatics platforms and tools. Interestingly, most studies reported that COVID-19 patients' microbiota are enriched with opportunistic microorganisms. The choice and use of appropriate computational tools and techniques to accurately investigate the gut microbiota is therefore critical in determining the appropriate microbiome profile for diagnosis and the most reliable antiviral or preventive microbial composition., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting Interests:The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2021.)

Introduction: SARS-Cov-2 first appeared in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and spread all over the world soon after that. Given the infectious nature ofSARS-CoV-2, fast and accurate diagnosis tools are important to detect the virus. In this review, we discuss the different diagnostic tests that are currently being implemented in laboratories and provide a description of various COVID-19 kits., Areas Covered: We summarize molecular techniques that target the viral load, serological methods used for SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies detection as well as newly developed faster assays for the detection of SARS-COV 2 in various biological samples., Expert Opinion: In the light of the widespread pandemic, the massive diagnosis of COVID-19, using various detection techniques, appears to be the most effective strategy for monitoring and containing its propagation.

During the last century, cancer biology has been arguably one of the most investigated research fields. To gain deeper insight into cancer mechanisms, scientists have been attempting to integrate multi omics data in cancer research. Cancer genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, proteomics, and metagenomics are the main multi omics strategies used currently in the diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and biomarker discovery in cancer. In this review, we describe the use of different multi omics strategies in cancer research in the African continent and discuss the main challenges facing the implementation of these approaches in African countries such as the lack of training programs in bioinformatics in general and omics strategies in particular and suggest paths to address deficiencies. As a way forward, we advocate for the establishment of an "African Cancer Genomics Consortium" to promote intracontinental collaborative projects and enhance engagement in research activities that address indigenous aspects for cancer precision medicine., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 El Jaddaoui, Allali, Sehli, Ouldim, Hamdi, Al Idrissi, Nejjari, Amzazi, Bakri and Ghazal.)