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Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (C. colocynthis) called colocynth is a wild species that belongs to the family cucurbitaceae. The present research work aimed to study the phytochemical composition, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of C. colocynthis seed extract. The chemical characterization of C. colocynthis seeds was effectuated using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The cytotoxic activity of C. colocynthis seed extract against breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231) and colon cancer cell lines (HT-29) was assessed using the WST-1 bioassay. The antioxidant power was evaluated by the DPPH assay. The phytochemical characterization of C. colocynthis seed extract showed the richness of C. colocynthis seed extract in several families of bioactive compounds. Regarding the cytotoxic activity, the IC50 (the half-maximal inhibitory concentration) of C. colocynthis seed extract in inhibiting MDA-MB-231 and HT-29 were 170.34 and 132.31 µg/mL, respectively. The cancerous cell lines MDA-MB-231 seem to be more sensitive to C. colocynthis seed extract than HT-29 cell lines. C. colocynthis seed extract exhibited a strong antioxidant power with an IC50 value of 1.37 mg/mL. Insight into the results obtained, C. colocynthis seed extract may be used as a promising weapon to fight against cancer and free radicals’ damage.

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxic, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic and aqueous crude extracts of Nerium oleander (N. oleander) leaves. Methods: Cytotoxic activities were evaluated by WST-1 bioassay on two human cancer cell lines, namely human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 and human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231. The antioxidant property of N. oleander extracts was assessed by DPPH scavenging and β -carotene bleaching tests. The agar disc diffusion method was used for the determination of antimicrobial activity against different strains. Results: Using cell viability indices, the WST-1 test revealed that both extracts reduced cell viability in both cell lines. Our results also showed that aqueous extract was more active than ethanolic extract, with IC50 values of (1.67±0.22) μg/mL and (2.36±0.44) μg/mL on MDA-MB-231 cells, and (2.89±0.35) μg/mL and (5.09±0.52) μg/mL on HT29 cells, respectively. The study of the antioxidant activity showed that N. oleander extracts had a considerable scavenging capacity and exerted a significant preventive effect against the oxidation of β -carotene by the peroxide radicals. However, the antibacterial test showed that both ethanolic and aqueous extracts of N. oleander had a moderate antibacterial effect limited only to Gram-positive bacteria. Conclusions: Our results shows that N. oleander aqueous and ethanolic extracts have significant cytotoxic activities against tumor cell lines and possesses a strong antioxidant capacity, suggesting the presence of active compounds in N. oleander leaves that could be a potential source of phytochemicals with high medicinal value to be used in cancer treatment and prevention.

Background: Excessive sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure. Estimating sodium intake is difficult. The 24-h urine collection is currently the recommended method for estimating intake but cumbersome for large population studies. Predictive model to estimate sodium intake based on single spot urine were developed, but showed inconsistency when used in extern populations. This study aims to develop a specific model for estimating sodium excretion over 24 hours for the Moroccan population. Methods: 371 participants in the urinary validation sub-study of the STEP-wise survey-Morocco 2017-2018 provided a valid 24-hour urine collection and spot urine specimens. Participant were randomly assigned to the training (n=183) and the validation data set (n=188). Results: A prediction model for 24-hour sodium excretion was developed. Adjusted R2 was 0.258. In the validation data set, correlation was 0.431 [95%CI; 0.258-0.580], and the adjusted R2 was 0.190. The Bland-Altman plot showed a nonsignificant small mean bias of -18 mg (95%CI, -213 to 177) in predicting 24-h urinary sodium excretion at the group level. At the individual level, limits of agreement were wide. Conclusion: This new model developed from a single spot urine could be used to predict the average 24-h sodium excretion of Moroccan adults.

Salt is an essential mineral to our health that, in its sodium form, is involved in many functional processes in human body. Excessive salt consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) have identified salt reduction as one of the most cost-effective strategies to prevent the spread of non-communicable diseases. The objectives of the present study is to determine the salt status in the Moroccan population based on 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 133 children and adolescents recruited from public schools in Rabat regions. The average total salt intake status was assessed by 24 h dietary recall. Food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate children’s nutritional habits and the consumption of food rich in salt. The average total salt intake is 5264.5±2398.6mg/day. The knowledge of the study population on the health risks of excess salt, 81% of participants stated that high salt consumption is positively associated with health risks, while only 7% confirmed that there is no relationship between excess salt and health problems. For the use of iodized salt, about half (46.6%) of the study population uses iodized salt. For each variable, a significant difference is shown between the subgroups (p

Abstract Background Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a malignant tumor which arises in surface epithelium of the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. There's is evidence that Epstein Barr virus (EBV) is associated to NPC development. However, many epidemiologic studies point to a connection between viral infections by the human papillomavirus (HPV) and NPC. Method Seventy Moroccan patients with NPC were screened for EBV and HPV. EBV detection was performed by PCR amplification of BZLF1 gene, encoding the ZEBRA (Z Epstein-Barr Virus Replication Activator) protein, and HPV infection was screened by PCR amplification with subsequent typing by hybridization with specific oligonucleotides for HPV types 16, 18, 31, 33, 35, 45 and 59. Results The age distribution of our patients revealed a bimodal pattern. Sixty two cases (88.9%) were classified as type 3 (undifferentiated carcinoma), 6 (8.6%) as type 2 (non keratinizing NPC) and only 2 (2.9%) cases were classified as type 1 (keratinizing NPC). EBV was detected in all NPC tumors, whereas HPV DNA was revealed in 34% of cases (24/70). Molecular analysis showed that 20.8% (5/24) were infected with HPV31, and the remaining were infected with other oncogenic types (i.e., HPV59, 16, 18, 33, 35 and 45). In addition, statistical analysis showed that there's no association between sex or age and HPV infection (P > 0.1). Conclusion Our data indicated that EBV is commonly associated with NPC in Moroccan patients and show for the first time that NPC tumours from Moroccan patients harbour high risk HPV genotypes.