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In the present study, we assessed the antioxidant and antileishmanial potential from fresh leaves of Ballota (B.) hirsuta essential oil (EO). The GC-MS analysis of B. hirsuta EO revealed that spathulenol and germacrene D were the main components accounting for 26.03% and 19.64% of the total EO, respectively. B. hirsuta EO possesses moderate antioxidant activity, both in neutralizing DPPH radicals and in inhibiting β-carotene bleaching. In addition, it exhibits both high antileishmanial activity and selectivity towards the promastigote and amastigote forms. Specifically, B. hirsuta EO showed an IC 50 value of 20.78 µg/mL and 23.62 µg/mL, against the promastigote and amastigote forms of L. infantum, respectively. It also demonstrated an IC 50 value of 22.39 and 25.76 µg/mL, against the promastigote and amastigote forms of L. major, respectively. However, it exhibited moderate cytotoxicity, with a selectivity index below 10. The investigation of the molecular mechanism of action revealed that B. hirsuta EO inhibited only the sterol pathway, including CYP51 gene expression. Additionally, in silico analysis indicated that the main compounds of B. hirsuta EO, germacrene and spathulenol, exhibited excellent affinity energy against Leishmania enzymes trypanothione reductase (TryR) and trypanothione synthase (TryS). This denotes the potential of these compounds as promising agents to control leishmaniasis., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Introduction: Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare but potentially fatal hematological disorder that requires urgent treatment. Once the diagnosis has been made, plasma exchange (PE) must be started immediately and until a response is obtained., Aim: Evaluate PE in terms of responses and complications in the treatment of TTP., Methods: This was a monocentric, descriptive, retrospective study including patients in whom TTP was diagnosed and treated with plasmapheresis in the clinical hematology department at Aziza Othmana Hospital, between January 2010 and December 2020., Results: Our study included 26 patients. PE was initiated within a median of 1 day. The rhythm of exchanges was daily in 22 patients. Twenty PE-related complications were noted, hypocalcemia being the most frequent (30%). CR was achieved in 15 patients after PE alone. Nine patients were refractory, and six received 2nd-line treatment, with CR achieved in five patients. Relapse was noted in six patients (40%). They were treated by PE and only one patient received rituximab. Four patients had a response. The overall response rate was 69% and overall mortality was 30%. OS at 2 years was 68,3% and RFS was 84,4%. Factors associated with the achievement of CR were the fall in LDH at D5 of treatment (p=0,027,OR=0,59 ;IC 95%[0,32-1,08]) and the daily rhythm of PE (p=0,005, OR=0,35; IC 95%[0,14-0,91])., Conclusion: Our results were comparable to those of the literature, but the rate of refractory disease was higher. Rituximab may enhance our results.

Purpose: Open-access publishing expanded opportunities to give visibility to research results but was accompanied by the proliferation of predatory journals (PJos) that offer expedited publishing but potentially compromise the integrity of research and peer review. To our knowledge, to date, there is no comprehensive global study on the impact of PJos in the field of oncology., Materials and Methods: A 29 question-based cross-sectional survey was developed to explore knowledge and practices of predatory publishing and analyzed using descriptive statistics and binary logistic regression., Results: Four hundred and twenty-six complete responses to the survey were reported. Almost half of the responders reported feeling pressure to publish from supervisors, institutions, and funding and regulatory agencies. The majority of authors were contacted by PJos through email solicitations (67.8%), with fewer using social networks (31%). In total, 13.4% of the responders confirmed past publications on PJo, convinced by fast editorial decision time, low article-processing charges, limited peer review, and for the promise of academic boost in short time. Over half of the participants were not aware of PJo detection tools. We developed a multivariable model to understand the determinants to publish in PJos, showing a significant correlation of practicing oncology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and predatory publishing (odds ratio [OR], 2.02 [95% CI, 1.01 to 4.03]; P = .04). Having previous experience in academic publishing was not protective (OR, 3.81 [95% CI, 1.06 to 13.62]; P = .03). Suggestions for interventions included educational workshops, increasing awareness through social networks, enhanced research funding in LMICs, surveillance by supervisors, and implementation of institutional actions against responsible parties., Conclusion: The prevalence of predatory publishing poses an alarming problem in the field of oncology, globally. Our survey identified actionable risk factors that may contribute to vulnerability to PJos and inform guidance to enhance research capacity broadly.

The present study aimed to evaluate the leishmanicidal potential of the essential oil (EO) of Micromeria ( M. ) nervosa and to investigate its molecular mechanism of action by qPCR. Furthermore, in silicointeraction study of the major M. nervosa EO compounds with the enzyme cytochrome P450 sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) was also performed. M. nervosa EO was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results showed that α-pinene (26.44%), t -cadinol (26.27%), caryophyllene Oxide (7.73 ± 1.04%), and α-Cadinene (3.79 ± 0.12%) are the major compounds of M. nervosa EO. However, limited antioxidant activity was observed, as this EO was ineffective in neutralizing DPPH free radicals and in inhibiting β-carotene bleaching. Interestingly, it displayed effective leishmanicidal potential against promastigote (IC 50 of 6.79 and 5.25 μg/mL) and amastigote (IC 50 of 8.04 and 7.32 μg/mL) forms of leishmania (L.) infantum and L. major , respectively. Molecular mechanism investigation showed that M. nervosa EO displayed potent inhibition on the thiol regulatory pathway. Furthermore, a docking study of the main components of the EO with cytochrome P450 sterol 14α-demethylase (CYP51) enzyme revealed that t -cadinol exhibited the best binding energy values (-7.5 kcal/mol), followed by α-cadinene (-7.3 kcal/mol) and caryophyllene oxide (-7 kcal/mol). These values were notably higher than that of the conventional drug fluconazole showing weaker binding energy (-6.9 kcal/mol). These results suggest that M. nervosa EO could serve as a potent and promising candidate for the development of alternative antileishmanial agent in the treatment of leishmaniasis.

Admixture mapping has been useful in identifying genetic variations linked to phenotypes, adaptation and diseases. Copy number variations (CNVs) represents genomic structural variants spanning large regions of chromosomes reaching several megabases. In this investigation, the "Canary" algorithm was applied to 102 Tunisian samples and 991 individuals from eleven HapMap III populations to genotype 1279 copy number polymorphisms (CNPs). In this present work, we investigate the Tunisian population structure using the CNP makers previously identified among Tunisian. The study revealed that Sub-Saharan African populations exhibited the highest diversity with the highest proportions of allelic CNPs. Among all the African populations, Tunisia showed the least diversity. Individual ancestry proportions computed using STRUCTURE analysis revealed a major European component among Tunisians with lesser contribution from Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Population structure analysis indicated the genetic proximity with Europeans and noticeable distance from the Sub-Saharan African and East Asian clusters. Seven genes harbouring Tunisian high-frequent CNPs were identified known to be associated with 9 Mendelian diseases and/or phenotypes. Functional annotation of genes under selection highlighted a noteworthy enrichment of biological processes to receptor pathway and activity as well as glutathione metabolism. Additionally, pathways of potential concern for health such as drug metabolism, infectious diseases and cancers exhibited significant enrichment. The distinctive genetic makeup of the Tunisians might have been influenced by various factors including natural selection and genetic drift, resulting in the development of distinct genetic variations playing roles in specific biological processes. Our research provides a justification for focusing on the exclusive genome organization of this population and uncovers previously overlooked elements of the genome., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Structural racism could contribute to racial and ethnic disparities in cancer mortality via its broad effects on housing, economic opportunities, and health care. However, there has been limited focus on incorporating structural racism into simulation models designed to identify practice and policy strategies to support health equity. We reviewed studies evaluating structural racism and cancer mortality disparities to highlight opportunities, challenges, and future directions to capture this broad concept in simulation modeling research., Methods: We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses-Scoping Review Extension guidelines. Articles published between 2018 and 2023 were searched including terms related to race, ethnicity, cancer-specific and all-cause mortality, and structural racism. We included studies evaluating the effects of structural racism on racial and ethnic disparities in cancer mortality in the United States., Results: A total of 8345 articles were identified, and 183 articles were included. Studies used different measures, data sources, and methods. For example, in 20 studies, racial residential segregation, one component of structural racism, was measured by indices of dissimilarity, concentration at the extremes, redlining, or isolation. Data sources included cancer registries, claims, or institutional data linked to area-level metrics from the US census or historical mortgage data. Segregation was associated with worse survival. Nine studies were location specific, and the segregation measures were developed for Black, Hispanic, and White residents., Conclusions: A range of measures and data sources are available to capture the effects of structural racism. We provide a set of recommendations for best practices for modelers to consider when incorporating the effects of structural racism into simulation models., (Published by Oxford University Press 2023.)

The Assure approach (improvement of emergency care) is a project designed to improve emergency care for the 63,000 residents of homes for the dependent elderly (Ehpad) in the Ile-de-France region. By reinforcing the skills of caregivers in emergency situations and facilitating collaboration between care providers, the Assure approach is mobilizing, alongside all the Ehpad in the Ile-de-France region over a period of two years, the emergency medical assistance services, emergency physicians, mobile geriatric teams and nursing and care assistant training institutes., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Aims: This study aimed to determine the antibacterial and antileishmanial potential of Micromeria nervosa extracts. The identification of the antileishmanial compound and the study of its molecular mechanism of action have also been undertaken., Methods and Results: Ethanol extract showed high polyphenol content and diethyl ether extract exhibited high DPPH scavenging and low beta-carotene bleaching activity (IC50 = 13.04 ± 0.99 and 200.18 ± 3.32 μg mL-1, respectively). However, diethyl ether extract displayed high antibacterial activity against Gram-positive strains including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MIC = 31.25 μg mL-1), Staph. aureus ATCC6538 (MIC = 62.5 μg mL-1), and Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19115 (MIC = 125 μg mL-1), as well as high antileishmanial activity against the promastigote forms of L. infantum and L. major (IC50 = 11.45 and 14.53 μg mL-1, respectively). The active compound was purified using bioassay-guided fractionation and thin layer chromatography, and identified as ursolic acid using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a photodiode array and mass spectrometry. The purified compound was strongly inhibitory against the promastigote and amastigote forms of L. infantum and L. major (IC50 = 5.87 and 6.95 μg mL-1 versus 9.56 and 10. 68 μg mL-1, respectively) without overt cytotoxicity against Raw 264.7 macrophage cells (SI = 13.53 and 11.43, respectively). The commercial compound (ursolic acid) showed similar activity against amastigotes and promastigotes forms of L. infantum and L. major. Moreover, its molecular mode of action against leishmaniasis seems to involve the expression of the ODC and SPS genes involved in thiol pathway., Conclusion: Extracts of M. nervosa can be considered as a potential alternative to antimicrobial and antileishmanial drugs., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Applied Microbiology International.)

Echium arenarium Guss is a Mediterranean plant traditionally used in healing skin wound and it was reported exhibiting potent antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiparasitic activities. However, antitumoral activities of this plant have not yet been explored. Here we investigated for the first time, root (EARE) and aerial part (EAAPE) extracts of E. arenarium Guss to examine cytotoxicity and apoptosis activation pathway on U266 human multiple myeloma (MM) cell line. We demonstrated that EARE and EAAPE decreased U266 cell viability in a dose dependent manner. Based on 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, EARE was significantly two times more efficient (IC50 value 41 μg/ml) than EAAPE (IC50 value 82 μg/ml) considering 48 h of treatment. Furthermore, after 24 h of exposure to 100 μg/ml of EARE or EAAPE, cell cycle showed remarkable increase in sub-G1 population and a decrease of U266 cells proportion in G1 phase. In addition, EARE increased cell percentage in S phase. Moreover, analysis revealed that EAAPE or EARE induced apoptosis of U266 cells after 24 h of treatment. Interestingly, depolarization of mitochondrial membrane potential and activation of caspase 3/7 were demonstrated in treated U266 cells. Phytochemical analysis of E. arenarium extracts showed that EARE exhibited the highest content of total phenolic content. Interestingly, six phenolic compounds were identified. Myricitrin was the major compound in EARE, followed by luteolin 7-O-glucoside, resorcinol, polydatin, Trans-hydroxycinnamic acid, and hyperoside. These findings proved that an intrinsic mitochondria-mediated apoptosis pathway probably mediated the apoptotic effects of E. arenarium Guss extracts on U266 cells, and this will suggest several action plans to treat MM., (© 2021 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The present work was developed to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant, antibacterial, antileishmanial and cytotoxic activities of Echium arenarium (Guss) extracts, and to analyze their phytochemical composition. The highest content of total phenolic compounds was obtained in the ethyl acetate extract which showed the best DPPH scavenging activity and β-carotene bleaching inhibition (IC 50  = 1.1 and 9.94 μg/mL respectively). It also exhibited the highest antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (L. monocytogenes; S. aureus; MRSA, E. faecalis and B. cereus) and antileishmanial activity against L. major (IC 50  = 13.91 ± 0.43 μg/mL) and L. infantum (IC 50  = 9.91 ± 0.15 μg/mL). Moreover, the active extract exhibited potent antiamastigote activity (IC50 = 22.48 ± 0.14 μg/mL and 18.59 ± 0.09 μg/mL against L. major and L. infantum respectively). Cytotoxicity studies revealed low toxicity against Raw 264.7 macrophage cell line (IC50 = 145.80 ± 0.84 μg/mL, SI < 10). Luteolin-7-O-glucoside was identified as the major flavonoid component by RP-HPLC analysis. In conclusion, Echium arenarium (Guss) extract was characterized by a wide range of biological activities and could be used as a potential natural anti-infectious drug., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Understanding how ecological processes determine patterns among species coexisting within ecosystems is central to ecology. Here, we explore relationships between species' local coexistence and their trophic niches in terms of their feeding relationships both as consumers and as resources. We build on recent concepts and methods from community phylogenetics to develop a framework for analysing mechanisms responsible for community composition using trophic similarity among species and null models of community assembly. We apply this framework to 50 food webs found in 50 Adirondack lakes and find that species composition in these communities appears to be driven by both bottom-up effects by which the presence of prey species selects for predators of those prey, and top-down effects by which prey more tolerant of predation out-compete less tolerant prey of the same predators. This approach to community food webs is broadly applicable and shows how species interaction networks can inform an increasingly large array of theory central to community ecology., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.)

The effects of two extraction methods, used at three ripening stages on the total polyphenol contents and the antioxidant activities of Cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) seed extracts were studied. The ripening stage effect on some physical properties of cumin seed was significant. The increase of dry matter (from 10.3 to 87.5%) during ripeness was correlated negatively with that of moisture content (from 89.7 to 12.5%). Besides results showed that the full ripe seeds were richer on polyphenols and condensed tannin than unripe ones, and consequently exhibited higher antioxidant activities. However, the unripe seeds had a higher total flavonoid content compared to those of half ripe and full ripe ones. The comparison of two extraction methods showed that soxhlet extracts contained the greatest amount of polyphenols and flavonoids, while maceration samples exhibited higher antiradical and bleaching power assay. Total phenolic contents and IC50 (concentration required to cause a 50% DPPH inhibition) values in cumin seed during their maturation allowed to conclude that antioxidant activity does not depend only on the high content of total phenolics but also on the phenolic composition. A total of 19 phenolic compounds were successfully identified by HPLC analysis during the ripening of cumin seeds. Rosmarinic acid was the major phenolic acid for the unripe seeds. Furthermore, half ripe and full ripe seeds were dominated by p-coumaric acid. These compounds might be considered as interesting bioactive natural substances that may be used in several fields, such as nutraceuticals, cosmetics and agro-food industry.

Two Carthamus tinctorius varieties (Jawhara and 104) were studied in order to investigate their natural dyes contents and biological activities. Obtained results showed that quinochalcone contents and antioxidant activities varied considerably as function of flowering stages. So flowers at fructification stage contained the highest carthamin content with the strongest antioxidant capacity with all assays (FRAP, DPPH, and chelating power methods). In parallel, we showed a decrease in the content of precarthamin. The quantitative variation of these molecules could be due to colour change of C. tinctorius flowers. Correlation analysis indicated that the ABTS method showed the highest correlation coefficients with carthamin and precarthamin contents, that is, 0.886 and 0.973, respectively. Concerning the regional effect, the contents of precarthamin and carthamin varied significantly (P < 0.05) at studied regions with the optimum production given by samples of Beja (902.41 μg/g DW and 42.05 μg/g DW, respectively, at flowering stage). During flowering, the antimicrobial activity of these two natural dyes increased where the maximum inhibitory effect mentioned with carthamin mainly against E. coli (iz = 25.89 mm) at fructification stage. Therefore, the increased frequency of resistance to commonly used antibiotics leads to the search for new effective natural drugs at food and pharmaceutical industries.

Introduction: Retinal vein occlusion is usually encountered in the elderly and is often associated with systemic vascular disease. It is rarer in young subjects and requires a serious etiological search to best adapt the treatment., Observation: We report the case of a central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in a 26-year-old patient who had no pathological history, discovered at a sudden decline of vision in the right eye, reduced to light perception. Fundus examination and retinal angiography showed an edematous CRVO. Radiologic imaging revealed a narrowing of the right carotid canal, probably congenital, and a reduction in the size of the right common carotid artery and internal carotid artery. Progression was favorable without treatment, and visual acuity improved to 8/10., Conclusion: The etiological investigation in retinal vein occlusion in young people must be exhaustive. The visual prognosis is variable and may depend on the etiology., (Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Arid ecosystems are expected to be among the ecosystems most sensitive to climate change. Here, we explore via model calculations how regular vegetation patterns, widely observed in arid ecosystems, respond to projected climatic shifts as provided by general circulation model output. In our model, the photosynthesis and respiration terms are explicitly linked to physiological attributes of the plants and are forced with the primary climatic drivers: atmospheric CO(2), air temperature, and precipitation. Under future climate scenarios, our simulations show that the system's fate depends on whether the enhancements to photosynthesis due to elevated atmospheric CO(2) outweigh the increases in respiration due to higher air temperatures and the increases in water stress due to lower rainfall. A scalar measure is proposed to quantify this balance between the changes in the three climate drivers. Our model results suggest that knowing how the three primary climate drivers are evolving may provide hints as to whether the ecosystem is approaching desertification.

Aims: To study the immunohistochemical expression of HHV8 in Kaposi's lesions and in other vascular lesions and to determine the utility of this technique in differentiating between Kaposi's disease (KD) and other vascular lesions., Methods: Fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from 25 cases of KD, 9 cases of hemangioma, 2 cases of angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia and 9 cases of angiosarcoma were examined immunohistochemically using the monoclonal antibody monoclonal LNA 53 (ABI). Strong, nuclear and granular staining in at least a cell was considered as a positive result., Results: Sixteen cases of KD showed positive staining, whereas all cases of hemangioma, angiolymphoid hyperplasia with eosinophilia and angiosarcoma were negative for this antigen, Conclusion: Immunohistochemical detection of the human herpesvirus-8 latent nuclear antigen-1 is a useful for differentiating between KD and other vascular lesions.

Benzamides (3a-f) derived from 4-amino-5-chloro-2-methoxybenzoic acid and either cis or trans 1,2-diaminocyclopropane were synthesised and were evaluated in binding assays employing, bovine striatal D2 receptors, recombinant human hD2 and hD3 receptors expressed in CHO cells and rat, cortical 5-HT3 and striatal 5-HT4 receptors. The cis and trans isomers of the derivatives were isolated and characterised. The results demonstrated the superiority of the cis conformers over the trans conformers in dopamine receptor binding assays (Ki hD2 = 13.4 and 6.9 nM and Ki hD3 = 17.7 and 4.5 nM for the cis-3b and cis-3f compounds, respectively; Ki hD2 = 816 and >l000 nM and Ki hD3 = 469 and >1000 nM for the corresponding trans-3b and trans-3f compounds respectively). The cis compounds are folded: the benzamide group and the basic nitrogen atom were in a syn relationship. Compound 3f can be superimposed with a conformation of the tropane derivative, BRL 25594, having the benzyl group in an axial position to give a suitable fit, indicating that both compounds may have a common binding site in the dopamine receptor.