Soil contamination with olive mill wastes negatively affects microbial communities,invertebrates and plants

Ecotoxicology - The aim of the present study was to evaluate the ecotoxicological effects of olive mill waste (OMW) on soil habitat function. To this end, soil samples from OMW evaporating ponds...     

E-learning pour la Continuité de la Formation en Ophtalmologie Pendant la Pandémie COVID-19 : Degré de Satisfaction des Résidents de l'Institut Hédi Raies d'Ophtalmologie de Tunis

Introduction:

COVID-19 pandemic created great challenges for the continuity of medical education. At the Hédi Raies Institut of Ophthalmology of Tunis (HRIO), the need to ensure continuity in the teaching of ophthalmology has stimulated the development of a new e-learning resource based on clinical case studies.

Aim: 

To evaluate level of satisfaction of HRIO residents in regard to clinical case-study-based e-learning of ophthalmology.

Methods:

Cross-sectional survey including 40 ophthalmology residents doing their internship at the ROHI during the first half of 2020. Learners were tutored in e-learning via the Moodle online learning platform and using a problem-solving format based on clinical case studies describing various ophthalmologic conditions. Data collection was carried out through an online survey after four months of training, designed to assess learners'' satisfaction with the e-learning.

Results:

Mean age of participants was 29.95 ± 1.73 years. The majority had found the navigation easy, the content relevant to their training objectives, and were satisfied with the discussion forums as a method of communication. All respondents were satisfied with clinical cases presented through the platform and felt that they helped them to better understand the content. Among them, 97.5% considered that this teaching method corresponded to their training needs. There was a statically significant difference in the level of knowledge before and after e-learning teaching, taking into account the residents'' appreciation (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

This study highlights the importance of virtual learning in ophthalmology in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic. E-learning is well appreciated by ophthalmology residents, relatively easy to integrate to their training program, and reduces issues of time, patient availability and case exposure.     

Central corneal thickness in a healthy Tunisian population

Aim:To study the central corneal thickness of a Tunisian population and determine the influence of age, gender, axial length and refractive error on central corneal thickness (CCT) values. Methods:An observational, cross-sectional study was conducted on 608 eyes of consecutive Tunisian patients without ophthalmic disease. Corneal tomography (Oculus Pentacam, USA) and a complete eye examination were performed on all patients. The relationship between the central corneal thickness values and variables of age, refractive error, axial length and gender was assessed. Results:The mean central corneal thickness was 522±37.17μm (range 461 to 655 μm). No statistical association was found between central corneal thickness values and variables of age, refractive error, axial length and gender. Conclusions:The normal CCT value in the Tunisian population was of 522±37.17 µm. We have analyzed, for the first time, normal central corneal thickness values of a healthy Tunisian population.     

Hydatic pulmonary embolism complicating a cardiac hydatic cyst. A case report

Hydatic pulmonary embolism: complication of a cardiac hydatic cyst:a case report hydatic cardiac cyst is a rare condition and represents only 0.5 to 2% of all visceral localisations of the hydatid disease. We reported a 28 year old patient with a multiple hydatic pulmonary embolism caused by the rupture of a hydatic cyst of the interventricular septum. The diagnosis was established by transthoracic echocardiography and CT Scan. Surgery was performed without delay and the outcome was good after a five month follow-up. This case illustrates the diagnostic value of the non invasive imaging means in hydatic cyst of the heart and underlines the importance of surgery realized before complications occur.     

Filiation hamartoma polyposis dysplasia and small bowel adenocarcinoma

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome is a hereditary affection with dominant autosomal transmission. The risk of cancerisation is largely higher than that in the general population. Dysplasia is rare. Transformation of the polyposis hamartoma into a site of dysplasia then into adenocarcinoma has been rarely reported. The authors report the case of a 14 year-old patient, having a severe dysplasia on ileal polyposis hamartoma related to the syndrome of Peutz-Jeghers.     

Chlorogenic Acid Prevents AMPA-Mediated Excitotoxicity in Optic Nerve Oligodendrocytes Through a PKC and Caspase-Dependent Pathways

In the CNS, including the optic nerve, oligodendrocytes play a critical role in the myelination of axons. Oligodendrocytes are exceptionally sensitive to insults to the CNS, such as injury, ischemia, or inflammation, which result in the loss of oligodendrocytes and myelin and eventually secondary axon degeneration. Oligodendrocytes are sensitive to excitotoxic insults mediated by overactivation of their AMPA ionotropic glutamate receptors. Phenolic compounds, which are widely distributed in fruits and vegetables, received the great attention of scientists due to their antioxidant activities and free radical scavenging abilities. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) has been demonstrated to possess potent neuroprotective activities against oxidative stress in various cellular models and pathological conditions. Hence, CGA protect against oxidative stress and excitotoxic insults mediated by AMPA receptors and that the protective mechanisms involve free radical scavenging, Ca²⁺ handling in the cytosol, and modulating antioxidant enzyme system. CGA was associated with the protein kinase A (PKC) signaling pathways transduction. Caspases and calpains have been studied as apoptotic mediators and cell death in this model of AMPA toxicity. Inhibitors of caspases initiators, caspases 1, 8, and 9, the upstream of caspase 3 effectors, have totally abrogated the protective activity of CGA. Inhibitors of calpains also totally abrogated the protective activity of CGA. In addition, a potential role for the CGA in inhibiting Bax in oligodendrocyte cell model undergoing AMPA is inducing excitotoxic death. Our results indicate that CGA exhibits a protective potential via antioxidant and apoptosis caspases and calpains dependent against AMPA-mediated excitotoxicity, and these finding indicate that CGA is able to be a good candidate for preventive approach for neurodegenerative disorders associated with loss and damage in oligodendrocytes and AMPA-mediated excitotoxicity.     

Metabolic syndrome is associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease based on a 24‐hour ambulatory pH monitoring

Several studies have focused on the relationship between metabolic syndrome and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). They were based on GERD complications, whereas little is known about the association between metabolic syndrome and objectively measured esophageal acid exposure. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between metabolic syndrome and GERD based on a 24‐hour pH testing. It was a cross‐sectional study including 100 consecutive patients who underwent a 24‐hour pH‐metry monitoring and were assessed for the five metabolic syndrome components as well as for body mass index (BMI). Among the 100 patients, 54 had a pathological acid GERD. The 46 GERD‐free patients represented control group. Sex distribution was comparable between both groups but GERD patients were older than controls (44.59 vs. 37.63 years, P= 0.006) and more often obese or with overweight (83.3 vs. 60.9%, P= 0.01). Frequency of metabolic syndrome as a whole entity was higher among patients with GERD than those without GERD (50 vs. 19.56%; P= 0.002) with a crude odds ratio of 4.11 (95% confidence interval: 1.66–10.14). Multivariate regression analysis showed that metabolic syndrome as well as an age ≥30 years were independent factors associated to GERD but not BMI and sex. Abnormal waist circumference and fasting glucose level ≥100 mg/L were the only independent factors among the five components of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome but not BMI was an independent factor associated to GERD. These results confirm the hypothesis that central obesity is associated to GERD.