Pesticides are widely used, resulting in continuing human exposure with potential health impacts. Some exposures related to agricultural works have been associated with neurological disorders. Since ...the 2000s, the hypothesis of the role of pesticides in the occurrence of central nervous system (CNS) tumors has been better documented in the literature. However, the etiology of childhood brain cancers still remains largely unknown. The major objective of this work was to assess the potential role of pesticide exposure as a risk factor for CNS tumors based on questionnaires and statistical analysis of information collected from patients hospitalized in the Neurosurgery Department of the Habib Bourguiba Hospital Medium in Sfax, Tunisia, during the period from January 1, 2022, to May 31, 2023. It also aimed to develop a simple and rapid analytical method by the gas chromatography–mass spectrometry technique for the research traces of pesticide metabolites in some collected human brain tumor tissues in order to more emphasize our hypothesis for such a correlation between pesticide exposure and brain tumor development. Patients with a history of high-risk exposure were selected to conduct further analysis. Chemometric methods were adapted to discern intrinsic variation between pathological and control groups and ascertain effective separation with the identification of differentially expressed metabolites accountable for such variations. Three samples revealed traces of pesticide metabolites that were mostly detected at an early age. The histopathological diagnosis was medulloblastoma for a 10-year-old child and high-grade gliomas for 27- and 35-year-old adults. The bivariate analyses (odds ratio >1 and P value <5%) confirmed the great probability of developing cancer by an exposure case. The Cox proportional hazards model revealed the risk of carcinogenicity beyond the age of 50 as a long-term effect of pesticide toxicity. Our study supports the correlation between pesticide exposure and the risk of development of human brain tumors, suggesting that preconception pesticide exposure, and possibly exposure during pregnancy, is associated with an increased childhood brain tumor risk. This hypothesis was enhanced in identifying traces of metabolites from the carbamate insecticide class known for their neurotoxicity and others from pyridazinone, organochlorines (OCs), triazole fungicide, and N-nitroso compounds known for their carcinogenicity. The 2D-OXYBLOT analysis confirmed the neurotoxicity effect of insecticides to induce oxidative damage in CNS cells. Aldicarb was implicated in brain carcinogenicity confirmed by the identification of oxime metabolites in a stress degradation study. Revealing “aziridine” metabolites from the OC class may better emphasize the theory of detecting traces of pesticide metabolites at an early age. Overall, our findings lead to the recommendation of limiting the residential use of pesticides and the support of public health policies serving this objective that we need to be vigilant in the postmarketing surveillance of human health impacts.
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IJS, KILJ, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
Background
Intussusception is commonly idiopathic in children. Pathologic lead points (PLP) especially intestinal tumors (IT) are extremely rare. The diagnosis of intussusception secondary to ...pediatric IT is difficult due to the non-specific nature of symptoms. Its management remains a challenge. We report here four pediatric cases of intussusception secondary to IT lesions in order to analyze the clinical and therapeutic characteristics of this unusual condition.
Case presentations
Four children were diagnosed and operated in our center for intussusception secondary to IT during the period from February 2017 to February 2021. Patients’ demographics, clinical presentations, investigations, operative data, and postoperative outcome were recorded and analyzed. There were three girls and one boy. Ages ranged between 1 and 8 years (average of 5.5 years). Intermittent abdominal pain with acute exacerbation and vomiting were the main clinical signs. Radiologic investigations showed the intussusception in all cases but the tumor lead point was evident only during the surgical exploration in most cases. All patients underwent surgical treatment with intussusception reduction and mass removal. Pathological examination of these masses revealed: submucosal intestinal lipoma (1 case), hamartomatous polyposis (2 cases), and Burkitt’s lymphoma (1 case). For this last case, adjuvant chemotherapy was also needed. The postoperative period was uneventful in all cases.
Conclusion
Pediatric intussusception secondary to IT lesions is an unusual and challenging condition that requires high preoperative diagnostic suspicion, considerate intraoperative judgment, and appropriate postoperative follow-up for successful outcomes.
These tumors should be considered by the pediatric surgeons as possible PLP for recurrent intussusception, especially in older children. Surgeons should be familiar with the various treatment options, because the real cause of the intussusception is often accurately diagnosed by laparotomy.
This study was carried out to evaluate spontaneous renal regeneration after stopping colistin methanesulfonate (CMS), which induces tubular damage, and the curative effect of Vitamin E (vit E) in ...rats. Animals were given the following: sterile saline (n = 6), 300,000 IU/kg/ day of CMS (n = 24), or 450,000 IU/kg/day of CMS (n = 24) for seven days. Each CMS group was subdivided into four subgroups (n = 6) and sacrificed as follows: (i) 12 h after stopping CMS, (ii) two weeks after stopping CMS, (iii) two weeks after stopping treatment with vit E, and (iv) two weeks after stopping treatment with olive oil. Subsequently, plasma creatinine (pCr), urine N-acetyl-b-D-glucosaminidase (NAG), renal tissue level of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione reductase (GSH), and renal histology were tested. CMS-induced tubular damage increased the NAG and MDA levels and decreased the SOD and GSH activities. After two weeks of stopping CMS, there was no significant renal recovery. However, treatment with vit E improved tubular regeneration and reduced the biochemical impairments. Two weeks might not be long enough for significant spontaneous renal regeneration. Improvement of renal parameters by vit E could be explained by the reduction of oxidative stress damage.
Bioactive glass particle is used in the repair of bone defects. This material undergoes a series of surface
in vivo
reactions, which leads to osteointegration. We evaluated the effect of the ...bioactive glass synthesis, sol-gel (BG(S)) versus melting (BG(M)), associated with polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA) on
in vivo
bioactivity with biochemical parameters, liver-kidney histological structure and antibacterial
in vitro
activity. These composites were testified in many bacteria and implanted in ovariectomized rat. The serum and organs (liver and kidney) of all groups, control and treated rats, were collected to investigate the side effects of our composites, BG(S)-PVA and BG(M)-PVA, in comparison with control and ovariectomized rats. Also, the implants, before and after implantation, were prepared for analysis using physicochemical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Our results have shown the stability of natremia, kaliemia, calcemia and phosphoremia. The histological structures of liver and kidney in implanted rats are intact compared to control and ovariectomized rats. BG(S)-PVA is characterized by a higher antibacterial effect on negative and positive gram bacteria than BG(M)-PVA. The physicochemical results have confirmed a progressive degradation of BG(S)-PVA and BG(M)-PVA, while replacing the implant by an apatite layer. But this bioactivity of BG(S)-PVA is faster than BG(M)-PVA. We can therefore confirm, on the one hand, the biocompatibility of our two implants and, on the other hand, the beneficial effect of sol-gel synthesis technique versus melting, both on the antibacterial effect and on the rapid formation of layer hydroxyapatite, and consequently on osteogenesis.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
The polysaccharide preparation from Pimpinella anisum seeds (PAP) was isolated and characterized to evaluate its laser burn wound-healing and anti-inflammatory activities in mice. The structure ...characterization of PAP by Infra-red spectrometry (IR), Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), Gas chromatogram-Mass spectrometer (GC–MS) and colorimetric methods revealed an optimum yield of 8.84%, a high quantity of carbohydrate (64.75%) and low levels of lipids, protein and sulfate. Galactose (33.47%), β-d-Glucose (26.71%) and α-d-Mannose (18.21%) were the major monosaccharides components presenting in PAP, and a smaller amounts of β-d-Galactose, d-Fructose, α-d-Glucose, α-l-Galactose and arabinose were detected. PAP showed noticeable antioxidant and antibacterial properties. The anti-inflammatory activity of PAP in the carrageenan-induced paw edema model in mice, demonstrated by reduced edema and cellular infiltration, and oxidative stress markers in muscle tissue. A beneficial wound healing effect was also revealed. The topical application of PAP based gel on laser burn lesions accelerates wound contraction, the re-epithelization and remodeling phases after seven days of treatment. The results demonstrated that PAP is a novel promising source of natural wound healing and anti-inflammatory drugs. The high content and varied PAP monosaccharides seem to be responsible for the observed biological activities.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Anaplastic Kaposi sarcoma is a rare variant of Kaposi’s and is typically associated with an agressive clinical course. We report a case of a 67-year-old HIV negative man, presented with multiple, ...pink nodules on the left ankle and a keratotic lesion of the right heel. Initial histopathological exam concluded to an undifferentiated sarcoma. A second biopsy was performed and concluded to an anaplastic Kaposi sarcoma. Immunohistochemical study was positive for HHV8. Treatment consisted on a tumor excision of all lesions. Our case and the review of the literature highlight the benefit of the non conservative surgical treatment for this aggressive form of Kaposi sarcoma.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The aim of the present study was to prepare chitosan-PVA-silver nanoparticles (CS-AgNPs) through green method. Chitosan and PVA polymers acted as stabilizing agents. DLS and TEM analyses showed that ...CS-AgNPs were homogeneously dispersed in matrix with an average size of 190–200 nm. The CS-AgNPs were tested for their antioxidant and antibacterial properties and the results revealed that they exhibited higher antioxidant activity than CS powder. Moreover, CS-AgNPs were characterized by a low cytotoxicity effect at 5–200 μg/ml against Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO-K1) cells. In addition, the prepared CS-Ag NPs were found to promote significantly the wound healing, as determined by the wound contraction ratio and histological examination. A significant improvement in wound healing progression and in oxidative stress damage were observed for CS, CS-PVA and CS-AgNPs-treated wound tissues, when compared to control and CICAFLORA®-treated groups. The wound healing effect could be attributed to the antibacterial and antioxidant synergy of AgNPs and CS. Results strongly support the possibility of using CS-AgNPs for wound care applications.
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•Chitosan-silver nanoparticles exhibited strong antibacterial and in vitro antioxidant activities.•The ability of chitosan-silver nanoparticles gel to enhance the wound healing was investigated.•Chitosan, CS-PVA and CS-AgNPs gels were able to accelerate the cutaneous healing.•CS-AgNPs were demonstrated the highest efficiency to prevent the oxidative damage.•The histological micrographs revealed that CS-AgNPs enhanced the wound re-epithelialization.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
Mixed hepatocellular-neuroendocrine carcinoma (HCC-NEC) is a rare entity with a poor prognosis. We report a case of a 44-yearold Tunisian man who was admitted for diffuse abdominal pain. Body ...computed tomography showed multinodular hepatomegaly. Pathologic findings concluded to HCC-NEC. Clinicians should be aware about this entity. Further collection of case reports is needed to standardize the optimal treatment.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK