Aging is associated with a broad range of visual impairments that can have dramatic consequences on the quality of life of those impacted. These changes are driven by a complex series of alterations ...affecting interactions between multiple cellular and extracellular elements. The resilience of many of these interactions may be key to minimal loss of visual function in aging; yet many of them remain poorly understood. In this review, we focus on the relation between retinal neurons and their respective mass transport systems. These metabolite delivery systems include the retinal vasculature, which lies within the inner portion of the retina, and the choroidal vasculature located externally to the retinal tissue. A framework for investigation is proposed and applied to identify the structures and processes determining retinal mass transport at the cellular and tissue levels. Spatial variability in the structure of the retina and changes observed in aging are then harnessed to explore the relation between variations in neuron populations and those seen among retinal metabolite delivery systems. Existing data demonstrate that the relation between inner retinal neurons and their mass transport systems is different in nature from that observed between the outer retina and choroid. The most prominent structural changes observed across the eye and in aging are seen in Bruch's membrane, which forms a selective barrier to mass transfers at the interface between the choroidal vasculature and the outer retina.
This study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding liquid extract of algae (Hypnea musciformis, Grateloupia acuminata, and Sargassum muticum) (HGS) and Magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) using ...this extract to rear water of Oreochromis niloticus, on improving culture water indices, growth performance, digestive enzyme, hemato-biochemical characters, immune, antioxidative responses, and resistance after challenged by Aeromonas hydrophila with specific refer to the potential role of the mixture in vitro as resistance against three strains bacteria (Aeromonas sobria, Pseudomonas fluorescens, P. aeruginosa) and one parasite (Cichlidogyrus tilapia). The first group represented control, HGS0, whereas the other group, HGS5, HGS10, and HGS15 mL−1 of liquid extract, as well as all groups with 7.5 μg mL−1 MgO-NPs added to culture water of O. niloticus, for 60 days. Data showed that increasing levels at HGS 10 and HGS15 mL−1 in to-culture water significantly enhanced growth-stimulating digestive enzyme activity and a significantly improved survival rate of O. niloticus after being challenged with A. hydrophila than in the control group. The total viability, coliform, fecal coliform count, and heavy metal in muscle partially decreased at HGS 10 and HGS15 mL−1 than in the control group. Correspondingly, the highest positive effect on hemato-biochemical indices was noticed at levels HGS 10 and HGS15 mL−1. Fish noticed an improvement in immune and antioxidant indices compared to control groups partially at HGS 10 and HGS15 mL−1. Interestingly, fish cultured in rearing water with the mixture provided downregulated the related inflammatory genes (HSP70, TNF, IL-1β, and IL-8) partially at HGS15 mL−1. In vitro, the mixture showed positive efficiency as an antibacterial and partially antiparasitic at HGS 10 and HGS15 mL−1. This study proposes utilizing a mixture of (HGS) and (MgO-NPs) with optimum levels of 10–15 mL-1 in cultured water to improve water indices, growth, health status, and increased resistance of O. niloticus against bacterial and parasitic infection.
•Seaweed mixture extract (HGS) and (MgO-NPs) synthesis (HGS) was added to cultured water as a natural agent of Nile tilapia.•Including blend improves growth, health status, and resistance against pathogenic.•Immune response and antioxidant activities were significantly improved with increasing blend levels.•Blend controlled the inflammatory and stress-associated genes of tilapia.•(HGS) and (MgO-NPs) with optimum 10 - 15 mL-1 levels in cultured water improve water indices.
Bipedal locomotion is one ofthe key adaptations that define the hominin clade. Evidence of bipedalism is known from postcranial remains of late Miocene hominins as early as 6 million years ago (Ma) ...in eastern Africa1-4. Bipedality of Sahelanthropus tchadensis was hitherto inferred about 7Ma in central Africa (Chad) based on cranial evidence5-7. Here we present postcranial evidence ofthe locomotor behaviour of S. tchadensis, with new insights into bipedalism at the early stage of hominin evolutionary history. The original material was discovered at locality TM 266 ofthe Toros-Ménalla fossiliferous area and consists of one left femur and two, right and left, ulnae. The morphology ofthe femur is most parsimonious with habitual bipedality, and the ulnae preserve evidence of substantial arboreal behaviour. Taken together, these findings suggest that hominins were already bipeds at around 7 Ma but also suggest that arboreal clambering was probably a significant part oftheir locomotor repertoire.
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•A hydrogel based on carboxymethylcellulose was prepared and characterized.•Silver nanoparticles and polypyrrole coated hydrogel was developed.•The impact of addition of Ag or PPy on ...the hydrogel thermal stability was studied.•The mechanical strength for the different composites were compared.•The electrical conductivity of the hydrogel and its coated composites was studied.
This study provides insights about the influence of incorporation of silver nanoparticles or silver nanoparticles@polypyrrole composite on the thermal behavior, mechanical properties, and electrical conductivity of carboxymethylcellulose-g-poly(acrylamide-co-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid) hydrogel prepared via graft copolymerization and cross-linking of acrylamidomethylpropanesulfonic acid and acrylamide into carboxymethyl cellulose. The hydrogel exhibited improved the thermal stability and mechanical properties, increased specific surface area, pore radius, and pore volum upon incorporation of silver nanoparticles. Meanwhile the addition of polypyrrole to the hydrogel negatively impacted the hydrogel thermal stability, surface area and mechanical properties. The electrical conductivity measurements were studied at range frequency range of 100 mHz to 10 MHz. The results revealed the remarkable enhancement of the dc conductivity for the hydrogel containing silver nanoparticles@polypyrrole. The dielectric properties of the composite containg hydrogel/silver nanoparticles@polypyrrole promise their utility as a green, cheap electrical conducting electrolyte in the fabrication of supercapacitors and energy storage devices.
Introduction
Cleft lip and palate are birth defects that occur when a baby’s lip or mouth do not form properly during pregnancy. Individuals with a cleft of the lip and/or palate (CL/P) differ from ...their peers due to their facial appearance, hearing and speech problems, in addition, it causes psychosocial impacts among affected children. However, among untreated adults, it seems that psychological sequelae can be major and life limiting.
Objectives
The purpose of this study is to assess Algerian untreated young CL/P patients psychological and lifestyle issues.
Methods
This is a survey-based cross-sectional study conducted during August- October 2022 in Algeria through an online survey which is a self-administered questionnaire ( SAQ). The study target population were young individuals ( age between 17 and 30) with untreated or partially treated clef lip and palate confitions. The questionnaire consisted of 10 multiple questions including a demographic section, evaluating patients satisfaction, lifestyle, psychological problems related to their conditions and limitations due to it. All participants provided their informed consent prior to their participation. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 was used to analyse the collected data.
Results
Final sample size consisted in 207 responses. The mean age of the participants was 24.3± 3 years. Findings showed that slightly more that three fourths (75,9%) of participants reported that they are unsatisfied of their life because of their CL/P condition. Among 120 uneducated participants, (67%) of them reported thay they abandoned school because of their appearance. For P <0.001, suicide thoughts were higher among female participants (38%) than male participants (9%). Almost half of respondents (49.4%) presented strong immigration desires due to their education, relationships and psychosocial health issues.
Conclusions
The psychological impact of cleft lip and palate in adults appears to be disturbing, chronic and life-limiting. Urgent approaches to ensure the early management of cleft lip and palate in Algeria remain mandatory. Increasing the number of specialized maxillofacial services seems to be a good first step.
Disclosure of Interest
None Declared
Summary Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system, characterized by the accumulation of numerous neurological symptoms and signs ...throughout its course. Fatigue is one of the most distressing complaints that MS patients may experience over their lifetime. In spite of its high prevalence, the pathophysiology of MS fatigue is far from being fully elucidated and a constellation of mechanisms seems implicated in this setting. Several factors could contribute to its development and/or exacerbation, and this requires a careful workup in order to search for all possible underlying causes, such as sleep disturbances, endocrine dysfunction and mood disorders, to cite a few. The aim of this review is to revisit the definition of MS fatigue, provide an overview of its pathophysiology, and reappraise its clinical, structural and functional correlates. Additionally, we discuss the available assessment tools, as well as the various management strategies including pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Special emphasis will be placed on the role of noninvasive brain stimulation techniques in this field. Finally, we propose a “road map” to facilitate the diagnosis and guide the therapeutic regimens of this multifactorial and multidimensional construct.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive inflammatory disease of the central nervous system, representing the primary cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. Cognitive dysfunction ...can affect patients at any time during the disease process and might alter the six core functional domains. Social cognition is a multi-component construct that includes the theory of mind, empathy and social perception of emotions from facial, bodily and vocal cues. Deficits in this cognitive faculty might have a drastic impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life (QoL). Although exhaustive data exist for non-social cognitive functions in MS, only a little attention has been paid for social cognition. The objectives of the present work are to reappraise the definition and anatomy of social cognition and evaluate the integrity of this domain across MS studies. We will put special emphasis on neuropsychological and neuroimaging studies concerning social cognitive performance in MS.
Studies were selected in conformity with PRISMA guidelines. We looked for computerized databases (PubMed, Medline, and Scopus) that index peer-reviewed journals to identify published reports in English and French languages that mention social cognition and multiple sclerosis, regardless of publication year. We combined keywords as follows: (facial emotion or facial expression or emotional facial expressions or theory of mind or social cognition or empathy or affective prosody) AND multiple sclerosis AND (MRI or functional MRI or positron emission tomography or functional imaging or structural imaging). We also scanned references from articles aiming to get additional relevant studies.
In total, 26 studies matched the abovementioned criteria (26 neuropsychological studies including five neuroimaging studies). Available data support the presence of social cognitive deficits even at early stages of MS. The increase in disease burden along with the "multiple disconnection syndrome" resulting from gray and white matters pathology might exceed the "threshold for cerebral tolerance" and can manifest as deficits in social cognition. Admitting the impact of the latter on patients' social functioning, a thorough screening for such deficits is crucial to improving patients' QoL. (JINS, 2017, 23, 266-286).
Iron is essential for a wide range of cellular processes. Here we show that the bZIP-type regulator HapX is indispensable for the transcriptional remodeling required for adaption to iron starvation ...in the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. HapX represses iron-dependent and mitochondrial-localized activities including respiration, TCA cycle, amino acid metabolism, iron-sulfur-cluster and heme biosynthesis. In agreement with the impact on mitochondrial metabolism, HapX-deficiency decreases resistance to tetracycline and increases mitochondrial DNA content. Pathways positively affected by HapX include production of the ribotoxin AspF1 and siderophores, which are known virulence determinants. Iron starvation causes a massive remodeling of the amino acid pool and HapX is essential for the coordination of the production of siderophores and their precursor ornithine. Consistent with HapX-function being limited to iron depleted conditions and A. fumigatus facing iron starvation in the host, HapX-deficiency causes significant attenuation of virulence in a murine model of aspergillosis. Taken together, this study demonstrates that HapX-dependent adaption to conditions of iron starvation is crucial for virulence of A. fumigatus.
Scedosporium species show decreased susceptibility to the majority of systemic antifungal drugs. Acquired resistance is likely to disseminate differentially with the mode of exchange of genetic ...material between lineages. Inter- and intraspecific diversities of Scedosporium species were analyzed for three partitions (rDNA internal transcribed spacer gene ITS, partial β-tubulin gene, and amplified fragment length polymorphism profiles), with the aim to establish distribution of resistance between species, populations, and strains. Heterogeneity of and recombination between lineages were determined, and distances between clusters were calculated using a centroid approach. Clinical, geographic, and antifungal data were plotted on diversity networks. Scedosporium minutisporum, Scedosporium desertorum, and Scedosporium aurantiacum were distinguished unambiguously in all partitions and had differential antifungal susceptibility profiles (ASP). Pseudallescheria fusoidea and Pseudallescheria ellipsoidea were indistinguishable from Scedosporium boydii. Pseudallescheria angusta took an intermediate position between Scedosporium apiospermum and S. boydii. Scedosporium boydii and S. apiospermum had identical ASP. Differences in (multi)resistance were linked to individual strains. S. apiospermum and S. boydii showed limited interbreeding and were recognized as valid, sympatric species. The S. apiospermum/S. boydii group, comprising the main clinically relevant Scedosporium species, consists of separate lineages and is interpreted as a complex undergoing sympatric evolution with incomplete lineage sorting. In routine diagnostics, the lineages in S. apiospermum/S. boydii are indicated with the umbrella descriptor "S. apiospermum complex"; individual species can be identified with rDNA ITS with 96.3% confidence. Voriconazole is recommended as the first-line treatment; resistance against this compound is rare.
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