The aim of this paper is to examine the interrelationships between renewable energy, nonrenewable energy consumption, CO2 emissions and economic growth. It considers substitution and complementarity ...between renewable and nonrenewable energies, by means of dynamic panel data models in simultaneous-equations for a global panel consisting of 107 countries. The time component of our dataset is 2000–2017 inclusive. To make the panel data analysis more homogenous, we also investigate this interrelationship for a number of sub-panels, which are constructed based on the income level of countries. In this way, we end up with three income panels; namely, high income, middle income, and low income panels. In the empirical part, we draw on the growth theory and augment the classical growth model, which consists of capital stock, labor force and inflation, with CO2 emissions and energy. Generally, we show mixed results about the interrelationship between renewable energy, non-renewable energy consumption, CO2 emissions and economic growth.
A 63-year old man was diagnosed with coexisting central (CSA) and obstructive (OSA) sleep apnea, crescendo-decrescendo (CD) periodic breathing (PB), frequent sustained desaturation hypoxemia events ...related to prolonged hypopnea and mild diurnal hypoventilation. Unilateral diaphragmatic dysfunction (DD) related to diabetic phrenic neuropathy was identified. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of the head disclosed frontal-subcortical white matter (WM) lesions, while brainstem MRI found a small punctiform defect in the median area of the pons. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy was ineffective, while a one-month bi-level positive airway pressure (BIPAP) trial provided better outcomes.
Introduction Family members play an important role in the life of many adults with mental disorders and are under considerable amounts of stress that may affect caregiver’s physical health, quality ...of life and resilience. Objectives The present study aimed to explore the relationship between the perceived stress and the resilience levels among caregivers of patients with mental illness and to identify their associated factors. Methods This was a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical study conducted on caregivers of patients suffering from mental illness. It was conducted in the outpatient psychiatry department at the university hospital of Sfax (Tunisia), during september 2021. We used the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale to assess resilience and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) to assess the level of stress. High scores indicate high resilience and perceived Results The sample included 34 family caregivers of patients with mental illness. The mean age was 47.47 years (SD=12.4 years) and the sex ratio (M/F) was 1.42. The mean resilience score of caregivers was 42.85 and the mean perceived stress score was 24.94 (SD=6.36). The score of resilience correlated negatively with the score of perceived stress among family caregivers (r=-0.751 ; p=0.0001). The Caregivers with low socioeconomic level were more likely to have a low resilience score (p=0.004) and to have high stress levels (p=0.04). The level of perceived stress increased significantly in case of long duration of providing care (r=0.697 ; p= 0.001), the presence of stressful events (p=0.029) and the presence of agressive behaviors committed by patients (p= 0.001). However, the level of resilience decreased significantly in those same cases (p=0.001; p=0.002; p=0.0001 respectively) Conclusions Our findings suggest that high level of perceived stress among familiy caregivers impact negatively their capacity of resilience. So, interventions targeting stress related to stressful events and violence committed by patients in their family environment should be integrated to increase the caregivers’resilience. Disclosure of Interest None Declared
Bartonellosis is an emerging vector-borne disease caused by different intracellular bacteria of the genus Bartonella (Rhizobiales: Bartonellaceae) that is transmitted primarily by blood-sucking ...arthropods such as sandflies, ticks and fleas. In Tunisia, there are no data available identifying the vectors of Bartonella spp. In our research, we used molecular methods to detect and characterize Bartonella species circulating in fleas collected from domestic animals in several of the country's bioclimatic areas.
A total of 2178 fleas were collected from 5 cats, 27 dogs, 34 sheep, and 41 goats at 22 sites located in Tunisia's five bioclimatic zones. The fleas were identified as: 1803 Ctenocephalides felis (83%) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae), 266 C. canis (12%) and 109 Pulex irritans (5%) (Siphonaptera: Pulicidae). Using conventional PCR, we screened the fleas for the presence of Bartonella spp., targeting the citrate synthase gene (gltA). Bartonella DNA was detected in 14% (121/866) of the tested flea pools estimated infection rate (EIR) per 2 specimens: 0.072, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.060-0.086. The Bartonella infection rate per pool was broken down as follows: 55% (65/118; EIR per 2 specimens: 0.329, 95% CI: 0.262-0.402) in C. canis; 23.5% (8/34; EIR per 2 specimens: 0.125, 95% CI: 0.055-0.233) in P. irritans and 6.7% (48/714; EIR per 2 specimens: 0.032, 95% CI: 0.025-0.045) in C. felis. Infection rates, which varied significantly by bioclimatic zone (P < 0.0001), were highest in the humid areas. By sequencing, targeting the gltA gene and the 16S-23S rRNA Intergenic Spacer Regions (ITS), we identified three Bartonella zoonotic species: B. elizabethae, B. henselae, B. clarridgeiae, as well as uncharacterized Bartonella genotypes.
To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that fleas in Tunisia have been shown to carry zoonotic species of Bartonella. The dog flea, Ctenocephalides canis, should be considered the main potential vector of Bartonella. Our study not only provides new information about this vector, but also offers a public health update: medical practitioners and farmers in Tunisia should be apprised of the presence of Bartonella in fleas and implement preventive measures.
•Effect of potato peels powders on the rheological properties of dough and the quality of cakes.•Cakes containing potato peel flowers had a high level of protein and dietary fiber content.•The ...overall acceptability rate showed that a cake with 5% of potato peel was acceptable.
Demand for health oriented products such as low calories and high fiber product is increasing. The aim of the present work was to determine the effect of the addition of potato peel powders as protein and dietary fiber source on the quality of the dough and the cake.
Powders obtained from the two types of peel flour showed interesting water binding capacity and fat absorption capacity. Potato peel flours were incorporated in wheat flours at different concentration. The results showed that peel powders additionally considerably improved the Alveograph profile of dough and the texture of the prepared cakes. In addition color measurements showed a significant difference between the control dough and the dough containing potato peels. The replacement of wheat flour with the potato powders reduced the cake hardness significantly and the L* and b* dough color values. The increased consumption of cake enriched with potato peel fiber is proposed for health reasons. The study demonstrated that protein/fiber-enriched cake with good sensory quality could be produced by the substitution of wheat flour by 5% of potato peel powder. In addition and technological point of view, the incorporation of potato peel powder at 5% increase the dough strength and elasticity-to-extensibility ratio (P/L).
In humans, structural or functional defects of the sperm flagellum induce asthenozoospermia, which accounts for the main sperm defect encountered in infertile men. Herein we focused on morphological ...abnormalities of the sperm flagellum (MMAF), a phenotype also termed “short tails,” which constitutes one of the most severe sperm morphological defects resulting in asthenozoospermia. In previous work based on whole-exome sequencing of a cohort of 167 MMAF-affected individuals, we identified bi-allelic loss-of-function mutations in more than 30% of the tested subjects. In this study, we further analyzed this cohort and identified five individuals with homozygous truncating variants in TTC29, a gene preferentially and highly expressed in the testis, and encoding a tetratricopeptide repeat-containing protein related to the intraflagellar transport (IFT). One individual carried a frameshift variant, another one carried a homozygous stop-gain variant, and three carried the same splicing variant affecting a consensus donor site. The deleterious effect of this last variant was confirmed on the corresponding transcript and protein product. In addition, we produced and analyzed TTC29 loss-of-function models in the flagellated protist T. brucei and in M. musculus. Both models confirmed the importance of TTC29 for flagellar beating. We showed that in T. brucei the TPR structural motifs, highly conserved between the studied orthologs, are critical for TTC29 axonemal localization and flagellar beating. Overall our work demonstrates that TTC29 is a conserved axonemal protein required for flagellar structure and beating and that TTC29 mutations are a cause of male sterility due to MMAF.
We here report the case of B.J, an 83-year-old patient with no previous history, presenting with intermittent abdominal pain evolving over the last few months. Physical examination revealed the ...presence of a firm, subumbilical mass that was tender to palpation. Ultrasound showed two multivesicular hydatid cysts (Gharbi’s classification type 3) located in segments III and IV of the liver and multilocular right latero-uterine cyst. Serologic test was positive. Tumor markers were negative. Abdomino-pelvic computed tomography (CT) scan showed two adjacent multivesicular hydatid cysts in the left side of the liver measuring 60x40 mm (A), and a multivesicular right latero-uterine pelvic hydatid cyst measuring 110x80 mm pushing the bladder forward and the uterus to the left (B). Surgical exploration revealed the presence of left hepatic cysts (C) and a huge hydatid cyst arising from the right edge of the uterine body (D). Resection of the salient domes was performed. All the precautionary measures were implemented to avoid possible peritoneal dissemination. Anatomopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of hydatid cysts. One-year CT scan did not show any local or peritoneal recurrence.
Insofar as they play an important role in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC), this study analyzes the serum profile of cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and soluble receptors in ...patients with CRC and cancer-free controls as possible CRC signatures. Serum levels of 65 analytes were measured in patients with CRC and age- and sex-matched cancer-free controls using the ProcartaPlex Human Immune Monitoring 65-Plex Panel. Of the 65 tested analytes, 8 cytokines (CSF-3, IFN-γ, IL-12p70, IL-18, IL-20, MIF, TNF-α and TSLP), 8 chemokines (fractalkine, MIP-1β, BLC, Eotaxin-1, Eotaxin-2, IP-10, MIP-1a, MIP-3a), 2 growth factors (FGF-2, MMP-1), and 4 soluble receptors (APRIL, CD30, TNFRII, and TWEAK), were differentially expressed in CRC. ROC analysis confirmed the high association of TNF-α, BLC, Eotaxin-1, APRIL, and Tweak with AUC > 0.70, suggesting theranostic application. The expression of IFN-γ, IL-18, MIF, BLC, Eotaxin-1, Eotaxin-2, IP-10, and MMP1 was lower in metastatic compared to non-metastatic CRC; only AUC of MIF and MIP-1β were > 0.7. Moreover, MDC, IL-7, MIF, IL-21, and TNF-α are positively associated with tolerance to CRC chemotherapy (CT) (AUC > 0.7), whereas IL-31, Fractalkine, Eotaxin-1, and Eotaxin-2 were positively associated with resistance to CT. TNF-α, BLC, Eotaxin-1, APRIL, and Tweak may be used as first-line early detection of CRC. The variable levels of MIF and MIP-1β between metastatic and non-metastatic cases assign prognostic nature to these factors in CRC progression. Regarding tolerance to CT, MDC, IL-7, MIF, IL-21, and TNF-α are key when down-regulated or resistant to treatment is observed.
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