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Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence, the main features and the potential risk factors of LBP in pregnant women. Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 173 pregnant women in the third trimester. Non‐inclusion criteria were severe mental disability and known previous history of musculoskeletal diseases. The participants were categorised into two groups: women with pregnancy‐related LBP and pain‐free women. Demographic, socio‐professional, clinical and obstetrical data were compared between the two groups using the appropriate statistical tests. Results: The mean age was 32.2 ± 5.4 years [17–45]. Among them, 108 (62.4%) reported one or more episodes of LBP during at least 7 days, mostly in the third semester (n = 71). The presence of LBP was significantly associated with history of LBP in previous pregnancies and jobs requiring prolonged standing. Active jobs and the presence of gestational complications were significantly more common in pain‐free women. In the multivariate analysis, LBP was independently predicted by the history of LBP in previous pregnancies and the absence of gestational complications. Conclusions: The association of LBP with gestational complications as a protective factor has not yet been reported in previous studies. These complications are a common cause of hospitalisation, which represents a period of relative rest during pregnancy. Our results revealed that history of LBP in previous pregnancies, sedentary lifestyle prior to pregnancy and prolonged standing are the main risk factors of LBP. In contrast, rest and avoidance of physical overstrain during pregnancy may be protective factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a retrospective study conducted in Tunis hospitals to assess the impact of COVID-19 on hospitalized pregnant women. The study population consisted of women aged 28-38 years with diverse educational backgrounds. Most women had no significant medical history, but some had controlled asthma or a prior pregnancy loss. Vaccination rates were high, with the majority receiving prenatal care. Common COVID-19 symptoms were reported in 73% of women, and most cases were mild with no maternal deaths. However, COVID-19 infection was associated with an increased risk of preterm delivery, respiratory distress, and miscarriage. Psychological distress was observed in all women. Delivery outcomes were significantly impacted, with a rise in Caesarean sections and a high preterm birth rate. Neonatal COVID-19 infection occurred in 6% of cases, but most newborns had good Apgar scores. The study emphasizes the importance of continued vaccination efforts and close monitoring throughout pregnancy. [Extracted from the article]

Summary: Internet of Vehicles (IoVs), the emerging trend of Internet of Things (IoTs), has undoubtedly become a promising trend to improve communication among vehicles on the roads. Vehicle‐to‐everything (V2X) communication that is based on 5G technology enables vehicle users to communicate and collaborate with each other to enhance road traffic efficiency and safety. Owing to the increased traffic load and restricted resources of existing network substructure, a channel that responds to the latency and reliability needs of V2X communication must be designed. Thereby, several intelligent spectrum allocation techniques have been proposed to improve the system's overall effectiveness. In this paper, we discuss the spectrum sharing issue of V2X communication in Device‐to‐Device (D2D)‐based cellular networks. We propose a new multi‐layer neural network (MLNN)‐based Resource Allocation and sharing approach (MNNRA) for D2D‐based V2X communications. According to the main advantages of MLNN, the proposed algorithm takes several profits by improving system performance while reducing computational complexity. Numerical analysis is presented to approve the effectiveness of our proposed solution in terms of network sum rate, packet reception ratio, resource utilization ratio, and time complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses a rare pregnancy complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which has microangiopathy as a key characteristic. The case study presented involves a 38-year-old pregnant woman at 17 weeks gestation who experienced symptoms such as headache, vomiting, and visual blur. The patient had a history of prior miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and a previous Caesarean section. Physical examination and laboratory findings indicated microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, low platelet count, and elevated creatinine levels, leading to a suspected diagnosis of HUS. The importance of early diagnosis in pregnant women with anemia, thrombocytopenia, and acute renal failure is emphasized due to the potential for severe maternal complications. [Extracted from the article]

In this study, we aimed to optimize the nutritional and environmental conditions for the production of a novel lipase (LBL) from Bacillus licheniformis (GenBank accession no. MT118724). This strain was characterized by morphological and biochemical assays and Sanger sequencing of 16S rDNA. The crude lipolytic activity reached a maximum level 7.5 U mL-1 at 40 °C and pH 8.0 using olive oil as substrate. Additionally, the crude enzyme maintained 100% of its initial activity after incubation for 1 h at 50 °C and pH 9.0. It is mandatory to note that LBL lipase displayed appreciable stability over a wide pH range and extreme temperatures. After purification, the optimal lipolytic activity was observed at pH 8.0 and 40 °C. LBL was shown to be a monomeric protein with an estimated molecular weight of 40 kDa. This novel lipase exhibited high stability and excellent compatibility compared to lipase extracted from Thermomyces lanuginosa (Lipolase® from Novozymes, Denmark) toward various detergents. Washing performance analysis revealed that it efficiently removes tomato sauce stain from cotton cloth. All these interesting enzymatic properties favor this new lipase as a potent candidate for applications in detergent formulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The specific characteristics of vehicular ad hoc networks, such as high speed of nodes and frequent topology changes, impose challenges for the routing process. In addition, the advent of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV) concept along with the autonomous and connected cars contribute to the proliferation of new innovative applications with different quality of service requirements, rising new challenging issues for data transfer. In this article, we review the different taxonomies of vehicular routing protocols, while giving an insight into the design of geographical protocols. Then, we outline several optimization techniques and paradigms used to enhance the routing process. Moreover, in order to promote the deployment of robust IoV routing protocols at large scale, we provide some directions for future research work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: As sensor nodes are power constrained, saving energy and prolonging network lifetime have been given the greatest priority in the design of routing protocols in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). In this regard, duty‐cycling is broadly utilized as an underlying MAC (Medium Access Control)‐based protocol for routing solutions. In this regard, a cross‐layer approach, integrating MAC and routing protocols, is required to achieve a trade‐off between energy efficiency and communication reliability, through adapting nodes duty‐cycle to routing decisions. Besides, with the proliferation of WSNs applications in various domains, achieving energy efficiency should not be performed while ignoring the diverse quality of service (QoS) demands of the considered applications to ensure their well functioning. In this context, we propose a context‐aware routing framework under duty‐cycled networks, a generic framework that allows to support heterogeneous applications and traffic patterns. An evaluation of the framework is also proposed in this paper. Results prove the effectiveness of context‐awareness and the cross‐layer interaction between the different modules of the framework to guarantee desired QoS while reducing energy consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bronchogenic cysts are uncommon in the extremely tongue. It can be diagnosed from the second trimester of pregnancy by ultrasound completed by a fetal MRI to give better precision concerning the mass. We present the case of a bronchogenic cyst of the root of the tongue discovered in a fetus of 17 weeks of gestation complicated with polyhydramnios leading to a medical interruption of pregnancy. [Extracted from the article]

Data about homicidal burns remain scarce. Intentional burns are a challenging situation in the case of an individual found dead in a fire zone with no witness of the fatal act. This study aimed to analyze the victim profiles of homicidal burns in Northern Tunisia. It was a descriptive cross‐sectional study with a retrospective data collection over 15 years (January 2005–December 2019). In total, 60 cases of homicidal burns were collected. The mean age was 40.22 ± 18.1 years (range 4–82 years). We noted a male predominance (sex ratio M/F = 1.3). Most of the victims were married (48.3%), unemployed (40%), and living in an urban area (63.3%). Homicidal burns occurred most frequently in private homes for female victims (80.8%) and in public places for male victims (31.4%) (p < 0.001). The reported motive varied according to the victim's sex; males were mostly assaulted by an acquaintance in an interpersonal conflict (47.1%), and females were mostly assaulted by an intimate partner while in a dispute (42.3%; p = 0.001). The median total body surface area (TBSA) that was burned was 60.4%, and burn injuries were observed mainly in the anterior part of the body. In 19 cases, the burns were associated with another type of trauma, from which the most common association was burning and stab wounds (12 cases). The identified pattern of homicidal burn casualties was similar to the reported data in Western countries and to homicides in general in Tunisia, suggesting that prevention measures should address those of intentional interpersonal violence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work is a comparative study of the impact of different Alfa fiber modifications on fiber properties, as well as on polylactic acid (PLA) composites behaviors. A specific process that combines successively mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic treatments (xylanase and pectinase) was employed to optimize the performances of Alfa fibers. The treatments reduced the levels of lignin, hemicellulose, and pectin in the fibers. This reduction was associated with a rise of defibrillation degree, an increase of cellulose content and an enhancement of thermal stability, as shown with SEM observations, biochemical composition determination, FTIR measurements and thermo‐gravimetric analyzer results. Bio‐composites were fabricated using a twin‐screw extruder and an injection‐molding machine with a fiber load of 20%. Tensile, flexural and water absorption tests revealed an improvement of mechanical strengths and water resistance for the treated fibers composites, with the enzyme treatment being the most efficient. SEM analysis showed a better impregnation and distribution of enzyme treated fibers within the matrix. An improvement of the thermal properties of composites filled with Alfa treated fibers was noticed when compared with untreated fibers composites. The data indicated that the technology of enzymes can be used as a powerful and eco‐friendly approach to treat natural fibers and to increase their potential of reinforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vehicular communication systems have recently attracted a lot of attention because of their potential to improve road efficiency, comfort, and safety. In this paper, we investigate the resource management problem for device‐to‐device–based vehicle‐to‐vehicle communication. A multiobjective radio resource allocation and sharing algorithm is proposed based on a swarm intelligence algorithm called ant colony optimization (ACO). First, for the resource allocation process, three objective functions are formulated to maximize the users' transmission capacity, reduce the mobile transmission power, and minimize the intracell interference. Second, for the resource sharing process, we define two objective functions to optimize the resource utilization and reduce the intercell interference. Finally, a weighted sum method is used to join these objective functions and define one multiobjective optimization problem. The ACO algorithm is used to determine the Pareto optimal solution. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm performs well and achieves promising performance in terms of network sum rate, packet drop rate, average queuing delay, resource utilization, and mobile's transmission power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seed germination recovery aptitude is an adaptive trait of overriding significance for the successful establishment and dispersal of extremophile plants in their native ecosystems. Cakile maritima is an annual halophyte frequent on Mediterranean coasts, which produces transiently dormant seeds under high salinity, that germinate fast when soil salinity is lowered by rainfall. Here, we report ecophysiological and proteomic data about (1) the effect of high salt (200 mM NaCl) on the early developmental stages (germination and seedling) and (2) the seed germination recovery capacity of this species. Upon salt exposure, seed germination was severely inhibited and delayed and seedling length was restricted. Interestingly, non‐germinated seeds remained viable, showing high germination percentage and faster germination than the control seeds after their transfer onto distilled water. The plant phenotypic plasticity during germination was better highlighted by the proteomic data. Salt exposure triggered (1) a marked slower degradation of seed storage reserves and (2) a significant lower abundance of proteins involved in several biological processes (primary metabolism, energy, stress‐response, folding and stability). Yet, these proteins showed strong increased abundance early after stress release, thereby sustaining the faster seed storage proteins mobilization under recovery conditions compared to the control. Overall, as part of the plant survival strategy, C. maritima seems to avoid germination and establishment under high salinity. However, this harsh condition may have a priming‐like effect, boosting seed germination and vigor under post‐stress conditions, sustained by active metabolic machinery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Detailed knowledge of thermal, hydric and mechanical phenomena within a product during drying helps decrease energy costs by reducing the exposure time and improve product quality by respecting the severe standards requirements. In this context, we simulate the spatiotemporal behavior of a highly deformable product saturated with water during convective drying. The numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer states consists of solving the full conductive solid phase conservation equation, the convecto‐diffusive conservation equation of the liquid water together with the energy equation. These equations are coupled by the solid phase contraction rate due to water removal, which represents the shrinkage. The thermo‐physical properties of the considered product, grape in our case, were determined from characterization experiments. Measurement series were carried out in a laboratory‐drying loop and the obtained numerical results are found to be in good agreement with the experimental ones. The simulation allows the monitoring of the time evolution of temperature and humidity inside the product for different drying conditions. At 20% relative humidity of drying air, the ideal temperature was found to be 55 °C and not 60 °C, which minimizes the cost of drying and conserves better the structure of the product. The simulation results of a deformable product can be extended to deformable foodstuffs to minimize the exposure time needed for predefined final water content. Practical applications: The research of optimization of drying process of grapes led to the finding of the corresponding temperature and relative humidity of convective drying air. A proposed simulation model which takes the shrinkage of this product into account describes its behavior, gives the exposure time needed for predefined final water content. The model can be extended to other deformable products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define an abstract setting to treat essential spectra of unbounded coupled operator matrix. We prove a well-posedness result and develop a spectral theory which also allows us to prove an amelioration to many earlier works. We point out that a concrete example from integro-differential equation fit into this abstract framework involving a general class of regular operator in L1 spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 26-year-old patient with no significant medical history to mention, primigravida, was admitted to our department for nausea and vomiting of pregnancy, accompanied by ketonuria at the 14th week of gestation. The physical examination showed a conscious and cooperating patient with a full Glasgow score of 15 with a normal neurological examination (meningeal signs were absent), a stable hemodynamic status, and the absence of dehydration signs except diminished skin turgor. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of our study is to identify the contribution of MRI as a complementary examination to ultrasound in order to optimise the characterisation of ovarian mass characterisation. In cases where pelvic ultrasonography could not contribute substantially to the diagnosis, we completed the exploration with a pelvic MRI. [Extracted from the article]

On ultrasound: Cleft lip and palate, lissencephaly and microcephaly. Second trimester ultrasound is usually performed between 22 and 24 weeks of amenorrhea to assess the growth of the fetus, to carry out an in-depth morphological study, to study the mobility and the fetal appendages and to highlight certain associations of malformations. The frequency of cleft lip and palate is estimated to 1.5 per 1000 births the diagnosis is made during second trimester ultrasound. [Extracted from the article]

The getal ascites puncture was the next step, for the sake of the Bglucosidase assay. Chromosome abnormalities were heavily suspected, especially the Turner syndrome, the trisomies (Trisomy 13, Trisomy 18, Trisomy 21), for this purpose we completed our investigation with an amniocentesis. Our patient underwent a testing of a panoply of serologies, but all the I in utero i infection(s), such as the TORCH group, the fetal parvovirus B19 infection and the coxsackie viral infection were cleared. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: To describe the demographics and clinical characteristics of anterior scleritis associated with uveitis in a referral center in Tunisia. Methods: The charts of twenty patients (20 eyes) diagnosed with sclero‐uveitis at Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital, Monastir, Tunisia, presented between January 2015 and April 2022, were retrospectively reviewed. Detailed ophthalmic examination and fundus photography were performed in all patients. Mean follow‐up period was 28.4 months. Patients with keratitis or posterior scleritis were excluded. Results: There were eight women and 12 males patients with a mean age of 34.8 years. All patients presented with ocular pain. Mean initial best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA) was 20/80 (range, 20/2000–20/25).There was an associated anterior uveitis in 80% of cases and panuveitis in 20%. Clinical findings at presentation included nodular scleritis in five eyes (25%) and scleromalacia perforans in four eyes (20%). Idiopathic sclero‐uveitis accounted for almost 55%. Identified causes of sclerouveitis included rheumatoid arthritis in four eyes (20%), tuberculosis in three eyes (15%), granulomatosis with polyangiitis in two eyes (10%), sarcoidosis in one eye (5%) and then one case after mRNA 1273 vaccine (5%). Ocular complications included pupillary seclusion in 25% of cases and vision loss in 10% of patients. Mean final BCVA was 20/100 (range, 20/4000–20/32). Treatment modalities of non‐infectious scleritis included indomethacine in 14 patients (82.3%), systemic corticosteroid in seven patients (41.1%) and immunosuppressant or biological agent in five patients (29.4%). Conclusions: Our results provide useful information about the patterns and etiologies of sclerouveitis. The leading causes of sclerouveitis include mainly rheumatoid arthritis and tuberculosis. An infectious cause should be always ruled out. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare clinical profile and visual outcomes of occlusive versus non‐occlusive retinal vasculitis (RV). Methods: A retrospective comparative study. Results: 284 patients were enrolled, including 124 patients with occlusive RV (ORV) and 160 patients with nonocclusive RV (NORV). Patients with ORV were older (p ≤ 10‐3), predominantly male (p ≤ 10‐3), with less bilateral involvement (31.5% vs. 53.4%; p ≤ 10‐3). Infectious RV was more frequently diagnosed in the ORV group than in the NORV group (48.8% vs. 32.9%, p = 0.006). Behçet disease and ocular tuberculosis were the leading causes of ORV. Idiopathic RV, Behçet disease, and sarcoidosis were the most common causes of NORV. Independent predictive factors of poor visual outcome were worse baseline visual acuity in both groups (p = 0.006 and p ≤ 10‐3, respectively), and retinal haemorrhages (p = 0.048) and optic atrophy (p = 0.040) in the ORV group. Conclusions: Occlusive and non‐occlusive RV have distinctive clinical and etiological profile. References 1. Agarwal A, Karkhur S, Aggarwal K, Invernizzi A, Singh R, Dogra MR, et al. Epidemiology and clinical features of inflammatory retinal vascular occlusions: pooled data from two tertiary‐referral institutions: Inflammatory retinal vascular occlusion. Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. janv 2018;46(1):62–74. 2. Mir TA, Reddy AK, Burkholder BM, Walsh J, Shifera AS, Khan IR, et al. Clinical Features and Incidence Rates of Ocular Complications in Patients With Retinal Vasculitis. Am J Ophthalmol. juill 2017;179:171–8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To compare clinical findings and visual outcomes of vitreous haemorrhage (VH) associated with inflammatory ocular conditions between children and adults patients. Methods: Retrospective study including 46 patients (56 eyes) diagnosed with VH associated with inflammatory ocular conditions in Department of ophthalmology, Fattouma Bourguiba university hospital, Tunisia. Demographics, clinical findings, etiologies, treatment modalities, and visual outcomes were compared between adults and children. Mean follow‐up period was 18 months. Results: There were 10 children (12 eyes) and 36 adults (44 eyes) patients. Mean age was 9.5 years in the children group (six males and four females) and 35 years in the adult group (26 males and 10 females). Comparative study showed that VH in the paediatric group was associated with a significantly lower presenting visual acuity, more frequently vitritis and fern‐like capillaritis, whereas VH in the adult group were more associated with vascular sheathing and retinal haemorrhages. The main mechanism of bleeding was inflammatory optic disc neovessels (NV) in the children group (66.6%, p ≤ 0.001) and ischemic posterior segment NV in the adult group (81.8%, p ≤ 0.001). Idiopathic intermediate uveitis (40%) was the leading cause of VH in the children group. However, tuberculosis (41.7%), Behçet's (19.4%) disease and sarcoidosis (11.1%) were the most common etiologies in the adult group. The mean final visual acuity was significantly higher in the paediatric group (20/25) than the adult group (20/50) (p = 0.045). Conclusions: Inflammatory VH has a distinctive clinical and etiological profile between children and adults. References 1. Agarwal A, Karkhur S, Aggarwal K, Invernizzi A, Singh R, Dogra MR, et al. Epidemiology and clinical features of inflammatory retinal vascular occlusions: pooled data from two tertiary‐referral institutions: Inflammatory retinal vascular occlusion. Clin Experiment Ophthalmol. janv 2018;46(1):62–74. 2. Mir TA, Reddy AK, Burkholder BM, Walsh J, Shifera AS, Khan IR, et al. Clinical Features and Incidence Rates of Ocular Complications in Patients With Retinal Vasculitis. Am J Ophthalmol. juill 2017;179:171–8. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The patient is scheduled for surgical excision, in close collaboration with gynecologists, visceral surgeons and pathologists. Complete surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Angiomyofibroblastoma (AMFB) is a rare mesenchymal tumour, the affected population is generally middle-aged women, the site of predilection is the vulva of the woman. [Extracted from the article]

Laparoscopic surgical exploration in our patients most often found gonads reduced to two fibrous bands. This study includes the analysis of epidemiological, clinical, biological and ultrasound data plus intraoperative findings, treatment histological result and subsequent follow up of patients with Pure gonadal dysgenesis (PGD) also known as SWYER syndrome. However, all patients presented primary amenorrhea. [Extracted from the article]

To evaluate fertility results after laparoscopic distal tuboplasty. Methods All the distal tuboplasties performed between 2018 and 2019 were included, laparoscopic distal tuboplasty was carried out on 20 patients. The patients were classified according to the French cooperative tubal scoring system: stage 1: 7 patients, stage II: 13 patients, stage III: 22 patients, stage IV: 12 patients; 17 patients underwent a fimbrioplasty whereas 3 patients underwent a neosalpingostomy. [Extracted from the article]

Therefore, Ultrasonography and MRI represent complementary diagnostic tools for antenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta. EP44.20: Accuracy of placenta accreta prenatal diagnosis by ultrasound and MRI in a high-risk population To compare accuracy of ultrasonography and MRI for prenatal diagnosis of placenta accreta. [Extracted from the article]

The study objective is to study the intraoperative and postoperative complications of laparotomic myomectomy and patients' characteristics influencing this risk. Conclusions Odds ratio computed to estimate the risk of complications in relation to the patient characteristics showed that the probability of complications significantly rises with an increase in the number (more than 3 myomas) and with the intramural or the intraligamentous location of myomas whereas the myoma size seems to influence particularly the risk of major complications. Patients undergoing myomectomies should be carefully selected, due to the high rate of complications, other alternatives should be also considered such as laparoscopic myomectomy; uterine embolisation. [Extracted from the article]

The purpose of our study is to assess imaging-pathologic concordance and discordance of stereotactic vacuum-assisted biopsies of breast microcalcifications. BI-RADS category 4 lesions were further subdivided into 3 subcategories: BI-RADS 4A (4 lesions), BI-RADS 4B (19 lesions), and BI-RADS 4C (4 lesions). A total of 6 lesions BI-RADS category 3, 27 lesions BI-RADS category 4, and 5 lesions BI-RADS category 5 were sampled. [Extracted from the article]

Results In 65.8% of the cases, the Ultrasound findings were confirmed at autopsy. prenatal ultrasound examination was accurate in respect of major malformations: neurological malformations and cardiac pathologies. Because autopsy findings may be undetectable by ultrasound, postmortem examination following termination of pregnancy is routinely performed. During the last decades, detection by ultrasound has improved, especially due to increasing expertise of the ultrasonographers and higher quality of the ultrasound equipment. [Extracted from the article]

The decision was to perform a medical termination of the pregnancy by Caesarean section the fetus had obvious macroscopic malformations: microretrognatism, rhizomelic micromelia, narrow thorax, prominent abdomen, arm fracture. X-ray of the skeleton shows multiple fractures at the level of the limbs which are deformed and angulated, ribs in a thin string, cortex of thin bones. I N, 39 years old, family medical history: no dwarfism or other congenital diseases; without any Personal medical history no medication Atcds G/O married since 2000, two healthy children, one medical termination of gestation for hydrocephalus with a normal amniocentesis in 2000, currently pregnant at 17SA2J, monitored privately, the ultrasound made at 12 weeks of gestation showed a nuchal translucency at 2.9, a craniocaudal length of 63 mm, triple test 1/29, echo at 17SA: Malformative syndrome: Hypertelorism, narrow thorax in champagne cork short limbs, prominent abdomen, FL/foot = 0.4, bilateral pyelectasis, micromelia, femoral fracture trophoblast biopsy: inconclusive; amniocentesis: karyotype 46.XX without abnormalities. [Extracted from the article]

Clinical case 2: Mrs MH, 24 years old, without medical history, well-monitored pregnancy, low risk of chromosomal aberrations. ultrasound at 22 Weeks showed obvious lower digestive tract dilatation (below the stomach). Clinical case 3: Mrs. AM, 32 years old, without medical history, had an ultrasound at 12weeks of gestation showing: fine nuchal translucency, normal serologists. Clinical case 1: Mrs HT aged 23, GIPO, unmonitored pregnancy consults at 22 weeks of gestation. [Extracted from the article]

Medical termination of pregnancy was indicated for cystic hygromas with chromosomal abnormalities confirmed by amniocentesis and genetic study. The fetal karyotype was normal for 2 out of 5 pregnancies including 1 twin pregnancy and 1 single pregnancy. The fetal karyotype was normal for 2 out of 5 pregnancies including 1 twin pregnancy and 1 single pregnancy. [Extracted from the article]

We emphasise the imaging and histology appearance of this tumour; as well as on the interest of evoking this diagnosis for surgery adapted to sarcomas. Transvaginal sonography showed a retrocervical tumour of 112 × 163 × 100 mm in diameter at the dorsal uterine wall without signs of intratumoural necrosis. [Extracted from the article]

All patients underwent midline laparotomy straddling the umbilicus. Methods Retrospective study spanning seven years from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2021 on five patients treated for primary pelvic hydatid cyst in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology "A" at Charles Nicolle's Hospital. All patients underwent an abdominopelvic ultrasound showing multi-partitioned cystic formations whose size varied between 8 and 18 cm. Hydatid serology was performed in all cases and came back positive in two cases. [Extracted from the article]

The current study investigated the production of cellulases and xylanases from the rare fungus Stachybotrys microspora under solid-state fermentation ( SSF) on wheat bran ( WB). A comparison of both activities was first performed in submerged cultures using various concentrations of WB, glucose, and cellulose as substrates. The maximal activity of [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the authors address the effect of spreading sequences and pulse waveforms on the performance of asynchronous direct‐sequence ultra‐wideband systems. Regarding spreading sequences, they consider the two cases of short and long sequences. The expression of the multi‐user interference (MUI) variance is derived using long sequences at the output of a rake receiver, when propagating through multipath channels. The authors also propose the use of sequences generated with a family of spatiotemporal chaotic systems, namely piecewise coupled map lattices (PCML), as spreading sequences. Such sequences are shown to reduce the MUI variance with regard to independent identically distributed and Gold sets for both short and long sequences. Simulation results show that the use of long PCML codes in additive white Gaussian noise and multipath fading channels results in an improvement of the system average bit error rate, hence an increase of the system capacity in terms of number of active users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In Tunisia, prickly pear fruit grow spontaneously; it is consumed as fresh fruit, juice or jam. When the fruit is used for juice production, the seeds are discarded and go to waste. Our study aimed to extract biomolecules from seeds by producing value‐added products from the fruits. RESULTS: An amylase from Opuntia ficus‐indica seeds was extracted and purified to homogeneity. An increase in specific activity of 113‐fold was observed. The apparent molecular mass of the enzyme is 64 kDa. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were pH 5 and 60 °C, respectively. Under these conditions, the specific activity is 245.5 U mg−1. The enzyme was activated by Co2+ and Mg2+ (relative activity 117% and 113% respectively) at lower ion concentrations. It was strongly inhibited by Mn2+ and Fe2+. Cu2+ inhibited totally the activity of this enzyme, but Ca2+ has an inhibitory effect which increases with ion concentration. CONCLUSION: The extracted enzyme belongs to the exo type of amylases and is classified as a β‐cyclodextrin glycosyltransferase since it generates mainly β‐cyclodextrin from starch. It exhibits high thermal stability and a broad range of pH stability, making it a promising prospect for industrial and food applications. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to report drying characteristics and sorption isotherms of silverside fish. The sorption isotherm was determined at four temperature levels 40, 50, 60 and 70 °C and at water activities, ranging from 0.058 to 0.89, using the static gravimetric method. Five sorption models were fitted with the desorption data generated from the gravimetric method. It was found that the Peleg model suitably represents the sorption experimental data in the mentioned investigated ranges of temperature and water activities. Sorption isosteric heat was determined from sorption data using the Clausius-Clapeyron equation. The relationship between the net isosteric heat of sorption and the moisture content was best expressed by the Tsami's equation. The drying characteristic curve and the drying rate expression of silverside fish have been established from experimental convective drying kinetics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Role of ultrasound in the diagnosis of granulosa tumours. Conclusions Ovarian granulosa cell tumours are rare tumours, belonging to the family of stromal and sex cord tumours. The patient underwent emergency laparotomy because of severe acute pelvic pain. [Extracted from the article]

A single patient, diagnosed at 7SA + 2 days, was treated by aspiration and concomitant injection of MTX in situ. the therapeutic choice combining aspiration and intramuscular MTX was made in patients with a mean gestational age of 7SA3jr. Methods Data from 19 patients with diagnosis of Caesarean scar pregnancy, between 2015 and 2020, at department of Gynecology and Obstetrics A of Charles Nicolle Hospital, were retrospectively collected. The objective of our study was to show the importance of ultrasonography in the diagnosis and monitoring of pregnancy implanted on Caesarean scar and list therapeutic methods in the management of this pathology. [Extracted from the article]

Dandy-Walker syndrome is a rare congenital anomaly with very few cases reported in association with occipital meningocele. Dandy-Walker malformation is a congenital anomaly characterised by hydrocephalus, posterior fossa cyst and absence of the cerebellar vermis. VP36.05: A rare syndrome with a rare association: Dandy-Walker associated with an occipital meningocele. [Extracted from the article]

We present the case of a large left vulvar hematoma in an adolescent secondary to atypical coitus. Non-obstetric vulvar hematoma is rare. The diagnosis is easy and the generally surgical management includes a significant psychological component given the emotional embarrassment that this hematoma generates. [Extracted from the article]

Sexual cord and stromal tumours are a rare condition of the ovary. Sexual cord tumours remain rare tumours whose natural history remains poorly understood. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose Materials and methods Results Conclusion The concept of interposing double dorsal preputial flaps to cover the urethroplasty was introduced in 2005 to reduce the risk of urethrocutaneous fistula (UCF). Our study aims to compare the postoperative outcomes of urethroplasty for distal hypospadias between two groups: one receiving single preputial flap coverage and another receiving double flap coverage.We conducted a retrospective analysis study of boys with primary distal hypospadias who underwent surgery by the same experienced surgeon, at our department between 2010 and 2021. The study population was divided into two groups: Group A, which underwent urethroplasty coverage with single dorsal preputial flap, and Group B, which underwent coverage with double flap. Postoperative complications were compared between the two groups.We collected 105 cases, comprising 51 in Group A and 54 cases in Group B. The mean age at surgery was 29 months in Group A and 24 months in Group B. Post‐operative follow‐up period ranged from 6 months to 8 years. Functional and cosmetic outcomes were judged excellent in 88.7%. Only 10 boys experienced complications requiring reoperation. UCF occurred in 5 patients from Group A, while no cases were reported in Group B (p = 0.024). Meatal stenosis was identified in three patients in Group A and in two patients in Group B (p = 1). No other complications, such as glans dehiscence or penile torsion, were noted.Double dorsal dartos flap is an effective method for covering the new urethra and can be recommended in the treatment of patients with virgin distal hypospadias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analysis by electron impact and metastable ions (MIKE technique) of the fragmentation patterns for one acyclic and two cyclic N-phosphorylated ureas reveals for the first case an isomerization from nitrogen to the ureido oxygen atom of the phosphoryl group and subsequent fragmentation. For the other two cases, fragments result from PN bond breaking and ring-opening. Possible involvement in the biotin-ATP activation process is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]