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Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most prevalent endocrinopathies among young women. Ultrasound evidence of polycystic ovaries is one of its crucial diagnostic criteria. Objectives: Our main objective is to study the contribution of ultrasound data in diagnosing PCOS. In addition, we aim to establish a new cutoff point for the use of ultrasound and to determine its sensitivity as well as its specificity. Design: It was a prospective study, including all patients presenting with clinical hyperandrogenism. Methods: The ultrasound examination of these patients was performed using a novel ultrasound machine (18 MHz) compared to an older ultrasound machine (2 Hz–8 MHz). Inclusion criteria encompassed adult female patients over 18 years presenting symptoms suggestive of PCOS, particularly hyperandrogenism and oligo-anovulation, meeting Rotterdam's diagnostic criteria. Prior to inclusion, assessments were conducted to eliminate other potential causes explaining hyperandrogenism or menstrual disorders in both groups. Results: We examined 92 patients diagnosed with PCOS. Menstrual disorders were the main symptoms, with amenorrhea being more frequent in the PCOS group (G1) (48.9% vs the control group (G2): 11.1%). The follicle number was significantly lower in the control group, as assessed by both ultrasound machines (p < 10−3). The accuracy of the new ultrasound device was evaluated compared to the old one using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, revealing a cutoff of 18 follicles (sensitivity of 68.1%, specificity of 100%) and an area under the curve of 0.955. We found a significant difference between the median values of the number of follicles (NF) by both ultrasound machines (18 vs 12). It was positively correlated with an index of r = 0.916. For the volume, it was distinctively higher in G1 (p < 10−3). ROC curve analysis revealed an ovarian volume cutoff of 9.25 ml with a sensitivity of 48.9% and a specificity of 100%. Both ultrasound machines were positively correlated with an index of r = 0.979 (p < 10−3). Conclusion: In conclusion, we were able to establish significant correlations between the new and the old ultrasound devices for both the NF and ovarian volume. Our study is distinctive as it represents the first on the African continent to re-evaluate the ultrasound criterion for PCOS. Plain language summary: Validating ultrasound criteria for PCOS in North African patients In this study, we explored patients using ultrasound to better diagnose Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) in North African women. Ovarian follicles are small sacs in a woman's ovaries that not only release eggs but also produce important hormones like estrogen and progesterone. These hormones regulate the menstrual cycle, prepare the body for pregnancy, and influence many aspects of a woman's health and well-being. We set new standards for measuring follicles and ovaries to improve diagnosis accuracy. Background: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is often diagnosed using ultrasound in North African women. Current ultrasound standards may not be accurate enough for this group. This study aimed to improve PCOS diagnosis by setting new standards for measuring ovarian sizes and follicle numbers. Methods: We reviewed a new ultrasound method. We then established new measurement thresholds specific to North African women. These new standards were tested for accuracy in diagnosing PCOS. Results: Our new measurement thresholds were more accurate in diagnosing PCOS. The improved standards led to better identification of PCOS in North African women. This suggests that current ultrasound methods might need adjustments based on population-specific data. Conclusions: Using ultrasound with new measurement standards can improve PCOS diagnosis in North African women. Adjusting diagnostic criteria to specific populations may enhance overall healthcare outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc)-systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) overlap syndrome is rarely described in the literature, and its morbidity and mortality remain high after the early onset of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which determines its severity. The epidemiology of SSc-SLE overlap syndrome is not well known. It is characterized by high clinical polymorphism, making its diagnosis difficult. Through this case, we underline the difficulty and delay in the diagnosis of this syndrome in a country with limited resources, as well as the difficulty of its management given the specificity of the treatment for each pathology and the risk of infections, which could limit their use. Case presentation: We report the case of a 49-year-old North African female patient, initially followed for SSc for 8 years, whose diversity of symptoms masked the distinct disease. Indeed, her initial clinical presentation was in favor of SSc, but the discovery of a pericardial effusion stimulated us to carry out more investigations and correct the initial diagnosis. The involvement of the myocardium and pericardium, as well as the positive antibody serology tests, make it possible to retain the diagnosis of SSc-SLE overlap syndrome. Despite the introduction of treatment, the patient unfortunately died a month later after developing a multi organ failure following an opportunistic infection. Conclusions: The management of SSc-SLE overlap syndrome can be complex, requiring good knowledge of these two pathologies, especially in immunocompromised patients with complications. Treatments based on corticosteroids and immunosuppressants may differ from one case to another, making their use difficult in a patient developing a cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. These patients require urgent treatment before the onset of complications, at the risk of worsening the prognosis, with close collaboration between a cardiologist and an internist, given the multisystem involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Estudios Internacionales Mediterraneos is the property of Taller de Estudios Internacionales Mediterraneos and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

An editorial is presented in which the authors argue that limited data concerning Arab or Middle Eastern and North African Health (MENA) data erodes the credibility of health disparity assessments.

Abstract The COMT gene encodes for catechol- O -methyl-transferase, an enzyme playing a major role in regulation of synaptic catecholamine neurotransmitters. Investigating 4 markers of the COMT gene (rs2020917, rs4818, rs4680, rs9332377) in 6 Tunisian populations and a pool of Libyans. Our objective was to determine the distribution of allelic, genotypic and haplotypic frequencies by comparison to other populations of the 1000 genomes project and 59 populations from the Kidd Lab dataset. The allelic frequencies established for these SNPs in the North African populations are similar to those of Europeans and South Asians. Linkage disequilibrium between these SNPs and haplotypes frequencies are different between populations whose clustering in principal components analysis (PCA) according to their geographic origin was more significant using haplotypic frequencies. COMT activity prediction by haplotypes genotyping could be limited to rs4818-rs4680 micro-haplotypes. The Low activity haplotype (CG) displays the highest frequency in African populations (55%), in the 59 Kidd Lab populations we found also that Sub-Saharan Africans, Native Americans, and some East Asian and Pacific Island populations all have frequencies in the 50–81% range for (CG) where as its lowest frequency was found in Europeans (10%), this results have been also confirmed for Southwest Asians. North Africans and South Asians with intermediate frequencies have approximately similar values (20% and 25%). Europeans show the highest frequencies of haplotypes with predicted High and Medium activity in contrast to Africans. North Africans and South Asians present similar results for all the category of the COMT activity prediction by haplotypes genotyping. The high level of genetic diversity of COMT haplotypes, not only allows distinction between populations according to their history settlement, origin and ethnicity, it constitutes a basis for studies of association of the COMT gene polymorphism with pathologies, drugs response and for forensic investigation in North African populations. Highlights • There are very few studies that have studied the COMT gene in North Africa. • Determine the distribution of allelic, genotypic and haplotypic frequencies and make comparison to other populations. • Predicting the enzymatic activity using the Micro-haplotypes (rs4818-rs4680) and their frequency in the studied populations. • constitutes a basis for new studies of COMT gene polymorphism in North African populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mediterranea - Ricerche Storiche is the property of Mediterranea-Ricerche Storiche and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: There are limited data on herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) seroprevalence in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). We examined country- and age-specific HSV-2 seroprevalence among select MENA populations residing in Qatar.Methods: Sera were collected from male blood donors attending Hamad Medical Corporation between June 2013 and June 2016. Specimens were screened for anti-HSV-2 IgG antibodies following a 2-test algorithm: HerpeSelect 2 ELISA was used to identify HSV-2-positive specimens, and Euroline-WB was used to confirm positive and equivocal specimens for final HSV-2 status. Trends and associations with HSV-2 seropositivity were assessed.Results: Of the 2077 tested sera, 61 were found and confirmed positive. The proportion of those confirmed positive increased steadily with HerpeSelect 2 ELISA index value, ranging from 16.3% for index values of 1.101 to 1.999 to 92.9% for index values of 4 or greater. Nationality-specific seroprevalence was 6.0% (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.1%-8.8%) in Qataris, 5.3% (95% CI, 2.5%-11.1%) in Iranians, 4.2% (95% CI, 1.8%-9.5%) in Lebanese, 3.1% (95% CI, 1.2%-7.7%) in Sudanese, 3.0% (95% CI, 1.4%-6.4%) in Palestinians, 2.2% (95% CI, 1.1%-4.3%) in Egyptians, 2.0% (95% CI, 1.0%-5.0%) in Syrians, 1.0% (95% CI, 0.3%-3.6%) in Jordanians, 0.7% (95% CI, 0.1%-3.7%) in Yemenis, and 0.5% (95% CI, 0.1%-2.8%) in Pakistanis. There was evidence for higher seroprevalence in older age groups.Conclusions: The seroprevalence of HSV-2 was in the range of few percentage points. There were no major differences in seroprevalence by nationality. These findings add to our understanding of HSV-2 epidemiology in MENA and indicate unmet needs for sexual health and control of sexually transmitted infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. To highlight the prevalence of selected ophthalmic diseases accidentally discovered at first-time screening of a large sample of patients from the Middle East and North Africa visiting a large referral university hospital checkup unit based in Cairo. Material and Methods. A cross-sectional study of two thousand and thirteen subjects coming for routine ophthalmic medical checkups from different Middle East countries (mainly Egypt, Sudan, and Yemen). Patients were evaluated for prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, ocular hypertension, cataract, and amblyopia. Patients’ demographic data and medical history were collected. Complete ophthalmic examination was performed. Investigations were done when needed to confirm suspected conditions. Results. The study included 1149 males and 864 females. 652 Sudanese patients, 568 Yemeni patients, 713 Egyptian patients, and 63 patients from different Gulf and North African countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Libya, and Jordan. Sudanese patients showed a higher percentage of glaucoma (13.3%) and ocular hypertension (8.3%). Yemeni patients showed the highest prevalence of amblyopia (6.7%), diabetic retinopathy (8.6%), and cataract (4.2%). The group of relatively higher economic classification seemed to show fewer prevalences of these ophthalmic conditions. Yemeni patients tended to have a high percentage of persistent myelinated nerve fibers. Conclusion. Different ophthalmic conditions were discovered for the first time at the general checkup clinic. Certain conditions were more common than others in certain countries. The lack of regular checkups and the unavailability of medical services due to low to moderate socioeconomic status as well as political turbulence may account for the delay in initial diagnosis of many treatable conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach of North African women's realities in France through the prism of "gender" in the capacity of a constructivist perspective, as well as its inclusion within socialization and personalization issues, seems to be an effective way for understanding identity dynamics. Based on the clinical data of two doctoral research, one related to educational practices of parents and the other related to young adults cross-cultural socialization and identity orientations, the construction of gender seems to take shape within a restructuring work of cultural references from educational practices and life experiences. Despite the temporal discrepancy regarding parents acculturation activity and young generations cross-cultural activities, both seem to make their way through legacy and desire, memory and the adaptation requirements of this world. School inputs seem however to be a determining additional asset in the development of the youngest. Gender construction appears ultimately as part of a guideline consistent with one's self-ima-ge and enrolls within a personal achievement dynamic as well as projects that give it meaning and power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ObjectiveTo investigate the nutritional status of North African (NA) immigrant women in Italy, analysing their body size, adiposity and body image perception in comparison to Italian natives and NA residents.DesignThe study utilized a cross-sectional design. Anthropometric traits were directly measured and a few indices were computed as proxy measures of nutritional status and adiposity. Body image perception was assessed using silhouette drawings. ANCOVA, adjusted for age, was used to compare anthropometric traits among different groups of women and the χ2 test to analyse differences in the prevalence of nutritional status.SettingItaly and North Africa (Tunisia, Morocco).SubjectsA sample of 433 women aged 18–60 years old: NA immigrants (n 105); Italians (n 100); Tunisians (n 104); Moroccans (n 124).ResultsOverweight/obesity prevalence was very high in immigrants (79·8 %). Immigrants had the highest BMI value, the greatest hip circumference and mid upper-arm circumference. Their triceps skinfold thickness was significantly higher than that of Italians, but lower than that of NA residents.ConclusionsNA immigrant women in Italy showed a higher incidence of overweight compared with Italians and NA residents. All groups showed a preference for a thinner body in comparison to their actual bodies and the immigrants are the most dissatisfied. Immigrants remain a high-risk group for obesity. Assessment of their body composition and health risk profile should be improved by using specific anthropometric measures that are easy to collect even in the case of large migration flows. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Four taxa of Algerian Astragalus L. were studied for their chromosome number, karyotype features, and genome size. Fluorochrome banding was done for detection of GC-rich DNA regions, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for physical mapping of 35S and 5S rRNA genes, and low cytometry for nuclear DNA content. All the taxa present the same chromosome number (2n = 2x = 16) and single 35S and 5S rDNA loci, but their distributions on chromosomes are different. The GC heterochromatin pattern was different among studied taxa and an unusually high number of chromomycin-positive bands were observed in A. pseudotrigonus Batt. & Trab. The genome size differed between species, ranging from 2C = 1.39 pg in A. cruciatus Link. to 2C = 2.71 pg in A. armatus subsp. tragacanthoides (Desf.) Maire. No difference in nuclear DNA amount was detected between the 2 subspecies of A. armatus. Although Astragalus is a large genus comprising some 3000 species, such morphometric and molecular cytogenetic karyotype analyses, with genome sizes, are particularly scarce therein. Therefore, published genome sizes have also been compiled into one table. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late-1950s, the Parisian suburbs of Saint-Denis and Asnières-sur-Seine launched major urban renovation projects to eliminate the bidonvilles, shantytowns that often housed North African migrants. While Asnières viewed the bidonville occupants as obstacles to modernization, Saint-Denis billed its efforts as a humanitarian project to provide migrants with better housing and to support migrants' rights and social welfare. Officials in Asnières used their renovation plans to bring new, metropolitan French, families into the reclaimed areas and redistribute the single male workers outside their city. Dionysien officials, however, aimed at inclusion, providing new accommodation within the city for many families and a majority of workers. The renovation efforts in these two cities demonstrate the diversity of French reactions to North African migrants, suggest the existence of alternative notions of local community identity, and highlight the importance of the Algerian War in defining France's migration framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/objectives:Accuracy of the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) depends on population-specific prediction equations. The aim of our study was to develop prediction equations for assessing total body water (TBW) and fat-free mass (FFM) in healthy North-African adults.Subjects/methods:In all, 250 participants (194 women, 56 men) aged 18-64 years were included in the analysis. BIA variables were measured by a tetra-polar device. TBW and FFM were assessed by the dilution of deuterium (D2O). The participants were sorted by gender and randomly split into development and validation subgroups. The validity of other published equations was also tested using Bland and Altman procedure, proportional bias and pure error.Results:The prediction equations derived were: TBW (l)=5.68+0.267 height2/resistance+4.42 sex (male=1, female=0)+0.225 weight-0.052 age (R2=0.92, root mean square error (RMSE)=1.75 l, RMSE%=5.65); and FFM (kg)=7.47+0.366 height2/resistance+6.04 sex+0.306 weight-0.063 age (R2=0.92, RMSE=2.38 kg, RMSE%=5.61). The new equations provided nonsignificant proportional bias values, and better agreement than other tested equations. Bias and pure error values were 0.36 and 1.88 l for men and 0.00 and 1.82 l for women, for TBW equation. For FFM equation, bias values were 0.43 and −0.04 kg, and pure errors were 2.57 and 2.46 kg for men and women, respectively.Conclusions:The new prediction equations provide reliable estimates of TBW and FFM in North-African adults and are recommended for use in these populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: To translate into Arabic and validate the SF-36 quality of life index in a Tunisian Arabic population. Background: No validated Arabic quality of life index is published. Design: Arabic translation of the SF-36 scale was obtained by the “forward/backward translation” method. Adaptations were made after a pilot study involving 22 subjects from general population. Inter-rater reliability was assessed by use of intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland and Altman method. Construct validity was assessed by Spearman rank correlation coefficient (convergent and divergent validity), and factor analysis with Varimax rotation. Internal consistency was assessed by Cronbach alpha coefficient. Results: We note that 130 Tunisian subjects were included in the validation study. No items were excluded. Inter-rater reliability was excellent (ICC=0.98). Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.94 conferring to translated index a good internal consistency. Expected divergent and convergent validity results suggested good construct validity. Two main factors were extracted by factor analysis and explained 62.3% of the cumulative variance: the first factor represented mental component, the second physical component. The Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.88 and 0.91 respectively for factor 1 and factor 2. Conclusion: We translated into Arabic language and adapted the SF-36 scale for use in Tunisian population. The Arabic version is reliable and valid. Although the scale was validated in a Tunisian population, we expect that it is suitable for other Arab populations, especially North Africans. Further studies are needed to confirm such a hypothesis. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on several North Africans including Safia, Sabri, and Ahmed on their experiences as immigrants in France. It states that France has a limited definition of what it means to be French that certain individual considered as legal citizens are still marked as not French thus cultural citizenship is denied. It also mentions that in France the North African immigrant people are considered as very different in religion and other aspect that cannot be accepted.

Social scientists draw important lessons for modern development from the medieval Maghribi traders who, it has been argued, lacked effective legal mechanisms for contract enforcement and instead relied on informal sanctions based on collective ostracism within an exclusive coalition. We show that this claim is untenable. Not a single empirical example adduced as evidence of the putative coalition shows that a coalition actually existed. The Maghribi traders made use of the formal legal system in order to enforce agency agreements in long-distance trade. A subset of the traders did form a web of trusted business associates that contributed to informal contract enforcement, but this was very different from the hypothesized coalition, in neither being exclusive nor having a clearly defined membership. The Maghribi traders combined reputation-based sanctions with legal mechanisms, in ways that resemble the practices of medieval European merchants. We find no evidence that the Maghribi traders had more 'collectivist' cultural beliefs than their European counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

North African populations are distinct from sub-Saharan Africans based on cultural, linguistic, and phenotypic attributes; however, the time and the extent of genetic divergence between populations north and south of the Sahara remain poorly understood. Here, we interrogate the multilayered history of North Africa by characterizing the effect of hypothesized migrations from the Near East, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa on current genetic diversity. We present dense, genomewide SNP genotyping array data (730,000 sites) from seven North African populations, spanning from Egypt to Morocco, and one Spanish population. We identify a gradient of likely autochthonous Maghrebi ancestry that increases from east to west across northern Africa; this ancestry is likely derived from "back-to-Africa" gene flow more than 12,000 years ago (ya), prior to the Holocene. The indigenous North African ancestry is more frequent in populations with historical Berber ethnicity. In most North African populations we also see substantial shared ancestry with the Near East, and to a lesser extent sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. To estimate the time of migration from sub-Saharan populations into North Africa, we implement a maximum likelihood dating method based on the distribution of migrant tracts. In order to first identify migrant tracts, we assign local ancestry to haplotypes using a novel, principal component-based analysis of three ancestral populations. We estimate that a migration of western African origin into Morocco began about 40 generations ago (approximately 1,200 ya); a migration of individuals with Nilotic ancestry into Egypt occurred about 25 generations ago (approximately 750 ya). Our genomic data reveal an extraordinarily complex history of migrations, involving at least five ancestral populations, into North Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Leiomyosarcomas are neoplasms of smooth muscles that most commonly arise from the uterus, gastrointestinal tract, or soft tissue. Primary pleural leiomyosarcoma is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, only nine cases have been published to date. Because of the rarity of pleural leiomyosarcoma and its similarity (clinical and histological) to other pleural neoplasms, particularly sarcomatous mesothelioma, diagnosis is often difficult.Case Presentation: A 58-year-old North African man was admitted with complaints of dyspnea and chest pain to our hospital. Chest computed tomography revealed right pleural effusion and pleural thickening. A transthoracic needle biopsy yielded a diagnosis of leiomyosarcoma, and tumor cells were strongly and uniformly positive for vimentin, a smooth muscle actin at immunohistochemical analysis. A general examination did not show any metastatic lesions in other areas. One month after diagnosis, the tumor grew rapidly, with pulmonary invasion, and therefore he was treated only by palliative care. He died from respiratory failure one month later. Because no organ of origin of the leiomyosarcoma, other than the pleura, was detected, this case was diagnosed as a primary pleural leiomyosarcoma.Conclusions: Although leiomyosarcoma originating from the pleura is rare, this entity is increasingly described. The purpose of presenting this case report is to raise awareness among clinicians to consider this clinical entity as a differential diagnosis when a pleural mass is identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Recent findings suggest that the North African Middle Stone Age technocomplex known as the Aterian is both much older than previously assumed, and certainly associated with fossils exhibiting anatomically modern human morphology and behavior. The Aterian is defined by the presence of 'tanged' or 'stemmed' tools, which have been widely assumed to be among the earliest projectile weapon tips. The present study systematically investigates morphological variation in a large sample of Aterian tools to test the hypothesis that these tools were hafted and/or used as projectile weapons. Methodology/Principal Findings: Both classical morphometrics and Elliptical Fourier Analysis of tool outlines are used to show that the shape variation in the sample exhibits size-dependent patterns consistent with a reduction of the tools from the tip down, with the tang remaining intact. Additionally, the process of reduction led to increasing side-to-side asymmetries as the tools got smaller. Finally, a comparison of shape-change trajectories between Aterian tools and Late Paleolithic arrowheads from the North German site of Stellmoor reveal significant differences in terms of the amount and location of the variation. Conclusions/Significance: The patterns of size-dependent shape variation strongly support the functional hypothesis of Aterian tools as hafted knives or scrapers with alternating active edges, rather than as weapon tips. Nevertheless, the same morphological patterns are interpreted as one of the earliest evidences for a hafting modification, and for the successful combination of different raw materials (haft and stone tip) into one implement, in itself an important achievement in the evolution of hominin technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Introduction: In approximately half of patients with breast cancer and lymph node metastases, the sentinel node (SN) is the only involved axillary node. Scoring systems have been developed to predict probability of non-SN metastases among those with a positive SN. The goal of the present study was to determine whether the five models (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Stanford, Tenon, Cambridge and the Turkish model) accurately predicted non-SN involvement in a North African Tunisian population. Methods: During a five years period, we identified 87 cases of invasive breast cancer which had a positive SN biopsy and complete axillary lymph node dissection (CALND). The MSKCC, Stanford, Tenon, Cambridge and Turkish models were tested. Results were compared using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics for each model. False negative and false positive rates were also calculated. Results: The AUC of the MSKCC, Stanford, Tenon, Cambridge and Turkish models was respectively 0.73 (95% CI 0.6–0.86), 0.76 (95% CI 0.65–0.87), 0.75 (95% CI 0.63–0.87), 0.67 (95% CI 0.53–0.82) and 0.75 (95% CI 0.63–0.88). The threshold for a 10% false negative of non-SN involvement was obtained with a cut off value of 10% for MSKCC, 25% for Stanford, a score of 3 for Tenon, 6% for Cambridge and 15% for the Turkish nomogram. Conclusions: Meaningfully applied to our population, although AUC values had overlapping of 95% confidence intervals but combined our data suggest that the Stanford nomogram may be the most accurate. Before prospective trials validate these nomograms, CALND remains the standard for patients who have SN metastases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Intercultural socialisation and identity dynamics among young adults of Maghrebi immigrant descent - This study analyses different identity orientations expressed by young people of North African immigrant descent in France in relation to their conditions of socialisation. Identity is considered in terms of cultural identification, self-esteem and the activeness or passiveness of the relationship with reality. Socialisation is studied from the perspective of the interrelationship between family education and school experience. A survey was conducted by questionnaire among 120 young people aged between 18 and 25, of both sexes, from a working-class background. A multivariate analysis (Descending Hierarchical Classification) determined a structure of four groups in terms of differentiation or assimilation and conformity or individuation. It was found that strategies balancing ontological and pragmatic concerns appear to play a role in the dynamics of a subject's self-affirmation and autonomy. The attachment to a certain religious tradition in these cases seems to be compatible with modernity and is a factor of psychological balance and social integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe history of the North African Jewish community is ancient and complicated with a number of immigration waves and persecutions dramatically affecting its population size. A decade-long process in Israel of clinical-molecular screening of North African Jews with incurable autosomal recessive blindness led to the identification of a homozygous splicing mutation (c.95-2A > T; IVS2-2A > T) in RPE65, the gene encoding the isomerase that catalyzes a key step in the retinoid-visual cycle, in patients from 10 unrelated families. A total of 33 patients (four now deceased) had the severe childhood blindness known as Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), making it the most common cause of retinal degeneration in this population. Haplotype analysis in seven of the patients revealed a shared homozygous region, indicating a population-specific founder mutation. The age of the RPE65 founder mutation was estimated to have emerged 100–230 (mean, 153) generations ago, suggesting it originated before the establishment of the Jewish community in North Africa. Individuals with this RPE65mutation were characterized with retinal studies to determine if they were candidates for gene replacement, the recent and only therapy to date for this otherwise incurable blindness. The step from molecular anthropological studies to application of genetic medicine was then taken, and a representative of this patient subgroup was treated with subretinal rAAV2-RPE65gene therapy. An increase in vision was present in the treated area as early as 15 days after the intervention. This process of genetically analyzing affected isolated populations as a screen for gene-based therapy suggests a new paradigm for disease diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article considers the behaviour of the North-African immigrant community in Catalonia with regard to available media and cultural products. It is based on an analysis of statistical data from the Media and Culture Barometer (FUNDACC) and proprietary qualitative research from in-depth interviews. The main conclusion drawn from this study, which is funded by the Government of Catalonia, is that this group's involvement in the media, intellectual and artistic context is minimal; when this group does get involved, however, the study shows that there is a significant degree of interest in forthcoming products of the new setting of co-existence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this article is to know the attitudes toward immigrants in the city of El Ejido (Spain) almost ten years after one of the most violent conflicts against the immigrants from Maghreb in Europe. The survey's results showed that the attitude toward immigrants is negative, feeling that it is certain mainly for the perception they are competition as well as a threat in the individual (wages, employments or resources of wellbeing) as collective spheres (national identity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An essay is presented on the literature by descendants of North African immigrants living in France, or beurs. It discusses the fundamental definition of the word "beur," and beur literature. It notes that being distinguished as beurs provide only limited readership and market, and is mostly accepted to fight stereotypes.

The narrative of the historic struggle against colonialism is subject to a high degree of political manipulation in North Africa. Myths, memories and symbols based on the struggle against colonial oppression, whether ‘true’ or not, provide a latent and continually relevant context for understanding and interpreting contemporary events. For both recent North African immigrants, and second, third and fourth generation immigrants to Europe, contemporary injustices and violence, whether perpetrated in Europe or in the Maghreb, are being understood in this historical colonial context. For some, these myths, memories and symbols may be the reason why they join a peaceful, democratic group to lobby for democracy and political transparency. For a minority of North Africans, these symbols of the past are invoked to justify a jihadist challenge to North African regimes and the West. Based on extensive interviews with North African activists and community leaders, this article will show how the collective memory of the abuse of power by the state, both during and after the colonial era, has created a latent mistrust of the West, especially of France. Political repression in North Africa since independence has created a rupture between what was expected from independence and the realities of political life, and North Africans often ascribe this disappointment to the inherently French character of the regimes which were in power during the 1950s and 1960s. North Africans also believe that this is reflected in the continuing active intervention on the part of the West to support these illiberal regimes in the face of democratic and popular challenges. The subsequent senses of injustice and disappointment, relating to the use and abuse of state power, continues to shape North African political mobilization and, worryingly, has created a latent basis for radicalization among North Africans living and working in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In bringing up and educating their children, Muslim immigrant parents from North Africa and living in France are very aware of the difficulty of the task. Their children face a double bind: on the one hand, French society asks them to 'integrate', that is to enter into labour markets and melt into French ways of life. On the other hand teachers, employers, the police and media keep considering them as 'the other'. Immigrant parents show tremendous creativity in trying to help their children, boys and girls differently, to cope with this double bind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present essay appears twenty-five years after the 'Marche des Beurs', the name given to demonstrations staged throughout France by the children of North African immigrants. It studies the social and political context of this movement, examining both its successes and its failures. By looking at the present-day conflicts in the suburbs (banlieues) , it argues that the configurations that came about in the 1980's continue to influence immigrant struggles. Yet, despite this influence, today's 'housing-estate generation' clearly differs from the 'Generation'. Thus, despite the tense social situation, a depoliticisation has occurred, which, in conjunction with the interventions of the French president Nicolas Sarkozy, has confronted immigrant struggles in contemporary France with new challenges. Accordingly, the essay concludes with a discussion on the anti-racist strategies that propose to take up these challenges, as well as critically assimilate the experiences of the 'Marche des Beurs'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 2001-2004 we conducted 22 interviews with immigrants from North Africa in Montreal and Sherbrooke. The objective was to access their representations of the problems they experience in integrating the labor market in both cities. Some interviews (15) were also conducted with persons working with immigrants looking for a job. The objective is to link individual and collective trajectories by putting the emphasis on the social networks held by these immigrants. Results show that the presence of a community of origin in a migratory context cannot guarantee access to a viable social network providing access to information and jobs. In that sense institutional supports and programs may favor an increase of social networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study traces the various historical contexts under which representations of North African Muslims were created from the sixteenth century until the nineteenth century in Britain. It shows that the image of Muslims that is being propagated in the media today as sexually licentious, oppressive towards women and barbaric were created from the earliest encounters between Westerners and Muslims from North Africa in the sixteenth century and became gradually consolidated in both fictional and factual writings throughout a few centuries up until the nineteenth century. While historical contexts experienced change as a result of the advent and decline of the Ottoman Empire as well as the emergence of Western Imperialism in the nineteenth century, images of Muslims remained largely the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the exhibition “Les Mariannes,” which was inaugurated on July 12, 2003 at the Palais Bourbon in Paris, France in honor of Bastille Day. It notes that the exhibition was organized by the feminist organization Ni Putes Ni Soumises (NPNS) and featured photographs of young French women of different ethnic backgrounds, including women from the Maghreb region of North Africa. The author also considers the symbol of Marianne as the embodiment of the French Republic since the mid-nineteenth century and explores the theme of integrating and assimilating ethnic minorities.

This section presents abstracts of articles in this issue. Topics discussed include French public theater after World War II, cultual policy of city governments in Quebec, and North African authors in Quebec.

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The article discusses "Beur cinema," which the author defines as a group of films that were created by people from North Africa who are living in France. These films pose questions about French national cinema and the role of outsiders and insiders in French society. The ways in which Beur films use metaphors of space, topography, and mapping to address thematic questions and aesthetic issues is examined. The phenomenon of immigration to France and public opinion related to immigration and assimilation is detailed.

Based on interviews with North African women immigrants, this article examines how religious practices are constrained and the meaning of being a "good Muslim" is transformed in France. When Muslim women cannot celebrate religious holidays or pray five times a day, they instead focus on what is in one's heart, an adaptation to a country engaged in an ongoing battle to keep religion out of the public realm. While many immigrants affirm that Islam should be kept at home, in private, an increasing number of their children seek visible symbols of religious/ethnic identity, such as the headscarf , suggesting the emergence of generational differences in the experience of Islam in France. The new French law banning headscarves in schools is decried by some first generation women, but just as many support the law, including many older, religious women. This article compares American and French perspectives on the separation of church and state and questions the underlying motives behind the contemporary arguments about secularism in France. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mediterranean migrant men living in France have lower mortality and morbidity than local-born populations for nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (NR-NCD). We studied diet quality and its influence on NR-NCD in Tunisian migrants compared with 2 nonmigrant male groups: local-born French and nonmigrant Tunisians, using a retrospective cohort study. We performed quota sampling (n = 147) based on age and place of residence. Using logistic regression models, components of the Diet Quality Index-International (DQI-I) were tested as potential mediators for the effect of migration on overweight, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The total DQI-I score revealed good overall diet quality ( approximately 60/100) for all groups. Migrants scored higher than the French in variety, adequacy, and moderation and lower than Tunisians in overall balance. Migrants displayed a lower prevalence of overweight than French, lower prevalence of diabetes and CVD than Tunisians, and lower prevalence of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia than the 2 nonmigrant groups. No mediator was found for overweight. Diet adequacy, fruits, and vitamin C were mediators of the difference in hypercholesterolemia between migrants and French and the effect on hypertension was mediated by diet adequacy and fiber. Compared with Tunisians, the effect of migration on hypercholesterolemia was mediated by saturated fat. No mediator was found for hypertension, diabetes, or CVD. Despite increasing NR-NCD levels in both France and Tunisia, migrants appear to have conserved some healthy dietary characteristics that partly explain their difference in NR-NCD with local-born French, but other lifestyle factors may contribute to the favorable effect of migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses how the Bedouins acquired the milled colonial Spanish coins, and how the symbols on the reverse of these coins were integrated into the folk culture of the Bedouin and Fellahin in southern Palestine during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The said coins served as more than a simple medium of exchange. They came to be used as medicinal talisman by the people during the Ottoman and British Mandate periods. For the Kingdom of Spain, the coins were both a currency and a propaganda tool for showing the wealth and power of the Empire and its colonies.

Paul Smaïl's Vivre me tue was marketed as a demonstration of the importance of artistic talent and the irrelevance of ethnic origins in determining the value of a literary text. Yet these claims are repeatedly contradicted by references to the author's Maghrebi (North African) origins, which are constantly presented as a reference point against which the triumph of his artistic achievement is measured. The ethnic bedrock on which these claims are based is further undermined by the true ethnicity of the author, who is of French, not North African, origin. In addition, the literary merit claimed for the novel is undercut by numerous inconsistencies in the narration of the text, which gravely compromise its artistic integrity. Far from representing the triumph of a free-floating literary talent over minority ethnic bonds, Vivre me tue flounders in a sea of artistic incompetence fed by the author's inability to divest himself of a majority ethnic mindset clouded by racist prejudices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we examine the identity negotiation processes of North African immigrant women in France. Participants engaged in various forms of identity work, including selective association and management of appearance, as well as resisting others' attempts to categorize them as immigrants. Given that these women have chosen to move to France and remain there, this finding is surprising. Using the concept of the Not-Me identity, we explore how people can redefine and refuse labels that seem to be self-evident and to lack room for negotiation. At the same time, we examine how class and educational resources and other structural factors influence these immigrant women's ability to control others' perceptions of their identity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The infamous but ostensibly forgotten massacre of Algerians in Paris was not suddenly rediscovered in the late 1990s, but in fact had remained in the collective memory of North African immigrants. Two novels by Rachid Boudjedra, Topographie idéale pour une agression caractérisée (1975) and Le vainqueur de coupe (1981), attest to the persistence of these memories. Both memory and an appreciation of history are necessary to move successfully in the city. These novels suggest how the urban immigrant community may produce and use history, as Boudjedra's characters become creators of lieux de mémoire. The development of immigrant lieux de mémoire nonetheless differs from that of "native" French places described by the historian Pierre Nora. Today, France is attempting simultaneously to manage memories of its recent history and to include immigrants and their descendants in the very society that is only now recollecting parts of their history. Discovering what might constitute lieux de mémoire for immigrants and their descendants is therefore vital to understanding the contemporary multiethnic French society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I read Leïla Sebbar’s staging in her novel Shérazade: 17 ans, brune, frisée, les yeux verts of the resistance by children of North African and other immigrants in the early 1980s to the French state’s cartographic modes and documents of control. The paper will consider the many uses to which the map was put by the French state in its colonization of North Africa and particularly Algeria, and later in its attempts to control the banlieues its policies of citizenship and cartographic control yielded on the margins of Paris. In this context, I will explore the ways in which the novel’s characters, living clandestinely in a squatt, simultaneously resist, put to use, and even supercede state documents of control as they disrupt everyday life and conduct heists across the city of Paris. The paper will explore unofficial cartographies of Paris, from those afforded by the radios libres and alternative publications such as Libération and Sans Frontièrez, to oral and almost proverbial networks of knowledge criss-crossing the city of Paris, while also tracing the uses to which supplemental cartographic sketches and counterfeit identity cards are put in the pages of the novel. The paper will be in dialogue with theoretical and critical formulations of space, cartography, and state control put forward by Michel de Certeau, Henri Lefebvre, Michel Foucault, and Tom Conley. The paper will conclude with a consideration of the means and limits of resistance by the novel’s characters in the context of this body of theory and criticism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sequencing of entire human mitochondrial DNAs belonging to haplogroup U reveals that this dade arose shortly after the "out of Africa" exit and rapidly radiated into numerous regionally distinct subclades. Intriguingly, the Saami of Scandinavia and the Berbers of North Africa were found to share an extremely young branch, aged merely ∼9,000 years. This unexpected finding not only confirms that the Franco-Cantabrian refuge area of south- western Europe was the source of late-glacial expansions of hunter-gatherers that repopulated northern Europe after the Last Glacial Maximum but also reveals a direct maternal link between those European hunter-gatherer populations and the Berbers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo examina la confianza y el cambio del paradigma migratorio. Se examina cómo vive el emigrante magrebi su dialéctica identitaria. Se examina cómo registran los migrantes la pertenencia combinando los registros herados y nuevas experiencias. Se habla del problema de reconocimiento y las relaciones desiguales entre Europa y el Magreb. Se cuestiona el papel de los intermediarios culturales.

Immigrations resulting from decolonization challenge the ability of researchers to track accurately the incorporation of the second generation through classifications based on country of origin. This article considers a classic example of such an immigration -- from North Africa to France at the time of and after the independence of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. This immigration was ethnically complex, composed -- to take a rough cut -- of the former colonists of European background (the pieds noirs) and low-wage laborers belonging to the indigenous population (the Maghrebins). A historical review indicates that the key to distinguishing these two groups lies in the exact citizenship status of the immigrants, for the former colonists were French by birth and the others generally were not. Analyzing micro-level data from the censuses of 1968, 1975, 1982, and 1990, we apply this distinction to the family origins of the second generation, born in France in the period 1958-1990. We show that the pied-noir population exhibits signs of rapid integration with the native French, while the Maghrebin population remains apart. A logistic regression analysis reveals that, based on a few characteristics of their parents, one can distinguish the Maghrebin from the pied-noir second generations with a high degree of accuracy. This finding demonstrates the sharp social distinction between the two groups and suggests a method for future research on their incorporation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Apolipoprotein LPA, APOE, APOC1, and APOC2 genotype frequencies have been determined for the first time in a North African population. A sample of 140 Berber individuals from the Moroccan Moyen Atlas region has been analyzed. Allelic and haplotypic data have been used to compare our sample with other world populations and the results clearly differentiate Berbers from Europeans and Sub-Saharans, suggesting several distinctive features of Moroccan Berbers as the extreme high values of LPA PNR*11 pentanucleotide allele (10.5%) and the relatively high and low values of APOE*E4 (15.7%) and *E2 (4.5%) in comparison to other Mediterraneans. Another remarkable result is the frequency distribution of the two APOC2 alleles (70% vs 30%) in comparison with the European pattern (50% of each allele). The high values of APOE*E4 and LPA PNR*7 together with the intermediate linkage disequilibrium values between APOE and APOC1 alleles in comparison with Europeans and Africans suggest a certain degree of Sub-Saharan influence in the current Moroccan population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies the frequency distribution of Y-chromosome haplotypes at DNA polymorphism p49/TaqI in a sample of North Africans from Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. Main problem of Mediterranean ethnography; Molecular hybridization; Measurement of Shannon entropy.

The article reports on the origin of the Afroasiatic language class. The conclusion of the author is based on the principle called "least-moves." It is not implied by the least-moves principle that the protolanguage was in the center of distribution of its descendant branches. Bantu language can be considered to be one of the branches within a larger family. Afroasiatic branches segment in a way that reinforces the hypothesis of the North African origin. Omotic is being discovered as a family in itself, separated from Cushitic, under the modifications of Greenberg's original designations of language families. The assertion of an African origin for Afroasiatic has become stronger than ever. Glottochronology, an attempt to measure language change per millennium that has had only limited success, has been put forth by linguists. The origin of Afroasiatic in Africa raises the question of adequacy of the samples and the interpretation drawn from them. More discoveries of Aurignacian tools, especially associated with skeletal remains in Northern Africa, are desirable to test the question.