Search

The present study was carried out at the experimental site of the Agricultural Research Station of the Technical Institute for Field Crops (ITGC) in Setif province, where some plant traits indicators such as grain yield, above-ground biomass, canopy temperature, and chlorophyll content were evaluated in a later generation (F8) of durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.). The results showed that some lines from the later generation (F8) outperformed the crossed parents in all measured traits, which reflects the breadth of the genetic base that members of the eighth generation integrate and illustrates the possibility of isolating some superior lines with high productivity and resistance to abiotic stresses. Among all experimented lines, both lines L10 and L46 outperformed in grain yield (GY), canopy temperature (CT) and above-ground biomass (BM). The study of phenotypic correlations revealed the presence of a significantly negative relationship between canopy temperature and grain yield (r = - 0.293), as well as for canopy temperature and above-ground biomass (r = - 0.376) confirming that lines grown at low temperature are more productive in grain yield and biomass. These correlations are very important in plant breeding programs for improving wheat production as they indicate that new superior lines can be discriminated and isolated more efficiently from the crossed parents in terms of resistance to abiotic stresses well present in the semi-arid regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aquagenic urticaria and cold urticaria are two forms of physical urticaria. Although their clinical characteristics are different; they can both be induced by contact with water. This article reports an unusual association of cold urticaria and aquagenic urticaria. Cold urticaria is another form of physical urticaria, characterized by the development of urticarial lesions after cold exposure. Cold urticaria may be induced by exposure to cold air, snow, rain, or cold water; ingestion of cold foods or drinks, handling cold objects; or other stimuli.

Background: Other than location of the primary colorectal cancer (CRC), a few factors are known to influence the intrahepatic distribution of colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRLM). We aimed to assess whether the anatomy of the portal vein (PV) could influence the intrahepatic distribution of CRLM., Patients and Methods: Patients with CRLM diagnosed between January 2018 and December 2022 at two tertiary centers were included and imaging was reviewed by two radiologists independently. Intra-operator concordance was assessed according to the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The influence of the diameter, angulation of the PV branches and their variations on the number and distribution of CRLM were compared using Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson's Chi-square and Spearman's correlation tests., Results: Two hundred patients were included. ICC was high (> 0.90, P < 0.001). Intrahepatic CRLM distribution was right-liver, left-liver unilateral and bilateral in 66 (33%), 24 (12%) and 110 patients (55%), respectively. Median number of CRLM was 3 (1-7). Type 1, 2 and 3 portal vein variations were observed in 156 (78%), 19 (9.5%) and 25 (12%) patients, respectively. CRLM unilateral or bilateral distribution was not influenced by PV anatomical variations (P = 0.13), diameter of the right (P = 0.90) or left (P = 0.50) PV branches, angulation of the right (P = 0.20) or left (P = 0.80) PV branches and was independent from primary tumor localisation (P = 0.60). No correlations were found between CRLM number and diameter (R: 0.093, P = 0.10) or angulation of the PV branches (R: 0.012, P = 0.83)., Conclusions: PV anatomy does not seem to influence the distribution and number of CRLM., (© 2024 Anaïs Tribolet et al., published by Sciendo.)

Thoracic manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients. Unlike most other extra-intestinal manifestations, they predominate in patients with ulcerative colitis rather than in Crohn's disease. In most patients, thoracic involvement follows the onset of IBD by several years. However, thoracic involvement may also occur synchronously or even precede the onset of digestive symptoms. The thoracic manifestations of IBD include airway involvement and parenchymal lung abnormalities. Airways are the most frequent anatomical site for thoracic involvement in IBD. Airway manifestations usually develop several years after the onset of intestinal manifestations, preferentially when the latter are stable or in remission. Airway manifestations include bronchial wall thickening, bronchiectasis, small airway disease, and tracheal wall thickening. Parenchymal lung abnormalities are less prevalent in IBD and include organizing pneumonia, necrobiotic nodules, noncaseating granulomatous nodules, drug-induced pneumonia, and rarely interstitial lung diseases. The differential diagnosis between organizing pneumonia, necrobiotic nodules, and noncaseating granulomatous nodules is difficult and usually requires histopathological analysis for a definite diagnosis. Radiologists play a key role in the detection of thoracic manifestations of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and, therefore, need to be familiar with their imaging findings. This article aims to offer an overview of the imaging findings of thoracic manifestations in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: Thoracic manifestations of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis include tracheal involvement, bronchiectasis, small airway disease, and parenchymal lung abnormalities such as organizing pneumonia and necrobiotic nodules. These rare manifestations (< 1% of patients) more often affect patients with ulcerative colitis. KEY POINTS: Thoracic manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease are rare, occurring in less than 1% of patients. Thoracic manifestations are more frequent in patients with ulcerative colitis than Crohn's disease. Bronchial disease is the most frequent thoracic manifestation of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Cystic fibrosis patients' lungs are chronically colonized by multiple microbial species capable of forming biofilms. This study aimed to characterize the polymicrobial biofilm formed by Candida spp. and S. aureus, co-isolated from sputum samples of cystic fibrosis patients regarding microbial density, metabolic activity, and structure. 67 samples from 28 patients were collected with a 96% alteration rate. 34% showed alterations by both Candida spp. and Gram-positive bacteria, predominantly Candida spp. and S. aureus in 77% of cases, accounting for 6 associations. Biofilm biomass was quantified using the crystal violet assay, and metabolic activity was assessed using the MTT reduction assay. Scanning electron microscopy analyzed the C. tropicalis/S. aureus24 biofilm architecture. Candida spp. isolates demonstrated the ability to form mixed biofilms with S. aureus. The C. tropicalis/S. aureus24 association exhibited the highest production of biofilm and metabolic activity, along with the C. albicans17/C. rugosa/S. aureus7 in both single and mixed biofilms., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Microbial resistance to drugs currently traded in the market is a serious problem in modern medicine. In this field of research, we synthesized a novel N -acylsulfonamides ( NAS ) derivatives starting from commercially available compounds; morpholine, isocyanate of chlorosulfonyl and alcohols. The in vitro antimicrobial potential of synthesized compounds was screened against 04 Gram-negative bacteria; Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Klebsiella pneumoniae , Acinetobacter baumannii , 02 Gram-positive bacteria: Streptococcus sp , Staphylococcus aureus and 07 yeasts and fungi: Candida albicans , Candida spp , Penicillum spp , Aspegillus sp , Aspergillus flavus , Fusarium sp , and Cladosporium spp . The results of inhibition growth were compared with standard antimicrobial drugs with the goal of exploring their potential antimicrobial activity. In addition, the anti-inflammatory activity of the synthesized compounds was determined in-vitro by protein denaturation method. The obtained bioactivity results were further validated by in silico DFT (Density Functional Theory), ADME (Absorption-Distribution-Métabolisation-Excrétion), molecular docking studies and molecular dynamics simulations.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Fungal-bacterial infections are being increasingly recognized in clinical settings, and the interaction between these species in polymicrobial biofilms often lead to infections that are highly resistant to treatment. In this in vitro study, we analyzed the formation of mixed biofilms using clinically isolated Candida parapsilosis and Enterobacter cloacae. Additionally, we assessed the potential of conventional antimicrobials, both alone and in combination, for treating polymicrobial biofilms built by these human pathogens. Our results demonstrate that C. parapsilosis and E. cloacae are capable of forming mixed biofilms, as confirmed by scanning electron microscopy. Interestingly, we found that colistin alone or in combination with antifungal drugs was highly effective reducing up to 80% of the total biomass of polymicrobial biofilms., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The objective of this study is to evaluate a series of molecules based on cyclosulfamide as potential anticancer agents. Additionally, the study aims to analyze the obtained results through in silico studies; by conducting experiments and utilizing theoretical methods. In this context, we investigated the cytotoxic activity of enastron analogues on three human cell lines PRI (lymphoblastic cell line) derived from B-cell lymphoma. JURKAT (ATCC TIB-152) acute T cell leukaemia and K562 (ATCC CLL-243) is a chronic myelogenous leukaemia. Most of the tested compounds showed good inhibitory activity compared with the reference ligand (chlorambucil). The 5a derivative demonstrated the strongest effect against all cancer cells used. Furthermore, molecular docking simulations of the Eg5-enastron analogue complex revealed that studied molecules have the ability to inhibit the Eg5 enzyme, as evidenced by their calculated docking score. Following the promising results from the molecular docking study, the complex Eg5-4a underwent a 100 ns molecular dynamics simulation using Desmond. During the simulation, the receptor-ligand pairing demonstrated substantial stability after the initial 70 ns. In addition, we used DFT calculations to analyze the electronic and geometric characteristics of the studied compounds. The HOMO and LUMO band gap energies, and the molecular electrostatic potential surface were also deducted for the stable structure of each compound. Also, we studied the prediction of absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) of the compounds., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts to declare., (This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)

The purpose of this study was to report the effectiveness of preoperative transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE) of musculoskeletal tumors in terms of blood loss and functional outcomes. Patients who underwent preoperative TAE of hypervascular musculoskeletal tumors between January 2018 and December 2021 were retrospectively included. The patients' characteristics, TAE procedure details, degree of post-TAE devascularization, surgical outcomes in terms of red blood cell transfusion and functional results were collected. The degree of devascularization was compared between patients who had peri-operative transfusion and those who did not. Thirty-one patients were included. The 31 TAE procedures led to complete (58%) or near-complete (42%) tumor devascularization. Twenty-two patients (71%) had no blood transfusion during surgery. Nine patients (29%) had a blood transfusion, with a median number of red blood cell packs of three (q1, 2; q3, 4; range: 1-4). Eight patients (27%) had complete improvement of the initial musculoskeletal symptoms at the end of the follow-up, 15 (50%) had partially satisfying improvement, 4 (13%) had partially unsatisfying improvement and 3 (10%) had no improvement. Our study suggests that preoperative TAE of hypervascular musculoskeletal tumors allowed for bloodless surgery in 71% of patients and minimal transfusion needs for the remaining 29%.

The decline in the performance of spiral-wound reverse osmosis (SWRO) membranes is frequently due to biofouling. This study focus on qualitative and quantitative diagnosis of SWRO membrane biofouling. Bacterial counts on the different surfaces of the fouled membranes were carried out. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) was performed to highlight clogging materials as well as their natures and identity. The topography of the fouled membranes and the structures of biofilms were visualized by fluorescence microscopy (FM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated the presence of bacteria in the different SWRO membrane areas. Those strongly adhered were significantly higher than those weakly. It varied between 26 × 10 5 and 262 × 10 5 CFU m -2 . However, SERS mapping showed different fouling levels and the thickness of the fouling layer was 5 µm. Microscopic imaging revealed biotic and abiotic deposits. These data can together allow better management of the seawater desalination process.

The spleen can be affected by a variety of diseases. Some of them are readily identified as variations of normal or benign diseases on imaging. However, for a substantial number of focal splenic abnormalities, the diagnosis can be difficult so that histopathologic analysis may be required for a definite diagnosis. In this review, the typical splenic abnormalities that can be diagnosed with imaging with a high degree of confidence are illustrated. The complementary role of computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography/CT that helps make a diagnostic approach is discussed. Finally, current applications and future trends of radiomics and artificial intelligence for the diagnosis of splenic diseases are addressed., (Copyright © 2021 Société française de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of an atypical, alveolar presentation of pulmonary metastases from pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC) on computed tomography (CT) and to correlate CT features with those obtained at histopathologic analysis., Material and Methods: A total of 76 patients with lung metastases from PDAC over a 10-year period (2009-2019) in a French university hospital were retrospectively included. There were 34 men and 42 women with a mean age of 67.6±11.3 (SD) years (range: 38-89 years). CT features of PDAC were classified according to their presentations as usual metastatic pattern or atypical alveolar pattern; the atypical alveolar pattern corresponding to either ground glass nodules or opacities, solid nodules with a halo sign, "air-space" nodules with air bronchogram, or parenchymal consolidation. Imaging-histopathologic correlation was performed when tissue samples were available., Results: Pulmonary metastases were synchronous in 36 patients (36/76; 47%) and metachronous in 40 patients (40/76; 53%). A predominant alveolar presentation on CT was observed in 17 patients (17/76, 22%). Nodules with halo sign were the predominant alveolar pattern in 7 patients (7/17; 41%), air-space nodules were predominant in 4 patients (4/17; 24%) whereas pure ground glass nodules and consolidations were observed as predominant features in 3 patients (3/17; 18%) each. For 5 patients who had histopathological confirmation, alveolar metastases of PDAC were characterized by columnar tumor cells lining the alveolar wall, which was not seen in other radiological presentations, whereas there were no differences regarding mucin secretion between pulmonary metastases with alveolar presentation and those with typical pattern., Conclusions: Lung metastases from PDAC may present with a so-called "alveolar" pattern on CT. This misleading CT features is found in 22% of patients with lung metastases from PDAC and is due to lepidic growth of the metastatic cells., (Copyright © 2020 Société française de radiologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

New annulated pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine derivatives were synthesized with hydroxyl, methoxy, bromine, nitrile and nitro substituents on its skeleton. The correlated electronic effect of substituents on the magnitude of antibacterial activity was noted. The electron donating substituents (namely; 4-OH, 4-OCH 3 , 4-Br) and electron withdrawing substituents (4-NO 2 ) on phenyl ring in the pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine skeleton exerted different influence on its antimicrobial activity against some Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas aureus, E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Klebsiella pneumonia and Bacillus cereus. All the pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidines were characterized by spectroscopic analyses. Antibacterial screening revealed that the presence of heteroaryl, cyano and amino groups on pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidine skeleton increases its penetrating power on the bacterial cell wall so that the product becomes more biologically active. So the the nature of electron withdrawing or electro-donnor Impact of substituents should be taken in consideration in drug design. Hydrolysis of -CRN to amide restored vital Intramolecular interaction like ortho-nitrophenyl and ONO δ- …NH δ+ /amide link, offering a crucial template for antibacterial NH, HO-pharmacophore sites, which ultimately elevated innate antimicrobial profiles. POM combinatorial analysis of tangible electronic contributions due to armed annulated pyrano[2,3-d]pyrimidines concluded their broad antimicrobial activity and viable/prominent drug score index through perspective parameters particularly: inter atomic distance/linkers, steric, electronic, polar parameters, and with a different polarising effect of electron donating/withdrawing environments of substituents. Furthermore, an anti-Kinase pharmacophore site (OCNHCO) was evaluated in continuation of the POM investigations. All synthesized products verified fewer side effects than standard streptomycin, but facile implication in selective cancer media (viz. breast or leucemia still needs to be screened)., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: In order to explore Coffea canephora green seeds as natural extract for application in the functional-food industry, we focused this study to the evaluation of the antioxidant and the antiadhesion effect of C. canephora green seeds extracts., Methods: The analysis of C. canephora green seeds extracts was carried out by RP-HPLC-PDA. These extracts were screened for antioxidant activities by ABTS and phenanthroline assays. The antibacterial activity was determined by microdilution method against three reference bacteria. The inhibition of bacterial adhesion at 1/8 MIC was carried out against three reference bacteria., Results: The RP-HPLC-PDA revealed the presence of gallic acid, vanillin, quercetin, chlorogenic acid, and P-coumaric acid. The n-buatnol extract have the highest activity ABTS assays (3.96 ± 0.08 μg/mL). For this extract, the A 0.5 was 1.90 ± 0.05 μg/mL for phenanthroline assay. The n-butanol extract and the methanolic extract have the higher antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 (40 µg/mL).At MIC/8, the extracts of C. canephora showed 70% higher antidhesive activity against S. aureus ATCC 25923., Conclusions: Our finding provides an effective and specific new approach to the search of antioxidant and antiadhesive compounds for different uses., (© 2020 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston.)

Lung cancer remains the most common cancer in the world. The genetic polymorphisms (rs2853669 in TERT, rs1052133 in OGG1, and rs16969968 in CHRNA5 genes) were shown to be strongly associated with the risk of lung cancer. Our study's aim is to elucidate whether these polymorphisms predispose Eastern Algerian population to non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To date, no study has considered this association in the Algerian population. This study included 211 healthy individuals and 144 NSCLC cases. Genotyping was performed using TaqMan probes and Sanger sequencing, and the data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression adjusted for covariates. The minor allele frequencies (MAFs) of TERT rs2853669, CHRNA5 rs16969968, and OGG1 rs1052133 polymorphisms in controls were C: 20%, A: 31%, and G: 29%, respectively. Of the three polymorphisms, none shows a significant association, but stratified analysis rs16969968 showed that persons carrying the AA genotype are significantly associated with adenocarcinoma risk (pAdj = 0.03, ORAdj = 2.55). Smokers with an AA allele have a larger risk of lung cancer than smokers with GG or GA genotype (pAdj = 0.03, ORAdj = 3.91), which is not the case of nonsmokers. Our study suggests that CHRNA5 rs16969968 polymorphism is associated with a significant increase of lung adenocarcinoma risk and with a nicotinic addiction., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Asma Mimouni et al.)

Inhibitors of human lactate dehydrogenase ( h LDH5)-the enzyme responsible for the conversion of pyruvate to lactate coupled with oxidation of NADH to NAD⁺-are promising therapeutic agents against cancer because this enzyme is generally found to be overexpressed in most invasive cancer cells and is linked to their vitality especially under hypoxic conditions. Consequently, significant efforts have been made for the identification of small-molecule h LDH5 inhibitors displaying high inhibitory potencies. X-ray structure of h LDH5 complexes as well as molecular modeling studies contribute to identify and explain the main binding modes of h LDH5 inhibitors reported in literature. The purpose of this review is to analyze the main three-dimensional interactions between some of the most potent inhibitors and h LDH5, in order to provide useful suggestions for the design of new derivatives., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Atrial tachyarrhythmias (AT) are common in intensive care unit (ICU) patients and might contribute to hemodynamic instability if heart rate (HR) is persistently too rapid. We aimed to assess if HR control below 115 or 130bpm with amiodarone improves hemodynamics in ICU patients with AT. This observational study included 73 ICU patients with disabling AT receiving amiodarone for HR control. A total of 525 changes (mainly within 4-8h) in mean arterial pressure (MAP) and 167 changes in plasma lactate in response to HR variations above 115 or 130bpm were analyzed. Epinephrine, sedative drugs, fluid loading, use of diuretics, continuous renal replacement therapy and amiodarone dosing were among covariables assessed. Univariable analysis showed that HR variations above 115bpm were poorly correlated to change in MAP (r=0.11, p<0.01). Multivariable analysis showed that changes in MAP were still positively associated to HR variation (p<0.05) and to initiation or termination of epinephrine (p<0.05) or sedatives infusions (p<0.05). Changes in plasma lactate did not correlate to HR variations above 115bpm. When considering 130 bpm as a threshold, HR variations were not associated to changes in MAP or to changes in plasma lactate. Amiodarone dose was associated to HR decrease but not to MAP or plasma lactate increase. In ICU patients with AT, strict HR control below 115bpm or 130bpm with amiodarone does not improve hemodynamics. A prospective randomized trial assessing strict versus lenient HR control in this setting is needed., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Amiodarone is the gold-standard medication to control heart rate in critically ill patients with atrial tachyarrhythmias (ATs); however, effective doses and covariates influencing its efficacy remain unknown. We therefore performed pharmacodynamic modeling of heart rate reduction induced by amiodarone in these patients., Methods and Results: This observational study included 80 consecutive severely ill patients receiving amiodarone to treat ATs. A total of 1348 time-heart rate observations with 361 amiodarone dose administrations were analyzed during a period of up to 6 days after hospital treatment initiation using a nonlinear mixed-effect model. Pretreatment with amiodarone before intensive care administration, paroxysmal versus persistent AT, catecholamine infusion, and fluid and magnesium loading were among the covariates assessed in the model. In case of paroxysmal AT in a patient not pretreated with amiodarone, a 300 mg intravenous loading dose combined with an 800 mg oral dose on the first day, followed by 800 mg/day orally for 4 days was effective in achieving a heart rate between 80 and 115 bpm within the first day, and to maintain it during the next 4 days. Corresponding doses were twice as high in patients with persistent AT. Use of intravenous magnesium (p < 0.02) and fluid loading (p < 0.02) was associated with an earlier and greater heart rate decrease, while use of dobutamine had an opposite influence (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: In critically ill patients with AT, the dose of amiodarone required to control heart rate is influenced by the type of AT and by other easily measurable conditions which may allow better individualization of amiodarone dosing.

Background: Acute cardiac events are a frequent cause of morbidity after vascular surgery. The impact of early evidence-based treatment for patients with an acute cardiac event after vascular surgery on long-term postoperative outcomes has not been extensively studied. We hypothesized that providing appropriate evidence-based treatment to patients with elevated postoperative cardiac troponin levels may limit long-term mortality., Methods: We conducted a study of 667 consecutive major vascular surgery patients with an elevated postoperative troponin I level. We then determined which of these patients received medical therapy as per the 2007 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association recommendations for the medical management of patients with chronic stable angina. All patients with troponin elevation were then matched with 2 control patients without postoperative troponin elevation. Matching was done using logistic regression and nearest-neighbor matching methods. The primary study end point was 12 months survival without a major cardiac event (i.e., death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, or pulmonary edema requiring hospitalization)., Results: Therapy was intensified in 43 of 66 patients (65%) who suffered a troponin I elevation after surgery. Patients with a troponin I elevation not receiving intensified cardiovascular treatment had a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.77 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.13-2.42; P = 0.004) for the primary study outcome as compared with the control group. In contrast, patients with a troponin I elevation who received intensified cardiovascular treatment had an HR of 0.63 (95% CI, 0.10-1.19; P = 0.45) for the primary outcome as compared with the control group. Patients with a troponin I elevation not receiving treatment intensification likely were at higher risk for a major cardiac event (HR, 2.80; 95% CI, 1.05-24.2; P = 0.04) compared with patients who did receive treatment intensification., Conclusions: The main finding of this study was that in patients with elevated troponin I levels after noncardiac surgery, long-term adverse cardiac outcomes may likely be improved by following evidence-based recommendations for the medical management of acute coronary syndromes.