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The present study examined the histopathological changes and some parameters of oxidative stress in the testes of the freshwater leech Limnatis nilotica, following their exposure to 50 µg l−1 of cadmium (Cd). The protective effects of salicylic acid (SA) in mitigating Cd-induced oxidative and histopathological injury were also investigated. We found that Cd exposure caused several histopathological changes in leech testes, such as vacuolisation of spermatogenic cysts which were strongly destroyed and disorganised. Biochemical study showed oxidative stress damage marked by a substantial increase in malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxidase levels as well as disturbance in the activity of the leech antioxidant system. Interestingly, the testes from the Cd and SA leech-exposed group exhibited increased enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant mechanism defenses, including superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, oxidized glutathione, thiols, and ascorbic acid, in comparison with the testes of leeches exposed to Cd alone. Thus, SA supplementation considerably attenuated the histopathological lesions induced by Cd exposure, thereby restoring the normal appearance of the testes. In summary, the findings of this study indicate that SA treatment ameliorated the testicular histopathological and oxidative stress-induced damages caused by exposure to Cd through enhancing the antioxidant defense system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to identify the major aeroallergens and their prevalence in a population of patients living in a polluted oasis situated in the southwest of Tunisia. Of the 67 patients studied, only 39 were sensitive to allergens (58.20%), 23 of whom were sensitive to more than one type of allergen (58.97%). The most common aeroallergens were tree and grass pollen (32.96%), followed by animal dander (19.78%), mites (17.58%), herbaceous pollen (12.08%), mould (6.59%), latex (6.59%) and cockroaches (4.39%). The seasonal distribution of allergens shows that the frequency of respiratory allergy was mainly observed during spring corresponding to the pollination season. However, the detection of some seasonal allergens, such as olive pollen, outside the pollination season can be explained by the cross-reactivity between allergens. The age range of patients with sensitivity was found to be between 10 and 73 years, with the most sensitive patients aged between 20 and 50 years. The sex variable was significantly associated with the studied allergens since sensitization was present more frequently in women than in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To our knowledge, little is known about the effects of environmental air pollution on the placenta function. Therefore, we investigated for the first time in Tunisia and the Middle East the association of maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy with the placenta weight and placental weight to fetal body weight ratio. This study consisted of 812 Tunisian pregnant women who gave birth at hospitals in the Gafsa province. The region was divided into low and high-pollution areas according to the annual average air concentrations of sulfur dioxide (SO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM10) which were measured by the monitoring stations of the Tunisian Chemical Group. Pregnancy outcomes (birth length and weight, head circumference, mother weight, placental and birth weights, etc.) were measured. The study demonstrated a significant relationship between prenatal exposure to the total pollutants and both placental weight and fetal-placental ratio. The mean placental weight of the group with the higher ambient air exposure was larger than that of the group with lower ambient air pollution (568.7 ± 112.3 g vs. 537.7 ± 93.2 g, respectively, p < 0.001). Additionally, the mean birth weight and placental weight ratio were larger in M'dhila than that of Gafsa. The results of this study could be an alarm for the health policy makers in Tunisia to take necessary actions and formulate policies to reduce exposure to the previously mentioned environmental contaminant in M'dhila. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]