Respiratory Chain Complex I Deficiency in Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy: Insights from Ophthalmologic and Molecular Investigations in Tunisia.

Background: Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) rare disease due to the pathogenic variant of the NADH dehydrogenase enzyme. LHON is characterized by a sudden central vision loss due to focal degeneration of the retinal ganglion cell layer and optic nerve. Symptoms usually appear between the age of 18 and 35 years.

Development of a Novel Hierarchically Biofabricated Blood Vessel Mimic Decorated with Three Vascular Cell Populations for the Reconstruction of Small-Diameter Arteries.

The availability of grafts to replace small-diameter arteries remains an unmet clinical need. Here, the validated methodology is reported for a novel hybrid tissue-engineered vascular graft that aims to match the natural structure of small-size arteries. The blood vessel mimic (BVM) comprises an internal conduit of co-electrospun gelatin and polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers (corresponding to the tunica intima of an artery), reinforced by an additional layer of PCL aligned fibers (the internal elastic membrane).

Recent Advances in Hydrogel-Based 3D Bioprinting and Its Potential Application in the Treatment of Congenital Heart Disease.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect, requiring invasive surgery often before a child's first birthday. Current materials used during CHD surgery lack the ability to grow, remodel, and regenerate. To solve those limitations, 3D bioprinting is an emerging tool with the capability to create tailored constructs based on patients' own imaging data with the ability to grow and remodel once implanted in children with CHD.

Growth capacity of a Wharton's Jelly derived mesenchymal stromal cells tissue engineered vascular graft used for main pulmonary artery reconstruction in piglets.

Surgical treatment of congenital heart defects affecting the right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) often requires complex reconstruction and multiple reoperations due to structural degeneration and lack of growth of currently available materials. Hence, alternative approaches for RVOT reconstruction, which meet the requirements of biocompatibility and long-term durability of an ideal scaffold, are needed. Through this full scale pre-clinical study, we demonstrated the growth capacity of a Wharton's Jelly derived mesenchymal stromal cells (WJ-MSC) tissue engineered vascular graft used in reconstructing the main pulmonary artery in piglets, providing proof of biocompatibility and efficacy.

Intralesional corticosteroid treatment of periocular xanthogranuloma associated with adult-onset asthma.

Introduction: Adult-onset asthma and periocular xanthogranuloma (AAPOX) is a rare non-Langerhans cell histiocytic disorder.

Aim: To describe the periocular clinical findings in a patient diagnosed with AAPOX, treated successfully by intralesional corticosteroids.

Case Report: A 40-year-old woman presented with bilateral eyelid swelling and adult-onset asthma.

Protocol to decellularize porcine right ventricular outflow tracts using a 3D printed flow chamber.

Surgical treatment of pediatric congenital heart disease with tissue grafts is a lifesaving intervention. Decellularization to reduce immunogenicity of tissue grafts is an increasingly popular alternative to glutaraldehyde fixation. Here, we present a protocol to decellularize porcine right ventricular outflow tracts using a 3D printed flow chamber.

[McCune-Albright syndrome: a case report and literature review].

McCune-Albright syndrome is an inherited disease characterized by the association of fibrous dystrophy of bone, café-au-lait skin spots and precocious puberty revealing endocrine hyperactivity. Genetically, this disease is due to a mutation of the Gs protein responsible for activation of adenylate cyclase with excessive production of cAMP. The particular morphology of café-au-lait spots should suggest early diagnosis.

A multiband radio-frequency energy harvester for self-powered biosensor.

This paper presents a novel nano-structure of radio frequency (RF) to direct current (DC) converter for the energy control unit in the biosensor. It is based on the Graëtz Bridge supplied with three-phase power (DP3). This circuit can be considered as the result of the proper combination of a common anode assembly and a common cathode assembly.

Choroidal involvement in patients with catastrophic anti-phospholipid syndrome: Two case reports.

Purpose: To describe choroidal involvement in catastrophic antiphospholipid syndrome (CAPS).

Methods: We report here two cases of bilateral CAPS choroidopathy in two female patients.

Results: Case report 1: A thirty-five-year-old female patient, with history of primary anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS), treated with anticoagulants, presented an acute renal failure following a salpingectomy.

The effect of cardioplegic supplementation with sildenafil on cardiac energetics in a piglet model of cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegic arrest with warm or cold cardioplegia.

Cardioplegic cardioprotection strategies used during paediatric open-heart surgery remain suboptimal. Sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE-5) inhibitor, has been shown to be cardioprotective against ischemia/reperfusion injury in a variety of experimental models and this study therefore tested the efficacy of supplementation of cardioplegia with sildenafil in a piglet model of cardiopulmonary bypass and arrest, using both cold and warm cardioplegia protocols. Piglets were anaesthetized and placed on coronary pulmonary bypass (CPB), the aorta cross-clamped and the hearts arrested for 60 min with cardioplegia with or without sildenafil (10 nM).

Surgical management of post-traumatic iris cyst: A case report.

Introduction And Importance: Cysts of the iridociliary complex could be primary or secondary. Small and asymptomatic iris cysts can be monitored, whereas larger cysts require treatment as they can cause severe complications. Treatment modalities can range from minimally invasive techniques to aggressive surgical procedures.

Warm versus cold blood cardioplegia in paediatric congenital heart surgery: a randomized trial.

Objectives: Intermittent cold blood cardioplegia is commonly used in children, whereas intermittent warm blood cardioplegia is widely used in adults. We aimed to compare clinical and biochemical outcomes with these 2 methods.

Methods: A single-centre, randomized controlled trial was conducted to compare the effectiveness of warm (≥34°C) versus cold (4-6°C) antegrade cardioplegia in children.

Biological Scaffolds for Congenital Heart Disease.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most predominant birth defect and can require several invasive surgeries throughout childhood. The absence of materials with growth and remodelling potential is a limitation of currently used prosthetics in cardiovascular surgery, as well as their susceptibility to calcification. The field of tissue engineering has emerged as a regenerative medicine approach aiming to develop durable scaffolds possessing the ability to grow and remodel upon implantation into the defective hearts of babies and children with CHD.

Apoplexy in pituitary metastasis revealing a lung carcinoma.

Pituitary metastasis (PM) is an uncommon manifestation of systemic malignant tumours. It is the least common site of intracranial metastases. As PM has no clinical or radiological pathognomonic features, their diagnosis is challenging.

Classification of BCI Multiclass Motor Imagery Task Based on Artificial Neural Network.

Motor imagery (MI) signals recorded by electroencephalography provide the most practical basis for conceiving brain-computer interfaces (BCI). These interfaces offer a high degree of freedom. This helps people with motor disabilities communicate with the device by tackling a sequence of motor imagery tasks.

Postcoital visual loss due to valsalva retinopathy: A case report.

Valsalva retinopathy is a rare pathology presenting as a sudden and painless loss of vision affecting young subjects with no medical history. It is the result of an increase of intraocular venous pressure, leading to retrohyaloid haemorrhage. We describe here the clinical presentation of a retrohyaloid hemorrhage resulting from a valsalva mechanism following a sexual activity, in a 28-year-old patient treated by Neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Nd:YAG) laser hyaloidotomy with a visual recovery of 20/20 on 3 weeks follow-up.

Infrequent delayed controlateral remote cerebellar hemorrhage after supratentorial craniotomy in adult patient: a case report.

Remote cerebellar hemorrhage as a rare complication of supratentorial surgery was already first described in the 1970s by Yasargil. Its incidence ranges from 0.2% to 0.

Behçet's disease presenting as neuroretinitis with pre-papillary vitreous infiltrate: a case report.

Objective: To report a case of Behçet's disease (BD) presenting as a panuveitis with neuroretinitis and pre-papillary vitreous infiltrate.

Material And Methods: A case report.

Results: A 43-year-old male presented with severely decreased vision in the left eye.

Acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy associated with serous retinal detachment: A case report.

We report the occurrence of serous retinal detachment (SRD) in acute posterior multifocal placoid pigment epitheliopathy (APMPPE). A 22-year-old man with no general or ophthalmological pathological history presented with an acute and bilateral decreased visual acuity. There was no notion of recent flu or recent vaccination.

Molecular characterization of CTNS mutations in Tunisian patients with ocular cystinosis.

Background: Ocular cystinosis is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by intralysosomal cystine accumulation in renal, ophthalmic (cornea, conjunctiva), and other organ abnormalities. Patients with ocular cystinosis are mostly asymptomatic and typically experience mild photophobia due to cystine crystals in the cornea observed accidently during a routine ocular examination. The ocular cystinosis is associated with different mutations in CTNS gene.

Sterile endophthalmitis after intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide injection: A case report series.

Corticosteroids have proven their effectiveness in the treatment of cystoid macular edema. Especially after an intravitreal injection. Triamcinolone acetonide is the most commonly used in the treatment of macular edema.

Detection of COVID-19 from CT and Chest X-ray Images Using Deep Learning Models.

Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly transmissible and pathogenic virus caused by severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which first appeared in Wuhan, China, and has since spread in the whole world. This pathology has caused a major health crisis in the world. However, the early detection of this anomaly is a key task to minimize their spread.

Wharton's Jelly-Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Engineered Conduit for Pulmonary Artery Reconstruction in Growing Piglets.

Surgical treatment of congenital heart defects affecting the right ventricular outflow tract often requires complex reconstruction and multiple reoperations. With a randomized controlled trial, we compared a novel tissue-engineered small intestine submucosa-based graft for pulmonary artery reconstruction (seeded with mesenchymal stem cells derived from Wharton's Jelly) with conventional small intestine submucosa in growing piglets. Six months after implantation, seeded grafts showed integration with host tissues at cellular level and exhibited growth potential on transthoracic echocardiography and cardiovascular magnetic resonance.

Association of MMP-2 genes variants with diabetic retinopathy in Tunisian population with type 2 diabetes.

Aims: Few studies investigated the association of genetic difference in metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) gene with diabetic retinopathy but with mixed outcome. To investigate the association between a set of MMP-2 genetic variants and the risk of diabetic retinopathy in an Arab Tunisian population with type 2 diabetes.

Subjects And Methods: A retrospective case-control study comprising a total of 779 type 2 diabetes patients with or without diabetic retinopathy was conducted.