Publications by authors named "Ikram Hammi"

Article Synopsis
  • Leishmania is a parasite responsible for leishmaniasis, which is impacted by climate change and has developed strategies to evade the immune system, specifically by targeting immune receptors like FcγRIIA/CD32a.
  • In experiments with CD32a transgenic mice and various cell cultures, the study found that FcγRIIA/CD32a can both accelerate inflammation and prevent necrotic lesions in infected macrophages.
  • The results highlight the role of FcγRIIA/CD32a in leishmaniasis and suggest it could be a promising target for future therapies.
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Leishmania is responsible for a neglected tropical disease affecting millions of people around the world and could potentially spread more due to climate change. This disease not only leads to significant morbidity but also imposes substantial social and economic burdens on affected populations, often exacerbating poverty and health disparities. Despite the complexity and effectiveness of the immune response, the parasite has developed various strategies to evade detection and manipulates host cells in favor of its replication.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths and has resulted in disastrous societal and economic impacts worldwide. During SARS-CoV-2 infection, abnormal levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been observed and were associated to the severity of the disease. Type I (-α/β) and Type III (IFN-λ) interferons are family members of cytokines that play an important role in fighting viral replication during the early phases of infection.

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Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an infectious disease, considered as a major public health problem in different regions of the world. The current treatments are limited due to their toxicity and treatment failures, which have increased the search for new substances of natural origin to control this infection. Capparis spinosa is an important medicinal plant, rich in biochemical compounds with a broad range of activities including antimicrobial effects.

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The distribution of the two potentially toxic dinoflagellates Gymnodinium catenatum and Alexandrium spp. was investigated in the Mediterranean Moroccan Sea from March 2018 to March 2019. The cockle Acanthocardia tuberculata and the smooth clam Callista chione were collected at four stations, and their toxin levels were assessed using the mouse bioassay.

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Article Synopsis
  • Mediterranean waters have been impacted by environmental changes over recent decades, leading to changes in phytoplankton populations, especially increases in harmful algal blooms (HABs).
  • Biweekly monitoring of toxic phytoplankton in western Morocco revealed high levels of Domoic Acid (DA) producers like Pseudo-nitzschia spp. and Dinophysis species, with significant concentrations found in local mollusks.
  • The presence of various lipophilic shellfish toxins (LSTs) and Domoic Acid in cockles and clams indicates that harmful algae are directly affecting marine life, raising concerns for the region's ecological health.
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Background: Post-kala-azar dermal (PKDL) is a rare skin syndrome observed after treatment of visceral (VL) with pentavalent antimonial organic salts, never described in Morocco before. Here we report a case in an immunocompetent adult.

Case: A 36-year-old-man from Tata in southern Morocco, with a history of visceral 2 years before and treated with meglumine antimoniate and amphotericin B with good clinical course, was hospitalized in dermatology for an erythematous papulo-nodular closet of the face.

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Protein import into mitochondria is a highly regulated process, yet how cells clear mitochondria undergoing dysfunctional protein import remains poorly characterized. Here we showed that mitochondrial protein import stress (MPIS) triggers localized LC3 lipidation. This arm of the mitophagy pathway occurs through the Nod-like receptor (NLR) protein NLRX1 while, surprisingly, without the engagement of the canonical mitophagy protein PINK1.

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The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, has emerged in China in December 2019 and rapidly spread to more than 196 countries worldwide. The physiopathology of human SARS-CoV-2 has not been completely understood, but its pathogenesis has been linked to a disproportionate response of the immune system. Just as described for SARS and MERS, an uncontrolled systemic inflammatory response, known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS) was observed in severe COVID-19 patients.

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Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is a vector-borne parasitic disease caused by Protozoa of the genus Leishmania. Clinical manifestations of this disease are the result of a complex interplay of diverse factors, including the genetic background and the immune status of the host. Understanding the impact of these factors on the CL pathology may provide new targets to manage the infection and improve clinical outcome.

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