Publications by authors named "M Alkassar"

Article Synopsis
  • Pufferfish, known for being highly toxic due to neurotoxins like tetrodotoxins and paralytic shellfish toxins, poses a serious risk to human health and has caused many poisoning incidents.
  • A study analyzed tissue extracts from two pufferfish species collected from the Spanish Mediterranean, revealing no toxicity in Sphoeroides pachygaster but significant toxicity in the liver of Lagocephalus lagocephalus specimens.
  • High-performance liquid chromatography analysis confirmed the presence of paralytic shellfish toxins, particularly saxitoxin and decarbamoylsaxitoxin, in L. lagocephalus, highlighting a food safety concern due to the potential risks associated with consuming this toxic fish in the region. *
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Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a marine toxin responsible for many intoxications around the world. Its presence in some pufferfish species and, as recently reported, in shellfish, poses a serious health concern. Although TTX is not routinely monitored, there is a need for fast, sensitive, reliable, and simple methods for its detection and quantification.

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This study investigates the crucial factors influencing the end-systolic and end-diastolic volumes in MRI volumetry and their direct effects on the derived functional parameters. Through the simultaneous acquisition of 2D-cine and 3D whole-heart slices in end-diastole and end-systole, we present a novel direct comparison of the volumetric measurements from both methods. A prospective study was conducted with 18 healthy participants.

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Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a potent marine neurotoxin involved in poisoning cases, especially through the consumption of puffer fish. Knowledge of the toxicity equivalency factors (TEFs) of TTX analogues is crucial in monitoring programs to estimate the toxicity of samples analyzed with instrumental analysis methods. In this work, TTX analogues were isolated from the liver of a individual caught on South Crete coasts.

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Objectives: Orthodontic treatment improves both masticatory function and the aspects of facial esthetics through the correct alignment of the teeth. If oral hygiene is neglected during fixed orthodontic treatment, it may lead to plaque accumulation and gingivitis. The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate the effectiveness of the dental Water Jet (DWJ), and orthodontic toothbrush (O-TH) in removing dental plaque around the orthodontic braces compared to conventional toothbrush (C-TH) in adolescents.

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