Publications by authors named "Mahfoudh A"

Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is a rare infectious disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes and responsible for a variety of neurological manifestations. The most common manifestations of LNB in children are cranial nerve involvement, especially facial nerve palsy often accompanied by lymphocytic meningitis. In this article, we present a case of a 4-year-old boy presented to our emergency department with abdominal pain evolving for a week and symmetrical ascending progression of weakness responsible for severe respiratory failure.

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Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) is an autosomal recessive lipid storage disorder. There are two types, NPC1, which is the predominant form (95%), and the rare NPC2, which represents less than 5% of the reported cases. Niemann-Pick disease type C2 usually presents with respiratory symptoms, cholestasis, neurological impairment, and hepatosplenomegaly.

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This study aimed to study whether IVF stimulation that results in one or two mature follicles should proceed to oocyte retrieval. This is a retrospective cohort study conducted at McGill University Health Center on 459 patients who underwent IVF treatment between 2011 and 2014, undergoing hormonal stimulation and monitoring of their ovarian response. The primary outcomes were pregnancy and live birth rates.

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Introduction: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) currently represent the first occupational health problem. Tendinopathy of the shoulder is the most common occupational diseas. It is responsible for variable aftereffects arriving until the articular steepness.

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Background: Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) test is used to screen adults as well as children for connective tissue diseases (CTD) and autoimmune hepatitis. However, interpretation of ANA positivity can be delicate.

Aim: to determine clinical significance and diagnosis utility of ANA positivity in children.

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This study aimed to examine the association of the different dimensions and forms of work-family conflict with the occurrence of neck and lower back pain (LBP) in Tunisian nurses. We conducted a cross-sectional study on nurses assigned to a district hospital in Tunisia. The work-family interface was assessed with the work-family conflict scale of Carlson et al.

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Background And Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate the clinical, biological and hematological profiles of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in children and to specify its etiologies, therapeutic modalities, and treatment responses.

Methods: This is a 14-year retrospective study of AIHA cases collected at the department of pediatric emergency and reanimation of Hedi Chaker University Hospital in Sfax. We included patients under 14 years old with clinical and biological features of hemolysis and a positive direct antiglobulin test (DAT).

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Objective: To determine whether human oocytes possess a checkpoint to prevent completion of meiosis I when DNA is damaged.

Design: DNA damage is considered a major threat to the establishment of healthy eggs and embryos. Recent studies found that mouse oocytes with damaged DNA can resume meiosis and undergo germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD), but then arrest in metaphase of meiosis I in a process involving spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) signaling.

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The diagnosis and the treatment of rare phenotypes remain a problematic situation in many countries especially in Tunisia. Individuals with rare phenotype may develop clinically significant red cell antibodies directed against the high incidence Antigens they lack. A 35 years old patient was referred to our laboratory to explain a high incidence (twelve) of recurrent miscarriage during the first and second terms of pregnancy.

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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a public health problem worldwide. Characterizing its trends over time is a useful tool for decision-makers to assess the efficiency of TB control programs. We aimed to give an update on the current chronological trends of TB in Southern Tunisia from 1995 to 2016 and to estimate future trajectories of TB epidemic by 2030.

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Aims. To assess the influence of socio-professional factors on mental health of teachers at primary and secondary schools. Materials and Methods.

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The aim was to describe the profile of workers with occupational multi-site musculoskeletal disorders (MSMSD) and study the relationship between these lesions and socio-professional factors. This is a cross-sectional study involving 254 subjects with occupational musculoskeletal disorders (MSD), identified in the Department of Occupational Medicine at the University Hospital of Mahdia, in Tunisia, over a period of 10 years from 2005 to 2014. The study population was subdivided into two groups; mono-site MSD and multi-site (≥2 sites) groups.

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Aim: Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) is a frequent cause of acute nephritis in children. This study aimed to describe the epidemiology, clinical characteristics and outcomes of PSGN and look for predictor's factors of severity.

Methods: A 12-year retrospective review of case notes and laboratory data was conducted at a department of pediatrics, pediatric emergency and intensive care, Hedi Chaker Hospital.

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In adults, anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are considered as serological markers of several diseases, especially vasculitis and glomerulonephritis. Since ANCA are rarely positive in children, few data about the clinical relevance of these auto-antibodies in pediatric population have been reported. Therefore, our study aims to describe the spectrum of disorders associated with positive ANCA in Tunisian children.

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Aim: The aim of the present study was to characterize the molecular basis of complement factor I deficiency in Tunisian atypical haemolytic and uremic syndrome patients with low factor I levels.

Methods: Six adults and seven children were enrolled in this study. Complement factor I levels were assessed by a homemade sandwich ELISA and ranged between 12.

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Unlabelled: Sjögren syndrome is uncommon in children and occurs most often in association with autoimmune diseases (secondary Sjögren syndrome). We describe the clinical and biological features of a 7-year-old girl with primary Sjögren syndrome revealed by recurrent parotiditis.

Case Report: A 7-year-old girl was referred for investigation of multiple episodes of parotid swelling since age 4 years, without systemic symptoms.

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Purpose: The majority of milk in industrialized countries is obtained from pregnant cows, which contains increased levels of estrogen and progesterone compared to non-pregnant cows. The aim of this study was to quantify the amount of hormones present in milk with different fat content because previous studies on humans have shown potential effects of increased milk consumption on serum and urine hormone levels as well as on sperm parameters. However, it is unclear whether consumption of milk at the currently recommended levels would lead to systemic effects.

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Purpose: The goals of this study are to analyze the clinical pregnancy rate as a function of the pre-intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) oocyte spindle angle and determine factors which can be associated with different spindle angles, if clinically relevant.

Methods: Fifty-eight patients, who underwent their first ICSI cycle from January to December 2013, were included. Eight hundred thirty oocytes were collected, and 648 were metaphase II (MII) on retrieval day.

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