Screening of antimicrobial activity in venom: Exploring key parameters.

The escalating challenge of antibiotic resistance significantly threatens global health, underscoring the critical need for new antimicrobial agents. Venoms, increasingly recognized as reservoirs of bioactive compounds with diverse pharmacological effects, have been the focus of recent research. This work evaluates the use of various screening methodologies in assessing the antimicrobial activities of 185 venoms against some gram positive and gram negative bacteria, including E.

Investigating the influence of Cu and Ti substitution on the structural, optical, and dielectric properties of BiFeO.

The environmentally friendly BiFe(TiCu)O system with various substitution rates, including = 0 (BFO), = 0.02 (BFTCO) and = 0.04 (BFTCO), has been synthesized using the solid-state reaction technique.

"To fast or not to fast?" Ramadan and religiosity through the eyes of people with bipolar disorder: an exploratory study.

Background: The month of Ramadan, due to its changes in social rhythms, can seriously affect the course of bipolar disorder (BD). Therefore, psychiatrists sometimes find it necessary to discourage Ramadan practices, especially fasting, although taking part in this practice can give a sense of belonging and accomplishment to patients. Research on this subject is limited.

Self-demixing of mRNA copies buffers mRNA:mRNA and mRNA:regulator stoichiometries.

Cellular homeostasis requires the robust control of biomolecule concentrations, but how do millions of mRNAs coordinate their stoichiometries in the face of dynamic translational changes? Here, we identified a two-tiered mechanism controlling mRNA:mRNA and mRNA:protein stoichiometries where mRNAs super-assemble into condensates with buffering capacity and sorting selectivity through phase-transition mechanisms. Using C. elegans oogenesis arrest as a model, we investigated the transcriptome cytosolic reorganization through the sequencing of RNA super-assemblies coupled with single mRNA imaging.

Short-Term Total Tamponade with Perfluorocarbon Liquid and Silicone Oil in Complex Rhegmatogenous Retinal Detachment with Severe Proliferative Vitreoretinopathy.

Background: To evaluate retinal reattachment, visual functional results, and complications rates after total tamponade (TT) with perfluorocarbon liquid (PFCL) and silicone oil (SO) for 2 days followed by PFCL-SO exchange in complex retinal detachment (RD).

Methods: Retrospective study including 52 consecutive eyes with complex RD and advanced proliferative vitreoretinopathy, who underwent vitrectomy with TT. Patients underwent first surgery by 25-Gauge vitrectomy and partial PFCL-SO exchange (approximately 60% PFCL 40% SO fill) followed by second surgery with extraction of the PFCL and complete SO fill.

Accuracy of the Arabic HCL - 32 and MDQ in detecting patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Studies about the two most used and validated instruments for the early detection of Bipolar Disorder (BD), the 32 - item Hypomania Checklist (HCL - 32) and the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), are scarce in non-Western countries. This study aimed to explore the reliability, factor structure, and criterion validity of their Arabic versions in a sample of Tunisian patients diagnosed with mood disorders.

Methods: The sample included 59 patients with BD, 86 with unipolar Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and 281 controls.

Extremophilic Bacterium G11 as a Cell Factory for Poly-3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate Copolymer's Production.

Microbial polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are biodegradable and biocompatible bio-based polyesters, which are used in various applications including packaging, medical and coating materials. In this study, an extremophilic hydrocarbonoclastic bacterium, previously isolated from saline sediment in the Tunisian desert, has been investigated for PHA production. The accumulation of intracellular PHA granules in G11 was detected by Nile blue A staining of the colonies.

Effect of Gamma Irradiation on Enhanced Biological Activities of Exopolysaccharide from G11: Biochemical and Genomic Insights.

In this work, a native exopolysaccharide (nEPS) produced by G11 isolated from a Tunisian extreme environment was modified by gamma irradiation. Characterization as well as the antioxidant and antitumor activities of nEPS and its gamma-irradiated derivatives (iEPSs) were comparatively evaluated. In vitro and in vivo antioxidant potentials were determined by using different methods and through different antioxidant enzymes.

Immune Checkpoints in Cancers: From Signaling to the Clinic.

The immune system is known to help fight cancers. Ten years ago, the first immune checkpoint inhibitor targeting CTLA4 was approved by the FDA to treat patients with metastatic melanoma. Since then, immune checkpoint therapies have revolutionized the field of oncology and the treatment of cancer patients.

New Plant Growth-Promoting, Chromium-Detoxifying Species Isolated From a Tannery Wastewater: Performance and Genomic Insights.

Hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], widely generated by tannery activities, is considered among the most toxic substances and causes a serious damage for the environment and for human health. Interestingly, some microorganisms have a potential of bioremediation of chromium-contaminated wastewaters and soils through the reduction of Cr(VI) (soluble and harmful form) into Cr(III) (stable and non-toxic form). Here, we present the full genome sequence of a novel heavy-metal-resistant, plant growth-promoting bacterium (PGPB), TL13, which was isolated from a Tunisian leather industry.

Two New Secreted Proteases Generate a Casein-Derived Antimicrobial Peptide in Food Born Isolate Leading to Bacterial Competition in Milk.

Milk and dairy products harbor a wide variety of bacterial species that compete for both limited resources and space. Under these competitive conditions, bacteria develop specialized mechanisms to protect themselves during niche colonization and nutrient acquisition processes. The bacterial antagonism mechanisms include the production of antimicrobial agents or molecules that facilitate competitor dispersal.

[Deaths in a Tunisian psychiatric hospital: an eleven-year retrospective study].

Background: Mortality in patients in psychiatric hospitals is reported to be two to three times as high as in the general population. In Tunisia, we do not have any figures on mortality and causes of death in psychiatric inpatients.

Aim: The aim of our study was to assess the mortality rate in a psychiatric hospital in comparison to the mortality rate in the general population, to determine the patients' profile, and to identify the causes and risk factors for these deaths.

[Antibiotic resistance in nontyphoidal salmonellae serovars in the Czech Republic].

Study Aim: To determine antibiotic resistance and incidence of multidrug resistance among Nontyphoidal salmonellae serovars isolated from humans.

Material And Methods: Consecutive Salmonella isolates from patients, recovered in 48 microbiology laboratories in May 2012, were analyzed in the respective reference laboratories at the National Institute of Public Health. Strains were re-identified and differentiated into serovars.

Bilateral retinal pigment epithelium tears in acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Purpose: To report an original case of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) tears in acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Haradadisease.

Methods: Observational case report of a patient who presented with RPE tears in acute Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease, who underwent clinical examination, fluorescein and infracyanine green angiographies, and optical coherence tomography evaluation.

Results: A 42-year-old woman presented with bilateral serous retinal detachment related to Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada disease.

Fluffy white iris precipitates in Fuchs uveitis: a new sign for an old disease.

To describe particular iris precipitates in a series of five eyes from six patients with Fuchs uveitis (FU). Iris precipitates were noted by four independent examiners during routine physical examination of the angle by gonioscopy with Goldmann's three-mirror lens in patients with FU. The result was confirmed by examination, using the same method, of five other consecutive patients with FU and compared to 10 normal control eyes from five healthy individuals.

[Retinal vasculitis. Epidemiological, clinical and etiological features].

Purpose: To study the epidemiological and clinical features of noninfectious retinal vasculitis (NIRV).

Methods: We analyzed 128 consecutive patients with NIRV, collected over 15 years (1993-2007) in an ophthalmological reference university hospital in Tunis, Tunisia. Data were analyzed regarding associated systemic disease, ocular syndromes, anatomic features (type and topography of vessel and type of capillaropathy), age and sex.

Confocal scanning laser tomography of the optic nerve head of glaucoma patients: inter-correlation of disc parameters.

Objective: To evaluate the scanning laser tomography characteristics of the optic nerve head in patients with primary open angle (POAG) glaucoma using the Heidelberg retina tomography (HRT II).

Design: A clinic-based retrospective study.

Participants: A total of 84 eyes of 42 POAG patients with good quality HRT II Images were studied at Charles Nicolle Hospital University department of Ophthalmology out-patient clinic, Tunis.

Schwannoma of the eyelid: apropos of two cases.

Schwannoma, also referred to as neurilemmoma, is a benign tumor of peripheral nerve arising from Schwann cells that form the neural sheath. Schwannoma of ophthalmic interest is rare although it has been reported in relation with the orbit, and less frequently with the uveal tract and conjunctiva. Isolated eyelid schwannoma is extremely uncommon.

[Optic nerve head analysis using the confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (CSLO) of big cups versus normal cups].

Purpose: To comparatively evaluate the optic nerve head (ONH) using the confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscope (CSLO) in normal eye subjects (NE) versus big cup (BC) patients.

Materials And Methods: A total of 83 NEs (43 subjects) and 44 BC eyes (22 patients) were evaluated in this prospective study. The ONH was imaged using the CSLO (HRT-II; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany).

[Drusen in children: three case studies].

We report three cases of optic disc drusen in children. The children were 5 months, 10 years, and 11 years old. Two of them were male.

Immunohistochemical study of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumor suppressor protein (p53) and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM-1) in the conjunctiva of diabetic patients.

The expression pattern of VEGF, p53 and ICAM-1 was studied in conjunctiva of diabetic patients with and without retinopathy. All patients underwent a complete ophthalmic examination, including retinal fluorescein angiography. Indirect immunoperoxidase method was performed on 20 eyes of 20 patients with type II diabetes without DR and on 5 eyes of 5 patients with PDR.

[Retinal detachment associated with giant retinal tear: surgical procedures and results of the perfluorocarbon liquid-silicone oil exchange with scleral buckling].

Introduction: Anatomical and functional results of the treatment of retinal detachment associated with giant retinal tear have been markedly improved with the development of the vitrectomy procedure and especially the use of perfluorocarbon liquids. In this study, we report treatment results of retinal detachment associated with giant tear in 17 patients.

Materials And Methods: Our study included 17 patients (17 eyes), aged between 18 and 61 years, with retinal detachment associated with giant retinal tear.

[Central serous chorioretinopathy in a kidney transplant patient].

We report a case of central serous chorioretinopathy in a patient who received a kidney transplant for chronic renal failure. We describe clinical and angiographic particularities and the progression of central serous chorioretinopathy in this case. Many factors can be involved in the occurrence of central serous chorioretinopathy in patients with kidney transplants, especially the hemodynamic problems related to renal failure and to the arterial hypertension that are often associated, the stress due to transplantation surgery, and the long-term corticotherapy prescribed postoperatively.