Publications by authors named "Samia Bennani"

Congenital hernia of the diaphragmatic dome is defined as a congenital embryopathy where all or part of the diaphragmatic dome fails to form during embryonic development. The classification is based on the location of the defect in the diaphragm. In this report, we present a case of Morgani hernia in a 52-year-old man whose sole initial symptom was dyspnea, occurring within the context of a SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) infection.

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Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare but progressive and devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive decline, executive dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. It follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. Thus, a child who has a parent with the mutated huntingtin () gene has a 50% chance of developing the disease.

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Article Synopsis
  • * It has both genetic and environmental triggers, including prenatal exposure to certain drugs like valproic acid and acetaminophen, raising the risk of developing ASD.
  • * Recent research highlights the role of epigenetics—how DNA modifications affect gene expression without changing the DNA sequence—in understanding the causes and potential treatments for ASD.
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Reciprocal communication between the gut microbiota and the brain, commonly referred to as the "gut-brain-axis" is crucial in maintaining overall physiological homeostasis. Gut microbiota development and brain maturation (neuronal connectivity and plasticity) appear to be synchronized and to follow the same timeline during childhood (immature), adolescence (expansion) and adulthood (completion). It is important to note that the mesolimbic reward circuitry develops early on, whereas the maturation of the inhibitory frontal cortical neurons is delayed.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent deficits in social interaction and communication, manifests in early childhood and is followed by restricted and stereotyped behaviors, interests, or activities in adolescence and adulthood (DSM-V). Although genetics and environmental factors have been implicated, the exact causes of ASD have yet to be fully characterized. New evidence suggests that dysbiosis or perturbation in gut microbiota (GM) and exposure to lead (Pb) may play important roles in ASD etiology.

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