Perception of Tunisian Medical Students with Chronic Conditions: Pilot Study.

Background: Medical studies are hard to manage especially for students with specific needs. These students warrant some adaptations in studies and trainings in order to achieve learning goals. Studies showed they face structural and cultural barriers and stigma.

Humoral and cellular response of two different vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 in a group of healthcare workers: An observational study.

On March 13, 2021, Tunisia started a widespread immunization program against SARS-CoV-2 utilizing different vaccinations that had been given emergency approval. Herein, we followed prospectively a cohort of participant who received COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer BioNTech and Sputnik-Gameleya V). The goal of this follow-up was to define the humoral and cellular immunological profile after immunization by assessing neutralizing antibodies and IFN- γ release.

Nutritional Data on Selected Food Products Consumed in Oman: An Update of the Food Composition Table and Use for Future Food Consumption Surveys.

Food composition data in the Eastern Mediterranean Region countries are often lacking, obsolete, or unreliable. The study aims to provide reliable nutrient data on food products consumed in Oman in order to evaluate their nutritional quality, the consistency of the nutrition labeling and claims, and, ultimately, the use for food consumption surveys and update the current food composition database. Contents of fat, fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, sugars, and sodium were chemically analyzed in 221 foods and beverages.

Quality assessment of rectal cancer surgery: How are we doing?

Introduction: Surgery remains a cornerstone in the treatment of rectal cancer. Optimal surgical resection implies respect for carcinologic principles. The best way to evaluate a good quality of resection requires certainly an exhaustive evaluation of the surgical specimen by the surgeon and the pathologist.

Development of a guideline for the use of ultrasonography in rheumatoid arthritis: Preliminary recommendations.

Aim: To address the protocol of recommendations for the use of ultrasonography (US) in the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in routine practice.

Methods: The present study is a protocol design for practical guidelines. Based on a systematic literature review, the scientific committee (composed of 6 experts on US) decided on key questions which will be used to develop recommendations.

Cost analysis of a medical procedure using the full cost method: The example of a trans-thoracic scan-guided biopsy.

Introduction: Trans-thoracic scan-guided biopsy (TTB) is a crucial examination for exploring thoracic lesions, particularly in the case of tumor pathologies. To make informed decisions in cost-effectiveness analyses, it is important to understand the actual costs of this procedure.

Aim: To quantify the cost of performing TTB using a microeconomic approach.

[Not Available].

Introduction: Low back pain (LBP) is common during pregnancy and tends to increase in the third trimester. This pregnancy-related condition may even persist through the postpartum period, and become a lifelong problem.

Aim: To determine the prevalence of persistent LBP in the postpartum and to identify factors associated with this condition.

Nail involvement in connective tissue diseases: an epidemiological, clinical, and dermoscopic study.

Background: The assessment of nail changes in connective tissue diseases (CTD) has been rarely explored in previous studies. The use of dermoscopy to study vascular changes in nailfolds is an interesting diagnostic technique. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical, and dermoscopic features of nail lesions in CTD.

Primary thyroid lymphoma: a case series.

Introduction: Primary Thyroid Lymphoma (PTL) is defined as lymphoma involving the thyroid gland alone or the thyroid gland and adjacent neck lymph nodes without contiguous spread or distant metastases at the time of diagnosis. Most thyroid lymphomas are B cell lymphomas, and 98% of all PTL cases are non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is a rare disease accounting for around 5% of the thyroid neoplasms and 2% of extranodal lymphomas.

Postoperative Analgesia in Breast Cancer Surgery: Efficiency and Safety of Ultrasound Guided Erector Spinae Plane Block, a randomized controlled double blinded trial.

Introduction: Breast cancer surgeries are the mainstay and usually the first step of treatment.

Aim: To assess the efficiency and safety of ultrasound guided Erector Spinae Plane Block (ESPB) for the management of postoperative pain in patients undergoing elective breast cancer surgery.

Methods: Between December 2018 and June 2019, a prospective, controlled, randomized, double-blinded study was conducted at the maternity and neonatology center of Tunis.

[Not Available].

Introduction: Rheumatoid arthritis is a disabling disease leading to an impaired quality of life. To avoid joint damage, innovative strategies such "educational" medical procedures are developing, involving the patient in the management of his illness.

Aim: The objective of our study was to assess the effectiveness of patient education (PE) program on quality of life and adherence in the short and medium term.

Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19: A test negative case-control study in Tunisia, August 2021.

Background: In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple vaccines to protect against COVID-19 disease have been developed rapidly. Precise estimates of vaccine effectiveness (VE) vary according to studies design, outcomes measured and circulating variants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-covid-19 vaccine effectiveness in Tunisia.

Comparison of agranulocytosis and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis caused by two antithyroid drugs: A pharmacovigilance study using the WHO international database.

Background: Methimazole (MMI) and propylthiouracil (PTU) are commonly used for patients with thyrotoxicosis. Agranulocytosis and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, requiring appropriate interventions. In this study, we compared adverse drug effects associated with MMI and PTU using a real-world large pharmacovigilance database.

Uncovering the clinical relevance of unclassified variants in DNA repair genes: a focus on negative Tunisian cancer families.

Recent advances in sequencing technologies have significantly increased our capability to acquire large amounts of genetic data. However, the clinical relevance of the generated data continues to be challenging particularly with the identification of Variants of Uncertain Significance (VUSs) whose pathogenicity remains unclear. In the current report, we aim to evaluate the clinical relevance and the pathogenicity of VUSs in DNA repair genes among Tunisian breast cancer families.

De novo male breast metastases from nasopharyngeal carcinoma: a case report.

Background: Nasopharyngeal carcinoma is known for its high potential for regional and distant metastasis. However, breast metastasis is rarely reported.

Case Presentation: A 39-year-old Caucasian male presented with bilateral neck lymph node enlargement.

Mir-21 and Mir-125b as theranostic biomarkers for epithelial ovarian cancer in Tunisian women.

Background: Ovarian cancer (OC) is the third most common cancer in women and the leading cause of death associated with gynecologic tumors. Because this disease is asymptomatic in the early stages, most patients are not diagnosed until the late stages. This highlights the need for the development of diagnostic biomarkers.

Exploring Rare Traumatic Injuries: A Miniseries of 4 Cases Discussing Epidural Hematomas Bridging the Infratentorial and Supratentorial Regions.

Supratentorial-infratentorial epidural hematomas (SIEH) are a rare occurrence following traumatic head injuries, representing only 2% of traumatic epidural hematomas. Given the unique anatomical characteristics of the infratentorial region, mainly its small size, surgical intervention is commonly undertaken to alleviate the pressure on the posterior fossa components. Consequently, there is ongoing debate surrounding the optimal surgical approaches.

The African Human Microbiome Portal: a public web portal of curated metagenomic metadata.

There is growing evidence that comprehensive and harmonized metadata are fundamental for effective public data reusability. However, it is often challenging to extract accurate metadata from public repositories. Of particular concern is the metagenomic data related to African individuals, which often omit important information about the particular features of these populations.

Regulatory T-cell dysfunction and cutaneous exposure to Staphylococcus aureus underlie eczema in DOCK8 deficiency.

Background: Dedicator of cytokinesis 8 (DOCK8)-deficient patients have severe eczema, elevated IgE, and eosinophilia, features of atopic dermatitis (AD).

Objective: We sought to understand the mechanisms of eczema in DOCK8 deficiency.

Methods: Skin biopsy samples were characterized by histology, immunofluorescence microscopy, and gene expression.

Evidence of an active role of resveratrol derivatives in the tolerance of wild grapevines (Vitis vinifera ssp. sylvestris) to salinity.

Resveratrol and its derivatives are the most important phytoalexins with a crucial role in plant defense mechanisms. These compounds can occur either naturally or in response to abiotic stresses. Among them, salinity is one of the major threats to the sustainability and productivity of agro-economically important species, particularly those involved in the vini-viticulture sector.

Unusual onset of Graves' disease associated with thymic hyperplasia in a 5-year-old girl with congenital bilateral clinical anophthalmia: diagnostic and therapeutic challenges.

Objectives: Graves' disease (GD) is a rare auto-immune disorder in pediatric population. The association between GD and thymic hyperplasia was rarely reported in children. Diagnosis and management of GD are challenging in children.