Diversity in gut microbiota among colorectal cancer patients: findings from a case-control study conducted at a Tunisian University Hospital.

Purpose: Globally, colorectal cancer (CRC) is among the most prevalent cancers. One distinctive feature of colorectal cancer is its close relationship to the gut microbiota, which is a crucial component of the tumor microenvironment. Over the last ten years, research has demonstrated that colorectal cancer is accompanied with dysbiosis of gut bacteria, fungi, viruses, and Archaea, and that these alterations may be causal.

Strategies for improving expression of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells.

Optimizations of the gene expression cassette combined with the selection of an appropriate signal peptide are important factors that must be considered to enhance heterologous protein expression in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of different signal peptides on the production of recombinant human chorionic gonadotropin (r-hCG) in CHO-K1 cells. Four optimized expression constructs containing four promising signal peptides were stably transfected into CHO-K1 cells.

Caecal perforation secondary to intrapelvic migration of a total hip prosthesis: A case report and a review of the literature.

Introduction: Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is commonly performed to alleviate hip pain and restore function. While generally safe, complications such as prosthesis migration can occur. Intrapelvic migration of hip prostheses, leading to bowel perforation and fistula formation, is a rare but severe complication requiring prompt diagnosis and management.

Prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection in slaughtered sheep from Northwest Tunisia and its risk factors: Association with gastrointestinal helminths infection and anaemia.

We investigated herein the prevalence of Fasciola hepatica infection in sheep at Sejnane slaughterhouse, governorate of Bizerte, Northwest of Tunisia, using three different diagnostic techniques (liver dissection, bile examination, and coprology). Faeces, liver, gall bladder as well as blood samples were collected from 603 slaughtered sheep in two seasons: winter and summer. Faecal egg counts of F.

Case report of an abdominal wet gangrene caused by Acidaminococcus.

The Acidaminococcus genus is a part of the normal flora in gastrointestinal tract. It is a strictly anaerob Gram-negative coccus that is rarely pathogenic. We report the case of a 58-year-old man, who presented to surgery department A of the Charles Nicolle hospital, complaining of a wide inflammatory lesion in the anterior abdominal wall evolving for two weeks.

Hydatid cyst of the brainstem: The rarest of the rare locations for echinococcosis.

Hydatidosis, caused by the larval stage of Echinococcus granulosus, is a zoonotic disease typically affecting the liver and lungs. Cerebral localizations are rare, especially in the brainstem. We present a case of a 9-year-old boy with a brainstem hydatid cyst.

Impact of immunity loss on the optimal vaccination strategy for an age-structured epidemiological model.

The pursuit of effective vaccination strategies against COVID-19 remains a critical endeavour in global public health, particularly amidst challenges posed by immunity loss and evolving epidemiological dynamics. This study investigated optimal vaccination strategies by considering age structure, immunity dynamics, and varying maximal vaccination rates. To this end, we formulated an SEIR model stratified into $ n $ age classes, with the vaccination rate as an age-dependent control variable in an optimal control problem.

A four-Axis-Method to Evaluate a Part of an Undergraduate Medical Students' Curriculum.

Introduction: The evaluation of programs in faculties of medicine enables them to adequately reach their mission objectives, and social responsibilities and to correct their potential lacune. Few publications have described the process of internal evaluation of a program performed by the organizational members. The authors aimed to describe a practical method called the four-axis method to assess curriculum using a practical example.

Design and implementation of a scalable high-performance computing (HPC) cluster for omics data analysis: achievements, challenges and recommendations in LMICs.

Background: The advent of high-throughput technologies, including cutting-edge sequencing devices, has revolutionized biomedical data generation and processing. Nevertheless, big data applications require novel hardware and software for parallel computing and management to handle the ever-growing data size and analysis complexity. On-premise, high-performance computing (HPC) is increasingly used in biomedical research for big data stewardship.

polymorphism genotypes, haplotypes, and diplotypes are associated with colorectal cancer predisposition and outcome in Tunisian population.

Background And Aim: As the presence of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin gene continues to be a major challenge in the development of effective therapies for digestive cancers, this case-control study was conducted to assess the possible influence of genotype, haplotype and diplotype for two SNPs (-1082A/G (rs1800896) and -592A/C (rs1800872)) located in the promoter region of gene on the incidence, severity and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) in Tunisians.

Methods: gene SNPs were analyzed in 130 CRC cases and 165 healthy subjects (HS) using PCR-SSP.

Results: For the -1082A/G SNP, the comparison of genotype frequencies between cases and HS groups showed that the G allele significantly reduced CRC risk under the recessive model (GG vs.

Enhancing quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa) growth in saline environments through salt-tolerant rhizobacteria from halophyte biotope.

The use of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) in agriculture is one of the most promising approaches to improve plants' growth under salt stress and to support sustainable agriculture under climate change. In this context, our goal was to grow and enhance quinoa growth using native rhizobacteria that can withstand salt stress. To achieve this objective, we isolated rhizobacteria from three saline localities in a semi-arid region in Tunisia, which are characterized by different halophyte species and tested their plant growth-promoting (PGP) activities.

Nail Alterations From Musical Instruments: Insights for Dermatologists Treating Musicians.

Long-term practice and performance with a musical instrument predispose musicians to several skin conditions and nail disorders. We conducted a comprehensive literature search of the PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar databases for articles on nail alterations in musicians. Complications were divided into modifications of the nail surface and nail plate, soft-tissue abnormalities, and periungual tissue and distal pulp disorders.

Primary metastatic melanoma of the female urethra mimicking a benign urethral caruncle: A case report.

Primary urethral melanoma is an exceptionally rare malignancy, comprising a small fraction of melanomas and malignant tumors affecting the female urethra. We report the case of a 74-year-old woman presenting with symptoms initially suggestive of a benign urethral caruncle, which was later diagnosed as nodular melanoma upon histopathological examination. Despite complete surgical excision, subsequent imaging revealed widespread metastases to lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and brain.