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A total of 118 sera were collected during 2016 from two groups of dromedaries from Kebili and Medenine governorates in the south of Tunisia. The aim of this study was to provide the first serological investigation of four emerging vector-borne diseases in two groups of dromedaries in Tunisia. Sera were tested by ELISA and serum neutralisation test to identify West Nile virus (WNV), bluetongue virus (BTV), epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) and Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV). In the first group, the seroprevalence for BTV was 4.6%, while in the second group, it was 25.8% or WNV and 9.7% for BTV. Only serotype 1 was detected for BTV in the two groups. No evidence for circulation of RVF and EHD viruses was revealed. Results indicated that dromedaries can be infected with BTV and WNV, suggesting that this species might play a significant role in the epizootiology of these viral diseases in Tunisia and neighbouring countries.

La wilaya de Djelfa a récemment connu une augmentation du nombre de diplômés pneumatiques des instituts spécialisés ou des instituts d'éducation physique et sportive à travers le pays, Il connaissait également la distribution d'importantes sommes d'argent provenant des aides financières accordées par l'État et des groupes locaux. Il a également été témoin de la mise en place de plusieurs projets liés à la jeunesse et aux sports, notamment des salles, des aires de jeux couvertes, des terrains herbeux, voire piscines couvertes. Mais un examinateur de l'état du mouvement sportif, y compris le sport scolaire, constate qu'il s'agit d'une détérioration continue de ce qu'il était dans le passé, que ce soit en termes de quantité ou de qualité. Face à cette contradiction, nous avons considéré qu'il était nécessaire de découvrir la vérité sur cette affaire, d'en révéler les causes et d'essayer de trouver des solutions pratiques à cette situation.

In karate-do the practice of kata was for a time the only activity allowing the psycho-physical development of the disciple. With the sportivation of this martial art the sporting side begins to predominate other methods and processes thus appearing can we keep the kata as the axis of practice in order to harmonize sporting and self-defense aspects?

Le karaté algérien est dans une phase très critique de son histoire en matière de réaliser des résultats à l'échelle des championnats du monde. Le présent travail essayera de mettre en évidence les tendances de cette pratique du point de vue technico-tactique et par la même de dégager des spécificités propres aux algériens (si elles existent) en comparaison avec le niveau. Cette approche permettra peut-être de diagnostiquer les défaillances réelles et par la même porter les corrections appropriées.

Le but de cette étude est de déterminer l'existence ou non d'une spécificité technique propre aux karatékas algériens de haut niveau. Cette spécificité se caractérise dans le nombre total de techniques employées, et par les techniques employées chacune à part. Les résultats montrent que l'athlète algérien se rapproche à travers le temps du model mondial quant à son niveau technique.

In this study, 1 wt% platinum (Pt) nanoparticles were incorporated into five types of zeolites (HY, Beta, mordenite, ZSM-5, and ferrierite) with an impregnation technique. The synthesis strategy included the use of water as a solvent for the applied Pt source. Moreover, the incorporation process was performed at ambient conditions followed by calcination at 450 °C. The five prepared materials were characterized by different physical and chemical characterization techniques and the obtained results confirmed the formation of Pt nanoparticles with an average size of 5–10 nm. The catalytic performance of the prepared materials was evaluated in the hydrogenation of cyclohexene under a solvent-free system at room temperature. Pt nanoparticles supported on ZSM-5 zeolite exhibited the best catalytic performance. Moreover, the optimization of operational conditions such as temperature, pressure, and catalyst amount was investigated and the obtained results showed the possibility to convert 100% of cyclohexene within 35 min over Pt-ZSM-5. Finally, the reusability of the Pt-ZSM-5 catalyst was investigated in four consecutive runs without treatment and the obtained results showed a negligible activity loss.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the flipped classroom on optimizing students’ motivation and understanding of medical physics concepts. This approach transfers teacher-fronted lessons out of class to be prepared by students at home and utilizes their class time for discussion and practice. The sample included 123 female students: 58 in a flipped classroom and 65 in a conventional classroom. Three instruments were developed: teachers’ guide, an understanding test, and students’ motivation questionnaire. Data were analyzed using the mean, standard deviation, ANCOVA - test, and size effect. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences among students’ increased motivation and understanding of medical physics concepts in favor of the flipped classroom learning. Therefore, instructors and curriculum developers should restructure the contents of their courses according to flipped classroom principles to foster students’ motivation and understanding of medical physics concepts.

The present investigation explored the possible use of Thymus vulgaris essential oil (TVEO) as a beverage antifungal preservative instead of chemical ones. The chemical profile of TVEO exposed carvacrol (60.47%) as the predominant compound. The antifungal properties of TVEO were assessed on various food spoilage yeast and mould species using two tests. TVEO showed a powerful antimicrobial effect against all the fungal strains at the three volumes of essential oil (EO) used (i.e. 10, 20, and 30 µL). The minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of TVEO was also evaluated and ranged from 0.0625% to 0.015% (v/v). Furthermore, the potency of TVEO as a beverage antimicrobial preservative was tested at four distinct concentrations (0.6, 1.25, 4, and 6 μL·mL–1) against Saccharomyces cerevisiaealone and combined with medium heating (70 °C for 2 min) in a real food matrix (Orangina® drink) for eight storage days. TVEO exhibited a significantly higher preservative effect than chemical preservatives (sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate). Lastly, a molecular docking examined the mechanism of action of carvacrol against two crucial enzymes in S. cerevisiae viability [ERG2 (sterol C8-isomerase) and ERG3 (sterol C5-desaturase)] compared to a chemical preservative (potassium sorbate). The two ligands highly interacted with the two target enzymes. However, carvacrol achieved a better score than potassium sorbate against ERG2 and ERG3, with binding energy of –10.19 kcal·mol–1 and –11.73 kcal·mol–1, respectively. Our results open up the perspective of using TVEO as a natural food preservative.

Background Simulation training is widely used in medical education as students rarely perform clinical procedures, and confidence can influence practitioners’ ability to perform procedures. Thus, this study assessed students’ perceptions and experiences of a pediatric skills program and compared their informed self-assessment with their preceptor-evaluated performance competency for several pediatric clinical procedures. Methods A total of 65 final-year medical students attended a weeklong pediatric skills training course by the University of Tripoli that used a manikin and various clinical scenarios to simulate real-life cases. Participants completed questionnaires self-assessing their performance skills, while examiners evaluated each students’ competency on five procedural skills (lumbar puncture, nasogastric tube insertion, umbilical vein catheterization, intraosseous access, and suprapubic aspiration) using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) model. Differences between agreement levels in question responses were evaluated through a nonparametric chi-square test for a goodness of test fit, and the relationship between confidence levels and the OSCE scores for each procedure was assessed using Spearman’s rank-order correlation. Results All participants completed the informed self-assessment questionnaire and OSCE stations. The frequency differences in agreement levels in students’ questionnaire responses were statistically significant. No significant differences were found between students’ self-assessment and preceptors’ evaluation scores. For each procedure’s passing score rate, umbilical vein catheterization had the highest passing rate (78.5%) and nasogastric tube placement the lowest (56.9%). The mean performance scores were above passing for all procedures. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed no significant differences between participants’ self-assessment and their preceptor-evaluated competency; students correctly perceived and assessed their ability to perform each procedure. Conclusions High competence in several life-saving procedures was demonstrated among final-year medical students. The need for consistent and timely feedback, methods to increase medical students’ confidence, and further development and improvement of competency-based assessments are also highlighted.

Sideroblastic anemias (SAs) represent a heterogeneous group of rare hematological disorders characterized by iron accumulation in mitochondria of erythroblasts with ineffective erythropoiesis. SAs are categorized into acquired and congenital forms. Acquired, secondary, and clonal, SA is rare in pediatric populations. Congenital SA (CSA) is classified into syndromic and non-syndromic forms. Herein, we describe three cases of pediatric patients with SA. The diagnosis of SA was based on the presence of type 3 sideroblasts on BM aspirate smear (greater than 15%) and genetic tests. In the first case, the diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome with ring sideroblasts (MDS-RS) with somatic SF3B1 mutation was made at the age of 11 years. A whole exome sequencing did not reveal any germinal predisposition for MDS. A wait-and-see strategy was adopted. After one year- of follow-up, no blood transfusion was needed and no further cytopenia occurred. The two other children had presented anemia at an early age and were diagnosed with CSA. The first case was a girl with SCL25A38 gene mutation. For the second one, the diagnosis of aminolevulinic acid synthase 2 deficiency was considered the most plausible given the family history and the favourable response to pyridoxine. Iron overload occurred in both patients with CSA, requiring chelation therapy. In conclusion, Perls' stain remains a valuable tool for guiding the diagnosis of unexplained anemia in pediatric patients. Genetic testing is crucial for the characterization of congenital sideroblastic anemias. The incidence of myeloid neoplasms with ring sideroblasts is exceptional in children, and the long-term prognosis remains undefined.