Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is associated with poor prognosis and risk of acute heart failure after liver transplantation or interventional procedures. We aimed to assess the relationship between the severity of cardiac impairment and hepatic disease. Eighty patients and eighty controls underwent echocardiography, tissue Doppler imaging and speckle tracking measures. We assess the correlation between echocardiographic parameters and Child and MELD scores. Systolic parameters function (s wave, p < 0.001) and global longitudinal strain (p < 0.001) as well as diastolic parameters were significantly more impaired in cirrhotic patients compared to controls. There were no differences among the different groups in ‘Child score’ regarding systolic function as well as diastolic function. Paradoxically, the left atrium size correlated positively to both Child (p = 0.01, r = 0.26) and MELD scores (p = 0.02, r = 0.24). Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly lower in decompensated patients as compared to compensated patients(p = 0.02).. We did not identify any association between severity of liver disease and cardiac dysfunction. Therefore, a transthoracic echocardiography should be performed in all cirrhotic patients before interventional and surgical procedures regardless of the severity of liver disease.

Rhabdoid tumor of the kidney is a rare pediatric malignancy arising most of the time before the age of two years. The diagnosis is generally difficult. The treatment is not well codified and the forecast remains very dark in spite of the progress of the pediatric oncology. We report a new case of rhabdoid renal tumor diagnosed prenatally and we specify our diagnostic and therapeutic approach.

Lamellar ichthyosis (LI, MIM# 242300) is a severe autosomal recessive genodermatosis present at birth in the form of collodion membrane covering the neonate. Mutations in the TGM1 gene encoding transglutaminase-1 are a major cause of LI. In this study molecular analysis of two LI Tunisian patients revealed a common nonsense c.788G>A mutation in TGM1 gene. The identification of a cluster of LI pedigrees carrying the c.788G>A mutation in a specific area raises the question of the origin of this mutation from a common ancestor. We carried out a haplotype-based analysis by way of genotyping 4 microsatellite markers and 8 SNPs flanking and within the TGM1 gene spanning a region of 6 Mb. Haplotype reconstruction from genotypes of all members of the affected pedigrees indicated that all carriers for the mutation c.788G>A harbored the same haplotype, indicating common ancestor. The finding of a founder effect in a rare disease is essential for the genetic diagnosis and the genetic counselling of affected LI pedigrees in Tunisia.

In this work, a simple, low temperature (T<300°C) procedure suitable to increase the efficiency of solar cell and optoelectronic devices through reducing the mismatch with solar spectrum in the infrared range is proposed. TiO 2 co-doped with rare earth ions is a promising candidate for its use in optical field due to the possibility to expand the spectral absorption range. Here, pure and Er 3+ -Yb 3+ co-doped anatase-TiO 2 nano-spherical particles (diameter < 50 nm) with high surface area (125.7 m 2 /g and 140.6 m 2 /g for the pure and co-doped, respectively), good crystallinity are prepared by hydrothermal-assisted sol-gel method, followed by their dispersion and deposition as thin films. The nanoparticles are characterized by studying their structural, morphology, surface chemical compositions and photoluminescent properties. From the dispersion study, results showed that the optimal conditions were obtained for co-doped TiO 2 at operational pH=3 and with 20 min as a suitable duration of ultrasonication. The co-doped TiO 2 nanoparticles showed excellent upconversion properties (green and red emissions) at room temperature under 980 nm excitation. To extend this result towards optoelectronic and photonic applications, the upconversion nanoparticles are deposited at the surface of n-type (100) Si wafer using a spincoating process. From scanning electron microscopy, it is observed that the entire surface of substrate is covered with a uniform film composed of compact arrangement of small nanoparticles with a good adhesion on Si surface, also the resulting 750 nm thick TiO 2 :Er-Yb film maintained the upconversion luminescence phenomena.

As cadmium may be involved in the etiology of head and neck cancers, we investigated in the present work, the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of Cd on human larynx cells. SQ20B cells were exposed to 25 and 50 μM Cd for 48 and 72 h. Results showed a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, especially after 48 h, associated with mitochondria alterations as showed by transmission electronic microscopy. Surprisingly, the flow cytometry shows that the cells treated with Cd have a normal proliferative cycle like the untreated cell especially in G1 or G2 phase of cell cycle. DNA damages were investigated by comet assay and immunofluorescence for gamma layer of the H2AX (g-H2AX) foci formation. Results show a strong induction of DNA double-strand breaks after Cd exposure. Overall, our results demonstrate the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of Cd in human larynx cells and support the view that Cd could be an etiologic factor of head and neck cancers.

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Caudal cutaneous appendage is a rare condition. According to association with underlying spinal dysraphism, it can be classified into true or pseudotails. Management and prognosis depends closely on spinal anomaly. Fewer than 40 cases of true tail were reported. We describe a rare case of true tail in a newborn explored and operated in our unity.

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