Spatial and Vertical Distribution of Phytoplankton During a Winter Cruise in the South of the Kerkennah Islands in the Gulf of Gabes, Tunisia

Spatial and vertical distribution of phytoplankton community were examined in the coast of the south of the Kerkennah Islands at three different depths 0, 2 and 6 m during the winter 2009 at 6 sampling stations. A total of 49 taxa belonging to five phytoplankton groups were identified （H＇=1.7 to 3.5 bits＇cell^-1）. Dinoflagellates and Diatoms were the most abundant phytoplankton groups which reached 27 and 71% of total abundance, respectively. The spatial distribution of the phytoplankton abundance showed a significant variation between the stations （P 〈 0.001）. While the vertical distribution of total phytoplankton showed a clear pattem, ANOVA test showed only an insignificant variation between the different depths at each station （P 〉 0.01）. On the whole, the maximum abundance of phytoplankton was recorded at the depths of 2 and 6 m （6 ×10^3 ind..Ll）. This might be due to the decrease of the nutrient concentrations in deeper water specially those of phosphate.

Pain on Injection of Propofol: Efficacy of Paracetamol and Lidocaine

Background and Objectives: Propofol remains the most common drug for induction of general anaesthesia, although it causes considerable pain on injection. None of the commonly used methods completely attenuate this discomfort. We aimed to investigate the effect of i.v. paracetamol pretreatment on the propofol injection pain. Materials and Methods: A prospective randomized double-blind study was conducted on 180 patients, ASA I or II status, scheduled to undergo elective surgery. They were randomly assigned to one of the three groups of 60 each. Groups I, II, III were pretreated with 40 mg of lidocaine in saline, 100 mg of paracetamol and 10 ml of saline, respectively. All patients had an 18-gauge catheter inserted into a superficial radial vein. After 2 min of venous occlusion, one-fourth of the total propofol dose was injected into the vein over a period of 20 seconds. During the injection of both pretreatment solution and propofol, a blinded researcher assessed the patient’s pain level using a four-point verbal rating scale (VRS) (none = 0, mild = 1, moderate = 2, and severe = 3). X2 test and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for the statistical analysis. For all analyses, differences were considered to be significant at P < 0.05. Results: The three groups were comparable in respect to patient’s characteristics. The incidence of pain on injection of propofol in placebo, i.v. paracetamol and lidocaine groups were 85%, 36%, 21% respectively (p < 0.05). Intensity and severity of propofol induced pain were comparable between paracetamol and lidocaine groups. Conclusion: Pretreatment using i.v. paracetamol was found to be effective in reducing propofol injection-induced pain.

Phytochemical analysis and biological activities of Hertia cheirifolia L. roots extracts

Objective: To test the antioxidant, antimicrobial and a-glucosidase inhibitory activities of the roots extracts from Hertia cheirifolia(H. cheirifolia) L.Methods: Total phenolics and total flavonoids content of the different extracts were determined by colorimetric methods and reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography(RP-HPLC) was performed to identify various chemical components.The different extracts were evaluated for antioxidant activities by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH), 2,2-azino-bis-3-ethylenebenzothiozoline-6-sulfonic acid(ABTS·^+) and β-carotene bleaching tests and α-glucosidase inhibitory properties. The antimicrobial activity was carried out in vitro by the broth dilution method.Results: Trans-cinnamic acid, rutin hydrate, naringin and quercetin were the main compounds of the ethyl acetate extract from H. cheirifolia L. This extract has significant scavenging activity to decrease free radicals especially for DPPH and ABTS radicals. As well as, the ethyl acetate extract exhibited an antimicrobial property against bacterial strains. Bacillus licheniformis and Salmonella enterica were the most sensitive strains with minimum inhibitory concentration values of 0.156 mg/mL.Conclusion: The ethyl acetate extract was found to be selectively antioxidant and antimicrobial.

Prevalence, Factors Associated with Obesity and Overweight among Students in Brazzaville in 2020

Background: The prevalence of obesity is increasing dramatically around the world and it is reasonable to assume that young people attending school in Brazzaville are not spared. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence, as well as the factors associated with obesity and overweight among students in Brazzaville. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, conducted as a questionnaire survey with 2052 pupils (869 boys and 1183 girls, aged 14 to 18). Obesity and overweight were determined from the body mass index and reference curves of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), the associated factors, by performing the logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of overweight in private and public institutions was 15.6% versus 5.5% (p < 0.001) and obesity prevalence was 4.0% versus 1.5% (p < 0.001), respectively. The main factors associated with obesity and overweight were: parents’ monthly income (OR = 1.73), car as a means of transportation (OR = 2.75) and family history of obesity (OR = 7.73). On the other hand, attending a public school, walking and high levels of physical activity had a protective effect against obesity in this population. Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity was higher in private institutions and required management and prevention strategies.

Some Generalized q-Bessel Type Wavelets and Associated Transforms

In this paper wavelet functions are introduced in the context of q-theory. We precisely extend the case of Bessel and q-Bessel wavelets to the generalized q-Bessel wavelets. Starting from the （q,v）-extension （v = （α,β）） of the q-case, associated generalized q-wavelets and generalized q-wavelet transforms are developed for the new context. Reconstruction and Placherel type formulas are proved.

The effects of plyometric jump training on physical fitness attributes in basketball players:A meta-analysis`

Background:There is a growing body of experimental evidence examining the effects of plyometric jump training(PJT)on physical fitness attributes in basketball players;however,this evidence has not yet been comprehensively and systematically aggregated.Therefore,our objective was to meta-analyze the effects of PJT on physical fitness attributes in basketball players,in comparison to a control condition.Methods:A systematic literature search was conducted in the databases PubMed,Web of Science,and Scopus,up to July 2020.Peer-reviewed controlled trials with baseline and follow-up measurements investigating the effects of PJT on physical fitness attributes(muscle power,i.e.,jumping performance,linear sprint speed,change-of-direction speed,balance,and muscle strength)in basketball players,with no restrictions on their playing level,sex,or age.Hedge’s g effect sizes(ES)were calculated for physical fitness variables.Using a random-effects model,potential sources of heterogeneity were selected,including subgroup analyses(age,sex,body mass,and height)and single training factor analysis(program duration,training frequency,and total number of training sessions).Computation of metaregression was also performed.Results:Thirty-two studies were included,involving 818 total basketball players.Significant(p<0.05)small-to-large effects of PJT were evident on vertical jump power(ES=0.45),countermovement jump height with(ES=1.24)and without arm swing(ES=0.88),squat jump height(ES=0.80),drop jump height(ES=0.53),horizontal jump distance(ES=0.65),linear sprint time across distances≤10 m(ES=1.67)and>10 m(ES=0.92),change-of-direction performance time across distances≤40 m(ES=1.15)and>40 m(ES=1.02),dynamic(ES=1.16)and static balance(ES=1.48),and maximal strength(ES=0.57).The meta-regression revealed that training duration,training frequency,and total number of sessions completed did not predict the effects of PJT on physical fitness attributes.Subgroup analysis indicated greater improvements in older compared to younger players in horizontal jump distance(>17.15 years,ES=2.11;≤17.15 years,ES=0.10;p<0.001),linear sprint time>10 m(>16.3 years,ES=1.83;≤16.3 years,ES=0.36;p=0.010),and change-of-direction performance time≤40 m(>16.3 years,ES=1.65;≤16.3 years,ES=0.75;p=0.005).Greater increases in horizontal jump distance were apparent with>2 compared with≤2 weekly PJT sessions(ES=2.12 and ES=0.39,respectively;p<0.001).Conclusion:Data from 32 studies(28 of which demonstrate moderate-to-high methodological quality)indicate PJT improves muscle power,linear sprint speed,change-of-direction speed,balance,and muscle strength in basketball players independent of sex,age,or PJT program variables.However,the beneficial effects of PJT as measured by horizontal jump distance,linear sprint time>10 m,and change-of-direction performance time≤40 m,appear to be more evident among older basketball players.

Antimicrobial activity of Tunisian Euphorbia paralias L.

Objective: To examine the potential antimicrobial activity of Euphorbia paralias L. (Euphorbiaeae) leaves and stems extracts. Methods: The antimicrobial activity was tested against six microbial strains:Escherichia coli ATCC 8739, Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633, Salmonella enterica CIP 8039, Staphy-lococcus aureus ATCC 6538, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027 and Candida albicans ATCC 90028 by two different methods, the disk method and the dilution method. Results: Our results showed the important antimicrobial activity of the chloroform extract of the stems towards the majority of the strains by using both methods. Bacillus subtilis was the most sensitive strain (MIC=MBC=15μg/mL). Conclusion: Thus, some extracts of Euphorbia paralias can be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by microbes.

Total phenolic compounds,antioxidant potential and α-glucosidase inhibition by Tunisian Euphorbia paralias L.

Objective:To examine the potential antioxidant and anti-α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of Tunisian Euphorbia paralias L.leaves and stems extracts and their composition of total polyphenol and flavonoids.Methods:The different samples were tested for their antiradical activities by using 2,2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)(ABTS)and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl(DPPH)assays.Inα-glucosidase activity,α-glucosidase(0.3 IU/mL)and substrate,2500μmol/L p-nitrophenylα-D-glucopyranoside were used;absorbance was registered at 405 nm.Results:The leaves acetonic extract exhibited the strongestα-glucosidase inhibition[IC_(50)=(0.0035±0.001)μg/mL],which was 20-fold more active than the standard product(acarbose)[IC_(50)=(0.07±0.01)μg/mL].Acetonic extract of the leaves exhibited the highest quantity of total phenolic[(95.54±0.04)μg gallic acid equivalent/mg]and flavonoid[(55.16±0.25)μg quercetin equivalent/mg].The obtained findings presented also that this extract was detected with best antioxidant capacity[IC_(50)=(0.015±0.01)μg/mL]against DPPH and a value of IC_(50)equal to(0.02±0.01)μg/mL against ABTS.Positive relationship between polyphenolic content of the tested Euphorbia paralias L.leaves and stems extracts and its antioxidant activity(DPPH and ABTS)was detected.Elevated positive linear correlation was got between ABTS and total phenolic(R^(2)=0.751).Conclusions:The findings clearly demonstrate that the use of a polar solvent enables extraction of significant quantities of phenol compounds and flavonoids.