The effect of Argania spinosa seed oil on diabetic nephropathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetes in Wistar rats.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Diabetes is a significant metabolic disease impacting many of the world's population. In Morocco, a wide range of medicinal plants has taken great importance in the treatment of diabetes, among these plants; we find Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels. AIM: The objective of our work is based on the evaluation of the effect of roasted (Roil) and unroasted (UnRoil) Argan seed oil on diabetic nephropathy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Roasted and unroasted oils from Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels seeds were examined for their effects on diabetic nephropathy using an experimental streptozotocin-induced model. Biochemical and histopathological analyses were conducted on blood and kidney samples to assess renal function and tissue damage. RESULTS: Both oils ameliorated significantly diabetic nephropathy symptoms. They limited the renal damage caused by streptozotocin and improved diabetes symptoms, including blood glucose levels, body weight, water intake, urinary volume, and kidney parameters. This activity could be elucidated by the antioxidant effect of Argan oil, enabling to neutralize free radicals and undertake a fundamental role in preventing the onset of these complications. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings, Argan oil could be used as dietary supplement for people with diabetes as a preventive measure against the emergence of diabetic complications.

Morocco's First Biobank: Establishment, Ethical Issues, Biomedical Research Opportunities, and Challenges.

BACKGROUND: Biobanks are highly organized infrastructures that allow the storage of human biological specimens associated with donors' personal and clinical data. These infrastructures play a key role in the development of translational medical research. In this context, we launched, in November 2015, the first biobank in Morocco (BRO Biobank) in order to promote biomedical research and provide opportunities to include Moroccan and North African ethnic groups in international biomedical studies. Here, we present the setup and the sample characteristics of BRO Biobank. METHODS: Patients were recruited at several departments of two major health-care centers in the city of Oujda. Healthy donors were enrolled during blood donation campaigns all over Eastern Morocco. From each participant, personal, clinical, and biomedical data were collected, and several biospecimens were stored. Standard operating procedures have been established in accordance with international guidelines on human biobanks. RESULTS: Between November 2015 and July 2020, 2446 participants were recruited into the BRO Biobank, of whom 2013 were healthy donors, and 433 were patients. For healthy donors, the median age was 35 years with a range between 18 and 65 years and the consanguinity rate was 28.96%. For patients, the median age was 11 years with a range between 1 day and 83 years. Among these patients, 55% had rare diseases (hemoglobinopathies, intellectual disabilities, disorders of sex differentiation, myopathies, etc.), 13% had lung cancer, 4% suffered from hematological neoplasms, 3% were from the kidney transplantation project, and 25% had unknown diagnoses. The BRO Biobank has collected 5092 biospecimens, including blood, white blood cells, plasma, serum, urine, frozen tissue, FFPE tissue, and nucleic acids. A sample quality control has been implemented and suggested that samples of the BRO Biobank are of high quality and therefore suitable for high-throughput nucleic acid analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The BRO Biobank is the largest sample collection in Morocco, and it is ready to provide samples to national and international research projects. Therefore, the BRO Biobank is a valuable resource for advancing translational medical research.

Valorization of Moroccan Crocus sativus L. By-products: Foliar Spraying of Aqueous Tepal Extract Stimulates Growth and Confers Antioxidant Properties in Eggplant Seedling under Greenhouse Conditions.

The valorization of Crocus sativus L. by-products has become important given its interesting content of bioactive molecules. In the present study, aqueous tepal extract (ATE) studied eggplant seedling's growth and physiology under a plastic tunnel. ATE was foliage sprayed 3 times every 15 days, with various concentrations (1 mg/mL, 2 mg/mL, 3 mg/mL) in addition to a treatment containing 2 mg/mL of tepals and 0.6 mg/mL of stigmas (T+S). The concentration of 2 mg/L ATE significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased the plant's height, the chlorophyll content, and decreased antioxidant activity and MDA (malondialdehyde). However, the concentration 3 mg/mL inhibited the plant growth; increased the content of ascorbic acid and polyphenol; and resulted in lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activities increases, indicating oxidative stress (p ≤ 0.05). On the other hand, T+S significantly influenced some parameters analyzed. Our findings demonstrate that ATE can act as a biostimulant at 2 mg/mL to enhance eggplant growth in plastic tunnel production and used in plant stress situations.

Iohexol assay for direct determination of glomerular filtration rate: optimization and development of an HPLC-UV method for measurement in serum and urine.

Determination of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is considered the best indicator of renal function. Iohexol, a non-ionic contrast agent, is currently considered to be a reference marker since it meets all the requirements of an ideal GFR marker. The aim of our work is to develop and optimize a method for iohexol measurement by HPLC-UV. The results showing the following optimal conditions : a mobile phase with water and 5% of acetonitrile, a C18 analytical column (250 × 4 mm, 5 µm particle size) with a temperature of 40 °C and a flow rate of 1 ml/min. Serum samples are deproteinized by addition of perchloric acid (6%), while urine samples are only diluted. For both matrices, the method is linear (r2 > 0.99) and the recovery is > 98%. For selectivity, no interfering endogenous components at the retention time of iohexol was observed. The results of the matrix effect showed a clinically acceptable variation in most concentration levels except for 100 µg/mL, in urine, where the effect was slightly present. Iohexol stability in urine decreases significantly only after 3 freeze-thaw cycles and after freezing at -80 °C for two months. According to those findings results this method is simple, specific, linear, precise and robust, which allows its application for the direct measurement of the GFR after its analytical validation.

[Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: development and a case illustration]. / Hypercholestérolémie familiale homozygote : mise au point et illustration par un cas.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic disease caused by a mutation of the gene encoding for the low density lipoproteins (LDL) membrane receptor. The mutation is transmitted in an autosomal dominant mode and is manifested by permanent elevation of the plasma LDL-cholesterol concentration; such elevation is responsible for the early onset of cardiovascular complications. The other clinical manifestation is the existence of extravascular cholesterol deposits: xanthomas and corneal arcus. There are two forms of familial hypercholesterolemia: homozygous FH and heterozygous FH which is generally less severe biologically and clinically. We report in this work, a case of FH diagnosed at the laboratory of clinical chemistry of Rabat children's hospital. The lipid profile revealed a dramatic LDL-cholesterol elevation (24 mmol/L) with normal triglycerides concentration (0.84 mmol/L). The physical examination revealed cutaneous xanthomas. The diagnosis of homozygous FH was strongly suggested by family study.

[Mantle cell lymphoma diagnosis]. / Diagnostic du lymphome du manteau.

Recent classifications of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas based on combination of morphologic, immunophenotypic, and cytogenetic criteria have individualized mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). This clinico-biological entity which accounts for 3 to 10% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, now appears to be a biological and therapeutic model for the understanding and treatment of hematologic malignancies. The present study consisting of two cases of MCL collated at laboratory of hematology of Rabat Ibn Sina hospital. The morphological appearance of MCL is characterized by diffuse or nodular lymph infiltration in the mantle zone, the osteo-medullary biopsy shows an interstitial infringement characterized by the presence of lymphocytes resembling centrocytes with cleaved and angular nuclei, dispersed chromatin, inconspicuous nucleoli and scanty cytoplasm. The flow cytometry showed immunophenotype positive for surface Ig, CD19, CD20, CD22, CD79b, CD5 and cyclin D1, and negative for CD10, CD23 and CD25. In conclusion, the methods of diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of mantle cell lymphoma are based on the nodular, medullary and blood morphology, the immunophenotypic, cytogenetic and molecular study of neoplastic cells.