Integrated Biomarker responses in the mollusk, Patella vulgata: Assessing Aquatic pollution in Agadir Bay, South Morocco.

In Agadir Bay, a study evaluated pollution biomarkers in the mollusk species Patella vulgata. Samples were collected seasonally from September 2021 to September 2022 at two distinct coastal sites within Agadir Bay: Cap Ghir and Anza Beach. Notable variations were observed in biomarkers like malondialdehyde, with a peak at 10.62 nmol/mg P in spring 2022 at Anza Beach. Catalase activity spiked in spring at 69.56 µmol/min/mg P for Cap Ghir and 72.73 µmol/min/mg P for Anza Beach. Acetylcholinesterase showed a decrease at 9.84 nmol/min/mg P in autumn at Anza Beach. Meanwhile, glutathione-S-transferase recorded an increase to 317.96 nmol/min/mg P at Cap Ghir in spring 2022. Using the Integrated Biomarker Response (IBR), these results were visualized, highlighting more stress in mollusks from Anza Beach compared to Cap Ghir. This research provides critical insights into the environmental effects on P. vulgata and potential conservation strategies.

Influence of wastewater treatment on the reproduction and growth of Mytilus galloprovincialis in Agadir's central Atlantic marine ecosystem, South Morocco.

Mytilus galloprovincialis is common in Morocco's Anza-Taghazout coast, previously polluted by wastewater. Since treatment plants were installed in 2016, no study examined the mussels' reproduction. Our study assessed how wastewater treatment affects the reproduction and growth of the M. galloprovincialis mussel on Moroccan coasts, particularly in the Anza-Taghazout area. We aimed to clarify the impacts of treated effluents on this vital invertebrate. This research explored their reproductive parameters, with samples taken from 2017 to 2018 at Anza, Aourir, and Imouran. Results show all gametic stages with three spawning periods. The gonadal index exceeds 1.4 at all sites, indicating a short resting phase. The sex ratio is balanced in Aourir and Imouran, but Anza has more males. The length-weight relationship showed the b value of 1.56 (R2 = 0.32); 1.71 (R2 = 0.35), and 1.70 (R2 = 0.26) for Anza, Aourir, and Imouran respectively. This suggests a slight negative allometric relationship. The condition index showed a progressive trend, and M. galloprovincialis improved due to enhanced environmental quality after treatment.

Weight loss after endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty is independent of suture pattern: results from a randomized controlled trial.

Background and study aims This was a single-blind, single-center, prospective randomized controlled trial aimed at comparing the efficacy of three different suture patterns for endoscopic sleeve gastroplasty using Endomina (E-ESG). Patients and methods The suture patterns aimed to modify gastric accommodation by increasing the fundus distention ability (Group A), to reduce gastric volume (Group B) or to interrupt gastric emptying (Group C). Patients were randomized 1:1:1 and underwent clinical follow-up, gastric emptying scintigraphy, and satiety tests at baseline and 6 and 12 months post-procedure. The primary outcome was total body weight loss (TBWL) and excess weight loss (EWL) at 12 months post-procedure. Secondary outcomes included the impact of the suture patterns on gastric emptying and satiety. Results Overall, 48 patients (40 [83.3 %] female, aged 41.9 ±â€Š9.5 years, body mass indexI 33.8 ±â€Š2.7 kg/m 2 ) were randomized (16 in each group). In the entire cohort, mean (95 % confidence interval [CI]) TBWL and EWL at the end of the follow-up were 10.11 % (7.1-13.12) and 42.56 (28.23-56.9), respectively. There was no difference among the three study groups in terms of TBWL (95 %CI) (9.13 % [2.16-16.11] vs. 11.29 % [5.79-16.80] vs. 9.96 % [4.58-15.35]; P  = 0.589) and EWL (95 %CI) (34.54 % [6.09-62.99] vs. 44.75 % [23.63-65.88] vs. 46.94 % [16.72-77.15]; P  = 0.888) at 12 months post-procedure. The three groups did not differ in terms of mean gastric emptying time or in terms of satiety tests at the end of the follow-up. No serious adverse events occurred. Conclusions Three different suture patterns during E-ESG demonstrated comparable efficacy in terms of weight loss, with an overall EWL of > 25 % and TBWL of > 10 % at 12 months.

Assessment of the marine ecotoxic state in the Moroccan coastal area Anza-Taghazout following the installation of two wastewater treatment plants: a multibiomarker study using Mytilus galloprovincialis.

The aim of the present study is the first to evaluate the ecotoxic state of the marine environment in Anza-Taghazout coasts (Morocco) after installation of two wastewater treatment plants using a natural population of marine bivalves Mytilus galloprovincialis. These coasts are exposed to many discharges generating, thus, different sources of pollutants. These pollutants can modulate the physiological responses of marine bivalves to environmental stress. In this context, a multibiomarker approach consisting of a battery of biomarker evaluation was used to assess the response of these species to stress. In the whole soft tissues of M. galloprovincialis, four biomarkers were evaluated as follows: acetylcholinesterase (AChE), glutathione S-transferase (GST), catalase (Cat), and malondialdehyde activity (MDA). In parallel, physico-chemical parameters were measured in the marine water of Anza-Taghazout within three selected sites: S1 considered as "hotspot" located at Anza city; S2 located near of Aourir city; and the third site, S3 "reference" located in Imouran beach. Our results showed that activities of both glutathione S-transferase and catalase were higher in M. galloprovincialis collected from site S1, but high values of malondialdehyde and acetylcholinesterase activities were observed successively at S3 and S2. Application of integrated biomarker response (IBR) index was suitable for classifying the stress response in the M. galloprovincialis but did not allow to evaluate the level of the xenobiotic exposure in the studied sites. The statistical results did not show any significant differences between the three studied sites, and therefore, S1 has recently become clean due to the installation of two wastewater treatment plants.