scholarly journals Intoxication by Harmel

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Djafer Rachid

Herbal medicine has taken a prominent place in the North African skincare system because of the increased installation of herbalists and healers, but unfortunately most of these do not have the required level to practice this medicine. The Harmel (Peganum harmala L.) belongs to the family Zygophyllaceae, which has 24 genera and 240 species. It is a herbaceous plant, perennial, glabrous, and bushy, from a height of 30–100 cm, with a thick rhizome, its strong, unpleasant odor reminiscent of that of the Rue (Ruta graveolens). The Harmel is a toxic plant widespread in North Africa which has an important place in traditional medicine in several indications. It is used as a sedative, antitussive, antipyretic, antirheumatic, and antihelminthic, and to treat some skin diseases. Harmel is ingested with a glass of water or mixed with honey or pounded with olive oil. The intoxications are mainly due to overdose; the absorption of a quantity of seed greater than a teaspoon causes hallucinations and vomiting. In France, Harmel as well as its compounds (Harmine, Harmaline, Harmol, and harmalol) have been classified among the astonishing substances. The clinical manifestations described in the literature include: digestive disorders, bradycardia; neurological disorders paralysis, central nervous system depression; renal disorders; and in severe cases, dyspnoea and hypothermia and hypotension.

Phytotaxa ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 286 (1) ◽  
pp. 59
Author(s):  
P. PABLO FERRER-GALLEGO

Cynomorium Linnaeus (1753: 970) is the only member of the family Cynomoriaceae Endl. ex Lind. (APG 2016, López-Sáez & Villar 2002, Christenhusz & Byng 2016), and contains only two species of root holoparasitic plants (obligate parasite) (see e.g., Léonard 1986), C. coccineum Linnaeus (1753: 970) which is native to the North African, South European and Near Eastern deserts and subdeserts (Webb 1964, Pignatti 1982, Villar 1997, López-Sáez & Villar 2002, Fennane 2007), and C. songaricum Ruprecht (1869: 73) from Central Asia (Léonard 1986, Webb 1964, Villar 1997, Chen & Funston 2007). A lectotype for this name was designated by Gorshkova (1949: 502) as “Type in Leningrad” (here corrected to lectotype according to Art. 9.9 of the ICN, McNeill et al. 2012), based on a specimen collected in Valley of Koshkar River, in Central Asia, which was apparently kept at LE (V.L. Komarov Botanical Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia). However, unfortunately no specimens of C. songaricum annotated as type were found in the herbarium LE, though further search is required (Irina Illarionova, pers. comm.).


2020 ◽  
Vol 297 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-45
Author(s):  
Dieter Korn
Keyword(s):  

Representatives of the family Kosmoclymeniidae belong to the most abundant ammonoids in the late Famennian seccessions of various regions, but they are much less common in the North African occurrences. In the following, the two new kosmoclymeniid species Kosmoclymenia ebbighauseni and Muessenbiaergia bockwinkeli are described from the Anti-Atlas of Morocco; both species are most probably from the Gonioclymenia assemblage.


Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2985 (1) ◽  
pp. 55 ◽  
Author(s):  
NESRINE AKKARI ◽  
HENRIK ENGHOFF

The family Pyrgodesmidae and the genus Rharodesmus Schubart, 1960 are recorded for the first time from Tunisia. A new species, Rharodesmus tabarkensis, is described using scanning electron microscopy, and its membership in the genus and the family is discussed. Notes on west Palaearctic pyrgodesmid species are provided with considerations on the family Pyrgodesmidae.


Archaeologia ◽  
1920 ◽  
Vol 70 ◽  
pp. 201-232
Author(s):  
E. Thurlow Leeds

The work done by archaeologists in Spain, particularly within the last decade, in recording and exploring megalithic graves in that country has begun a new era in the study of the megalithic problem in Western Europe, since it is now at last possible to collate this new material with the evidence accumulated over a longer period in Portugal and thus to rewrite in a measure the history of the megalithic period in the peninsula.1 It is self-evident that in any investigation of the megaliths of Europe those of the peninsula must take an important place. For, if the theory of a diffusion of the megalithic idea from oriental sources is to hold good, those of the peninsula constitute, as it were, the half-way house, where the stream begins to bend round from the North African series on its northerly course towards its limit in Scandinavia. The present paper is an attempt to present certain points which seem to emerge from the evidence at present available, and for that purpose it is proposed to treat first of the forms, secondly of their distribution, and thirdly of the grave-finds, followed by some conclusions and suggestions.


1999 ◽  
Vol 249 (4) ◽  
pp. 455-461
Author(s):  
El Hassan El Mouden ◽  
Mohammed Znari ◽  
Richard P. Brown

Author(s):  
IV Petrov ◽  
TKh Amirova ◽  
LV Petrova ◽  
FS Petrova

Introduction: Healthcare-associated infections are of great socio-economic importance and are characterized by a large number of different pathogens. Nontuberculous mycobacteria are ubiquitous microorganisms that can circulate in a medical organization. The purpose of this review of epidemiologic studies was to establish the main features of mycobacteriosis as a healthcare-associated infection, taking into account the significance of the results and the compliance of the reviewed studies with the criteria of evidence-based medicine. Methods: We did a key word search for “nontuberculous mycobacteria”, “healthcare-associated infections”, and “mycobacteriosis” in several electronic bibliographic databases including Web of Science, PubMed, eLIBRARY, and ResearchGate and selected 127 out of 342 search results. Having analyzed the selected articles, we decided to include 34 of them in this study according to the topic of work. We established that nontuberculous mycobacteria can be found in various objects of health facilities, e.g. water supply systems, medical products and equipment. We also found that mycobacterial infection of nosocomial etiology could have various clinical manifestations (arthritis, keratitis, circulatory and skin diseases, etc.) determined by various aspects, such as heterogeneity of the group of nontuberculous mycobacteria, portals of entry (surgical procedures on various organs and systems of the human body, etc.), pathways of exposure and transmission factors. Resistance of nontuberculous mycobacteria to a number of disinfectants is a special question defining the importance of profound research in terms of ensuring sanitary and anti-epidemic (disinfection) safety within health facilities. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that mycobacterial infection can be considered as a healthcare-associated infection requiring an in-depth assessment from various perspectives including a microbiological monitoring of medical objects, statistical accounting of nosocomial infections, and clinical alertness in the diagnosis of mycobacteriosis by attending physicians and bacteriologists, etc.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 9147
Author(s):  
Imane Es-Safi ◽  
Hamza Mechchate ◽  
Amal Amaghnouje ◽  
Anna Calarco ◽  
Smahane Boukhira ◽  
...  

The seeds of Ammodaucus leucotrichus Cosson and Durieu have been used in the North African Sahara as a traditional medicine to treat diabetes. The present study investigates the antidiabetic, antihyperglycemic, and anti-inflammatory properties of the defatted hydroethanolic extract of Ammodaucus leucotrichus (DHEAM). The antidiabetic and the antihyperglycemic studies were assessed on alloxan-induced diabetic with orally administered doses of DHEAM (100 and 200 mg/kg). At the same time, its anti-inflammatory propriety was evaluated by measuring edema development in the Wistar rats paw induced with carrageenan. Treatment of diabetic mice with DHEAM for four weeks managed their high fasting blood glucose levels, improved their overall health, and also revealed an excellent antihyperglycemic activity. Following the anti-inflammatory results, DHEAM exhibited a perfect activity. HPLC results revealed the presence of seven molecules (chlorogenic acid, 3-p-coumaroylquinic acid, gallic acid, ferulic acid, myricetin, quercetin, luteolin). This work indicates that the DHEAM has an important antidiabetic, antihyperglycemic, and anti-inflammatory effect that can be well established as a phytomedicine to treat diabetes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 2187
Author(s):  
Caroline Cazin ◽  
Yasmine Boumerdassi ◽  
Guillaume Martinez ◽  
Selima Fourati Ben Mustapha ◽  
Marjorie Whitfield ◽  
...  

Acephalic spermatozoa syndrome (ASS) is a rare but extremely severe type of teratozoospermia, defined by the presence of a majority of headless flagella and a minority of tail-less sperm heads in the ejaculate. Like the other severe monomorphic teratozoospermias, ASS has a strong genetic basis and is most often caused by bi-allelic variants in SUN5 (Sad1 and UNC84 domain-containing 5). Using whole exome sequencing (WES), we investigated a cohort of nine infertile subjects displaying ASS. These subjects were recruited in three centers located in France and Tunisia, but all originated from North Africa. Sperm from subjects carrying candidate genetic variants were subjected to immunofluorescence analysis and transmission electron microscopy. Moreover, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed on sperm nuclei to assess their chromosomal content. Variant filtering permitted us to identify the same SUN5 homozygous frameshift variant (c.211+1_211+2dup) in 7/9 individuals (78%). SUN5 encodes a protein localized on the posterior part of the nuclear envelope that is necessary for the attachment of the tail to the sperm head. Immunofluorescence assays performed on sperm cells from three mutated subjects revealed a total absence of SUN5, thus demonstrating the deleterious impact of the identified variant on protein expression. Transmission electron microscopy showed a conserved flagellar structure and a slightly decondensed chromatin. FISH did not highlight a higher rate of chromosome aneuploidy in spermatozoa from SUN5 patients compared to controls, indicating that intra-cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) can be proposed for patients carrying the c.211+1_211+2dup variant. These results suggest that the identified SUN5 variant is the main cause of ASS in the North African population. Consequently, a simple and inexpensive genotyping of the 211+1_211+2dup variant could be beneficial for affected men of North African origin before resorting to more exhaustive genetic analyses.


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