فهرست مطالب rachida hassikou

The cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is commonly used in traditional pharmacopoeia. The main objective of this work is to contribute to the valorization of this plant species through the study of the anticandidosic activity of cork oak (Quercus suber) bark extracts stemming from decoction, maceration and Soxhlet methods of extraction. The anticandidosic potential of the elaborated extracts was tested on five different Candida albicans strains. Our results showed that all tested extracts tested displayed an inhibitive activity against the five strains.  The study of the acute toxicity showed that the lethal dose is 1150 mg/kg in mice, which remained moderately toxic according to Hodge and Sterner classification scale. Taken together, these results underline the antifungal potential of cork oak bark extracts against Candida albicans strains, suggesting a prospective use of these extracts for candidiasis treatment.

Banana peel is a concentrated source of putrid organic waste; this waste is considered as a source of the energy produced by the process of anaerobic digestion. The objective of this study is the evaluation of methane production by anaerobic digestion of banana peels. The experiment was carried out under mesophilic conditions using a semi-continuous laboratory digester (1.5 L) with a constant agitation that maintains the bacterial activity in the digester and reduces the risk of sedimentation. The treated substrate is obtained from the region of ELGHARB, and it was cut and crushed to particles whose size is less than 1 cm. Throughout the period of the experiment, the pH was around neutrality, between 7.4 and 7.9.  The average value of alkalinity was 1500 mg L-1 which permits the well function of the process. In addition to the control of stability parameters of the anaerobic digestion, there was also a control of the organic loading rate presented by the total solids (TS) and volatile solids (VS). A daily control of methane production shows that the methanogenic potential is 257 m3 t-1.

Currently, qPCR has been used as a rapid diagnostic method for human leptospirosis. Previous studies have indicated that qPCR has high sensitivity in the early days of the illness. The aim of this study was to evaluate qPCR as a diagnostic method for human leptospirosis in the National Institute of Hygiene, Rabat, Morocco. From 2004 to 2016, 67 sera related to 67 patients with clinical signs mimic to leptospirosis were sent to the laboratory of Bacteriology for routine diagnosis and confirmation. SAT, ELISA IgM, ELISA IgG, and qPCR were used for the diagnosis. High positivity was observed by SAT (88.24%), ELISA IgM (58.82%), and real-time PCR (17.64%), in sequence. No negative results by serological tests had positive results by real-time PCR. Forty-six patients were males (68.68%) and 21 were females (31.34%). The high incidence observed was from Sidi Qacem (40%). SAT and ELISA IgM are useful for the diagnosis of human leptospirosis in Morocco and they can provide prompt and low-cost diagnosis, especially when resources are limited.