Green synthesis of chitosan nanoparticles using tea extract and its antimicrobial activity against economically important phytopathogens of rice

The aim of the present work is to biosynthesize Chitosan nanoparticles (CTNp) using tea (Camellia sinensis) extract, with potent antimicrobial properties towards phytopathogens of rice. Preliminary chemical analysis of the extract showed that they contain carbohydrate as major compound and uronic acid indicating the nature of acidic polysaccharide. The structure of the isolated polysaccharide was analyzed through FTIR and 1H NMR. The CTNp was prepared by the addition of isolated tea polysaccharides to chitosan solution. The structure and size of the CTNp was determined through FTIR and DLS analyses. The surface morphology and size of the CTNp was analysed by SEM and HRTEM. The crystalinity nature of the synthesized nanoparticle was identified by XRD analysis. The CTNp exhibited the antimicrobial properties against the most devastating pathogens of rice viz., Pyricularia grisea, Xanthomonas oryzae under in vitro condition. CTNp also suppressed the blast and blight disease of rice under the detached leaf assay. These results suggest that the biosynthesized CTNp can be used to control the most devastating pathogens of rice.

Quality of sleep in Tunisian patients with Multiple Sclerosis during the COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction

COVID-19 pandemic has affected human communities around the world, and there is fear that people with chronic diseases such as Multiple sclerosis(MS) are more vulnerable to negative psychological effects.

Objectives

The aim of the present study was to assess the quality of sleep in patients with (MS) in comparison with healthy controls(HCs), during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify its associated factors.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey study conducted with patients followed at the neurology department of Hbib bourguiba university hospital in sfax(Tunisia), during the month of november2020. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI). The PSQI is a questionnaire assessing participants’ sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep disturbances and their severity during the past month.Participants with a PSQI ≤5 are classified as ‘good sleepers’.

Results

Fifty two patients were included in the study. The mean age was 33.69 years(SD=9.21 years)and the sex ratio(F/H)was 4.77. Overall, our patients had higher scores of(PSQI)compared to HC and these différences were statistically significant(p < 0.05). The mean score of(PSQI)was 11.04(SD=3.003)and 11.53%were classified as ‘good sleepers’. Unemployment was related to a poor sleep quality(p=0.0001). Patients with high EDSS(r=0.7;p=0.0001), high number of relapses(r=0.58 ;p=0.0001)were more likely to have sleep disturbance. There was a positive correlation between a poor sleep quality and the duration of disease(r=0.38;p=0.005).

Conclusions

We identified that during the COVID-19pandemic patients with(MS)had a worse sleep quality. The COVID-19pandemic poses a challenge to psychological resilience. More studies are warranted to better understand the long-term consequences of the pandemic on mental health of vulnerable people.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Headaches and their relationships to epileptic seizures

PURPOSE

The frequent association between headache and epilepsy has been increasingly studied in recent years. Through this study, we attempted to study possible temporal associations between epileptic seizures and headaches. We also tried to describe clinical aspects of headache in our patients with epilepsy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We included patients with epilepsy and patients without epilepsy who presented for a first neurologic episode suggestive of epileptic seizure or unusual headache. These patients were invited to answer a standardized questionnaire screening for headache characteristics. Patients with epilepsy were asked for further data about their epilepsy. Electroencephalogram (EEG) was performed in all patients. Brain Magnetic resonance imaging MRI was reserved for patients in whom we suspected a structural lesion.

RESULTS

Overall, we included 47 patients with a mean age of about 39 ± 15 years (19 to 68 years old) and a female predominance (Sex Ratio: SR = 1.47). Most frequently, our patients documented periictal headache (Peri-IH) (85.1%) including respectively ictal headache (IH: 31.9%); postictal headache (Post-IH: 21.3%), and preictal headache (Pre-IH: 4.3%). Less frequently, our patients noted interictal headache (Inter-IH: 31.9%). Interestingly, these subgroups exhibited different headache patterns with predominantly unclassified-type headache (U-TH) in patients with IH (72.7%), tension-type headache (T-TH) in patients with Post-IH (73.3%), and migraine-type headache (M-TH) in patients with Inter-IH (60%).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that patients with epilepsy could exhibit different headache types. The clinical pattern of headache seemed to be linked to the time of seizure onset.