Autosomal dominant cerulean cataracts (ADCC) have previously been mapped to two loci: one on chromosome 17q24 and the other on chromosome 22q11.2-q12.2, which includes the beta-B2 crystallin (CRYBB2) candidate gene. Using polymorphic markers in these regions (D17S802, D17S836, D17S1806 and CRYBB2, D22S258) for linkage analysis, we excluded these loci in a large Moroccan family presenting with an unusual form of ADCC with early onset of lens opacities and rapid evolution. This finding confirms the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of autosomal dominant congenital cerulean cataracts.

Background/Objectives: Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) remains a major public health and economic challenge in Morocco, where its transmission dynamics are increasingly influenced by climatic variability. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of meteorological factors on CL incidence in the province of Essaouira, a high-incidence region, to identify the environmental drivers behind recent epidemic trends. Methods: Epidemiological data (N = 834 cases) were collected from the Hygiene and Health Laboratory of Essaouira for the period between January 2014 and December 2023. Climatic variables were obtained from the Moroccan Directorate of National Meteorology. Data were analyzed at annual, seasonal, and monthly scales using the Spearman rank correlation in R 4.5.0 software to account for non-normal distributions and non-linear associations. Results: CL incidence remained stable from 2014 to 2021 before an unprecedented surge in cases during 2022–2023. Annual analysis indicated that warm and dry years pose a higher risk, with incidence positively correlated with temperatures and negatively associated with humidity and precipitation. Monthly results identified a biphasic regulatory mechanism: a winter hydric constraint phase with strong negative correlations with January rainfall and humidity (p < 0.05), followed by a summer thermal promotion phase where minimum temperature (T_min) emerged as the dominant driver (rho = 0.53), peaking in September (rho = 0.59). Conclusions: Our findings confirm the significant influence of climatic factors on CL incidence through complex seasonal dynamics. These results highlight the necessity of integrating high-resolution meteorological monitoring and predictive modeling into public health surveillance to anticipate future outbreaks in the context of increasing Mediterranean aridification.

The 1st edition of the International Conference on Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS’22) is a major gathering of researchers, engineers, and practitioners to connect and share knowledge on Chemical and Biological Sciences from both theoretical and practical perspectives. We particularly encourage contributions that describe real-world problems, interdisciplinary research, and experimental and/or theoretical studies that generate new insights to promote the advancement of Chemical and Biological Sciences. Submitted papers should be original and relevant to any of the areas listed below. All accepted papers will be presented at the conference by one of the authors and published in the proceedings of MAASI with an ISBN. The acceptance will be based on their quality, relevance, and originality. Presentation options include both oral and poster sessions. We have planned special sessions for case studies and commercial presentations, as well as tutorials concentrating on technical orscientific matters. Companies that would like to present their products or methodologies, as well as researchers who are interested in demonstrating a demo or presenting a tutorial are welcome to contact the conference secretariat. CONFERENCE AREAS The topic areas are further elaborated below, but the sub-topics are not exhaustive. Authors may address one or