There is evidence that serious pathologies are associated with aluminum (Al). In the present work, the influence of Al on enzymatic lipolysis was studied with the aim to get more insight into the possible link between the Al-induced membrane modification and the cytotoxicity of the trivalent cation (AlIII). Lipid monolayers were used as model membranes. The monomolecular film technique allowed monitoring the Al-dependent modifications of the lipid monolayer properties and enzyme kinetics. Two enzymes, namely, Candida rugosa lipase and a calcium (CaII)-dependent phospholipase A2 from porcine pancreas, were used to catalyze the lipolysis of triglyceride and phosphoglyceride monolayers, respectively. The results obtained show that Al modifies both the monolayer structure and enzymatic reaction rates. While the enzymes used in this study can be considered as probes detecting lipid membrane properties, it cannot be excluded that in physiological conditions modulation of the enzyme action by the Al-bound membranes is among the reasons for Al toxicity.

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In the context of SARS-Cov-2 virus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, molecular diagnostic tools were rapidly developed as there are fundamental for a rapid detection of infected people. In this context, and in order to optimize the manipulations and reduce the time to get results, we report the successful use of a sampling tool for COVID-19 diagnosis named microFLOQ® Direct (MFD). Hundred upper respiratory specimens sampled from patients with potential COVID-19 were evaluated using MFD, and results were compared to the results obtained by standard sampling procedure using dry swabs and physiologic serum as the transport medium. MFD results compared to results issued from the classic RNA puri cation and ampli cation steps from transport medium showed that MFD can be directly used for RT-PCR analysis without the preliminary inactivation and extraction steps. So, MFD could limit handling errors compared to the different treatment steps with dry swabs and transport medium. It therefore limits the risk of contamination, simplify the analytical process and enables to get results in less than 2 hours.We also show that the MFD kit is operational as a screening tool in the eld of molecular detection of viral and bacterial diseases during an outbreak and then it can be used for public health or agroveterinary purposes.