[Study on antibacterial effects of artemia urmiana cyst shell chitosan on listeria mo-nocytogenes, staphylococcus aureus, salmonellatyphimurium and escherichia coli]

Chitosan is a natural antimicrobial which is derived from non-toxic animal resources. This study investigated and compared the antimicrobial characteristics of chitosan which was extracted from shell of Artemia cyst in the lake of Urmia with the same commercial chitosan feature to that of crab shell from A.P.T firm in Vietnam. The experiment was carried by means of two fulded method to find the minimum inhibitory concentration [MIC] of commercial chitosan and Artemia chitosans and [4,2,1,0/5,0/25,0/125,0/062 mg/ml] [6/4,3/2,1/6,0/8,0/4,0/2,0/1 mg/ml] on Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhimurium and Listeria monocytogenes. MIC of Artemia chitosan for those bacteria and MIC of commercial chitosan were determined 500 ppm and 800 ppm. In the next phase, each of those four bacterias was separately exposed to MIC Artemia chitosan and during 8 h of incubation at 37°C were artificially cultivated every 2 h and colonies appearing on the plates after 24 h of incubation were counted and the death time graph of the bacterias was drown to study their destruction process in the presence of MIC of Artemia chitosan. Experimental achievements showed that in this period of destruction speed in Staphylococcus aureus was more than others and the destruction speed of Salmonella typhimurium was the least. Also studying the achieved pictures by electronic microscope from the from two bacterias, gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus and gramnegative Escherichia coli which were exposed to MIC of Artemia chitosan [500 ppm] depicted that the speed of influence by Artemia chitosanon gram-positive bacteria is much more than gram-negative bacteria. Results of this study depict great abilities of Artemia chitosan in destroying studied bacteria in comparis on with those of commercial one

[Evaluation of safety devices used in work-related eye injuries]

To report and evaluate the characteristics of patients referred to the emergency department of Labbafinejad Medical Center with work-related eye injuries during 2005. In this descriptive study, an available sample of patients with work-related eye injures were assessed. Demographic characteristics, causes of ocular trauma, and use of work safety devices were main evaluated variables. Overall, 99 subjects [96% male] with mean age of 31.76?10.55 years were enrolled. Mean time interval between the accident and referral to eye emergency was 2.46 +/- 4.46 days [0-30 days]. Of these, 66.6% came to the emergency ward on the first day after the incident and 37.1% underwent an eye examination at this center for the first time. The most unsafe activities were grinding [21.4%], welding [20.4%], hammering work [14.3%] and manual work [10.2%]. Metal industrial [50%], constructional [17.3%] and mechanical [8.2%] workers had the highest risk for eye injury among different occupations. The major consequence of eye injuries was corneal foreign bodies [72.7%]. Of injured patients, only 14 persons [14.1%] had passed job safety educational courses and 93 persons [93.9%] had not used any eye protection device. Most injured patients were young men workers using no safety devices; therefore it seems that occupational safety efforts including eye protection education and training programs in this context is insufficient