Treatment of mature landfill leachate by chemical precipitation and Fenton advanced oxidation process

Background: Mature landfill leachate is a complicated mixture which is resistant to biological treatment processes. The treatment of mature landfill leachate by struvite precipitation and Fenton oxidation was the main objective of the current research

Methods: Struvite with the phosphate/ammonia/magnesium molar ratio of 1/1/1.05 was considered during all experiments. Five initial pHs of 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, four different H[2] O[2]/Fe mass ratios of 50, 100, 200, and 400, and reaction times of 20, 40, 80, 120, and 160 minutes were examined for the Fenton oxidation process

Results: A leachate sample with average chemical oxygen demand [COD], BOD[5], and NH4 concentrations of 7350, 2220, and 2280 mg L[-1], respectively, and a BOD[5]/COD ratio of 0.3 was introduced to the chemical precipitation unit. An NH[4] removal efficiency of 87% was obtained at pH 8.5 for struvite precipitation. Under optimum conditions of Fenton oxidation, including pH 3, an H[2]O[2]/Fe[2 +] mass ratio of 200, and a reaction time of 160 min, more than 95% COD and BOD[5] removal was observed

Conclusion: Struvite precipitation and Fenton oxidation are reliable and efficient alternatives for mature landfill treatment

Emission evaluation of CO[2] and CH[4] gases in the selected gas pressure booster station in the Bangestan field of the National Iranian Oil Company

Background: Iran is located in the seventh rank in terms of CO[2] emissions resulting from the fuel combustion in the world. Gas compressor booster stations, due to the several sources of contaminants, are causing the release of large amounts of CO[2] and CH[4], which will cause climate change; therefore, estimating the emissions of the gases from oil and gas, different processing units are necessary

Methods: In this study, the emissions factor method, provided by various organizations, was used for determining emissions of CO[2] and CH[4] from different sources

Results: According to the results obtained, the total amount of CO[2] emissions in selected units is from the selected unit and is a significant contribution to the CH4 emissions, so that the whole amount of CO[2] emissions is equal to 7739.027 tons per day and the total amount of CH[4] emissions is 4 tons per day

Conclusion: Burner has the highest amount of CO[2] emissions among the sources of pollutants in the fixed combustion sources; and, the highest emissions of CH[4], among the exit gas sources, belong to the process of removing water. Among the exit gas sources-compressors maintenance activities the highest emissions belong to CH[4]. The amount of CO[2] emissions from indirect sources, including electrical equipment in the studied units, are from natural gas fuel which are much more than those from fuel oils for burning. CH[4] gas from volatile sources in the gas compressors have the highest emissions compared to other sources

Serum and peritoneal fluid levels of vascular endothelial growth factor in women with endometriosis

Endometriosis is known as one of the most common disease in women of reproductive age. Due to important role of vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF] in neo-vascularization for the implantation of endometrial cell, and also presence of different studies reported VEGF level in the serum and peritoneal fluid [PF] in endometriosis patients, this study was designed to determine the serum and PF levels of VEGF in endometriosis patients, and to compare with normal subjects. In this descriptive study, 179 women subjected to laparoscopy for the evaluation of infertility or pelvic pain were allocated into the following two groups: group I: different types of endometriosis patients [n=90] and group II: non-endometriosis patients [n=89]. The PF from pelvis and venous blood samples were obtained. The VEGF concentration of the serum and PF were measured using enzyme immunoassay kit and were compared using t test. The level of VEGF in serum was significantly less than that in PF in both groups [p=0.00]. However, endometriosis patients had significantly higher level of VEGF in peritoneal fluid than non-endometriosis patients [p=0.043]. According to our findings, endometriosis is not associated with change in the level of circulating VEGF

Report on first Iranian international conference on women's health held June 14-15, 2012 in Shiraz, Iran

Women's health is increasing identified as a global health priority. Women's health is affected by many factors, such as the economy, environment, society, culture, religion, and biology. For this reason, the Health Policy Research Center, Shiraz, Iran decided to hold The First Iranian International Conference on Women's Health. The aim of this conference was to provide up-to-date information on different aspects of women's health, including healthy aging, non-communicable and communicable diseases, psycho-social aspects, health promotion, reproductive health, and nutrition. Finally, the attending specialists and experts provided recommendations to be put into practice which reinforced the recommendations for additional clinical preventive services for women, mobilizing health professionals within practice, education, and research to address the national health goals, encouraging the adoption of ongoing evidence-based prevention guidelines, gender-sensitive, and culturally appropriate, persuading all stakeholders to harmonize their endeavors on women's health, changing the viewpoint to the women as a workforce alliance as with like men, along with considering the major role of women as the basis of the family, and improving the coverage, accessibility, and quality of women-oriented health services

Does dietary fat intake influence oocyte competence and embryo quality by inducing oxidative stress in follicular fluid?

Fat-rich diet may alter oocyte development and maturation and embryonic development by inducing oxidative stress [OS] in follicular environment To investigate the relationship between fat intake and oxidative stress with oocyte competence and embryo quality. In observational study follicular fluid was collected from 236 women undergoing assisted reproduction program. Malon-di-aldehyde [MDA] levels and total antioxidant capacity [TAC] levels of follicular fluid were assessed as oxidative stress biomarkers. In assisted reproduction treatment cycle fat consumption and its component were assessed. A percentage of metaphase Second stage oocytes, fertilization rate were considered as markers of oocyte competence and non-fragmented embryo rate, mean of blastomer and good cleavage [embryos with more than 5 cells on 3 days post insemination] rate were considered as markers of embryo quality. The MDA level in follicular fluid was positively related to polyunsaturated fatty acids intake level [p=0.02] and negatively associated with good cleavage rate [p=0.045]. Also good cleavage rate [p=0.005] and mean of blastomer [p=0.006] was negatively associated with polyunsaturated fatty acids intake levels. The percentage of metaphase Second stage oocyte was positively related to the TAC levels in follicular fluid [p=0.046]. The relationship between the OS biomarkers in FF and the fertilization rate was not significant. These findings revealed that fat rich diet may induce the OS in oocyte environment and negatively influence embryonic development. This effect can partially be accounted by polyunsaturated fatty acids uptake while oocyte maturation is related to TAC and oocytes with low total antioxidant capacity have lower chance for fertilization and further development

Time analysis of fatal traffic accidents in Fars Province of Iran / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the time factor in road traffic accidents (RTAs) in Fars Province of Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was conducted in Fars Province, Iran from November 22, 2009 to November 21, 2011. Victims'information consisted of age, sex, death toll involving dri- vers or passengers of cars, motorcycles and pedestrians, and site of injury etc. Accidents were analyzed in relation to hour of the day, season of the year, lighting condition including sunrise, sunset, daytime and nighttime.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 3 642 deaths (78.3% were males, and the ratio of males to females was about 3.6:1) were studied regarding their autopsy records. There was a steady increase in fatal accidents occurring at midnight to 15:59. The risk of being involved in a fatal traffic accident was higher for those injured between 4:00 to 7:59 than at other times (OR equal to 2.13, 95% CI 1.85-2.44). The greatest number of fatal RTAs took place in summer. Mortalities due to RTA during spring and summer were more pronounced at 20:00 to 23:59 and midnight to 3:59, whereas mortalities in fall and winter were more pronounced from 12:00 to 15:59.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The high mortality rate of RTA is a major public health problem in Fars Province. Our results indicate that the time is an important factor which contributes to road traffic deaths.</p>

Evaluation of maximum o[2] consumption: using ergo-spirometry in severe heart failure

Although sport-physiologists have repeatedly analyzed respiratory gases through exercise, it is relatively new in the cardiovascular field and is obviously more acceptable than standard exercise test, which gives only information about the existence or absence of cardiovascular diseases [CVDs]. Through the new method of exercise test, parameters including aerobic and anaerobic are checked and monitored. 22 severe cases of heart failure, who were candidates of heart transplantation, referring to Massih Daneshvari Hospital in Tehran from Nov. 2007 to Nov. 2008 enrolled this study. The study was designed as a cross-sectional performance and evaluated only patients with ejection fraction less than 30%. O[2] mean consumption was 6.27 +/- 4.9 ml/kg/min at rest and 9.48 +/- 3.38 at anaerobic threshold [AT] exceeding 13 ml/kg/min in maximum which was significantly more than the expected levels. Respiratory exchange ratio [RER] was over 1 for all patients. This study could not find any statistical correlations between VO2 max and participants' ergonomic factors such as age, height, weight, BMI, as well as EF. This study showed no significant correlation between VO[2 max] and maximum heart rate [HR [max]], although O[2] maximum consumption was rationally correlated with expiratory ventilation. This means that the patients achieved maximum ventilation through exercise in this study, but failed to have their maximum heart rate being led probably by HF-induced brady-arrhythmia or deconditioning of skeletal muscles

C-reactive protein of serum and peritoneal fluid in endometriosis

Endometriosis is defined as the existence of endometrial-like tissue outside the uterus. Diagnosis of endometriosis is a challenging theme. Despite the broad search for innovative laboratory tests and advances in imaging technologies, there are still no easy, non-invasive diagnostic tests available. Due to inflammatory process of endometriosis, still C-reactive protein [CRP] level may be the target of initial screening. The aim of this study was to investigate CRP levels as a marker of inflammatory process in serum and peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis. In a case control study, 179 patients with endometriosis [N = 90] and without endometriosis [N = 89] were evaluated. The venous blood samples were obtained from all patients before laparoscopy and the peritoneal fluid samples were collected from pelvis before any manipulation. Student's t-test was applied to compare the parameters between two groups. There was no significant difference between the CRP serum level in patients with endometriosis and infertile women without endometriosis. There was a significant difference in peritoneal level of CRP between case and control groups [p < 0.05]. The findings suggested that measurement of this marker in patients' serum or plasma cannot be used to diagnose endometriosis. It is further recommended that a combination of different markers might be helpful in this regard that could be studied in future

prevalence of high blood pressure and its relationship with anthropometric indicators; a population based study in pars province, IR Iran

The burden of non-communicable diseases is rising globally. The present study was carried out to examine the relationship between different anthropometric indices and blood pressure in the Iranian population. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 3916 subjects including 1976 males and 1940 females, aged 15-64 years from a healthy population in Shiraz, IR Iran. Anthropometric variables of each person including weight, height, waist circumference [WC], waist to height ratio [WHR] and body mass index [BMI] were calculated along with measuring systolic and diastolic blood pressures [BP]. The relationship between blood pressure and different anthropometric variables was determined in both genders. The mean +/- SD systolic blood pressures were 123.9 +/- 20.0 and 121.2 +/- 17.7 mmHg while the mean diastolic blood pressures were 78.3 +/- 11.9 and 77.4 +/- 12.9 mmHg in men and women respectively [P<0.001]. The prevalence of hypertension in men [23.8%] was significantly more than that of women [21.1%]. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures increased with age and BMI in both genders. Anthropometric indices showed a positive association with systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The BMI and WC showed a strong association with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The suggested lower cut-off values of the anthropometric indicators will cover maximum of the population with higher odds of having hypertension and may help reduce the levels of populations mean blood pressure

Epidemiological characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents in Fars Province of Iran: a community-based survey / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To determine the epidemiological characteristics of fatal pedestrian accidents in Fars Province of Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This cross-sectional study was conducted in Fars Province of Iran during a 29-month period from March 2009 to July 2011. The data were from the Fars Forensic Medicine Registry. In 4 923 recorded road traffic accident fatalities, 971 deaths were due to pedestrian accidents. The demographic and accident-related information were analyzed by SPSS version 11.5. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The mean age of decedents was (47.2+/-26.2) years, ranging from 6 months to 103 years old. Males accounted for 69.8% of all deaths. Fatal accidents were most common in September; 56.1% of the fatal injuries occurred on intracity roads and 33.1% on extracity roads. Fatal head injuries were present in 60.54% of cases. Evaluation of the injury site and the cause of death found that they were significantly associated with age, interval between injury and death. Besides, the type of roads played an important role in mortality.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Although the clinical management of trauma patients has been improved in our country in the recent decade, decreasing the burden of injuries needs coordination among trauma system organizations.</p>

Fatal motorcycle accidents in Fars Province, Iran: a community-based survey / 中华创伤杂志(英文版)

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To identify the main characteristics of victims of motorcycle accidents in Fars Province, Iran.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This cross-sectional study was conducted in Fars Province which has the fourth largest population of all 31 provinces in Iran from March 2009 to June 2010. We included data from all 542 recorded cases of fatalities due to motor vehicle accidents. Data were recorded from the forensic medicine registry consisting of demographic and accident-related information. Demographic information consisted of name, age, sex, status of fatal victim (motorcycle driver vs passenger) and educational level.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of the 2 345 autopsy records from the forensic medicine archives, 542 (23.1%) gave the cause of death as motor vehicle accidents. Mean age of these victims was (31.4+/-6.5) years, and the male to female ratio was 28. Head injury was the most common cause of death in these victims, and overall they tended to have a low level of education. Motorcycle accidents frequently involved younger age groups (15-35 years), and head trauma related with non-use of a helmet was the most common cause of death.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Head injury is frequent among victims in the province we studied. This situation may be related to the victims' low socioeconomic status and little education regarding traffic laws leading to speeding and disregard of these laws along with their weak enforcement.</p>

Serum zinc and copper concentrations in brucellosis patient

Micronutrients such as zinc [Zn] and copper [Cu] have a modulatory effect on immune system. Altered serum concentrations of these nutrients have been described in patients with specific disease conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate serum Zn and Cu level alterations in patients with brucellosis in comparison with healthy individuals. Serum Zn and Cu level of 43 patients with brucellosis [34 men and 9 women] were compared with 43 matched healthy controls. Serum micronutrient concentrations were measured by automatic absorptive spectrophotometry. Mean serum Cu concentration was significantly higher in subjects with brucellosis when compared with age-matched healthy controls [p<0.05]. Mean serum Zn level was decreased in female patients compared with controls [p<0.05], however, there was no significant difference between male patients and controls. Serum Zn and Cu concentrations may alter in patients with brucellosis during the period of infection. Further studies are needed to determine whether these micronutrients have an effect on disease severity and outcome. Measuring serum Cu level may be suggested as a complementary screening tool for brucellosis

Enteral nutrition and phenytoin administration in head trauma patients

Seizure is common after head trauma and neurosurgery. Phenytoin is the most common anti-convulsant drug used in epileptic patients and for prevention of seizure in patients with head trauma and stroke. This drug has unique pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics. Phenytoin administration along with enteral nutrition in ICU patients may be accompanied by decreased phenytoin absorption and inadequate therapeutic concentration. The present study was performed to assess the effect of enteral nutrition on the pharmacokinetic therapeutic parameters of phenytoin given to our patients. In a clinical trial, the study group was divided into two groups of 15 patients each. After obtaining steady-state phenytion serum concentration, two blood samples were obtained from each patient on 2 consecutive days and then analyzed. The mean was assessed on the basis of serum albumin level of the patient. Clearance and maximum metabolic capacity were also calculated. Serum phenytoin level was below the therapeutic range [10- 20 mg/l] in 70% of patients in group 1 and was higher than the therapeutic range in 70% of patients in group 2 who received oral phenytoin [by dissolving in water] 2h after enteral nutrition. Mean phenytion concentration was 6.3 +/- 4mg/l and 24.7 +/- 9.4mg/l in group 1 and group 2, respectively. We found oral phenytoin administration with enteral nutrition [gavage solutions] to result in a significant decrease in absorption and blood concentration of phenytoin. We recommend administration of phenytoin with water only. In addition, monitoring of phenytoin serum concentration is necessary for assessment of therapeutic concentration and prevention of side effects

Comparison of twin pregnancy outcome after assisted reproductive technology with and without embryo reduction

Spontaneous occurrences of multifetal pregnancies always have been a medical problem. The risks of perinatal morbidity and mortality and maternal morbidity increase with enhancement of the number of fetuses. In our prospective experimental study, the outcome of twin pregnancy after Assisted Reproductive Technologies [ART] with and without Multifetal Pregnancy Reduction [MFPR] is compared relating to perinatal and maternal complications. The aim of this study was to compare the gestational age at delivery, birth weight, and other complications of surviving twins following MFPR to those in a control group of non-reduced twins. In this prospective experimental study, from infertile couples who were referred to Isfahan Fertility- Infertility Center [IFIC] and were candidate for ART [Invitro Fertilization or Intra Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection], 30 couples who have had twin [control group] and 35 couples with quadruplet or higher order pregnancies [experimental group] were selected. In cases with experimental group MFPR was done, and pregnancy outcome-miscarriage, premature labor, Premature Preterm Rupture of Membranes [PPROM] and Pregnancy Induced Hypertension [PIH]-were compared between two groups. Distribution of complications in experimental vs. control groups was as follows: miscarriage: 23.3 vs. 16 .7%, premature labor: 15.7% vs. 13.3%, pregnancy induced hypertension: 13.3% vs. 16.7%, abruption: 6.7% vs. 6.7%, and premature preterm rupture of membranes: 23.3% vs. 26.7%. Mean neonatal weight at birth [2239 vs. 2240 gr] and mean gestational age at delivery [33.5 vs. 34.1 w] were similar. The differences between two groups were not statistically significant [P>0.05]. MFPR during early pregnancy is a safe, effective and simple operative for the purpose of reducing perinatal and maternal complications