Quantitative microbial risk assessment of enteroviruses in raw-eatable vegetables irrigated by wastewater: examining different scenarios of washing.

Due to the increasing water crisis, the reuse of wastewater deserves attention as a method to reduce the pressure of the water crisis, especially in developing countries. The application of health risk assessment models is a way to estimate disease burdens associated with crop irrigation by wastewater effluents. In this study, a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) with probabilistic Monte-Carlo simulation was used to estimate the annual risk of enteroviruses (EVs) infection and disease burden for consumers of effluent-irrigated raw vegetables in Tehran, the capital of Iran. Wastewater effluent samples were collected over two seasons: summer and winter. EVs were analyzed in three stages, concentration and separation, cell culture, and real-time PCR (RT-PCR). A questionnaire was used to determine the dominant patterns of vegetable washing by consumers. There were 4 vegetable washing steps: wiping away mud (A), rinsing (B), using detergents (C), using disinfectants (D). 5 patterns of washing were examined in the laboratory and the concentration of enteroviruses was measured in every pattern. pattern 1: just wiping away mud (A), pattern 2: wiping away mud and rinsing (AB), pattern 3: wiping away mud by using detergents and rinsing (ABCB), pattern 4: wiping away mud by using disinfectants and rinsing (ABDB), and pattern 5: wiping away mud by using detergents and disinfectants and rinsing (ABCBDB). For washing pattern 1, pattern 2, and pattern 3, the estimated annual infection risk of EVs was estimated to be 5.6 × 10-1, 3.6 × 10-1, 1.7 × 10-1 (risk/per.day), and burden of disease was calculated as 3 × 10-2, 2 × 10-2, and 9 × 10-3 (burden/year), respectively. The results showed that if vegetables are washed according to method 5, the microbial risk will be minimized and the excess prevalence of viral infections will be eliminated.

Investigating the relationship between particulate matter and inflammatory biomarkers of exhaled breath condensate and blood in healthy young adults.

Inflammatory biomarkers in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) are measured to estimate the effects of air pollution on humans. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between particulate matter and inflammatory biomarkers in blood plasma and exhaled air in young adults. The obtained results were compared in two periods; i.e., winter and summer. GRIMM Dust Monitors were used to measure PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 in indoor and outdoor air. A total of 40 healthy young adults exhaling air condensate were collected. Then, biomarkers of interleukin-6 (IL-6), Nitrosothiols (RS-NOs), and Tumor necrosis factor-soluble receptor-II (sTNFRII) were measured by 96 wells method ELISA and commercial kits (HS600B R&D Kit and ALX-850-037-KI01) in EBC while interleukin-6 (IL-6), sTNFRII and White Blood Cell (WBC) were measured in blood plasma in two periods of February 2013 (winter) and May 2013 (summer). Significant association was found between particulate matter and the white blood cell count (p < 0.001), as well as plasma sTNFRII levels (p-value = 0.001). No significant relationship was found between particulate matter with RS-NOs (p = 0.128), EBC RSNOs (p-value = 0.128), and plasma IL-6 (p-value = 0.167). In addition, there was no significant relationship between interleukin-6 of exhaled air with interleukin-6 of plasma (p-value < 0.792 in the first period and < 0.890 in the second period). sTNFRII was not detected in EBC. Considering the direct effect between increasing some biomarkers in blood and EBC and particulate matter, it is concluded that air pollution causes this increasing.

Trends in burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Iran, 1995-2015: findings from the global burden of disease study.

BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous disorder that progresses over time, and currently it is the fourth leading cause of death across the globe. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that the disease will become the third leading cause of death by 2030. The present study aimed to assess the burden trends of COPD in Iran by estimating the disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) from 1995 to 2015. METHODS: Data were retrospectively collected as the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) from 1995 to 2015 and published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. We applied DALYs, incidence and prevalence rate to report the burden of COPD in Iran. To assess the statistical significance according to trend, the Cochran-Armitage test was applied. Additionally, the t-test was used to analyze the DALYs number by gender and Onaway ANOVA by age groups at a significance level set at P  < 0.05. RESULTS: From 1995 to 2015, there were approximately 1.1 million DALYs attributable to COPD in Iran. In both genders and at all ages, the number of DALYs increased significantly from 176,224 in 1995 to 253,618 in 2015. The incidence and prevalence rate were 76.65 and 1491.37 per 100,000 population, respectively in both genders in 2015 in Iran. It is noticeable that the number of deaths during the study years, 1995 to 2015, was 39,064. This study showed that the COPD burden was significantly different by age groups and gender. CONCLUSIONS: COPD is still a public health problem in Iran and has an increasing trend. The majority of DALYs were due to the years of life lost as a result of premature death (YLLs), indicating that prevention and early detection, especially in the age groups of 15 to 70 years, should be considered.

Experimental design, modeling and mechanism of cationic dyes biosorption on to magnetic chitosan-lutaraldehyde composite.

Magnetic separation of toxic dyes has become a potential and effective method in wastewater treatments. In present research, a facile in situ one step co-precipitation synthetic approach is used to develop water-dispersible Fe3O4/Chitosan/Glutaraldehyde nanocomposites (MCS-GA) as an efficient adsorbent for the removal of Crystal Violet (CV) from aqueous solution. The physicochemical properties of the MCS-GA were investigated using FTIR, SEM, TEM, XRD, BET, and VSM techniques. 5-level and 3-factors central composite design (CCD) combined with the response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to investigate the statistical relationships between independent variables i.e. initial pH, adsorbent dosage, initial dye concentration and adsorption process as response. The optimal values of the parameters for the best efficiency (99.99%) were as follows: pH of 11, the initial dye concentration of 60 mg L-1 and MCS-GA dosage of 0.817 g L-1, respectively. The adsorption equilibrium and kinetic data were fitted with the Langmuir monolayer isotherm model (qmax: 105.467 mg g-1, R2: 0.996) and pseudo-second order kinetics (R2: 0.960). Thermodynamic parameters (R2 > 0.941, ΔH°: 690.609-896.006 kJ mol-1, ΔG°: -1.6849 to -13.4872 kJ mol-1, ΔS°: 0.168-0.232 kJ mol-1 K-1) also indicated CV adsorption is feasible, spontaneous and endothermic in nature. Overall, taking into account the excellent efficiency, good regeneration and acceptable performance in real terms, MCS-GA can be introduced as a promising absorbent for dyes removal from the textile wastewater.

Burden of esophageal cancer in Iran during 1995-2015: Review of findings from the Global Burden of Disease studies.

Background: Iran is located in Asian esophageal cancer belt, with age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) of approximately 7 per 100,000 for both men and women. To provide potential solution recommendations for achieving accurate estimations regarding the burden of the disease in Iran, we designed a study to assess the burden of esophageal cancer in Iran during 1995-2015 by collecting data from the Global Burden of Disease studies. Methods: Data were extracted from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) during 1995-2015, which were published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. For this purpose, disability adjusted life years (DALYs), incidence, and prevalence rate were applied to report burden of esophageal cancer based on gender and age group in Iran during 1995-2015. The Cochran-Armitage and t test were used to assess statistical significance. Stata Version 13 and Excel 2016 were used for data analysis. Results: During 1995-2015, in total, 304 102 DALYs (179 562 for males vs. 124 540 for females) were attributed to esophageal cancer in Iran. In both genders and all ages, the number of DALYs increased significantly from 45 018 in 1995 to 74 399 in 2015. Conclusion: Esophageal cancer is still a public health issue in Iran. Most of DALYs were due to years of life lost (YLL), suggesting the need for prevention, early detection, and screening programs. P-value was statistically significant just between male and female groups (p<0.05).

Effects of Air Pollution on Public and Private Health Expenditures in Iran: A Time Series Study (1972-2014).

OBJECTIVES: Environmental pollution is a negative consequence of the development process, and many countries are grappling with this phenomenon. As a developing country, Iran is not exempt from this rule, and Iran pays huge expenditures for the consequences of pollution. The aim of this study was to analyze the long- and short-run impact of air pollution, along with other health indicators, on private and public health expenditures. METHODS: This study was an applied and developmental study. Autoregressive distributed lag estimating models were used for the period of 1972 to 2014. In order to determine the co-integration between health expenditures and the infant mortality rate, fertility rate, per capita income, and pollution, we used the Wald test in Microfit version 4.1. We then used Eviews version 8 to evaluate the stationarity of the variables and to estimate the long- and short-run relationships. RESULTS: Long-run air pollution had a positive and significant effect on health expenditures, so that a 1.00% increase in the index of carbon dioxide led to an increase of 3.32% and 1.16% in public and private health expenditures, respectively. Air pollution also had a greater impact on health expenditures in the long term than in the short term. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study indicate that among the factors affecting health expenditures, environmental quality and contaminants played the most important role. Therefore, in order to reduce the financial burden of health expenditures in Iran, it is essential to reduce air pollution by enacting and implementing laws that protect the environment.

Review on the Implementation of the Islamic Republic of Iran about Tobacco Control, Based on MPOWER, in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control by the World Health Organization.

BACKGROUND: Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death in the world, killing nearly 6 million people annually. This article is an investigation of measures implemented laws in the Iran to study the proposed strategy of control and reduce tobacco use based on the monitor, protect, offer, warn, enforce and raise (MPOWER) policy. METHODS: All laws approved by the Parliament along with the instructions on tobacco control prepared by the Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade were collected and studied. Moreover, practical steps of Ministry of Health and other organizations were examined in this regard. FINDINGS: Iranian Parliament after the adoption of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) acts to create a comprehensive and systematic program for tobacco control legislation as a first step towards comprehensive national tobacco control and combat. In this law and its implementing guidelines and based on the strategy of MPOWER, specific implement is done to monitor tobacco use and prevention policies, protect people from tobacco smoke, offer help to quit tobacco use, warn about the dangers of tobacco, enforce bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and raise taxes on tobacco. However, the full objectives of the legislation have not achieved yet. CONCLUSION: According to Iran's membership in the FCTC and executive producer of tobacco control laws and regulations, necessary infrastructure is ready for a serious fight with tobacco use. In Iran, in comparison with developed countries, there is a huge gap between ratified laws and performing of laws.

Factors Affecting Hookah Smoking Trend in the Society: A Review Article.

BACKGROUND: An increase in hookah smoking is considered to be a serious health problem in societies withdifferent cigarette smoking patterns. Thus, determinants of increase in this behavior are needed to beidentified. This study aimed to review the articles related to the causes of hookah smoking in the society. METHODS: This study reviewed the scientific references of authentic databases and journals, including Web ofScience, PubMed, Iranian Databases, Elsevier, Embase, Scopus, MEDLINE, CINAHL, CDC, and WorldHealth Organization (WHO). Overall, 84 scientific studies conducted during 1990-2015 were collected. FINDINGS: Several studies on the prevalence of smoking hookah and its associated factors in the societysuggested that numerous factors played a role in interest in smoking hookah. The most common reasons forindividuals' inclination to smoke hookah were positive viewpoints toward smoking hookah, wrong beliefsabout its low risks, presumed lack of addiction, social acceptance, ease of access, wrong cultural habits, andregulative weakness. CONCLUSION: Evidence indicated that a large spectrum of individual and social factors was effective in variouslevels of hookah consumption. Besides, it seems that single-component interventions and those solely basedon individual factors could not result in effective prevention. On the other hand, interventions based onecological approaches are suggested in this regard. Overall, it is essential to focus on the exclusion of positiveviewpoints toward hookah, develop the ability to say "no," relaxation, and resistance against temptations tosmoke hookah, culturalization, and regulation of strong laws.

The study of non-linear kinetics and adsorption isotherm models for Acid Red 18 from aqueous solutions by magnetite nanoparticles and magnetite nanoparticles modified by sodium alginate.

Azo dyes are widely used in various industries. These substances produce toxic byproducts in aquatic environments in addition to their mutagenic and carcinogenic potential effects. In this study, the effect of magnetite nanoparticles and magnetite nanoparticles modified by sodium alginate in batch systems and nonlinear kinetic and adsorption isotherm models were investigated. Magnetite nanoparticles were synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method and then modified and used as adsorbent to adsorb Acid Red 18. After determining the optimum pH and adsorbent dose, non-equilibrium models for kinetic adsorption were tested with concentrations (25-100 mg/L) and at eight different periods of time (1-15 min) and the pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order non-linear models were used to describe the results. For adsorption isotherm, a contact time of 120 min was studied in different concentrations (25-100 mg/L) and the residual concentration of Acid Red 18 was obtained. The results are described by non-linear Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherm models. The optimum amounts of pH for magnetite nanoparticles and for modified ones were 3 and 5, respectively, the efficiencies were 0.75 and 0.2 g/L, respectively. According to the results sodium alginate has a high performance in adsorption of Acid Red 18. Adjusted correlation coefficients and chi-square test showed that Freundlich isotherm and then Langmuir isotherm can well describe the experimental results. In Freundlich, the value of (Kf) was 3.231 (L/g) for magnetite nanoparticles and 21.615 (L/g) for modified adsorbent. In Langmuir, the value of (qm) was 16.259 (mg/g) for magnetite nanoparticles and 73.464 (mg/g) for modified adsorbent. Comparing the Langmuir maximum calculated adsorption capacity indicated that modified adsorbent can adsorb the pollutants 6.5 times more than the other one.