Nanoplastics: Focus on the role of microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs.

When plastic objects in our surroundings are degraded, they may produce particles ranging in size from 1 to 100 nm therefore called nanoplastics. The environmental chemicals including nanoplastics may be able to affect biological processes in the nuclear level like altering DNA methylation and regulating microRNAs (miRNAs) as well as long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) expression and therefore are implicated in chronic human diseases like neoplasms. The regulatory role of miRNAs and lncRNAs in gene expression is appreciated. In vitro as well as in vivo experiments have shown that environmental elements including nanoplastics are able to dysregulate miRNAs and lncRNAs expression with possible genetic consequences that increase the risk of cancer development. In the current article, we review the biological effects of miRNAs and lncRNAs alterations following nanoplastics exposure.

People's trust in health news disseminated by mass media in Tehran.

BACKGROUND: People are increasingly interested in health news. As a mass media, the 'Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting' (IRIB) has the highest number of target audiences. In Iran, some people follow health news via health programs on satellites and other means of communication. However, all of these programs do not live up to the standards of scientific evidence. In this study, we examined Tehran people's trust in health news disseminated by the IRIB and other mass media outlets. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Tehran. Through multistage sampling, 510 households proportional to size were randomly selected from five regions of Tehran including northern, eastern, western, southern and central regions. One person from each household completed the questionnaire through interviews. The questionnaire included questions on people's level of trust in health news delivered by the IRIB, satellite programs, the internet and magazines. It also included demographic questions. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated. RESULTS: Among the interviewees, 50.6% was female. The highest level of trust by the participants was observed in the IRIB (65.2%), and the lowest trust was observed in satellite news (43.4%); p< 0.001. The interviewees believed that the IRIB news broadcasters had more mastery over the subject than the ones in satellite channels (p< 0.001). The IRIB's coverage of important and relevant health topics was also significantly perceived to be better than that of satellite news (p< 0.001). According to 83.5% of interviewees, the quality of health news had improved in the past 10 years. Fifty nine point eight percent of participants believed the quality and accuracy of the IRIB health news was monitored. CONCLUSION: People's higher level of trust in domestic news as compared to foreign sources and the better status of domestic sources in other areas such as precision in reporting, coverage of more important news, its delivery in lay language, the news broadcasters' proficiency, and other cases - from the participants' point of view - can highlight the significance of designing interventions for changing health behavior among domestic health news producers. Therefore, the results of this study can prove useful to health news policy makers in the IRIB.