PAHs pollution in the outdoor air of areas with various land uses in the industrial city of Iran: distribution, source apportionment, and risk assessment

Shahryar city regions with various land uses had their outdoor air concentrations of PM_2.5-bound PAHs determined. Totally, 32 samples were taken - eight samples from the industrial region air (IS), eight samples from the high-traffic urban regions air (HTS), eight samples from the air of commercial regions (CS), and eight samples from residential areas (RS), which were analyzed by GC-MS. According to the study's findings, in the outdoor air of IS, HTS, CS, and RS, there were mean ƩPAHs concentrations of 23.25 ± 20.22, 38.88 ± 26.53, 6.97 ± 4.26, and 4.48 ± 3.13 ng/m³, respectively. As comparison to CS and RS, mean concentration of ƩPAHs in samples from HTS and IS was substantially greater (p < 0.05). Using the Unmix.6 receptor model, sources of PAHs in the air of Shahryar were allocated. The model's results show that 42% of PAHs come from diesel vehicles and industrial activities, 36% from traffic and other transportation sources, and 22% from heating sources and coal burning. The carcinogenicity suffering resulting from exposure to PAHs was as follows: This value for children of the ingestion, inhalation pathways and dermal contact is (1.90 × 10^-6-1.38 × 10^-4), (5.5 × 10^-11-2.67 × 10^-9) and (2.36 × 10^-6-1.72 × 10^-4), respectively. Also, for adults were (1.47 × 10^-6 - 1.07 × 10^-4), (1.14 × 10^-10 - 5.27 × 10^-9) and (3.68 × 10^-6- 2.87 × 10^-4), respectively. In general, the analyzed region's carcinogenicity risk estimates fell within the range of acceptable limit.

The effects of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease on 28-day mortality of COVID-19

We compared the prognosis of inpatients with a known diagnosis of Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease who have COVID-19 infection with other hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Our cohort study started in October 2020 and ended in May 2021 and included inpatients with COVID-19 infection who were admitted to hospitals. From a total of 67,871 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, a sample of 3732 individuals were selected of which 363 had Alzheimer's, and 259 had Parkinson's disease. All patients had both positive RT-PCR test and positive chest CT for COVID-19. The outcome was dead within 28 days of admission and the predictors were a large number of demographic and clinical features, and comorbidities recorded at patients’ bedside. Mortality were 37.5%, 35.1%, and 29.5% in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease; and in other patients, respectively. The hazard ratio for Alzheimer's disease was 1.27 (95% CI, 1.06–1.53, p = 0.010) and for Parkinson's disease was 1.17 (95% CI, 0.94–1.46, p = 0.171). Age was a predictor of mortality, hazard ratio = 1.04 (95% CI, 1.03–1.05, p < 0.001). Patients with Alzheimer's disease and COVID-19 infection were older and more likely to have a loss of consciousness on admission (both p ≤ 0.001). We concluded that inpatients with Alzheimer's disease have an increased risk for 28-day mortality from COVID-19 and healthcare settings should be ready to provide critical care for them such as early intubation and immediate O₂ therapy. However, Parkinson's disease does not significantly predict higher mortality of COVID-19.

Use of toenail-bounded heavy metals to characterize occupational exposure and oxidative stress in workers of waterpipe/cigarette cafés

Tobacco smoke is known for releasing metals in indoor air of waterpipe/cigarette cafés. However, the worker exposure to metals, and its association with oxidative stress in these cafés are still unclear. To this end, 54 workers and 38 customers from waterpipe/cigarette cafés (the exposed group), 30 workers from non-smoking cafés (the control group 1 (CG_1)) and 32 individuals from the general population (the control group 2 (CG_2)) were selected and toenails samples were then taken from them. Our findings revealed a significant difference in terms of toenail-bounded metal levels between the exposure and control groups (CG_1 and CG_2) (Mann-Whitney U test, Pvalue < 0.05). This study has also indicated that "type of tobacco" could be considered as a predictor for toenail-bounded heavy metals. Furthermore, our research's results suggest that toenail-bounded heavy metals are positively and significantly correlated with urinary levels of 8- hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG, as a biomarker for the degradation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) oxidative stress). Therefore, it can be concluded that workers of waterpipe/cigarette cafés are at high risks of adverse health of DNA oxidative degradation.

Occurrence, potential sources, in vitro bioaccessibility and health risk assessment of heavy metal in indoor dust from different microenvironment of Bushehr, Iran

Indoor dust samples were collected from 42 microenvironments of residential buildings (RB, 15 samples), official buildings (OB, 10 samples), laboratory rooms (LR, 7 samples), and school classroom (SCR, 10 samples) in Bushehr, whereby the concentration of zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel, and chromium was studied. The results of this study indicated that the mean concentrations of Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni in the indoor dust samples were 567.18, 186.09, 209.01, 5.31, 143.20, and 57.09 mg/kg in RB, 1077.34, 539.67, 274.89, 8.12, 155.30, and 92.55 mg/kg in OB, 246.40, 149.56, 127.2, 1.96, 43.45, and 91.09 mg/kg in LR and 271.43, 189.84, 164.44, 3.06, 124.20, and 70.09 mg/kg in SCR. The results of principal cluster analysis showed that the heavy metals in indoor environments were mostly originated from smoking tobacco and cigarette, traffic sources, old building materials, and building paint colors. The results of this study also revealed that the concentration of heavy metals in indoor dust had a negative and significant relationship (P value < 0.05 in most cases) with rate of ventilation, and a positive and significant relationship with smoking inside buildings (P value < 0.05 in most cases). The bioaccessibility for zinc, copper, lead, cadmium, nickel, and chromium was 69.12, 40.08, 43.33, 79.81, 31.10, and 6.31%, respectively, in indoor dust. Further, risk assessment showed that the risk values of carcinogenicity and non-carcinogenicity resulting from heavy metals inside the studied microenvironments had exceeded the recommended safe limit by EPA. In terms of potential ecological risks, it was found that heavy metals in these microenvironments have exceeded the hazardous ecological levels presented by different indices and can have considerable negative ecological effects. Thus, it is essential that further and better studies and monitoring be performed on these environments, and suitable control recommendations and solutions should be regulated for this public health threat.

The trend of air quality index (AQI) in Tehran during (2011-2016)

Introduction: Tehran city with the most population, about 4 million cars, million liters of fuels consumption, the presence of polluting industries such as petrochemicals and refineries, thermal power plants, and surrounding industrial towns is considered as one of the most populous and most polluted cities in the world . This study aims to investigate the trend of variation in air quality index in Tehran. Materials and methods: In this descriptive and evaluative study, the air quality data of 7 monitoring stations in 2012 were taken from the Tehran Department of Environment and Tehran Air Quality Control Company(AQCC). The calculation of AQI was done according to the EPA guidelines. Results: According to the results of this study, highest AQI averaging for 2016 (208.49±42.13) and the lowest for 2011 (134.13±46.80). Also observed that during the study period PM2.5 particles with an average of 71.59% is the most important factor in increasing the air quality index. Conclusion: It was observed that in the cold seasons of the year, due to the temperature inversion phenomenon in Tehran and the increase in the concentration of pollutants, air quality in most regions of Tehran is in unhealthy conditions, but in other season of the year the air quality is in moderate condition. Among the index pollutants, particulates are the major cause of Tehran’s air quality decline.

Monitoring of airborne asbestos fibers in an urban ambient air of Shahryar City, Iran: levels, spatial distribution, seasonal variations, and health risk assessment

Asbestos, as with other pollutants in the air, has adverse effects on the health of human beings and animals. Today, the relationship between presence of asbestos fibers in the air breathed by humans and developing serious diseases such as lung cancer (asbestosis) and mesothelioma has been proven. This study was designed and conducted within the time period of August 2017 and June 2018 to determine the concentration of asbestos fiber in the ambient air of Shahryar City and to evaluate their health effects for the general population of the city. For this purpose, samples were taken from four points, and overall 32 air samples were taken along the year. The samples were then analyzed by the phase contrast microscopy (PCM) method. Also, to investigate the type of asbestos and for more accurate counting of fibers, SEM analysis was utilized. Finally, based on the EPA IRIS method, the health effects resulting from asbestos risks were also evaluated. The results of this study indicated that the mean annual concentration of asbestos fiber in the ambient air of Shahryar City was obtained as 0.0019 f/ml PCM and 0.0072 f/ml SEM. Furthermore, the most polluted point was S1 point (0.0119 -0.0026 f/ml, PCM), while the lowest concentration was related to S4 point (0.001 f/ml PCM-0.0021 f/ml SEM). The mean annual risk resulting from airborne asbestos fiber in the ambient air of Shahryar City for all samples was obtained as 1.72 × 10^-6 to 2.2 × 10^-4, which was higher than the recommended risk range in some points.

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) accumulation in coastal sediments from regions with different land use configuration along the Persian Gulf

Phthalate acid esters (PAEs) are widely used as plasticizers in various plastic products and have aroused considerable concern over their ubiquitous presence and potentially hazardous effects on the environment. This research provides the first data on PAEs distribution in the sediments of northern part of the Persian Gulf. To determine the concentration of 16 PAEs, 26 samples of sediments were collected from industrial stations (IS), urban stations (US), agricultural stations (AGS), and natural field stations (NS) from Asalouyeh Harbor coasts from Nov 2016 to Jan 2017. The mean values of Ʃ16PAEs in the samples taken from IS, AGS, US, and NS were 78.08, 11.69, 46.56, and 5.180 µg/g, respectively. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Ʃ16PAEs in the samples taken from IS and AGS areas were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than the ones taken from US and NS areas. The order of PAEs concentrations in sediment samples were as di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), di-n-butyl phthalate (DnBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), and di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP), respectively. DEHP was detected in all collected samples and the mean ± SD of its concentration in the IS, US, AGS, and NS regions were as 28.15 ± 4.9, 4.040 ± 0.53, 11.58 ± 1.2, and 1.780 ± 0.78 µg/g, respectively. The major sources of PAEs in the sediments collected from the study region were associated with the industrial and agricultural activities. The findings of this study indicated that the sediments of the Asalouyeh coasts are heavily contaminated with PAEs. They have shown potential ecotoxicological effects on the aquatic organisms and benthic. Therefore, more attention should be paid to prediction of the marine ecosystem in this region by the authorities.

The effect of land use configurations on concentration, spatial distribution, and ecological risk of heavy metals in coastal sediments of northern part along the Persian Gulf

In the present study, a total of 41 sediment samples were collected from the areas with different land uses: industrial (IS), urban (US), agricultural (AGS), and natural field (NS) in the northern coasts along the Persian Gulf from November 2016 to January 2017. Samples were analyzed to determine the concentration of heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, and Ni). The mean concentration of Ʃ6 heavy metals in the samples taken from IS, US, AGS, NS were 2300.24, 251.02, 553.21, and 40.93 mg/kg, respectively. The predominant metals were Zn, Cu, and Pb and the mean concentrations of Ʃ3 metals (Zn, Cu, and Pb) in IS, US, AGS, NS areas were 2245.6, 241.44, 529.61, and 36.98 mg/kg, respectively. The results indicated that the mean concentrations of Ʃ6Metals/Ʃ3 metals in the IS and AGS samples were significantly higher than US and NS samples (p < 0.05). Heavy metal levels (mg/kg. dry weight) in all four land uses were as follows: industrial region: Pb (1347.44) > Cu (465.00) > Zn (427.16) > Cr (34.20) > Cd (19.45) > Ni (7.09); urban region: Zn (97.45) > Cu (79.90) > Pb (64.09) > Cr (5.30) > Ni (2.55) > Cd (1.73); agricultural region: Zn (247.88) > Pb (164.89) > Cu (116.84) > Cr (11.09) > Ni (7.45) > Cd (5.06); and natural fields: Zn (27.43) > Cu (6.34) > Pb (3.18) > Cr (1.94) > Ni (1.18) > Cd (0.83). According to geo-accumulation index (I-geo), the IS, US, and AGS were classified into "highly-extremely polluted", "unpolluted-moderately polluted" and "highly polluted", respectively. Similarly, in accordance with the ecological risk index (ERI), the IS and AGS fell into the very high and considerable categories, respectively, while US land uses area was categorized as low risk. Based on the results obtained from the present study, it can be concluded that the sediments of Asalouyeh coasts in the northern part of the Persian Gulf are heavily contaminated with heavy metals, causing serious negative effects on both the human being and environment.

A novel polyvinyl chloride-membrane optical sensor for the determination of Cu(2+) ion based on synthesized (N'(1)E,N'(2)E)-N'(1),N'(2)-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethylene)oxalohydrazide: experimental design and optimization

A copper (Cu(2+)) ion-selective bulk optode was constructed by using (N'(1)E,N'(2)E)-N'(1),N'(2)-bis(pyridine-2-ylmethylene)oxalohydrazide as ionophore and NaTPB in DBP matrices. Central composite design under response surface methodology was applied for the optimization of variables including pH, amount of ligand, amount of additive and response time which significantly affect the response of proposed sensor. At optimum specified conditions, the high stability, reproducibility and relatively long lifetime of the optical sensor suggest its ability for accurate and precise monitoring of Cu(2+) ion content in various real samples over a concentration range of 1.6×10(-6) to 3.17×10(-5)molL(-1) with a limit of detection of 8.1×10(-7)molL(-1) during response time 6.9min. The proposed optical sensor was successfully applied for the determination of Cu(2+) ion in tap water and different samples.

Asymmetric supercapacitor based on an α-MoO3 cathode and porous activated carbon anode materials

Low cost porous carbon materials were produced from cheap polymer materials and graphene foam materials which were tested as a negative electrode material in an asymmetric cell configuration with α-MoO₃ as a positive electrode.

Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system model for adsorption of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol onto gold nanoparticales-activated carbon

In this research, a novel adsorbent gold nanoparticle loaded on activated carbon (Au-NP-AC) was synthesized by ultrasound energy as a low cost routing protocol. Subsequently, this novel material characterization and identification followed by different techniques such as scanning electron microscope(SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller(BET) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analysis. Unique properties such as high BET surface area (>1229.55m(2)/g) and low pore size (<22.46Å) and average particle size lower than 48.8Å in addition to high reactive atoms and the presence of various functional groups make it possible for efficient removal of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol (TDDT). Generally, the influence of variables, including the amount of adsorbent, initial pollutant concentration, contact time on pollutants removal percentage has great effect on the removal percentage that their influence was optimized. The optimum parameters for adsorption of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2, 5-dithiol onto gold nanoparticales-activated carbon were 0.02g adsorbent mass, 10mgL(-1) initial 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol concentration, 30min contact time and pH 7. The Adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS), and multiple linear regression (MLR) models, have been applied for prediction of removal of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol using gold nanoparticales-activated carbon (Au-NP-AC) in a batch study. The input data are included adsorbent dosage (g), contact time (min) and pollutant concentration (mg/l). The coefficient of determination (R(2)) and mean squared error (MSE) for the training data set of optimal ANFIS model were achieved to be 0.9951 and 0.00017, respectively. These results show that ANFIS model is capable of predicting adsorption of 1,3,4-thiadiazole-2,5-dithiol using Au-NP-AC with high accuracy in an easy, rapid and cost effective way.

Comparison of nickel oxide and palladium nanoparticle loaded on activated carbon for efficient removal of methylene blue

Palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) and nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiO-NPs) were synthesized and loaded on activated carbon (AC). This novel material successfully used for the removal of methylene blue (MB) dye from aqueous medium. Full characterization of both material using X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer–Emmet–Teller analyses for Pd-NP show their high surface area (>1340 m2/g) and low pore size (<20 Å) and average particle size lower than 45 Å and for NiO-NP show their high surface area (>1316.1554 m2/g) and low pore size (<20 Å) and average particle size lower than 46 Å in addition to high reactive atom and presence of various functional groups. These unique properties make them possible for efficient removal of MB. In batch experimental set-up, optimum conditions for maximum removal of MB by both adsorbents were attained following searching effect of variables such as central composite design. The Langmuir isotherm was found to be highly recommended for fitting the experimental equilibrium data. The kinetic of adsorption of MB on both adsorbents strongly can be fitted by a combination of pseudo-second order and intraparticle diffusion pathway. The experimental result achieved in this article shows the superiority of Pd-NP-AC for MB removal than NiO-NP-AC, so the maximum adsorption capacities of Pd-NP-AC and NiO-NP-AC were 555.5 mg/g and 588.2 mg/g, respectively.

Comparison of the efficiency of Cu and silver nanoparticle loaded on supports for the removal of Eosin Y from aqueous solution: Kinetic and isotherm study

In this study, the efficiency of a novel copper containing ionic liquid based nanoporous organosilica (Cu@IL-ONO) and palladium nanoparticles loaded on activated carbon (Pd-NP-AC) for the removal of Eosin Y from aqueous solution was investigated. The Cu@IL-ONO was prepared by hydrolysis and co-condensation of tetramethoxysilane (TMOS) and 1,3-bis (trimethoxysilylpropyl) imidazolium chloride in the presence of surfactant template following immobilization of copper chloride dihydrate. These materials were characterized by nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and subsequently used for the successful removal of Eosin Yellow (EY) from aqueous solution. The effects of pH, contact time, amount of adsorbents, initial dye concentration was optimized and set as following: 0.005g/50mL Cu@IL-ONO and 0.015g/50mL Ag-NP-AC at pH=2 for Cu@IL-ONO and pH=3 for Ag-NP-AC and contact time less than 14min. The experimental removal percentage data at various situations was fitted by conventional isotherm models like Langmuir, Freundlich, Tempkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R). Judgment based on linear regression coefficient (R(2)) and error analysis show high usability of the Langmuir isotherm for best explanation of experimental data with maximum monolayer adsorption capacities 286 and 250mgg(-1) at room temperatures for Cu@IL-ONO and Ag-NP-AC, respectively. Fitting the corresponding data of removal percentage at various experimental conditions shows the suitability of second order and interparticle diffusion model for interpretation of real data.

Reliability and validity of the Persian version of Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) to measure functional limitations in patients with foot and ankle disorders

OBJECTIVE

To translate the Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) into Persian and to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of FAAM.

METHODS

93 patients with a range of foot and ankle disorders, completed the Persian version of the FAAM and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) in the test session. With an interval of 2-6 days, 60 patients filled out the FAAM in the retest session. The FAAM is composed of two subscales including activities of daily living (ADL) and SPORTS. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and standard error of measurement (s.e.m.), item internal consistency and discriminant validity using Spearman's correlation coefficient and construct validity using Spearman's correlation coefficient and Independent t-test.

RESULTS

Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.97 and 0.94 was obtained for ADL and SPORTS subscales, respectively. The ICC and s.e.m. were 0.98 and 3.13 for ADL and 0.98 and 3.53 for SPORTS subscale. Items were stronger measures of their hypothesized subscale than of other subscale. The ADL and SPORTS subscales had stronger correlation with SF-36 physical function (r=0.60, 0.53) and physical health summary measure (r=0.61, 0.48) than with SF-36 mental health (r=0.21, 0.10) and mental health summary measure (r=0.36, 0.27). A high correlation was found between FAAM scores and global scale of functional status for SPORTS (r=0.73) but not for ADL (r=0.42). FAAM scores were greater in individuals who rated their function as normal or nearly normal compared with those who rated as abnormal or severely abnormal for SPORTS (P=0.04) but not for ADL (P=0.15).

CONCLUSION

The Persian version of FAAM is a reliable and valid measure to quantify physical functioning in patients with foot and ankle disorders.

Health status in patients with disturbed sleep and obstructive sleep apnea

The health status of 435 consecutive patients with sleep disturbances necessitating polysomnography was investigated. Patients underwent overnight polysomnography and health status assessment, including the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 Health Survey and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Based on a respiratory distress index (RDI) greater than 10 to define apnea, patients with apnea were significantly (P < 0.05) more likely to be male, be older, and have higher body mass index and lower oxygen saturation levels than patients without apnea. Multiple domains of the SF-36 Health Survey and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were significantly worse (P < 0.05) for this population when normative data were compared. Although few differences were observed between the apneic and nonapneic patients when a cutoff point for apnea was defined as an RDI greater than 10 or 20, increasing RDI was significantly associated with worsening physical functioning scores. Overall, decrements in health status measures were more strongly correlated with the number of oxygen desaturations below 85% than with increasing RDI. We conclude that patients with sleep disturbances demonstrate significant decrements in general and sleep-specific health status, but these decrements are more closely associated with oxygen desaturation than RDI.

Outcomes of septoplasty

A prospective nonrandomized study of consecutive patients presenting to the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary for septoplasty was conducted to evaluate patient-based outcome. Patients received statistically validated measures of general health status (Short Form-12) and nasal specific health (Nasal Health Survey) before and 6 and 12 months after surgery. Multiple perioperative patient- and surgeon-dependent treatment variables were also evaluated to determine the impact on outcome. A total of 161 patients were entered into the study, and 93 were available for statistical analysis. At 9 months the mean follow-up (range 6-12 months), both symptom and medication subscores of the Nasal Health Survey, and the total score demonstrated significant improvement (P < 0.05); 71% of patients had clinically significant improvement as determined by at least a 50% decrease in duration of nasal symptoms. Measures of general health did not differ significantly from normative values at baseline and did not change after surgical intervention. Predictor analysis revealed that female gender and a history of previous nasal surgery predicted worse outcome.

Stapled cystograstrotomy. A method of treatment for pediatric pancreatic pseudocyst

An uncommon complication of pancreatic inflammatory disease or pancreatic trauma in children is the development of a pseudocyst. The English literature records less than 100 cases in children and emphasizes that surgical intervention is the indicated form of treatment. The authors have had experience with nine pediatric patients suffering from pseudocysts in a seven year period. All except one were successfully treated by internal drainage; the other spontaneously resolved. Four had cystogastrostomy using a stapler. This method is discussed as far as indications, technique, advantages and complications.

Nectotizing enterocolitis: is there a place for resection and primary anatomosis?

While most situations of peritonitis, perforation and compromised blood flow in necrotizing enterocolitis are best handled by resection and stoma formation, primary resection and anastomosis should be considered in selected cases. Nine premature infants with NEC underwent bowel resection with primary anastomosis in the face of localized perforation and peritonitis. Eight survived and had no problems when oral alimentation was started. One patient with small bowel involvement underwent two anastomoses rather than a high jejunostomy; the proximal anastomosis leaked and led to the death of the patient.