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•TiO2 nanoparticles can compensate damages induced by ultraviolet-B radiation.•The application of TiO2 nanoparticles increased content of total phenolics and total flavonoids in ...saffron stigmas.•TiO2 nanoparticles enhanced the antioxidant activity of saffron stigmas.
Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is one of the most commonly known and expensive medicinal and aromatic plants in the world from which dried stigmas are consumed. Saffron includes 85 species and has a special place among industrial and export commodities. Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation causes the generation of oxygen free radicals, which disrupt the balance of metabolism in cells. The present study aimed to explore the application of titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2 NPs) on saffron exposed to harmful UV-B radiation, in order to evaluate their effect against photo – oxidative stress. Saffron plants were grown in the hydroponic system in a greenhouse for 45 days. After the three-leaf stage, they were exposed to UV-B radiation for 30 and 45 min on a daily basis for one month. TiO2 NPs were used at two concentrations of 25 and 50 mg/L as the foliar application before UV-B exposure every day. The plants were harvested 75 days later and their growth, chemical and antioxidant parameters were measured. The results showed that UV-B exposure was related to lower plant length, fresh and dry weight, and leaf number. The simultaneous UV-B exposure and TiO2 NPs application resulted in the loss of dissolved sugars and the increased content of total anthocyanins and malondialdehyde (MDA) in saffron leaves. Besides, content of UV-B absorbents (total phenolics and total flavonoids) and radical scavenging activity ((DPPH) in saffron stigmas were increased. The foliar application of TiO2 NPs counterbalanced some plant traits impaired by UV-B exposure as compared with plants only exposed to UV-B radiation. Due to the increased antioxidant activity of saffron stigmas, it could be assumed that the use of TiO2 NPs enhances the nutritive value of saffron.
Cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases (collectively referred to as cirrhosis in this paper) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, although the burden and underlying causes ...differ across locations and demographic groups. We report on results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2017 on the burden of cirrhosis and its trends since 1990, by cause, sex, and age, for 195 countries and territories.
We used data from vital registrations, vital registration samples, and verbal autopsies to estimate mortality. We modelled prevalence of total, compensated, and decompensated cirrhosis on the basis of hospital and claims data. Disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) were calculated as the sum of years of life lost due to premature death and years lived with disability. Estimates are presented as numbers and age-standardised or age-specific rates per 100 000 population, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs). All estimates are presented for five causes of cirrhosis: hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcohol-related liver disease, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and other causes. We compared mortality, prevalence, and DALY estimates with those expected according to the Socio-demographic Index (SDI) as a proxy for the development status of regions and countries.
In 2017, cirrhosis caused more than 1·32 million (95% UI 1·27–1·45) deaths (440 000 416 000–518 000; 33·3% in females and 883 000 838 000–967 000; 66·7% in males) globally, compared with less than 899 000 (829 000–948 000) deaths in 1990. Deaths due to cirrhosis constituted 2·4% (2·3–2·6) of total deaths globally in 2017 compared with 1·9% (1·8–2·0) in 1990. Despite an increase in the number of deaths, the age-standardised death rate decreased from 21·0 (19·2–22·3) per 100 000 population in 1990 to 16·5 (15·8–18·1) per 100 000 population in 2017. Sub-Saharan Africa had the highest age-standardised death rate among GBD super-regions for all years of the study period (32·2 25·8–38·6 deaths per 100 000 population in 2017), and the high-income super-region had the lowest (10·1 9·8–10·5 deaths per 100 000 population in 2017). The age-standardised death rate decreased or remained constant from 1990 to 2017 in all GBD regions except eastern Europe and central Asia, where the age-standardised death rate increased, primarily due to increases in alcohol-related liver disease prevalence. At the national level, the age-standardised death rate of cirrhosis was lowest in Singapore in 2017 (3·7 3·3–4·0 per 100 000 in 2017) and highest in Egypt in all years since 1990 (103·3 64·4–133·4 per 100 000 in 2017). There were 10·6 million (10·3–10·9) prevalent cases of decompensated cirrhosis and 112 million (107–119) prevalent cases of compensated cirrhosis globally in 2017. There was a significant increase in age-standardised prevalence rate of decompensated cirrhosis between 1990 and 2017. Cirrhosis caused by NASH had a steady age-standardised death rate throughout the study period, whereas the other four causes showed declines in age-standardised death rate. The age-standardised prevalence of compensated and decompensated cirrhosis due to NASH increased more than for any other cause of cirrhosis (by 33·2% for compensated cirrhosis and 54·8% for decompensated cirrhosis) over the study period. From 1990 to 2017, the number of prevalent cases more than doubled for compensated cirrhosis due to NASH and more than tripled for decompensated cirrhosis due to NASH. In 2017, age-standardised death and DALY rates were lower among countries and territories with higher SDI.
Cirrhosis imposes a substantial health burden on many countries and this burden has increased at the global level since 1990, partly due to population growth and ageing. Although the age-standardised death and DALY rates of cirrhosis decreased from 1990 to 2017, numbers of deaths and DALYs and the proportion of all global deaths due to cirrhosis increased. Despite the availability of effective interventions for the prevention and treatment of hepatitis B and C, they were still the main causes of cirrhosis burden worldwide, particularly in low-income countries. The impact of hepatitis B and C is expected to be attenuated and overtaken by that of NASH in the near future. Cost-effective interventions are required to continue the prevention and treatment of viral hepatitis, and to achieve early diagnosis and prevention of cirrhosis due to alcohol-related liver disease and NASH.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
This paper reports on developing a low cost but efficient paired emitter-detector diode (PEDD)-based photometer. The photometer consists of a white light-emitting diode (LED) as the emitter diode, an ...RGB LED as the detector diode, and a multimeter for recoding the signal. The developed PEDD-based photometer was utilized for the determination of liquid bleach adulteration in cow milk samples. N,N-Diethyl-p-phenylenediamine sulfate aqueous solution of pH 6 was used as a probe to monitor the presence of residual active chlorine in milk. The results showed that the developed method could be used to determine sodium hypochlorite in the concentration range of 0.5 to 20.0 ppm Cl
with 0.14 and 0.46 ppm Cl
limit of detection and limit of quantification, respectively. The intraday and interday precisions of the method at two concentration levels of 5.5 and 13.7 ppm Cl
were 1.04% and 0.52%, and 1.81% and 1.02%, respectively. The recoveries of 114.2% and 106.9% were obtained for 5.5 and 13.7 ppm Cl
concentrations levels, respectively. Real sample analyzes results showed that "maybe" liquid bleach adulteration in milk is the case for local distributors of raw milk.
In this research, the levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were investigated in the marine sediments of Asaluyeh harbor, in the Persian Gulf. The samples were taken from industrial, ...semi-industrial and urban regions. The mean concentration levels of total (Σ) 18 detected PCBs were 514.32, 144.67 and 31.6 pg/g dw for the industrial, semi-industrial and urban sampling stations, respectively. Based on a multivariate statistical analysis, it was found that high contamination levels of PCBs in sediments collected along the Persian Gulf were associated with releases from local industries. Total organic carbon (TOC) content was significantly and positively correlated with the concentrations of PCB congeners. World Health Organization toxic equivalents (TEQs) for PCBs ranged from 0.04 to 2.66 pg TEQ/g dry weight (dw) in the coastal sediments. The TEQ values in this study were higher than many reported worldwide in the literature for sediments. This suggests that there are high levels of contamination in the area due to industrial and other human activities.
•This article introduces a novel fibre spreading assembly.•The design is based on lateral opening of fibres mixed with polymer powder slurry.•The process includes infusion of polymer particles ...between fibre filaments.•The spreader can open the fibre bundle via a reciprocating motion of rollers.•The effects of fixed or rotating rollers on fibre spreading are discussed.
In the current study, the effectiveness of a novel fibre spreading assembly for manufacturing of high-performance thermoplastic composites is evaluated. The spread of S2-glass fibre was measured after the fibre bundle was dipped in a resin bath containing polyetherether ketone (PEEK) powder slurry and subsequently passed through the spreading processes. The effects of motion frequency, amplitude and fixed or rotating rollers on the degree of fibre spreading were studied. A frequency of 5 Hz along with 6 mm of motion amplitude was found as one ideal combination in providing efficient and effective fibre spreading. Observations indicated that the width of the as received S2-glass fibre tow could be increased up to 7 times when rotating rollers were used, and up to 10 times when fixed rollers were utilised.
•Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of hospital-acquired infection and can lead to serious health issues due to associated complications and frequent recurrence. E. coli is a ...common causative agent of these illnesses.•Various reasons drive the need for alternative treatment methods, including antibiotic resistance, recurrent infections, antibiotic side effects, and individual preferences.•Currently, alternative methods such as sonodynamic therapy (SDT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), and herbal remedies are being utilized to treat infections like UTIs in many countries.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common type of nosocomial infection and severe health issues because of the difficulties and frequent recurrence. Today, alternative methods such as sonodynamic therapy (SDT), photodynamic therapy (PDT) and herbal materials use for treating infections like UTI in many countries.
We conducted searches of the biomedical databases (Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of sciences) to identify related studies from 2008 to 2023.
SDT aims to use ultrasound to activate a sonosensitizer, which causes a biological effect by raising reactive oxygen species (ROS). When bacteria are exposed to ROS, several important effects occur: oxidative damage, DNA damage, protein dysfunction etc. SDT with herbal medicine significantly reduced the number of colony-forming units and bactericidal activity for Klebsiella pneumonia and E. coli. PDT is a promising treatment for cancer and microbial infections, combining a photosensitiser, light and tissue molecular oxygen. It involves a photosensitizer, light source, and oxygen, with variations affecting microbial binding and bactericidal activity. Factors affecting antibacterial properties include plant type, growing conditions, harvesting, and processing. This review highlights the recent advancements in sonodynamic, photodynamic, herbal, and bio-material-based approaches in the treatment of E. coli infections.
These alternative therapies offer exciting prospects for addressing UTIs, especially in cases where traditional antibiotic treatments may be less effective. Further research and clinical studies are warranted to fully explore the potential of these innovative treatment modalities in combating UTIs and improving patient outcomes.
Better evaluation of existing health programmes, appropriate policy making against emerging health threats, and reducing inequalities in Iran rely on a comprehensive national and subnational ...breakdown of the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors.
In this systematic analysis, we present the national and subnational estimates of the burden of disease in Iran using the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We report trends in demographics, all-cause and cause-specific mortality, as well as years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) caused by major diseases and risk factors. A multi-intervention segmented-regression model was used to explore the overall impact of health sector changes and sanctions. For this analysis, we used a variety of sources and reports, including vital registration, census, and survey data to provide estimates of mortality and morbidity at the national and subnational level in Iran.
Iran, which had 84·3 million inhabitants in 2019, had a life expectancy of 79·6 years (95% uncertainty interval 79·2–79·9) in female individuals and 76·1 (75·6–76·5) in male individuals, an increase compared with 1990. The number of DALYs remained stable and reached 19·8 million (17·3–22·6) in 2019, of which 78·1% were caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) compared with 43·0% in 1990. During the study period, age-standardised DALY rates and YLL rates decreased considerably; however, YLDs remained nearly constant. The share of age-standardised YLDs contributing to the DALY rate steadily increased to 44·5% by 2019. With regard to the DALY rates of different provinces, inequalities were decreasing. From 1990 to 2019, although the number of DALYs attributed to all risk factors decreased by 16·8%, deaths attributable to all risk factors substantially grew by 43·8%. The regression results revealed a significant negative association between sanctions and health status.
The Iranian health-care system is encountering NCDs as its new challenge, which necessitates a coordinated multisectoral approach. Although the Iranian health-care system has been successful to some extent in controlling mortality, it has overlooked the burden of morbidity and need for rehabilitation. We did not capture alleviation of the burden of diseases in Iran following the 2004 and 2014 health sector reforms; however, the sanctions were associated with deaths of Iranians caused by NCDs.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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.
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•Effect of land use on heavy metals distribution investigated along the Persian Gulf.•The highest level of heavy metals was observed in industrial (IS) area.•Most metals were significantly correlated with other.•Presence of Zn, Cu, Pb in the industrial, urban, agricultural areas was noteworthy.•High ecotoxicological risk for aquatics in industrial and agricultural areas
Corneal diseases are among the most common causes of blindness worldwide. Regardless of the etiology, corneal opacity- or globe integrity-threatening conditions may necessitate corneal replacement ...procedures. Several procedure types are currently available to address these issues, based on the complexity and extent of injury. Corneal allograft or keratoplasty is considered to be first-line treatment in many cases. However, a significant proportion of the world’s population are reported to have no access to this option due to limitations in donor preparation. Thus, providing an appropriate, safe, and efficient synthetic implant (e.g., artificial cornea) may revolutionize this field. Nanotechnology, with its potential applications, has garnered a lot of recent attention in this area, however, there is seemingly a long way to go. This narrative review provides a brief overview of the therapeutic interventions for corneal pathologies, followed by a summary of current biomaterials used in corneal regeneration and a discussion of the nanotechnologies that can aid in the production of superior implants.
This experiment was aimed to determine the possible beneficial effects of dietary ascorbic acid (AA) on hematological indices, immune responses, and antioxidative capacity of
Oncorhynchus mykiss
...treated with antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC). A total of 150 fish were divided evenly among five experimental groups (30 fish of each, in 3 replicates) receiving diets containing OTC (0 and 100 mg per kg fish weight) and AA (100, 200, 400, and 800 mg per kg fish diet) for 28 days. Treatments include group A or control (100 mg AA without OTC), group B (100 mg AA with OTC), group C (200 mg AA with OTC), group D (400 mg AA with OTC), and group E (800 mg AA with OTC). The results obtained showed that the hematological indices (red blood cells, white blood cells, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and neutrophils), immunological parameters (plasma lysozyme, plasma complement, and skin mucus alkaline phosphatase activities), and antioxidant enzymes activities (superoxide dismutase and catalase) were significantly decreased by OTC in
O. mykiss
fed control diet (
P
< 0.05). The results also revealed that OTC significantly increased the activity of biochemical enzymes (aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and alkaline phosphatase) in the plasma of
O. mykiss
fed control diet (
P
< 0.05). However, in comparison to the control diet, feeding fish with higher amounts of AA (400 and 800 mg/kg diet) significantly restored the hematological, immunological, and antioxidative responses in OTC-treated groups (
p
< 0.05). These findings show that the dietary supplementation of AA at 400 or 800 mg/kg diet is beneficial in relieving
O. mykiss
from OTC-induced oxidative stress and immunosuppression.
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