Toxic heavy metals of agricultural products in developing countries and its human health risk assessment: A study from Iran.

Food toxicity through heavy metals, particularly from cereal consumption, poses significant threats to human health. This study studied various toxic heavy metals (Pb, As, Cr, Cd, Co, Hg, and Ag) in cereal products and their human health risk assessment in Ilam province, Iran. This study analyzed 30 samples of the most commonly cultivated cereals (wheat, rice, corn, pea, and lentil) in Ilam province.

Degradation of azo dye (direct red 89) using HO/periodate process-parameter optimization and mixture composition evaluation.

As a fast and efficient process, a periodate (PI)-based advanced oxidation process was used to degrade direct red 89 (DR89), wherein hydrogen peroxide (HO) was employed to activate PI (HO/PI process) to investigate the effect of operating parameters and mixture composition. The PI was efficiently activated by HO to degrade 67% of DR89 within 1 min. Acidic pH was more favorable to high-efficiency degradation than the basic pH; at pH 3 degradation rate was 94.

Blood Pressure Predicted From Artificial Intelligence Analysis of Retinal Images Correlates With Future Cardiovascular Events.

Background: High systolic blood pressure (SBP) is one of the leading modifiable risk factors for premature cardiovascular death. The retinal vasculature exhibits well-documented adaptations to high SBP and these vascular changes are known to correlate with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) events.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine whether using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict an individual's SBP from retinal images would more accurately correlate with future ASCVD events compared to measured SBP.

Hair and urinary 2-hydroxynaphthalene levels in the people living in a region with frequent oil pipeline incidents in Iran: Health risk assessment.

Oil spills from pipeline accidents can have long-lasting health effects on residents of polluted regions. Assessing the potential health risk of these accidents is crucial for effective environmental health management. This study analyzed the concentration of 2-OHNAP in urine and hair as biomarkers of PAHs exposure among the people living in a region with frequent oil pipeline incident in Iran.

Co-occurrence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals in various environmental matrices of a chronic petroleum polluted region in Iran; Pollution characterization, and assessment of ecological and human health risks.

Oil spills from pipeline accidents can result in long-lasting health effect in the people living in a ‎polluted region‎. In this study, the level of the 16 US EPA priority polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs‎) and heavy metals (HMs) have been ‎analyzed in environmental matrices of a region with frequent oil ‎pipeline accidents in Iran‎.‎ The results showed that the mean ‎concentration of ΣPAHs and ΣHMs decreased from the upstream to the downstream and also the levels were ‎higher in the wet season than those in the dry season.

Comparison of zinc levels in mothers with and without abortion: A systematic review and meta-analysiss.

Introduction: Zinc is an essential trace element involved in different physiological functions. During pregnancy, it plays a crucial role in healthy embryogenesis. Abortion is the most severe problem associated with early pregnancy complications.

3D gait analysis in children using wearable sensors: feasibility of predicting joint kinematics and kinetics with personalized machine learning models and inertial measurement units.

Children's walking patterns evolve with age, exhibiting less repetitiveness at a young age and more variability than adults. Three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) is crucial for understanding and treating lower limb movement disorders in children, traditionally performed using Optical Motion Capture (OMC). Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) offer a cost-effective alternative to OMC, although challenges like drift errors persist.

Neglected cervical meningocele in an adult: illustrative case.

Background: Posterior cervical meningoceles are rare in adults because most are surgically excised early in life. Such meningoceles in adults are mostly presented as a cystic mass and their presentation as a solid mass is very rare.

Observations: An asymptomatic adult with cervical meningocele presented as a congenital midline skin covered solid mass in the posterior aspect of the neck is presented.

Development and validation of a biological risk assessment tool among hospital personnel under COVID-19 pandemic conditions.

The need for a biological disease risk assessment method to prevent the contagion of these diseases, particularly among healthcare personnel, is crucial. Therefore, this study aimed to develop and validate a biological risk assessment tool for biological agents among hospital personnel under COVID-19 conditions. This cross-sectional study was performed on 301 employees in two hospitals.

New insights into the role of metal(loid)s in the development of ulcerative colitis: a systematic review.

The relationship between heavy metals and ulcerative colitis (UC) was investigated in several studies, but their results were not consistent. Therefore, in this systematic review study, the positive and negative effects of metal(loid)s (Zn, Cu, Fe, Se, Pb, Ni, and As) on UC disease were investigated. In this systematic search, 13 original articles from 1993 to 2021 were identified in Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed, and the Web of Science databases.

Investigation of the levels of essential and non-essential metals in women with and without abortion history: A study based on the Persian population of the Shahrekord cohort.

Spontaneous abortion is a serious threat to the mothers' physical and mental well-being. The cause of spontaneous abortion is multifactorial disease. Prenatal non-essential metal exposure, particularly heavy metals, has been suggested to be associated with adverse pregnancy and birth outcomes.

A systematic review on environmental perspectives of monkeypox virus.

Monkeypox (MPX) is one of the common infections between humans and animals that caused by a virus belonging to the Orthopoxvirus genus. The Monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak is a global crisis triggered by environmental factors (virus, wastewater, surface, air) and amplified by the decisions of government officials and communities. The aim of this systematic review is to describe the environmental perspectives of MPXV with emphasis on risk assessment to prevent and control a new pandemic.

A review on insights and lessons from COVID-19 to the prevent of monkeypox pandemic.

Re-emerging of monkeypox virus (MPXV), a neglected viral zoonotic disease, is a potential global threat. In the current COVID-19 pandemic status, the increasing reporting of positive cases of human MPXV in most countries of the world is a major reason for concern. This paper aims to describe the insights and lessons from COVID-19 pandemic in preventing the impending danger MPXV.

Statin Use in COVID-19 Hospitalized Patients and Outcomes: A Retrospective Study.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) might affect everyone, but people with comorbidities such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease (CVD) may often have more severe complications and worse outcomes. Although vaccinations are being performed worldwide, it will take a long time until the entire population of the world is vaccinated. On the other hand, we are witnessing the emergence of new variants of this virus.

Design, Fabrication, and Accuracy of a Novel Noncovering Lock-Mechanism Bilateral Patient-Specific Drill Guide Template for Nondeformed and Deformed Thoracic Spines.

: Pedicle screw (PS) placement has been widely used in fusion surgeries on the thoracic spine. Achieving cost-effective yet accurate placements through nonradiation techniques remains challenging. : Novel noncovering lock-mechanism bilateral vertebra-specific drill guides for PS placement were designed/fabricated, and their accuracy for both nondeformed and deformed thoracic spines was tested.

Geo-climatic factors and prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis in pregnant women: A meta-analysis and meta-regression.

In this study, we evaluated the effects of geo-climatic parameters and other potential risk factors on the prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis (CT) in pregnant women. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and SciELO databases for seroepidemiological studies published between January 1988, and February 2021. We performed meta-analysis and meta-regression by using a random effect model to synthesize data.

Simultaneous anaerobic decolorization/degradation of Reactive Black-5 azo dye and chromium(VI) removal by Bacillus cereus strain MS038EH followed by UV-C/HO post-treatment for detoxification of biotransformed products.

The existence of synthetic dyes and heavy metals in textile wastewater is a serious problem. These compounds should be removed before discharge into the environment by an appropriate method. The present study was conducted for the characterization of efficient multi-functional strain Bacillus cereus MS038EH for the simultaneous removal of Reactive Black-5 and Chromium(VI).

Decolorization mechanism, identification of an FMN-dependent NADH-azoreductase from a moderately halotolerant Staphylococcus sp. MEH038S, and toxicity assessment of biotransformed metabolites.

The application of halotolerant microorganisms capable of decolorizing is attractive. Decolorization mechanism, the effect of different parameters on the decolorization percentage, and toxicity analysis of Reactive Black 5 before and after decolorization were investigated in the present study. The decolorization percentage for live cells of Staphylococcus sp.

Simultaneous monitoring of SARS-CoV-2, bacteria, and fungi in indoor air of hospital: a study on Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, Iran.

The novel SARS-CoV-2 outbreak was declared as pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. Understanding the airborne route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is essential for infection prevention and control. In this study, a total of 107 indoor air samples (45 SARS-CoV-2, 62 bacteria, and fungi) were collected from different wards of the Hajar Hospital in Shahrekord, Iran.

Outcome of patients with lumbar spinal canal stenosis due to discogenic under percutaneous laser disc decompression.

Background: The Percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) method was first described by Daniel Choy in Australia in 1987. Therefore, in this study, we examined the clinical signs and symptoms of patients with spinal canal stenosis due to disc protrusion after PLDD surgery.

Methods: In this clinical trial study, 43 patients with spinal canal stenosis due to lumbar disks who referred to Kashani and Zahra Marzieh educational hospitals from 2006 to 2016 were entered the study.

The High Potential of Ozone Gas to Inactivate Echinococcus granulosus Protoscoleces During Hydatid Cyst Surgery.

Background: In medicine, ozone therapy is effectively used in a broad spectrum of diseases. Reviews have shown that ozone gas demonstrates potent antimicrobial effects against a wide range of pathogenic microorganisms, such as oral bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasite even in resistant strains. The present investigation was designed to assess the protoscolicidal effects of ozone gas on hydatid cysts protoscoleces in vitro and in vivo.

Preparation, characterization and Cr(VI) adsorption evaluation of NaOH-activated carbon produced from Date Press Cake; an agro-industrial waste.

Date Press Cake (DPC) is an inevitable by-product of date processing industries and may pose environmental problems if not managed properly. In this study, DPC was converted into activated carbon using solid NaOH under various activation conditions. The prepared activated carbon showed high specific surface area (2025.

Performance evaluation of a scoria-compost biofilter treating xylene vapors.

The removal of xylene vapors was studied in a biofilter packed with a new hybrid (scoria/compost) packing material at various inlet loads (IL) and empty bed residence times (EBRT) of 90, 60, and 40s. The best performance was observed for EBRT of 90s, where a removal efficiency of 98% was obtained under steady state condition for inlet xylene concentration of 1.34 g m(-3), while a maximum elimination capacity of 97.