Residential solid waste generation and classification study of ten headquarter cities of Azad Jammu & Kashmir,Pakistan

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Effective municipal solid waste collection and disposal system is not possible without reliable solid waste generation and classification data...     

Correlation of cadmium and aluminum in blood samples of kidney disorder patients with drinking water and tobacco smoking: related health risk

The combined exposure to aluminum (Al) and cadmium (Cd) causes more pronounced adverse health effects on humans. The kidneys are the main organs affected by internal exposure to Cd and Al via food and non-food items. The objective of present study was to measure the Al and Cd concentrations in cigarettes tobacco (branded and non-branded) and drinking water (domestic treated, ground and lake water) samples in southern part of Pakistan, to assess the risk due to ingestion of water and inhalation of cigarettes smoke containing high concentrations of both elements. The study population (kidney disorder and healthy) divided into two group based on consuming lake and ground water, while smoking non-branded cigarette as exposed, while drinking domestic treated water and smoking branded cigarette as non-exposed. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determined Cd and Al concentrations in tobacco, drinking water and blood samples. The resulted data indicated that the levels of Al and Cd in lake and underground water were higher than the permissible limit in drinking water recommended by the World Health Organization. The biochemical parameters of exposed and referent patients, especially urinary N-acetyl-h-glucosaminidase, were used as a biomarkers of kidney disorder. Exposed kidney disorder patients have higher levels of Cd and Al than the exposed referents subjects, while difference was significant when compared to resulted data of non-exposed patients and referents (p = 0.01–0.001). The pearson correlation showed positive correlation between both toxic element concentrations in water, cigarettes versus blood samples of exposed subjects (r = 0.20–0.67 and 0.71–0.82), while lower values were observed for non-exposed subjects (r = 0.123–0.423 and 0.331–0.425), respectively.

     

Protective effects of melatonin and vitamin E in acetamiprid-induced nephrotoxicity

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Investigation of probable toxic effects of acetamiprid (ACMP) on kidney and comparative analysis of the probable protective effects of vitamin E and...     

Determination of nickel in blood and serum samples of oropharyngeal cancer patients consumed smokeless tobacco products by cloud point extraction coupled with flame atomic absorption spectrometry

Oropharyngeal cancer is a significant public health issue in the world. The incidence of oropharyngeal cancer has been increased among people who have habit of chewing smokeless tobacco (SLT) in Pakistan. The aim of present study was to evaluate the concentration of nickel (Ni) in biological samples (whole blood, serum) of oral (n?=?95) and pharyngeal (n?=?84) male cancer patients. For comparison purposes, the biological samples of healthy age-matched referents (n?=?150), who consumed and did not consumed SLT products, were also analyzed for Ni levels. As the Ni level is very low in biological samples, a preconcentration procedure has been developed, prior to analysis of analyte by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). The Ni in acid-digested biological samples was complexed with ammonium pyrrolidinedithio carbamate (APDC), and a resulted complex was extracted in a surfactant Triton X-114. Acidic ethanol was added to the surfactant-rich phase prior to its analysis by FAAS. The chemical variables, such as pH, amounts of reagents (APDC, Triton X-114), temperature, incubation time, and sample volume were optimized. The resulted data indicated that concentration of Ni was higher in blood and serum samples of cancer patients as compared to that of referents who have or have not consumed different SLT products (p?=?0.012–0.001). It was also observed that healthy referents who consumed SLT products have two to threefold higher levels of Ni in both biological samples as compared to those who were not chewing SLT products (p? Figure

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Trust,political orientation,and environmental behavior

A growing body of large-N cross-national studies has identified key predictors of environmental behavior. Adopting a social dilemma perspective, where individuals must choose collective over self-interest to act pro-environmentally, integrated national datasets for 30 countries are used to examine the effects of generalized trust, trust in government, leftism, and post-materialism on three types of environmental behavior (intended action, informal action, and formal action). At the individual level, all predictors but institutional trust have significant positive effects on each type of behavior. Institutional trust is associated with greater willingness to make economic sacrifice for the environment and with less frequent informal environmental behavior, but it is unrelated to formal behavior. However, at the country level, the effect of trust is limited to intended behavior and depends on the type of trust. Individuals in countries with higher generalized trust averages are less willing to sacrifice for the environment, and those in countries with higher averages of institutional trust are more willing to do so.     

Analysis of cadmium, nickel, and lead in commercial moist and dry snuff used in Pakistan

The extent to which smokeless tobacco endangers human health is an ongoing subject of debate. In this study, concentrations of toxic metals, cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and nickel (Ni), were measured in different snuff products (dry brown and black and moist green and brown), available and consumed in Pakistan. Concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Ni were determined in 23 samples of various brands of snuff by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry, after microwave-assisted acid digestion. The reliability of methodology was assured by analyzing certified reference material. The resulted data of toxic metals in different snuff products are comparable to the existing information with limited exceptions. It was estimated that 10 g intake of different types of snuff could contribute 14–68, 17–47, and 20–73 % of the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake for Cd, Ni, and Pb, respectively.     

Evaluation of fresh and stored rainwater quality in fluoride and arsenic endemic area of Thar Desert,Pakistan

In the current study, the chemistry of fresh and stored rainwater of Thar Desert, Pakistan, was estimated during two consecutive monsoon periods. The present research deals with the variation in physicochemical parameters, total arsenic (As^t), inorganic arsenic species (Asⁱ, As^V, As^III), and fluoride (F^?) in stored rainwater (SRW) at different time intervals (1 week to 3 months). The pH of fresh rainwater (FRW) samples showed slightly acidic to neutral in nature (6.08–7.06) which were inconsistent with the reference pH value (5.6) of rainwater. The resulted data indicated that As^t and F^? levels in SRW were enhanced with time duration. The levels of As^t and F^? in SRW after different time intervals were found in the range of 194–683 μg/L and 10–35.4 mg/L, respectively. The values of As^t and F^? were 20–70 and 7–24 times higher than those of WHO permissible limits, 10 μg/L and 1.5 mg/L, respectively. The As^III was dominant species in SRW, which corresponds to >60 % of Asⁱ. The characteristics of the SRW revealed an unacceptable quality to consume for drinking and agricultural purposes in the studied area.     

Higher number of microplastics in tumoral colon tissues from patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma

Environmental Chemistry Letters - Microplastics have been detected in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, yet the toxic effects of microplastics on living organisms are poorly known. In particular,...     

Prenatal sonographic features of esophageal and ileal duplications at 18 weeks of gestation

We present a case of esophageal and ileal duplications at 18 weeks of gestation. Transabdominal ultrasonography of the fetus showed multiple cystic masses of 12 to 17 mm in diameter and continuity with each other in the abdomen and a unilocular cystic mass of 15 mm in diameter in the posterior mediastinum. The cystic mass filled the abdominal cavity with signs of intestinal obstruction. The thoracic cystic mass was tubular, sausage-shaped and behind the heart, which was displaced to the antero-lateral wall of the chest. Amniocentesis revealed a normal fetal karyotype 46,XY. Peristaltic movements in the abdominal cystic structure at 30 weeks of gestation suggested dilated intestinal loops. Follow-up ultrasound examinations showed polyhydramnios with amniotic fluid index of 30 cm and gradual enlargement of the cystic structures to 50 mm in the abdomen and 30 mm in the posterior mediastinum at 38 weeks of gestation. A male infant weighing 3900 g was delivered. Postnatal ultrasonographic examination and the findings of magnetic resonance imaging also suggested enteric duplication cysts. Prenatal diagnosis allowed prompt neonatal evaluation and surgical treatment of the esophageal and the ileal duplications, which was confirmed by pathological examination. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design and Characterization of PVA–Methacrylic Acid Based Smart Polymeric System for Controlled Release of Metoprolol

In the present work covalently crosslinked smart polymeric system of hydrogel based on poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and methacrylic acid (MA) was designed by free radical polymerization with different compositions using glyoxal (40 % water solution) as crosslinker. It was observed that swelling of hydrogel had a pronounced enhancing effect on increasing the concentration of MA due to availability of more ionized carboxylic groups of MA but produced an opposite effect on increasing the concentration of glyoxal owing to less porous structure. As far as PVA is concerned, swelling did not show significant effect on increasing the concentration of PVA. Hydrophilic polymer PVA rich in hydroxyl group pertained to be highly interactive with water. It was examined that the release of metoprolol tartrate decreased with increased concentration of glyoxal, but increased with increase in concentration of MA. PVA/MA hydrogel was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction to study the structure and crystallinity of hydrogel respectively. Morphology was studied through scanning electron microscopy. Furthermore differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were also performed to characterize thermal stability. It may be concluded that the mechanism of drug release was mainly non-Fickian diffusion.