Investigation of the association between pesticide exposure and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Shahedieh population in Yazd

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study aimed to investigate the effect of exposure to pesticides and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). In a cross-sectional study with a...     

Evaluation of the waste heat discharged from the Di-ammonium Phosphate production plant: a case study

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This work presents an energy analysis of an industrial plant of production of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP plant). It aims to evaluate the important...     

A Microscopic Study of Paper Decayed by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichoderma harzianum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paecilomyces variotii</Emphasis>

The current study is interested in evaluating the decay of cotton, Whatman and chemical pulp caused by Trichoderma harzianum and Paecilomyces variotii. The structural changes of the paper were evaluated by Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The SEM results show differences in hyphae colonization and paper decay patterns between studied species under the current study; P. variotii caused an eroded structure in the cotton (cavity forming), whereas the initial T. harzianum colonization produced rupture and erosion (soft-rot decay type II) for the three types of paper ,the gaps were elongated with sharp pointed ends, which consisted either of individual cavities or in chains. Moreover, FTIR results confirmed that there a relationship could be observed between fungal decay and crystalline cellulose content because the intensity of peaks at 1335 and 1111 cm^?1 significantly decreased due to the fungal decay. Furthermore, the intensity of O–H stretching absorption slightly decreased, and this may be attributed to hydrolysis of cellulose molecules.     

COVID-19 and beliefs about tobacco use: an online cross-sectional study in Iran

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - There is mixed evidence surrounding the relationship between tobacco use and COVID-19 infection/progression. The current study investigates beliefs...     

Aminobenzenesulfonamide functionalized SBA-15 nanoporous molecular sieve: A new and promising adsorbent for preconcentration of lead and copper ions

A rapid method for the extraction and monitoring of nanogram level of Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺ ions using uniform silanized mesopor (SBA-15) functionalized with aminobenzenesulfonamide groups and flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) is presented. Aminobenzenesulfonamide functionalized SBA-15 was synthesized according to procedure in the literature and the presence of organic groups in the silica framework was demonstrated by FT-IR spectra. The functionalized product showed the BET surface area 110 m²/g and pore diameter 5.1 nm, based on adsorption-desorption of N₂ at 77 K. The effect of several variables such as (amount of adsorbent, stirring time, pH and presence of other ions in the medium) has been studied. Lead and copper were completely extracted at pH greater than 3 after stirring for 10 min. The maximum capacity of the adsorbent was found to be 191.3 ± 1.4 and 155.0 ± 1.0 μg of lead and copper ions/mg functionalized SBA-15, respectively. The preconcentration factor of the method was found to be 200. The detection limit of the technique was 3.4 and 0.4 ng/mL for Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺, respectively. The applications of this methodology for real samples were examined by various water type, black tea and pepper samples.     

Recilia banda Kramer (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), a vector of Napier stunt phytoplasma in Kenya

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) is the most important fodder crop in smallholder dairy production systems in East Africa, characterized by small zero-grazing units. It is also an important trap crop used in the management of cereal stemborers in maize in the region. However, production of Napier grass in the region is severely constrained by Napier stunt disease. The etiology of the disease is known to be a phytoplasma, 16SrXI strain. However, the putative insect vector was yet unknown. We sampled and identified five leafhopper and three planthopper species associated with Napier grass and used them as candidates in pathogen transmission experiments. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), based on the highly conserved 16S gene, primed by P1/P6-R16F2n/R16R2 nested primer sets was used to diagnose phytoplasma on test plants and insects, before and after transmission experiments. Healthy plants were exposed for 60 days to insects that had fed on diseased plants and acquired phytoplasma. The plants were then incubated for another 30 days. Nested PCR analyses showed that 58.3% of plants exposed to Recilia banda Kramer (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) were positive for phytoplasma and developed characteristic stunt disease symptoms while 60% of R. banda insect samples were similarly phytoplasma positive. We compared the nucleotide sequences of the phytoplasma isolated from R. banda, Napier grass on which these insects were fed, and Napier grass infected by R. banda, and found them to be virtually identical. The results confirm that R. banda transmits Napier stunt phytoplasma in western Kenya, and may be the key vector of Napier stunt disease in this region.     

Association of serum lead and mercury level with cardiometabolic risk factors and liver enzymes in a nationally representative sample of adolescents: the CASPIAN-III study

This study aims to determine the difference of serum Pb and Hg levels in adolescents with or without metabolic syndrome (MetS) and the association of serum levels of these heavy metals with cardiometabolic risk factors and liver enzymes in Iranian adolescents. The study population consisted of 320 adolescents (160 with MetS and 160 healthy controls). The relationship between serum heavy metals and cardiometabolic risk factors was assessed by linear regression. The odds ratios (OR) of having metabolic syndrome across Pb and Hg quartiles were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. The mean (SD) of Pb and Hg concentrations were higher in adolescents with MetS than in those without it (0.83 (0.27) and 0.17 (0.01) vs. 0.65 (0.15) and 0.10 (0.08)?μg/L, P?=?0.01 and 0.0001, respectively). Increase in serum Pb and Hg was associated with increase in some cardiometabolic risk factors. Among boys and girls, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting blood glucose, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and alanine aminotransaminase increased significantly across quartiles of serum Pb. Among girls, SBP, DBP, TC, and TG had a significant increase across Hg quartiles. The corresponding figure among boys was significant for SBP, DBP, and TG. Higher quartiles of Pb increased the risk of having MetS (OR 95 % CI 3.10, 2.25–4.27), the corresponding figure was 2.03, 1.75–3.16, across Hg quartiles. Our study showed significant associations between serum Pb and Hg levels with cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents. In future surveys, the role of potential confounders should be considered more extensively. The clinical significance of these findings needs to be confirmed in longitudinal studies. By considering the origins of chronic diseases from early life, controlling environmental pollutants should be considered as a health priority for primordial or primary prevention of noncommunicable diseases.     

Antioxidant properties and instrumental quality characteristics of spray dried Pangasius visceral protein hydrolysate prepared by chemical and enzymatic methods

Fish protein hydrolysates are digested form of protein with various bioactive properties where, the cleavages of molecular bonds of proteins can be broken by the enzymatic and chemical process. In this study, antioxidant properties of spray dried protein hydrolysate prepared from Pangasius viscera by using enzymatic (papain and pepsin), and chemical methods (hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide) were evaluated. Among the different treatments, pepsin-derived visceral protein hydrolysate showed the maximum antioxidant activity when used at higher concentrations. Essential amino acids (EAA) and hydrophobic amino acids are higher in papain-derived visceral protein hydrolysate. In pepsin-derived visceral protein hydrolysate, major proportion was contributed by glycine (Gly), glutamine (Glu), proline (Pro), and asparagine (Asp). Higher amount of aromatic amino acids are found in alkali-derived FVPH. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of pepsin fish visceral protein hydrolysate showed better globular structure than the other treatments. It can be concluded that among the different treatments, the visceral protein hydrolysate prepared with pepsin had better overall quality regarding antioxidant properties and papain in nutritional point of view.

     

Evaluation of hydroxyapatite/poly(acrylamide-acrylic acid) for sorptive removal of strontium ions from aqueous solution

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - A composite polymer, hydroxyapatite/poly(acrylamide-acrylic acid), was synthesized by gamma-induced polymerization. The factors affecting the sorption...     

Job stress among resident physicians in Tanta University Hospitals,Egypt

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Resident physicians are the first-line health service providers, subjected to prolonged working hours, sleep deprivation and high job demands. Work...