Investigation of the Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Effect on Thyroid and Testosterone Hormones in Male Rats

Exposure to zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) has been increasing steadily, causing more attention being paid to their potential toxicity, including cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effect of ZnO NPs on thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) as well as testosterone hormone in male adult rats. A total of 54 Sprague-Dawley albino adult male rats were divided into nine groups each of six rats, daily treated intraperitoneal with ZnO NPs two different doses (30 and 60) mg/kg in three different periods of time (7, 14, and 28) days, as following: Control groups (Groups 1, 2, and 3): Respectively received intraperitoneal injection with distilled water for 7, 14, and 28 days, experimental groups (Groups 4, 5, and 6): They were rats, respectively, received intraperitoneal dose (60 mg/kg) of ZnO NPs for (7, 14, and 28) days, and group (7, 8, and 9) experimental groups were rats, respectively, received intraperitoneal dose (30 mg/kg) of ZnO NPs for (7, 14, and 28) days. Data showed high significant decrease (P < 0.01) in level of T3, T4, TSH, and level of testosterone also decrease at high and low dose for 7, 14, and 28 days

بررسی میزان انواع خشونت خانگی و عوامل مرتبط با آن در مادران باردار منطقه کلاله

یافته‌ها: 312 نفر معادل 78 درصد از مادران باردار به اشکال مختلف مورد خشونت قرار گرفته بودند. شایع‌ترین نوع خشونت علیه مادران باردار، عاطفی بود و 78 نفر از زنان از خشونت جسمی و 53 نفر از خشونت جنسی شکایت داشتند. همچنین با افزایش تحصیلات خشونت علیه مادران کاهش پیدا کرد. بین خشونت خانگی و مصرف سیگار و عدم اشتغال همسر رابطه معناداری مشاهده شد Introduction: Violence against women is a universal phenomenon which has negative impact on the mental health of the family and society, and the consequences such as increased health care costs, reduced productivity and labor force of women are another results of this health and social cultural problem. So, this study was performed with aim to determine types of domestic violence and its related factors in pregnant women. Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was performed on 368 pregnant mothers in area of Kalaleh in 2014. Data were collected by simple sampling and using a questionnaire. Data was analyzed with SPSS software (version 19) and descriptive statistics and Fisher's exact test, Chi-square, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation test. Results: 312 pregnant women (84.78%) had been exposed to different types of violence. The most common type of violence against pregnant women was emotional with 181 cases (49.18%) and 78 (21.20%) complained of physical violence and 53 (14.40%) of sexual violence. Increased education reduced violence against women. There was a significant relationship between domestic violence, smoking and lack of husband's employment (P <0.05). Conclusion: According to high rate of domestic violence, it is recommended to screen violence in the all health and therapy centers. Also, life skills training and counseling culture among couples is important

Effects of sub-lethal concentrations of Euphorbia turcomanica extract on some liver biochemical parameters of Zebra Aphanius (Aphanius dispar)

In the present study, effects of sub-lethal concentrations of Euphorbia turcomanica extract with ranging from 0.00, 0.0055 (5% of LC50), 0.011 (10% of LC50) and 0.022 (20% of LC50) g/lit were investigated over 30 days on biochemical parameters of Zebra Aphanius (Aphanius dispar). The average (±SE) 24, 48, 72 and 96 LC50 rates of E. turcomanica on fish were 0.28±0.14, 0.19±0.06, 0.14±0.03 and 0.11±0.02 g/lit, respectively. The biochemical parameters including aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine phosphokinase (CK), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities in the liver tissue were measured after 15 and 30 days. Significant changes in AST, ALT, ALP, LDH and CK activities were observed in fish exposed to different concentrations of E. turcomanica extract when compared with control group. The significant increase was determined in AST, LDH and ALP while in ALT and CK, significant decrease was revealed. Also in liver total protein, a significant descending trend related to exposure time was demonstrated. In conclusion, the findings from this study provide basic information about toxicity of E. turcomanica extract on Zabra Aphanius, as well as developing guidelines for evaluating the effects of administration of E. turcomanica derivatives in water

The protective effect of vitamin C and chitosan on oxidative biomarkers in gills of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) exposed to cadmium chloride

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of antioxidants, vitamin C and chitosan, on oxidative stress markers in gills of fish during exposure to cadmium chloride. Fish were fed with either of commercial diet (control group), chitosan enriched diet (100 mg Kg-1 feed), Vitamin C enriched diet (100 mg Kg-1 feed), or chitosan + vitamin C enriched diet, and simultaneously exposed to 0.2 mg L-1 cadmium chloride for 21 days. At the end of experiment, oxidative stress biomarkers such as catalase activity, total antioxidant and malondialdehyde as well as cellular biochemical parameters including aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase activities were measured. The aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and catalase activities as well as malondialdehyde levels significantly increased in gill cells of fish exposed to cadmium chloride, while the cellular total antioxidant levels and alanine aminotransferase activity significantly decreased. Enzyme activities and malondialdehyde levels in fish treated with vitamin C and vitamin C combined with chitosan were returned to the normal level after 21 days. However, administration of vitamin C and chitosan did not have significant effect on the cellular total antioxidant. In conclusion, administration of natural antioxidant such as vitamin C and chitosan may increase the efficiency of the antioxidant defense system and detoxification of gill cells of fish exposed to cadmium chloride

EFFECTS OF SILVER NANOPARTICLES ON THYROID GLAND STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN FEMALE RATS

Objective: Due to their unique properties, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) gained a broad utilization in nano-based industries and medicine, which may expose human to increased levels of NPs. However, little is known about their potential harmful effects on endocrine physiology. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the potential dose- and time-dependent outcomes of AgNPs on serum levels of thyroid hormones and thyroid gland histology in female rats.Methods: A total of 60 female rats were divided into three groups (each of 20 animals), treated with AgNPs for (10, 20, and 30) days. Within each treatment period, animals were assigned into four subgroups each of five rats; control treated with vehicle and the others treated with 12.5, 25, and 50 mg/kg of AgNPs, respectively, by intraperitoneal injection. At the end of treatments, all rats were sacrificed; blood samples were obtained and analyzed for serum levels of T3, T4, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Thyroid gland was removed and weighed then kept in buffered formalin solution for microscopic examination.Results: The data showed a significant increase in the weight of the thyroid gland after 20 and 30 days of the treatment with 50 mg/kg of AgNPs, while the 25 mg/kg dose of AgNps resulted in significant increase only after 30 days. Serum levels of T3 and TSH were nonsignificantly altered by AgNPs in all the treatment groups. Thyroxin levels (T4) were significantly decreased after long-term exposure. Histological specimens of AgNPs treated group showed disturbance of the normal architecture of the thyroid tissue with degeneration of thyroid follicles and desquamated luminal cells.Conclusion: The results of the current study suggested the possible disrupting potential of long-term exposure to high level of AgNPs on thyroid gland function and histology in female rats

Calculating the Cost of Co2e Emitted to Generate the Required Electricity: Case Study of Lecture Rooms in the Faculty of Engineering- Universiti Putra Malaysia.

Malaysia is endowed with abundant supplies of non-renewable energy resources, especially oil and gas. However, its current oil and gas reserves are expected to be depleted within the next few years. If new oil fields are not found, Malaysia will have its oil depleted around 2030.Malaysia has actively participated and involved in key conventions regarding environment and sustainable development, such as Montreal Protocol and Kyoto Protocol. University Putra Malaysia (UPM) as one of the largest universities in Malaysia should try to make its energy consumption as efficient as possible and Faculty of Engineering may be the pioneer in this regard. As the result of this study we can see that only for generating the required electricity for the eight lecture rooms at faculty of engineering about RM 45 per day is the cost of Co2e emissions. In this study authors will calculate the cost of Co2e Emitted to Generate the Required Electricity for the Lecture Rooms in the Faculty of Engineering of Universiti Putra Malaysia

In vitro impact of hydro-alcoholic extract of Rosa damascena Mill. On rat ileum contractions and the mechanisms involved

Background: The petal's hydro-alcoholic extract of Rosa damascena Mill. on ileum contractions of Wistar rats and its possible mechanism were investigated. Methods: Forty-eight male Wistar rats were divided into six groups. Ileum was placed adjacent to propranolol (1 μM), naloxone (1 μM) and L-NAME (100 μM) and also under the influence of different doses (2-8 mM) of calcium chloride. Results: Cumulative extract of R. damascena Mill. (100, 500, and 1000 mg/L) decreased ileum contractions induced by KCl (60 mM) in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.0001). Propranolol and naloxone significantly decreased the inhibitory effect of the extract on contractions induced by KCl (P < 0.001), but L-NAME was ineffective. Furthermore, calcium led to the contraction of depolarized tissue through KCI and this contractile effect decreased significantly induced by the cumulative concentrations of the extract (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results indicate that R. damascena Mill. dose-dependently (100, 500, and 1000 mg/L) decreases ileum movements of the rat probably through stimulating the β-adrenergic and opioid receptors and voltage-dependent calcium channels, and it may be used to treat digestive disorders

A numerical solution for addressing the overturning phenomena of heritage assets

Historical heritage represent a crucial aspect for societies and therefore it should be preserved from natural disasters such as earthquake. Base isolation systems are widely used to mitigate the horizontal effects of strong ground motions on important buildings and bridges, but there are also interesting applications on statues. However, such systems are characterized by properties that are quite different from the ones that belong to traditional civil structures. For this reason, national and international regulations are not exhaustive and actual dynamics of the system should be studied through numerical and experimental methods. Starting from analytical formulations, the paper investigates the sliding and rocking motion in details, being the typical one of statues under seismic loads. The presented numerical model describes the problem and is an alternative to the analytical formulation to perform several analyses automatically. In addition, it allows running parametric analyses to assess the influence of various parameters, such as eccentricity, stiffness, mass, geometric ratios, etc. Future work is geared to validate the numerical model trough performing experimental tests on shaking table

Vulnerability Assessment of a Civic Tower Using Ambient Vibration Tests

This paper focuses on the vulnerability assessment of a civic tower built in 1512, which is now considered a national monument. It is the original bell tower of S. Ambrogio church that was destroyed in 1809. Experimental investigations have been carried out on this historical tower. First, detailed investigations have been carried out to identify the geometry of the tower as well as the mechanical features of the constituting materials. Then, ambient vibration tests have been applied using five Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) sensors to detect of the main dynamic features, e.g., modal parameters and damping. Two output-only identification methods, including Frequency Domain Decomposition and Random Decrement Techniques, have been used. The outcomes of the modal identification have been employed to inform the FE model. The numerical analysis can be used for vulnerability assessment, providing a valuable picture of possible damage evolution, tower collapse mechanism, and subsequently, useful hints for the execution of structural retrofitting strategies

Effect of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles on pregnancy and testicular development of mice

this study, considering the high sensitivity of developing fetal organs, different doses of iron oxide nanoparticles coated with dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) were injected intraperitoneally to pregnant mice. The magnetic and structural properties of DMSA-coated nanoparticles were examined by Alternating Gradient-Force Magnetometry, X-Ray Diffraction and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy. The histological studies of the fetal liver and placenta sections showed presence of  nanoparticles in these organ systems. Weight change and the number of pups born by pregnant mice in comparison with controls were not significantly different. But, a significant decrease was seen in infants growth from the mothers treated with doses higher than 50 mg/kg. The testicular histological studies of these infants showed decrease in spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and mature sperm significantly. Although, some studies revealed the nontoxic effect of iron oxide nanoparticles in adult mice, the present study indicated that, the doses higher than 50 mg/kg of DMSA-coated magnetic nanoparticles can disrupt embryo development.Key words: Magnetic nanoparticles, pregnancy, testicular development, toxicity