Meta-analysis: COVID-19 diagnosis in chest CT�master key for radiologists

Background: COVID-19 was discovered in February in China. Due to the high prevalence of the disease, early detection and rapid isolation of patients are the vital points for controlling the outbreak. The purpose of this study was to determine the correct location of chest CT scan in the diagnosis of COVID-19. Main text: The current study is a systematic review and meta-analysis. 2959 papers were found in all national and international databases. The study has been reported based on the PRISMA checklist. All analyses were done by CMA Ver. 2 software. The statistical analysis results show that the GGO observation level in the available shape was 46 in CT scan results, and the consolidation observation level in the general form was 33 in CT scan results. Pleural effusion was 7, and linear opacity observation level was 24 in CT scan results in the general form. The CT scan test sensitivity level was gained 94.7, and PCR test sensitivity level was achieved as 94.8. This level was 89 in the early stage. Conclusion: The chest CT has about 24 higher diagnostic sensitivity than the PCR test, in the early stage. GGO revealed a declining process and also indicates that GGO is an early symptom of the disease in CT scan. Linear opacity is the reason behind the initial dyspnea in coronavirus suffering patients referring to the medical centers. The extra-pulmonary lesions increase in the last stage of the disease that makes the patient�s worse. © 2021, The Author(s)

The Relationship between Air Pollution and Brain Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: There is very little epidemiological evidence on the effects of ambient air pollution on brain tumor risk. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between exposure to air pollution and the incidence of brain tumors. Methods: A comprehensive literature search in five international databases, including PubMed/Medline, ProQuest, Scopus, Embase, and ISI/WOS on April 15, 2019, was conducted. The methodology of the present study was based on the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) statement. The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Form was used to evaluate the quality of the selected papers. Results: Five studies that measured adult brain tumors as well as their long-term exposure to at least one of the pollutants criteria for air pollution, PM2.5 absorbance, and proximity to traffic (Trafnear) were reviewed. The results showed that the pooled relative risk (RR) for incidence of brain tumor and long term exposure to Trafnear, PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance, O3 and NOx were RR = 1.07, (95% CI 0.99–1.16), P = 0.079, for Trafnear; RR = 0.90, (95% CI 0.80–1.00), P = 0.064 for PM2.5; RR = 1.63, (95% CI 1.04–2.55), P = 0.031 for PM2.5 absorbance; RR = 1.3, (95% CI 1.03–1.6), P = 0.023 for O3; and RR = 1.16, (95% CI 0.93–1.45), P = 0.173 for NOx. Exposure to other air pollutants had no statistically significant association with brain tumor incidence. Conclusion: The results showed that exposure to air pollutants, such as O3 and PM2.5 absorbance, had the highest correlation with brain tumor incidence. They also showed an absence of correlation between exposure to certain pollutants (SO2, CO, NO2, PM10, PM2.5) and brain tumor incidence

Main challenges caused by the epidemic on hospital waste management and their control methods: A case study based on the experience of the Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic lead to increase in the generation of medical wastes and a change in the proportion of infectious wastes. In this the status of waste management in 10 hospitals in Tehran during the covid-19 pandemic was investigated. The results showed that the increase in the medical wastes in the hospitals studied was 6% 212%. Thus, during the pandemic, on average, 592.4 kg/day and 732.7 kg/day more wastes were generated in private and public hospitals, respectively. Also, the ratio of common wastes in private and public hospitals decreased by an average of 12 and 9%, respectively, compared to before the pandemic. On the other hand, the generation of infectious wastes in public and private hospitals increased by 2125 kg/day (7.4%) and 2514 kg/day (11.3%), respectively. The lack of capacity of equipment for waste storage and treatment was on average 26.9% and 45.3%, respectively. The experience of the studied hospitals in applying the flexible method of waste management and the use of on-site treatment equipment, which led to the control of the challenges caused by the pandemic, can be considered in developing societies

Effect of land use changes on non-carcinogenic health risks due to nitrate exposure to drinking groundwater

This study aimed to determine the effect of land-use changes on the non-carcinogenic health risk of nitrate ion exposure of underground drinking water resources in Shiraz (Iran). To this end, 175 chemical samples for the nitrate analysis were regularly taken from 35 drinking water wells of Shiraz from 2013 to 2017, and their results were zoned using GIS. Hazard quotient (HQ) induced by nitrate ion exposure was determined in four age groups: infants, children, adolescents, and adults. Area changes of four types of land-use, including residential, agricultural and green space, industrial, and bare land within a radius of 400 m of drinking water wells, were determined using the GIS and Google Earth software. Then, all data was imported to Matlab 2018 for statistical analysis. The results showed that mean nitrate concentration increased by 2.5 mg L-1 from 2013 to 2017. According to the zoning map, 5 and 11.4% of the area in 2013 and 2017, respectively, exceeded the drinking water standard set by nitrate (i.e., 50 mg/L). Air temperature and precipitation variations also influenced nitrate concentrations and HQ changes (Rtemperature = 0.67). Children's age group was the most vulnerable, and during the study period, this vulnerability was an increasing trend, so that the HQ from 0.93 in 2013 to 0.97 in 2017 has increased. The rate of land-use changes in agricultural, industrial, bare, and urban was -1.8%, 1.3%, -4.6%, and 2.1%, respectively, and the highest correlation was observed between HQ and Diff.l residential land use (Rinfant = 0.55). According to the results, the most influential factor in HQ was air temperature (R = 0.66), and urban land-use change (R > 0.44). To sum up, this study's results showed that land-use changes, especially urban and residential development, significantly affect groundwater nitrate concentration and its degree of HQ. Moreover, increasing temperature and decreasing annual precipitation can also increase the severity of this risk.The results presented in this study are from the performed research projects at Behbahan Faculty of Medical Sciences (Research Intercept Code: 98067). Availability of data and materials All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article.Peer reviewe

Estimation of the groundwater quality index and investigation of the affecting factors their changes in Shiraz drinking groundwater, Iran

This study aimed to determine the groundwater quality index (WQI) and investigate the anthropogenic factors causing changes in this index in Shiraz plain. This research studied the quality of groundwater of 35 wells for five years. Groundwater samples were analyzed for pH, TDS, TH, HCO3�1, Cl�1, F�1, SO4�2, Ca+2, Mg+2, No3-1, and Na+1 and a microbial parameter was analyzed to compute the water quality index (WQI). Factors Affecting was evaluated using field studies, Google Earth, and multivariate statistical analysis and piper diagram. The computed WQI values ranged from 40.01 to 117.38. Overall, 5.7 of groundwater sites sampled had excellent water quality, while 65.7 were good. 28.6 of the samples indicated poor water quality. The zoning results showed that the water quality index (WQI) was worsening from northwest to southeast and from northeast to southeast. The correlation between water quality index WQI and changes in industrial land use and between water quality index (WQI) and changes in the unused lands were 0.46, and 0.35, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) on the chemical parameters revealed two factors that account for about 77.44 of the total variance in groundwater quality data set; the first factor (with high Eigen values) indicates that variation in water quality is due to natural origin. According to the results of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), there are three quality groups in groundwater of the research area: the first group of 8 wells, the second group of 11 wells, and the third group of 16 wells. In this context, the Piper diagram also indicates groundwater facies of the study area were Ca2+ - Mg2+ HCO3�; this is also due to water interaction, the limestone of a karst aquifer. The groundwater hydro-chemical in the study area is the majority of human activity, but it is influenced to some degree by the natural process. © 202

Assessing fluoride and nitrate contaminants in drinking water resources and their health risk assessment in a Semiarid region of Southwest Iran

Spatial and temporal variability of fluoride and nitrate in groundwater resources of rural area of Saravan county, Iran were analyzed 2013�2017 using GIS (V10.3). The results were used for human health risk assessment, using probabilistic techniques. The annual mean concentration of fluoride during 2013 to 2017 in villages of Saravan county was 0.42, 0.62, 0.67, 0.57, and 0.55 mg L �1 , and the maximum values were 1.1, 1.42, 1.76, 1.46, and 1.3 mg L �1 , respectively. Also, the annual mean concentration of nitrate during 2013 to 2017 in Saravan county villages were 12.53, 14.1, 15.43, 14.34, and 14.02, and the maximum values were 66.1, 80, 35.6, 76.12, and 40 mg L �1 , respectively. Spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal variability of fluoride and nitrate in groundwater resources were relatively not constant over the years. The calculated HQ value of fluoride was for groups of infant (0.013�0.235), children (0.035�1.83), teenagers (0.067�1.1), and adults (0.053�0.94). The maximum HQ value was >1 for children and teenagers during the study period. Meanwhile, the HQ values of nitrate were (0.005�0.4) for infants, (0.035�2.69) children, (0.025�2) teenagers, and (0.02�1.6) for adults. Hence, the maximum HQ value was >1 for children, teenagers, and adult during the study period. This study showed that children, teenagers, and adult are vulnerable groups at risk of non-carcinogenic hazards for being exposed to drinking water with high fluoride and nitrate concentration. © 2019 Desalination Publications. All rights reserved

Retraction notice to �A survey of the secondary exposure to organophosphate and organochlorine pesticides and the impact of preventive factors in female villagers� Chem. 240 (2020) 124887(S0045653519321265)(10.1016/j.chemosphere.2019.124887)

This article has been retracted: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (https://www.elsevier.com/about/our-business/policies/article-withdrawal). This article has been retracted at the request of the authors and Editor-in-Chief. This paper has been retracted because the authors have found numerous errors in their method used for the analysis of the various pesticides. The extent of the errors is too large to make a simple correction possible. © 2020 Elsevier Lt

The effects of short-term exposure to selected heavy metals carried by airborne fine particles on neural biomarkers during dust storms

International audienceThis study aimed to investigate the effects of short-term ambient environmental exposure to fine particles and heavy metals (HMs) on neural biomarkers of people within dust storm conditions. From 44 healthy volunteers, who had already been identified, blood and urine samples were taken 24 h before the dust storm. Their blood and urine samples were taken 24 h after exposure. Vanillylmandelic acid (VMA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured as urine markers, while neuron-specific enolase (NSE), cortisol, S100 beta, and white blood cells (WBCs) were tracked as blood markers. Eleven HMs (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cr, Co, Al, Ni, Pb, Cd, As, and Cu) correlated with fine particles were measured in both normal and dusty days. The mean concentration of fine particles on normal and dusty days was 60.21 and 238.8 mu g m(-3), respectively. The mean value of the post-exposure NSE and S100 beta was 0.59 ng/L-1 (p = 0.002) and 5.61 ng/L-1 (p <= 0.004) higher than that of the pre-exposure respectively. However, the average blood cortisol level decreased by 3.12 ng mL(-1) after exposure compared to before it. The mean post-exposure HVA was 0.59 mg g(-1) creatinine (CRT) higher than the mean pre-exposure HVA value, which was statistically significant (p = 0.000). Ni (r = 0.6), Cd (r = 0.85), and Fe (r = 0.7) caused an increase in the NSE biomarker. Metal compounds and toxicity of fine particles in dust storms may affect biological markers related to nervous system function and systemic physiological stress

A survey of the secondary exposure to organophosphate and organochlorine pesticides and the impact of preventive factors in female villagers

Organophosphates (OPs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are two main types of pesticides that are widely used worldwide, and their toxicities have been reported in high-risk individuals, such as farmers and their wives. The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of mentioned pesticides in farmers' wives (FWs) and compare them with the control group; we also aimed to assess the effect of personal health factors on the biochemical parameters. This case-control study was conducted on two FWs and control groups, consisting of 124 and 62 individuals, respectively. Serum levels of OCPs were measured using gas chromatography (GC) method. In addition, the activity of acetylcholine esterase (AChE), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) were evaluated in all participants. Additionally, the observance of personal health guidelines was assessed. Serum levels of OCPs in the FWs group were significantly higher than the controls. In addition, AChE activity in FWs was significantly lower than the controls. Moreover, it was found that higher levels of education lead to a better observation of most individual health guidelines, which results in reducing the biological adverse effects of pesticides. The results of this study indicated that the use of OCPs, as an illegal pesticide with known toxic and carcinogenic effects, has spread to southern Iran, which may have biological toxic effects. Also, observing the personal health points significantly reduced these complications and it is, therefore, recommended that more attention should be paid to this issue. Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved