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)

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

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

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

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

Removal behavior of gaseous furfural using a biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips

Furfural is a toxic compound that is widely used in various industries. Prolonged inhalation exposure to this pollutant, especially at workplaces, can induce detrimental health effects. Therefore it is important to remove it from the environment. The present study aimed to investigate furfural removal from polluted air streams using a biofilter system. In this regard, a 4-section biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips was operated for a 108 day-period under different operating conditions. The effects of pH (natural and acidic), inlet concentration (18.8�81.6 mg m�3), the height of biofilter layers (4 sections), and empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 120, 70, and 30 s on removal efficiency (RE) of the biofilter were evaluated. All sampling and measurements were performed according to standard methods. The RE values under neutral and acidic conditions were 80 and 65 , respectively. At furfural inlet concentrations in the ranges of 18.8�21.3, 35.25�42.7, and 78.4�81.6 mg m�3, the RE values were 81, 68, and 57 , respectively. Also, the RE values at EBRTs of 120, 70, and 30 s were 83, 73, and 61 , respectively. About half of the total RE was related to the first section of the biofilter, where the number of bacterial (6.2 log10 CFU g-1) and fungal (5.8 log10 CFU g-1) were higher than the other sections. Due to the high RE (72 ) and low pressure drop (below 43 Pa m-1) of the biofilter, it can be concluded that biofiltration is a suitable process to remove furfural from the air. © 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineer

Removal behavior of gaseous furfural using a biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips

Furfural is a toxic compound that is widely used in various industries. Prolonged inhalation exposure to this pollutant, especially at workplaces, can induce detrimental health effects. Therefore it is important to remove it from the environment. The present study aimed to investigate furfural removal from polluted air streams using a biofilter system. In this regard, a 4-section biofilter packed with perlite, ripe compost, and oak woodchips was operated for a 108 day-period under different operating conditions. The effects of pH (natural and acidic), inlet concentration (18.8�81.6 mg m�3), the height of biofilter layers (4 sections), and empty bed residence times (EBRTs) of 120, 70, and 30 s on removal efficiency (RE) of the biofilter were evaluated. All sampling and measurements were performed according to standard methods. The RE values under neutral and acidic conditions were 80 and 65 , respectively. At furfural inlet concentrations in the ranges of 18.8�21.3, 35.25�42.7, and 78.4�81.6 mg m�3, the RE values were 81, 68, and 57 , respectively. Also, the RE values at EBRTs of 120, 70, and 30 s were 83, 73, and 61 , respectively. About half of the total RE was related to the first section of the biofilter, where the number of bacterial (6.2 log10 CFU g-1) and fungal (5.8 log10 CFU g-1) were higher than the other sections. Due to the high RE (72 ) and low pressure drop (below 43 Pa m-1) of the biofilter, it can be concluded that biofiltration is a suitable process to remove furfural from the air. © 2020 Institution of Chemical Engineer