Extraction and Purification of Ursolic Acid from the Apple Peel and in vitro Assessment of the Biochemical Antibacterial, Antioxidant and Wound Healing Characteristics

Background and Objective: Ursolic acid is a pentacyclic triterpenoid with various biological characteristics. The objective of this study was to investigate potentially biological activities of ursolic acid extracted from apple peels. Material and Methods: Ursolic acid was extracted from apple peels and purified using column chromatography. Then, the biochemical was analyzed using ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, high-performance thin-layer chromatography, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. Antimicrobial effects of the purified ursolic acid on pathogenic bacterial species of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were assessed using minimum inhibitory concentration and disc diffusion methods. Furthermore, the biochemical radical scavenging ability was assessed using 1,1-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl method. Wound healing characteristics of the purified ursolic acid was studied using scratch assay method. Results and Conclusion: Minimum inhibitory concentration and disc diffusion results verified antibacterial effects of ursolic acid on Gram-positive bacterial species. Ursolic acid at concentra-tions higher than 625 µg ml-1 showed significant antioxidant activity, compared to that vitamin C did as reference antioxidant. It was shown that migration and proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells can be promoted by the extracted ursolic acid, which was assessed via wound healing assays and 3(4,5‐dimethylthiazol‐2‐yl)‐2,5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide. Wound closure was 97%, revealed by the purified ursolic acid after 24 h. A low concentration of ursolic acid (< 20 µg ml-1) stimulated proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells; however, 100 µg ml-1 of the extracted ursolic acid decreased the number of viable cells within 24 h (p < 0.05). Purified ursolic acid (10 µg ml-1) was able to upregulate (almost two times) FLT1 and VEGF-A gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Results suggest that ursolic acid is an effective antioxidant and includes excellent antibiotic characteristics. In addition, it can affect endothelial cell proliferation, which is significant to enhance angiogenesis and improve wound healing processes

Transesterification of Waste Cooking Sunflower Oil by Porcine Pancreas Lipase Using Response Surface Methodology for Biodiesel Production

Background and Objective: Biodiesel production from recycled vegetable oils is considered as an economically acceptable alternative for fossil fuels in the recent years. In this work, porcine pancreas lipase as an active catalyst in transesterification reaction of waste cooking sunflower oil with methanol for biodiesel production was used.Material and Methods: In order to define optimum process parameters and predict the best results, response surface methodology and the central composite design was performed. The effects of methanol to oil molar ratio, lipase concentration and reaction temperature on transesterification were investigated. Biodiesel production was carried out in 25 ml shake flasks at 180 rpm for 72 h.Results and Conclusion: Under optimal conditions, the biodiesel yield was 75% which was nearly consistent with the predicted yield of 76%. At optimal conditions the molar ratio of methanol to oil, reaction temperature, and lipase percent were determined as 3:1, 44°C and 4.4%, respectively. Due to relatively high obtained yield, biodiesel production from waste cooking sunflower oil has provided a sound environmental and commercial process.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

The Prevalence of Sharp Object Injuries and Consequences in the Hospital Staff of the Qom Province

سابقه و هدف: آسيب‌هاي ناشي از ابزار برنده به‌عنوان يکي از خطرات مشاغل بهداشتي- درماني شناخته مي‌شود که پيشگيري از آن‌ها در دستورالعمل‌هاي ايمني مشاغل آورده شده است. اين مطالعه با هدف بررسي همه‌گيري‌شناسي آسيب‌هاي ناشي از ابزار برنده و پيامدهاي حاصل از آن‌ها در کارکنان بيمارستان‌هاي استان قم انجام‌ شد. روش بررسي: اين تحقيق به شکل توصيفي- تحليلي گذشته‌نگر بر روي پرونده‌هاي سه سال اخير کارکنان انجام شد. تجزيه و تحليل آماري داده ‌هاي اين مطالعه به‌وسيله‌ي نرم‌افزار SPSS انجام شد و براي مقايسه گروه‌ها از آزمون‌هاي آماري کاي مربع (k2) و تي تست (T-test) و آزمون دقيق فيشر (Fisher Exact test) استفاده شد. لازم به ذکر است به تمامي بيماران اين اطمينان داده شد که اطلاعات محرمانه باقي خواهد ماند و در صورت انتشار، اسامي افراد ذکر نخواهد شد. يافته‌ها: مجموعاً 100 نفر(59 زن و 41 مرد) از کارکنان بهداشتي درماني بيمارستان‌هاي موردمطالعه که سابقه ثبت صدمات ناشي از اجسام برنده را در پرونده داشتند وارد مطالعه شدند. ميانگين سني افراد آسيب‌ديده 4/6±42 سال و فراواني افراد بالاتر از 30 سال بيش از افراد کمتر از 30 سال بود (05/P<0). بيشترين درصد آسيب‌ها مربوط به پرستاران (و پيراپزشکان) با 47% و کمترين ميزان مربوط به پزشکان با 15% موارد بود (05/P<0) که اغلب در نوبت شب (57%) و بخش‌هاي جراحي (21%) ، اورژانس و  تزريقات (20%) رخ داد. سرسوزن سرنگ (51%) و سوزن بخيه (42%) با اختلاف معني‌دار عامل بيشترين آسيب بودند . 28% از افراد منبع HBs Ag مثبت داشتند گرچه در پايش افراد آسيب‌ديده هيچ‌کدام از آزمايش‌ها مثبت نشدند. نتيجه‌گيري: ازآنجايي‌که وقوع جراحات با اجسام برنده به‌ويژه در نوبت شب ممکن است در انتقال عفونت‌هاي منتقله از خون نظير ويروس هپاتيت نقش داشته باشد؛ ضروري است اين آسيب‌ها يکي از مخاطرات مهم شغلي به‌ويژه براي کارکنان مراکز بهداشتي-درماني محسوب شده و به‌طور کامل موارد اين اتفاقات مراقبت شوند. How to cite this article: Nateghi Rostami M, Darzi F. The Prevalence of Sharp Object Injuries and Consequences in the Hospital Staff of the Qom Province. J Saf Promot Inj Prev. 2020; 8(2):58-64. Background and Objectives: Sharp injuries are known as one of the hazards of Health Care workers. This study was designed to determine the epidemiology of sharp injuries of  staffs in the  Qom province. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive-analytical and retrospective study which is done on the sharp injuries patients files in the last three years in Qom province. Statistical analysis of data was performed by using SPSS software (Ver. 22).k2, t-test and Fisher’s exact tests were used to compare groups. Result: Totally 100 subjects (59 female and 49 men) who had a history of injuries accident were included from Qom provinces’ hospitals. The mean age of the subjects was 42±6.4 years and the frequency of those over 30 years was significantly higher than other age groups (P<0.05). The highest percentage of injuries was related to nurses and paramedics with 47% and the lowest rate to physicians (15%) (P<0.05); most of them were working at nights (57%) in surgery (21%) and emergency (20%) units. Syringe (51%) and suture (42%) needles were responsible for most of the injuries (P<0.05). Most of subjects were negative for viral infections tests, but 28% of them were HBs Ag positive. Other laboratory tests were also negative for the affected subjects. Conclusion: As sharp injuries especially in the night shifts might have a role in the transfer of blood burn infections including Hepatitis viruses, it is necessary to recognize sharp injuries as a major occupational hazard, especially for health care staff, and accidents should be included in surveillance programs. How to cite this article: Nateghi Rostami M, Darzi F. The Prevalence of Sharp Object Injuries and Consequences in the Hospital Staff of the Qom Province. J Saf Promot Inj Prev. 2020; 8(2):58-64.&nbsp

Calibration of a Bayesian spatio-temporal ETAS model to the June 2000 South Iceland seismic sequence

SUMMARY The reliable forecasting of seismic sequences following a main shock has practical implications because effective post-event response is crucial in earthquake-stricken regions, aftershocks can progressively cause increased damage and compound economic losses. In the South Iceland Seismic Zone (SISZ), one of two large transform zones in Iceland where earthquake hazard is the highest, an intense seismic sequence took place during 17–24 June 2000, starting with a ${M}_{\rm{w}}$ 6.4 main shock on 17 June 2000, followed by another ${M}_{\rm{w}}$ 6.5 main shock four days later and on a different fault. Both earthquakes caused considerable damage and incurred heavy economic losses. They were immediately followed by intense aftershock activity on the causative faults and triggered earthquakes as far as 80 km away along the transform zone. To investigate the feasibility of forecasting the progression of such complex sequences, we calibrated a spatio-temporal epidemic-type aftershock sequence (ETAS) clustering model to the June 2000 seismic sequence in the framework of Bayesian statistics. Short-term seismicity forecasts were carried out for various forecasting intervals and compared with the observations, the first generated a few hours after the first main shock and followed by daily forecasts. The reliability of the early forecasts was seen to depend on the initial model parameters. By using an adaptive parameter inference approach where the posteriors from each preceding forecasting interval served as informative priors for the next, the fast convergence of the parametric values was ensured. As a result, the 16–84 percentile range of the forecasted number of events captured the actual number of observed events in all daily forecasts, and the model exhibited a strong spatial forecasting ability, even only a few hours after the main shock, and over all subsequent daily forecasts. We present the spatio-temporal ETAS parameters for the June 2000 sequence as ideal candidates of prior estimates for future operational earthquake forecasting of other Icelandic aftershock sequences. Past seismic sequences need to be analysed retrospectively to confirm the stability of the parameters of this study, effectively enable the application of the Bayesian ETAS model as an operational earthquake forecasting system for aftershocks in Iceland

A lump in throat: Qualitative study on hospitalization-related experiences among the parents of children with cancer

BACKGROUND: As the second leading cause of death, cancer is among the most stressful life events. It affects not only the afflicted patients, but also their families. Hospitalization of children with cancer faces their parents with many challenges and problems. This study was made to explore the hospitalization-related experiences among the parents of children with cancer. METHODS: This qualitative phenomenological study was made in 2015–2016 in the hematology and oncology care unit of a teaching hospital located in Qazvin, Iran. Sampling was done purposefully and was ended once data saturation was achieved. Consequently, fifteen parents of children with cancer were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were held for data collection. The data were analyzed through the seven-step hermeneutic data analysis process proposed by Diekelmann and Ironside (1998). RESULTS: Two main categories were extracted from the data which included “the shadow of government administration” and “the role of support systems”. The former refers mainly to accommodations in hospital settings and the process of clinical care delivery, while the latter points to the parents’ psychological experiences of presence in hospital settings. These themes came under the overarching main theme of “lump in throat: the suffering of the parents of children with cancer”. CONCLUSION: Study findings reveal that parents’ experiences of hospitalization greatly depend on their perceptions of the environmental conditions of hospital settings. Moreover, the findings showed that negative hospitalization-related experiences could lead to many adverse consequences for patients, families, and healthcare providers

Enhancing the Therapeutic Efficacy of Daunorubicin and Mitoxantrone with Bavachinin, Candidone, and Tephrosin

The capability of flavonoids in sensitizing cancer cells was demonstrated in numerous works to chemotherapy and converse multidrug resistance by modulating efflux pumps and apoptosis mechanisms. Three flavonoids, namely, bavachinin, tephrosin, and candidone, have been recently introduced to cancer treatment research presenting various activities, such as antibacterial, immunomodulatory, cell death, and anticancer. Less information exists regarding the therapeutic significance of these flavonoids in cancer treatment, especially in overcoming multidrug resistance (MDR). Here, we tempted to investigate the potency of these agents in reversing MDR by analyzing their effects as chemosensitizers on cell cytotoxicity, P-gp and ABCG2 protein expression levels, and their function on two multidrug-resistant cell lines, P-gp-overexpressing human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (EPG85.257RDB) and ABCG2-overexpressing human epithelial breast cancer cell line (MCF7/MX). The inhibitory concentration of 10% (IC10) of bavachinin, tephrosin, and candidone in EPG85.257RDB cells was 1588.7 ± 202.2, 264.8 ± 86.15, and 1338.6 ± 114.11 nM, respectively. Moreover, these values in MCF7/MX cell were 2406.4 ± 257.63, 38.8 ± 4.28, and 27.9 ± 5.59 nM, respectively. Expression levels of ABCG2 and P-gp were not significantly downregulated by these flavonoids. Maximum levels of daunorubicin and mitoxantrone accumulations and minimum rates of drug efflux in both cell lines were detected 48 hrs posttreatment with tephrosin and bavachinin, respectively. Chemosensitization to mitoxantrone and daunorubicin treatments was, respectively, achieved in MCF7/MX and EPG85.257RDB cells in response to IC10 of bavachinin and tephrosin, independently. These effects did not follow time-dependent manner, and each flavonoid had its cell-dependent patterns. Overall, bavachinin, tephrosin, and candidone showed potency to sensitize MDR cells to daunorubicin and mitoxantrone and could be considered as attractive MDR modulators for cancer treatment. However, their action was time and cell specific

Numerical modeling of soil water dynamics in subsurface drained paddies with midseason drainage or alternate wetting and drying management

As a supplemental practice to land consolidation projects, subsurface drainage systems have been installed in paddy fields to allow for crop diversification and to improve the overall productivity of paddy soils. The HYDRUS (2D/3D) model was applied to investigate the combined effects of different subsurface drainage systems and water management strategies on water balance, groundwater table, transpiration efficiency, and water use efficiency in paddy fields. Field experiments were conducted during four rice growing seasons (2011, 2012, 2014, and 2015) at the subsurface-drained paddies of the Sari Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University in northern Iran. Midseason drainage (MSD) management was applied in 2011 and 2012, while alternate wetting and drying (AWD) management was adopted in 2014 and 2015. The model performance was evaluated using the model efficiency (EF), root mean square error (RMSE), normalized root mean square error (NRMSE), and mean bias error (MBE) measures. The model had strong predictive capabilities for simulating the mid-drain water table depth for both water managements. Under MSD and AWD, daily evapotranspiration rates varied from 4.9 to 6.2mmd−1 and 4.9 to 5.9mmd−1, respectively. Drainage losses were higher under AWD than MSD, while the reverse order occurred for percolation losses. Compared with MSD, AWD improved the transpiration and water use efficiency of rice in the presence of subsurface drainage. Being capable of describing complex effects of AWD and MSD strategies in subsurface-drained paddy fields, the HYDRUS (2D/3D) model can serve as a practical tool for optimizing water productivity in these fields

Dynamic assessment of the impacts of global warming on nitrate losses from a subsurface-drained rainfed-canola field

The impact of global warming on water and nitrate losses from a rainfed-canola cropping system under various artificial drainage systems was assessed using an integrated field-modeling approach. Four subsurface drainage systems with different drain depths (Dx) and spacings (Ly), including D0.90L30, D0.65L30, D0.65L15, and Bilevel (with a drain spacing of 15 m and alternate drain depths of 0.65 and 0.90 m), were considered. The HYDRUS (2D/3D) model was first calibrated and validated using data collected for all drainage systems during the 2015–2016 and 2016–2017 canola cropping cycles, respectively, and then applied to simulate water/nitrate losses for different drainage systems under meteorological conditions predicted assuming expected future global warming. Future weather data were downscaled from 20 general circulation models and four RCP scenarios for the mid 21st century (for 2041–2070). The model capability of representing experimental field data was evaluated using the mean bias error (MBE), the normalized root mean square error (nRMSE), and the model efficiency (EF). The HYDRUS (2D/3D) model provided reliable description of soil water contents (MBE=-0.5 % to 0.2 %, nRMSE = 0.005−0.034%, and EF = 0.73−0.99), drainage fluxes (MBE= -21.7 × 10−3 to 24.9 × 10−3 mm d-1, nRMSE = 0.23−0.37%, and EF = 0.69−0.85), soil nitrate concentrations (MBE= -0.002 to 1.00 mg cm−3, nRMSE = 0.08−0.18%, and EF = 0.51−0.88), and nitrate fluxes (MBE= -0.97 to 0.72 mg cm-1 d-1, nRMSE = 0.35−0.57%, and EF = 0.77−0.87). The modeling results indicate that climate change will cause an increase of up to 148 % in average daily drainage fluxes and up to 125 % in average daily nitrate fluxes compared to the base case. This will result in an increase of 4–125 % in seasonal nitrate losses from various drainage systems, with the lowest and highest projections for the D0.65L15 and D0.65L30 systems, respectively. The HYDRUS-simulated results indicate that the D0.65L15 system is environmentally safer than the other evaluated drainage systems for predicted global warming conditions concerning water/nitrate losses