Cytotoxic activity of extracts of demosponges Haliclona caerulea, Axinella sinoxea and Ircinia mutans from Persian Gulf

249-253Sponges are valuable source of bioactive natural products. Although marine benthic invertebrate communities occur in the Persian Gulf they have been little explored for their biomedicinal potential. Here, we studied the methanol and diethyl ether extracts of sponges Haliclona caeralea, Axinella sinoxea and Ircinia mutans sponges for their cytotoxic activity against human epidermis carcinoma (KB/C152) and T-cell lymphoma cell lines (HUT-78/C185) cell lines. Sponges after collection and identification were extracted with methanol and diethyl ether extract. The cell viability and cytotoxicity induced by the extracts were assessed using XTT and lactate dehydrogenase release assays (LDH leakage). The results indicated that the methanol and diethyl ether extract of I. mutans exhibited strong cytotoxicity towards KB and HUT cell lines and diethyl ether extract of H. caeralea and A. sinoxea had significant cytotoxicity in HUT and KB cells compared to methanol extract. The results indicated that the methanol and diethyl ether extract of I. mutanspossess significant cytotoxic activity

The prioritization of isochrones affecting peak flood discharge in Neishabour Bar Watershed, Iran

Iran has geographically located in an arid and semi-arid climate in most regions. Precipitation and its distribution in such regions cause irreparable damage by creating seasonal floods. This study presents a suitable model for optimizing watershed management and flood control in order to reduce flood risks. To reach to this purpose, the concept of time-area diagram in HEC-HMS hydrological model as well Single Successive Sub-watershed Elimination (SSSE) is employed to simulate the flood hydrograph corresponding to the design precipitation for each sub-watershed. According to SCS model for estimating flood discharge and kinematic wave for flood routing, the curve number and Manning's roughness coefficient were calibrated and identified as the most effective parameters. After evaluating the different search methods and objective functions, the univariate gradient as best search method and the Nash-Sutcliffe as the best objective function was selected due to the highest consistency of the simulated discharge in the three events. Finally, the model was validated for 2 storms and the Nash-Sutcliffe values ​​were calculated as 0.948 and 0.892, respectively. After calculating the peak discharge of each sub-watershed, the effect of each on the output flood production was determined using F and f flood indices. Then, isochronic surfaces of the watershed were extracted using three methods and the spatial distribution of the sub-watersheds in the area was investigated. The results revealed that the level of 0.75-1 located in the middle part of the watershed is posed as the first priority. Also, it is colcluded that the surfaces near the outlet have played a much smaller role in peak discharge. In general, from the outlet to the upstream and middle parts of the watershed, as travel time level increases, the effect of sub-watersheds on peak flow discharge increases

In vitro and In vivo micrografting of santalum album shoot tips

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate capacity of Hyptis suaveolens (H. suaveolens) methanol extract as an antioxidant to protect against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced oxidative stress, hepatotoxicity in Albino Wistar rats and cytoprotective effect of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) induced cell death in HepG2 cell line.MethodsTwo different doses of methanol extract of H. suaveolens were evaluated for the hepatoprotective activity against carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Animals in Group I: served as control, group II: H. suaveolens (100 mL/kg b.w), group III: H. suaveolens (50 mL/kg b.w) + CCl4 (1 mg/kg), group IV: H. suaveolens (100 mL/kg b.w) + CCl4 (1 mL/kg) and group V: CCl4 (1 mL/kg). Histopathologic changes of liver were also evaluated. Cytotoxicity was also determined by 3, (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay.ResultsOral sigle dose treatment of CCl4 produced a marked elevation in the serum levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Histopathological analysis of the liver of CCl4-induced rats revealed marked liver cell necrosis with inflammatory collections that were conformed to increase in the levels of SOD, GSH, GST, GR and LPO. Treatment with H2O2 significantly induced death of HepG2 cell. Pretreatment with H. suaveolens methanol extract inhibited or attenuated H2O2 induced cytotoxicity.ConclusionsThis study shows that H. suaveolens methanol extract can be proposed to protect the liver against CCl4-induced oxidative damage in rats and protect the cells against H2O2-induced oxidative damage in HepG2 cells. The hepatoprotective and cytoprotective effects might be correlated with its antioxidant and free radical scavenger effects

The effect of vitamin D deficiency on platelet parameters in patients with COVID-19

IntroductionSince there is very little information about the relationship between platelet parameters and vitamin D concentration in patients with COVID-19, the aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between serum vitamin D level and platelet parameters in patients with COVID-19 and to compare these parameters in patients with COVID-19 without vitamin D deficiency and, subsequently, the prognostic value of these parameters in cases of vitamin D deficiency.MethodsSeven hundred and forty-three patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were enrolled in this study. Patients were divided into two groups: those with and without vitamin D deficiency. The associations between platelet indices and vitamin D levels were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation analysis and a one-way ANOVA test.ResultsPlatelet count and mean platelet volume (MPV) were significantly higher in the patients with vitamin D deficiency than in the patients without vitamin D deficiency. There was a significant negative correlation between platelet count and MPV with vitamin D levels in patients with vitamin D deficiency (r = -0.835, P = 0.001 & r = -0.324, P = 0.042, respectively). Vitamin D levels in COVID-19 patients can determine the platelet count and MPV of the patients.DiscussionThe aforementioned results imply that maintaining an elevated concentration of vitamin D in COVID-19 patients is important because it is associated with a decrease in MPV, which in turn reduces susceptibility to diseases such as coronary artery disease

Global burden and strength of evidence for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and 811 subnational locations, 1990–2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Background: Understanding the health consequences associated with exposure to risk factors is necessary to inform public health policy and practice. To systematically quantify the contributions of risk factor exposures to specific health outcomes, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021 aims to provide comprehensive estimates of exposure levels, relative health risks, and attributable burden of disease for 88 risk factors in 204 countries and territories and 811 subnational locations, from 1990 to 2021. Methods: The GBD 2021 risk factor analysis used data from 54 561 total distinct sources to produce epidemiological estimates for 88 risk factors and their associated health outcomes for a total of 631 risk–outcome pairs. Pairs were included on the basis of data-driven determination of a risk–outcome association. Age-sex-location-year-specific estimates were generated at global, regional, and national levels. Our approach followed the comparative risk assessment framework predicated on a causal web of hierarchically organised, potentially combinative, modifiable risks. Relative risks (RRs) of a given outcome occurring as a function of risk factor exposure were estimated separately for each risk–outcome pair, and summary exposure values (SEVs), representing risk-weighted exposure prevalence, and theoretical minimum risk exposure levels (TMRELs) were estimated for each risk factor. These estimates were used to calculate the population attributable fraction (PAF; ie, the proportional change in health risk that would occur if exposure to a risk factor were reduced to the TMREL). The product of PAFs and disease burden associated with a given outcome, measured in disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs), yielded measures of attributable burden (ie, the proportion of total disease burden attributable to a particular risk factor or combination of risk factors). Adjustments for mediation were applied to account for relationships involving risk factors that act indirectly on outcomes via intermediate risks. Attributable burden estimates were stratified by Socio-demographic Index (SDI) quintile and presented as counts, age-standardised rates, and rankings. To complement estimates of RR and attributable burden, newly developed burden of proof risk function (BPRF) methods were applied to yield supplementary, conservative interpretations of risk–outcome associations based on the consistency of underlying evidence, accounting for unexplained heterogeneity between input data from different studies. Estimates reported represent the mean value across 500 draws from the estimate's distribution, with 95% uncertainty intervals (UIs) calculated as the 2·5th and 97·5th percentile values across the draws. Findings: Among the specific risk factors analysed for this study, particulate matter air pollution was the leading contributor to the global disease burden in 2021, contributing 8·0% (95% UI 6·7–9·4) of total DALYs, followed by high systolic blood pressure (SBP; 7·8% [6·4–9·2]), smoking (5·7% [4·7–6·8]), low birthweight and short gestation (5·6% [4·8–6·3]), and high fasting plasma glucose (FPG; 5·4% [4·8–6·0]). For younger demographics (ie, those aged 0–4 years and 5–14 years), risks such as low birthweight and short gestation and unsafe water, sanitation, and handwashing (WaSH) were among the leading risk factors, while for older age groups, metabolic risks such as high SBP, high body-mass index (BMI), high FPG, and high LDL cholesterol had a greater impact. From 2000 to 2021, there was an observable shift in global health challenges, marked by a decline in the number of all-age DALYs broadly attributable to behavioural risks (decrease of 20·7% [13·9–27·7]) and environmental and occupational risks (decrease of 22·0% [15·5–28·8]), coupled with a 49·4% (42·3–56·9) increase in DALYs attributable to metabolic risks, all reflecting ageing populations and changing lifestyles on a global scale. Age-standardised global DALY rates attributable to high BMI and high FPG rose considerably (15·7% [9·9–21·7] for high BMI and 7·9% [3·3–12·9] for high FPG) over this period, with exposure to these risks increasing annually at rates of 1·8% (1·6–1·9) for high BMI and 1·3% (1·1–1·5) for high FPG. By contrast, the global risk-attributable burden and exposure to many other risk factors declined, notably for risks such as child growth failure and unsafe water source, with age-standardised attributable DALYs decreasing by 71·5% (64·4–78·8) for child growth failure and 66·3% (60·2–72·0) for unsafe water source. We separated risk factors into three groups according to trajectory over time: those with a decreasing attributable burden, due largely to declining risk exposure (eg, diet high in trans-fat and household air pollution) but also to proportionally smaller child and youth populations (eg, child and maternal malnutrition); those for which the burden increased moderately in spite of declining risk exposure, due largely to population ageing (eg, smoking); and those for which the burden increased considerably due to both increasing risk exposure and population ageing (eg, ambient particulate matter air pollution, high BMI, high FPG, and high SBP). Interpretation: Substantial progress has been made in reducing the global disease burden attributable to a range of risk factors, particularly those related to maternal and child health, WaSH, and household air pollution. Maintaining efforts to minimise the impact of these risk factors, especially in low SDI locations, is necessary to sustain progress. Successes in moderating the smoking-related burden by reducing risk exposure highlight the need to advance policies that reduce exposure to other leading risk factors such as ambient particulate matter air pollution and high SBP. Troubling increases in high FPG, high BMI, and other risk factors related to obesity and metabolic syndrome indicate an urgent need to identify and implement interventions

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Can mHealth Technology Help Mitigate the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic?

n/