The Acute Oral Toxicity of Commonly Used Pesticides in Iran, to Honeybees (Apis Mellifera Meda)

The honey bee is credited with approximately 85% of the pollinating activity necessary to supply about one-third of the world’s food supply. Well over 50 major crops depend on these insects for pollination. The crops produce more abundantly when honey bees are plentiful. Worker bees are the ones primarily affected by pesticides. Poisoning symptoms can vary depending on the developmental stage of the individual bee, and the kind of chemical employed. The oral toxicity of these insecticides: (phosalone and pirimicarb), acaricide (propargite), insecticide and acaricide (fenpropathrin), fungicides, and bactericides (copper oxychloride and the Bordeaux mixture), were evaluated for the purposes of this research. The results showed that fenpropathrin had high acute oral toxicity (LC50-24h and LC50-48 were 0.54 and 0.3 ppm, respectively). Propargite had 7785 ppm (active ingredient) for LC50-24h and 6736 ppm (active ingredient) for LC50-48h in honeybees and is therefore, non-toxic to Apis mellifera. On the other hand, copper oxychloride had minimum acute oral toxicity to honeybees (LC50-24h and LC50-48 were 4591.5 and 5407.9 ppm, respectively) and was therefore considered non-toxic. Also, the Bordeaux mixture was safe to use around honeybees. Phosalone and primicarb were considered highly and moderately toxic to honeybees, respectively

Augmented Plasma Adiponectin after Prolonged Fasting During Ramadan in Men

Background: Intermittent fasting during Ramadan entails major changes in metabolism and energy expenditure. This study sought to determine effect of the Ramadan fasting on serum levels of adiponectin and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) as two inter-related peptides involved in cells sensitivity to insulin and glucose metabolism. Methods: Total of seventy healthy men, with age range equal or greater than 30, with at least three type2 diabetes mellitus (DM) risk factors were selected. Serum lipid profile, anthropometric indices and plasma glucose levels were determined using conventional methods. Also, serum adiponectin and TNF- α concentrations were assessed using Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay. Data were analyzed by paired t-test. Results: Ramadan fasting resulted in a significant increase of serum adiponectin (P< 0.000), fasting glucose (P< 0.000) and triglycride (P< 0.001). Body mass index was lowered during the fasting (P< 0.000). Finally, no remarkable decrease was found in serum TNF-α levels (P= 0.100). Conclusion: Ramadan fasting resulted in augmented adiponectin levels which may help in improving metabolic stress induced by insulin resistance in men with predisposing factors of type2 DM

Free androgen index (FAI)’s relations with oxidative stress and insulin resistance in polycystic ovary syndrome

Abstract This study aimed to determine the levels of the free androgen index (FAI) and its association with oxidative stress and insulin resistance (IR) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). This cross-sectional study was performed on 160 women aged 18–45 years, visiting gynecology clinics of Urmia in northwestern Iran during 2020–2021 who were diagnosed with PCOS and exhibited one of the four phenotypes of PCOS. All the participants underwent clinical examinations, paraclinical tests, and ultrasounds. FAI cut-off point was considered to be 5%. The significance level was set at < 0.05. Among the 160 participants, the prevalence of the four phenotypes was as follows: phenotype A: 51.9%, phenotype B: 23.1%, phenotype C: 13.1%, and phenotype D: 11.9%. High FAI was detected in 30 participants (18.75%). Additionally, It was found that phenotype C had the highest FAI levels among the PCOS phenotypes, with a significant difference between phenotypes A and C (p value = 0.03). IR was observed in 119 (74.4%) of the participants, and the median (interquartile range: IQR) of malondialdehyde (MDA) levels among the participants was 0.64 (0.86) μM/L. In linear regression, the PCOS phenotype (standard beta = 0.198, p-value = 0.008), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels (standard beta = 0.213, p-value = 0.004), and MDA levels (standard beta = 0.266, p-value < 0.001) were significantly related to the FAI level, but the homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was not statistically associated with FAI. Thus, in this study, PCOS phenotypes and MDA levels (an indicator of stress oxidative) were significantly related to FAI, but HOMA-IR (the indicator of IR) was not associated with it

The Effect of Ramadan Fast on Serum liver Enzyme Levels in Iranian Adults

Background & Aims:  Ramadan fasting has numerous health benefits. Nevertheless, its beneficial role on liver function was evaluated by limited studies and different findings were recorded. So, this study aimed to define the effect of Ramadan Fasting on liver enzyme levels in Iranian healthy individuals. Materials & Methods: Seventy healthy adult men without history of liver diseases and current usage of any medication affecting the liver were involved in the present survey. Anthropometric parameters and liver function tests were measured before and after Ramadan. The biochemical parameters including liver enzymes Aspartate aminotransferase (ALT), Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were evaluated before and after Ramadan by the standard enzymatic method. Results: A decrease was observed in mean level of all liver enzymes. Indeed, the significant mean decrease in the ALT values in the post-Ramadan analyses was observed in the pre-Ramadan (p < 0.01). The values of ALP and AST decreased at the end of the study in the post-Ramadan group versus pre-Ramadan, but mean of the changes did not reach a significant level. Conclusion: The changes in the concentrations of liver enzymes showed remarkable differences between groups. These data confirmed that Ramadan Fasting improved liver function in healthy adults and might be valuable in the management of liver function

Efficacy of education with American Society of Health system Pharmacists guidelines on the prevention of stress ulcer

Background: Stress Ulcer Prophylaxis (SUP) is important in patients in Intensive Care Units (ICU). In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of the American Society of Health System Pharmacists (ASHP) guidelines, for stress ulcer prophylaxis. Methods: In this Quasi experimental study, data of patients that admitted to the ICU of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Urmia was recorded for three months. Then our guideline that was selected on the basis of ASHP guidelines were presented to physicians for one month and then patients’ data were collected again. The patients that hospitalized due to acute gastrointestinal bleeding and died in the early hours of admission were excluded. The data were analyzed. Results: This study involved 234 patients, of them 112 patients (91.1%) in the pre- intervention period and 99 patients (89.2%) in the post-intervention period had received acid-suppressive therapy (AST) (P=0.632). Of 77 patients (62.8%) in the pre- intervention period and 88 (79.3%) in the post-intervention period had an indication for SUP according to our ASHP-based guideline (P=0.005). Of the patients without an indication for SUP, 39 of 123 (31.7%) received AST in the pre-intervention period versus 18 of 111 (16.2%) in the post-intervention period (P=0.006). of 112 (91.1%) cases in the pre-intervention period compared with 93 (83.8%) cases of the prescription drug order was incorrect (P=0.092). Gastrointestinal bleeding were in five patients (4.1%) found during the pre-intervention period and 8 (7.2%) cases in the post-intervention period (P=0.295). Conclusion: In this study the majority of cases not been in accordance with the ASHP-based guideline and our education did not affect the quality of stress ulcer prophylaxis. It seems that more attention to the training of physician in the prophylaxis of stress ulcer can be effective in improving the health status of patients and additional costs may be reduced

Quality Control of Conventional Radiology Devices in Selected Hospitals of Khuzestan Province, Iran

Introduction Quality control techniques used to test the components of the radiological system and verify that the equipment is operating satisfactorily. In this study, quality control (QC) assessment of conventional radiology devices was performed in frequently visited radiology centers of Khuzestan province, Iran. Materials and Methods Fifteen conventional radiology devices were examined, based on the protocol proposed in Report No. 77 by the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine (IPEM). Ten standard QC tests, including voltage accuracy and reproducibility, exposure time accuracy and reproducibility, tube output linearity (time and milliampere), filtration (half-value layer), tube output (70 kV at FSD =100 cm), tube output reproducibility and beam alignment were performed and assessed. All measurements were performed, using Barracuda multi-purpose detector. Results The reproducibility of voltage, exposure time and dose output, as well as output linearity, met the standard criteria in all devices. However, in 60% of the units, the results of the beam alignment test were poor. We also found that 66.7% of the studied units offer services to more than 18,000 patients annually or 50 patients per day. Conclusion Despite the fact that radiological devices in Khuzestan province are relatively old with high workload, the obtained results showed that these devices met the standard criteria. This may be mainly related to proper after-sale services, provided by the companies. Although these services may be expensive for radiology centers, the costs may be significantly reduced if QC is defined as a routine procedure performed by qualified medical physicists or radiation safety officers