Comparison between conventional pump and adsorption sampling method with passive solid phase microextraction ( SPME ) sampling to investigate changes in the concentration of benzene, toluene , and xylene ( BTX ) in urban ambient air

Background and Aims: Besides toxic effects on human, animals and plants, aromatic hydrocarbons may also be effective in the formation of photochemical smog. The measurement of these hydrocarbons, therefore, play aprominent part in evaluating their health and environmental impacts. The purpose of this study was to compare pump and adsorption sampling method with solid phase microextraction (SPME) to investigate changes in theconcentration of benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX).Materials and Methods: SPME samplers in sampling protective holders were placed in ambient air at a relatively high traffic routes for 5 days. Sampling was carried out in two seasons. Samples were analyzed at the end of sampling period. In addition, pump and adsorption sampling method was also used to measure the concentrations of benzene, toluene, and xylene. Ethical issues were all considered in conducting the study and citation.Results: The obtained results in solid phase microextraction sampling method were compared with those obtained using the conventional pump and adsorbent method. Correlation coefficients (R2) between these methods were 0.98, 0.9 and 0.95 for benzene, toluene, and xylene, respectively. The results obtained with pump and adsorption method showed a higher values in general.Conclusion: The comparison between obtained results with these methods indicates a relatively similar values. It may be concluded that SPME sampling method can also present reliable results for the measurement of benzene,toluene and xylene concentrations in the ambient air.Keywords: Passive sampling, SPME, Benzene, Toluene, XyleneFor downloading the full text please click here

Outpatient Transurethral Cystolithotripsy of Large Bladder Stones by Holmium Laser

Introduction: To assessment of the efficacy and safety of transurethral cystolithotripsy of large bladder stones by holmium laser in the outpatient setting.Methods: In a prospective study, 48 consecutive adult patients with large bladder stones, were enrolled for transurethral cystolithotripsy. Patients older than 18 years, with bladder stones larger than 2 cm were enrolled. Urethral stricture, active urinary infection, and any anesthetic contraindications for operation, were the exclusion criteria. Demographic characteristics of patients, outcomes and complications related to operation and post operation period, were recorded.Results: Patients mean age was 46 ± 7.3 years. Male to female ratio was 45/3. Mean body mass index of patients was 28.5 ± 3.5. Mean stone size was 3.7 ± 1.6 cm. Mean operation time was 43.5 ± 15.5 minutes. Nearly complete stone clearance (98.5%) was achieved in all patients. Mean hospital stay was 6.5 ± 1.3 hours. No major complications were seen. Mean visual analog pain score (VAS) was 4.2 ± 2.1 and 1.4 ± 0.6, during and 1 hour after operation, respectively. During follow up of 22.4 ± 12.5 months, recurrence of bladder stone was not seen. No case of urethral stricture was detected.Conclusion: Transurethral holmium laser lithotripsy is an effective and safe alternative in selected patients with large bladder stones. This procedure can be easily performed in the outpatient setting

Vibration Anatomy and Damage Detection in Power Transmission Towers with Limited Sensors

This study presents a technique to identify the vibration characteristics in power transmission towers and to detect the potential structural damages. This method is based on the curvature of the mode shapes coupled with a continuous wavelet transform. The elaborated numerical method is based on signal processing of the output that resulted from ambient vibration. This technique benefits from a limited number of sensors, which makes it a cost-effective approach compared to others. The optimal spatial location for these sensors is obtained by the minimization of the non-diagonal entries in the modal assurance criterion (MAC) matrix. The Hilbert&ndash;Huang transform was also used to identify the dynamic anatomy of the structure. In order to simulate the realistic condition of the measured structural response in the field condition, a 10% noise is added to the response of the numerical model. Four damage scenarios were considered, and the potential damages were identified using wavelet transform on the difference of mode shapes curvature in the intact and damaged towers. Results show a promising accuracy considering the small number of applied sensors. This study proposes a low-cost and feasible technique for structural health monitoring.</div

A cost-effective neural network-based damage detection procedure for cylindrical equipment

This article presents a vibration-based technique for damage detection in the cylindrical equipment. First, a damage index based on the residual frequency responses is defined. This technique uses the principal component analysis for data reduction by eliminating the components that have the minimum contribution to the damage index. Then, the principal components are fed into neural networks to identify the changes in the damage pattern. Furthermore, the efficiency of this technique in the field condition is investigated by adding different noise levels to the output data. This study aims at proposing a cost-effective damage detection model using only one sensor. Therefore, the optimal location of the sensor is also discussed. A case study of capacitive voltage transformer is used for validation of finite element models. The neural networks are trained using numerical data and tested with experimental one. Several parametric analyses are performed to investigate the sensitivity of the model. </div

Promoter Methylation of Two HOXA9 and NISCH Genes in Opium Users

Background: Opiate abuse has been critically increased in the world, especially in Iran. Owing to the association of opiate use with multiple human cancers and neurological disorders, seeking for genetic and epigenetic effects of opium can pave the way for early diagnosis of major health defects in addicted users. Accordingly, the present study aimed to determine the methylation status of the promoter of two genes, which are actively involved in neurodevelopment and cancer evolution.Methods: DNA was isolated from peripheral blood of 28 opium abusers and 19 healthy controls and then subjected to sonication. Sonicated DNAs undergone methylated DNA immunoprecipitation-real time polymerase chain reaction (MeDIP-Real Time PCR) using specific primer pairs designed for HOXA9 and NISCH genes. Obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software.Findings: HOXA9 and NISCH genes were found to be significantly methylated in addicted users compared to controls (P<0.001) which was significantly associated with the mean of the age regarding HOXA9 gene (P=0.002). Neither opium amount nor duration or route of using was associated with the methylation status of HOXA9 or NISCH genes.Conclusion: Hypermethylation of HOXA9 and NISCH genes as tumor suppressor in opium-addicted individuals can be considered as confirmatory evidence for carcinogenesis of opium. Further studies are required to figure out the role of epigenetic alterations in cancer evolution among opium users

Biochemical Basis of Cyfluthrin and DDT Resistance in Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae) in Malarious Area of Iran

Background: Anopheles stephensi is a key urban malaria vector in the Indian subcontinent and Middle East includ­ing south and southeast of Iran. Wide application of insecticides resulted in resistance of this species to various insec­ticides in these regions. This study was conducted to reveal the role of metabolic mechanisms in the development of resistance in An. stephensi to DDT and cyfluthrin. Methods: Field mosquito specimens were collected from Chabahar Seaport, southeast corner of Iran, in 2015. Insec­ticide susceptibility and enzyme assays were conducted as recommended by WHO. Results: Mean enzyme ratios were 3.95 and 3.04 for α- esterases and 2.40 and 1.97 for β- esterases in the DDT and cyfluthrin- resistant populations correspondingly compared with the susceptible strain. The GSTs enzyme mean ac­tivity ratios were 5.07 and 2.55 in the DDT and cyfluthrin- resistant populations compared with the susceptible beech strain. The cytochrome p450s enzyme ratios were 1.11 and 1.28 in the DDT and cyfluthrin- resistant populations respectively compared with the susceptible beech strain. Conclusion: Metabolic mechanisms play a crucial role in the development of DDT and cyfluthrin resistance in An. stephensi, therefore, further evaluation of the mechanisms involved as well as implementation of proper insecticide resistance management strategies are recommended

Broad targeting of resistance to apoptosis in cancer

Apoptosis or programmed cell death is natural way of removing aged cells from the body. Most of the anti-cancer therapies trigger apoptosis induction and related cell death networks to eliminate malignant cells. However, in cancer, de-regulated apoptotic signaling, particularly the activation of an anti-apoptotic systems, allows cancer cells to escape this program leading to uncontrolled proliferation resulting in tumor survival, therapeutic resistance and recurrence of cancer. This resistance is a complicated phenomenon that emanates from the interactions of various molecules and signaling pathways. In this comprehensive review we discuss the various factors contributing to apoptosis resistance in cancers. The key resistance targets that are discussed include (1) Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 proteins; (2) autophagy processes; (3) necrosis and necroptosis; (4) heat shock protein signaling; (5) the proteasome pathway; (6) epigenetic mechanisms; and (7) aberrant nuclear export signaling. The shortcomings of current therapeutic modalities are highlighted and a broad spectrum strategy using approaches including (a) gossypol; (b) epigallocatechin-3-gallate; (c) UMI-77 (d) triptolide and (e) selinexor that can be used to overcome cell death resistance is presented. This review provides a roadmap for the design of successful anti-cancer strategies that overcome resistance to apoptosis for better therapeutic outcome in patients with cancer

Mapping local patterns of childhood overweight and wasting in low- and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2017

A double burden of malnutrition occurs when individuals, household members or communities experience both undernutrition and overweight. Here, we show geospatial estimates of overweight and wasting prevalence among children under 5 years of age in 105 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 2000 to 2017 and aggregate these to policy-relevant administrative units. Wasting decreased overall across LMICs between 2000 and 2017, from 8.4% (62.3 (55.1–70.8) million) to 6.4% (58.3 (47.6–70.7) million), but is predicted to remain above the World Health Organization’s Global Nutrition Target of <5% in over half of LMICs by 2025. Prevalence of overweight increased from 5.2% (30 (22.8–38.5) million) in 2000 to 6.0% (55.5 (44.8–67.9) million) children aged under 5 years in 2017. Areas most affected by double burden of malnutrition were located in Indonesia, Thailand, southeastern China, Botswana, Cameroon and central Nigeria. Our estimates provide a new perspective to researchers, policy makers and public health agencies in their efforts to address this global childhood syndemic