Sorption-Desorption Behavior of Atrazine on Soils Subjected to Different Organic Long-Term Amendments

Sorption of atrazine on soils subjected to three different organic amendments was measured using a batch equilibrium technique. A higher K(F) value (2.20 kg(-1)(mg L(-1))(-)N) was obtained for soil fertilized with compost, which had a higher organic matter (OM) content. A correlation between the K(Foc) values and the percentage of aromatic carbon in OM was observed. The highest K(Foc) value was obtained for the soil with the highest aromatic content. Higher aromatic content results in higher hydrophobicity of OM, and hydrophobic interactions play a key role in binding of atrazine, On the other hand, the soil amended with farmyard manure had a higher content of carboxylic units, which could be responsible for hydrogen bonding between atrazine and OR Dominance of hydrogen bonds compared to hydrophobic interactions can be responsible for the lower desorption capacity observed with the farmyard manure soil, The stronger hydrogen bonding can reduce the leaching of atrazine into drinking water resources and runoff to rivers and other surface waters

Metformin reduces cisplatin-mediated apoptosis in gastric adenocarcinoma cells

Background: Metformin, a drug widely used for type 2 diabetes, may also have anti-cancer properties. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of metformin on cisplatin cytotoxicity in the gastric adenocarcinoma cells line (MKN45).Materials and Methods: In this study, cells viability and apoptosis were measured using the (3-4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Moreover, the expressions of mammalian target of rapamycin, survivin and AKT genes were evaluated by RT-PCR. All experiments were performed in triplicate.Results: The results showed that each of metformin and cisplatin separately reduced the viability of cancer cell, but in co-administration, metformin reduced the cytotoxicity of cisplatin. In co-administration, the survivin expression was increased followed by a reduction in cisplatin anti-cancer effect. Therefore, the antagonistic effect of drugs can be associated with survivin expression. The results also revealed that the anti-apoptotic effects of metformin co-administrated with cisplatin are associated with increased AKT expression. Conclusion: It seems that in gastric cancers, metformin is not an appropriate choice to make cells sensitive to cisplatin and the antagonistic effects of the two drugs should be considered when they prescribed in combination

Comparison of the Prevalence of Geographic Tongue in Asthmatic Patients and Healthy Subjects in Masih Daneshvari Hospital in 2014

Background and aim: Geographic tongue is a recurrent disorder with several associated etiologies. It is believed to be a common occurrence in the patients suffering from recurrent, acute inflammatory diseases. The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of geographic tongue between asthmatic patients and healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytic study was conducted on 80 asthmatic patients and 80 healthy controls. The asthmatics were selected from among the patients presenting to Masih Daneshvari hospital with a confirmed diagnosis of asthma, while the healthy controls were selected from among patients' companions. The case and control subjects were matched according to age, sex and cigarette smoking status. The presence of geographic tongue was evaluated in the subjects by clinical examination and also by using a questionnaire. The data were entered into SPSS software version 22 and were evaluated using Chi-Square test. Results: The prevalence of geographic tongue was 21.2% (n=17) in the asthmatic patients and 5% (n=4) in the healthy controls. A significant association was found between asthma and occurrence of geographic tongue (P<0.002). The incidence of geographic tongue in the asthmatics was 4.2 times greater than that in the healthy individuals with a relative risk (RR) equal to 4.2 and an attributable risk (AR) of 16%. In both groups, the dorsal and lateral surfaces of the tongue were more commonly affected than the ventral surface. No significant association was found between the involvement of a specific tongue surface and asthma (P=0.748). Conclusion: According to the results, the asthmatic patients showed a significant higher prevalence of geographic tongue compared with the healthy controls