Assessing Pb, Ni and Zn accumulation in the tissues of Liza aurata in the south Caspian Sea

The liver, kidney, gill, ovary and muscle tissues of the caught Liza aurata have been sampled in spring 2002 in the southern Caspian Sea to assess their contamination with Pb, Ni and Zn using atomic absorption spectrophotometer method. We found the highest concentration of lead in the liver tissue (17.51 mg/kg), followed by gill (13.95 mg/kg); kidney (5.03 mg/kg) and ovary (4.91 mg/kg). The lowest concentration of lead was seen in muscle tissue (3.01 mg/kg) of Liza aurata. The highest accumulation of Ni and Zn were detected in ovary followed by liver, gill and kidney of the fish with a concentration of 6.23, 6.14, 5.71, and 2.98 mg/kg for Nickel and 647.28, 159.85, 75.71 and 65.42 mg/kg for Zinc. We observed the lowest concentration of Nickel (2.49 mg/kg) and Zinc (20.14 mg/kg) in the muscle tissue and also determined the highest contamination of the fish with these chemicals to be occurring in the southwest followed by south center and southeast Caspian Sea

Upregulation of circulating cancer stem cell marker, DCLK1 but not Lgr5, in chemoradiotherapy-treated colorectal cancer patients

Cancer stem cell (CSC) markers have attracted considerable attention in tumor diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic implications. Detection of cancer stem cells in circulating blood using cancer stem cell markers has received remarkable attention recently. In this study, we aimed to investigate the messenger RNA (mRNA) expression level of Lgr5 and DCLK1 as most proposed colorectal CSC markers in blood circulation also determine the subsequent association to patients� clinical and pathological findings. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of 58 patients with colorectal cancer at stage I�IV with 33 out of 58 patients undergoing preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT), as well as 58 healthy controls have been isolated and the extracted RNAs were analyzed using real-time PCR. The mRNA expression pattern of CSC markers of patients and controls was compared using ��Ct method. The expression level of Lgr5 was significantly higher in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients comparing to healthy group (4.8-fold change, p < 0.001). Also there was a significant increase in expression level of Lgr5 in patients at stages III and IV comparing to stages I and II (p = 0.031) and higher grades (p = 0.039) of CRC. The expression of DCLK1 was also elevated in patients significantly (2.7-fold change, p < 0.001) and the related expression was increased by increasing disease stage (p = 0.025). Combination of DCLK1 and Lgr5 markers was analyzed by logistic regression and proved to be a slightly better marker compared to each marker alone. Interestingly the DCLK1 expression level was significantly higher in patients undergoing preoperative CRT (p = 0.041); however, no association to neoadjuvant CRT was observed for Lgr5. Considering the over-expression of DCLK1 and Lgr5 in circulating blood of CRC patients comparing to controls, our results might emphasize on the presence of CSCs in blood of these patients which might be attributed to their clinical and pathological characteristics and may lead to apply in future clinical implications. Moreover, the higher expression level of DCLK1 in patients undergoing CRT can propose it as a more relevant candidate among CSC markers comparing to Lgr5 for CRC patients. © 2015, International Society of Oncology and BioMarkers (ISOBM)

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality and life expectancy, 1950–2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017

BACKGROUND: Assessments of age-specific mortality and life expectancy have been done by the UN Population Division, Department of Economics and Social Affairs (UNPOP), the United States Census Bureau, WHO, and as part of previous iterations of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD). Previous iterations of the GBD used population estimates from UNPOP, which were not derived in a way that was internally consistent with the estimates of the numbers of deaths in the GBD. The present iteration of the GBD, GBD 2017, improves on previous assessments and provides timely estimates of the mortality experience of populations globally. METHODS: The GBD uses all available data to produce estimates of mortality rates between 1950 and 2017 for 23 age groups, both sexes, and 918 locations, including 195 countries and territories and subnational locations for 16 countries. Data used include vital registration systems, sample registration systems, household surveys (complete birth histories, summary birth histories, sibling histories), censuses (summary birth histories, household deaths), and Demographic Surveillance Sites. In total, this analysis used 8259 data sources. Estimates of the probability of death between birth and the age of 5 years and between ages 15 and 60 years are generated and then input into a model life table system to produce complete life tables for all locations and years. Fatal discontinuities and mortality due to HIV/AIDS are analysed separately and then incorporated into the estimation. We analyse the relationship between age-specific mortality and development status using the Socio-demographic Index, a composite measure based on fertility under the age of 25 years, education, and income. There are four main methodological improvements in GBD 2017 compared with GBD 2016: 622 additional data sources have been incorporated; new estimates of population, generated by the GBD study, are used; statistical methods used in different components of the analysis have been further standardised and improved; and the analysis has been extended backwards in time by two decades to start in 1950. FINDINGS: Globally, 18·7% (95% uncertainty interval 18·4–19·0) of deaths were registered in 1950 and that proportion has been steadily increasing since, with 58·8% (58·2–59·3) of all deaths being registered in 2015. At the global level, between 1950 and 2017, life expectancy increased from 48·1 years (46·5–49·6) to 70·5 years (70·1–70·8) for men and from 52·9 years (51·7–54·0) to 75·6 years (75·3–75·9) for women. Despite this overall progress, there remains substantial variation in life expectancy at birth in 2017, which ranges from 49·1 years (46·5–51·7) for men in the Central African Republic to 87·6 years (86·9–88·1) among women in Singapore. The greatest progress across age groups was for children younger than 5 years; under-5 mortality dropped from 216·0 deaths (196·3–238·1) per 1000 livebirths in 1950 to 38·9 deaths (35·6–42·83) per 1000 livebirths in 2017, with huge reductions across countries. Nevertheless, there were still 5·4 million (5·2–5·6) deaths among children younger than 5 years in the world in 2017. Progress has been less pronounced and more variable for adults, especially for adult males, who had stagnant or increasing mortality rates in several countries. The gap between male and female life expectancy between 1950 and 2017, while relatively stable at the global level, shows distinctive patterns across super-regions and has consistently been the largest in central Europe, eastern Europe, and central Asia, and smallest in south Asia. Performance was also variable across countries and time in observed mortality rates compared with those expected on the basis of development. INTERPRETATION: This analysis of age-sex-specific mortality shows that there are remarkably complex patterns in population mortality across countries. The findings of this study highlight global successes, such as the large decline in under-5 mortality, which reflects significant local, national, and global commitment and investment over several decades. However, they also bring attention to mortality patterns that are a cause for concern, particularly among adult men and, to a lesser extent, women, whose mortality rates have stagnated in many countries over the time period of this study, and in some cases are increasing

Effect of Paper Mill Effluents on Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Coconut Trees near Nanjangud, Mysore District, Karnataka, India

Physicochemical characteristics of wasterwater from one of the paper mills near Nanjangud and the differential accumulation of heavy metals in parts of coconut trees growing in the area irrigated directly by the wastewaters of a paper mill were investigated. The total dissolved and suspended solids of wastewater were 1,136.9 mg/l and 2,185.4 mg/l, respectively. Biological oxygen demand (BOD) expands and COD is beyond the tolerance limit proposed by Indian standards. The concentrations of heavy metals like Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, and Cd in coconut water, root, and leaf are higher than the limits suggested by World Health Organization. Survival of coconut trees irrigated by polluted waters indicates tolerance to toxic heavy metals. Since coconut forms part of human food chain, accumulation of toxic heavy metals may lead to organic disorders

SAFETY OF EARLY ORAL FEEDING AFTER TRANSHIATAL ESOPHAGECTOMY : PRELIMINARY REPORT OF A PROSPECTIVE TRIAL

Oral feeding is the best means of nutrition in surgical patients. There arc many reports on early oral feeding after lower gastrointestinal {(il) operations but data regarding upper Gl procedures is rather scant. This limited study rocuses 011 early removal of nasogastric tube and start of oral diet after transhiatal csophagcctomy. We prospectively evaluated 13 consecutive patients (8 males. 5 females) with esophageal cancer who had undergone rranshiatal csophngcctomy from March 100 I to September :lOrn. Nasogustric tube was removed on post-op day 1 and clear liquids started on day 3. Diet was advanced to son regular in tile next 5 days if the patients tolerated it. Mean age of patients was 63 years.&quot;nMenu body weight and serum albumin level were 57.9 kg and 3.73 gr/dl., respectively. Tumor pathology was squamous cell carcinoma in 11 cases and adenocarcinoma in I. Location oftumor was at the lower third of the esophagus in 11 cases and middle third in one. All patients ill the study group tolerated tile protocol well. Only one patient had nausea after oral intake, without vomiting. We had one neck wound infection and OIlC pulmonary infection. There was no anastomotic leakage or fistula. A group of I() esophageal cancer patients undergoing trnnshiuta! csophagcctomy in the same period &quot;&quot;&apos;(&apos;I&apos;C used as the control group. One anastomotic leakage occurred in control group. We had no significant complication. Early nasogastric tube removal and oral feeding seems to be safe in patients with esophageal cancer undergoing transhiatal csophagcctcmy

Enrichment of heavy metals in paddy crops irrigated by paper mill effluents near Nanjangud, Mysore District, Karnatake, India

Extensive irrigation by the effluents released from a paper mill near Nanjangud have led to the accumulation of heavy metals in the soil and different parts of the paddy crops. In this paper, the physicochemical characteristics of paper mill effluents and the accumulation of heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Co, Cd, Cr, and Ni) in the soil and different parts (roof, leaf, and seed) of the paddy crops growing in the irrigated area are described and compared with the soil and paddy crops irrigated by natural waters (unpolluted). Chemical and biological oxygen demands of wastewater were found to be 437 and 1070 ppm respectively, which are beyond the tolerance limits set by Indian standards. The total dissolved and suspended solids are 1754 and 990 ppm respectively. The concentration of heavy metals (except Zn) in the seeds is remarkably less than that in the roots and leaves of the paddy crops. The heavy metal uptake by plants shows the greatest accumulation of Cu, Cr, Co, and Pb in the roots: Cd and Ni in the leaves; and Zn in the seeds of rice. The heavy metal content of the soil and their total uptake by paddy roots has the relation: Pb > Zn > Cu > Cd and Pb > Cu > Zn > Cd. Survival of paddy crops irrigated by polluted waters indicates tolerance to toxic heavy metals. In conclusion, since in many tropical countries the common diet of people is rice, the accumulation of toxic heavy metals in rice may lead to health disorders

Microbial diversity in the hypersaline Lake Meyghan, Iran

Lake Meyghan is one of the largest and commercially most important salt lakes in Iran. Despite its inland location and high altitude, Lake Meyghan has a thalassohaline salt composition suggesting a marine origin. Inputs of fresh water by rivers and rainfall formed various basins characterized by different salinities. We analyzed the microbial community composition of three basins by isolation and culturing of microorganisms and by analysis of the metagenome. The basins that were investigated comprised a green ~50 g kg−1 salinity brine, a red ~180 g kg−1 salinity brine and a white ~300 g kg−1 salinity brine. Using different growth media, 57 strains of Bacteria and 48 strains of Archaea were isolated. Two bacterial isolates represent potential novel species with less than 96% 16S rRNA gene sequence identity to known species. Abundant isolates were also well represented in the metagenome. Bacteria dominated the low salinity brine, with Alteromonadales (Gammaproteobacteria) as a particularly important taxon, whereas the high salinity brines were dominated by haloarchaea. Although the brines of Lake Meyghan differ in geochemical composition, their ecosystem function appears largely conserved amongst each other while being driven by different microbial communities

Evaluation of two surveillance methods for surgical site infection

Background: Surgical wound infection surveillance is an important facet of hospital infection control processes. There are several surveillance methods for surgical site infections. The objective of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of two different surgical site infection surveillance methods. Methods: In this prospective cross sectional study 3020 undergoing surgey in general surgical wards of Imam Khomeini hospital were included. Surveillance methods consisted of review of medical records for postoperative fever and review of nursing daily note for prescription of antibiotics postoperatively and during patient’s discharge. Review of patient’s history and daily records and interview with patient’s surgeon and the head-nurse of the ward considered as a gold standard for surveillance. Results: The postoperative antibiotic consumption especially when considering its duration is a proper method for surgical wound infection surveillance. Accomplishments of a prospective study with postdischarge follow up until 30 days after surgery is recommended. Conclusion: The result of this study showed that postoperative antibiotic surveillance method specially with consideration of the antibiotic usage duration is a proper method for surgical site infection surveillance in general surgery wards. Accomplishments of a prospective study with post discharge follow up until 30 days after surgery is recommended

RIT2 Polymorphisms: Is There a Differential Association?

Neurological disorders include a wide variety of mostly multifactorial diseases related to the development, survival, and function of the neuron cells. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been extensively studied in neurological disorders, and in a number of instances have been reproducibly linked to disease as risk factors. The RIT2 gene has been recently shown to be associated with a number of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) and autism. In the study reported here, we investigated the association of the rs12456492 and rs16976358 SNPs of the RIT2 gene with PD, essential tremor (ET), autism, schizophrenia (SCZ), and bipolar disorder (BPD; total of 2290 patients), and 1000 controls, by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Significant association was observed between rs12456492 and two disorders, PD and ET, whereas rs16976358 was found to be associated with autism, SCZ, and BPD. Our findings are indicative of differential association between the RIT2 SNPs and different neurological disorders. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York