Comparison of the Chemical Compositions and Antibacterial Activities of Two Iranian Mustard Essential Oils and Use of these Oils in Turkey Meats as Preservatives

Background and objective: Iranian mustard is cultivated in southern areas of Iran and used traditionally as natural preservative. Aims of the current study were identification and comparison of the chemical compositions and antibacterial activities of two Iranian mustard essential oils and assessment of these oils use for increasing the shelf life of turkey meats.Material and methods: Chemical compositions of two Iranian mustard essential oils were identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and antibacterial activities of these oils were assessed against Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Citrobacter freundii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus and Enterococcus faecalis using disc diffusion and broth macrodilution assays. Inhibitory effects of the essential oils were assessed on growth of mesophilic psychrotrophic bacteria, yeasts and molds and sensory evaluation was carried out for the turkey meats.Results and conclusion: Results of GC-MS showed presence of bioactive constituents, especially allyl isothiocyanate (75.87-80.07%). All the bacterial growth, especially for Escherichia coli, was inhibited with inhibition zones of greater than 20 mm and minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of 0.156 mg ml-1. Treatment of turkey meat samples with the mustard essential oils significantly decreased the count of mesophilic psychrotrophic bacteria, yeasts and molds during 20 days of storage at 4°C ±1, compared to controls (P≤0.05). Over the time, the sensory score of the treated samples increased, compared to controls. Based on these findings, the Iranian mustard essential oils can be used as natural preservatives in foods.Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest

Alcohol consumption and types of cancer: a review

Objective: The purpose of this review study was to investigate the association between alcohol consumption and common cancers. Methods: This study was conducted in English by February 2019 to include studies reporting alcohol consumption related cancer risks through a search in data bases of the PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science. The search strategy included the keywords: "cancer", " alcohol consumption or Alcohol Drinking or Underage Drinking ". Articles that looked at the relationship between each type of cancer and consumption of alcoholic beverages were entered in to the study and summarized in review. Results: alcohol consumption is associated with a decreased risk of some types of cancers including: Renal cell carcinoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Also, alcohol is independent risk factor for oral and pharyngeal, laryngeal, Esophagus, Stomach, Colorectal, Breast and Liver cancer. However, further studies are required to confirm the association between alcohol consumption and Pancreas, Lung, Prostate, Endometrium, Brain tumour and Bladder cancer risks. Conclusions: Given the role of excessive alcohol consumption in the occurrence of various types of cancers, there is a need for a comprehensive plan for alcohol abuse in the community Keywords: cancer, alcohol consumption, Underage Drinking, Alcohol Drinkin

Nanoporous Titanium Oxynitride Nanotube Metamaterials with Deep Subwavelength Heat Dissipation for Perfect Solar Absorption

We report a quasi-unitary broadband absorption over the ultraviolet-visible-near-infrared range in spaced high aspect ratio, nanoporous titanium oxynitride nanotubes, an ideal platform for several photothermal applications. We explain such an efficient light-heat conversion in terms of localized field distribution and heat dissipation within the nanopores, whose sparsity can be controlled during fabrication. The extremely large heat dissipation could not be explained in terms of effective medium theories, which are typically used to describe small geometrical features associated with relatively large optical structures. A fabrication-process-inspired numerical model was developed to describe a realistic space-dependent electric permittivity distribution within the nanotubes. The resulting abrupt optical discontinuities favor electromagnetic dissipation in the deep sub-wavelength domains generated and can explain the large broadband absorption measured in samples with different porosities. The potential application of porous titanium oxynitride nanotubes as solar absorbers was explored by photothermal experiments under moderately concentrated white light (1-12 Suns). These findings suggest potential interest in realizing solar-thermal devices based on such simple and scalable metamaterials

Sensing of Alzheimer’s Disease and Multiple Sclerosis Using Nano-Bio Interfaces

It is well understood that patients with different diseases may have a variety of specific proteins (e.g., type, amount, and configuration) in their plasmas. When nanoparticles (NPs) are exposed to these plasmas, the resulting coronas may incorporate some of the disease-specific proteins. Using gold (Au) NPs with different surface properties and corona composition, we have developed a technology for the discrimination and detection of two neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and multiple sclerosis (MS). Applying a variety of techniques, including UV-visible spectra, colorimetric response analyses and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we found the corona-NP complexes, obtained from different human serums, had distinct protein composition, including some specific proteins that are known as AD and MS biomarkers. The colorimetric responses, analyzed by chemometrics and statistical methods, demonstrate promising capabilities of the technology to unambiguously identify and discriminate AD and MS. The developed colorimetric technology might enable a simple, inexpensive and rapid detection/discrimination of neurodegenerative diseases. KEYWORDS: Alzheimer’s disease; colorimetric technology; disease-specific protein corona; gold nanoparticles; multiple sclerosi

Varicella susceptibility in iran military conscripts: A study among military garrisons

peer reviewedBackground: Promoting varicella vaccination for military personnel and conscripts, as one of the susceptible and high-risk groups, is an important governmental approach in every society. The present study aimed to address the seroprevalence of this infection and its immunization level among Iranian military conscripts. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine seroprevalence of varicella infection and its immunization level among Iranian military conscripts. Methods: Four hundred and sixty-four conscripts, using cluster-stratified sampling, were selected from all military garrisons in Tehran. Seroprevalence of infection among each participant was determined by measuring varicella IgG antibody level via the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The mean antibody titer among the participants was 109.66127.47; 86.9% of studied samples were seropositive. Place of residence could somewhat predict the seropositivity against varicella; seropositivity was significantly higher in participants, who lived in the capital city than those wholived in other regions (OR: 4.008, 95%CI: 0.947 - 16.953, P=0.059). Age, education level, marital statusandduration of military were not associated with seropositivity. Conclusions: Susceptibility to varicella infection is considerably lower among military garrisons in Tehran and is mainly dependent on their place of residence. However, the current study could not provide a comprehensive picture of the immunological status of the varicella in Iran military garrisons, and we suggest further studies in more cities to aid with the design of immunization programs for these individuals

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

peer reviewe

Helicobacter Pylori Infection and Atherosclerosis: a Systematic Review

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a spiral-shaped gram negative bacterium that naturally colonizes the human gastric epithelium. In recent years, large evidence has come to the literature strongly proposing causal link between H. pylori and extra gastric disorders. Cardiovascular system is one of the extra gastric organs that can be affected by H. pylori infection. The first evidence suggestive of such an association comes from seroepidemiological evaluations, but histopathological and eradication studies have strongly confirmed existence of a causal association between H. pylori infection and cardiovascular events

Response of transplant recipients to influenza vaccination based on type of immunosuppression: A meta-analysis

Influenza vaccination is widely used in transplant recipients, but there is little known about the significance and correlating factors of its effectiveness. In the current study, we reviewed the existing literature on clinical trials performed in transplant recipients on the effectiveness of influenza vaccination and to evaluate the relevance of the type of immunosuppression employed in these patients on the humoral reaction to the vaccine. A comprehensive search of the literature was performed through Pubmed and Google Scholar to find reports indicating immunogenicity of influenza vaccination in transplant patients. Finally, data from 15 published clinical trials were included in the meta-analysis. Data of 947 transplant recipients retrieved from 15 clinical trials investigating the immunogenicity of influenza vaccination were analyzed in this meta-analysis. Analysis showed significantly lower rates of sero-conversion among transplant recipients receiving mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) than other immunosuppressive agents (relative risk: 0.724; 95% confidence interval: 0.596-0.880; P = 0.001). No significant correlation was found with tacrolimus, sirolimus, cyclosporine and azathioprine. Different immunosuppressive agents seem to have different effects on the humoral response rate to influenza vaccination, with MMF having the most significant deleterious effect. The limited and controversial data available in the literature do not support any differential effect for other immunosuppressive agents