Effects of meat preheating and wrapping on the levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in charcoal-grilled meat.

The contamination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs by thermally treated high-protein foods, such as charcoal-grilled meat products, is due to the generation by direct pyrolysis of food nutrients and the direct deposition of PAHs from smoke produced through incomplete combustion of the thermal agents. This study investigated the effects on the PAH (BaP, BbFln and Fln) contents by using two different types of treatments, preheating (steam and microwave) and wrapping (aluminium and banana leaf) of the meat samples prior to charcoal grilling. PAHs were extracted through tandem solid-phase extraction. The results showed that the applied preheating and wrapping treatments on the samples strongly affect the PAHs levels in the charcoal-grilled meat. No carcinogenic PAHs (BaP and BbFln) were detected in the samples after steam and microwave preheating or aluminium wrapping treatments. Significant reductions of Fln content, of up to 46% and 81% in beef and chicken samples, respectively, were observed in the study

Nutritional value of freshwater mesozooplankton assemblages from Hanna Dam Lake, Iran, during a one-year study

Nutritional value of freshwater mesozooplankton, fatty acid (FA) and amino acid (AA) compositions were determined in the middle of each season for a one-year period from May 2009 to February 2010 in Hanna Dam Lake, Isfahan, Iran. FA and AA composition significantly (P<0.05) varied in relation to the seasonal changes of water quality, phytoplankton and zooplankton community. The content of saturated fatty acids (SAFA), mono unsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ranged from 22.4-29.0%, 30.9-40.4%, 11.8-20.9% of dry weight (DW), respectively. The major SAFA were 16:0 (13.7-17.0 % DW) and 18:0 (4.9-7.0 % DW), whereas contents of MUFA were mainly 18:1n-9 (13.8-16.2 % DW), 16:1n-7 (6.9-13.6% DW), and 18:1n-7 (5.7-10.6% DW). The major PUFA were 18:2n-6 (2.6-11.7 % DW), 18:3n-3 (2.4-3.1% DW), 20:5n-3 (3.9-4.8% DW), 22:6n-3 (0.73-0.99% DW), and 20:4n-6 (0.56-0.73% DW). As for the ratios of n-3:n-6, the values were 0.70:1, 2.54:1, 2.10:1, and 1.73:1 in spring, summer, autumn and winter respectively. The mean essential amino acid (EAA) and non-essential amino acid (NEAA) were 28.7 and 71.3 %; 31.0 and 69.0 %; 31.63 and 68.4 %; 34.5 and 67.0 % of total amino acid in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively. The amount of tyrosin, isolucine, lucine, arginine, cysteine, aspartic acid, glycine and proline were higher in mesozooplankton population at summer and autumn compared to winter and spring

Gut contents study of white leg (Litopenaeus vannamei) shrimp during a culture period from earthen ponds in Delvar of Bushehr

In this research, gut contents of white leg shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei were investigated for 113 days culture period at earthen ponds in Delvar of Bushehr, by sampling every 15 days. Results showed that artificial food had highest weight percentage in gut contents (foregut, midgut, and hindgut) following in order by detritus, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and macrobenthic. In the beginning of culture period, macro-bentic were observed in larval gut contents while other food items were throughout culture period. The maximum occurrence of detritus in gut contents was at 26 and 40 days-old larvae while highest phytoplankton was obtained at 86-days-old larvae in end of culture period. The zooplankton had approximately similar amounts throughout culture period in different parts of gut, while macro-benthic only observed at 26-old-days larvae with maximum amount at foregut and midgut. The mean highest gut fullness attained at foregut (0.95 %) and lowest at hindgut (0.20 %). The dominant color of gut content was green-brown in all parts of gut that could be due to consumption of natural pond products. This study illustrated that most consumed food items in L. vannamei was prepared by natural pond foods. In addition, detritus and plankton have most important in L. vannamei during culture period

A Comparative Study of Environmental Education Goals and its Related Activities in Iran and Selected Countries in order to suggest activities to for Iran

In this paper the attention has been paid to goals of the environmental education and related activities in Sweden, Australia, Canada, Turkey and Iran through a comparative and analytical method .In this regard, in addition to review documents of Iran and selected countries in the field of environmental education, interviews done with 12 experts in Tehran and Isfahan. To select these experts chain sampling method was used and the interviews with environmental experts executed until data saturation. In aim section, the prevailing view in all countries is sustainable development. In goals section, there was similarities in the development of knowledge, skills and positive attitude to nature. In part of activities related to environmental education, there is a significant gap between selected countries with Iran. On the other hand, it can be stated that this gap has been caused by a Gap between the intended purpose of the program and its implementation in Iran. At the end, localized actions have been proposed regarding the objectives of environmental education

Identification of SARS-CoV-2 surface therapeutic targets and drugs using molecular modeling methods for inhibition of the virus entry

Although COVID-19 emerged as a major concern to public health around the world, no licensed medication has been found as of yet to efficiently stop the virus spread and treat the infection. The SARS-CoV-2 entry into the host cell is driven by the direct interaction of the S1 domain with the ACE-2 receptor followed by conformational changes in the S2 domain, as a result of which fusion peptide is inserted into the target cell membrane, and the fusion process is mediated by the specific interactions between the heptad repeats 1 and 2 (HR1 and HR2) that form the six-helical bundle. Since blocking this interaction between HRs stops virus fusion and prevents its subsequent replication, the HRs inhibitors can be used as anti-COVID drugs. The initial drug selection is based on existing molecular databases to screen for molecules that may have a therapeutic effect on coronavirus. Based on these premises, we chose two approved drugs to investigate their interactions with the HRs (based on docking methods). To this end, molecular dynamics simulations and molecular docking were carried out to investigate the changes in the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Our results revealed, cefpiramide has the highest affinity to S protein, thereby revealing its potential to become an anti-COVID-19 clinical medicine. Therefore, this study offers new ways to re-use existing drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection

An AI-powered patient triage platform for future viral outbreaks using COVID-19 as a disease model

Over the last century, outbreaks and pandemics have occurred with disturbing regularity, necessitating advance preparation and large-scale, coordinated response. Here, we developed a machine learning predictive model of disease severity and length of hospitalization for COVID-19, which can be utilized as a platform for future unknown viral outbreaks. We combined untargeted metabolomics on plasma data obtained from COVID-19 patients (n = 111) during hospitalization and healthy controls (n = 342), clinical and comorbidity data (n = 508) to build this patient triage platform, which consists of three parts: (i) the clinical decision tree, which amongst other biomarkers showed that patients with increased eosinophils have worse disease prognosis and can serve as a new potential biomarker with high accuracy (AUC = 0.974), (ii) the estimation of patient hospitalization length with ± 5 days error (R2 = 0.9765) and (iii) the prediction of the disease severity and the need of patient transfer to the intensive care unit. We report a significant decrease in serotonin levels in patients who needed positive airway pressure oxygen and/or were intubated. Furthermore, 5-hydroxy tryptophan, allantoin, and glucuronic acid metabolites were increased in COVID-19 patients and collectively they can serve as biomarkers to predict disease progression. The ability to quickly identify which patients will develop life-threatening illness would allow the efficient allocation of medical resources and implementation of the most effective medical interventions. We would advocate that the same approach could be utilized in future viral outbreaks to help hospitals triage patients more effectively and improve patient outcomes while optimizing healthcare resources

In-vivo durability of a fluoride-releasing sealant (OpalSeal) for protection against white-spot lesion formation in orthodontic patients

BACKGROUND: Sealant application during fixed appliances orthodontic treatment for enamel protection is common, however, reliable data on its durability in vivo are rare. OBJECTIVE: This study aims at assessing the durability of a sealant (OpalSeal, Ultradent) for protection against white-spot lesion formation in orthodontic patients over 26 weeks in vivo, taking into account the provision or absence of an adequate oral hygiene. We tested the null hypothesis of (1) no significant abatement of the sealant after 26 weeks in fixed orthodontic treatment compared to baseline, and (2) no significant influence of the factor of brushing and oral hygiene (as screened by approximal plaque index, API) on the abatement of the sealant. METHODS: Integrity and abatement of OpalSeal applicated directly following bracketing was assessed in thirty-six consecutive patients (n(teeth) = 796) undergoing orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances (male/female12/24; mean age/SD 14.4/1.33 Y). Assessment of the fluorescing sealant preservation was by a black-light lamp, using a classification that was concepted in analogy to the ARI index: (3, sealant completely preserved; 2= > 50% preserved; 1 = <50%; 0 = no sealant observable) immediately following application (Baseline, T0), after 2 (T1), 8 (T2), 14 (T3), 20 (T4) and 26 weeks (T5). API was assessed at T0 and T1. Statistical analysis was by non-parametric repeated measures ANOVA (α = 5%, power >80%). RESULTS: At baseline, 43.4% of teeth had a positive API. Oral hygiene deteriorated after bracketing (T1, 53%) significantly. Null hypothesis (1) was rejected, while (2) was accepted: Mean values of both the well brushed and non-brushed anterior teeth undercut the score “1” at T3 (week 14). Despite a slightly better preservation of the sealer before and after T3 in not-sufficiently brushed (API-positive) teeth, this finding was statistically not significant. CONCLUSION: One single application of OpalSeal is unlikely to last throughout the entire fixed appliance treatment stage. On average, re-application of the sealant can be expected to be necessary after 3.5 months (week 14) in treatment