Effects of pistachio processing wastewater on treatment efficiency of urban wastewater using activated sludge process

Background: In this study, the effect of wastewater produced by pistachio processing in processing terminals on wastewater treatment plants with activated sludge process was investigated. Methods: The pilot of activated sludge was constructed at the laboratory scale similar to wastewater treatment plant in Kerman and it was investigated in different ratios of the wastewater of pistachio processing with urban wastewater and return sludge ratios of 50% and 75%. The best reactor efficiency in treating pistachio processing wastewater was obtained at a ratio of 5% with urban wastewater and return sludge of 50% plus 5 and 10% with urban wastewater and return sludge of 75%. Results: The removal efficiency in the reactor in the aforementioned ratios was obtained to be 96.9%, 98%, and 96.2% for COD, 95.7%, 97.2%, and 93.3% for BOD5, and 7.1%, 99%, and 96.97% for phenolic compounds, respectively. The removal efficiency of BOD5 and COD reduced with the increase in the ratios of pistachio processing wastewater especially with the presence of phenolic compounds. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that in the aforementioned ratios of pistachio processing wastewater with urban wastewater, the mean COD and BOD5 in the output wastewater were significantly lower than the standards of Iranian environmental organization and guidelines of World Health Organization (WHO). Conclusion: Activated sludge process is able to remove organic compounds of pistachio processing wastewater at a ratio of 5% and return sludge of 50% along with ratios of 5 and 10% and return sludge of 75% with urban wastewater with a high efficiency. Keywords: Activated sludge process, Wastewater, Pistachio, Environmen

Oral manifestations of COVID-19 and its management in pediatric patients: a systematic review and practical guideline

Objectives: The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a respiratory infection that has spread worldwide and is responsible for a high death toll. Although respiratory symptoms are the most common, there is growing evidence that oral signs of COVID-19 can also be seen in children. The purpose of this systematic review is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the available data on the oral manifestations of COVID-19 in children and to recommend appropriate methods of diagnosis and treatment. Methods: A systematic search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was done to discover relevant papers published between their establishment and January 2023. Articles detailing oral symptoms in pediatric patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection were included, and data on clinical characteristics, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes were extracted and evaluated. Results: A total of 24 studies involving 2112 pediatric patients with COVID-19 were included in the review. The most common presentations are oral lesions, taste and smell disorders, oral candidiasis, hemorrhagic crust, tongue discoloration, lip and tongue fissuring, gingivitis, and salivary gland inflammation. These manifestations were sometimes associated with multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or Kawasaki disease (KD). Management strategies varied depending on the severity of the oral manifestation and ranged from symptomatic relief with topical analgesics to systemic medications. Conclusion: Oral symptoms of COVID-19 are relatively prevalent in juvenile patients and can be accompanied by severe systemic diseases, such as MIS-C or Kawasaki illness. Early detection and adequate care of these oral symptoms are critical for the best patient results. Understanding the underlying pathophysiology and developing targeted treatments requires more investigation.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Surfactant Effects on Mortality and Morbidity of Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Neonates

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the mortality and morbidity rates of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) treated with and without surfactant in ventilated patients. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, the morbidity and mortality rates of RDS in 50 patients of the study group treated with surfactant were compared with 66 patients of control group treated without surfactant. The children of the control group received treatment at a time when surfactant was not available in market. Surfactant was used as Survanta during the first 24 hours of life with a dose of 4 ml/kg in four different positions through tracheal tube only once. Findings: The two groups were comparable in baseline parameters including birth weight, sex, gestational age and primary diagnosis. Mortality reduced significantly. There were no differences in the incidence of severe complications including, intraventricular hemorrhage and patent ductus arteriosus, but pneumothorax, sepsis and pulmonary hemorrhage occurred more common in the control group. Conclusion: Use of surfactant in neonatal respiratory distress syndrome significantly decreased mortality, pneumothorax, sepsis and pulmonary hemorrhage

Epigenetic Regulation in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Microenvironment: A Comprehensive Review

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a prevalent and significant type of oral cancer that has far-reaching health implications worldwide. Epigenetics, a field focused on studying heritable changes in gene expression without modifying DNA sequence, plays a pivotal role in OSCC. Epigenetic changes, encompassing DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miRNAs, exert control over gene activity and cellular characteristics. In OSCC, aberrant DNA methylation of tumor suppressor genes (TSG) leads to their inactivation, subsequently facilitating tumor growth. As a result, distinct patterns of gene methylation hold promise as valuable biomarkers for the detection of OSCC. Oral cancer treatment typically involves surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, but even with these treatments, cancer cells cannot be effectively targeted and destroyed. Researchers are therefore exploring new methods to target and eliminate cancer cells. One promising approach is the use of epigenetic modifiers, such as DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitors and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, which have been shown to modify abnormal epigenetic patterns in OSCC cells, leading to the reactivation of TSGs and the suppression of oncogenes. As a result, epigenetic-targeted therapies have the potential to directly alter gene expression and minimize side effects. Several studies have explored the efficacy of such therapies in the treatment of OSCC. Although studies have investigated the efficacy of epigenetic therapies, challenges in identifying reliable biomarkers and developing effective combination treatments are acknowledged. Of note, epigenetic mechanisms play a significant role in drug resistance in OSCC and other cancers. Aberrant DNA methylation can silence tumor suppressor genes, while alterations in histone modifications and chromatin remodeling affect gene expression related to drug metabolism and cell survival. Thus, understanding and targeting these epigenetic processes offer potential strategies to overcome drug resistance and improve the efficacy of cancer treatments in OSCC. This comprehensive review focuses on the complex interplay between epigenetic alterations and OSCC cells. This will involve a deep dive into the mechanisms underlying epigenetic modifications and their impact on OSCC, including its initiation, progression, and metastasis. Furthermore, this review will present the role of epigenetics in the treatment and diagnosis of OSCC

Effects of pistachio processing wastewater on treatment efficiency of urban wastewater using activated sludge process

Background: In this study, the effect of wastewater produced by pistachio processing in processing terminals on wastewater treatment plants with activated sludge process was investigated. Methods: The pilot of activated sludge was constructed at the laboratory scale similar to wastewater treatment plant in Kerman and it was investigated in different ratios of the wastewater of pistachio processing with urban wastewater and return sludge ratios of 50% and 75%. The best reactor efficiency in treating pistachio processing wastewater was obtained at a ratio of 5% with urban wastewater and return sludge of 50% plus 5 and 10% with urban wastewater and return sludge of 75%. Results: The removal efficiency in the reactor in the aforementioned ratios was obtained to be 96.9%, 98%, and 96.2% for COD, 95.7%, 97.2%, and 93.3% for BOD5, and 7.1%, 99%, and 96.97% for phenolic compounds, respectively. The removal efficiency of BOD5 and COD reduced with the increase in the ratios of pistachio processing wastewater especially with the presence of phenolic compounds. The one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) indicated that in the aforementioned ratios of pistachio processing wastewater with urban wastewater, the mean COD and BOD5 in the output wastewater were significantly lower than the standards of Iranian environmental organization and guidelines of World Health Organization (WHO). Conclusion: Activated sludge process is able to remove organic compounds of pistachio processing wastewater at a ratio of 5% and return sludge of 50% along with ratios of 5 and 10% and return sludge of 75% with urban wastewater with a high efficiency

Recent advances in metal nanoparticles to treat periodontitis

Abstract The gradual deterioration of the supporting periodontal tissues caused by periodontitis, a chronic multifactorial inflammatory disease, is thought to be triggered by the colonization of dysbiotic plaque biofilms in a vulnerable host. One of the most prevalent dental conditions in the world, periodontitis is now the leading factor in adult tooth loss. When periodontitis does develop, it is treated by scraping the mineralized deposits and dental biofilm off the tooth surfaces. Numerous studies have shown that non-surgical treatment significantly improves clinical and microbiological indices in individuals with periodontitis. Although periodontal parameters have significantly improved, certain bacterial reservoirs often persist on root surfaces even after standard periodontal therapy. Periodontitis has been treated with local or systemic antibiotics as well as scaling and root planning. Since there aren't many brand-new antibiotics on the market, several researchers are currently concentrating on creating alternate methods of combating periodontal germs. There is a delay in a study on the subject of nanoparticle (NP) toxicity, which is especially concerned with mechanisms of action, while the area of nanomedicine develops. The most promising of them are metal NPs since they have potent antibacterial action. Metal NPs may be employed as efficient growth inhibitors in a variety of bacteria, making them useful for the treatment of periodontitis. In this way, the new metal NPs contributed significantly to the development of efficient anti-inflammatory and antibacterial platforms for the treatment of periodontitis. The current therapeutic effects of several metallic NPs on periodontitis are summarized in this study. This data might be used to develop NP-based therapeutic alternatives for the treatment of periodontal infections. Graphical Abstrac

Study of Cytotoxic and Antibacterial Activity of Ag‐ and Mg‐Dual‐Doped ZnO Nanoparticles

Abstract A non‐laborious process for the fabrication of silver and magnesium dual doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (Ag/Mg−ZnO NP) is described. The wurtzite ZnO nano‐structures and the dual doped NP were analyzed by PXRD. SEM data showed the hexagonal morphology of our product, while the gathered anti‐bacterial outcomes towards Streptococcus mutans bacteria through micro‐dilution technic affirmed the enhanced performance of doped NP compared to the native ones. Furthermore, we gauged the toxic impacts of synthesized pure and Ag/Mg−ZnO NP against a breast cancer (MDA‐MB‐231) cell line through an MTT trial, which highlighted the superiority of the doped when compared to the native nanoparticles. In light of these comparisons, the applicability of Ag/Mg−ZnO NP in dental and medical science is proposed