Effects of Antioxidants Supplemment, Astaxanthin, Vitamin E, C, in Rat Fed a High-Fat Diet

Introduction & Objective: obesity is independently associated with increased oxidative stress in men and women. Natural antioxidants showed substantial antioxidative and anti-inflammatory activities in vivo. In this study, we examined the preventive effect of antioxidants supplement and/or restricted diet on the development of obesity induced by feeding a high-fat (HF) diet. Materials & Methods: The present study was conducted at Hamadan University of Medical Sciences in 2009. Forty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to HF purified diet (61% kcal from fat) ad libitum, HF restricted (30%), HF supplemented with astaxanthin, vitamin E and C (HFS), HFS restricted (30%) for 12 weeks. Daily food intake and weekly body weight gain were measured. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS software using Colmogroph- Smirnov, One-Way ANOVA, and Two-Way ANOVA. Results: Dietary antioxidants suppressed body weight gain in the HF-diet ad libitum (-9.8%), and in HF restricted diet (-18.14%). Energy intake was not significant in HF with HFS (58.8 and 58.6 kcal/rat/d, respectively) and in HF restricted with HFS restricted (41.7 and 41.6 kcal/rat/d, respectively). Conclusion: results of this study suggest that antioxidants supplement might be of value in reducing the likelihood of obesity in rats fed with high-fat diets, especially when accompanying with restricted diets

Compact Model For Predicting Road Traffic Noise

Noise is one of the most important sources of pollution in the metropolitan areas. The recognition of road traffic noise as one of the main sources of environmental pollution has led to develop models that enable us to predict noise level from fundamental variables. Traffic noise prediction models are required as aids in the design of roads and sometimes in the assessment of existing, or envisaged changes in, traffic noise conditions. The purpose of this study was to design a prediction road traffic noise model from traffic variables and conditions of transportation in Iran. This paper is the result of a research conducted in the city of Hamadan with the ultimate objective of setting up a traffic noise model based on the traffic conditions of Iranian cities. Noise levels and other variables have been measured in 282 samples to develop a statistical regression model based on A-weighted equivalent noise level for Iranian road condition. The results revealed that the average LAeq in all stations was 69.04± 4.25 dB(A), the average speed of vehicles was 44.57±11.46 km/h and average traffic load was 1231.9 ± 910.2 V/h. The developed model has seven explanatory entrance variables in order to achieve a high regression coefficient (R2=0.901). Comparing means of predicted and measuring equivalent sound pressure level (LAeq) showed small difference less than -0.42 dB(A) and -0.77 dB(A) for Tehran and Hamadan cities, respectively. The suggested road traffic noise model can be effectively used as a decision support tool for predicting equivalent sound pressure level index in the cities of Iran

Study of School Noise in the Capital City of Tehrain-Iran

Noise pollution has a detrimental effect upon the learning and attainments of school children. Poor acoustical condition and high noise levels can cause many problems for the instructors and students. The acoustical indices and conditions of classrooms are important factors in the learning achievement of students. The purpose of this study was to find the relations of noise levels in indoor/outdoor and acoustical conditions of classrooms. Noise measurements and acoustical indices of 244 classrooms in 90 random samples consisting of primary, secondary and high schools in Tehran were considered. It was found that the average equivalent noise levels inside classrooms and corridors, yards and street sides in teaching condition were 72 dB(A), 65.8 dB(A), 64.1 dB(A) and 64.5 dB(A), respectively. Deference between mean indoor LAeq and background noise level in teaching conditions (above 32 dB) indicates that outdoor district noise sources could not significant affect indoor noise levels (P = 0.521). Comparison of means between equivalent noise level in classrooms of boy schools with girl schools showed a significant difference (P=0.0001). For the case of classrooms in primary, secondary and high school this Comparison had a significant deference (P=0.0001). Site selection, improving acoustic quality, controlling opening in doors and windows and educating noise reduction for studied schools were proposed

Correlation between measured and calculated free phenytoin serum concentration in neurointensive care patients with hypoalbuminemia

Seyyede-Sareh Javadi,1 Reza Mahjub,2 Abbas Taher,3 Younes Mohammadi,4 Maryam Mehrpooya1 1Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 2Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmacy, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 3Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran; 4Modeling of Noncommunicable Diseases Research Center, School of Public Health, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Purpose: In critically ill patients, monitoring free phenytoin concentration is a valuable method for phenytoin-dosage adjustment. However, due to technical difficulties and the high cost of these methods, the Sheiner–Tozer equation is routinely used for estimating free phenytoin concentration in clinical practice. There have been conflicting results concerning accuracy and precision of the Sheiner–Tozer equation for prediction of free phenytoin concentration in various patient populations. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and correlation of measured and calculated free phenytoin concentrations in neurointensive care patients with hypoalbuminemia. Methods: A total of 65 adult neurointensive care patients with hypoalbuminemia who were receiving phenytoin for prevention or treatment of seizures were recruited in this study. In addition to measuring free phenytoin concentration by HPLC, free phenytoin concentration was calculated using both conventional and revised Sheiner–Tozer equations. Eventually, the correlation and level of agreement between measured and calculated free phenytoin concentrations were evaluated. Results: The mean albumin concentration of studied patients was 2.63±0.57 g/dL. There was a significant but weak–moderate correlation between measured and calculated free phenytoin concentration using conventional and revised Sheiner–Tozer equations (r=0.45 and r=0.43, respectively). Conventional and revised Sheiner–Tozer equations were not able to predict free phenytoin concentrations accurately in 33.85% and 35.4% of patients, respectively. Although the sex of patients did not have a significant impact on the level of agreement, younger patients had a higher level of agreement. Conclusion: Although there was a moderate correlation between calculated and measured free phenytoin concentration, the Sheiner–Tozer equation was not able to predict free phenytoin concentration accurately in all patients, especially in older patients. Therefore, monitoring free phenytoin serum concentration besides clinical outcomes should be considered for phenytoin-dose adjustment in critically ill patients. Keywords: phenytoin, therapeutic drug monitoring, intensive care patients, Sheiner–Tozer equatio

Investigation of qualitative and quantitative of volatile organic com-pounds of ambient air in the Mahshahr Petrochemical Complex in 2009

Background: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are human-made chemicals widely spread in the environment and produced by petrochemical industries and petroleum refineries. The aim of this research was to evaluate the distribution of VOCs in the ambi- ent air of Mahshahr Petrochemical Complex, Iran. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional research performed in 2009. We used the method numbered 1501, 1500, 2000, 1003, 1005, 1010, 2555, 1300 and 1400 of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for the sampling and anal- ysis of compounds in the air. A total of 204 samples were analyzed using Gas Chroma- tography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and a Gas Chromatography-Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID). Results: The mean of concentrations of the pollutants in the winter is less than in sum- mer and a strong variation occurred among the sampling site, attributed to the change in meteorology. The results indicated high concentrations of benzene in most factories. In addition, a significant difference occurred between the concentrations of the compounds in the ambient air inside and outside the factories in both seasons (P<0.050). Conclusion: It seems that the atmospheric conditions of the workplace affect the spreading of the pollutants, causing the concentration of the pollutants in the summer to be higher than in the winter. In addition, the frequent prevailing wind speed in the region plays a major role in the distribution of the pollutants from Mahshahr Petrochemical factories