Environmental Risk Assessment of Selected Antibiotics in Iran

In recent years the increasing use of pharmaceuticals and personal-care products (PPCPs), especially antibiotics, has become a particular concern because of their undesirable potential ecological and human health effects. This study presents an environmental risk assessment for the aquatic environment of some frequently used antibiotics in Iran in three stages including; a short literature review about antibiotic consumption in Iran, a comprehensive estimation regarding acute toxicity of selected antibiotics and finally calculation of Risk Quotient (RQ) using the predicted environmental concentration (PEC) and the predicted no-effect concentration (PNEC). According to recently published data, the consumption of antibiotics in Iran is several times greater than European countries and in case of antibiotics (e.g. Penicillin) is approximately 10 times greater than Scandinavian region. The calculated PECs were ranged from 0.0071 to 0.8570 and the PNECs value based on ecotoxicity data was found for all studied antibiotics (varied from 0.0037 to 177). The RQ exceeded one for Amoxicillin, Penicillin G, Sulfamethoxazole, and Erythromycin. Amoxicillin has the highest risk to aquatic organisms based on this study. With respect to the emergence of microbial resistance, it is important to begin monitoring the most frequently used antibiotic

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010–19: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

BACKGROUND: Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. METHODS: The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk–outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. FINDINGS: Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4·45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4·01–4·94) deaths and 105 million (95·0–116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44·4% (41·3–48·4) of all cancer deaths and 42·0% (39·1–45·6) of all DALYs. There were 2·88 million (2·60–3·18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50·6% [47·8–54·1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1·58 million (1·36–1·84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36·3% [32·5–41·3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20·4% (12·6–28·4) and DALYs by 16·8% (8·8–25·0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34·7% [27·9–42·8] and 33·3% [25·8–42·0]). INTERPRETATION: The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden

Evaluation of progressive collapse potential of multi-story moment resisting steel frame buildings under lateral loading

AbstractThe aim of this study is to investigate whether MRF steel structures that have been designed based on seismic codes, are able to resist progressive collapse with damaged columns in different locations under seismic loading.For this purpose, 3-D and 2-D push-over analysis of structures is carried out. The progressive collapse potential has been assessed in connection with 5 and 15-story buildings with 4 and 6 bays by applying the alternate load path method recommended in UFC guidelines.Member removal in this manner is intended to represent a situation where an extreme event, such as vehicle impact or past earthquake shock or construction error, may cause a critical column, as a result of local or global buckling, to lose a part or whole of its load bearing capacity.In contrast with 3-D models, two-dimensional frames represent a higher sensitivity to base shear reduction and element removal. In the case of middle column removal, the structure is more robust than in a corner column removal situation. The influence of story number, redundancy and location of critical eliminated elements has been discussed

Determination Of Nanofiltration Efficency In Arsenic Removal From Drinking Water

Nowadays nanofiltration has been considered for the treatment of organic and inorganic pollutants in surface and groundwater resources. In this study, rejection characteristics of arsenic compounds such as As(III) to form As2O3 and As(V) to form Na2HAsO4.7H2O by a commercial nanofilter NF90 (DOW-FilmTec) was investigated. Arsenic rejection experiments included variations of feed arsenic concentration, transmembrane pressure and pH. In these experiments, as increasing initial concentration As(V) from 120 μg/L to 1026 μg/L in feed water, the percentage of rejection of As(V) decreased from 98.35% to 96.59% (permeate water concentration was 2 μg/L to 35 μg/L) ,while as increasing initial concentration As(III) from 118 μg/L to 985 μg/L in feed water ,the percentage of rejection of As(III) decreased from 94.07% to 87.51% ( permeate water concentration was 7 μg/L to 123 μg/L). Due to increase of pressure from 4 bar to 7 bar, the percentage of rejection of As(V) in finished water increased from 95.68% to 99.02% (permeate water concentration decreased from 21 μg/L to 5 μg/L),while the percentage of rejection of As(III) decreased from 80.99% to 95.11% (permeate water concentration decreased from 96 μg/L to 25μg/L). Also due to increasing pH from 3 to 11, the percentage of rejection of As(V) in finished water increased from 95.45% to 99.00% (permeate water concentration decreased from 22 μg/L to 5 μg/L), while the percentage of rejection of As(III) decreased from 86.6% to 94.81% (permeate water concentration decreased from 65 μg/L to 25 μg/L). Finally, nanofiltration application for arsenic removal from drinking water was recognized suitable regarding its proper efficiency and convenience operation and was recommended for point-of-use applications

Synthetic reactive dye wastewater treatment by using nano-membrane filtration

The batik industry is considered to be one of the largest textile cottage industries in the Southeast Asian region. Batik processing utilizes wax as a physical resistant and consumes a large amount of water during dyeing, fixing, and washing process; thus, generating harmful wastewater including dye, wax, and other auxiliaries. Respectively, an efficient wastewater treatment method is deemed necessary to meet legal emission standards. In this study, application of polyamide nano-membrane to remove dyes was evaluated for five different fiber reactive dyes' wastewater, namely reactive blue 15, reactive red 194, reactive yellow 145, reactive black 5, and reactive orange 16. The discussed dyes were tested in low concentration (16 mg/l) during a 60 min filtration process. The efficiency of filtration was calculated based on pre-process and post-process analytical experiments. The flux for all the samples ranged between 7.8 and 9.2 ml/cm(2 )s. The permeate pH value of the samples was observed to slightly increase, within a range of 6.4-7.1. Conductivity measurements for the samples indicated dramatic reduction for each sample dye solution compared to the sample from the feed to permeate during the filtration runs. Chemical oxygen demand value in the permeate samples was reduced to zero, representing a dye removal efficiency of more than 90, thus successfully meeting the environmental legal standard

Effects of Cherry in Take Versus Allopurinol on Serum Uric Acid Levels, Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress and Hepatic Xanthine Oxidase/Xanthine Dehydrogenase Activity in Hyperuricemic Rats

Background and ObjectivesPrevention and treatment of hyperuricemia are based on control of uric acid levels. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of oral administration of sour cherry and allopurinol on serum uric acid levels, biomarkers of oxidative stress (total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde concentration), and hepatic xanthine oxidase/xanthine dehydrogenase activity in normal and hyperuricemic rats. MethodsA total of 36 male Wistar rats (Weights: 180-200 g) were randomly divided into six equal groups. These groups were normal; normal+cherry tart (5 g/kg); normal+allopurinol (5 mg/kg); hyperuricemic; hyperuricemic+sour cherry (5 g/kg); hyperuricemic+allopurinol (5 mg/kg). Every group received their treatment once a day for 14 days. Hyperuricemia in rats was induced by intraperitoneal injection of potassium oxonate (250 mg/kg). ResultsOral administration of sour cherry for 14 days significantly reduced the serum uric acid levels of hyperuricemic rats in a time-dependent manner. Hepatic xanthine oxidase/xanthine dehydrogenase activity was significantly inhibited in both normal and hyperuricemic rats. Oral administration of cherry tart led to a significant improvement in biomarkers of oxidative stress in rats. Although the hypouricemic effect of allopurinol was much higher than that of sour cherry, allupurinol could not significantly change oxidative stress biomarkers. ConclusionThe results indicate that cherry, as a polyphenols-rich food could be used as a possible therapeutic supplement to minimize the side effects of allopurinol in treating hyperuricemia and oxidative stress diseases.Keywords: Polyphenols, Hyperuricemia, Xanthine Oxidase, Oxidative Stres