Antioxidant and toxicity studies of biosynthesized cerium oxide nanoparticles in rats

Funding Information: We would like to thank the Vice Chancellery for Research and Technology, MUMS for financial support (grant no 930954) and facilities.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Retraining over the principles and mechanisms involved in the occurrence of false results from urine drug screening tests: Adulteration and strategies to defeat

Screening tests (UDSTs) for the diagnosis of psychoactive drugs can identify drug abuse, improve workplace safety, ensure community health, and play a critical role in therapeutic drug monitoring. Nonetheless, correct interpretation of the results of these tests requires a full awareness of the principles of testing methods, drug kinetics, and various leading causes of false results. Among the advantages of these screening tests (based on the immunoassay technique), we can refer to their high sensitivity in the detection of psychoactive substances, convenience, and cost-effectiveness. Therefore, these kinds of urine drug screening are recommended as the first line of detection in all reliable related guidelines. This method can reliably detect common drug abuse, such as opiates/opioids, amphetamine/methamphetamine, cocaine, cannabinoids, phencyclidine, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines, with high sensitivity. Although the immunoassay technique is sensitive to the presence of drugs/drug metabolites and has relatively good specificity, false negative and positive results may occur in some cases. Therefore, careful attention to proper sample collection methods and tests to determine the integrity nature of the urine sample can identify a wide range of abusers' attempts to produce false negative/positive test results. Finally, unexpected positive test results should be checked with confirmatory methods, such as gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Effect of valproic acid on metabolic status and endocrine system in pediatric patients with epilepsy: systematic literature review

Introduction: Valproic acid (VPA) is an acidic compound that is commonly used as an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing agent in the treatment of epilepsy, mania and bipolar disorders as well as the prevention of migraine headaches. But, it can affect metabolic and endocrine system resulting in hormonal disturbances and incidence of some metabolic disease, especially in pediatric patients. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the literature wherein metabolic and endocrine effect of valproic acid has been studied in pediatric patients with epilepsy.Methods: To evaluate the relationship between VPA consumption and metabolic diseases, a systematic literature search was performed through searching for related documents in the PubMed and Scopus as two known databases using the following key terms “valproic acid”, “metabolic disease” and “pediatrics” in the title, keywords, and abstract of literatures. Data were then extracted and described.Result: Nearly 934 documents were collected and reviewed based on the main purpose of this study. Of the collected articles, 918 documents were excluded in several step by step processes of article selection, and only 16 relevant documents were included for further data assessment. The results showed that VPA can cause significant increase in plasma concentration of thyroid hormones and therefore increase the risk of metabolic disease in patients with epilepsy.Conclusion:The results of included documents in this review showed that VPA may induce metabolic and hormonal disturbances in pediatric patients, who were on treatment with VPA

The role of candida albicans in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic literature review

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that is related to many genetic, and environmental factors, as well as infectious pathogens. Findings suggest that the Candida species, particularly Candida albicans, may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the possible association between C. albicans and the prevalence of psoriasis. Methods: A systematic search of existing literature was performed in the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases and the Google search engine using the following search strategy ((Candida albicans OR C. albicans OR Candida)) AND (psoriasis vulgaris OR plaque psoriasis OR psoriasis) to find relevant articles that described a possible positive or negative association between C. albicans and the incidence or progression of psoriasis. The search was not limited to articles that were published within a specific time period; however, only those written in the English language were included in the review.Result: Of the 499 articles in total that were identified during the initial database search, 491 were excluded from the review because they failed to meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The total number of people involved in the selected studies, including both patients and healthy controls, was 1260. The analysis of the results of the included documents showed that the colonization of C. albicans is more prevalent in biological specimens taken from psoriatic patients.Conclusion: Studies show that C. albicans, opportunistic yeast, like diploid fungus, may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis

Gut microbiome and its association with psychiatric disorders, specially schizophrenia

Background and Aim: Microorganisms living in the human body play an important role in human health. Human microbiota is known as an essential agent and playing an important role in the biological processes of the human body. The role of the microbiota in the host metabolism, intestinal inflammatory responses and their treatment has been well recognized. In this study we investigated the relationship between intestinal microbiota and schizophrenia. Materials and Methods: Using keywords of”Gut microbiota”، “Schizophrenia”، “Fecal transplantation” و “Mental disorders”, we searched data bases of  SCOPUS، PubMed و Web of Science in order to find studies on the effects and relationship of the gut microbiota with occurrence of some diseases, the gut-brain relationship, and the role of fecal transplantation in the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases and mental illnesses, particularly schizophrenia. Results: Recent studies have emphasized the importance of the microbial gut-brain axis. The intestinal microbiota has certain impacts in the process of development of mental disorders such as anxiety, stress, depression, and behavioral disorders. Conclusion: Use of gut microbiota maybe helpful for the patients with schizophrenia for improvement of the cognitive changes. In addition, due to the low prevalence and high rate of complications of this disease, more studies on the role of fecal microbiota transplantation in the patients with schizophrenia are recommended

Determination of cyanide and nitrate concentrations in drinking, irrigation, and wastewaters

Background: The chemical contamination of water is a major concern for the environmental and health authorities globally. Some anions present in the water are required for human health, but some of them are harmful. Free cyanide and nitrate are amongst the toxic agents in the aquatic environment. Cyanide is highly toxic for human beings. Industrial plants could be attributed to a major source of these toxic agents. Therefore, cyanide and nitrate concentrations in the drinking and irrigation water wells in the high industrial plants were evaluated. Materials and Methods: The samples (57) were taken from drinking and irrigation water wells as well as from a wastewater refinery in north of Mashhad in three stages - March 2009, June 2010, and July 2010. Determination of cyanide and nitrate were performed by a spectrophotometer using commercially available kits according to the manufacturer′s protocols. Results: Cyanide and nitrate concentrations in the drinking water samples of the three stages were 0.0050 ± 0.0007, 0.0070 ± 0.0018, 0.0008 ± 0.0014 mg/L and 6.50 ± 2.80, 7.20 ± 1.80, 7.50 ± 1.90 mg/L, respectively. Cyanide mean concentration during March, June, and July was significant (P = 0.001), whereas nitrate mean concentration was not (P = 0.5). Cyanide and nitrate concentrations in the irrigation water samples of the three stages were 0.0140 ± 0.0130, 0.0077 ± 0.0025, 0.0087 ± 0.0047 mg/L and 12.37 ± 8.12, 8.04 ± 3.99, 8.40 ± 2.60 mg/L, respectively. Cyanide (P = 0.754) and nitrate (P = 0.705) concentrations were not significant during three occasions. Cyanide and nitrate concentrations in the wastewaters of the three stages were 0.1020 ± 0.033, 0.1180 ± 0.033, 0.1200 ± 0.035 mg/L and 1633.80 ± 40.74, 279.00 ± 152.17, 298.40 ± 304.74 mg/L, respectively. Cyanide (P = 0.731) and nitrate (P = 0.187) concentration in wastewaters were not significant during different months. Conclusion: Although nitrate and cyanide concentrations in the drinking and irrigation water were within the standard range (0.07 mg/L for cyanide and 50 mg/L for nitrate) and was not a health problem at the time of our study, regular estimation of the toxic chemicals due to the development of industrial plants in this area is recommended

A Comparative Study on Visual Detection of <i>Mycobacterium tuberculosis</i> by Closed Tube Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification: Shedding Light on the Use of Eriochrome Black T

Loop-mediated isothermal amplification is a promising candidate for the rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, the high potential for carry-over contamination is the main obstacle to its routine use. Here, a closed tube LAMP was intended for the visual detection of Mtb to compare turbidimetric and two more favorable colorimetric methods using calcein and hydroxy naphthol blue (HNB). Additionally, a less studied dye (i.e., eriochrome black T (EBT)) was optimized in detail in the reaction for the first time. Mtb purified DNA and 30 clinical specimens were used to respectively determine the analytical and diagnostic sensitivities of each method. The turbidimetric method resulted in the best analytical sensitivity (100 fg DNA/reaction), diagnostic sensitivity and specificity (100%), and time-to-positivity of the test (15 min). However, this method is highly prone to subjective error in reading the results. Moreover, HNB-, calcein-, and EBT-LAMP could respectively detect 100 fg, 1 pg, and 1 pg DNA/reaction (the analytical sensitivities) in 30, 15, and 30 min, while the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were respectively 93.3% and 100% for them all. Interestingly, EBT-LAMP showed the lowest potential for subjective error in reading the results. This report helps judiciously choose the most appropriate visual method, taking a step forward toward the field applicability of LAMP for the detection of Mtb, particularly in resource-limited settings

Arsenic and Lead Contaminations in Commercial Fruit Juices of Markets in Mashhad, Iran

Background: Contamination of fruit juices with heavy metals presents a risk for human health. Concentrations of lead, and arsenic in fruit juices of market in Mashhad, Iran, were measured using atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS). Methods: Fifty varieties of commercial fruit juices (grape, apple, orange, pomegranate, and multi-fruit) from 5 popular brands (A, B, C, D and E) were purchased from local markets of Mashhad during spring and winter 2016. Five samples of each brand were analyzed by AAS. Results: The mean concentrations of lead and arsenic were 39.4 and 1.9 ng/mL, with a range of 18.5–54.6 and 1.52-2.35 ng/mL, respectively. The orange A and multi-fruit A samples had a higher lead level than the others, whilst multi-fruit E contained the lowest. The lowest arsenic content was found in grape B, while the highest was found in multi-fruit C. Conclusion: Eighty-three percent of the samples had lead levels exceeding the maximum level (30 ng/mL) accepted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission, while arsenic levels were below the maximal permissible value (10 ng/mL). Due to the fact that fruit juices are used by all age groups including infants and children, it is necessary to minimize the health risk from heavy metal contamination in fruit juices. For this reason, the amount of heavy metals contaminants in fruit juice samples should be regularly checked and controlled by the local health authorities

Biochemical and hematological findings of Khorasan veterans 23 years after sulfur mustard exposure

Background: Sulfur mustard (SM) is an incapacitating chemical warfare agent, which has been widely employed in particular regions including Iran. We investigated and reported delayed biochemical and hematological complications of SM in severely toxic Iranian veterans 23 years after exposure. Materials and Methods : Forty-two Iranian veterans, residents of Khorasan Razavi, poisoned by SM, and suffering from clinical complications were investigated. A total of 30 healthy male volunteers were also selected as a control group. Biochemical and hematological variables were measured for the case and control groups. Data were analyzed using a Student′s t-test by InStat software (GraphPad Inc., San Diego, CA ) to determine significant differences between the data from the two groups. Results: The percentages of reticulocytes were significantly higher in patients (0.82 ± 0.04, P < 0.05). Total protein and albumin levels were significantly lower in veterans (total protein: 7.58 ± 0.07 g/dL, albumin: 4.97 ± 0.04 g/dL, P < 0.01). In addition, we observed a significant increase in serum cholesterol (226.74 ± 5.23 mg/dL, P < 0.01), triglyceride (173.53 ± 17.05 mg/dL, P < 0.05), and gamma-glutamyl transferase (GTT) activity of the patients (44.04 ± 3.35 IU/L, P < 0.05). Conclusion: Results showed that SM can cause long-term effects on some biochemical factors of veterans. As many of the functional tests of liver and kidney between two groups were statistically unchanged, it seems that the observed biochemical changes may be secondary to delayed respiratory complications of the patients

Safranal as a safe compound to mice immune system

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate immunotoxic effect of safranal (SAF), a main component of Crocus sativus essential oil, using Balb/c mice. Materials and Methods: SAF was administered intraperitoneally at doses of 0.1, 0.5 and 1 ml/kg for 3 weeks. Hystopathological examination of spleen and bone marrow, cellularity of spleen, delayed type of hypersensitivity (DTH) response, hemagglutination titer (HA), cytokine production and lymphocyte proliferation assay were studied in various groups of animals. Results: Spleen cellularity for SAF groups (0.1 ml/kg SAF: 6.68 [± 0.88] × 107, 0.5 ml/kg SAF: 8.16 [± 1.33] × 107, 1 ml/kg SAF: 6.12 [± 0.59] × 107) did not significantly differ as compared to vehicle control (8.52 [± 1.36] × 107; p > 0.05). In addition, SAF at all doses could not produce any significant changes in hematological parameters, HA titer, DTH and lymphoproliferation responses, as well as in release of cytokines by isolated splenocytes (p > 0.05). Despite a few studies demonstrating some immunomodulatory effects for saffron extract, SAF as a major constituent of saffron did not induce any marked effects in immune system parameters of mice. Conclusion: Contrary to the toxicological studies which have indicated that SAF is more toxic than other active constituents in saffron stigma, at least it was found to be safe to mice immune system and has no toxicity on humoral and cellular immune responses