Distribution of heavy metals in surface sediments from the South China Sea ecosystem, Malaysia

The concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, mercury, nickel, lead and zinc in surface sediments collected from the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, along the South China Sea, were measured by two methods instrumental neutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The obtained results were use to determine the areal distribution of the metals of in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia and potential sources of these metals to this environment. The geochemical data propose that most of the metals found in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia constitute a redistribution of territorial materials within the ecosystem. Then, the metal concentrations can be considered to be present at natural background levels in surface sediments

Influence of sexually transmitted infections on the cervical cytological abnormalities among Iranian women: A cross-sectional study

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are one of the world’s most severe health challenges. The existence of STIs such as human papillomavirus (HPV) might cause cervical cell changes leading to cervical cancer. Objective: This study aims to assess the association of STIs with cervical cytological abnormalities and genital warts among women in northeastern Iran. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out on 190 women referred to the central laboratory of Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Mashhad, Iran from March to July 2022. The presence of genital infections caused by Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Mycoplasma genitalium, and Herpes simplex viruses (1 and 2) were assessed using the real-time polymerase chain reaction method. HPV genital infection was detected based on the principles of reverse hybridization, and cellular changes in the cervix were examined by the liquid-based cytology technique. Results: The mean age of participants was 35.33 ± 8.9 yr. 34 different HPV genotypes were detected in all HPV-positive cases, and the most common genotype was low-risk HPV6. No significant association was found between STIs and cervical cytology abnormalities. The prevalence rates of sexually transmitted pathogens among HPV-positive and HPV-negative individuals were 10.9 and 1.6%, respectively. The frequency of genital warts was significantly higher in cases with multiple infections of high- and low-risk HPV genotypes. Conclusion: High percentages of the participants with non-HPV STIs and HPV infection had normal cervical cytology. It is advised to use STIs and HPV diagnostic tests along with cytology examinations for cervical cancer screening. Key words: Sexually transmitted infections, Human papillomavirus, Cervical cancer, Genital wart, Genotypes

Implementation of Upper Extremity Trauma Registry: A Pilot Study

Hand traumas are common in young men and their complications can have negative effects on their occupation and economic activities. On the other hand, most of the hand injuries are related to occupation accidents and thus necessitates preventive measures. The goal of a clinical registry is assisting epidemiologic surveys, quality improvement preventions. This article explains the first phase of implementing a registry for upper extremity trauma. This phase includes recording of demographic data of patients. A questionnaire was designed. Contents include patients' characteristics, pattern of injury and past medical history in a minimal data set checklist. This questionnaire was filled in the emergency room by general practitioners. For 2 months the data were collected in paper based manner, then problems and obstacles were evaluated and corrected. During this period a web based software was designed. The registry was then ran for another 4 months using web based software. From 6.11.2019 to 5.3.2020, 1675 patients were recorded in the registry. Random check of recorded data suggests that accuracy of records was about 95.5%. Most of the missing data was related to associated injuries and job experience. Some mechanisms of injury seems to be related to Iran community and thus warrants special attention for preventive activities. With a special registry personnel and supervision of plastic surgery faculties, an accurate record of data of upper extremity trauma is possible. The patterns of injury were remarkable and can be used for investigations and policy making for prevention

Thermoluminescence studies of manganese doped calcium tetraborate (CaB4O7:Mn) nanocrystal synthesized by co-precipitation method

Manganese (Mn) doped bone-equivalent calcium tetraborate (CaB4O7) nanocrystals were synthesized using co-precipitation and thermal treatment techniques. The synthesized nanophosphors are found to possess the monoclinic structure and have the particle size about 9 nm. They showed good luminescence quantum efficiency and enough potential for radiation dose measurement in medical and industrial purposes. The variation of dopant concentrations was investigated from 0.1 to 2 mol% and it was found that the optimal concentration of 1.4 mol% Mn has the highest sensitivity among other concentrations. The results revealed that Mn enhance the thermoluminescence (TL) sensitivity about 80 times higher than the un-doped samples at 1 kGy and the TL response over a wide range of doses from 0.05 Gy to 2.0 kGy increased linearly with increasing the absorbed dose

Elemental composition of fruits and vegetables using INAA, AAS, and ICP-MS

Industrial growth has provided peerless progress in living standards and comforts for mankind, but it has been the cause of menace of environmental pollution. The issues like chemical toxicology, acid rain, greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, industrial effluents, and marine pollution are universal in nature. Man is being unceasingly divulged to a large number of inorganic elements in a great variety of chemical forms and when they enter the human body they can cause toxicity effects resulting in deterioration of man general health. Knowledge of base line data of elemental compositions in fruits and vegetables is important to manage dietary adequacy of the population. In Malaysia, no systematic study on the dietary adequacy of essential heavy elements through fruits and vegetables has been published. The purpose of the present study is to determine the concentration of essential elements in fruits and vegetables and to extrapolate the data for the dietary adequacy and regional dietary standards. Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA), Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) were employed in this study to determine the major elements (K, Mg, Ca) and heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Al, Co, Se, Ni, As, Hg, Pb, Cd, Cs, Th, Cr, La) of 14 types of fruits and 11types of vegetables planted in Malaysian. Neutron irradiation and counting were performed using 500 kW of 1.1 MW TRIGA Mark at the Malaysian Nuclear Agency’s research reactor. Sample powder was irradiated with thermal neutrons at flux average of =2.03×1012 n.cm-2.s-1 and the analysis was carried out using a hyper-pure germanium (HPGe) detector, multichannel analyzer module and Gamma Vision software. Biological standard materials (NIST-Tomato Leaves 1537a) and soil standard materials (IAEA-SOIL-7) were used as reference materials in the INNA technique. In ICP-MS, the elements of solution sample were identified by their mass-to-charge ratio (m/e) and the intensity of a specific peak in the mass spectrum is proportional to the amount of that element in the sample. In AAS, the solution sample was atomized before allowing light to pass and produced a line absorption spectrum, characteristics of the particular elements in the fruits and vegetables. No biological standard materials are needed in ICP-MS and AAS techniques. Samples were collected from a number of fresh markets at the centre of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia and transported to the laboratory within one day to prepare the final samples for INAA, ICP-MS and AAS techniques. The results of INAA, ICP-MS and AAS analyses, we found that there is a variation in the amount of each element for Malaysian fruits and vegetables. For the major elements (K, Mg, Ca), K concentrations in fruits were from 10,615±500 ppm (Jasopine pineapple) to 33,353±600 ppm (melon) and from 9,749±1000 ppm (eggplant) to 51,196±900 ppm (red spinach) in vegetables. Mg concentrations in fruits were from 680±30 ppm (Morise pineapple) to 5,543±400 ppm (red banana) and from 690±140 ppm (carrot) to 3,852±500 ppm (cucumber) in vegetables.Ca concentrations were from1,064±127 ppm (baby banana) to 6,888±800 ppm (durian) in fruits and from 1100±130 ppm (chili) to 8,000±900 ppm (green bean) in vegetables. For the heavy metal elements in fruits Mn concentration ranged from 12.0±0.5 ppm (Morise pineapple) to 69±1 ppm (Max banana), Fe concentration from 23.4±2.8 (papaya) to 126±15 ppm (watermelon), and Zn concentration from 19±2 ppm (max banana) to 168±20 ppm (pisang banana). While for the heavy metal elements in vegetables, Mn concentration ranged from 32.0±0.9 ppm (carrot) to 316±16 ppm (spinach), Fe concentration from 58±3 (pumpkin) to 470±56 ppm (spinach), and Zn concentration from 26±3ppm (pumpkin) to 312±37 ppm (spinach). The percentage intake of all elements was calculated for the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) values for Malaysian fruits and vegetables per 100 g of eatable section. The highest percentage intakes of elements are for K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Zn, Cu,Ni, Al, and Fe, which can be achieved from eating Malaysian fruits and vegetables.Co in spinach and star fruit were found to be the highest percentage intake of vegetables and fruits. Based on this result, spinach and star fruit can be a good source of Co, respectively each vegetable and fruit with 35% and 5% supply of this element to the recommended value of Co in the form of vitamin B12. An interesting point is that; the mean range of Pb, Hg, and Cd is lower than the tolerable upper intake level (UL), and some of the other elements such as Cr, Cs, and Se, showed near the range of UL for Malaysian fruits and vegetables, for example, Cr in durian, guava, papaya, cabbage, chili, chili padi, spinach, and red spinach, and Cs and Se, in durian and carrot respectively. The statistical dependence between concentrations of element presents in fruits and vegetables and between types of fruits and vegetables were determined using the cluster analysis. According to the cluster analysis, the results revealed similarity in two or more than two of different fruits or vegetables, dose not mean the same affection on nutrition health

Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Human Papillomavirus in a Population of Iranian Men

Background and purpose: Human papillomavirus (HPV) often infects humans through sexual contact. Men are carriers of the HPV virus and inadvertently transmit the virus to their sexual partners while being asymptomatic. In many countries strategies are focused on controlling the virus in women and the role of men is ignored. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV infection and its common genotypes in men in order to facilitate designing and implementing national prevention programs. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, PCR and hybridization methods were used to determine 37 different HPV genotypes. The participants included 188 men attending Central Laboratory of Academic Center for Education, Culture, and Research, Mashhad Branch between autumn 2020 and winter 2021. Results: In this study, 56.9% of the total population were infected with at least one of the HPV genotypes. Overall, 26 different HPV high-risk and low-risk genotypes were identified. The most common low-risk genotypes were HPV6 (50.5%), 11 (15%), 42 and 91 (11.2%). The most common high-risk genotype was HPV66 (9.3%). Conclusion: Men play an important role in transmitting the virus and are considered as the reservoir of HPV infection. The prevalence of HPV was high in current population, therefore, HPV screening in men can be very helpful in preventing the spread of infection

Coal Recycling from Tailings using Flotation with 2-Level Experimental Design Techniques

In this study, the possibility of producing coal with less than 11% ash from tailings of flotation process was investigated. The effect of six flotation parameters: collector type, collector consumption, frother type, frother consumption, pulp density and mixing rate were studied on a sample from a tailing dam. A software based experimental design approach (DX7) was applied to determine and model effective parameters as well as flotation optimization through fractional factorial. It was shown that collector type and flotation machine mixing rate were the most effective parameters on ash content of concentrate. The results indicated that the production of a desired ash content concentrate, i.e

Study of chondrogenic potential of stem cells in co-culture with chondrons

Objective(s): Three-dimensional biomimetic scaffolds have widespread applications in biomedical tissue engineering due to similarity of their nanofibrous architecture to native extracellular matrix. Co-culture system has stimulatory effect on chondrogenesis of adult mesenchymal stem cells. This work presents a co-culture strategy using human articular chondrons and adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) from infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) for cartilage tissue production. Materials and Methods: Isolated stem cells were characterized by flowcytometry. Electrospun and polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds (900 nm fiber diameter) was obtained from Bon Yakhteh (Tehran- Iran) and human infrapatellar fat pad-derived stem cells (IPFP-ASCs) were seeded on them. IPFP- ASCs on scaffolds were co-cultured with articular chondrons using transwell. After 21 day, chondrogenic differentiation of stem cell was evaluated by determining the genes expression of collagen2, aggrecan and Indian hedgehog using real- time RT-PCR. Results: Genes expression of collagen2, aggrecan by IPFP-ASCs did not alter significantly in comparison with control group. Howevers, expression of Indian hedgehog decreased significantly compared to control group (P˂ 0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that chondrons obtained from osteoarthritic articular cartilage did not stimulate chondrogenic differentiation of IPFP-ASCs in co-culture