First report of asthma prevalence in Afghanistan using international standardized methods Premier rapport sur l�asthme en Afghanistan utilisant des méthodes internationales normalisées

No data on the prevalence of asthma in Afghanistan have been published before. In a school-based survey in 2010�2011 the wheezing section of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire was completed by a random sample of 1500 children aged 6�7 years and 1500 adolescents aged 13�14 years old. The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma was 12.5 in 6�7-year-olds and 17.3 in 13�14-year-olds (P = 0.002). The prevalence of wheeze in the last 12 months was similar in children and adolescents (19.2 and 21.7 respectively). The prevalence of ever wheezing, night attacks, speech-limiting wheeze and exercise-induced wheeze was 23.1, 4.8, 12.2 and 9.6 respectively in children and 30.5, 4.4, 13.0 and 13.6 respectively in adolescents. These rates are higher than those in neighbouring countries. This first epidemiological survey of asthma in Afghanistan shows that asthma and wheezing are common in Kabul students. © 2015, World Health Organization. All Rights Reserved

Determination of heavy metal content of processed fruit products from Tehran's market using ICP- OES: A risk assessment study

Abstract In this study, the levels of Cd, Hg, Sn, Al, Pb and As of 72 samples (36 samples for fruits juices and 36 samples for fruits canned) of three different brands including of Peach, Orange, Cherry, and Pineapple (18 samples of each fruits) marketed in Tehran, Iran (2015) were evaluated using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) technique. Also, Probabilistic risk assessment (non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks) was estimated by models include target hazard quotient (THQ) and cancer risk (CR) in the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) model. However, all samples were contaminated with the heavy metals investigated, most of them not surpassed established standards. The range of concentration for Al, Sn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb as average in fruit juices were reported as 340.62 (65.17–1039.2), 72.33 (49.76–119.4), 3.76 (1.137–18.36), 2.12 (0.89–3.44), 0.351 and 40.86 (27.87–66.1) μg/kg, respectively. The level of heavy metals measured in different kinds of fruit juices was ranked as Al > Sn > Pb > As > Cd > Hg, and for fruits canned this rank was Pb > Al > Sn > As > Cd > Hg. The range of concentration for Al, Sn, As, Cd, Hg, and Pb in fruits canned were reported as 361.23 (43.15–1121.2), 101.42 (71.45–141.61), 3.92 (1.279–19.50), 2.78 (1.09–5.56), 0.35 and 690.54 (470.56–910.14) μg/kg, respectively. The lead (Pb) concentration in 97.22% (35 out of 36 samples) of fruit juices samples surpassed Codex limit (0.05 mg/kg) and in all samples of FC was lower than the legal limit of Codex limit (1 mg/kg). All of the samples had Tin (Sn) lower than the legal limit of Codex (fruit juices 100 mg/kg and FC 250 mg/kg). The MCS indicated that the rank order of heavy metals in both adults and children based on THQ was Al > Sn > As > Pb > Cd > Hg. The THQ of Al and Sn in the FJ and FC, for both adults, and children, was considerably higher than 1 value. Also, CR of As in both adults and children were higher than 1E-6 value. Although the mean concentration of heavy metal in the FJ and FC was lower than the standard limit, the MCS indicated that adults and children are at considerable non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks. Keywords: Heavy metals Fruits juice Health risk assessment Monte Carlo simulation Fruit canned Food safety ICPOES

Catalytic decomposition of 2-chlorophenol using an ultrasonic-assisted Fe3O4-TiO2@MWCNT system: Influence factors, pathway and mechanism study.

As a reusable sonocatalyst, magnetically separable Fe3O4-TiO2@MWCNT (FMT) was synthesized by an ultrasound-assisted wet impregnation method and was evaluated in the removal of 2-chlorophenol (2CP). Physical and chemical properties of the catalyst composite materials were investigated by all catalysts were systematically characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Energy Dispersive X-ray Analysis (EDX), Dynamic light scattering (DLS), and N2-physisorption. The efficiency and kinetics of 2CP removal by FMT-assisted sonocatalysis (FMT-US) was systematically investigated under various operational parameters i.e. pH, FMT and 2CP concentration, temperature and ultrasonic power. The results indicated that 0.4gL-1 FMT dosage, pH 5, temperature of 35°C as well as 50 w ultrasound power are the most favorable conditions for the degradation of the 2CP. Furthermore, both of the superoxide and hydroxyl radicals were produced in the reaction, however, superoxide radicals were assumed to be the dominating reactive species for the 2CP degradation, according to the scavenging tests and electron paramagnetic resonance tests. Moreover, the FMT catalyst exhibited a high reusability and stability in the US/FMT system during the five repetitive experiments. The intermediate products were identified by GC-MS, thereby a possible degradation pathway is proposed. The chemical oxygen demand (COD) and corresponding total organic carbon (TOC) removal efficiencies were 64.9% and 56.7%, respectively. Finally, toxicity tests showed that the toxicity of the solution increased during the first 5min and then decreased significantly with the progress of the oxidation. The mechanisms of ultrasound irritation enhanced FMT activation were also proposed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe<inf>3</inf>O<inf>4</inf>/Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8–22.5 and 36–75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R2 = 0.9981–0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60% to 109.22% with the RSDs less than 8%. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe3O4/Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe3O4/Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe3O4/Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 201

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8�22.5 and 36�75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R 2 = 0.9981�0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60 to 109.22 with the RSDs less than 8. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe 3 O 4 /Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe 3 O 4 /Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe 3 O 4 /Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 2018 The Author

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes modified with iron oxide and silver nanoparticles (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) as a novel adsorbent for determining PAEs in carbonated soft drinks using magnetic SPE-GC/MS method

The synthesis of compounds with an excellent adsorption capability plays an essential role to remove contaminants such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) with potential carcinogenic characteristics from different food products. In this context, for the first time, a novel adsorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) was synthesized by using iron (magnetic agent), and silver (catalytic and surface enhancer agent) to further approach in a magnetic SPE-GC/MS method for determining of PAEs in carbonated soft drink samples. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) values of MSPE-GC/MS were determined in six PAEs as a range of 10.8�22.5 and 36�75 ng/L, respectively. Also, the calibration curves of PAEs were linear (R2 = 0.9981�0.9995) over the concentration level of 10.000 ng/L and the recoveries of the six PAEs were ranging from 96.60 to 109.22 with the RSDs less than 8. Moreover, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM) and transmission electron microscopy analyses (TEM) were utilized to characterize the produced MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag. Based on the findings, the surface of MWCNT is relatively uniform, which became coarser after loading with Fe3O4/Ag particles. Also, EDX spectrum showed the carbon (C), iron (Fe), oxygen (O), Ag and copper (Cu) are the main components of synthesized MWCNTs-Fe3O4/Ag. The successful adhesion of Fe3O4/Ag on the texture of MWCNTs using a co-precipitation method was confirmed by XRD and FT-IR assays. Additionally, excellent crystallinity and clear lattice nanocrystals fringes of prepared MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag was demonstrated by TEM analysis. Based on the obtained VSM images, the prepared sorbent (MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag) has the good magnetic performance for magnetic separation and extraction processes. It was concluded that the synthesized MWCNT-Fe3O4/Ag could be used as an efficient adsorbent for determining contaminants such as PAEs in different beverage samples. © 201

Heavy Metals in Wheat Grain and Its Impact on Human Health: A mini-review

Heavy metals (HMs) form a very varied group of elements that are very diverse in terms of chemical properties and biological functions. Heavy metal contamination in agricultural soil has become a serious environmental problem. These metals are toxic to soil, plants, aquatic life, and human and animal health. These toxic pollutants are caused by natural activities such as volcanoes and mining and smelting metals. These metals are stable in nature, therefore, they accumulate in the soil and agricultural products, and it is necessary to properly understand the relationship between the concentration of heavy metals in the soil and its accumulation in wheat. These metals also interfere with the level of antioxidants in plants and reduce the nutritional value of the product. Consumption of many heavy metals in the diet through the consumption of plants has long-term destructive effects on human health. In this review study, the most important heavy metals in agricultural products, especially wheat, on human health were reported. For this review study, keywords such as Crops, Heavy metal, Human health, Wheat flour were used. The databases searched for in those articles were Google Scholar, SID, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and ISI search engines. Given that bread is the dominant force of the Iranian people, so the quality study of wheat in the country's consumer market in order to maintain the health of consumers seems necessary. Therefore, we need to inform people about this, so this review article explains the presence of HMs in bread and its disadvantages. © 2022, Islamic Azad University. All rights reserved

Prevalence and probabilistic health risk assessment of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in Iranian edible oils

The prevalence of aflatoxins (AFs) B1, B2, G1, and G2 in Iranian edible oils were assessed by immunoaffinity column cleanup and HPLC equipped with a fluorescence detector (HPLC-FLD). Ninety-seven samples including sunflower, canola, refined olive, unrefined olive, frying, and blend oils were collected from eight provinces (n = 15 samples of refined olive oil, n = 15 samples of unrefined olive oil, n = 15 samples of sunflower oil, n = 15 samples of canola oil, n = 17 samples of frying oil, and n = 20 samples of blend oil). Also, cancer risk of aflatoxins in the adults and children due to ingestion of edible oils was estimated via margin of exposure (MOE) estimation in the Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) model. Considering the limit of detection (LOD) of the current study, two unrefined olive oil samples from Zanjan Province were contaminated with AFB2 in the concentrations of 0.2 and 0.4 ng/g while other samples were free from AFB1, AFB2, AFG1, and AFG2. This study revealed that about 98 of the collected samples were free from AFs and the concentrations of AFs in the polluted samples were within the standard range suggested by European Commission regulation (20 μg/kg). However, health risk assessment indicated that both adult and children in the Zanjan Province are at considerable liver cancer risk (percentile 95 of MOE &lt; 10,000 value). Therefore, national plan to address this issue and strict inspection of edible oil products by the regulatory bodies are suggested. © 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

A Survey of a Cholera Epidemic in Aran va Bidgol City in Summer

Abstract Background and purpose: Cholera is an endemic disease in Iran and in some cases each year from around the country report. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of the disease cholera among people suffering from acute diarrhea in the Aran va Bidgol. Materials and Methods: In this study, patients with acute diarrhea were examined for cholera detection in the city of Aran va Bidgol in summer 2011. All 294 patients with acute diarrhea referred to rectal swabs in the laboratory of health centers and in the specific microbial culture medium of thiosulfate citrate bile sucrose agar. Furthermore, some information about health behaviors, such as drinking water supply, status of food preservation, toilets status, drinks, and food consumption in the outdoors was collected from all participants in this study. Results: Laboratory results showed that Vibrio cholerae isolated from 21 patient stool cultures and these patients were to have cholera disease. About 23.81% of the patients were male and 76.19% were female. Fifteen patients (71.43%) were Nag form of cholera and 6 patients (28.57%) were diagnosed with Eltor form of cholera. According the completed questionnaire by patients the origin of V. cholerae has been announced consumption of raw vegetables (42.85%) and springs and subterranean water (38.59%). Conclusion: Consumption of raw vegetables and water (springs and subterranean) are the important factors for mobility to cholera and it should be more considered prevention and control program and monitoring methods about using of safe water and food

LEVELS AND EFFECTIVE FACTORS ON HALOACETIC ACIDS FORMATION IN DRINKING WATER

Disinfection byproducts (DBPs) in drinking water are important due to the probable risks they pose to human health. In this study, drinking water samples were collected from 11 points from water transmission lines to the distribution system as well as district municipal demineralization plant (DMDP) for the first time in Bushehr from October 2015 to May 2016 for haloacetic acids (HAA5) analysis by using a GC-ECD. The effects of pH, temperature, chlorine dosage, UV-254, TOC, SUVA, different water sources, seasonal and spatial variations were evaluated and the concentration level of HAAS was compared with drinking water guideline. The results revealed that the monochloroacetic acid and mono-bromoacetic acid were the major haloacetic acids found in all water samples, which accounted for 42.65 and 47.03% of HAAS, respectively. HAA5 concentration levels in almost 40.9% of the samples were higher than the maximum contaminant level (MCL) contents set by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Significant correlation was observed between monobromoacetic acid concentration level with pH and temperature, as well as dichloroacetic acid concentration level with UV-254