Agreement between DSM-IV and ICD-10 criteria for opioid use disorders in two Iranian samples

The aim of this study was to determine the agreement between the two systems in opioid users in the general population and a clinical sample. Two series of data were used in this study. The first was the data of 236 home-residing opioid abusers aged 15-64, who had previously participated in the Iran Mental Health Survey (IranMHS) in 2011, and the second was the data of 104 general psychiatry patients from inpatient or outpatient wards of two psychiatry hospitals in Tehran. Opioid use disorders were evaluated with CIDI-version 2.1. The disorders were assessed in all participants who used opioid substances for at least 5 times during the past 12. months. In the sample from the general population, the agreement between the two systems on the diagnosis of dependence was excellent (0.81). The agreement between the two systems on the diagnosis of abuse and harmful use was 0.41. In the clinical sample, the agreement between the two systems on the diagnosis of dependence or any opioid use disorder was 0.96 and 0.93, respectively. The agreement between abuse and harmful use was 0.9 and - 0.02 with and without regarding hierarchy, respectively. The inter-rater reliability of both DSM-IV and ICD-10 systems for all diagnosis was more than 0.95. The results of the diagnosis of dependence in the two systems had a weak concordance with treatment. The diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV and ICD-10 regarding dependence are very similar and the diagnosis produced by each system is concordant with the other system. However, the two systems have noticeable discrepancies in the diagnosis of abuse and harmful use. The discrepancies result from their conceptual differences and necessitate further revision in the definition of these disorders in the two systems. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd

A review on in vivo and in vitro nanotoxicological studies in plants: A headlight for future targets

Owing to the unique properties and useful applications in numerous fields, nanomaterials (NMs) received a great attention. The mass production of NMs has raised major concern for the environment. Recently, some altered growth patterns in plants have been reported due to the plant-NMs interactions. However, for NMs safe applications in agriculture and medicine, a comprehensive understanding of bio-nano interactions is crucial. The main goal of this review article is to summarize the results of the toxicological studies that have shown the in vitro and in vivo interactions of NMs with plants. The toxicity mechanisms are briefly discussed in plants as the defense mechanism works to overcome the stress caused by NMs implications. Indeed, the impact of NMs on plants varies significantly with many factors including physicochemical properties of NMs, culture media, and plant species. To investigate the impacts, dose metrics is an important analysis for assaying toxicity and is discussed in the present article to broadly open up different aspects of nanotoxicological investigations. To access reliable quantification and measurement in laboratories, standardized methodologies are crucial for precise dose delivery of NMs to plants during exposure. Altogether, the information is significant to researchers to describe restrictions and future perspectives. © 2020 The Author

A review on in vivo and in vitro nanotoxicological studies in plants: A headlight for future targets

Owing to the unique properties and useful applications in numerous fields, nanomaterials (NMs) received a great attention. The mass production of NMs has raised major concern for the environment. Recently, some altered growth patterns in plants have been reported due to the plant-NMs interactions. However, for NMs safe applications in agriculture and medicine, a comprehensive understanding of bio-nano interactions is crucial. The main goal of this review article is to summarize the results of the toxicological studies that have shown the in vitro and in vivo interactions of NMs with plants. The toxicity mechanisms are briefly discussed in plants as the defense mechanism works to overcome the stress caused by NMs implications. Indeed, the impact of NMs on plants varies significantly with many factors including physicochemical properties of NMs, culture media, and plant species. To investigate the impacts, dose metrics is an important analysis for assaying toxicity and is discussed in the present article to broadly open up different aspects of nanotoxicological investigations. To access reliable quantification and measurement in laboratories, standardized methodologies are crucial for precise dose delivery of NMs to plants during exposure. Altogether, the information is significant to researchers to describe restrictions and future perspectives. © 2020 The Author

Removal of Azo Dye from Synthetic Wastewater Using Immobilized Nano-Diatomite Within Calcium Alginate

Introduction: The presence of organic dyes, discharged by textile industries, in aqueous environments can cause detrimental effects on aquatic life and subsequently human health. Therefore, the decolorization of aquatic environments is mandatory to protect the environment. For this reason, in the present study, nano-sized diatomite was immobilized within calcium alginate as a nanocomposite adsorbent for removing organic azo dye (Direct blue 15) from aqueous solutions.  Methods: First of all, Iranian diatomite was grinded in a planetary ball mill equipped with tungsten carbide cup for 20 h to achieve nanoparticles of the diatomite. For the immobilization of nanostructured diatomite, a 2% sodium alginate solution was used. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infra-red (FT-IR) spectroscopy were used to characterize immobilized nano-diatomite. Fifty milliliter Erlenmeyer flasks were used as batch flow mode experimental reactors. Working solutions were prepared by the dilution of stock solution (1 g/L) to desired concentrations. The effect of different operational parameters including contact time, initial pH, adsorbent dosage and initial dye concentration along with kinetic and isotherm of the adsorption were evaluated. After each experiment, the residual concentration of the dyes was measured spectrophotometrically. Results: As results, the adsorption of organic dye increased with increasing contact time and adsorbent dosage, while increasing initial dye concentrations resulted in decreasing the adsorption. The adsorption of DB-15 was favored at basic PH. The immobilization of diatomite led to enhancing the adsorption of  DB-15 compared to diatomite alone. According to the obtained correlation coefficient, the adsorption of DB-15 obeyed pseudo-second order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model. The maximum adsorption capacity of diatomite/alginate nanocomposite for the adsorption of DB-15 were found about 33.22 mg/g. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the diatomite/alginate nanocomposite can be used effectively for treating colored effluents containing azo dyes. Because of its high efficiency, availability of diatomite mines in our country, it can be used as an economic adsorbent for the decolorization of textile effluents

Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA): From production to nanoarchitecture

Among many biodegradable and biocompatible biopolymers, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), generated by microorganisms, have highly attracted attention in various fields due to their unique physicochemical properties. So far, various types of progresses have been made in environmental and engineering fields by employing PHAs. Recently, employing PHAs for nanoarchitecture has become a newly emerging trend among researchers. The intrinsic nature of PHAs has dragged them towards fabrication of nanoparticles and nanocomposites. PHAs integration with nanoparticles has been vastly noted and applied in various areas such as drug delivery, antibacterial agents and bioengineering. Here, a brief review is given to how PHAs act and are produced by microorganisms, demonstrating their properties and finally, their most recent applications are discussed in nanoarchitecture and the ways they are manipulated in the fabrication of nanomaterials. This review can shed light on the exhaustive understanding of PHA capability in nanoarchitectural basics toward the development of advanced nanomaterials in many fields such as medicine, catalysis, sensor, and adsorbents. © 2018 Elsevier B.V

Investigation of Fungal Bioaerosols and Particulate Matter in the Teaching-Medical Hospitals of Khorramabad City, Iran During 2015

Background and Objective: The presence of fungal bioaerosols in hospitals indoor environments have affected the health of patients with the defect in immunity system. Therefore, determination of the rate and species of these agents is essential. This study aimed to investigate association between fungi contamination and particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5 and PM1) concentrations in the main indoor wards and outdoor environment and to determine I/O ratio in two educational-medical hospitals of Khorramabad City. Materials and Methods: In this description-analytical study, the concentration of fungal bioaerosols and particulate matter was measured in 10 indoor parts and 2 outdoor stations over 6 mounts. The sampling was conducted using Quick Take-30 at an airflow rate of 28.3 L/min and sampling period of 2.5 min onto Sabouraud dextrose agar medium containing chloramphenicol. The particulate matters were measured using Monitor Dust-Trak 8520. Moreover, the relative humidity and temperature were recorded using digital TES-1360. Results: Analysis of 288 fungi samples and 864 particulate matter samples showed that the average of fungi accumulation was 59.75 CFU/m3 and the mean concentrations of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 in the indoor environment was&nbsp; 27.3, 23, and 20.2 &micro;g/m3 respectively. In addition, in ambient air the mean concentration was 135.3 CFU/m3 for fungal bioaerosols and 40.2, 35.7, and 29.8 &micro;g/m3 for PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 respectively. At the total of fungi samples, 12.5% were negative and 87.5% were positive. Having 101.7%, Infection ward was the most contaminated ward. The operation ward in both hospitals showed the minimum fungal contamination. Conclusions: The results of the present study showed that at all of the samplings the ratio of I/O was lower than one. It was noticed the dominancy of fungal bioaerosols and particulate matter of outdoor source on the indoor environment. In addition, a significant correlation (P < 0.001( was found between fungal bioaerosols frequency and particulate matter and as well as fungal bioaerosols frequency, relative humidity and temperature

Development of a cellulose-based scaffold for sustained delivery of curcumin

Due to the unique properties of cellulose-based materials, they are attractive to be developed in industrial pharmaceutics and biomedical fields. Carboxymethyl-diethyl amino ethyl cellulose scaffold (CM-DEAEC) has been synthesized in the current work as a smart novel derivative of cellulose with a great functionality in drug delivery systems. The scaffolds were well cross-linked with 2 (v/v) epichlorohydrin (ECH), loaded with curcumin (Cur), and then were analyzed by FT-IR, XRD, SEM, and mechanical strength. While developing the ideal delivery platform, curcumin (an important chemotherapeutic agent) was chosen due to its hydrophobicity and poor bioavailability. Thus, we developed a novel scaffold for efficient loading and controlled releasing of curcumin. The swelling ratio of 136, high curcumin entrapment efficiency (up to 83.7), sustained in vitro drug release profile, and appropriate degradability in three weeks confirmed significant properties of the CM-DEAEC scaffold. More than 99 antibacterial activity has been observed by the cross-linked curcumin loaded CM-DEAEC scaffolds. Cytotoxicity studies using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and 4�,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining showed that cross-inked curcumin loaded CM-DEAEC scaffolds did not show any toxicity using L929 cells. All experiments were compared with CMC scaffolds and better characteristics of the novel scaffold for drug delivery have been confirmed. © 2021 Elsevier B.V

Potential of the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris to fight against fluorene contamination: evaluation of antioxidant systems and identification of intermediate biodegradation compounds

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have high risks for human and living organisms due to their mutagenic and carcinogenic properties. Here, the effect of different concentrations of fluorene as a persistent toxic PAH on growth parameters and antioxidant systems in the green microalga Chlorella vulgaris was investigated. Intriguingly, cell number as well as dry and fresh weight of the alga were raised at 2 ppm fluorene compared to the control sample. However, with the increasing levels of fluorene from 10 to 50 mg L�1, the growth parameters gradually decreased. Accordingly, cells of C. vulgaris were found to enhance the activity of ROS scavenging enzymes after 7 days of exposure to fluorene in a concentration-dependent manner. Exposure to 25 and 50 mg L�1 fluorene was led to a significant decrease at chlorophyll content, whereas the concentration of carotenoids was not changed. Total phenol and flavonoid contents were markedly raised in 50 mg L�1 of fluorene compared to the control. Although flow cytometry assessment showed no substantial reduction in the viability at 50 mg L�1 fluorene-treated samples for 24 h, chlorophyll fluorescence was noticeably reduced. The results of SEM analysis revealed that the 50 mg L�1 fluorene treatment clearly damaged the algal cells after 24 h. The ability of the alga for biodegradation of fluorene was assessed by GC-MS. Consequently, a number of produced intermediate compounds were identified. These findings displayed that C. vulgaris had not only notable resistance against fluorene but also noteworthy potential for its degradation. © 2019, Springer Nature B.V

Impact of Bioresorbable Scaffold Design Characteristics on Local Hemodynamic Forces - An Ex Vivo Assessment With Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

AIMS:Bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) regions exposed to flow recirculation, low time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) and high oscillatory shear index (OSI) develop increased neointima tissue. We investigated haemodynamic features in four different BRSs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fantom (strut height [SH] = 125 µm), Fantom Encore (SH = 98 µm), Absorb (SH = 157 µm) and Magmaris (SH = 150 µm) BRSs were deployed in phantom tubes and imaged with microCT. Both 2D and 3D geometrical scaffold models were reconstructed. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was performed to compute TAWSS and OSI. Thicker struts had larger recirculation zones and lower TAWSS in 2D. Absorb had the largest recirculation zone and the lowest TAWSS (240 µm and −0.18 Pa), followed by Magmaris (170 µm and −0.15 Pa), Fantom (140 µm and −0.14 Pa) and Fantom Encore (100 µm and −0.13 Pa). Besides strut size, stent design played a dominant role in 3D. The highest percentage area adverse TAWSS (0.2) were found for Fantom (56% and 30%) and Absorb (53% and 33%), followed by Fantom Encore (30% and 25%) and Magmaris (25% and 20%). Magmaris had the smallest areas due to a small footprint and rounded struts. CONCLUSIONS: Due to stent design, both Fantom Encore and Magmaris showed smaller TAWSS and OSI than Fantom and Absorb. This study quantifies which scaffold features are most important to reduce long-term restenosis

Impact of Bioresorbable Scaffold Design Characteristics on Local Hemodynamic Forces - An Ex Vivo Assessment With Computational Fluid Dynamics Simulations

AIMS:Bioresorbable scaffold (BRS) regions exposed to flow recirculation, low time-averaged wall shear stress (TAWSS) and high oscillatory shear index (OSI) develop increased neointima tissue. We investigated haemodynamic features in four different BRSs. METHODS AND RESULTS: Fantom (strut height [SH] = 125 µm), Fantom Encore (SH = 98 µm), Absorb (SH = 157 µm) and Magmaris (SH = 150 µm) BRSs were deployed in phantom tubes and imaged with microCT. Both 2D and 3D geometrical scaffold models were reconstructed. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation was performed to compute TAWSS and OSI. Thicker struts had larger recirculation zones and lower TAWSS in 2D. Absorb had the largest recirculation zone and the lowest TAWSS (240 µm and −0.18 Pa), followed by Magmaris (170 µm and −0.15 Pa), Fantom (140 µm and −0.14 Pa) and Fantom Encore (100 µm and −0.13 Pa). Besides strut size, stent design played a dominant role in 3D. The highest percentage area adverse TAWSS (0.2) were found for Fantom (56% and 30%) and Absorb (53% and 33%), followed by Fantom Encore (30% and 25%) and Magmaris (25% and 20%). Magmaris had the smallest areas due to a small footprint and rounded struts. CONCLUSIONS: Due to stent design, both Fantom Encore and Magmaris showed smaller TAWSS and OSI than Fantom and Absorb. This study quantifies which scaffold features are most important to reduce long-term restenosis