Journal of Chemical Health Risks
Volume:6 Issue: 3, Summer 2016

In this study, Gerbera (Cv. alain ducasse) cut flowers were treated with essences of Eucalyptus and Rosa damascena at a concentration of 200 mg l-1 and their effects on the vase life of flowers and some qualitative characteristics were evaluated. This research was a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement. Maximum vase life was obtained for flowers treated with the Eucalyptus essence (10 days) and the lowest vase life was related to the control (7 days). The maximum fresh weight, solution uptake, bent neck reduction were related to the Eucalyptus treatment and the maximum stem diameter was obtained with the R. damascena essence treatment. In addition, the total soluble solids in the treatment with herbal essences were increased compared to the control; however, no significant difference between them was observed. Overall, for increasing the vase life and qualitative characteristics of Gerbera cut flowers, eucalyptus and R. damascena essences can be used in the vase solution. Treatments used in this experiment, as accessible compounds are healthy and non-hazardous for the environment, appropriate to increase the vase life of Gerbera cut flowers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of untreated municipal wastewater on the blood biochemical parameters of common carp, Cyprinus carpio. In this study, the fish were exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of municipal wastewater for 21 days. The blood was sampled after 21 days and its biochemical parameters including acetylcholinesterase (AChE), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and creatine phosphokinase (CPK) activities as well as total proteins, albumin, globulin, glucose and cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine and urea levels were measured. AST, LDH and CPK activities showed an overall significant change (P

This study was intended to evaluate the quality of 30 honey samples, in terms of physicochemical properties such as moisture content, electrical conductivity, ash content, reducing sugars and sucrose, free acidity, pH, diastase activity, and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content. Moreover, three methods recommended by the International Honey Commission for the determination of HMF, including 1) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), 2) White spectrophotometry and 3) Winkler spectrophotometry methods, were compared. The average moisture content ranged from 12.08±0.36 to 19.36±0.11%. The Electrical conductivity values (0.43±0.00 to 0.77±0.00 mS/cm), ash content (0.24±0.01 to 0.74±0.03%), pH values (3.37±0.01 to 5.21±0.16), free acidity (29.60±0.36 to 39.66±0.37 meq/kg of honey), total reducing sugar (52.28±0.09 to 88.01±0.63%), sucrose content (2.21±0.07 to 7.55±0.35%), diastase activity (2.07±0.28 to 29.01±0.50), and HMF content (17.33±0.18 to 834.46±0.30 mg/kg) were observed. Thirteen out of 30 samples (43%) showed HMF content higher than standard limits. Results obtained from the current study revealed that except for HMF and diastase activity, all physicochemical properties of samples met the national and international standard limits. Moreover, three methods applied for determination of HMF showed good recovery values and standard deviation. However, Winkler and White methods gave higher HMF value in honey sample than HPLC method.

In the present study, we have reported the total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of aerial parts of Salvia leriifolia extracts and fractions. Methanolic, n-hexane, chloroform, and ethyl acetate extracts were screened to analysis their antioxidant activities by four complementary test systems, namely DPPH free radical scavenging activity (RSA), total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), and ferrous ion cheating (FIC). In most cases the leaf extracts and ethyl acetate fraction had more activity. The methanolic extracts of leaf and flower showed considerable antimicrobial activity using disc diffusion method against Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumonia, Acinetobacter, Serratia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The extracts showed the highest activity against P. aeruginosa and K. pneumonia.

In this study, both the presence and concentration of some unsaturated compounds in hexane extracts of different parts of Anthemis talyschensis showing absorption at wavelength 280-450 nm were surveyed, with the view of possibly using extracts of this plant in new formulations of sunscreen creams. The hexane extracts of flower, leaf and stem of A. talyschensis, collected from Northwest Iran, were obtained using a Soxhlet apparatus. The fatty acids were derivatized to methyl esters and were determined by gas chromatography/flame ionization detector (GC/FID) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) systems. The chemical analysis resulted in identification of 14, 9 and 29 constituents, comprising about 99.5, 97.1 and 98.2% of the total constituents in hexane extracts of flower, leaf and stem, respectively. The main unsaturated constituents in the hexane extract of A. talyschensis flower were 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid, 9-octadecenoic acid and 6, 9, 12-octadecatrienoic acid; while the leaf's extract contained 9, 12-octadecadienoic acid and 9-octadecenoic acid; no unsaturated compounds were detected in the stem. The ratios of unsaturated fatty acid /saturated fatty acid were 13.6, 9.3 and 0 in extracts of the flower, leaf and stem, respectively, but the total amounts in the leaf were much greater. It can be concluded the leaf extract is more likely to be suitable for producing sunscreens creams than others.

In this research, TiO2 nanotubes were synthesized by anodized oxidation method and were covered with a hydroxyapatite-silver nanoparticles using photodeposition and dip coating for loading silver nanoparticles and coated hydroxyapatite (HA). The morphological texture of TiO2 nanotube and Ag-HA nanoparticles on TiO2 nanotubes surface were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX analysis) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The MCF-7 cell lines were treated with concentrations 1, 10 and 100 µg/ml of TiO2 nanotubes and HA/Ag/TiO2 nanotube for 24 and 48h. Finally, the cell viability and IC50% were evaluated using MTT assay. The results show that the HA/Ag/TiO2 has more positive effect on enhancing the cell death compare to TiO2 nanotubes and also exerts a time and concentration-dependent inhibition effect on viability of MCF-7 cells

In this research degradation and mineralization of Ortho-Toluidine (OT) in the wastewater of petrochemical industries was investigated by UV/TiO2 process in a batch recirculating photo reactor. The influence of different variables such as initial pH, amount of TiO2 and initial concentration of OT on the reaction rate was investigated. In optimum conditions (1.75 g/l of catalyst, pH at 7 and initial concentration of OT at 20 mg/l), 93.5% of pollutant and 57% of COD were removed in 180 min of reaction. The reaction rate represented by the mechanism of Langmuir-Hinshelwood was found to follow pseudo first-order kinetics. Degradation and mineralization of the OT were tested by HPLC and COD tests.

The goal of this study was to investigate the common clinical chemistry and distribution of xanthine oxidase (XO) in selected tissues of a mouse model of menopause. Twenty four NMRI female mice were divided into three groups: normal control (NC), and ovariectomized (OVX) groups and an estrogen-treated ovariectomized (OVX) group which received subcutaneous injection of estradiol benzoate (2 mg/kg). After 8 weeks, blood samples were collected for determining plasma clinical chemistry. Tissue XO activity was measured spectrophotometrically based on monitoring uric acid (UA) formation. Plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC), total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), globulin (G), and calcium, and enteric XO activity increased in OVX group as compared with NC group. Hepatic XO activity in OVX group declined in comparison with NC group. E2, TP, and G levels and liver and brain XO activities increased in OVX group when compared with OVX group. However, TC, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, UA, and ALB levels decreased in OVX group compared with OVX group. The brain and heart XO activities increased in OVX group as compared to that of NC group. XO activity was not detected in womb, spleen and stomach of all studied groups. XO activity was not detected in muscles of NC group while OVX and OVX groups showed muscle XO activity. Induction of ovariectomy produced a hypoestrogenic state that coincident with an adverse alteration of plasma clinical chemistry in mice. XO activity also changed after ovariectomy and estrogen-replacement therapy with a tissue-specific manner.