International Journal of Health Studies
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Jul-Sep 2015

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal which is widely spread in our surroundings and has a very strong ability to accumulate in the body organs such as spleen. In this study we aimed to determine the genotoxicity and cytotoxicity effects on mice spleen treated with cadmium. Thirty male mice were enrolled in this study and kept in standard conditions. Mice were randomly divided into2 experimental groups (control and treatment). The treatment group was exposed to Cd intraperitoneally (i.p) (300µm/kg) at different time intervals (0, 6, 12, 24, 48 hrs). Twenty four hours after the last exposer mice were killed and the spleen was removed, then for studying cytotoxicity, oxidative stress markers namely malondialdehide (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were assayed on homogenized spleen, and comet assay was applied on isolated spleen cells for genotoxicity & DNA damage studies. Statistical analyses (T-test and ANOVA) were performed using SPSS 15 software. The concentration of MDA and GSH in control group spleen cells were 278.01±35.30 nmol/g.pr and 16.61±4.89 µmol/g.pr and for Cd- treated spleen cells were 612.24±32.87 nmol/g.pr and 32.52±4.22 µmol/g.pr, respectively which were statistically significant (P<0.003). In addition, SOD activity in control and Cd exposed spleen cells were 69.75±3.12 and 226.91±3.40 U/mg.pr (P<0.001). The comet assay include content comet length, tail length and head diameter showed DNA breakage in treated group which was not observed in the control group. The results demonstrate that Cd has the ability to induce genotoxicity in spleen cells. Moreover, our results show that it is plausible to expect Cd induced -cytotoxicity in spleen cells.

Multidimensional fatigue syndrome (MFS) is referred to as extreme inability accompanied by decline in physical functional capacity and impairment of intellectual function, such as loss of concentration. Elderly people are more prone to MFS comparing to other age groups. It is expected that adequacy of dialysis affect the process of MFS among patients under dialysis. The purpose of the study is to assess MFS and its association to adequacy of dialysis among dialysis patients. This cross-sectional study is conducted on patients under dialysis aged 50 years and above. Convenience sampling was used to collect the data. The main instrument of the study was Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory- Short Form (MFSI-SF). To assess subjects’ mental status Mini Mental Status Exam (MMSE) was applied. Subjects with MMSE greater than 18 were included in the study. The participants’ range of age were 50 to 81 and the mean age of them were 62 years old. According to the findings of this study, of 43 eligible participants, 33 patients (76.7%) were suffering from different level of MFS. Moreover, adequacy of dialysis among dialysis patients were favorably high in 10 patients (23.2%), moderate in 24 patients (55.8%) and low in 9 patients (21%). Multiple regression showed that MFS (P=0.01) and anemia (P=0.04) were significantly associated with adequacy of hemodialysis among elderly patients. This study is in line with hypothesis of the study that adequacy of hemodialysis reduces MFS among elderly patients under hemodialysis. It is highly recommended that adequacy of hemodialysis and Hb level should be under close monitoring to overcome MFS among senior citizens under hemodialysis treatment.

Predicting the methane percentage of biogas is necessary for selecting the optimized technologies of using landfill biogas for energy. The aim of this study was to predict of methane fraction in biogas from landfill bioreactors by Artificial Neural Network (ANN) modeling. In this study, two different systems were applied to predict the methane fraction in landfill gas as a final product of anaerobic digestion, in system I (C1), the leachate generated from a fresh-waste reactor was drained to recirculation tank, and recycled. In System II (C2), the leachate generated from a fresh waste landfill reactor was fed through a well-decomposed refuse landfill reactor, and at the same time, the leachate generated from a well-decomposed refuse landfill reactor recycled to a fresh waste landfill reactor. We monitored the systems for 6 months, after which we modeled the methane fraction in landfill gas from the bioreactors using artificial neural networks. The leachate specifications were used as input parameters. Leachate samples were collected every 7 days from effluent port of each reactor. COD and NH4 were determined according to the Standard Methods (2005). The pH value was measured by a portable digital pH meter (Salemab, Iran). There is very good agreement in the trends between predicted and measured data. R values are 0.991 and 0.993, and the obtained mean square error values are 1.046 and 2.117 for training and test data, respectively. ANN based approaches can be considered as a compromising approach in landfill gas prediction problem and can be used to optimize the dimensions of a plant using biogas for energy (i.e. heat and/or electricity) recovery and monitoring system.

Unwanted pregnancies and their complications are one of the major problems facing women in the world. This study aimed to determine the factors that affect unwanted pregnancy in the population covered by the Shahroud University of Medical Sciences in 2013. In this case-control study, 116 cases and 251 controls were randomly selected from those who referred to health care centers and they were studied. The data were analyzed using Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. The mean age of the participants was 27.6±5.8 years and the average age of husbands was 31.8 ± 6.2 years. Average number of parity was 1.2 ± 1.2 and the number of children born alive was 1.2 ± 1.1 and the average distance between the last and the current pregnancy (interval birth) was 32.4 ± 37.7 months. Multivariate analysis of the data from the final model of the study showed that the use of non-secure methods of pregnancy prevention, rural residence, low education of the mother and the age of the last living child were the main risk factors of unwanted pregnancies (P <0.05). Encouraging qualified women to make use of reliable contraceptive methods specially more permanent methods and encouraging them to get the contraceptive devices from health care units with emphasis on proper training and regular retraining of clients, paying more attention to awareness raising of women in rural areas, and having appropriate birth spacing can be effective in reducing unwanted pregnancies.

Studies show that there is association between air pollution and disturbances on normal function of various systems of body. The main aim of this study was to determine the effects of diesel oil vapor inhalation on serum creatine, alkaline phosphatase, SGOT and SGPT levels as indices of liver function in male rats. Thirty two rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: control and three treatment groups that exposed to diesel oil vapor for 1 hour/day, for 2 hours/day and for 3 hours/day. After a period of 6 weeks, blood samples were collected and investigated. Serum level of alkaline phosphatase, creatine, glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) were measured by spectrophotometry method. Our findings indicated that there was no significant difference between serum alkaline level of control and experimental rats. Serum creatine level was significantly increased in rats exposed to diesel oil for 1hour/day, 2h/day and 3h/day (P<0.001, P<0.01 and P<0.001, respectively). Also, SGOT was significantly decreased in rats exposed to diesel oil for 2h/day and 3h/day (P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). SGPT was non-significantly decreased in rats exposed to diesel oil vapor compared with control animals. We have shown that exposure to diesel oil vapor can bring about enhanced kinase level, decreased SGPT level indicating the health risk caused by exposure to diesel oil inhalation, in particular, to liver.

Human sperm cryopreservation has proven to be very valuable. Cryopreservation has effects on function, morphology and percentage of fertilization capacity of human sperm. Also, it has been revealed that cryopreservation has a role in sperm DNA fragmentation and infertility. In this study, viability, motility, DNA fragmentation and for the first time, intracellular nitric oxide assessed before and after cryopreservation process of human semen samples in asthenozoospermic men. Semen samples were collected from 50 asthenozoosprmic men and divided into2 groups: 25 fresh semen samples as a control group, 25 frozen–thawed semen samples. Viability was assessed by eosin-negrosin staining. Motility was evaluated with a phase contrast microscope and intracellular nitric oxide was measured by flowcytometry. For evaluation of DNA fragmentation in sperm, apoptosis was assessed by flowcytometry. cryopreservation of asthenozoospermic semen samples decreased sperm viability and motility and increased the intracellular nitric oxide concentration and DNA damage significantly (p<0.001). cryopreservation process has detrimental effects on viability and motility, intracellular nitric oxide concentration and DNA integrity in human semen samples.

The present paper aims to study the effect of human and urban activities on the quality of groundwater within the city of Khoy in terms of heavy metals, chemical salts, and minerals from the geological formations of this region. Samples were provided from 32 pumping wells and the concentration of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Mn, Pb, Zn, Fe, As, and B), the main ions (HCO3, SO42-, Cl-, Mg2+,Ca2+, Na+), and NO3- were measured. In addition, TDS, EC, TH, and pH were recorded. For this purpose, graphite furnace atomic absorption, titration, and potentiometric methods were used. The obtained concentrations and values were compared with the approved standards for drinking water and agricultural water. Concentration of most minerals, trace elements, and major ions showed dramatic increase in groundwater of eastern region of Khoy. Thematic maps produced using GIS on concentrations of heavy metals and major ions showed that the concentration of trace elements such as lead, chromium, and manganese and also sulfate and nitrate within the city of Khoy is higher than the western region of Khoy, which would be due to pollution caused by urban wastewater. Unfortunately, due to the lack of correct and principled development of sewage discharge system, especially in industrial and critical areas and discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater into the absorbent wells, the risk of groundwater contamination is strongly felt in the city of Khoy.

The oral microbial flora comprises one of the most diverse human-associated biofilms. Its development is heavily influenced by oral streptococci. Numerous studies have shown that these bacteria are capable of adhering and forming biofilm on oral cavity and tooth. Verbascum thapsus (VT) is a medicinal plant that chemical constituents of it revealed the presence of biologically active compounds with antibacterial properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and anti-adherent activities of ethanol extract of (VT) against of three oral streptococci in vitro. In this study, biofilm formation of S. mutans 1683ATCC35.668, S. sanguinis 1449CIP53.15 and S. salivarius 1448 CIP55.128 with ethanol extract of VT was tested using Micro-dilution assay and microtitre plate assay. Results showed that the biofilm formation of three oral streptococci with ethanol extract (leaves and root) of VT was significantly lower than the control group without ethanol extract of VT. Meanwhile, the reduction degree was correlated to the concentration of ethanol extract of VT positively. These results suggest that antimicrobial activity of ethanol extract of VT against three oral streptococci. VT extracts have inhibitory effects on biofilm formation of oral streptococci as the reduction of bacterial growth and reduction of biofilm formation ability.