Archives of Hygiene Sciences
Volume:10 Issue: 2, Spring 2021

Background & Aims of the Study:

 Given that modern society is a rapidly moving civilization, the production of automobiles resulted in a massive quantity of Used Automotive Oil Filters (UAOFs). So handling the waste stream secures value-added to the national assets and underpins the demands in other sectors. The steel request is highly rising with the population growth, and dismantling and recycling UAOFs produces enough scrap steel to be retrieved in similar applications. Experts of this sector have forgotten this resource. The present review sought the UAOF recycling technologies from the initial step of the project to the recent developments in this area. Also, plasma technology application was addressed as the new technology posed and noticed its modern procedure in the UAOF recycling operation based on the existing technologies.

In this review, the related articles were searched and studied using key relevant words. Also, we used valuable existing references in this regard. The industrial data employed in the present review refers to the project identification steps expressed and investigated by evaluator teams in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) plan.

The collected results and concepts emphasized the redesign and reproduction of UAOF and employing frequently recycled scrap parts in the steel manufacturing operation.

The plasma technology enhances the adhesion, wettability, electro-conductivity, and many other characteristics of adsorbents within AOF and generates value-added products and nano-metal oxides from scrap metals of UAOF.

Background & Aims of the Study: 

Among aflatoxins, aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is more toxic and dangerous. The presence of AFB1 in poultry feed is one of the most critical health and economic problems in the poultry industry. The critical concern caused by AFB1 contamination in the poultry industry is the transfer of toxins from the poultry feed to its products, such as meat, eggs, and edible parts. Thus, developing scientific strategies for controlling aflatoxin in poultry nutrition and protecting public health is very important. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Aloe vera extract in reducing the harmful effects of AFB1.

In this study, broilers were selected and divided into three groups. Group 1 is the negative control group, received a basal diet. Group 2 is the positive control group, received a diet supplemented with AFB1. Group 3 was administered AFB1 and 100 ppm Aloe vera powder mixed in their diet. At the end of the experiment (Day 28), the birds were humanely euthanized, and their breast meat samples were collected. The toxin residue in muscles was measured by a commercial AFB1 detection kit.

No toxin was detected in the negative control group. In the third group, the residual amount of toxin was decreased by treating Aloe vera, but this difference was not significant. Significant differences are likely to be observed at higher doses.

Supplementation of the diet containing AFB1 with Aloe vera extract effectively reduced the adverse effects of AFB1 and could be a helpful solution for the aflatoxicosis problem.

Background & Aims of the Study: 

The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of Carboxymethyl Cellulose (CMC) coating incorporated with Propolis Extract (PE) on the shelf life properties during storage of trout fillets.

Study treatments included control, CMC, CMC-PE 1%, and CMC-PE 2%. The samples were stored in a refrigerator for 15 days, and their microbial, chemical, and sensory properties were evaluated every three days.

All groups showed a significant reduction in total viable counts of Pseudomonas spp., lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacteriaceae, Psychrotrophic bacteria, and yeasts/molds population compared to the control samples. In comparison, the coated samples exhibited significantly (P<0.05) lower total volatile essential nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid, peroxide, and K values than the uncoated trout. Based on the sensory evaluation results, PE preserved the sensory characteristics significantly (P<0.05) throughout the study. The most efficient treatment in the shelf life enhancement of the studied samples belonged to CMC-PE 2%, followed by CMC-PE 1% and then CMC. Combined treatment of CMC-PE 2% increased the shelf life of the rainbow trout fillet for 12 days during refrigerated storage.

Eventually, incorporated PE in CMC was introduced as an alternative candidate for synthetic preservatives in refrigerated trout fillet with various health benefits.

Background & Aims of the Study:

COVID-19 pandemic has affected the essential components of a healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating and physical activity. This study aimed to investigate the disordered eating attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic and the predictive role of physical activity, body mass index, and gender.

A total of 705 Iranian men and women older than 18 years participated in the present study from September 12 to October 3, 2020. The study data were collected online by self-administered questionnaires. The eating attitudes test and Baecke physical activity questionnaire were used for this purpose. One-sample t test, paired t test, and multivariate linear regression were used to analyze the data (P<0.05).

The present study results showed that only women experienced a significant increase in disordered eating attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic (P=0.0001), and no significant change was observed in men in this regard (P=0.54). However, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reduced physical activity levels in Iranian women and men (P=0.0001; P=0.001, respectively). In this regard, three variables of physical activity, body mass index, and gender were the most important predictors of disordered eating attitudes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It seems that the COVID-19 pandemic has adverse consequences on essential elements of a healthy lifestyle, including healthy eating and physical activity. Teaching nutritional behaviors and using a healthy diet, and how to increase physical activity during the COVID-19 pandemic seems to be very vital and essential.

Background & Aims of the Study:

 This study aimed to investigate, for the first time, the ability of single-cell oil production from low-cost carbon sources using Kocuria Y205 native Iranian bacterial isolates from the soil.

Whey and lignocellulose compounds were used as carbon sources and yeast extract as a nitrogen source. Also, the isolated cultivation was done on Mineral Salts Medium (MSM) culture media. Molecular analysis based on 16s rRNA gene sequence was performed to identify isolated. Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis was used to confirm the presence of carbon groups. GC analysis was also used to identify the fatty acids Sudan black. Finally, a Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) electron microscopy image was taken to view the stored lipid granule.

The highest rate of lipid production among all carbon sources in different periods of cultivation by whey was 24.57% after 48 hours, and also, the highest rate of lipid production for lignocellulose compounds was 15.29% after 48 hours.

This study shows that the newly isolated Kocuria Y 205 has excellent ability to use whey and lignocellulose compounds as waste containing carbon resources for the growth, production, and storage of microbial oil. It can be used in industrial applications, too.

Background & Aims of the Study: 

This study aimed to determine the relationship between fear of falling, mental wellbeing, and depression in the elderly with cardiovascular disease.

This descriptive-analytical study was performed on 283 elderly selected per the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The required data were collected using the Center of Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (CES-D), the Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I), and the World Health Organization- Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5). Data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics and regression analysis methods. The significance level was considered 0.05.

The obtained results suggested that gender, place of residence, mental wellbeing, and depression were significantly associated with fear of falling in the examined sample (P<0.001). Furthermore, for every 10 units of welfare increase, the average fear of falling in the elderly decreases by 2 units. Additionally, on average, the fear of falling for the elderly females was 1.55 points higher than that in their male counterparts. Moreover, the average fear of falling for the elderly who were depressed was 3.37 points higher than that in the elderly without depression. Eventually, the average fear of falling in the elderly who lived in urban areas was 2.68 points higher than that in the elderly who lived in rural areas.

Based on the current research findings, depression and mental wellbeing were predictors of fear of falling; thus, they can be considered as effective factors in interventions to reduce the fear of falling and falling in the elderly

Background & Aims of the Study:

 Heavy metal pollution has become a global problem, and their entry into the food chain is considered a threat to humans and other organisms. This study aimed to assess the risk of metals (chromium, nickel, arsenic, copper, zinc, cadmium, and lead) in edible barley grains grown in Khuzestan Province, Iran, in 2019.

In this analytical study, five farms of edible barley grains were selected. Then, four stations were selected in each farm. After sampling, barley seeds were prepared by acid digestion method and read by inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry. The amount of metal contamination in the grains was estimated by the crop pollution index based on the classification of the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), Hazard Index (HI), and the risk of carcinogenic risk in children and adults.

The highest amounts of heavy metals in barley grains belonged to zinc and the lowest to chromium. According to the USEPA classification, the potential non-carcinogenic risk for children was higher than for adults, and the HI in all study areas was at level 3 for adults and children and level 4 in some stations for children. In the case of barley samples, the average carcinogenic risk for arsenic was 2 per 10000 people for adults and 4 per 10000 for children, and cadmium was 1 per 10000 people for adults and 2 per 10000 for children in the population of the province. These figures were estimated to be at a safe level.

Barley is one of the foods of the people of the region. The use of its contaminated amounts due to the biological accumulation of heavy metals can create health risks for its consumers in the long run.

Background & Aims of the Study: 

This study aimed to predict impulsive behavior based on responsibility and resilience in employees of Qom Municipality, Qom City, Iran.

The research method was descriptive-correlational in terms of applied objectives and terms of the data collection method. The study population comprised all employees of Qom Municipality in 2019-20, which was 3300 people. Among them, 250 people were selected using the available sampling method and the Cochran formula. The study data were collected using impulsive behavior, responsibility, and resilience questionnaires. The obtained data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis (stepwise method).

The results of stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that a decrease of one unit in “responsibility and resilience” by 0.767 and 0.105 units, respectively, increases the score of “impulsive behavior” of employees. Also, the results of the Pearson correlation analysis showed a negative and significant relationship between responsibility and impulsive behavior (P<0.01, r=-0.793) and a negative and significant relationship between resilience and impulsive behavior (P<0.01, r=-0.291).

It is concluded that impulsive behavior is predicted based on responsibility and resilience in municipal employees