Journal of Chemical Health Risks
Volume:12 Issue: 4, Autumn 2022

In this study, sixteen (16) organochlorine (OC) pesticides in sediment, soil and fish (Clarias anguillaris) samples of River Owan, Edo State, Southern Nigeria were investigated in accordance with acceptable analytical methods. Our findings confirmed the presence of the 16 OCPs in different concentration values in soil, sediment, and fish (Clarias anguillaris). The ∑OCP in the sediments samples were between 0.0033-0.0319 (ng g-1) with total value of 0.1506 (ng g-1) for the sediment sample 1 (SE1); 0.0021-0.0587(ng g-1) with total value of 0.0291(ng g-1) for the sediment sample 2 (SE2). The level of the OCPs in the soil ranged between 0.0069-0.0626 (ng g-1), total concentrations of 0.3986(ng g-1) for soil sample 1 (SO1); 0.0026-0.0630 (ng g-1), total concentration of 0.3678 (ng g-1) for soil sample 2 (SO2). The concentration level of the OC pesticides were between 0.0046-0.1707 (ng g-1) in the fish sample with total concentration of 0.1490 (ng g-1). These pesticides were found in higher concentrations in soil than in sediment samples. The level of OC pesticide residues detected in the fish was greater than the sediment samples. The hazard quotient is moderate (1.49) when compared with the guidelines.

Hospital infections are one of the important causes of hospital mortality and Legionella pneumophila bacteria is considered as one of the common causes of hospital infection. The natural habitat of these bacteria in aquatic environments and can tolerate different environmental conditions in terms of pH, temperature, oxygen content and nutrients. Therefore, this study aimed to identify Legionella pneumophila in aquatic systems of hospital environments. This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in the summer of 2017 to identify Legionella pneumophila in hot and cold water systems of important and critical parts of Qods and Kosar Hospital. A total of 120 samples were collected, and after filtration, heat treatment, and acidic treatment, all the samples are cultured on BCYE agar enriched with GPVC supplement, and after incubation, the bacterial growth is investigated. Legionella suspected colonies were approved by complementary tests and their assignment to Legionella was confirmed. The water samples were also investigated for temperature, pH, and residual chlorine (using a DPD kit). The frequency of Legionella pneumophila bacteria in water supply systems of Qods Hospital was zero in all hot and cold water showers of NICU, PICU 1, PICU 2, Hematology and Oncology sectors. The frequency of this bacterium was zero in postpartum, childbirth, and women's surgery sectors, but it was positive in the hot and cold water showers of the prenatal sector (8 CFU ml-1 and 8.33 CFU ml-1, respectively) and neonatal sector (4 CFU ml-1 and 4.16 CFU ml-1, respectively). Although Qods and Kosar Hospitals use the treated water of urban distribution network, 24 cases (40%) of contamination were found in water supply systems of Kosar Hospital, and this contamination can be attributed to reasons such as low residual chlorine content, and appropriate temperature range for growth of this bacteria.

The purpose of this study is to examine the adsorption process of a cationic dye, in this case Methylene Blue (MB), on Moroccan natural clay collected from Marrakech region. The influence of physicochemical parameters (contact time, pH, mass of the adsorbent, initial Methylene Blue concentration and temperature) on MB adsorption performance on clay was studied. Experimental results showed a remarkable and rapid elimination within the first twenty minutes of contact of the two phases. The adsorption kinetics of Methylene Blue was evaluated applying pseudo first and second order kinetic models. The kinetic study demonstrates that adsorption obeys the pseudo second order model. The adsorption process was determined by applying the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The maximum adsorption capacity of the raw clay is about 32 mg g-1. The temperature effect on dye adsorption was also examined and thermodynamic parameters were calculated.

In this study, due to the importance of human societies, the prevalence of Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens in minced and ground beef was investigated in Qazvin city, Iran. All samples were collected randomly by sampling method. The number of samples taken was estimated based on statistical methods and according to previous studies. Clostridium difficile moxalactam norfloxacin (CDMN) culture media was used to isolate Clostridium difficile and TCS Agar and TPGY culture media was used for Clostridium perfringens. After isolation, a PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) test was used to confirm the species diagnosis. According to the results, 21.26% of all samples were infected with these two bacteria. The prevalence of Clostridium perfringens (18.04%) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than Clostridium difficile (3.22%). Given the results and the pathogenicity of Clostridium species, especially Clostridium difficile and Clostridium perfringens, special attention should be paid to the methods reducing the contamination of these pathogenic bacteria in raw food.

The Surabaya River is a tributary downstream of the Brantas River, which is the longest river in East Java. The source of raw water for the city of Surabaya comes from the Surabaya River. Currently, the pollutants in the Surabaya River are not only organic and heavy metals but also microplastics. This study aims to identify the microplastic content in human stool as well as possible sources of microplastic pollutants in the community living in the Surabaya river basin area. This research was conducted on ten samples of human stools in the Surabaya river basin area. The results showed that the types of microplastics found in human stool samples were divided into three types, namely the type of fibre, the type of fragment, and the type of filament. The most common types of microplastics were the types of fragments and filaments found in nine human stool samples. Meanwhile, the type of fibre was only found in seven samples of human stool. With the discovery of the three types of microplastics in human stool, the human stool in the Surabaya river basin area has been contaminated by microplastics. This can be possible because most of the respondents' drinking water consumption comes from bottled water. In general, this type of microplastic fragment can come from plastic bottles, plastic bags and pipe fragments.

Dairy products are rich sources of vitamins, proteins and calcium that are vital to the human body. Aflatoxin M1 is a hydroxylated metabolite of aflatoxin B1. The presence of this toxin in milk has caused serious concern among nutritionists. Consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated milk (AFM1) may lead to serious health problems in humans. AFM1 causes various cancers such as liver cancer, damage to the nervous and DNA, as well as mutagenicity and teratogenicity. In reducing the amount of aflatoxin in the product, with does not affect the milk quality is of particular importance. Absorption and restructuring methods such as yeast, lactic acid (bacteria), enzymes, ozon, and cold plasma have been used for this purpose. In this study, they have been studied on aflatoxin M1 and toxicology besides reducing method for aflatoxin M1.

Anemia patients are more susceptible to environmental contaminations such as heavy metals. The present study aimed at risk assessment of heavy metals in edible mushrooms and Anemia.The databases searched in those articles were Google Scholar, SID, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, and ISI. Related human health risks were calculated using the target hazard quotient (THQ). THQ ratio of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Cr, Ni, and Mn were 3×10−3, 2.31, 8.43×10 −1, 2.35, 2.92×10−1, 6.6×10− 2 and 1.96×10− 1 m m-1 respectively. The highest non-carcinogenic diseases risk for adults were found in Pb (2.35 m m-1) while the lowest value was observed in Cd (3×10− 3 m m-1). The risk of carcinogenicity of lead was at the level of acceptable (10−4 to 10−6 m m-1). There is no concern about the non-carcinogenic risk of consuming heavy metals in edible mushrooms, in Iran except Cu and Pb. In some countries, adults and children can be exposed to non-cancerous foods by eating mushrooms. And can aggravate anemia in the consumer.

This research studies the removal of textile dye (Congo red (CR)) from aqueous solution via using low-cost adsorbent prepared from GO/P (AA-co-AM) composite. Batch adsorption experiments were conducted to estimate the influence of several factors like pH solution, the concentration of CR dye, equilibrium time, adsorbent amount, and temperature solution. The top result correlation was found via the Langmuir model, and the best adsorption efficiency was 52.55 mg g–1 for CR dye. Thermodynamic studies appear that the adsorption of CR dye was feasible, endothermic, and spontaneous. Through the results, the prepared surface has very high efficiency in removing textile dyes and is environmentally friendly, inexpensive.

Due to the increased resistance of bacteria to chemical drugs and the low side effects of medicinal plants, using these plants has been considered in disease treatment. Ferula asafoetida L., as one of the medicinal and native plants of southern Khorasan province (Iran), is used in traditional medicine to treat many diseases. The present study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extract of different parts of Ferula asafoetida L. in three regions of South Khorasan Province.The required chemicals were purchased from Merck and Sigma companies. The microbes were obtained from the Birjand University of Medical Sciences and the Iranian Scientific and Industrial Research Organization. The antimicrobial activity of hydroalcoholic extracts was evaluated by dilution in agar. For this purpose, the plant was collected from three areas: Sarbisheh, Ghayen, and Nehbandan. After identification, drying, and pulverizing, the extracts were prepared by soaking. Some of the extracts showed an inhibitory effect on gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis), but none inhibited the growth of Gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, hydroalcoholic extracts of different parts of Ferula asafoetida L. of Sarbisheh had no inhibition effect on the growth of Candida albicans. The results revealed that the hydroalcoholic extracts of the plant could be used as a suitable substitute for chemical drugs to treat diseases.

COVID-19 is a viral infection transmitted through the respiratory system, caused by Coronavirus type 2 usually get excess to the body through Flügge microdroplet of an infected person to a healthy one with air although direct contact and aerosol may be another route for transmission. This is a prospective study of 500 patients (63% women) conducted in a medical city in Baghdad. In a study patients’ collection started in Aug 2020 for six weeks. They followed for at least six months after they recovered from COVID-19. Among 500 patients included 53.4% were male (out of those 118 were complain of severe headaches 23.6%), while females comprise about 46.6% of total patients of that 13% had severe headaches. The highest age group with severe headaches was (60-65) years coming next (51-55) years. group A had a partial response to drugs used although more than 60% respond to a combination of  Ibuprofen and Acetaminophen, while in group B good control of Headache was achieved (80%) when adding Phenytoin to treatment protocol during and after the acute stage of the disease. There is controversy about the treatment of headaches caused by COVID-19 but for sure, Acetomenaphin combined with NSADI drugs is the best and safe choice. In refractory cases, antiepileptic drugs like phenytoin are added to achieve freedom of pain and for a long-term period.

The purpose of the work is to study the sorption characteristics of a composite material based on carbon nanotubes and polyaniline (PANI/CNT) during the extraction of cerium from sulfuric chloride solutions. The sorption characteristics of a composite material based on carbon nanotubes and polyaniline (PANI/CNT) during the extraction of cerium from sulfuric chloride acid solutions are investigated. Nanocomposite polyaniline (60 wt.%)/CNT was prepared by oxidative polymerization of aniline on the CNT surface. Morphological and structural characteristics of the material were obtained using scanning electron microscopy.Using the PANI/CNT nanocomposite, a isotherm of cerium adsorption was obtained from aqueous solutions of the above composition, which has a linear character and can be described by the Henry equation.The kinetic constants obtained by processing the data on pseudo-first and pseudo-second order models and the Elovich model indicate that the kinetics of cerium adsorption on the PANI / CNT nanocomposite with a higher value of the correlation coefficient is described using a pseudo-second order model. Moreover, it was found that the equilibrium sorption time was 30 min, and the adsorption capacity of the sorbent was 15 mg  g-1. Data processing using kinetic models showed that absorption occurs due to the chemical interaction of cerium and the functional groups of the nanocomposite. As a consequence, it can be assumed that the chemical interaction with surface functional groups-carboxylic, phenolic, etc. – contributes to the adsorption mechanism of cerium by the PANI-CNT  nanocomposite.

From 122 isolates 63 isolates were diagnosed as Acinetobacter baumannii. The highest percentage of isolation was 37 (58.7%) from wounds and the lower percentage was 7 (11.1%) from burns. The antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed the highest resistance percentage was Cephalothin at 95.2 %, while the low percent was gentamycin was 47.6 %. The minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for imipenem were tested the MIC values for imipenem resistant isolates ranged from 16 µg ml-1 to 64 µg ml-1. Bacteriocins proteinaceous or peptidic toxins produced by bacteria offer promising potential as substitutes or conjugates to current therapeutic compounds. Three methods were used to detect bacteriocin production Acinetobacter baumannii, Agar well diffusion method, cup assay, and Disk method. From 63 Acinetobacter baumannii isolates 27 (42.85%) isolates were able to produce bacteriocin.  Agar well diffusion method was the best for detection and the best isolate was (No. 48) for bacteriocin production for all methods. Bacteriocin purified by two steps method ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by gel filtration chromatography on Sephadex G150 column and characterized. The specific activity was 1541U mg protein with 6.3 bacteriocin folds and 64% recovery yield. The molecular weight of bacteriocin was (14000) Da. Bacteriocin activity was stable at pH values (3-9). Also, bacteriocin showed high thermostability at different temperatures (20-80)°C for (30) min. The antimicrobial activity of crude and purified Acinetobacter baumannii bacteriocin from (No. 48) isolate was maximum antibacterial activity against E. coli , S. aureus (purified 30 mm, crude 22 mm for both) and K. pneumonia isolates (purified 25 mm, crude 20 mm).

New Zealand has low levels of the essential trace elements selenium and a growing concern with increasing exposure to cadmium, one of the most toxic pollutants worldwide. Both elements are highly implicated in health and disease and have links with the central nervous system. Selenium levels have previously been shown to have a relationship with psychological stress and is also known to protect against cadmium neurotoxicity. We sort to examine the impact of selenium and cadmium as factors for perceived stress in a New Zealand population, with a high proportion of tertiary students. All participants completed a validated questionnaire for perceived stress and had nail clippings analysed for cadmium and selenium using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Factors for increased perceived stress are younger age, lower selenium concentrations and higher cadmium concentrations. Both selenium and cadmium are likely to be important considerations to reduce perceived stress levels in this population.

Two compounds,3-benzoyl-2-(4-bromophenyl)-3-phenyl-6 – oxa-2-azaspiro[3.4]octan-1-one and 1',1'''-bis(3-bromo-4-(dimethylamino)phenyl)-4,4'''',5,5''''-tetrahydro-2H,2''''H-tetraspiro[furan-3,2'-azetidine-4',1''-acenaphthylene-2'',2'''-azetidine-3''',3''''-furan]-3',4'''-dione, were synthesized by tetrahydro furan-3-carboxylic acid and appropriate imines. Two studies were conducted on the prepared compounds, one of them is the study of their anti-biological efficacy using two types of bacteria Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, The other study that was conducted on the compounds is a computational study to calculate some of the thermodynamic parameters of synthesized derivatives by using a Gaussian program.

The content of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn as the whole-body burden and the content of Cd and Pb in muscle tissue of Parapenaeus longirostris, were evaluated in shrimp collected from the Pagasitikos Gulf, Greece. The whole-body burden of Fe was 102 ± 39, Mn 71 ± 23, As 64 ± 33, Zn 62 ± 8, Cu 34 ± 16, Ni 4.6 ± 2.9, Cr 1.01 ± 0.39, Cd 0.93 ± 0.33 and Pb 0.88 ± 0.47 ppm wet weight. Muscle tissue content for Cd was 0.47 ± 0.08 and for Pb 0.31 ± 0.06 ppm wet weight. The estimation of weekly intakes and target hazard quotients for the potentially toxic elements Cd and Pb revealed that rose shrimp from Pagasitikos Gulf could be considered safe for human consumption, probably with a general advisory to avoid the consumption of anything other than the muscle tissue.

This esearch was performed aimed to study the biochemical parameters of the pond frog (Pelophylax lessonae) blood, from the populations inhabiting three biotopes of the Kazan city. Individuals of the pond frog Pelophylax lessonae were caught in July 2018 in three biotopes: a secondary reservoir near the Victory Park in Kazan, the Maloye Glubokoe karst lake and the Krugloye lake, which is a conditionally control area (a reserve). Determination of blood biochemical parameters included the analysis of glucose, lactate, total protein and hemoglobin. Two indicators were studied among the hematological signs: the content of erythrocytes and leukocytes. A lower content of glucose, total protein and an increased level of lactate were found in pond frogs from the population of the city center (Victory Park) in comparison with the conditionally control area and the "green zone" of the city. There was low hemoglobin content among the frogs from urban areas. The individuals from the P. lessonae population living in the Victory Park reservoir (urban population) showed a state of hypoglycemia, an increased blood lactate content, total protein, and hemoglobin decrease, and the increase of specific number of erythrocytes, which may indicate the conditions of hypoxia caused by high level of pollution of urban habitats and eutrophication of water bodies. Probably, various adaptive reactions are observed in anthropogenically disturbed amphibian habitats, consisting in erythrocyte number increase in response to the hemoglobin level decrease and also the change in the metabolic process intensity.

Rice is one of the most staple foods in the diet of people all over the world and the second most consumed food among the people in Iran. Therefore, it is expected this product be offered in suitable quality to the household food basket. In this study, microbial contamination, as well as concentrations of mycotoxins and heavy metals in imported rice samples available in the market of Ahvaz, were evaluated and the health risk of exposure to heavy metals was assessed in three groups of children, women, and men. According to the results, the contamination of rice with Bacillus cereus in all the samples was within the acceptable level set by Iran National Standards Organisation, but mold and yeast contamination in 14.28% of the samples was more than the acceptable level. Examination of mycotoxins showed that 71.42% of the samples contained aflatoxin B1 and total. Aflatoxin G1 and ochratoxin A were observed in 50% and 35.71% of the samples, respectively; the amount of these toxins in all the samples was less than the limit set by International NGO Safety Organization (INSO). Concentrations of cadmium, lead, and arsenic in the rice samples were 0.042±0.01, 0.14±0.03, and 0.13±0.03 (mg kg-1), respectively. Estimation of daily intake (EDI) of the elements through rice was less than the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) recommended by Codex. Hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI) values were less than 1 in all three groups of women, men, and children. However, the cumulative risk of cancer for children, women, and men were 2.14×103, 7.40×10-4, and 6.86×10-4, respectively. Therefore, the imported rice was safe in terms of the amount of mycotoxins, but it can be a potential source for exposure to heavy metals.

In Iran, bakers use baking soda and sodium dithionate to lower baking costs, save time, and hide their product’s imperfections. Because of the harmful effects of these additives on human’s health, the Ministry of Health of Iran has banned their use for baking bread. The residuals of baking soda and sodium dithionate in bread, the relationship between these substances and bread type, baking time, and sanitary status of bakeries in military bases of one of Iran’s military forces were examined. Out of 21 organizational dormitories, 15 were randomly selected, and 30 Iranian bread samples (Sangak, Lavash, Taftoon, and Barbari) were purchased. Baking soda and sodium dithionate content was investigated following the national standard methods. The sanitary status of bakeries was assessed by a checklist developed by the Ministry of Health. Based on the pH standard cut off point, 60% of the samples were considered positive in terms of using baking soda. Taftoon with 75% and Lavash with 66% had the highest frequencies of using baking soda. There was a statistically significant relationship between the type of bread and pH at the error level of 0.05 (p=0.05). All the samples were negative for using sodium dithionate. The sanitary status of bakeries was satisfactory; however, personal hygiene needed improvement. There is a need for constant monitoring to prevent bakeries from using the additives. Strict rules along with resolving deficiencies and educating sanitation guidelines will help to improve the sanitary status of bakeries.

Heavy metals contamination is a major concern because of its serious threat to human health. The primary aim of this study was to examine potential health risks for national (adults and children) and international (Arab population) inhabitants that were exposed to heavy metals (Cd and Pb) through ingestion of wheat flour. A total of 300 wheat flours samples (<0.25 mm) of five commercial brands have been collected from 2016 to 2018 from Khuzestan province, Iran. The possible health risk was estimated based on the Hazard Quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI or non-carcinogenic risk), and carcinogenic Risk (CR) indices. The average concentrations of the Pb and Cd were significantly (P < 0.05) lower than the safety limit in all seasons for three years. However, 2.3% of Pb in the total samples exceeded the European Commission and FAO/WHO standards. All estimated values for non-carcinogenic risk were in the safe range (HQ < 1) among all consumers. The mean value of total CR for Pb was 1.23×10−6, 1.75× 10-6, and 8.03 × 10-7 for adult, children, and Arab populations, respectively. For Cd exposure, the total CR value was 2.2×10−4, 3.13×10−4 and 1.44 ×10−4 for adult, children, and Arab populations, respectively. Cancer risk values determined for Cd were generally in the unsafe range during three years, indicating that there was CR for all consumers by ingestion intake of Cd contained in wheat flour in this study area. The results obtained indicated that the government requires implementing more remediation or intervention to control and mitigate the contamination burden of Cd in agricultural crops to reduce its associated carcinogenic risks.

In this research, 5- membered heterocyclic compounds as oxazolidine-5-one J1-J5 derivatives were prepared using primary aromatic amine, aromatic carbonyl compounds and chloroacetic acid. By combining primary aromatic amines and aromatic carbonyl compounds, Schiff's bases were synthesized. Schiff bases are used with the chloroacetic acid compound to prepare oxazolidine-5-one J1-J5 derivatives. The compounds J1-J5 were described using NMR spectroscopy and FT-IR. .The biological efficacy was evaluated according to maximum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) toward Staphyloccoccus aureus and Esherichia coli. The best MIC was 210 μg ml-1 for J4 against the two pathogenic bacteria, while J1, J4, and J1 did not show any inhibitory effect against all bacteria. Finally, the best chemical created, 3'-(pyrimidin-2-yl) spiro[indoline-3,2'-oxazolidine]-2,5'-dione (J4), inhibited the development of both gram-negative and positive bacteria.