Journal of Chemical Health Risks
Volume:14 Issue: 2, Spring 2024

Both preventive and therapeutic interventions are necessary for good diabetes management and the prevention of complications. There are serious therapeutic and financial repercussions when patients don't follow their doctors' orders about medicine, nutrition, and healthcare procedures. The current comprehensive review aims to determine factors that have been observed in patients with type 2 diabetes and low health literacy, contribute to poor treatment adherence in 2022. Five steps were taken to complete this review: creating a research question, looking for and extracting relevant papers, choosing relevant studies, tabulating data, and reporting findings. Using the terms "Type 2 diabetes", "obstacles", "determinants", "factors", "barriers", "treatment", "medication", "therapy" "adherence", "non-adherence", "poor adherence", and "low health literacy" was gathered from six electronic databases (Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Science Direct, PubMed and Google Scholar) from January 2018 to January 2022. Twelve were able to be reviewed from the initial 140 articles. In this review, ten studies have been selected involving 1497 patients with type 2 diabetes. The range of nonadherence prevalence was from 42% to 74.3%. Economic difficulties, inadequate communication with the medical staff, an absence of family support, ignorance, misinterpretation, and low health literacy were major barriers to treatment adherence in the publications. The findings of this study identified both modifiable and non-modifiable factors influencing medication adherence in type 2 diabetes patients. Modifiable factors must be addressed by suitable interventions carried out with the target population and healthcare experts.

Traditional and herbal medicines are rich and promising sources for drug development. The number of articles published on traditional medicines and their applications is rapidly increasing. However, despite the extensive ongoing research on herbal medicines, the results of such research are not remarkable. Against this background, this study aims to highlight some existing research gaps, the bridging of which will increase the quality and validity of the results of herbal research. To this end, Iranian and non-Iranian articles on Allium sativum L. were reviewed for compliance with standards and requirements for herbal research. Botanical nomenclature, processing and extraction procedures, and history of traditional medicine were identified as the main gaps in the reviewed herbal research. Researchers and authors should keep in mind that familiarity with the history, characteristics, and potential of traditional medicine systems is a key factor accelerating the process of developing nature-based medicines. Essential standards that have a great impact on the validity and reliability of the results of herbal research should not be ignored, either. In addition, there are still numerous areas that need to be considered by scientists and researchers, including the status of medicinal herbs, toxicological assessments, biological and pharmacological mechanisms of diseases, and research issues.

One of the most common causes of acute liver failure is acetaminophen overdose. The antidote N-acetylcysteine acts by scavenging the reactive metabolite, but its therapeutic limitation necessitates the development of additional therapeutic approaches that can benefit late-presenting patients. Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant intracellular nonprotein thiol that has an important role in the regulation of many cellular physiologic functions such as redox-homeostatic buffering. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of GSH supplementation in the recovery of deteriorated liver functions in induced acute acetaminophen toxicity rats; in addition to determining its value in the preservation of DNA integrity in such toxicity. This experimental study was done on 36 albino rats which were divided into three groups (n=12 rats / group) as follows, group1: Control group, group 2: Acetaminophen (APAP) treated group, group 3: APAP and glutathione treated group. Each group was subdivided into 2 subgroups (n=6) and they were sacrificed at 12 hours and 24 hours sequentially. The extent of hepatic inflammation, oxidative stress, and DNA damage was evaluated using histopathological study, and comet analysis, and biochemical markers (ALT, GSH, and MDA). GSH supplementation (APAP and glutathione treated group) significantly improved liver functions resulting in; a statistically significant decrease in ALT levels, reducing Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and preserving DNA integrity. GSH is a highly effective alternative in the treatment of APAP hepatotoxicity.

The present research aimed to investigate the effects of altitude on some physiological characteristics of Artemisia aucheri Boiss. Plant samples were taken from 15 areas in the Lakh Kuhik mountains. After determining the maps of work units, samples were taken systematically in each unit. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics in SPSS. The highest and the lowest chlorophyll content were recorded at an altitude below 1200 m and above 1256 m, respectively. Dry and fresh weights were measured with a precision balance. The results indicated a direct relationship between the increase in plant Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ contents and altitude. However, there was no significant relationship between altitude and plant P3-. Extraction was performed using a rotary evaporator (rotovap). Physiological and antioxidant traits and chlorophyll content of the samples were determined using the standard method (i.e., by a spectrophotometer). Results indicated that altitude had significant effects on physiological traits as the highest antioxidant activity was observed in regions with mid-latitude regions (i.e., 1228 m). Overall, it can be concluded that antioxidant content was lower at higher altitudes, and the best quality could be obtained from higher altitude plants (i.e., 1256 m). Similarly, fresh and dry weights were higher at higher altitudes because cytokinin levels in plants increased with reductions in auxin levels. In the next step, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b were assayed separately. The results revealed that the chlorophyll content declined at high altitudes due to the presence of shortwave radiation.

Various activities in chemical stores such as production, packaging, repackaging, offloading, and storing of chemicals can emit toxic chemicals into the ambient air which may be detrimental to health. This research work aimed to determine whether or not there is hepatoxicity and nephrotoxicity in chemical storekeepers. A total of twenty male adult storekeepers of four chemical stores were used as subjects. Four male storekeepers of a garment store 1km from the chemical stores of the same market were used as control subjects. Heavy metals in the indoor air of the shops and the blood samples of the subjects were determined using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer while an aerocet analyzer was used for the measurement of particulate matter. Kidney and liver function tests were carried out on the serum of subjects using standard analytical test kits. Concentrations of all the assayed heavy metals in the ambient air of the chemical stores and the blood samples of chemical storekeepers were significantly higher (p<0.05) than in the controls. Particulate matter concentrations in all the chemical stores increased significantly (p<0.05). Serum urea, creatinine, sodium ion, potassium ion, chloride, and bicarbonate were significantly elevated (p<0.05) in the chemical storekeepers compared to control subjects. Concentrations of serum bilirubin and liver enzymes were significantly elevated (p<0.05) while total protein and albumin concentrations were significantly decreased (p<0.05) in the majority of the chemical storekeepers compared to the control subjects. There were strong indications of renal and hepato-toxicities in the chemical storekeepers at Ariaria International Market.

In the current investigation, the utilization of sawdust was modified through chemical means employing diethylenetriamine. This modified form of sawdust served as an effective adsorbent for the purpose of adsorbing Eosin Y dye from aqueous samples. The chemical modification procedure was thoroughly examined, comparing the fourier transform of infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after the modification. Various factors including solution pH (ranging from 2 to 6), adsorbent dosage (ranging from 0.2 to 2.0 g L-1), contact time (ranging from 5 to 35 min), agitation rate, and initial dye concentration (ranging from 20 to 1000 mg L-1) were investigated. Remarkably, the modified sawdust exhibited a notable uptake capacity at ambient temperature and successfully removed approximately 96% of the Eosin Y dye with a mere 1.2 g L-1 of adsorbent in just 5 minutes. Moreover, it was discovered that the adsorbent maintained its promising adsorption ability even after undergoing ten cycles of adsorption and desorption. The Freundlich isotherm model was employed to determine the adsorption parameters. This methodology was also implemented to eliminate dye from authentic samples of diverse water sources.

Heavy metals contamination may have negative impacts on the wetland biota, particularly on amphibians, and result in a severe decline globally. Because they cannot be degraded biologically, heavy metals are difficult to remove from the environment. To assess the histopathological biomarkers, some heavy metals Fe, Mn, Pb, Cd, and Cr were analyzed in the livers of Egyptian toads (Sclerophrys regularis) from North Giza (Abu Rawash) and El Wahat Regions (El Bawiti) as well as histological changes. The findings demonstrated that the heavy metals concentrations in the Egyptian toad liver at El Wahat were lower than those recorded in the El Giza region. In accordance with heavy metals burden, hepatic alterations were demonstrated and described. Because the liver is the organ where all types of toxins and chemicals are detoxified, the severity of the hepatic alterations observed in this study may be related to the damaging effects of environmental pollutants on hepatocytes.

Edible films based on starch are applied for food protection to extend shelf-life of food products. The biodegradability of film compounds was significantly improved by the utilization of biopolymer molecules in comparison to petroleum packaging, and it could be a replacement for synthetic packaging. In the presentation work, the effects of nano titanium dioxide (TiO2-N) were studied on the moisture content, water solubility, moisture uptake, and antimicrobial properties of soluble soy polysaccharide (SSPS) starch/cold water fish gelatin films. The nano titanium dioxide was incorporated into the SSPS starch/cold water fish gelatin dispersion at various levels (1, 2, 3, and 5 w/w% based on SSPS starch). The moisture content of the biofilms decreased from 14.12% to 12.28% and water solubility decreased from 93.18% to 71.46% by the incorporation of 5% TiO2-N into the biopolymer matrix. Increasing TiO2-N from 0 to 5% decreased the moisture uptake, a value of 9.83–6.81 g/g dried film. According to an increased inhibition zone of 1-5% TiO2-N for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli from 32.44 to 62.27 mm2 and from 22.15 to 45.17 mm2 respectively, SSPS starch/cold water fish gelatin/TiO2-N films showed antimicrobial characterizations against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. In summary, TiO2-N improves the functional properties of SSPS/cold water fish gelatin biofilms and can be applied in the food industry.

Cadmium is a toxic metal that can contaminate water sources and pose serious health risks to humans and the environment. Therefore, there is a need for developing low-cost and eco-friendly methods for cadmium removal from water. In this research, we investigated the efficacy of barley straw in removing cadmium ions from aqueous solutions. The adsorbent utilized was laboratory-scaled barley straw that underwent pulverization via standard ASTM sieves, specifically those within the 40 to 120-mesh sieve size range. The functionalization of barley straw was achieved via treatment with a 0.8 M NaOH solution. The adsorbent was subsequently characterized by FTIR analysis to identify the presence of functional groups. The FTIR analysis indicated that the modification of barley straw led to an elevation in the stretch vibration band of hydroxyl and carboxyl groups. At the optimized experimental condition, a cadmium removal efficiency of up to 98.60% was achieved. These results demonstrate the potential of barley straw as an effective adsorbent for removing cadmium ions from aqueous solutions.

The accumulation of heavy metals in crops irrigated with wastewater is a serious environmental problem. Wastewater irrigation is widespread, particularly for rice due to its high water demands. This can lead to heavy metal accumulation in rice and subsequent entry into the human body, posing detrimental health effects. This study investigated heavy metal accumulation in 12 rice brands (6 imported and 6 domestic) from the Bushehr city market in Iran. The mean values of lead, arsenic, and cadmium in domestic rice brands were 0.246±0.194, 0.074±0.025, and 0.150±0.124 mg kg-1 respectively, while in imported rice brands they were 0.086±0.031, 0.085±0.021, and 0.031±0.007 mg kg-1 respectively. The mean lead and cadmium levels in domestic rice brands slightly exceeded the FAO/WHO limit, while the mean arsenic concentration was below the limit. To protect human health and reduce food contamination with heavy metals, preventive measures such as regular monitoring of heavy metals in food must be taken.

The study aimed to investigate the experience of the general public in the United Arab Emirates post-COVID-19 vaccines in order to find out the long-term side effects of COVID-19 vaccines. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of vaccinated individuals in the United Arab Emirates. A total of 500 respondents completed the survey. Twenty participants (4.7%) expressed concerns about either registering or receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, mainly due to their uncertainty about vaccine safety. 58.8% of the participants who have received Pfizer vaccine have received Sinopharm, Pfizer, or both vaccines together. Of them, 78.6% had experienced vaccine-related side effects. The most common side effects are pain/swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, fever, headache, shivering, feeling unwell, and joint pain. Similarly, only 5.4% reported health problems after vaccination while 94.6% did not have any after vaccination. In the same way, only 3.6% developed a new disease after the COVID-19 vaccine. Additionally, 3% reported having contacts who experienced health problems/new diseases after vaccination. Overall, attitudes toward the COVID-19 vaccine were positive. Several differences in the incidence and number of vaccine-related adverse events experienced were due to age, sex, and vaccine type.

The reason of this research about is to get it the affect of the COVID-19 widespread on quality and hazard in cleanliness item obtaining choices. The populace of this think about alludes to the populace of Surabaya, East Java territory, so the test of this consider was 200 individuals. A examining strategy utilizing straightforward arbitrary examining is additionally called straightforward arbitrary testing. The information investigation procedure utilized in this consider is SEM (Basic Condition Demonstrate). The comes about of the speculation testing appear that the impact of item quality on buy choices is positive and vital in making buy choices. The impact of seen chance on obtaining choices is demonstrated to be positive and critical. The impact of obtaining choices on dependability demonstrated positive and significant. Item quality incorporates a positive and critical impact on dependability through acquiring choices. Seen chance features a positive and critical impact on devotion through acquiring choices. The conclusion of this study is that all hypotheses proposed in this study are significant, so all proposed hypotheses are accepted. Suggestions for future research are to be tested on different objects to test the robustness of these theories. While the practical advice put forward is that manufacturers of hygiene products must be able to innovate continuously on the hygiene products offered and must continue to educate the market about the benefits of the product and about the risks faced if during the VOVID-19 period, individuals do not use hygiene products.

Control of Substances Hazard to Health (COSHH) Essentials is a simple, user-friendly matrix that provides risk-control solutions. Considering a large number of small enterprises under 25 workers in Iran and the lack of a suitable control banding tool, the COSHH Essentials can be considered an appropriate option. The purpose of the present experimental semi qualitative study was to evaluate the validity of the COSHH Essentials tool. Six processes were selected from a chemical products industry, including the production of silicone glue, polishing, PVC glue, Grease, Twin glue filling, and quality control. Amorphous silica and toluene concentrations were monitored using NIOSH 0600 and NIOSH 1501 in the ambient air of operators. The predicted exposure range (PER) was obtained by combining the control strategies available at the sampling time with exposure predictor (EP) bands in the COSHH Essentials, then compared to silica and toluene concentrations in the air.All exposure data were within the PER for amorphous silica dust and lower or within the PER for toluene. Compared to the acceptable concentration range in hazard bands, the threshold limit value (TLV) for respirable dust is within the acceptable concentration range, while toluene TLV exceeded it. COSHH Essentials is a conservative and safe tool, especially in liquids. Due to its simplicity, ‎employers and health center experts can use the COSHH tool successfully for small enterprises or ‎as a screening tool before a comprehensive risk assessment.

Based on oxidative coupling reactions utilizing the synthesized organic reagent 2-amino-5-(para-aminophenyl)-1,3,4-thiadiazole in acidic media, and with potassium dichromate as an oxidizing agent, a spectrophotometric method has been established for determining methyldopa and levodopa. For these drugs, the resultant complex exhibits peak absorption at 401.5 nm and 415 nm, respectively. The method adheres to Beer's law in the ranges of 1-55 µg ml-1 and 2.5-170 µg ml-1, with molar absorption coefficients of 0.24 x 104 and 0.116 x 104 L mol-1 cm-1, respectively. The quantification limit (LOQ) is set at 1.5769 µg ml-1 for methyldopa and 3.0616 µg ml-1 for levodopa, yielding recovery rates of 100.14% and 100.34%, and relative standard deviation rates of 2.748% and 0.779%. The nature of the resulting complex was examined using the continuous variation method (Job's method) and molar ratios, revealing a 1:2 ratio (reagent to drug compound) for both drugs. This method has been successfully applied to pharmaceutical formulations.

According to the association between increased micronuclei (MNi) level in reproductive age women and increased risk of congenital abnormalities, we aimed in this study to find the contribution of WTS to women's health in apparently healthy young cases by comparing the variability of MN values in water pipe smokers and non-smokers. Finding the associations between MNi levels and demographic, socioeconomic, reproductive, and lifestyle factors was the secondary scope of this study. This cross-sectional case-control study was performed on 30 premenopausal women (15 cases and 15 controls) who lived in Tehran, according to our inclusion criteria. The mean MN frequency among waterpipe smokers was 28.53± 7.462, whereas the same parameter in the control group was 6.53 + 3.24 (p= 0.001). Non-parametric tests revealed a significant association between MNi and frequency of waterpipe smoking (p = 0.001), age of starting waterpipe smoking (p = 0.003), concurrent use of alcoholic drinks (p= 0.004), and secondhand smoking (p =0.001). In the context of heavy environmental pollution in Tehran, significantly higher MNi frequencies and decreased genomic health in waterpipe smoker women in reproductive age may predispose them to an increased risk of harmful reproductive outcomes. These findings emerge from governmental and non-governmental biomonitoring programs in high-risk women to concern more on unhealthy lifestyles and environmental pollution.

Antidepressant drugs are medications used to treat various types of depressive disorders. They work by altering the balance of chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters, which are involved in regulating mood. Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) is a class of antidepressant drugs that specifically target the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain. They work by blocking the reuptake of serotonin, which increases the concentration of serotonin in the synaptic gap between neurons. HSA plays a crucial role as a transport protein, facilitating the delivery of hormones and various other ligands to their specific destinations within the body. The interaction of SSRI drugs with HSA and their binding mechanism in the HSA-SSRI system has not been extensively studied so far. The primary objective of this study is to investigate the binding affinity (BA) of SSRI drugs with HSA and identify the amino acids that bind to the antidepressant drug. The HSA protein structure (PDB ID: 1AO6) has been downloaded from the Protein Data Bank, and the SSRI antidepressant drugs structure were generated using ChemDraw. Our docking results showed that the SSRI drugs had a significant binding affinity (BA) (more negative than -5.0) with the HSA protein. Among them, the highest BA was found with vilazodone (-8.6), and the lowest BA was observed with escitalopram (-6.1). This suggests that SSRI drugs can bind to the HSA protein, potentially facilitating their transport through the bloodstream. HSA binding can also influence the drug's free concentration, which is the active form available for interaction with its target receptors in the brain.

Nanotechnology, the main technology in the twenty-first century, is the perception and control of matter at the dimensions 1-100 nanometers which revolutionized many aspects of modern life. Birds have not been used as commonly animal models in experimental toxicology but have proven useful in monitoring of environmental quality. This study aimed to evaluate zinc oxide nanoparticle (nano-ZnO) toxicity on kidneys in the homing pigeons (Columba livia f. urbana). The experimental groups orally received doses of 0, 30, 50, and 75 mg kg-1 b.w. of nano-ZnO (1 ml per bird, everyday) for time periods of 7 and 14 days. The lipid peroxidation (MDA/LPO) content, catalase (CAT) activity, and carbonyl protein (CP) content were increased and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) level was lowered in kidney samples. The plasma levels of uric acid, urea, and creatinine were also slightly elevated (p>0.05). Histopathological examinations showed glomerular nanoparticle aggregation and tubular necrosis lines in the kidney parenchyma. In brief, nano-ZnO affected kidney function and structure in homing pigeons through the induction of oxidative stress.

Kisspeptin is a peptide that plays a crucial function in the regulation of puberty initiation, by sexual immaturity and slowed puberty advancement. Infertility is a result of hyperprolactinemia, which inhibits the pulsatile release of GnRH from the brain and lowers the pulsatile production of LH from the pituitary. In type 1 diabetes, also known as autoimmune diabetes, pancreatic cells die off and the body cannot produce enough insulin, leading to high blood sugar levels. Obese people are more likely to suffer from hyperinsulinemia, hyperlipidemia, hyperleptinemia, chronic inflammation, menstrual abnormalities, pregnancy troubles, and infertility. So, this study aims to know the reproductive status of women by estimating kisspeptin and other hormones. The study was conducted on 92 women, ages (20-40) years, Samples were collected from the AL-Sader Teaching Hospital, Maysan for Child and Birth Hospital, the specialized Centre for Diabetes and Endocrinology and some private clinics and centres, the period June 2022 to February of 2023. The women were divided equally into four groups: control group (with regular menstrual cycles), hyperprolactinemia group (hyper serum prolactin), obesity group (have a BMI over 30 kg.m–2), and type 1 diabetes group. The results showed the values of kisspeptin did not differ significantly (P>0.05) in all groups, values of GnRH in hyperprolactinemia, obesity and type 1 DM groups increased significantly (P≤0.05) compared with the control group, Prolactin, estradiol and progesterone in the hyperprolactinemia group increased significantly (P≤0.05) in comparison with other groups. According to the above results, we conclude that high levels of prolactin, also obesity and type 1 DM influence the reproductive hormones in women.

This paper includes the synthesis of new imidazolidine-4-one and thiazolidine-4-one derivatives derived from 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butyric acid (1) by multistep reaction, the first step synthesis ester (2) by the esterification reaction of 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butyric acid with ethanol in the presence of sulfuric acid. Ester namely ethyl 4-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy) butanoate (2) was converted to the corresponding 4-(2,4-dichloro phenoxy)butane hydrazide (3) by reaction with hydrazine hydrate after those hydrazones (4a-f) derivatives were obtained by the reaction of carboxylic acid hydrazide (3) with various substituted aromatic aldehydes, this hydrazone were used to synthesize some new heterocyclic compounds by the hydrazones (4a-f) with Phenyl Alanine and thioglycolic acid to prepare imidazolidine-4-one(5a-e) and thiazolidine-4-one (6a-d) compounds respectively. The molecular docking study was carried out with the essential enzyme Insulin (PDB 1i144) responsible for Diabetes, suggesting that (4a-e) are the most active derivatives of the series that is responsible for diabetes, for some of the compounds that were prepared in this study. It was found that compounds (4a-e) are the most active derivatives. All newly synthesized compounds in this study were confirmed by physical and spectral (FT-IR, 1H NMR, and 13C NMR) analysis.

Polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) pose a significant scientific concern due to their chemical makeup. Luteolin (LUT), a phytochemical-biological substance with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, was tested against polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs)-induced reproductive toxicity in male Wistar rats. The rats were randomly assigned to 4 groups and treated as follows: Group I received 0.01 mL kg-1 of DMSO alone, Group II received 100 mg kg-1 of LUT dissolved in DMSO, Group III received 0.01 mg kg-1 of PS-MPs, and Group IV received 0.01 mg kg-1 of PS-MPs and 100 mg kg-1 of LUT. PS-MPs alone dramatically increased sperm morphological defects, xanthine oxidase, and lipid peroxidation while decreasing testicular enzymes, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone, antioxidants, and interleukin-10 (IL-10). The study demonstrates that PS-MPs can alter male rat testicular function and androgenicity. However, as a result of LUT co-treatment, sperm count, motility, and viability were increased whereas MDA and XO, IL-1β and TNF-α, and caspase-3 activities in the testis were reduced. Supplementing with LUT might act as a cytoprotective agent to lessen the spermatotoxicity and dysgonadogenesis brought on by PS-MPs.