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Abstract The use of drug delivery systems in targeting and achieving the targeting of drugs in treating diseases, especially cancer, has attracted the attention of researchers. Letrozole is one of the drugs for the treatment of breast cancer. In this study, the organic-metallic pharmaceutical porous nanostructure based on zirconium UiO-66 loaded letrozole was synthesized. Its cytotoxicity and effect on apoptosis and migration against breast cancer cell line were investigated. In this experimental study, the UiO-66 nanoparticle-loaded letrozole was synthesized using zirconium chloride (ZrCl4), dimethylformamide (DMF), and HCl. Its characteristics were determined by scanning electron microscopy, and its average size was determined by the DLS method. Also, the rate of letrozole drug release from the nanoparticle was investigated in 24, 48, and 72 h. In addition, its cytotoxicity effects were investigated using the MTT colorimetric method at concentrations of 3.125-100 µg/ml against the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) in the periods of 48 and 72 h. Also, the expression level of apoptotic genes Bax and Bcl2 was investigated by the Real-Time PCR method. Also, the amount of cell migration was done by the migration assay method. The results showed that UiO-66 bound to letrozole had a spherical morphology and an average size of 9.2 ± 160.1. Also, the letrozole drug was loaded by 62.21 ± 1.80% in UiO-66 nanoparticles and had a slower release pattern than free letrozole in the drug release test, so within 72 h, 99.99% of free letrozole was released in If in UiO-66 containing letrozole, 57.55% of the drug has been released. Also, the cytotoxicity results showed that UiO-66 bound to letrozole has more significant cytotoxic effects than free letrozole (p

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are structures with high surface area that can be used to remove heavy metals (HMs) efficiently from the environment. The effect of MOFs on HMs removal from contaminated soils has not been already investigated. Monometallic MOFs are easier to synthesize with high efficiency, and it is also important to compare their structures. In the present study, Zn-BTC, Cu-BTC, and Fe-BTC as three metal-trimesic acid MOFs were synthesized from the combination of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) nitrates with benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3BTC) by solvothermal method. BET analysis showed that the specific surface areas of the Zn-BTC, Cu-BTC, and Fe-BTC were 502.63, 768.39 and 92.4 m2g-1, respectively. The synthesized MOFs were added at the rates of 0.5 and 1% by weight to the soils contaminated with 100 mgkg-1 of Zn, nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Then quinoa seeds were sown in the treated soils. According to the results, the uptakes of all four HMs by quinoa were the lowest in the Cu-BTC 1% treated pots and the lowest uptakes were observed for Pb in shoot and root (4.87 and 0.39, μgpot-1, respectively). The lowest concentration of metal extracted with EDTA in the post-harvest soils was for Pb (11.86 mgkg-1) in the Cu-BTC 1% treatment. The lowest metal pollution indices were observed after the application of Cu-BTC 1%, which were 20.29 and 11.53 for shoot and root, respectively. With equal molar ratios, highly porous and honeycomb-shaped structure, the most crystallized and the smallest constituent particle size (34.64 nm) were obtained only from the combination of Cu ions with H3BTC. The lowest porosity, crystallinity, and a semi-gel like feature was found for the Fe-BTC. The synthesized Cu-BTC showed the highest capacity of stabilizing HMs, especially Pb in the soil compared to the Zn-BTC and the Fe-BTC. The highly porous characteristic of the Cu-BTC can make the application of this MOF as a suitable environmental solution for the remediation of high Pb-contaminated soils.

ABSTRACT Mental health issues such as anxiety and depression are on the rise in communities. Ignoring severe mental health issues can lead to suicide, which is a global public health issue. The use of advanced tools and methods to prevent suicide can help save human lives. Visual tools and virtual technologies have multiple applications in the medical and educational fields. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using virtual reality (VR) technology on suicidal thoughts. A quasi‐experimental study was conducted, in which 189 individuals who had a history of suicide were tested. These individuals were divided into three groups: one control group and two intervention groups that received traditional and VR‐based training for 90 days. The Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation was used. The posttest results after the training period showed that conducting the training course had a statistically significant effect on individuals' suicidal behaviour and those who participated in the VR‐based training course had better improvements in suicidal thoughts. Therefore, the use of 3D simulation and visualisation tools can have a significant impact on individuals' thoughts and perceptions. The results of this study have practical implications for hospital managers and counsellors in healthcare centres to use VR technology in counselling and training courses to improve the behaviour of individuals with a history of suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural amino acids (NAA) have been rarely investigated as chelators, despite their ability to chelate heavy metals (HMs). In the present research, the effects of extracted natural amino acids, as a natural and environmentally friendly chelate agent and the inoculation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) and Micrococcus yunnanensis (MY) bacteria were investigated on some responses of quinoa in a soil polluted with Pb, Ni, Cd, and Zn. Inoculation of PGPR bacteria enhanced plant growth and phytoremediation efficiency. Pb and Cd were higher in quinoa roots, while Ni and Zn were higher in the shoots. The highest efficiencies were observed with NAA treatment and simultaneous inoculation of PF and MY bacteria for Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn. The highest values of phytoremediation efficiency and uptake efficiency of Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn were 21.28, 19.11, 14.96 and 18.99 μg g−1, and 31.52, 60.78, 51.89, and 25.33 μg g−1, respectively. Results of present study well demonstrated NAA extracted from blood powder acted as strong chelate agent due to their diversity in size, solubilizing ability, abundant functional groups, and potential in the formation of stable complexes with Ni, Cd, Pb, and Zn, increasing metal availability in soil and improving phytoremediation efficiency in quinoa. NOVELTY STATEMENT: This study focused on an underexplored topic, the potential of natural amino acids (NAA) and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) to enhance phytoremediation efficiency of quinoa in a multi-metal contaminated soil with the waste recycling approach. Despite their chelating abilities, NAA have been rarely studied in this context. In the present study, the effects of extracted NAA, acting as environmentally friendly chelating agents, and the inoculation of Pseudomonas fluorescens (PF) and Micrococcus yunnanensis (MY) bacteria were examined on the responses of quinoa in a soil contaminated with Pb, Ni, Cd, and Zn. HIGHLIGHTS: Three agricultural wastes were used to prepare natural amino acids. Natural amino acids caused satisfactory results in remediating HMs-polluted soil and amino acid extracted from blood powder gave the best results. Phytoremediation efficiency depends strongly on the type of metal. Pseudomonas fluorescens and Micrococcus yunnanensis improved remediation performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application of appropriate organic amendments as the carriers of bacterial consortium may improve the remediation efficiency of HMs-polluted soil. A greenhouse experiment was designed and carried out to investigate the capability of biochar, and activated carbon prepared from ostrich manure and almond husk as the carriers of bacterial inoculants in the phytoremediation of a calcareous soil polluted with Pb, Ni, Cd and Zn by maize. Results showed that the application of biochar and activated carbon prepared from ostrich manure increased root (78–129%) and shoot (72.3–272%) dry weight, as compared to the control. The values of metal accumulation in both maize root and shoot were in the order of Cd>Zn>Ni>Pb. While biochar and activated carbon prepared from ostrich manure significantly increased both root and shoot metals uptake, those prepared from almond husk drastically decreased the uptake of some metals. The foremost mechanism involved in the phytoremediation of Cd, Ni and Pb was phytostabilization while that of Zn was due to the phytoextraction. Results of the present study demonstrated the effectiveness of ostrich manure-derived biochar and activated carbon as an efficient treatment in the phytoremediation of multi-metal-polluted soils and the mitigation of HMs phytotoxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are structures with high surface area that can be used to remove heavy metals (HMs) efficiently from the environment. The effect of MOFs on HMs removal from contaminated soils has not been already investigated. Monometallic MOFs are easier to synthesize with high efficiency, and it is also important to compare their structures. In the present study, Zn-BTC, Cu-BTC, and Fe-BTC as three metal-trimesic acid MOFs were synthesized from the combination of zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and iron (Fe) nitrates with benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylic acid (H3BTC) by solvothermal method. BET analysis showed that the specific surface areas of the Zn-BTC, Cu-BTC, and Fe-BTC were 502.63, 768.39 and 92.4 m2g-1, respectively. The synthesized MOFs were added at the rates of 0.5 and 1% by weight to the soils contaminated with 100 mgkg-1 of Zn, nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Then quinoa seeds were sown in the treated soils. According to the results, the uptakes of all four HMs by quinoa were the lowest in the Cu-BTC 1% treated pots and the lowest uptakes were observed for Pb in shoot and root (4.87 and 0.39, μgpot-1, respectively). The lowest concentration of metal extracted with EDTA in the post-harvest soils was for Pb (11.86 mgkg-1) in the Cu-BTC 1% treatment. The lowest metal pollution indices were observed after the application of Cu-BTC 1%, which were 20.29 and 11.53 for shoot and root, respectively. With equal molar ratios, highly porous and honeycomb-shaped structure, the most crystallized and the smallest constituent particle size (34.64 nm) were obtained only from the combination of Cu ions with H3BTC. The lowest porosity, crystallinity, and a semi-gel like feature was found for the Fe-BTC. The synthesized Cu-BTC showed the highest capacity of stabilizing HMs, especially Pb in the soil compared to the Zn-BTC and the Fe-BTC. The highly porous characteristic of the Cu-BTC can make the application of this MOF as a suitable environmental solution for the remediation of high Pb-contaminated soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 presents many social and economic challenges and exacerbates existing ones. One of these challenges is global poverty. Prior to the epidemic, poverty affected the rural population traditionally. Global poverty can spread to urban areas now with COVID-19 outbreak. Poverty increased in the United States in 2020 as the coronavirus outbreak, affecting the economy and rising unemployment. New figures confirm that the recession may have widened the gap between rich and poor, with those at the bottom of the economic ladder suffering the most, such as the rural population. In this study, we examine the relationship between Covid outbreak, governance and economic performance and its impact on number in poverty. To this end, data from the Center for American Progress is analyzed over 10 years (from 2011–2020) among the 49 states in America through spatial econometric techniques for panel data. The effect of each state's condition was examined on neighboring states. The results showed that the governance index (with a negative sign) and Income inequality variable (with a positive sign), have the greatest impact on poverty. The unemployment, Gender wage gap, Hunger and food insecurity, Health insurance, Population and Higher education also have an impact on poverty. The policy recommendations of this study are that because the variable of governance (accountability and responsibility of the government to compensate for the damage caused by the covid outbreak) is one of the most effective variables to control poverty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study investigated anthropometric changes of national law enforcement officers (LEOs) in 46 years, compared the differences between LEO data and civilian anthropometry, and identified the magnitude of differences in dimensions measured with gear versus semi-nude measurements. Background: The best available 46-year-old anthropometric dataset of LEOs has largely become outdated due to demographic changes. Additionally, anthropometric data of female LEOs and LEO measurements with gear are lacking. Method: Thirty-four traditional body dimensions and 15 with gear measurements of 756 male and 218 female LEOs were collected through a stratified national survey using a data collection trailer that traveled across the U.S. and the data were compared to the LEO anthropometric data from 1975 and existing civilian anthropometric databases. Results: LEO body size and shape have evolved over the past 46 years - an increase of 12.2 kg in body weight, 90 mm in chest circumference, and 120 mm in waist circumference for men. No previous data was available for comparison for females. Compared to civilians, both male and female LEOs have a larger upper body build. LEO gear added 91 mm in waist breadth for men and 120 mm for women, and 11 kg in weight for men and 9 kg for women. Conclusion: The study reveals that equipment design based on the existing civilian datasets or 46-year-old LEO dataset would not accommodate the current LEO population. The new data fill this gap. Application: The differences reported above are important for LEO body gear, vehicle console, and vehicle ingress/egress design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]