Search

rifaximin is a widely utilized antibiotic in health care centers and hospitals. However, its elimination from wastewater, which prevents health damages, has not been reported so far. In this work, for the first time, a nanocomposite, NiFe2O4/GO, was employed as an adsorbent to remove rifaximin from an aqueous solution. After synthesis, the XRD, FT-IR, SEM, and VSM techniques were used to confirm the structure of NiFe2O4/GO. We applied response surface methodology to explore the effects of the NiFe2O4/GO and rifaximin concentrations, as well as solution pH and contact time, on the process performance. We obtained a high coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.994) and satisfactory predictions from the regression model. We obtained the most favorable removal percentage (93.39%) at a pH of 4.07, a contact time of 5.5 min, an adsorbent concentration of 3147.57 mg/L, and a rifaximin concentration of 68.50 mg/L. The isotherm studies revealed that the adsorption obeys the Freundlich isotherm with a maximum adsorption capacity of 30.12 mg/g for NiFe2O4/GO at 30°C. Thanks to the calculated thermodynamic parameters, it is declared that the process is spontaneous, and the formation of hydrogen bonds and Van der Waals interactions are the dominant interaction terms between the NiFe2O4/GO and rifaximin. Moreover, the composite maintained an 85.45% removal percentage after 4 cycles of regeneration. A removal percentage of 89.45% was obtained for effluent from a local pharmaceutical company, representing good efficiency of the adsorbent. In conclusion, NiFe2O4/GO is shown to be a suitable adsorbent for the elimination of rifaximin from wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biomagnifications of emergent contamination with diclofenac in aquatic media exert adverse effects on ecosystems and the environment. Hence, employing an effective remediation route, especially magnetic adsorption, is highly beneficial to eliminating hazardous pharmaceutical wastes. In this research, an efficient magnetic nanoadsorbent derived from aminated manganese ferrite, cellulose, and graphene oxide (GO) has been characterized and employed for diclofenac (DF) removal. Results of EDX analysis showed that aminopropyltriethoxysilane, as an amine source, have been anchored on the magnetic adsorbent surface with high density. Moreover, FESEM and TEM images, as well as the XRD pattern, confirmed that the nanocomposite is a three-component adsorbent. Response surface methodology was adopted to optimize effective parameters for DF adsorption. Solution pH, contact time, adsorbent amount, and concentration of NaNO3 were four variables that have been optimized. Kinetic and isotherm studies for the adsorption experiments showed that diclofenac adsorption followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm. Moreover, the thermodynamic study indicated that the adsorption process is spontaneous and follows an exothermic path. With a high maximum adsorption capacity of 439.0 mg.g−1 and an adequate removal efficiency of 98.0%, the aminated MnFe2O4-cellulose-GO is a suitable candidate to mitigate the side effects of DF in aqueous media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Today, obesity is considered one of the most important and common problems in the field of world health, found to have a significant coexistence with many physical diseases and mental problems. The present study aimed to explain the model of bulimia nervosa based on the components of mindfulness and anxiety sensitivity with the mediating role of body image and psychosomatic symptoms in obese women. Methods: The statistical population in this research included all patients diagnosed with obesity in the treatment centers of Tehran, Iran, in 2021. The research sample included 384 women diagnosed with obesity followed by removing the distorted questionnaires leading to 357 statistically analyzed samples. The questionnaires used in this research were the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the psychosomatic disorders questionnaire, the self-body questionnaire, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-Revised (ASI-R), and the Binge Eating Scale (BES), which were completed by the subjects following the principles of ethics in the research. The findings were statistically analyzed using path analysis and descriptive and inferential indicators. Data analysis was done using the SPSS software, AMOS software, and other appropriate tests. Results: The model had a favorable fit in terms of statistics, and it was also found that psychosomatic symptoms as a mediating variable could not have provided a significant explanation for the prediction paths of bulimia nervosa based on anxiety sensitivity and component mindfulness (P < 0.01). Conclusion: In the treatment of obese people with bulimia nervosa, paying attention to psychological and emotional indicators can be of great importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: With the onset of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, hospitalization and treatment of non-covid patients decreased worldwide. The aim of this study is to evaluate the admission and treatment of patients with coronary artery diseases (CADs) by examining coronary Cath labs activities in some centers of Iran during the COVID-19 period.METHODS: A retrospective, multi-center survey was conducted in four cites in Iran which participated in National Persian Registry Of CardioVascular diseasE (N-PROVE). Two periods of COVID-19 occurrence peak in Iran were compared with the same date in 2019. Information was collected on the number of diagnostic and therapeutic coronary catheterizations in both stable ischemic heart diseases (SIHDs) and acute coronary syndrome (ACS) settings.RESULTS: In the first peak of COVID-19 pandemic, coronary angiographies and angioplasties decreased by 37 and 38% compared to the same period in 2019, respectively. The most common indication for coronary angiography during this period was ACS [especially ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI)]; however, at the time of peak decrease, the SIHDs were the most. In the second peak of COVID-19 pandemic in Iran, 34% and 27% decrease in diagnostic and therapeutic coronary procedures were seen, respectively. During this period, the number of elective admissions increased, although it was still lower than that in 2019. The tendency to rescue percutaneous coronary intervention increased in most centers during the COVID-19 era, especially in the second peak.CONCLUSION: A significant reduction in the coronary Cath lab activity has been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic that can indicate an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.

Objective(s): This work focuses on preparing an efficient bacterial capture system based on the magnetic polyphenolic nanostructure. For a reason, a one-step hydrothermally route was employed to prepare ZnFe2O4@hydroxybenzoic acid - resorcinol nanohybrid. Methods: The nanostructure was characterized by X–ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE–SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) vibration sample magnetometry (VSM) and zeta potential measurement. Bacillus subtilis was employed as a sample pathogen to evaluate bacterial capture efficiency of the nanohybrid. Results: Characterization results confirmed that the hybrid material is in nano scale. Moreover, it has a magnetic saturation of 6.7 emu g-1 which is in right level to be employed for magnetic separation. Effect of relevant variables on capturing efficiency including pH, contact time and adsorbent dosage was investigated, and optimum levels were obtained. Conclusions: It found that the capturing efficiency is independent of solution pH. Moreover, capturing experiments showed fast equilibrium time of 20 min with the effectiveness more than 99%.

In the context of diabetes, there is a bidirectional relation between AGEs and ROS which is amplified under hyperglycemic condition. Indeed, the AGE/RAGE interaction, via triggering several signaling pathways underlies such interplay. These damaging signaling cascades could be attenuated by naturally occurring soluble form of RAGE, namely sRAGE. In the present study, the effect of AGEs on the intracellular superoxide anion level and the antioxidant defense system was studied. Moreover, the link between the level of soluble RAGE and the AGE-triggered signaling pathways, namely ERK, was also investigated. Our results demonstrated that the elevation in intracellular superoxide anion level was associated with decrease in antioxidant enzyme activities. Our data also revealed that the level of sRAGE is negatively correlated with the ERK expression in a hyperglycemia model system. Hence, the current study brings about novel evidences suggesting that the level of sRAGE would be under the influence of stress-sensitive signaling pathways. Highlights • Prominent activity decrease of intracellular antioxidant enzymes was demonstrated upon AGE-treatment. • An increase in superoxide anion level was demonstrated upon AGE-treatment. • The level of sRAGE is negatively associated with the ERK expression in AGE-treated cells. • The level of sRAGE was shown to significantly elevate in the presence of ERK inhibitor.

In this research, optimization of examinations' timetable for university courses, based on a real problem in one of the universities in Iran is studied. The objective function defined for this problem is more practical and realistic than the other objective functions that have been utilized by previous researchers in literature and effectively reflects the real objective of the problem. In order to define the objective function, we have made use of Coulomb's law in electricity that says the magnitude of the electrostatic force of interaction between two point charges is directly proportional to the scalar multiplication of the magnitudes of the charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. We have defined a repulsive force between any pair of Examinations. The optimum solution is achieved when the sum of all forces is minimized. Hence, the obtained mathematical model is a non-linear programming with binary variables, similar to the quadratic assignment problem (QAP) which is an NP-Hard problem. This sort of problems can be solved exactly only if they are in small sizes. For solving this problem in medium and large scale, some methods are used based on Simulated Annealing (SA) algorithm and Imperialist Competitive algorithm (ICA). These algorithms can reach good sub-optimal solutions in a short period of time. Practical results of this mathematical model are already used in one of the national universities in Iran. The practical results demonstrate the high efficiency and effectiveness of this model.

# Background Ciprofloxacin (cipro) is a broad-spectrum fluoroquinolone antibiotic active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. It is used extensively in both animals and humans due to its high bioavailability and the wide range of susceptible infections. However, the use of substandard (poor quality) and counterfeit formulations of cipro in low- and middle-income countries has contributed to an increased risk of treatment failure due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Poor quality medicines especially have been linked to AMR. Therefore, there is a pressing need to screen for quality of cipro in low-resource settings. # Methods We have addressed this need by developing a low-cost fluorescence assay capable of quantifying the amount of cipro in tablets. In this assay, cipro is dissolved in deionized water and mixed with palladium(II) and methyl cellulose. Upon addition of these reagents, quenching of cipro is observed and quantified. # Results We demonstrated our assay with three brands of cipro, quantifying the tablets to within 3% error of the gold-standard, high-performance liquid chromatography. We extended this assay to assess the quality of enrofloxacin (enro), another fluoroquinolone primarily used in veterinary medicine, within 5% error of the package indication. # Conclusions These assays can be used to assess the quality of cipro and enro tablets in the field and identify substandard tablets, potentially helping to remove those tablets from circulation and decrease acceleration of AMR to cipro and enro. These assays can be easily adapted to previously-developed portable microfluidic platforms capable of assessing medicine quality in the field.

In this work, a simple thermal method was used to synthesize carbon dots from citric acid and glycine precursors. It was found that Hg(II) ions can selectively quench the fluorescence emission of these carbon dots. Subsequently, a sensor was designed and optimized for the determination of Hg(II) ions. The limit of detection and quantification of the sensor were found to be 38 and 112 ppb, respectively. The sensor showed good selectivity toward Hg(II) ions and was successfully used for the determination of Hg(II) ions in mineral water samples.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to predict significant coronary artery disease (CAD) in patients undergoing coronary angiography.METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, data of 384 patients who underwent angiography during 2015-2017 were reviewed. Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were evaluated in terms of having positive T wave in lead V1 (TV1) described as T wave with amplitude of more than 0.15 mV and angiography records were assessed for presence of significant CAD defined as presence of ≥ 70% internal diameter stenosis in at least one major epicardial coronary artery or more than 50% stenosis in left main artery (LMA).RESULTS: Out of 384 patients who participated in this study with mean age of 63.6 ± 10.2 years (40-89 years), 71.6% showed positive TV1 and significant CAD simultaneously and left anterior descending artery (LAD) and left circumflex artery (LCX) lesions were more frequently reported in coronary angiography. Based on chi-square test, the prevalence of significant CAD was obviously more in those with positive TV1 as compared to those without this finding [odds ratio (OR) = 2.74, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.80-4.19, P < 0.001]. Mann-Whitney test showed significant difference in number of coronary arteries involved in CAD between presence of positive and negative T wave in lead V1 (P < 0.001). Great number of patients with significant CAD had remarkably higher T wave amplitude in lead V1 in comparison to lead V6 (OR = 6.22, 95% CI: 3.14-12.30, P < 0.001).CONCLUSION: Positive TV1 and TV1 > TV6 pattern can be considered as a predictor forsignificant CAD in patients with otherwise normal ECG.

The effect of courtyards as microclimate modifiers on the sustainability of traditional houses in a region with BWks mesoclimate in Iran was explored. The principle behind traditional Iranian courtyards was investigated to identify the most influential physical–environmental characteristics that can effectively improve energy efficiency in contemporary residential buildings. A field study was performed to analyze various physical elements of six valuable traditional courtyard houses located in a region with BWks mesoclimate in Iran. These elements included the orientation, extension, rotation angle, dimensions, and proportions of enclosed and open spaces, as well as physical bodies (opaque walls), transparent surfaces (openings), and natural elements (water and soil). Results showed that most of the studied Iranian courtyards were particularly designed to enable orientation, dimension, and proportion to act as microclimate modifiers. All survey-based data were summarized and integrated to propose a physical–environmental design model for courtyards as a useful energy-efficient strategy for contemporary sustainable housing in a region with BWks mesoclimate. The proposed model can be generalized to all design cases located in areas with similar climatic conditions.

Objective and Background: Fluoride is an element widely found in the earth crust. Advantages and disadvantages of fluoride in the human body are depended on its concentration. Long-term consumption of drinking water contaminated with arsenic can cause adverse health effects such as skin lesions and cancer in humans. The aim of this study was to study efficiency of nano alumina on multi walled carbon nano tube for removal As(V) and fluoride from aqueous solution. Materials and Method: In this study, nano-scale crystalline alumina was synthesized on single walled carbon nanotube by sol-gel method for using as a sorbent for solid phase extraction of Fluorine ion and arsenic(V). Response surface methodology based on Box-Behnken was used to assess the effect of independent variables on the response function and prediction of the best response value. In this study, effect of different parameters, such as contact time (10 to 120 min), pH (3-9), adsorbent dosage (0.25-1.5 g/L) and initial concentration of fluoride (2-8 mg/L) on efficiency of process was investigated. The structure of nano-scale alumina on multi walled carbon nano tube was determined by XRD and SEM techniques. Moreover, Freundlich and Langmuir isotherm models were used to calculate equilibrium constant. Results: It was found that by increasing contact time and adsorbent dosage the rate of fluoride removal increased. However, by increasing pH and initial concentration the efficiency of fluoride removal decreased. High value for R2 (0.94) shows that removal of arsenic(V) can be described by this model. The Freundlich isotherm was the best fitted graph for experimental data with R2 more than 0.997. Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that efficiency of arsenic(V) and fluoride removal was greatly increased by using nano-scale alumina on multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs).