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In this study, the degradability of the antibiotic Ceftriaxone was investigated with the help of genetically engineered Pseudomonas putida, in which the gene producing the enzyme catechol 2 and 3 dioxygenase was designed and then inserted into the pUC18 plasmid and replicated by E. coli. It was purified and extracted and transformed into Pseudomonas putida. Finally, the degradation rate of Ceftriaxone by this bacterium in spiked soil was evaluated using the HPLC measurement technique. Finally, the kinetics of Ceftriaxone degradation by genetically engineered Pseudomonas putida was investigated using zero, first, and second -order kinetic models for all factors. The results of HPLC measurement showed that the biodegradation of ceftriaxone in spiked soil was significant by genetically engineered P. putida compared to autoclaved soil inoculated by wild P. putida and normal soil with normal microbial flora (p<0.001) and this bacterium was able to degrade ceftriaxone by 69.53% and kinetic modeling showed that the rate of removal by genetically engineered Pseudomonas putida follows the zero-degree reaction model. These findings indicate that Pseudomonas putida, which produces Catechol 2,3-dioxygenase, can be useful and practical in the biological treatment of environment from cephalosporins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nowadays, increasing the use of pesticides to manage the agriculture production resulted in increased pesticide residues in final products and concerns about environmental pollution and prevalence of emerging diseases. This study aims to investigate the residual amount of Phosalone toxin in the early and late varieties of peach orchards in Saman city located in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Methods: In this study, 60 samples of early and late peach varieties of peach orchards were selected randomly. Phosalone residues in early and late peach varieties before and after washing, and after peeling were extracted by QUECHERS method and the amount of extracted toxin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The data were analyzed using SPSS v.24 software. Results: Phosalone residues in early peach varieties before and after washing were 3.55 ± 0.94 and 0.31 ± 0.29 mg/kg, respectively. The concentration of Phosalone residues in unwashed early and late peach varieties before washing was 3.17 ± 0.97 mg/kg but decreased to 0.64 ±0.74 mg/kg after washing. Peeling reduced 97.79% of the Phosalone residues in late peach. Early and late peaches covered by the plant pathology clinic and unwashed late peaches not covered by plant pathology clinic were significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the Iranian national standard (2 mg/kg). Conclusion: Washing and peeling the peach significantly decreased the toxin residues. In order to minimize the risk of exposure to Phosalone residues, integrated pest control management programs are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Catecholamines (L-DOPA and dopamine) are the key metabolites found in nervous system and their endogenous deficiency is associated with different patho-physiological disorders. Therefore, it is important to screen the new herbal sources of catecholamines for drug preparation. In this study, the amount of L-DOPA and dopamine were investigated in the leaves and roots of three species from legume family such as Pisum sativum (garden pea), Phaseolus vulgaris (haricot bean) and Vicia faba (broad bean); using TLC and HPLC. Methods: The seeds of P. sativum, P. Vulgaris and V. faba were treated and cultured under the glasshouse conditions. The extraction from 1 gram of each plant sample was obtained and assayed for L-DOPA and dopamine using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and reversed-phase HPLC. Results: The results indicated that all cultivars accumulated different levels of L-DOPA and dopamine in leaves and roots. The quantitative results showed that the metabolites concentrations were high in the leaves of P. Sativum and V. faba compared to that in roots. Conclusion: The present study may provide a new avenue for preparation and estimation of L-DOPA and dopamine from plant sources and may be used for further analysis and therapeutic studies.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons have adverse effects on the organisms, plants, and soil structure. Therefore, they should be removed by an appropriate and effective method. In this study, simultaneous removal of 500 mg/kgsoil of phenanthrene and pyrene was investigated for the individual and combined application of Tween 80, Triton X-100, and sodium persulfate from the alluvial soil. The results revealed that the maximum removal efficiencies of phenanthrene (94.06 ± 0.30%) and pyrene (90.07 ± 0.19%) were observed in the presence of Triton X-100 + sodium persulfate (0.5 M) within 1 hour, respectively. Also, individual application of surfactants and sodium persulfate had efficiencies of less than 80%. It should be noted that the removal of phenanthrene and pyrene followed the first-order kinetic model. Economic evaluations of combined treatment demonstrated that the application of more proportion of Triton X-100 (10000 mg/L) + less proportion of sodium persulfate (0.3 M) is more cost-effective for the remediation of soil in the field study. Based on the results, the combined application of the washing process by Triton X-100 and persulfate oxidant can significantly improve the removal efficiencies and is a promising technique in the remediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contaminated soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. PM2.5 emission is known as a major challenge to environmental health and is the cause of approximately 7 million deaths annually. This study aimed at investigating the main patterns of PM2.5 trend changes among European countries. Methods. The annual exposure to PM2.5 pollutants was retrieved from the World Bank for 41 countries during 2010 to 2017, and a latent growth model was applied to identify the main patterns using Mplus 7.4 software. Results. Monitoring the overall mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in the Europe showed a downward pattern with an annual decrease of 2.48% during the study period. Turkey had the highest PM2.5 exposure with 43.82 μg/m3 in 2010, reaching 44.31 μg/m3 in 2017. Likewise, with 7.19 μg/m3 in 2010, Finland had the lowest exposure level which decreased to 5.86 μg/m3 in 2017. Two main patterns for the mean annual PM2.5 exposure were identified via the latent growth model. Countries in the first pattern, including Turkey and Ukraine, had experienced a slow annual increase in the mean exposure of PM2.5 pollutant. Likewise, the other 39 countries belonged to the second pattern with a moderate falling trend in the mean exposure to PM2.5. Conclusion. Although the trend changes of mean annual exposure to PM2.5 in Europe were falling, Turkey and Ukraine had experienced a slow annual increase. It is advisable to take appropriate measures to curb the current raising exposure to PM2.5 in Turkey and Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, advanced oxidation processes, particularly photocatalyst process and catalytic ozonation by ZnO nanoparticles, are the most efficient method of eliminating pharmaceuticals. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of ultraviolet/zinc oxide (UV/ZnO) and ozone/zinc oxide (O3/ZnO) techniques as advanced oxidation processes in the removal of trimethoprim (TMP) from aqueous solutions. The process consisted of 0.6 g/L of ozone (O3), pH = 7.5 ± 0.5, TMP with a concentration of 0.5–5 mg/L, ZnO with a dose of 50–500 mg/L, 5–30 min reaction time, and 30–180 min contact time with UV radiation (6 W, 256 nm) in a continuous reactor. The high removal efficiency was achieved after 25 minutes when ZnO is used in 1 mg/L TMP under an operational condition at pH 7.5. When the concentration of the pollutant increased from 0.5 to 1, the average removal efficiency increased from 78% to 94%, and then, it remained almost constant. An increase in the reaction time from 5 to 25 minutes will cause the average elimination to increase from 84% to 94%. The results showed that the efficiency of O3/ZnO process in the removal of TMP was 94%, while the removal efficiency of UV/ZnO process was 91%. The findings exhibited that the kinetic study followed the second-order kinetics, both processes. With regard to the results, the photocatalyst process and catalytic ozonation by ZnO nanoparticles can make acceptable levels for an efficient posttreatment. Finally, this combined system is proven to be a technically effective method for treating antibiotic contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trifluralin is one of the most widely used herbicides, being accounted as the cause of cancer in human. In the present research, the UV/S2O82− and ZnO/UV processes' efficiency in the removal of trifluralin was investigated. A lab scale equipped with a UV lamp was applied. The parameters were studied, including initial trifluralin concentration (0.4–1.2 mg/L), contact time (20–60 min), S2O82− concentration (20–60 μM), and ZnO concentration (50–150 mg/L). The remained trifluralin concentration was measured by HPLC. This study proved the trifluralin removal of 92.90 ± 1.6% and 87.91 ± 19.22% for UV/S2O82− and UV/ZnO processes in the best operation conditions (contact time of 60 min, the persulfate concentration of 40 μM, and the ZnO concentration of 100 mg/L). The optimal trifluraline concentrations were 1.2 mg/L and 0.6 mg/L for UV/S2O82− and UV/ZnO processes, respectively. In both processes, the removal efficiency of trifluralin increased significantly with increasing contact time. The findings exhibited that both processes UV/S2O82− and UV/ZnO followed the zero-order kinetic. The electrical energy consumed of UV/S2O82 and UV/ZnO was about 43.95 and 20.41 Kwh/kg, respectively. The results show that UV/S2O82− and ZnO/UV processes were appropriate as the effective treatment method for trifluralin removal. Therefore, it is proposed to study the performance of these processes as an environmentally friendly practice in full scale with real wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

17β-Estradiol (E2) has a significant health risk to humans, even at the ng/L level, and is discharged to the aqueous environment through wastewater. Advanced oxidation processes were proposed as an efficient process for the removal of E2. In this study, a combination of ultraviolet-C (UV-C) and KMnO4 was applied for the removal of E2. Results have shown that the removal efficiency of E2 in pH 4 (acidic condition) was 93.80 ± 0.42%. But, removal efficiency in neutral (7) and alkaline (10) conditions was 78.3 ± 2.12% and 84 ± 0.71%, respectively. The effect of Fe+2, Ca+2, Mg+2, Mn+2, and Fe+3 ions (1 mg/L) was investigated in optimized pH (4). Mn+2, Fe+2, and Ca+2 ions enhanced the removal efficiency to 94.8 ± 0.84%, 95.55 ± 0.07%, and 94.7 ± 0.14%, respectively p > 0.05 , while Mg+2 and Fe+3 ions decreased the removal efficiency significantly to 76.15 ± 1% and 83.91 ± 0.3% p < 0.05 . The efficiency of E2 removal in the presence of 5 mg/L of PAC reduced significantly to 85 ± 4.24% p < 0.05 . Also, humic substances like humic acid, fulvic acid, and a combination of them could enhance the efficiency to 99.87 ± 0.01%, 99.9 ± 0.06%, and 99.93 ± 0.014%, respectively p > 0.05 . The result indicates that the rate of oxidation of E2 is related to the second exponent of the initial concentration of E2 for optimum pH and the presence of all ions. But, in the presence of humic substances, the first-order kinetic reaction was best applicable in describing oxidation of E2. Removal of chemical oxygen demand for E2 after 120 minutes' of contact time at optimum pH (86 ± 4.2%) demonstrated mineralization of these compounds at acceptable levels. Results presented that the UV-C/KMnO4 process is efficient for the removal of hormones from the aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The delayed healing of episiotomy wound and its associated pain is a major problem in obstetrics. Because green tea has analgesic and wound-healing properties, the present study was conducted to determine the effect of green tea ointment on episiotomy pain and wound-healing. The green tea extract was also standardized by measuring its Phenolic and flavonoid compounds, antioxidant activity, and one of its active components, that is, Epigallocatechin gallate. The present clinical trial was conducted on 99 primiparous women visiting Afzalipour Hospital in Kerman in 2015. The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups, including a green tea ointment group, a placebo ointment group, and a routine care group. The 2 ointment groups smeared 2 cm of the green tea or placebo ointments onto their sutured area twice daily for a total of 10 days. The severity of pain was assessed in the subjects using the visual pain scale and wound-healing using the Redness, Edema, Ecchymosis, Discharge, Approximation (REEDA) scale before the intervention and on the 5th and 10th days after delivery. To standardize the extract, Epigallocatechin gallate was measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Phenolic and flavonoid compounds, as well as antioxidant activity of the extract were also determined by spectrometry methods. Before the intervention, no significant differences were observed between the 3 groups in terms of their personal and obstetric details (p > .05), the severity of pain (p = .118), and the REEDA score (p = .212). On the 5th and 10th days after delivery, the severity of pain was significantly lower in the green tea group than in the other 2 groups (p < .0001). The mean REEDA score on the 5th and 10th days showed a better and faster healing in the green tea group compared to the other 2 groups (p < .0001). Total content of phenolic and flavonoids contents of green tea were 74.2 mg/g Gallic acid equivalent and 16.3 mg/g Rutin equivalent, respectively, and its antioxidant capacity was 46% of b-carotene. Green tea ointment appears to be effective in relieving episiotomy pain and improving wound-healing in this study. Further studies are recommended to be conducted on the effectiveness and safety of the different doses of green tea ointment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: PM 2.5 emission is known as a major challenge to environmental health and is the cause of approximately 7 million deaths annually. This study aimed at investigating the main patterns of PM 2.5 trend changes among European countries., Methods: The annual exposure to PM 2.5 pollutants was retrieved from the World Bank for 41 countries during 2010 to 2017, and a latent growth model was applied to identify the main patterns using Mplus 7.4 software., Results: Monitoring the overall mean annual exposure to PM 2.5 in the Europe showed a downward pattern with an annual decrease of 2.48% during the study period. Turkey had the highest PM 2.5 exposure with 43.82  μ g/m 3 in 2010, reaching 44.31  μ g/m 3 in 2017. Likewise, with 7.19  μ g/m 3 in 2010, Finland had the lowest exposure level which decreased to 5.86  μ g/m 3 in 2017. Two main patterns for the mean annual PM 2.5 exposure were identified via the latent growth model. Countries in the first pattern, including Turkey and Ukraine, had experienced a slow annual increase in the mean exposure of PM 2.5 pollutant. Likewise, the other 39 countries belonged to the second pattern with a moderate falling trend in the mean exposure to PM 2.5 ., Conclusion: Although the trend changes of mean annual exposure to PM 2.5 in Europe were falling, Turkey and Ukraine had experienced a slow annual increase. It is advisable to take appropriate measures to curb the current raising exposure to PM 2.5 in Turkey and Ukraine., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Mahdiyeh Alikhani Faradonbeh et al.)