فهرست مطالب ahmadreza lahijanzadeh

River water is used for various purposes more than water from any other source. This study was designed and implemented to evaluate the water quality of the Tajan River by the Iran Surface Water Quality Index (IRWQIsc). Considering the establishment of polluting sources on the banks of the Tajan River (various agricultural, industrial, urban and domestic wastewaters), sampling was done at 9 stations with 3 repetitions in two seasons (January 2021 and June 2021), and 11 water quality parameters including; BOD5, COD, ammonium, nitrate, phosphate, turbidity, pH, fecal coliform, electrical conductivity, dissolved oxygen and total hardness were measured using standard methods in the laboratory. In the present study, the average amount of BOD5, COD, ammonium, nitrate, phosphate, turbidity, pH, fecal coliform, and electrical conductivity increased in both seasons from upstream to downstream stations, dissolved oxygen in both seasons from above It decreased downstream and the total hardness did not have a regular trend from upstream to downstream. The results of the study of the IRWQIsc index showed that this index was between 23.7 and 70.08 in the cold season and between 64.21 and 16.35 in the hot season for all the stations of the Tajan River. In general, the water of the Tajan River was placed in the descriptive-qualitative class of medium and bad, and the closer the agricultural lands were to the studied stations, the more the water pollution was. The most important source of pollution in the study area; Indiscriminate harvesting of sand and paper mills in Mazandaran, fish breeding farms, animal husbandry, sewage of Sari city, surrounding villages, effluents of paddy fields, and agricultural fields. In this regard, attention to the comprehensive management of water resources and assessment of environmental effects should be prioritized.

The relation between air pollution and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) risk factors, especially blood pressure (BP) levels, has been less frequently assessed. The aim of this study was evaluating the association between air pollutants of less than 2.5 µm [particulate matter (PM2.5)] and BP indices among individuals admitted with CVDs and pulmonary diseases.

This cross-sectional study was in context of air pollution associated with hospitalization and mortality of CVDs and respiratory diseases (CAPACITY) study. Data of 792 Iranian patients referring to two hospitals in Isfahan, Iran, for cardiovascular or respiratory problems from March 2011 to March 2012 were used for analysis. BP indices including systolic BP (SBP), diastolic BP (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were obtained from patients’ medical forms and mean PM2.5 concentrations during 24 hours prior to admission of each patient were obtained from Isfahan Department of Environment (DOE).

Mean ± standard deviation (SD) of participants’ age were 62.5 ± 15.9 years. All BP indices on admission were significantly higher in women compared with men. Adjustment of all potential confounders including age, sex, temperature, wind speed, and dew point revealed that increasing one quartile in PM2.5 concentrations had been associated with 1.98 mmHg raising in SBP at the time of admission [95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.41-3.54, P = 0.010]. Women with cardiac diseases had higher all BP indices with increased PM2.5 concentration [SBP: β: 4.30, 95% CI = 0.90-7.70, P = 0.010; DBP: β: 1.89, 95% CI = 0.09-3.69, P = 0.040; MAP: β: 3.09, 95% CI = 0.68-5.51, P= 0.010, respectively).

Our findings suggest that increasing PM2.5 concentration has been positively associated with raising SBP in total population and all BP indices among women with cardiac problems at admission time. Several comprehensive studies are required for confirming these relations.

One of the recently considered pollutants is microplastic particles. To investigate this contaminant, 15 samples of sediment were sampled from Khor-e-Musa estuary. Samples were transferred to the laboratory in thick plastic bags for extraction and counting of microplastic particles. H2O2 was first used to remove organic matter in the samples. Then, using the condensation separation method, the microplastic particles were separated from the sediment particles and finally identified and counted by using binocular optical microscopy. The average concentration of microplastic particles in the study area was 11.67 per 250 g of sediment and the maximum and minimum concentrations were 22 and 1, respectively. In this study, about 49% of the found microplastics were stringed, 36% multifaceted, and 14% spherical. The predominant color of these particles was white/transparent and black/gray, which accounted for 32% and 36% of the total microplastics, respectively. Also, about 13, 14, and 5 percent of the microplastics were yellow/orange, red/pink, and blue/green, respectively. In general, about 52, 33, 8, 3, and 3% of microplastics are related to microplastic particles with sizes less than 100, from 100 to 250, from 250 to 500, from 500 to 1000, and from 1000 to 1000, respectively. It was 5,000 micrometers. The results of this study showed that microplastic particles are present in the sediments of Khor Musa and most of these particles are filamentous and with dimensions of less than 100 micrometers. This means that the adsorption capacity of these particles is high for pollutants.

This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between exposure to PM2.5 and the number of hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases.

The present time-series, case-crossover study is a part of the CAPACITY study on patients admitted to 15 hospitals in the Iranian city of Isfahan because of cardiovascular diseases in 2012. PM2.5 concentrations were calculated in air pollution monitoring stations and divided into 3 groups of good or moderate, unhealthy for sensitive people, and unhealthy or hazardous. The relationship between the number of admissions and fine particle concentrations was assessed.

This study evaluated 15752 participants at a mean age of 59 ± 19.4 years. Men accounted for 52.6% (n = 8282) of the study population. The mean concentration of fine particles was 53.77 ± 29.65 micrometers. In most days of the year, the concentration of PM2.5 was at an unhealthy level for sensitive people. Poisson regression analysis showed a significant correlation between the number of hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases and ischemic heart diseases and fine particle concentrations in the unhealthy level for sensitive people (P = 0.001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.002). There was a significant correlation between PM2.5 concentrations and the number of admissions due to conductive heart diseases and heart blocks in unhealthy or hazardous levels (P = 0.02 and P = 0.04).

The number of hospital admissions due to cardiovascular diseases can increase during air pollution, especially when the concentrations of PM2.5 are elevated.

Some past studies have shown the association of air pollution with heart failure (HF). The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between suspended particulate matters less than 10 microns (PM10) and hospitalization due to HF.

In a cross-sectional study, the data from 359 patients’ records, admitted to Shahid Chamran hospital in Isfahan City, Iran, due to HF during the years 2017-18, were collected. The inclusion criteria were the echocardiography findings such as the cardiac ejection fraction of less than 50%, and/or additional clinical evidences that confirmed HF exacerbation. The data about hourly concentration of PM10 were collected from the CAPACITY software in the Department of Environment at Isfahan Province that displayed the PM10 data from 6 fixed stations in Isfahan City. To evaluate any relationship between PM10 and hospitalization due to HF, we considered the PM10 concentrations at last 24 hours before hospitalization.

The mean age of 359 patients who diagnosed with heart failure was 63.8 ± 14.6 years, and 82 of them (22.8%) died at the time of hospitalization. There was a significant correlation between hospitalization due to HF and air pollution quartiles.

 According to the results of present study, there was a positive correlation between the concentration of particulate matters in the air and hospitalization due to heart failure.

Air pollution is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aims to evaluate the correlation between air pollutants and hospitalization due to myocardial infarction (MI) as part of "correlation of air pollution with hospitalization and mortality of CVDs and respiratory diseases (CAPACITY) study". This case-crossover study analyzed the data of 319 patients who were admitted with diagnosis of ST-elevation MI (STEMI) or non-ST-elevation MI (NSTEMI) in three main hospitals of Isfahan, Iran. The data of airborne pollutants including particulate matter < 10 µm (PM10), particulate matter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3) as well as climatic indices (temperature, wind speed, and humidity) at 24 hours, 48 hours, and one week before admission were extracted from CAPACITY study. The conditional logistic regression method was used to evaluate the correlation between air pollutants and MI hospitalization. 319 patients with mean age of 63.15 ± 28.14 years, including 238 men (74.6%), and 207 patients (64.8%) with STEMI. The risk of hospitalization significantly increased in STEMI patients with 10-unit increment in PM2.5 at 48 hours before admission [odds ratio (OR) = 3.70, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.69-7.69]. Although, majority of air pollutants had positive association with hospitalization in patients with NSTEMI, they were not statistically significant. This study showed significant association between elevated PM2.5 at 48 hours with hospitalization of patients with STEMI. This finding can warn policy makers to design and provide better care services for patients at risk of acute MI during the times of increased air pollution.

Many studies have shown the worst effects of air pollution on cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Present study focused on the relationship between atrial fibrillation (AF), as one of the common arrhythmias, and air pollutants in Isfahan, Iran, an industrial city in the Middle East. A case-crossover design was used to explore the associations between air pollution and AF hospitalized patients with ventricular response (VR) > 90 beats per minute (bpm) (fast response) and those with VR ≤ 90 bpm. All patients' records were extracted from their hospital files. Air pollutants data including particulate matter less than 10 µ (PM10), PM2.5, carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) were obtained from the Correlation of Air Pollution with Hospitalization and Mortality of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Diseases (CAPACITY) study. Conditional logistic regression test was used to measure the relationship between pollutants and hospitalization due to AF. Records of 369 patients, including 173 men (46.9%) who were hospitalized for AF during the study period and had complete data were extracted. Although a positive but not statistically significant relationship was shown between 10-unit increases in all pollutants (except PM10) and the hospitalization due to AF in patients with rapid VR (RVR), the only significant relationship was observed in case of NO2 [odds ratio (OR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.0-2.1, P = 0.031]. This study showed positive significant relationships between NO2 and the hospitalization due to AF in patients with RVR. NO2 is a greenhouse gas whose levels are expected to increase due to global environmental changes. Therefore, relevant strategies should be adopted to decrease its levels, especially in industrial cities like Isfahan.

Introduction Dust storms or sand storms are some of the meteorological phenomena that demonstrate differences with one another terminologically. These kinds of storms usually occur under arid and semiarid areas in circumstances which the blowing speed of a gale is higher than the erosion threshold. In other words, Dust and sand storms are persistent problems in the Middle East Region. The regional dust storms have bad effects on the health of human life which can cause asthma, bronchitis and lung diseases, due to their carrying micro-organisms (such as bacteria, fungi, spores, viruses and pollen) and their sharp edged particles. Several studies researches have shown that microorganisms mobilized into the atmosphere along with desert soils are capable of surviving long-range transport on a global scale. Dust-borne microorganisms in particular can.
directly impact human health via pathogenesis,exposure of sensitive individuals to cellular components. The chemical components of dust are affecting the microbial life besides the precipitation, wind direction, time of day, season and atmosphere inversion conditions, all affecting the survival of total bacteria communities associated with dust particles, and the microbes are capable of surviving long distance transport. Dust storms have become a major environmental concern during the last decades in the oil- and gas-rich Khuzestan province in the southwestern Iran. Dust storms frequently occur in Khuzestan mainly during summer, and intense dust storms are particularly associated with easterly-blowing winds. High frequency (10-15%) and health outcomes of local dust storms in Khuzestan province, requires an extensive study on various factors of local storms such as heavy metal geochemistry and its environmental consequences are very important. In this paper, we present an overview of the geochemical and geo-environmental characteristics of dust storms in Khuzestan.
Materials and Methods Information about dust storms of source and coverage was obtained from meteorological stations in Khuzestan province. In this study, airborne dust samples were collected to obtain TSP and PM10 by using the high-volume air (HVA) sampler model TCR. The geochemistry of airborne dust samples was analyzed at the Actlabs (Canada). The concentration of V, Co, Ni, As, Cd, Pb and Zn was determined in Actlab, Canada, using ICP-MS method.
Results and Discussion The obtained results showed that Pb concentration in TSP samples ranges between 8.11 and 197 ppm with an average and median value of 23.6 and 11.15 ppm, respectively. The zinc content in PM10 samples, ranges between 4670 and 5000 ppm. Also, Ni has high concentration that ranges between 5.8 - 43.2 in PM10 samples. Lowest concentration of Cobalt is present in PM10 samples that ranges between 0.6 and 4.7 ppm. Vanadium has the highest concentration in Ahvaz samples. Also, PM10 samples include higher Arsenic concentration than TSP samples. Finally, Cd has the lowest concentration in all of the studied heavy metals with the mean value of 0.12 ppm. Positive correlation (0.9) between Cu with V, Co and Ni shows probably a similar source for these elements. Investigation of heavy metals concentration in various dust storms confirms that arsenic has a higher concentration in local storms. Seasonal studies show that V, Co and As have high concentrations in warm periods and Pb has the highest frequency in the cold season, in Khuzestan province. Based on the study of Contamination Factor (CF), the mean CF of heavy metals was in the order Pb > Zn > Cd >As > Ni > Co> V. Also, Degree of Contamination (DC) factor of the studied heavy metals in PM10 samples with mean value of 40 ppm is higher than TSP samples with average value of 10 ppm. In relation to the Enrichment Factor (EF) for V, Co, Ni, As, Cd, Pb and Zn, the EF mean of these metals was in the order Cd > Zn > Ni > Pb > As > V > Co. The highest Arsenic enrichment factor can be seen in PM10 samples.
Conclusion The obtained results from calculation of Integrated Pollution Index (IPI) in PM10 samples showed that, V, Co, Ni and Pb are non-polluted. Also, Cadmium, Arsenic and Zinc showed a low, medium and high levels of pollution, respectively. Furthermore, based on IPI data in TSP samples, Co, As and V were non-pollution and Pb, Ni, Zn showed low level of contamination. Finally, Cadmium in TSP samples in dicated a high level of Integrated Pollution Index

Introduction Dust occurrences as natural events are common in arid, semi-arid and desert areas. Investigation of the dust with internal sources in the Khuzestan province including about 15 percent of the dust events coming to the region and the presence of the annual average of 50 times of the internal dust (with the concentration maximum of PM10 particles more than 8000ppm in Khuzestan) is very important. Recently, air pollution due to the occurrence of dust is one of the worst environmental problems in the western and southwestern Iran, especially the Khouzestan province. Dust mineralogy is an important factor in source identification of the particles. In this way, frequency, distribution, mineralogy and morphology of the internal dust and so the depositional centers susceptible to dust production in this province were studied for the first time. The source, generation, transport and sediment of dust have been paid significant attention by the scientific community. Investigations of dust events are important because of the impact of the dust on the environment, particularly on the health and human biological system. The regional dust had negative effects on the health of human life which can cause asthma, bronchitis and lung diseases due to their carrying micro-organisms. Dust causes severe soil erosion, desertification, and a significant reduction in the agricultural production and farming as well. Thus, such a crisis is concerned with economic consequences in the short- and long-term periods. In this way, distribution, mineralogy and morphology of the internal dust and so depositional centers susceptible to dust producing in this province were studied for the first time.
Methodology At first, the frequency and the spatial-temporal data related to the internal dust (Code 07) over the 2009-2015 periods were investigated using 13 synoptic data stations in Khuzestan. 32 TSP samples of dust and 65 sediment sample were taken. Mineralogical study of the 11 dust samples associated with 11 sediments samples were determined by X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) using Philips 3040 PW at Kansaran Binaloud Company in Pardis Science and Technology Park, Tehran, Iran. With regard to morphology studies, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was used on 20 internal and external dust samples at the central laboratory of Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz (LEO 1455 VP). Also, grading analysis of the erosional zones using LPSA method and Q10- Q50- Q90% standards were done on 11 samples at the central laboratory in Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Iran.
Results The obtained data shows 406 times internal dust in the studied period. Also, the internal dust has a continuity between 1-3 day(s). Bostan, the northeastern city, with the annual frequency of 78 days, has the maximum, and Izeh and Masjid Suleiman, with the annual mean of 6 days, has the minimum duration of the dust in the province. With regard to time, the year of 2009 and the month of June have experienced the largest amounts of dust. Also, the frequency and duration of the internal-derived dust are compatible with the east-western and north-southern increasing trend. The temperature, height, relative humidity and precipitation indexes do not show the same pattern as the frequency of the internal dust in 2009-June, 2015 period.
Discussion & Conclusions Mineralogical study of the 11 dust samples and 11 sediments samples using XRD shows that carbonates, silicates and evaporates are the main mineralogy composition of the internal dust and the erosional sediments in Khuzestan. Halite and dolomite are considered as the main minerals of dust particles, respectively, in over the 70 and 30 percent of the samples, respectively. Evaporate minerals such as gypsum and halite are found more in the internal dust compared with the external dust coming to Khuzestan. Also, quartz frequency in the internal dust occurrences is about 45% more than the dust occurrences from the neighboring country. In addition, minor minerals such as albite are present in all the samples and the other minerals including gypsum, chlorite, illite, and muscovite are the minor minerals in the dust samples as well. SEM analysis shows that spherical and crystalline shapes are the most abundant ones in the dust with calcite, quartz and halite composition. Grading analysis of the erosional zones using LPSA method and Q10- Q50- Q90% standards, illustrates high amounts of silt particles in the Province. But clay distribution was seen in 10-35% of the samples. 15-24 µm is the predominant grading range in Khuzestan. Mean grading of these samples with about 18.9 µm, is a sign of dust-producing potential of all the desert centers in the Khuzestan province.

Some experimental studies revealed that exposure to air pollution increases the expression of tissue factor (TF) in atherosclerotic lesions. We aimed to investigate the role of TF +5466A>G (rs3917643) polymorphism in the association of air pollution on serum levels of TF as a biomarker of vascular injury in children. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 110 children, consisting of 58 (52.8%) girls and 52 (47.2%) boys with a mean age of 12.7 + 2.3 years, living in Isfahan, Iran. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used for measurement of serum TF. Genotype of +5466A>G (rs3917643) polymorphism was determined by the polymerase chain reaction–restriction length fragment polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) method. We identified 2 individuals with +5466AG genotype and 108 homozygous for the +5466A allele (no +5466GG homozygotes). The mean pollution standards index (PSI) value was at moderate level, the mean particular matter measuring up to 10 μm (PM10) was more than twice the normal level. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that after adjustment for confounding factors (weight status, dietary and physical activity pattern), serum TF level had significant relationship with PSI (beta: 0.55, SE: 0.07, P < 0.001) and PM10 (beta: 0.51, SE: 0.03, P = 0.001). In spite of similar genetic polymorphism of TF, air pollutants might have an independent association with systemic inflammatory and coagulation responses. The harmful effects of air pollutants on the first stages of atherosclerosis in the pediatric age group should be underscored in primordial and primary prevention of chronic diseases.

Studying the effects of environmental factors on the early stages of development and progression of atherosclerosis process can serve as a guide for future studies and offer strategies for primary prevention of chronic diseases. This study aimed to assess the relationship of air pollution and plasma surrogate endothelial markers in the pediatric age group.

This cross-sectional study conducted in 2010 involving 118 children and adolescents aged 10-18 years randomly selected from different areas of Isfahan city, the second large and air-polluted city in Iran. The association of air pollutants’ levels with serum thrombomodulin (TM) and tissue factor (TF) was determined.

A significant relationship between TF and Pollution Standard Index (PSI) was found. This relationship was remarkable with PM level, although we could find this relationship more or less with other gasses as well. In this study, no significant relationship was found between TM and PSI.

The relationship of air pollution level with the inflammation system and subsequently coagulation factors can be an important factor in atherosclerosis development from early life. This finding should be confirmed in future longitudinal studies and must be given due attention in preventive policies.