Human, Health and halal Metrics
Volume:1 Issue: 2, Summer-Autumn 2020

Parasitic infections damage human health in different ways especially by gastrointestinal disorders. Several investigations have been done on determination of parasites in vegetables in the world. The aim of this study was to assess the rate of parasitic contamination in edible vegetables available in Yazd city (center of Iran) and suggestion of appropriate methods for prevention and control of the contamination.

Four hundred samples of washed and unwashed vegetables were investigated by sedimentation and centrifugation method. The method was included to washing the vegetables by water and detergent and then rinsing several times. The sediments were centrifuged and finally stained with Lugol's iodine solution. Vegetables in the study were included to leek, parsley, coriander, dill, radishes, scallion, garden cress, basil, mint, and fenugreek.

 Results and conclusion

Sixty fine out of 200 unwashed vegetables (32.5%) and three out of 200 washed vegetable (1.5%) were infected by parasites. The most contamination in the unwashed vegetables were related to terrestrial nematode, inhuman parasite eggs, and parasitic worm eggs, while their contamination dropped significantly in the washed vegetables. Among the all samples, leek and scallion were the most contaminated and radish had the least contamination. The highest level of contamination was observed in summer and the least level of contamination was observed in winter. In conclusion, parasitic contamination of the vegetables in Yazd was at moderate level. However, it is possible to prevent parasitic infection in humans by proper training of people in preparation and disinfection of vegetables.

Pharmaceutical formulations for cold symptoms’ relief usually contain high concentration of acetaminophen and small concentration of phenylephrine hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine maleate. The combination makes a problem in simultaneous quantification of the chemicals. Combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride, chlorpheniramine maleate, and caffeine is widely used for analgesic, antipyretic, antihistamine, and antitussive activity. At this study, a simple reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography was developed and validated for determination of chlorpheniramine maleate, phenylephrine hydrochloride, and paracetamol in pharmaceutical formulations at the same time.

One ml of stock solutions were diluted with mobile phase to prepare final concentrations of the all three chemicals (20 mg l-1 of chlorpheniramine maleate, 325 mg l-1 of phenylephrine hydrochloride, and 50 mg l-1 of paracetamol). The formulations were prepared by addition of the chemicals to a volumetric flask. Then, they were made up to 100 ml with mobile phase of 0.05 M phosphate buffer:acetonitrile (95:5). pH of the mobile phase was adjusted to 2.5 with 50% orthophosphoric acid. Analysis was done in 250 mm ´ 4.6 mm ´ 5 µm C18 column. 

Results and conclusion:

Based on the results, the flow rate was 1.5 ml min-1 during isocratic elution of the samples. The analytes were detected at 210 nm by UV detector. Retention time of the last eluted analyte was 8 min. The method was validated according to ICH guidelines. The results revealed that the proposed method is reliable and accurate. Therefore, it can be applied for routine analysis of tablets in order to control their quality and stability.

In cancer therapy, smart and biocompatible nanocarriers are the most important features of therapeutic agents. pH-sensitive drug delivery nanocarriers which can be remotely prompted are attractive for patients management  and therapeutic purposes. In this paper, a novel nanocarrier was fabricated and investigated for controlled release of Doxorubicin (DOX).

Self-assembled nanomicelles containing a hydrophilic core and a hydrophobic shell were successfully prepared using poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-graft-ε-caprolactone)-block-poly (methacrylic acid) [P(HEMA-g-CL)-b-(PMAAc)] brush copolymer by combining reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization (RAFT) and ring open polymerization (ROP). Morphology, micelles properties, and pH-sensitive behavior were studied by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM) and distribution laser-scattering (DLS) analysis.

Molecular weight of P(HEMA-g-CL) and [P(HEMA-g-CL)-b-PMAAc] samples was obtained as 15117 g mol-1 and 25887 g mol-1, respectively. The polydispersity index (PDI) of P(HEMA-g-CL) (PDI = 1.14) and [P(HEMA-g-CL)-b-PMAAc] (PDI = 1.19) synthesized byRAFT polymerization were relatively low, suggesting good control of the technique over the process. The self-assembled micelles were pH-sensitive and showed low critical concentration in water. TEM showed that the micelles had nanosized spherical shape with average size of 35 nm. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) value of [P(HEMA-g-CL)-b-PMAAc] micelle was 0.025 g l- 1. Encapsulation efficacy of the nanomicelle was 94.3%. Release behavior of DOX from the nanomicelles revealed that rate of core release could be efficiently controlled by body temperature and pH. In this regard, the release rate at pH of 7.4 and 5.4 was 54.73 and 36.52%, respectively. As a conclusion, structure of the nanocarrier and its controllable characteristics introduced it as appropriate vehicle in drug delivery.

Breastmilk provides nutritional, immunological, psychological, and developmental benefits for infants. Zinc and copper are essential elements, being involved in many biological processes. Their insufficient intake by infants can detrimentally affect function of body. In comparison, lead and cadmium are harmful trace elements which accumulate in women before pregnancy, transfer to fetus through placenta in pregnancy and then to infant through breastmilk in lactating period. The aims of this study was to investigate effect of zinc, copper, lead, and cadmium in breastmilk on infants’ growth and their correlations with the mothers’ dietary intake.

Breastmilk samples and food intake information were collected from 160 lactating women in Tehran. Concentration of copper, zinc, lead and cadmium were determined by anodic stripping voltammetry conducted by microwave digestion.

According to the results, concentration of copper, zinc, lead and cadmium were 0.36 ±0.33 mg/l, 2.40 ±2.02 mg/l, 7.15 ±5.96 μg/l, and 1.07 ±1.14 μg/l, respectively. Concentration of zinc and copper in breastmilk were increased by consumption of dairy, vegetables, fruits, bread, and nuts. Infants’ height, weight and head circumstance at birthday were directly correlated with zinc concentration while reversed correlation was observed for copper, lead and cadmium in the samples. In conclusion, controlled dietary intake of women before pregnancy and after childbirth has significant impact on healthy status of the infants. Obviously, more attention should be paid on potential sources of lead intake in women of Tehran because of its high concentration in the samples.

In orthodontics, reconstructive and aesthetic dentistry, knowing about size of teeth can help in better reconstruction. Tooth size is mainly affected by two factors of genetic and environment. The aim of this study is determination of mesiodistal size of casts prepared from permanent teeth in both sides of jaw in male and female patients.

A descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 250 diagnostic alginate casts prepared from orthodontics patients. The biggest mesiodistal size, from medially anatomic contact point to distally anatomical contact point, was recorded with a digital caliper. One person did the measurements and accuracy was calculated as 0.01.

In maxillary teeth, higher size was recorded than mandibular teeth. Mesiodistal size of right canine teeth (in both jaws) and mesiodistal size of the mandibular second premolar (in both sides) in men was significantly higher than women. Total mesiodistal size of maxillary and mandibular teeth at both right and left sides in men and women was same. The results can be useful in reconstructive purposes when a natural size is required by dentists.

Consumption of insects as alternative sustainable source of protein for humans and animals has been promoted. Other than nutritional benefits, insects could increase cost-effectiveness of food or feed systems. The present research aims to use analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to prioritize the challenges lying ahead of breeding and consumption of insects as feed and food in view of consumers.

This study was conducted by a descriptive-analytical method. The participants were inhabitants of Tehran (capital city of Iran). The current challenges ahead of edible insects were investigated according to the opinions of experts in the field and review of the relevant literatures. A questionnaire was prepared and further completed by 20 experts. The challenges were identified as eight criteria including economy, infrastructure, health and food, culture and attitude, management and support, legal limitation, sustainable development, and education. Then, 83 sub-criteria were defined for the eight criteria. In order to prioritize the criteria and the sub-criteria, a hierarchical tree was designed. At the end, paired comparison matrices were analyzed by Expert Choice 11 software and relative/final weights of the criteria and the sub-criteria were calculated.

Results showed that “health and food” with final weight of 0.335, “culture and attitude” with final weight of 0.222, and “education” with final weight of 0.190 were the top three challenges. Importantly, incompatibility rate was less than 0.1 in all cases. At sub-criteria level, acceptability of edible insects by people in term of “taste and odor”, “existence of pathogenic microorganisms”, and “possible poisoning in human” with final weights of 0.049, 0.037, and 0.035, respectively, were considered as the most important challenges. Our evaluation revealed that health-related issues were the main challenges in acceptance of insects as feed and food in Iran.

Traditional transplant methods have been replaced by tissue engineering as a novel treatment. It involves the use of nanocomposite scaffolds with or without cells. Bacterial infection is one of interfering factors against suitable wound healing because it poses the site at risk of long-term side effects. Protection of wound from bacteria is necessary for its better recovery. Selection of appropriate materials for wound dressing is facilitated by understanding of wound healing mechanism and the compounds’ properties. Our study aimed to evaluate biological characteristics of chitosan (CS)-polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) (50:50) scaffold reinforced with graphene oxide (GO) for wound healing.

For fabrication of nanocomposites, ultrasound waves helped in better distribution of GO within the polymer matrix and scaffolds were prepared by casting method. The nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to find out dispersion of GO in the polymer matrix. Biological characteristics were examined by in vitro antibacterial tests.

The scaffold reinforced with 3% (w/w) GO showed better morphological and biological properties than the others. Suitability of the scaffolds for cell proliferation was confirmed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) cell toxicity test. Absorption (λ = 570 nm) of CS-PVA (50:50)/3% (w/w) GO scaffold increased by 84% compared to CS-PVA (50:50) scaffold. Inhibition zone of CS-PVA (50:50)/3% (w/w) GO was 18 and 20 mm for Pseudomonas aeru-ginosa and Micrococcus luteus, respectively, that was higher than the inhibition zone measured for CS-PVA (50:50) scaffold. According to cell viability result, mouse fibroblast cells (L929) could adhere on the CS-PVA (50:50)/3% (w/w) GO nanocomposite scaffold. In conclusion, GO could improve the biological properties of CS-PVA (50:50) scaffold so that the complex would be appropriate for wound healing.

Silver nanoparticles are interested in antimicrobial studies due to their significant inhibitory effect. Despite the widespread research in this regard, preparation of water-dispersible and stable silver nanoparticles has not been solved sufficiently. At this work, fabrication, characterization, and antimicrobial activity of silver-decorated polymeric nanocomposite based on a pH-responsive thiol-end capped ABC triblock copolymer is presented.

PAA-b-PDMAEMAQ-b-PCL-SH triblock copolymer was firstly synthesized by combination of ring-opening polymerization and reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer polymerization techniques. For preparation of silver-decorated nanocomposite, the triblock copolymer was self-assembled into polymer micelles with 20 nm diameter. Then, Ag nanoparticles were incorporated into the core of micelles when reducing agent of sodium borohydride was added. The Ag-doped nanocomposite was characterized by Fourier transform infrared, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, UV-VIS spectroscopy, laser scattering technique, and transmission electron microscopy. Antimicrobial activity of the silver-doped nanocomposite was examined against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli,and Candida albicans at three concentrations of 10, 25, and 50 mg/ml.

The least and highest antagonisms were observed against E. coli by inhibition diameters of 4, 28 and 32 mm and C. albicans by inhibition diameters of 58, 101 and 119 mm for three concentrations of 10, 25, and 50 mg/ml, respectively. Among bacteria, the highest inhibition was observed for S. aureus by 45, 51 and 59 mm inhibition diameter induced by the three tested concentrations of the nanocomposite. It was accounted as 29, 34 and 40 mm inhibition diameter for B. cereus. Other than antimicrobial property, the synthesized silver nanocomposite could be introduced for de novo drug delivery system in cancer therapy by using both hydrophobic and hydrophilic anticancer drugs due to its physicochemical properties.

Detection of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is a controversial issue in food control. Due to the increased production and consumption of transgenic products in the last decade, their monitoring and characterization has come into force by the regulators. At this study, we examined the transgenic elements in maize germs and their oil by PCR.

Following the DNA extraction from maize germ and maize oil by CTAB and Wizard Magnetic methods, respectively, PCR test was conducted to analyze the genes CaMV35S, NOS, FMV, and zein. Then, the PCR products were electrophoresed on agarose gel 2% containing ethidium bromide. To avoid false negative and false positive results, appropriate control actions were implemented during the experiments.

CaMV35S, NOS, FMV, and zein genes were detected and identified in transgenic maize germ samples, but no specific band of the transgenes was found for maize oil samples, indicating the DNA degradation during the oil production and purification process. It indicated that the current processes of maize germ oil production remove the residual transgenes. Therefore, the concerns about unintended intake of unknown genetic materials through the genetically modified crops such as maize oil is reduced to some extent.

Vinegar, as a traditional fermented product, plays a significant role in human health and nutrition. This product is produced in different types industrially or domestically. Under production, the vinegar may contain ethanol that its inclusion is banned in the foods by Islam and its content should be adapted to the legislations developed in Islamic countries. Therefore, at this study we measured ethanol concentration of vinegars distributed in Tehran (capital city of Iran).

Headspace-gas chromatograph equipped with flame ionization detector was developed for determination of ethanol. Acetonitrile and nitrogen were used as internal standard and carrier gas, respectively. For analysis, 140 samples (37 domestic and 103 industrial vinegars) were purchased from local market.

Our developed method could successfully determine the ethanol content at low concentration. In this regard, LOD, LOQ, and recovery were 0.0069% v/v, 0.021% v/v, and 100.14%, respectively. In 13 samples, the ethanol content was higher than 0.5% v/v that is the maximum limit determined by Iranian national standard. Out of 13 samples, 10 vinegars were domestically prepared. Evaluation of our results revealed that ethanol concentration in domestic vinegars was higher than industrial products. Therefore, domestic production of vinegars should be controlled and monitored strictly.

Traditional dairies have been produced and consumed since long time ago. However, their quality status is not routinely examined. Therefore, we determined microbial content and starch level of traditional yogurts produced in north of Iran.

Detection of Coliforms and Escherichia coli (by MPN method), Staphylococcus aureus (by surface plating on Baird Parker agar) and yeast/mold (by surface plating on Dichloran Rose-Bengal Chloramphenicol Agar) were conducted. Starch inclusion was determined by addition of iodine reagent to the products and monitoring of color change.

All samples were approved in Coliforms, E. coli, and S. aureus tests. Mold was detected in five samples and the all showed yeast growth more than accepted level. According to Iranian regulation about fermented foods containing yeast as starter that exempted from maximum limit of yeast, majority of yogurts were appropriate for consumption in view of yeast contamination. Most of the samples did not contain starch except for two yogurts containing high starch. Low microbial contamination and starch content in the samples was due to the use of safe raw materials and prominence of healthy microbes present in traditional dairies in Iran.

In recent years, global market of halal products has been greatly developed. Sign of "Halal" on foods’ label refers to their appropriateness for Muslim and Jewish buyers, which are banned from consumption of non-halal products such as porcine derived gelatin. Pig derivatives are marketed frequently in the world because they are relatively cheap and available. Therefore, development of simple and fast methods for authentication of halal foods and raw materials has been required. At this review, we studied one of common authentication approaches for qualification of gelatin by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR).

Several analytical methods were conducted for evaluation of gelatin in foods. Among them, FT-IR was relatively interested because it is a simple, fast and reliable method and does not require complicated sample preparation. In some cases, it was superior to the molecular method of polymerase chain reactions (PCR) in detection of gelatin’s origin by least analytical uncertainties. Although, analysis of FT-IR results by modeling approaches such as chemometrics classification increases effectiveness of the developed method. In this review, we will show that FT-IR can be used routinely as alternative or complementary method to identify the source of gelatin with high precision.

 Market of halal products has been growing in last decades due to the increasing demand for halal foods by the consumers. Indeed, insertion of halal sign on labeling of food products is a requirement for export of the products to some countries. There are several approaches to identify non-halal ingredients in the matrices such as polymerase chain reaction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, gas chromatography mass spectroscopy, and high performance liquid chromatography, but their complexity and/or high cost of the experiments has led to more attention to biological-based approaches. In this review, we studied biosensors for authentication of halal food products.

 More than two billion Muslims live around the world that are halal food consumers. Biosensors are biological-based detectors used in food control purposes to identify minor elements. They have advantages such as fast detection of the target agent, portability, cost-effectiveness, and high sensitivity. Biosensors act by converting the chemical reactions to measurable signals. For example, some biosensors contain enzymes able to react with ethanol and diagnose it in the formula followed by a detectable response. Therefore, presence of ethanol which is now allowed in foods by Islam can be monitored by the biosensors within the least time. Moreover, tracing non-permitted meats such as pork meat in the food mixtures, which is commonly determined by gene sequencing techniques such as polymerase chain reaction, can also be detected by biosensors. In conclusion, well-designed biosensors are in-place diagnostic tools which can be considered as alternative to the other time-consuming and expensive tracing methods.