Journal of Environmental Health and Sustainable Development
Volume:6 Issue: 1, Mar 2021

Few pieces of evidence are available about the association between occupational exposure to vegetable oil and the risk of blood lipid problems. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between exposure to vegetable oil and blood lipid profile in a vegetable oil factory.

This retrospective cohort study was carried out on 30 male workers exposed to vegetable oil as an exposed group and 30 male office workers as an unexposed group in a vegetable oil factory. Blood lipid profiles as total cholesterol, triglycerides, Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), and High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) were measured by analyzing the blood samples in both groups in a clinical laboratory.

There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of age, body weight, height, Body Mass Index (BMI), and physical activity. The results showed significantly higher mean levels of triglyceride and LDL in the exposed group compared to the unexposed group (P < 0.001), while HDL mean levels in the exposed group were significantly lower than the unexposed group (P < 0.001).

The findings revealed the possible association between blood lipid disorders and occupational exposures to vegetable oil. Further researches are proposed to study the mechanisms of occupational respiratory and skin lipid absorptions in different types of vegetable oils.

The Coronavirus has crossed geographical borders. This study was performed to rank and cluster Iranian provinces based on coronavirus disease (COVID-19) recorded cases from February 19 to March 22, 2020.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 31 provinces of Iran using the daily number of confirmed cases. Cumulative Frequency (CF) and Adjusted CF (ACF) of new cases for each province were calculated. Characteristics of provinces like population density, area, distance from the original epicenter (Qom province), altitude from sea level, and Human Development Index (HDI) were used to investigate their correlation with ACF values. Spearman correlation coefficient and K-Means Cluster Analysis (KMCA) were used for data analysis. Statistical analyses were conducted in RStudio. The significant level was set at 0.05.

There were 21,638 infected cases with COVID-19 in Iran during the study period. Significant correlations between ACF values and province HDI (r = 0.46) and distance from the original epicenter (r = -0.66) was observed. KMCA, based on both CF and ACF values, classified provinces into 10 clusters. In terms of ACF, the highest level of spreading belonged to cluster 1 (Semnan and Qom provinces), and the lowest one belonged to cluster 10 (Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari and Busher provinces).

This study showed that ACF gives a real picture of each provincechr('39')s spreading status. KMCA results based on ACF identify the provinces that have critical conditions and need attention. Therefore, using this accurate model to identify hot spots to perform quarantine is recommended.

It has been proposed that dietary intake is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS). The present case-control study was conducted to investigate the relationship between intake of different food groups and occurrence of MS among the recently diagnosed adult patients in Yazd City, Iran.

In the current study, a group of 45 patients who have recently been diagnosed with MS and 100 healthy controls were investigated in this research. Participants were matched regarding their gender. Dietary intakes were assessed using a self-administered semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Participants also completed a demographic questionnaire including information such as age, gender, marital status, job, education, sun exposure, smoking, sunscreen, body mass index (BMI), economic status, as well as their spouseschr('39') occupations and education. Logistic regressions in crude and multivariable-adjusted models were used to investigate the relationship between food groups and the odds of developing MS.

 The findings showed that participants with high consumption of fruits, potatoes, refined grains, pickles, and fibers had a significantly lower chance for developing MS after adjustment for the maximum possible confounding variables (P < 0.05).

The present study revealed that several food groups or nutrients are associated with the development of MS.  Further multi-central prospective studies including more participants are needed to confirm these results.

According to the literature, Central Retinal Arteriolar Equivalent (CRAE), Central Retinal Venular Equivalent (CRVE), and Artemio Venule Ratio (AVR) are three important markers in determining the changes of retinal artery. These markers are employed as an indicator of cardiovascular effects in workers. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in retinal micro vascular responses in workers exposed to short-term exposure to particulate matters caused by occupational processes using CRAE, CRVE, and AVR markers.

In this study, 96 workers exposed to job-related pollution in a tile and ceramic company were investigated. Fundus photos of these people were analyzed via ARIA software using the related protocols. The data were investigated employing Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Mann-Whitney tests as well as the correlation and regression tests.

No significant difference was observed in the ocular parameters of smokers and non-smokers. Cardiovascular parameters had no significant correlation with CRAE and CRVE as well as breathable and inhalable dust; however, these parameters had a direct and significant correlation with AVR, PM10, and PM2.5 particles.

The results did not show any changes in the retinal artery in workers who were exposed to job-related pollution. Moreover, no significant relationship was found between retinal artery changes and cardiovascular parameters. However, more large-scale studies are needed to clarify the relationship of particulate air pollutants with CRAE, CRVE, and AVR changes.

In this study, we aimed to identify the risk factors associated with the incidence of A.C.L in three endemic areas of Kerman City. Moreover, the residents’ knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards A.C.L were assessed.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 195 residents of three endemic areas in Kerman City involved by A.C.L disease from January to March 2019. The risk factors for A.C.L were recorded using a checklist. Structured questionnaire was administered for data collection. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, correlation analysis, and linear regression via SPSS version 22.

The main risk factors for A.C.L identified in the study areas included construction waste, presence of old and dilapidated houses, poor sanitary conditions, refugee and immigration, as well as the presence of domestic animals in close physical proximity to humans. The response rate of this questionnaire was 100 %. Among the respondents, 41.5 % were males and 58.5 % were females. Majority of the respondents (61%) claimed that they had heard about A.C.L and were familiar with this infectious disease. Only 25%, 66.7%, and 32% of the respondents had good knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards A.C.L, respectively. No significant association was found between the participants’ gender and their levels of knowledge (P = 0.827), attitudes (P = 0.446), and practices (P = 0.603).

The residents of endemic areas had a weak level of knowledge towards A.C.L. So, educational programs should be implemented in order to improve the residents’ knowledge in Kerman City.

Heavy metal contamination has necessitated a less expensive and non-destructive clean-up technique such as mycoremediation. This study aimed to isolate, identify, and evaluate the tolerance of fungi species in different concentrations of heavy metals for their potential use in bioremediation.

Fungi were isolated by serial dilution and spread plate techniques from gold tailings and their tolerance to different concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn (as potential bioremediation candidates) was evaluated. Fungal radial growths were recorded daily over a 14 days’ incubation period to establish their tolerance levels using the Tolerance Index.

Five isolated fungi species belonged to the genera Aspergillus, Trichophyton, Rhizopus, Trametes, and Trichoderma. Except for Trichophyton rubrum, the other fungi species were tolerant to all Cr concentrations (0 – 100ppm), but no significant difference was observed in mycelia growth compared to their controls. With high tolerance index ranging from 0.91 to 1.02, Trichoderma viride and Rhizopus oryzae were tolerant to all Cu concentrations (0 – 125ppm). High tolerance was exhibited by Trametes versicolor to Cd at 25 and 50 ppm, and by Rhizopus oryzae at 25 ppm, but no significant difference was found in mycelia growth. Rhizopus oryzae tolerated all As and Pb concentrations with high tolerance index ranging from 0.81 to 1.00. It also tolerated   Zn at 200-600ppm concentration with a tolerance index from 0.80 to 0.91.

The selective nature of these fungi species for specific heavy metal tolerance indicates their potential for selective use as effective bioremediative clean up agent of heavy metals contaminated sites.