Aqueous-Phase Temperature Swing Adsorption for Pesticide Removal.

Recently, activated carbon adsorption for water treatment regained substantial attention due to the emerging task to remove trace organic compounds such as pesticides. In many applications, especially in decentralized water treatment, one major drawback of adsorbents is their limited recyclability due to inadequate logistics or uneconomical reactivation. In this lab-scale study, we present the temperature swing adsorption in the aqueous phase that allows the in situ regeneration of fixed-bed adsorbers, and prove its technical feasibility. Complying with circular water economy principles, we eliminated the pivotal need for regular replacement and consumables by employing only clean water instead of dedicated regeneration solutions. Adsorption of the herbicide amitrole in aqueous solution on granular activated carbon was exothermic (Δ H = -14.4 ± 3.2 kJ mol-1 for T = 20-94 °C) and followed the Freundlich model. The proposed method consisting of a short counterflow flush with liquid water at 125 °C effectively regenerated the adsorbent. Hence, we obtained a cyclic steady state operation with breakthrough after 122 ± 14 bed volumes (at cout/ cin = 0.2), cycle-average rejection of 90 ± 1%, and water recovery of up to 78 ± 4%. No thermal aging of adsorbent was observed over the investigated 17 cycles.

Evaluation of aortic stiffness in Gilbert syndrome patients: a protective effect of elevated bilirubin levels.

OBJECTIVE: Gilbert's syndrome (GS) is an autosomal recessive disease that is characterized by an increase in indirect bilirubin (IB). The incidence of atherosclerotic heart disease is decreased in GS. This study aimed to investigate the relation between pulse wave velocity (PWV) and the presence of GS. METHODS: The study included 58 GS patients (32 females, age; 27.12 ± 7.27 years, 26 males, age; 26.63 ± 5.84 years) admitted to the internal medicine clinic of the hospital. The control group included 58 healthy individuals (35 females [27.33 ± 8.06 years old, p=0.716] and 23 males [27.38 ± 6.91 years old, p=0.923]). PWV of both groups was measured from the right carotid and femoral arteries. RESULTS: Mean age of the GS group was 26.03 ± 8.22 years, while that of the healthy group was 26.60 ± 5.84 years. The GS group's diastolic blood pressure and PWV were significantly lower than those of the control group: 67.76 ± 8.59 mmHg vs 71.72 ± 7.28 mmHg; p=0.008, and 5.63 ± 1.12 m/s vs 6.18 ± 1.22 m/s; p=0.014 respectively. The GS group's high density lipoprotein (HDL) level was significantly higher than that of the control group: 1.4 ± 0.3 mmol/L vs 1.2 ± 0.3 mmol/L, p=0.029. CONCLUSION: This study found PWV among GS patients to be lower than that among non-smoking and aged-matched healthy controls.

Can Large-Scale Offshore Membrane Desalination Cost-Effectively and Ecologically Address Water Scarcity in the Middle East?

The Middle East will face tremendous water scarcity by 2050, which can only be mitigated by large-scale reverse osmosis seawater desalination. However, the coastal land in the region is rare and costly, so outsourcing the desalination facility to artificial islands could become a realistic scenario. This study investigated the ecological and economic challenges and possible advantages of that water supply option by analysing conceptual alternatives for offshore membrane-based desalination plants of up to 600 MCM/y capacity. Key environmental impacts and mitigation strategies were identified, and a detailed economic analysis was conducted to compare the new approach to state-of-the-art. The economic analysis included calculating the cost of water production (WPC) and discussing the differences between offshore alternatives and a conventional onshore desalination plant. In addition, the study investigated the impact of a changing energy mix and potential carbon tax levels on the WPC until 2050. The results indicate that offshore desalination plants have ecological advantages compared to onshore desalination plants. Furthermore, the construction cost for the artificial islands has a much lower effect on the WPC than energy cost. In contrast, the impact of potential carbon tax levels on the WPC is significant. The specific construction cost ranges between 287 $/m2 and 1507 $/m2 depending on the artificial island type and distance to the shoreline, resulting in a WPC between 0.51 $/m3 and 0.59 $/m3. This work is the first to discuss the environmental and economic effects of locating large-scale seawater desalination plants on artificial islands.

Freestanding Nitrogen-Doped Carbons with Hierarchical Porosity for Environmental Applications: A Green Templating Route with Bio-Based Precursors.

Powdery hierarchical porous carbons serve as cost-effective, functional materials in various fields, namely energy storage, heterogeneous catalysis, electrochemistry, and water/wastewater treatment. Such powdered activated carbons (PAC) limit new module designs and require further preparation steps, for example, adding polymeric binders, to be shaped into a standalone geometry. Polymeric binders, however, can block PACs' catalytic and active sites and, more importantly, pose the risk of secondary pollution for environmental purposes, especially in the context of clean water supply. This study introduces a novel synthesis method for fabricating freestanding nitrogen-doped carbons with hierarchical porosity using chitosan and sucrose as green precursors. Chitosan supplies nitrogen and acts as a backbone, giving a freestanding geometry to the final product, and sucrose is a carbon-rich precursor. The proposed method employs ice- and hard-templating for macropores and mesopores and combines carbonization and activation steps with no required activating agent. Final freestanding carbons function as adsorbents for removing persistent pollutants, as binder-free electrodes with high specific surface area and capacitive current, and as tubular gas diffusion electrodes for oxygen reduction reactions. These freestanding carbons enable new module designs and can be scaled-up by numbering-up, serving as bio-based functional materials for a wide range of applications involving porous heteroatom-doped carbons.

Increased frequency of familial Mediterranean fever in northern Turkey: a population-based study.

Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is a systemic relapsing autoinflammatory disorder occurring in populations originating from the Mediterranean basin, mainly Turks, Levantine Arabs, Sephardic Jews, Druze, and Armenians. The prevalence of FMF shows considerable geographical variation. In Turkey, the prevalence rates were reported as 0.0027-0.25%. This field survey was conducted in different regions to investigate the frequency of FMF in a northern province of Turkey. This study was conducted in 70 areas (12 urban and 58 rural) in the province of Tokat, which is in northern Turkey. The population of Tokat was reported to be 828,000 at the last census in Turkey in 2000, about 530,000 for individuals aged >18 years ( http://www.die.gov.tr ). Mean age of 1,095 (541 male and 554 female; urban 555 and rural 540) subjects was 41 +/- 17 (range 18-95 years). FMF frequency in this study was 1/123 (0.82%, 95 CI: 0.40-1.61). Mean age of patients were 27 years (20-41) and mean age of symptoms were 16.3 years (11-23). In conclusion, the frequency of FMF in this study was 1/123 (0.82%) which was higher than expected. This rate is the highest frequency of FMF reported from Turkey. Further large sample studies are needed to define to true prevalence of FMF in Turkey.

[Analysis of risk factors in anti-HCV positive patients in Gaziosmanpasa University Hospital, Tokat, Turkey]. / Tokat Gaziosmanpasa Universitesi Hastanesinde anti-HCV pozitif hastalarda risk faktörlerinin analizi.

Transmission routes and seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) may vary between countries and geographic regions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with the transmission of HCV in our region, Tokat (located at middle Black Sea region of Turkey). Ninety-seven patients (age range: 16- 78-years-old, mean age: 53.6 +/- 10 yrs; 15 male, 82 female) who were admitted to Infectious Diseases Clinics between September 2004 and February 2007 and found to be anti-HCV positive by microparticle enzyme immunoassay (Abbott, Axsym) were enrolled in this study. The patients were evaluated for the risk factors including blood transfusion, past surgery, medical abortion, dental therapy, history of endoscopy/bronchoscopy, intravenous (i.v.) drug use, hospitalization exceeding one week and hemodialysis. "Sexual contact with multiple partners" has not been evaluated as a risk factor since the sociocultural features of this specific region would possibly prevent obtaining true data. Overall, history of previous dental therapy (68%), medical abortion (63.4%), prolonged hospitalization (60%), and surgery (59.8%) were found to be the most prevalent risk factors, followed by blood transfussion (25.8%) and endoscopy (14.1%). The evaluation of the risk factors according to gender revealed that prolonged hospitalization (65.7%) was the most frequently detected risk factor in females and dental operations (86.7%) in males. Previous hospitalization was a more common risk factor in female cases compared to males (p< 0.05), however, there were no statistically significant differences for the other risk factors in terms of gender. No risk factor was identified in one patient (1%). Of the patients, 15.3% had one, 27.1% had two, 35.3% had three, 18.8% had four, and 2.4% had five different risk factors. None of the patients had a history of i.v. drug use. The results of this study demonstrated that dental therapy, prolonged hospitalization, surgery and medical abortus were the most frequently associated risk factors for HCV transmission. Thus, preventive measures that target these specific risk factors should be taken into consideration to prevent HCV transmission.

Temperature Enhanced Backwash.

Decentralized drinking water treatment is limited by supply of service, consumables, spare parts and in particular, power. Therefore, gravity-driven dead-end ultrafiltration is applied to purify surface water with high suspended solid loading. To obtain high flux in the long term, an effective membrane backwash is mandatory. Also, disinfection and cleaning is required regularly. Here we propose a new process coping with these particular challenges in decentralized water production: Temperature Enhanced Backwash. Herein, the membrane is backwashed at elevated temperature and corresponding steam pressure. A mathematical description of the Temperature Enhanced Backwash reveals that membrane pores are filled predominantly with liquid phase, irrespectively of whether membranes are charged with saturated steam or boiling liquid. A steam - water mixture is discharged at the module outlet suggesting evaporation at the end of the pores. This evaporation at membrane - fluid interface supposedly creates high volume fluxes shearing off potential fouling layers. Combined with gravity-driven filtration, the overall process potentially can cope with highly intermittent electrical power supply or even its absence. The methodology shows competitive cleaning efficacy compared to mechanical backwashing as demonstrated experimentally using silica nanoparticles, humic acid and river water.

Project house water: a novel interdisciplinary framework to assess the environmental and socioeconomic consequences of flood-related impacts.

Protecting our water resources in terms of quality and quantity is considered one of the big challenges of the twenty-first century, which requires global and multidisciplinary solutions. A specific threat to water resources, in particular, is the increased occurrence and frequency of flood events due to climate change which has significant environmental and socioeconomic impacts. In addition to climate change, flooding (or subsequent erosion and run-off) may be exacerbated by, or result from, land use activities, obstruction of waterways, or urbanization of floodplains, as well as mining and other anthropogenic activities that alter natural flow regimes. Climate change and other anthropogenic induced flood events threaten the quantity of water as well as the quality of ecosystems and associated aquatic life. The quality of water can be significantly reduced through the unintentional distribution of pollutants, damage of infrastructure, and distribution of sediments and suspended materials during flood events. To understand and predict how flood events and associated distribution of pollutants may impact ecosystem and human health, as well as infrastructure, large-scale interdisciplinary collaborative efforts are required, which involve ecotoxicologists, hydrologists, chemists, geoscientists, water engineers, and socioeconomists. The research network "project house water" consists of a number of experts from a wide range of disciplines and was established to improve our current understanding of flood events and associated societal and environmental impacts. The concept of project house and similar seed fund and boost fund projects was established by the RWTH Aachen University within the framework of the German excellence initiative with support of the German research foundation (DFG) to promote and fund interdisciplinary research projects and provide a platform for scientists to collaborate on innovative, challenging research. Project house water consists of six proof-of-concept studies in very diverse and interdisciplinary areas of research (ecotoxicology, water, and chemical process engineering, geography, sociology, economy). The goal is to promote and foster high-quality research in the areas of water research and flood-risk assessments that combine and build off-laboratory experiments with modeling, monitoring, and surveys, as well as the use of applied methods and techniques across a variety of disciplines.

Evaluation of the relationship between c-Kit expression and mean platelet volume in classic Kaposi's sarcoma.

BACKGROUND: c-Kit is a proto-oncogene that encodes tyrosine kinase receptor (CD117). Mean platelet volume (MPV) is a useful marker, providing information on platelet function and diameter. OBJECTIVE: To investigate c-Kit expression and intensity in patients with Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and to investigate the relation between Ki-67 proliferation and MPV. METHODS: A total of 32 patients, diagnosed with classic cutaneous KS, were included in this study. We reevaluated the histopathological reports with the preparations, confirmed the diagnosis and then determined the patients' histopathological stages. c-Kit expression and Ki-67 proliferation were investigated immunohistochemically in KS cases, while MPV in all cases was checked. RESULTS: Although c-Kit expression was detected in 22 cases (68.8%), it was not expressed in 10 cases (31.2%). We detected 8 cases with + (25%), 6 with ++ (18.8%) and 8 with +++ (25%). Ki-67 expression was 5.0% (min-max 1.0-20.0). Relapse was observed in 5 cases (15.6%) out of 32. There was positive correlation between c-Kit expression and MPV (rs=0.598, p<0.001), and between c-Kit intensity and MPV (rs=0.588, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: c-Kit is highly positive in KS. c-Kit positivity indicates a high risk of tumor growth, invasion and relapse. Furthermore, c-Kit expression stimulates megakaryocytes to release young and large thrombocytes into the periphery. Thus, high MPV, c-Kit expression and immunostaining intensity indicate high invasion and relapse in KS subjects.

Investigation of surfactant protein-D and interleukin-6 levels in patients with blunt chest trauma with multiple rib fractures and pulmonary contusions: a cross-sectional study in Black Sea Region of Turkey.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple rib fractures (RFs) and pulmonary contusions (PCs), with resulting systemic lung inflammation, are the most common injuries caused by blunt chest trauma (BCT) in motor vehicle accidents. This study examined levels of the inflammation marker interleukin (IL)-6 and those of the acute-phase reactant surfactant protein (SP)-D in patients with BCT. DESIGN: Prospective, cross-sectional, observational study. SETTING: Single-centre, tertiary care hospital in the Black Sea Region of Turkey. PARTICIPANTS: The study included 60 patients with BCT who were hospitalised in our thoracic surgery department. PARAMETERS MEASURES: The SP-D and IL-6 serum levels of patients with RFs (two or more RFs) (n=30) and patients with PCs (n=30) were measured after 6 hours, 24 hours and 7 days, and compared with those of age-matched and gender-matched healthy participants. RESULTS: The 6-hour serum SP-D levels of the RFs (p=0.017) and PCs (p<0.001) groups were significantly higher than those of the healthy controls. The 24-hour and 7-day SP-D levels of both groups were also higher than the control group. The serum IL-6 levels of both groups were significantly higher than those of the control group. We have found Injury Severity Score to be independently related to 6-hour IL-6 (ß=1.414, p<0.001) and 24-hour IL-6 levels (ß=1.067, p<0.001). The development of complications was independently related to 6-hour SP-D level (ß=0.211, p=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: RFs and PCs after BCT lead to local and systemic inflammation due to lung injury. The levels of the systemic inflammation marker IL-6 and those of the acute-phase reactant SP-D were elevated in the present study. The SP-D level may be used as a marker in the follow-up of BCT-related complications.

The protective effect of infliximab against carbon tetrachloride-induced acute lung injury.

OBJECTIVES: Carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) causes pulmonary toxicity. Infliximab (Ib) is a potent inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). We aimed to investigate whether Ib has a protective effect on CCl4 induced lung injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were divided into control, CCl4, and CCl4+Ib groups. A single dose of 2 ml/kg CCI4 was administered to CCI4 group and a single dose of 7 mg/kg Ib was given to CCl4+Ib group 24 hr before applying CCI4. RESULTS: TNF-α, malondialdehyde (MDA), nitric oxide (NO) and caspase-3 levels of the CCl4 group were markedly higher than both the control and CCl4+Ib groups. The CCI4+Ib group had lower histopathological injury than the CCl4 group. CONCLUSION: Ib as a strong TNF-α blocker decreases the production of proinflammatory cytokines, MDA, and oxidative stress leading to a protective effect against CCl4 induced lung tissue injury.

The Protective Effect of Adalimumab on Renal Injury in a Model of Abdominal Aorta Cross-Clamping.

BACKGROUND: Adalimumab (ADA) is a potent inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α). ADA treatment suppresses proinflammatory cytokines, leading to a decrease or inhibition of the inflammatory process. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of ADA on oxidative stress and cellular damage on rat kidney tissue after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 30 male Wistar albino rats were divided into three groups: control, I/R, and I/R plus ADA (I/R + ADA); each group comprised 10 animals. The control group underwent laparotomy without I/R injury. After undergoing laparotomy, I/R groups underwent two hours of infrarenal abdominal aortic cross ligation, which was followed by two hours of reperfusion. ADA (50 mg/kg) was administered as a single dose, intraperitoneally, to the I/R + ADA group, 5 days before I/R. RESULTS: The I/R group's TNF-α (1150.9 ± 145.6 pg/mg protein), IL-1ß (287.0 ± 32.4 pg/mg protein) and IL-6 (1085.6 ± 56.7 pg/mg protein) levels were significantly higher than those of the control (916.1 ± 88.7 pg/mg protein, p = 0.003; 187.5 ± 37.2 pg/mg protein, p < 0.001; 881.4 ± 57.1 pg/mg protein, p < 0.001, respectively) and I/R + ADA groups (864.2 ± 169.4 pg/mg protein, p = 0.003; 241.4 ± 33.4 pg/mg protein, p = 0.010; 987.7 ± 66.5 pg/mg protein, p = 0.004, respectively). To date, a few histopathological changes have been reported regarding renal I/R injury in rats due to ADA treatment whereas I/R caused severe histopathological injury to kidney tissue. CONCLUSIONS: ADA treatment significantly attenuated the severity of kidney I/R injury, inhibiting I/R-induced oxidative stress and renal damage. Because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, ADA pretreatment may have protective effects on experimental kidney injury.

Infliximab Modulates Cisplatin-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats.

BACKGROUND: Cisplatin (Cis) is one of the most commonly used antineoplastic drugs. It is used as chemotherapy for many solid organ malignancies such as brain, neck, male and female urogenital, vesical and pulmonary cancers. Infliximab blocks tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Several studies have reported that infliximab ameliorates cell damage by reducing cytokine levels. AIMS: We aimed to investigate whether infliximab has a preventive effect against cisplatin-induced hepatotoxicity and whether it has a synergistic effect when combined with Cis. STUDY DESIGN: Animal experimentation. METHODS: Male Wistar albino rats were divided in three groups as follows: Cis group, infliximab + Cis (CIN) group and the control group. Each group comprised 10 animals. Animals in the Cis group received an intraperitoneal single-dose injection of Cis (7 mg/kg). In the CIN group, a single dose of infliximab (7 mg/kg) was administered 72 h prior to the Cis injection. After 72 h, a single dose of Cis (7 mg/kg) was administered. All rats were sacrificed five days after Cis injection. RESULTS: TNF-α levels in the Cis group were significantly higher (345.5±40.0 pg/mg protein) than those of the control (278.7±62.1 pg/mg protein, p=0.003) and CIN groups (239.0±64.2 pg/mg protein, p=0.013). The Cis group was found to have high carbonic anhydrase (CA)-II and low carbamoyl phosphate synthetase-1 (CPS-1) levels. Aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels were lower in the CIN group as compared to the Cis group. Total histological damage was greater in the Cis group as compared to the control and CIN groups. CONCLUSION: Cis may lead to liver damage by increasing cytokine levels. It may increase oxidative stress-induced tissue damage by increasing carbonic anhydrase II (CA-II) enzyme levels and decreasing CPS-1 enzyme levels. Infliximab decreases Cis-induced hepatic damage by blocking TNF-α and it may also protect against liver damage by regulating CPS-1 and CA-II enzyme levels.

The effect of prenatal exposure to 1800 MHz electromagnetic field on calcineurin and bone development in rats.

PURPOSE: To investigated the effects of exposure to an 1800 MHz electromagnetic field (EMF) on bone development during the prenatal period in rats. METHODS: Pregnant rats in the experimental group were exposed to radiation for six, 12, and 24 hours daily for 20 days. No radiation was given to the pregnant rats in the control group. We distributed the newborn rats into four groups according to prenatal EMF exposure as follows: Group 1 was not exposed to EMF; groups 2, 3, and 4 were exposed to EMF for six, 12, and 24 hours a day, respectively. The rats were evaluated at the end of the 60th day following birth. RESULTS: Increasing the duration of EMF exposure during the prenatal period resulted in a significant reduction of resting cartilage levels and a significant increase in the number of apoptotic chondrocytes and myocytes. There was also a reduction in calcineurin activities in both bone and muscle tissues. We observed that the development of the femur, tibia, and ulna were negatively affected, especially with a daily EMF exposure of 24 hours. CONCLUSION: Bone and muscle tissue development was negatively affected due to prenatal exposure to 1800 MHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field.

Somatostatin receptor 2 and 5 expressions in gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GNs) are slow growing and although their incidence has increased in recent years, they are relatively rarely seen. Somatostatin analogues are used in the treatment of GNs that express somatostatin receptor (SR). We aimed to investigate the expression of SR2 and SR5 in GNs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study the expression of SR2 and SR5 was investigated immunohistochemically in 49 cases (26 males, 23 females) diagnosed and graded with GN according to the World Health Organization classification 2010. RESULTS: The percentage of SR2 staining was 91.0% in grade 1, 82.8% in grade 2 and 100% in grade 3. On the other hand, the percentage of SR5 staining was 81.8% % in grade 1, 60.0% in grade 2 and 0% in grade 3. According to the tumor localization, the percentages of SR2 expression were as follows: pancreas 85.7%, stomach 100%, small bowel 70%, appendix 85.7% and rectum 100%. The percentages of SR5 expression were: pancreas 61,9%, stomach 37.5%, small bowel 70%, appendix 71.5% and rectum 66.6%. There was a significant negative correlation between ki67 percentage and SR5 expression (r=-0.341, p=0.016). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, GNs were found to highly express SR2 and SR5. Although the expression of SR2 and SR5 changed according to tumor localization, the expression of SR2 was higher than the expression of SR5 in GN. There was a significant negative correlation between ki67 and SR5. Accordingly, SR5 may be a prognostic indicator of GN.

Clinical significance of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic Fever.

Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), which is an important prognostic marker for sepsis and inflammatory diseases, is mostly released from neutrophils. Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) patients are generally neutropenic. We aimed to investigate whether there is a change in serum NGAL level and to investigate its effect on the recovery time (RT) during the course of CCHF. A total of 40 CCHF patients (19 females and 21 males) and 34 healthy controls (17 females and 17 males) were included in the study. The serum NGAL level and biochemical and hematological parameters were checked. The NGAL level of CCHF patients was significantly higher than that of the healthy controls (P < 0.001). A multivariate analysis showed that the independent prognostic factor for the prediction of the RT is the NGAL level (odds ratio [OR] 0.3, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 0.1-0.4, P < 0.001). An elevated NGAL level was found to be associated with an increased RT in CCHF patients. The NGAL levels of CHHF patients might be elevated due to increased cytokine release, the presence of a tissue injury, and the release of immature neutrophils from the bone marrow into the peripheral stream. This may be a good prognostic factor in CHHF patients.

Protective effect of infliximab on methotrexate-induced liver injury in rats: unexpected drug interaction.

AIMS: Although methotrexate (mtx) is a widely used agent to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases, its hepatotoxic effect limits for clinical utility. We aimed to investigate whether infliximab (inf), an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) has a protective effect against mtx-induced hepatotoxicity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For mtx group, the animals received an intraperitoneal single dose injection of mtx at a dose of 20 mg/kg. For inf group, the animals received an intraperitoneal single dose injection of inf at a dose of 7 mg/kg. For mtx + inf group, the single dose of inf at a dose of 7 mg/kg was given 72 h prior to mtx injection. After 72 h, a single dose of mtx 20 mg/kg was given. All rats were sacrificed 5 days after mtx injection. RESULTS: TNF-α and nitric oxide (NO) levels of mtx group was significantly higher than the control (P < 0.001), inf (P < 0.001) and mtx + inf (P < 0.001) groups. Total score of histological damage was higher in the mtx group when compared with the mtx + inf group. Arginase and carbamoyl phosphate synthetase 1 (CPS-1) of mtx group was suppressed in comparison with the control group and was markedly increased in mtx + inf group. CONCLUSION: Inf may partially prevent mtx-induced hepatic damage in rats. However, the combined usage of mtx and inf increases arginase and CPS-1 enzyme activities and at the same time blocks TNF-α. This combination especially in cancer patients may lead to cancer cell invasion and metastasis.