The effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors on inflammatory biomarkers: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

AIMS: To conduct a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to assess the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors on inflammatory biomarkers. METHODS: Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched for RCTs investigating the effect of SGLT2 inhibitors on inflammatory biomarkers, adipokine profiles and insulin sensitivity. RESULTS: Thirty-eight RCTs were included (14 967 participants, 63.3% male, mean age 62 ± 8.6 years) with a median (interquartile range) follow-up of 16 (12-24) weeks. Meta-analysis showed that SGLT2 inhibitors significantly improved adiponectin, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor receptor-1 (vs. placebo alone: standardized mean difference [SMD] 0.34 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.23, 0.45], mean difference [MD] -0.85 pg/mL [95% CI -1.32, -0.38], SMD -0.13 [95% CI -0.20, -0.06], respectively), leptin and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance index (vs. CONTROL: SMD -0.20 [95% CI -0.33, -0.07], MD -0.83 [95% CI -1.32, -0.33], respectively). There were no significant changes in C-reactive protein (CRP), tumour necrosis factor-α, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, fibroblast growth factor-21 or monocyte chemoattractant protein-1. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis shows that SGLT2 inhibitors likely improve adipokine biomarkers and insulin sensitivity, but there is little evidence that SGLT2 inhibitors improve other inflammatory biomarkers including CRP.

Bottled water safety evaluation: A comprehensive health risk assessment of oral exposure to heavy metals through deterministic and probabilistic approaches by Monte Carlo simulation.

The consumption of bottled water has witnessed substantial global expansion in recent times. This study aimed to quantitatively evaluate the concentrations of eight heavy metals (As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Mn, Mo, Ni, and Zn) in 71 high-consumption bottled water brands in Iran. Non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessments were conducted using both deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Point estimation utilizing the Hazard Quotient (HQ) formula and sensitivity analysis employing the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) method through 10,000 repetitions in Oracle Crystal Ball® was used to ascertain the health risks associated with heavy metal exposure. Heavy metal concentrations were quantified through Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES). HQ point estimation results indicated that Cr exhibited the highest mean HQ value, whereas Cd demonstrated the lowest. In the probabilistic approach, the highest 95 percentile values were observed for Cr and Mo at 3.9E-01, while the lowest values were recorded for Cr and Mn at 1.10E-02. Heavy metal concentrations emerged as critical factors influencing non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risks across all groups in the sensitivity analysis. The findings highlight the need for ongoing monitoring, research, and targeted regulations to address health risks from heavy metal exposure in bottled water and ensure public well-being.

Assessing contribution of bottled water in nutrient absorption using the bottled water nutritional quality index (BWNQI) in Iran.

In this study, the contribution of bottled water in the absorption of nutritional minerals in Iran has been investigated. To calculate the nutritional quality index of bottled water (BWNQI) and evaluate the contribution of bottled water in nutrient absorption; the concentration of nutrient minerals, the standard level of these elements in bottled water, the recommended amount of nutrient mineral and the total consumption of drinking water in different age-sex groups were analyzed. The results showed that the average contribution of bottled water in absorbing the recommended amount of the nutrients of fluoride (F), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), sodium (Na), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn) and manganese (Mn) was 12.16, 4.98, 4.85, 2.12, 0.49, 0.33 and 0.02%, respectively. According to the BWNQI index, the bottled water quality was as follows: 53.5% poor, 36.6% marginal, 7% fair, 2.81% good. Although most of the bottled water studied in this research were mineral water, a significant portion of them had poor nutritional quality, so the addition of minerals needed by the body through bottled water should be given more attention by the bottled water manufacturers and suppliers.

Characterization of PAHs and metals in indoor/outdoor PM10/PM2.5/PM1 in a retirement home and a school dormitory.

In the present work, we investigated the characteristics of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metal(loid)s in indoor/outdoor PM10, PM2.5, and PM1 in a retirement home and a school dormitory in Tehran from May 2012 to May 2013. The results indicated that the annual levels of indoor and outdoor PM10 and PM2.5 were much higher than the guidelines issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). The most abundant detected metal(loid)s in PM were Si, Fe, Zn, Al, and Pb. We found higher percentages of metal(loid)s in smaller size fractions of PM. Additionally, the results showed that the total PAHs (Æ©PAHs) bound to PM were predominantly (83-88%) found in PM2.5, which can penetrate deep into the alveolar regions of the lungs. In general, carcinogenic PAHs accounted for 40-47% of the total PAHs concentrations; furthermore, the smaller the particle size, the higher the percentage of carcinogenic PAHs. The percentages of trace metal(loid)s and carcinogenic PAHs in PM2.5 mass were almost twice as high as those in PM10. This can most likely be responsible for the fact that PM2.5 can cause more adverse health effects than PM10 can. The average BaP-equivalent carcinogenic (BaP-TEQ) levels both indoors and outdoors considerably exceeded the maximum permissible risk level of 1 ng/m(3) of BaP. The enrichment factors and diagnostic ratios indicated that combustion-related anthropogenic sources, such as gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles as well as natural gas combustion, were the major sources of PAHs and trace metal(loid)s bound to PM.

Effects of storage time and temperature on the antimony and some trace element release from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into the bottled drinking water.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Heavy metals are considered as one of the major contaminants that can enter into the bottled waters. Antimony (Sb) is a contaminant, which may leach from the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into the water. The aim of this study was to investigate the content of antimony and other trace elements in bottled waters which was kept in varied storage conditions and temperatures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five time-temperature treatments were carried out on five different brands of commercially available bottled waters. Heavy metal measurement was performed by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-AES) method. Analysis of the collected data was processed by SPSS software. RESULTS: Antimony concentration was the main concern in our study. The concentrations increased in each of the sample during storage period at all temperatures. The results for different conditions were as follow: at 40°C, in outdoor and at room temperature the Sb concentrations were below the MCLs, i e. 6 ppb. However, at 65°C and 80°C for longer storage times Sb concentration exceeded the MCLs, and variations between the samples were significant (p ≤ 0.05). Storage time and temperature effects on the content of some other trace elements such as Al, Fe were also significant (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: By increasing the duration of storage time and temperatures, antimony leaching from the PET bottles into the bottled water increased. The concentration of Al demonstrated an increase in higher temperatures and storage duration, whereas the content of Fe demonstrated no significant differences.

Disinfection of raw wastewater and activated sludge effluent using Fenton like reagent.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Water shortage problems have led to find either new water resources or improve wastewater treatment technologies in order to reuse. Due to less performance of previous units in microbial removal, disinfection has become a necessary step in wastewater treatment plants. In the present study performance of hydrogen peroxide (HP) and modified Fenton's reagent (HP + Cu(++)) was considered for the disinfection of raw wastewater (RW) and activated sludge effluent (ASE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Plastic containers of 10-liter volume each were used for RW and ASE sampling. Microbiological analyses of the RW and ASE were performed in triplicate; before and after the disinfection process. Fecal coliforms were analyzed by the direct (without enrichment) multiple fermentation tube procedure. RESULTS: The results showed that using HP alone did not have any significant disinfection capability. In RW and ASE, the highest dose used in this study could reduce fecal coliforms (FC)s by only 1.54 and 1.16 log-inactivation, respectively. However, Maximum removal efficiency of modified Fenton in RW and ASE was 4.63 and 3.41 log-inactivation, respectively. The results suggested that Cu(++) ions used in combination with H2O2 produced very rigorous synergistic effect, and HP disinfection capacity increased significantly. CONCLUSION: Hydrogen peroxide, when applied alone, was not successful in disinfecting of either RW or ASE, and neither the WHO guideline nor the Iranian standard could be met. However, modified Fenton showed very significant disinfection potential and could reduce FCs under World Health Organization (WHO) guideline and Iranian national standard for agricultural irrigation.

Approaches to the construction of substituted 4-amino-1H-pyrrol-2(5H)-ones.

Fully substituted 4-aminopyrrolones are easily accessed via simple routes starting from imines, ketones, or α-bromophenyl acetonitriles. Imines were reacted with KCN/NH(4)Cl in aqueous ethanol to produce α-arylamino benzyl cyanides. On the other hand, ketones were transformed to the desired α-amino nitriles using a modified Strecker reaction. Then, α-amino nitrile precursors were allowed to react with a suitable acyl halide to produce the corresponding amides. Further treatment of these amides with ethanolic KOH converted them to highly substituted 4-amino-1H-pyrrol-2(5H)-one derivatives in moderate to excellent yields.

Characterization of ionic composition of TSP and PM10 during the Middle Eastern Dust (MED) storms in Ahvaz, Iran.

Because of the recent frequent observations of major dust storms in southwestern cities in Iran such as Ahvaz, and the importance of the ionic composition of particulate matters regarding their health effects, source apportionment, etc., the present work was conducted aiming at characterizing the ionic composition of total suspended particles (TSP) and particles on the order of ∼10 µm or less (PM(10)) during dust storms in Ahvaz in April-September 2010. TSP and PM(10) samples were collected and their ionic compositions were determined using an ion chromatography. Mean concentrations of TSP and PM(10) were 1,481.5 and 1,072.9 µg/m(3), respectively. Particle concentrations during the Middle Eastern Dust (MED) days were up to four times higher than those in normal days. Ionic components contributed to only 9.5% and 11.3% of the total mass of TSP and PM(10), respectively. Crustal ions were most abundant during dust days, while secondary ions were dominant during non-dust days. Ca(2+)/Na(+) and Cl(-)/Na(+) ratios can be considered as the indicators for identification of the MED occurrence. It was found that possible chemical forms of NaCl, (NH(4))(2)SO(4), KCl, K(2)SO(4), CaCl(2), Ca(NO(3))(2), and CaSO(4) may exist in TSP. Correlation between the anionic and cationic components suggests slight anion and cation deficiencies in TSP and PM(10) samples, though the deficiencies were negligible.