Iranian Journal of

Background and Objectives: Atmospheric transport is a key mode of microbial dispersal and the transmission of airborne microbe can have significant impacts on human health. The main objective of this study was to determine the concentrations of airborne bacteria in a children.s hospital.
Materials and methods: Three sampling points were selected. Airborne bacteria were collected with 6 days interval at each location using Quick take 30® sampler at an sampling rate of 28.3 l min-1 from November 2007 to March2008.
Results: The results showed that the highest indoor density of bacteria was 429 CFU/m3 that founded in oncology ward. Bacteria identified were representative of normal flora of the skin, respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.
Conclusion:Our analysis revealed that colony of bacteria in 14% in patient room exceeded available guideline value for indoor air quality. That 11% cases was found in the oncology ward.

Backgrounds and Objectives:Skin cancer is the most frequent malignancy in Iran. Exposure to the excessive ultraviolet radiation is an important factor in creating skin tumors. The purpose of this study is to determine how the ultraviolet index has been distributed in all townships throughout the country, to determine different kinds of skin cancer and to evaluate a geographical distribution of skin cancers with regard to the UV geographical distribution.
Materials and Methods: This study is ecologic, descriptive and analytical in nature. A total number of 6921 skin cancer cases registered at the Center for Disease Control of Iran in 2004 were thoroughly analyzed and UV data were collected from the world wide web. With the help of ArcGIS software and SPSS, the statistical analysis was done.
Results:The incidence rates were 10.13 for the total skin cancer, 7.53 for basal cell carcinoma, 1.79 for squamous cell carcinoma and 0.39 for malignant melanoma per 100000 population of Iran. The mean ultraviolet index differed from 9 in July to 3 in January. The correlation between the skin cancer incidence at the level of districts and ultraviolet index was not significantly observed.
Conclusion:Skin cancer is a public health problem in Iran. Further research in this regard would lead to skin cancer registration improvement and more understanding of different climatic, cultural and behavioral factors in developing skin tumors. With this knowledge the possibility of more effective prevention of the most prevalent cancer in Iran can be created.

Background and Objectives: This study was conducted to investigate the toxicity of Titanium Oxide (TiO2) and Zinc Oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles as two of most widely used nanoparticles. The result of this study can help to designing environmental standard and legislations for nanoparticles.
Materials and Methods: Different concentrations of nano ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticles were added to nutrient Agar culture media. Then, definite numbers of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus bacteria were added to culture media and inhibition of these bacteria growth was measured in comparison to controls. Obtained data were analyzed to determine nanoparticles' EC50 and NOEC (No Observed Effect Concentration) using SPSS ver.16 and Probit standard test.
Results: 24-hours EC50 of nano ZnO using E. coli and S. aureus determined to be 5.47 mg/L and 2.38 mg/L respectively. In addition, 24-hours EC50 of nano TiO2 using E. coli and S. aureus determined to be 5366 mg/L and 3471 mg/L respectively. In the case of ZnO nanoparticles, no observed effect concentration determined to be 1.15 and 3.28 mg/L for E. coli and S. aureus respectively and in the case of TiO2 nanoparticles no observed effect level determined to be 1937 and 1184 mg/L for E. coli and S. aureus respectively.
Conclusion: This study showed that acute toxicity of nano ZnO is by far more than that of nano TiO2. Regarding the EPA acute toxicity criteria, nano ZnO is categorized as moderately toxic and nano TiO2 is categorized as practically non toxic. Hence, regarding the acute toxicity, in recommending exposure criteria and environmental disposal standards, compared to nano TiO2, nano ZnO requires more attention.

Background and Objective: The collection of exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a noninvasive, safe and simple technique to obtain direct samples from lung and use for estimation of the effects of air pollution on human subjects. EBC contains several compounds including simple ions, hydrogen peroxide, proteins, cytokines, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), creatine, Electrolytes, trace elements and toxic metals that are diluted by water vapor. The objective of this study was to determine biomarker IL-6 in exhaled breath condensate using an exhaled breath condensate collector.

Materials and Methods: The collector was designed and built and was used for collection and condensation of exhaled breath. EBC was taken from 36 young participants. Each person was asked to breathe for 10-15 min and the condensate was kept in a vial. The samples of exhaled breath were cooled down to -20 °C using the collector. The exhaled breath was converted to the solid/liquid mixture and then, the biomarker IL-6 was measured with ELISA (Enzyme -linked immunosorbent assay) method using HS600B R&D Kit.

Results: The mean concentration of IL-6 was 1.08 pg/mL in collected samples. The standard deviation of IL-6 concentration was 0.47. Moreover, the average volume of collected EBC was 2.3 mL, ranged between 0.3 and 3.5 mL.

Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the volume of the exhaled breath condensate was comparable with similar commercial devices. The average concentration of interlukin-6 was similar to the concentrations reported by other studies. Based on the findings, this equipment can be used by researchers as a suitable device for measurement of IL-6 in exhaled breath condensate.