Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences

Road dust serves as a significant repository of heavy metal pollutants, posing hazards to the metropolitan area and its residents. heavy metals accumulate in roadway particles via atmospheric deposition, making road pollution a source of hazardous metals in urban areas. The results for the four ecological risk assessment subgroups were as follows: Minimal Ecological Risk: ES: 20.37; 95

Ketoconazole is an antifungal agent effective against Candida spp., Histoplasma capsulatum, Blastomyces dermatitidis, Coccidioides immitis, and dermatophytes. The low solubility of a drug in water has a very important impact on reduced absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, low bioavailability, the need for higher doses, delayed onset of action, limitations in administration routes, and its therapeutic potential. This study examined the solubility of ketoconazole in binary mixtures of polyethylene glycol 600 (PEG 600) and water over 298.2–323.2 K using the shake-flask method. Saturated concentrations were determined by UV spectrophotometry at 246 nm. Experimental solubility data were analyzed using several mathematical models, including Jouyban–Acree, van’t Hoff, CNIBS/R–K, Mixture Response Surface (MRS), and λh (Buchowski–Ksiazczak) equations, with mean relative deviation percentage (MRD

BACKGROUND:Aedes aegypti is the main vector of arboviral diseases worldwide. The species invaded and became established in southern Iran in 2020. Insecticide-based interventions are primarily used for its control. With insecticide resistance widespread, knowledge of resistance mechanisms is vital for informed deployment of insecticidal interventions, but information from Iranian Ae. aegypti is lacking. METHODS:Fifty-six Ae. aegypti specimens were collected from the port city of Bandar Lengeh in Hormozgan Province in the South of Iran in 2020 and screened for kdr mutations. The most common kdr mutations in Latin America and Asia (V410L, S989P, V1016G/I and F1534C), especially when present in combinations, are highly predictive of DDT and pyrethroid resistance were detected. Phylogenetic analyses based on the diversity of S989P and V1016G/I mutations were undertaken to assess the phylogeography of these kdr mutations. RESULTS:Genotyping all four kdr positions of V410L, S989P, V1016G/I and F1534C revealed that only 16 out of the 56 (28.57%) specimens were homozygous wild type for all kdr mutation sites. Six haplotypes including VSVF (0.537), VSVC (0.107), LSVF (0.016), LSIF (0.071), VPGC (0.257) and LPGC (0.011) were detected in this study. For the first time, 11 specimens harbouring the V410L mutation, and 8 samples with V1016I mutation were found. V410L and V1016I were coincided in 8 specimens. Also, six specimens contained 1016G/I double mutation which was not reported before. CONCLUSIONS:The relatively high frequency of these kdr mutations in Iranian Ae. aegypti indicates a population exhibiting substantial resistance to pyrethroid insecticides, which are used widely in control operations and household formulations. The detection of the 410L/1016I kdr mutant haplotype in Iranian Ae. aegypti suggests possible convergence of invasive populations from West Africa or Latin America. However, as Iran has very limited maritime/air connections with those African countries, a Latin American origin for the invasive Ae. aegypti in Iran is more plausible.

Objective(s): In the present study, a cross-linking gelation method combined with ultrasound was employed to create arbutin (ARB)-incorporated chitosan (CHT) nanoparticles (NPs). This approach aims to enhance cutaneous absorption and improve anti-melanogenesis effects. Material and Methods: Environmentally-friendly preparation of NP, monitoring NP features, checking structure, animal safety application, cellular viability, and inhibitory assessment on melanin creation were performed. Results: The results showed that increasing the volume ratio of chitosan (CHT) to tripolyphosphate (TPP) from 10:1.25 to 10:5 resulted in a reduction of particle size from 1097.133 +/- 28.655 nm to 215.666 +/- 5.976 nm. Moreover, this CHT/TPP volume ratio increase from 10:1.25 to 10:5 enhanced the encapsulation efficiency, from 55.084 +/- 4.283% to 97.151 +/- 0.066%. Assessment of cutaneous absorption revealed that the ARB-CHT-NP gel delivered significantly more arbutin (ARB) to both the cutaneous layers (46.168 +/- 3.313% or 810.094 +/- 58.147 mu g/cm2) and the receiver compartment (34.155 +/- 2.699% or 599.314 +/- 47.371 mu g/cm2) compared to the ARB plain gel. In vitro cytotoxicity testing demonstrated that, in the presence of the optimal formulation, a higher percentage of cell survival was observed in the HFF cell line compared to kojic acid and ARB. Additionally, the ARB-CHT-NP gel exhibited greater cytotoxicity in the B16F10 cell line compared to the other groups. A cutaneous itching assay on Wistar rats showed no signs of sensitivity to the ARB-CHT-NP gel. Furthermore, ARB-CHT-NP inhibited melanogenesis more effectively than kojic acid and ARB. L-dopa auto-oxidation was also significantly inhibited by ARB-CHT-NP (56.971 +/- 1.265%) compared to kojic acid (46.141 +/- 1.169%) and ARB (41.308 +/- 1.967%). Conclusion: Based on the results, the ARB-CHT-NP could serve as a prospective nanocarrier for ARB cutaneous application. Therefore, it is recommended that its use for treating melasma be considered.

The elevated melanin production within the skin results in a distressing pigmentation disorder called melanoma. This underscores the importance of developing effective therapeutic approaches, such as nano-delivery systems. The primary objective of this research was to create alginate (AL) nanoparticle (NP) in gel dosage for improving targeting of arbutin (ARB) as a lightening substance to cure and manage melanoma cancer. Ionic gelation and ultrasonication method were employed to prepare ARB-AL-NP followed by In-vitro assessment of the NP. Outcomes noticed that the optimum ARB-AL-NP were in the size of 252.333 ± 11.873 nm with zeta potential -14.766 ± 0.862, greater encapsulation 89.831 ± 1.081%, and exhibited sustained release of ARB over 6 h (56%). In vitro MTT analysis confirmed that the optimum formulation had higher cell survival on the HFF cell line than kojic-acid and ARB, however, it showed a greater cytotoxic effect on the B16f10 cell line than other groups. Besides, ARB-AL-NP was established to obstruct melanogenesis to a superior level than kojic-acid and ARB and considerably suppress L-dopa auto-oxidation contrasted to kojic-acid and ARB). The outcomes of this assessment confirmed that the ARB-AL-NP could potentially serve as a prospective nanocarrier for ARB cutaneous application, thus unveiling novel approaches for addressing melanoma complaints.