This study was designed to determine the effect of Calendula officinalis flowers extract mouthwash as oral gel on radiation-induced oropharyngeal mucositis (OM) in patients with head-and-neck cancer. Forty patients with neck and head cancers under radiotherapy or concurrent chemoradiotherapy protocols were randomly assigned to receive either 2% calendula extract mouthwash or placebo (20 patients in each group). Patients were treated with telecobalt radiotherapy at conventional fractionation (200 cGy/fraction, five fractions weekly, 30–35 fractions within 4–7 weeks). The oropharyngeal mucositis was evaluated by two clinical investigators (a radiation oncologist and a dentist), using the oral mucositis assessment scale (OMAS). Trying to find out the possible mechanism of action of the treatment, total antioxidant, polyphenol and flavonoid contents, and quercetin concentration of the mouth wash were measured. Calendula mouthwash significantly decreased the intensity of OM compared to placebo at week 2 (score: 5.5 vs. 6.8, p = 0.019), week 3 (score: 8.25 vs. 10.95, p < 0.0001) and week 6 (score: 11.4 vs. 13.35, p = 0.031). Total antioxidant, polyphenol and flavonoid contents and quercetin concentration of the 2% extract were 2353.4 ± 56.5 μM, 313.40 ± 6.52 mg/g, 76.66 ± 23.24 mg/g, and 19.41 ± 4.34 mg/l, respectively. Calendula extract gel could be effective on decreasing the intensity of radiotherapy- induced OM during the treatment and antioxidant capacity may be partly responsible for the effect.

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Background: Iodine has undeniable effects on human in all stages of life and its deficiency during fetal stages causes mental retardation, which incurs huge costs for treatment and care. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of heat, humidity and light on the iodine content in iodized salt. Methods: In this analytical-descriptive study, five brands of refined iodized salts were randomly selected from supermarkets in Babol City. All tests were performed in the Chemistry Laboratory of Paramedical School in Babol University of Medical Sciences. In the current study, the samples were kept for three months under different conditions of humidity, without humidity, light, darkness, and temperatures of 37°C, refrigerator and ambient. The iodine amount of samples was tested every 15 days using titration method based on Britain Pharmacopoeia. Data were analyzed with ANOVA in SPSS. Results:The results showed that iodine was reduced in all samples of refined salts: 9.69 ± 1.3 for refrigerator temperature with humidity, 8.34 ± 1.4 for refrigerator temperature without humidity, 8.85 ± 1.2 for 37°C with humidity, 7.80 ± 1.4 for 37°C without humidity, 13.96 ± 1.3 for ambient temperature with light and humidity, 9.61 ± 1.5 for ambient temperature with light and without humidity, 8.64 ± 1.1 for ambient temperature with humidity in darkness, and 5.41 ± 1.2 mg/L for ambient temperature without humidity in darkness. Conclusions:The results indicated that ambient temperature, darkness and non-humidity were the best conditions for keeping iodized salt.

Background: Nowadays, uncontrolled use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture is one of the reasons for the entry of heavy metals into the environment. In this study, the heavy metals contamination of the soils enriched with compost and chemical fertilizers in the North of Iran and its ecological risk assessment were evaluated. Methods: In this study, 108 soil samples were collected from agricultural soils of some places of Babol in Mazandaran province. An atomic absorption spectrophotometer (PG-990) was used to determine the concentrations of lead, cadmium, and zinc in the soil samples. The assessment of soil contamination was performed by the contamination factor, degree of contamination indices, and the potential ecological risk of the heavy metals. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. Descriptive and chi-square tests were used to compare the mean with existing standards. Significant level was considered at P<0.05. Results: The highest lead concentration (35.7 ± 9.5 mg/kg) was observed at 5-cm depth, and the maximum cadmium (1.1 ± 0.2 mg/kg) and zinc (88 ± 22.6 mg/kg) concentrations were observed at 15-cm depth. The results showed that lead, cadmium, and zinc concentrations in the agricultural soils enriched with compost fertilizers were acceptable, but agricultural soils enriched with chemical fertilizers indicated higher content than those enriched with compost fertilizers and higher than the maximum allowable concentration. The maximum contamination degree, pollution index, and potential ecological risk in the agricultural soils enriched with the chemical fertilizers were 15.77, 1.97, and 293.48, respectively, and these soils had low potential pollution and moderate ecological risks. Conclusion: According to the results, it is necessary to use compost fertilizers for the agricultural soils enrichment.

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