Background: Pruritus is one of the most bothersome symptoms in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD), however little progress is seen in our understanding of its pathogenesis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of pruritus in HD patients in Tehran, Iran, and to correlate its presence and intensity with relevant clinical and laboratory parameters.

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Alkali hydrolysis of polyester along with application of nano silver/nano TiO2 to produce hydrolyzed polyester fabric with antibacterial and self‐cleaning properties is a very interesting subject. In this article, a novel idea is introduced to achieve a polyester fabric with self‐cleaning and antibacterial properties with a good feeling handle in one step. The polyester fabric is hydrolyzed in alkali media to enhance the surface activity, improve nanoparticle absorption, and produce ethylene glycol for reducing silver nitrate into nano silver. XRD pattern confirms the presence of nanoparticles with crystal size of 10 nm on the fabric surface and FESEM pictures show the distribution of nanocomposite particles on the fiber surfaces with average size of 54 nm. The degradation of Methylene Blue under daylight irradiation confirms the photoactivity of nano TiO2 on the polyester fabric. Also, very good bactericidal efficiency is obtained against S. aureus and E. coli. Interestingly, the fabric tensile strength improves even with the action of alkali in surface hydrolysis of polyester. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013

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Some foods are prone to contamination with aflatoxins, with detrimental effect on human health. Lactic acid bacteria have been reported to bind aflatoxins and remove them from foods and feeds. Reduction of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) from the liquid media by the autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Lactobacillus fermentum) isolated from traditional Iranian sourdough and dairy products is reported in the current study. The effect of incubation time on the binding capacity of the strains to AFB1 was also investigated. Duplicates of individual bacteria with population equivalent to 2 X 10(10) CFU/ml were incubated in the presence of AFB1 at 37 degrees C for a period of 72 h, and the amounts of unbound AFB1 were quantitated by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. All the strains were capable of removal of AFB1, and the reduction of AFB1 ranged from 25 to 61% throughout the incubation period. Removal of AFB1 was a rapid process, with approximately 61 and 56% of the toxin taken instantly by L. fermentum and L. plantarum, respectively. Binding was of a reversible nature, and some of the bound AFB1 was released into the media by the repeated centrifugation and resuspension of the cell pellets. The stability of the bacteria-toxin complex was strain dependent, and L. casei was a stronger binder of AFB1 compared with the other bacteria. No toxin release was observed after 24 h. These findings tend to suggest that certain novel probiotic bacteria with high aflatoxin binding capacity could be selected for detoxification of foods.

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