BACKGROUND Quince has many health benefits. Dried quince has been used as a tea for centuries. The aim of this study was to investigate the influences of two drying methods on the antioxidant activity of the quince. MATERIAL AND METHODS Fifty two fresh Iranian quinces (Cydonia oblonga) were obtained from different parts of Shiraz. Half of the quinces were peeled and both peel and flesh immedi...

Variables related to oven-drying samples of cheese and cheese products to determine moisture content were examined to provide more efficient and reproducible methods. Over 6500 samples of cheese were analyzed in an effort to modify the current AOAC procedure. The gravity atmospheric oven was unsuitable for use in accurate moisture analysis because of wide temperature differentials within the ov...

White blood cell DNA adducts were measured in coke oven workers, in residents from the area next to the coke oven in Silesia, Poland (highly industrialized region), and in residents from the rural area of Poland using the 32P-postlabeling technique. This method detected aromatic adducts including adducts formed by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Highest levels of adducts in DNA were se...

AIMS To determine the association between lung function of coke oven workers and exposure to coke oven emissions. METHODS Lung function data and detailed work histories for workers in recovery coke ovens of a steelworks were extracted from a lung function surveillance system. Multiple regressions were employed to determine significant predictors for lung function indices. The first sets of lu...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the application of BPDE-albumin adducts as monitoring biomarkers for coke oven workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and to explore possible relationship between BPDE-albumin adducts and urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) levels in them. METHODS Thirty-seven coke oven workers from a coke plant and 47 controls without the occupational exposure to PAHs...

Thermal–optical analysis (TOA) is a widely used technique that fractionates carbonaceous aerosol particles into organic and elemental carbon (OC and EC), or carbonate. Thermal sub-fractions of evolved OC and EC are also used for source identification and apportionment; thus, oven temperature accuracy during TOA analysis is essential. Evidence now indicates that the “actual” sample (filter) temp...

The aim of the present investigation was to determine the allelopathic effect of aqueous extract from either fresh or oven dried leaves and root of unstressed or water stressed maize plants on soybean growth and its effects on rhizosphere soil treated with maize plant extract. The extracts were applied for 10h to soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] as seed soaking treatment prior to sowing. The ap...

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to assess sperm quality and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) integrity of coke oven workers exposed to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as compared to control subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS The coke oven workers (N = 52) and administrative staff (N = 35) of a steel plant served as the exposed and control groups, respectively. Exposure to PAHs was a...

In arid and semi-arid areas, organic matter decomposition is stimulated by ultraviolet radiation. In this paper, the association between straw decomposition and UV-A exposure was evaluated. Oven-dried rice straw samples were chronically exposed to UV-A radiation and examined periodically for up to 90 days at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that noticeable disintegrat...