purpose: to evaluate bacterial and fungal contamination of donor corneas before and after decontamination at eye bank of i.r. of iran based on cultures. methods: this descriptive study was performed on 131 donor eyes (whole globe or cut cornea) used for corneal transplantation at labbafinejad hospital during a 6-month period. microbiologic culture was performed at three stages: before enucleati...

Background: Prevention of healthcare associated infections is still an actual issue. Decontamination one the most basic activities general nurses in provision health services. An important role decontamination process also training about observance principles related to chemical disinfection.Aim: To find out current state issue repeatedly used medical devices and surfaces clinical practice.Meth...

Organophosphates have been widely used as insecticides and chemical warfare agents. The health risks associated with these agents have necessitated the need for better detoxification and bioremediation tools. Bacterial enzymes capable of hydrolyzing the lethal organophosphate nerve agents are of special interest. Phosphotriesterase (PTE) isolated from the soil bacteria Pseudomonas diminuta disp...

Cold plasma (CP) technology has proven very effective as an alternative tool for food decontamination and shelf-life extension. The impact of CP on food quality is very crucial for its acceptance as an alternative food processing technology. Due to the non-thermal nature, CP treatments have shown no or minimal impacts on the physical, chemical, nutritional and sensory attributes of various prod...

Since the terror attacks of September 11th, emergency departments across North America have become more aware of the need to be prepared to deal with a mass casualty terror event, particularly one involving nuclear, biological or chemical contaminants. The effects of such an attack could also be mimicked by accidental release of toxic chemicals, radioactive substances or biological agents unrel...

BACKGROUND Hospitals distant from the immediate site of an incident involving a hazardous materials (HAZMATs) release which could include chemical warfare agents, must develop emergency response plans (ERPs) to protect healthcare professionals if they receive potentially contaminated victims. The ERP must address OSHA, EPA, and JCAHO requirements. METHODS The VHA convened groups to develop a ...

BACKGROUND PCR amplification of minute quantities of degraded DNA for ancient DNA research, forensic analyses, wildlife studies and ultrasensitive diagnostics is often hampered by contamination problems. The extent of these problems is inversely related to DNA concentration and target fragment size and concern (i) sample contamination, (ii) laboratory surface contamination, (iii) carry-over con...