Khaled Aljarrah

Perceptions of hookah smoking harmfulness: predictors and characteristics among current hookah users

IntroductionTobacco cigarette smoking a well-known cause of cancer and other diseases. Hookah smoking is another form of tobacco use that has rapidly spread in the United State and Europe. This study assessed beliefs about the harmfulness of smoking hookah.MethodsWe surveyed hookah users in all cafes that provided hookah to its customers in downtown San Diego, California and nearby areas. A total of 235 hookah users participated in this study.ResultsAverage age of study participants was 22 years, 57% were males, and 72% were not cigarette smokers. Whites were more likely to use hookah than the other ethnic groups (33%), older hookah users (26-35 years) were mostly males, and mint flavor of hookah tobacco was the most popular among a wide variety of flavors (23%). There was no significant difference in gender in relation to the wrong perception that hookah is less harmful than cigarettes, but those of Asian ethnicity were much less likely than other ethnic groups to believe that hookah is less harmful than cigarettes. More frequent users of hookah were more likely to believe that hookah is less harmful than cigarettes. The majority of hookah users (58.3%) believe hookah is less harmful than cigarette smoking.DiscussionCompared to cigarettes, there appears to be a lack of knowledge about the harmfulness of smoking hookah among users regardless of their demographic background. Education about the harmfulness of smoking hookah and policies to limit its use should be implemented to prevent the spread of this new form of tobacco use.

Magnetic nanoparticles sensitize MCF-7 breast cancer cells to doxorubicin-induced apoptosis

BackgroundResistance of breast cancer cells to the available chemotherapeutics is a major obstacle to successful treatment. Recent studies have shown that magnetic nanoparticles might have significant application in different medical fields including cancer treatment. The goal of this study is to verify the ability of magnetic nanoparticles to sensitize cancer cells to the clinically available chemotherapy.MethodsThe role of iron oxide nanoparticles, static magnetic field, or a combination in the enhancement of the apoptotic potential of doxorubicin against the resistant breast cancer cells, MCF-7 was evaluated using the MTT assay and the propidium iodide method.ResultsIn the present study, results revealed that pre-incubation of MCF-7 cells with iron oxide nanoparticles before the addition of doxorubicin did not enhance doxorubicin-induced growth inhibition. Pre-incubation of MCF-7 cells with iron oxide nanoparticles followed by a static magnetic field exposure significantly (P < 0.05) increased doxorubicin-induced cytotoxicity. Sensitization with pre-exposure to the magnetic field was dose-dependent where the highest cytotoxicity was seen at 1 tesla. Further experiments revealed that the anti-proliferative effect of this treatment procedure is due to induction of apoptotic cell death.ConclusionsThese results might point to the importance of combining magnetic nanoparticles with a static magnetic field in treatment of doxorubicin-refractory breast cancer cells.

Measurement of natural and artificial radioactivity in powdered milk consumed in Jordan and estimates of the corresponding annual effective dose

The activity concentrations of (40)K, (226)Ra, (228)Ra and (137)Cs were measured for 14 brands of the powdered milk consumed in Jordan, which are imported from various regions around the world. The activity concentrations of (40)K were found not to vary greatly from one brand to the other with an average of 348 +/- 26 Bq kg(-1). However, the activity concentrations of (137)Cs revealed a geographical distribution being: (i) undetected in any of the samples from Argentina, (ii) uniformly distributed in samples from Europe with an average of 0.43 +/- 0.05 Bq kg(-1), and (iii) widely varying in samples from New Zealand (from being not detected (ND) to 1.55 Bq kg(-1)). (226)Ra and (228)Ra were measured above the detection limits in five brands only and displayed relatively low activity concentrations of 0.50-2.14 and 0.78-1.28 Bq kg(-1) for (226)Ra and (228)Ra, respectively. The total average annual effective doses due to intake of (40)K, (226)Ra, (228)Ra and (137)Cs from the ingestion of the powdered milk for infants, children and adults were estimated to be (in microSv): 332, 138 and 43, respectively. These results indicate no significant radiation dose to the public.

Introducing Cichorium Pumilum as a Potential Therapeutical Agent Against Drug-Induced Benign Breast Tumor in Rats

Cichorium Pumilum (chicory) is could be a promising cancer treatment in which a photosensitizing drug concentrates in benign tumor cells and activated by quanta at certain wavelength. Such activated extracts could lead to cell death and tumor ablation. Previous studies have shown that Cichorium Pumilum (chicory) contains photosensitive compounds such as cichoriin, anthocyanins, lactucin, and Lactucopicrin. In the present study, the protective effect of sun light-activated Cichorium against the dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA) induced benign breast tumors to female Sprague-Dawley rats was investigated. Chicorys extract has significantly increase P.carbonyl (PC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreases the hepatic levels of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in benign breast tumors-induced group compared to control. It also significantly decrease the number of estrogen receptors ER-positive cells in tumor masses. These results suggest that chicory extracts could be used as herbal photosensitizing agent in treating benign breast tumor in rats.

Seasonal variation of indoor radon concentration in a desert climate

Radon is one of the sources that negatively affect dwellings air quality and is ranked as a main cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. The indoor radon concentrations usually affected by the conditions of the environment surrounding the dwellings. Seasonal variations can have a significant impact on the indoor radon concentrations. In this article, we studied the seasonal variations of indoor radon concentration in a desert climate, particularly in gulf countries that usually leave the windows and doors closed all over the time. Four hundred dosimeters containing CR-39 detectors were planted for three months to measure the variation in radon concentration between winter and summer seasons. Our measurements showed that a building with a basement revealed a significant variation between radon concentration in winter (44.3 ± 3.1Bqm-3) and in summer (26.1 ± 1.7Bqm-3). Buildings without basements showed that the indoor radon concentration in winter (16.1 ± 1.7Bqm-3) is very much close to that in summer (16.7 ± 1.8Bqm-3). Our results indicated that seasonal variations can significantly affect indoor radon concentration for buildings established with basements. However; in the study region, the average indoor radon concentration as well as the annual effective dose rate are found to be below the action level recommended by ICRP.

Influence of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe3O4) on erythrocyte photohemolysis via photofrin and Rose Bengal sensitization

BACKGROUND Iron oxide (Fe3O4) nanoparticles (IO-NP) were recently employed in medical applications as a diagnostic tool and drug carrier. Photofrin (PF) is a photosensitizer that clinically is used in Photodynamic therapy (PDT). STUDY DESIGN The photosensitivity of PF and Rose Bengal (RB) mixed with (IO-NP) on red blood cells (RBCs) lysis was investigated. Second, Photohemolysis for post-irradiation (delayed) and during irradiation (continuous) with PF, RB and IO-NP combinations at different concentrations was investigated. Third, the photohemolysis rate, relative lysis steepness and power-concentration dependant parameter were evaluated by modeling and fitting the data using Gompertz function and power law. METHODS RBCs were isolated from healthy male human volunteer. Washed cells (7.86×106 cells/mm3) were incubated with PF only or with IO-NP for 45min at 37°C then irradiated to a range of temperatures (4-41°C). CPH results were recorded and evaluated using Gompertz function. RESULTS The relative steepness of the photohemolysis curves was approximately independent on light dose for delayed irradiation. The presence of IO-NP increases the rupturing time for 50% of the RBCs. Photohemolysis rate for delayed irradiation using the power law, led to 1.7 and 2.3 power dependence, respectively, for PF only and PF mixed with IO-NP. The power dependence of continuous irradiation measurements showed inverse proportionality for different concentrations of IO-NP combined with 2μg/ml PF concentration and 1.5μg/ml for RB concentration. CONCLUSION Photosensitization of RBC with PF or RB mixed with IO-NP inhibited rupturing erythrocyte membrane and therefore a consideration should be taken against their combination in clinical applications.

Artificial semi-rigid tissue sensitized with natural pigments: Effect of photon radiations.

Background: A new approach for evaluating the optical penetration depth and testing its validity with Monte Carlo simulations and Kubelka-Munk theory is used for artificial semi-rigid tissue sensitized with natural pigments. Photodynamic therapy is a promising cancer treatment in which a photosensitizing drug concentrates in malignant cells and is activated by visible light at certain wavelength. Materials and Methods: Cheap artificial semi-rigid tissue incorporated with scattering and absorbing materials along with some other composites comparable to normal human tissue has been performed. The optical parameters as measured with different conditions and calculated with various techniques are investigated. Results: The probability of interaction of light with tissue is very high when exposed to light in presence of Cichorium pumilum and RBCs followed by photohemolysis or/and photodegradation. The optical penetration depth calculated by linear absorption coefficient ranges from 0.63 to 2.85 mm is found to be comparable to those calculated using Kubelka–Munk theory or Monte Carlo simulation (range from 0.78 to 2.42 mm). The ratio of absorption to the scattering is independent of thickness and decreases with increasing irradiation time. Moreover, the optical parameters as well as their ratios are in very good agreement in the two approaches of calculation. The values of absorption and scattering coefficients are independent of thickness. Furthermore, the average photon ranges in the samples containing no scattering and absorbing materials are about three times greater than those samples containing scattering materials. Conclusion: Our results suggest that light propagation with optical properties presented in this work could be applicable in diagnostic and therapeutic of the human biological tissue for photodynamic therapy.

Assessment of the committed effective dose due to the 210Po intake from fish consumption for the Arabian Gulf population

This study aims to assess the committed effective dose due to the intake of 210Po from the consumption of fish in Arabian Gulf countries. Twenty different kinds of fish, which represent the most common fish species consumed in the Arabian Gulf countries, were analyzed using alpha spectrometer technique. 210Po activity concentrations in fish samples were found to vary over a wide range from 0.1 to 14.7 Bq kg-1 fresh weight. This variation of 210Po concentrations between various type of fish samples might be attributed to the feeding type pattern and the size of fish. The annual committed effective dose due to ingestion of 210Po in fish species for adults in the Arabian Gulf countries was estimated and found to vary from 38 μSv in Bahrain to 85 μSv in Oman with an average value of 59 μSv. These values are considered relatively high compared to those reported in some other regions. However, it is still much lower than the world average ingestion dose due to natural radiation sources.