Background: Ultraviolet light has a shorter wavelength than visible light, and because it is not in the visible range of the human eye, therefore, humans cannot see it, that is why it is called dark light. Just as x-rays affect human organs despite being invisible, ultraviolet rays affect parts of human organs. Its continuous radiation on the human skin and especially direct contact with the eyes in the long-term causes damage to the skin and eyes. The harmful effects of intense sunlight on human skin and eyes are also due to the ultraviolet part of sunlight, which is why it is recommended to avoid long-term exposure of the skin and eyes to direct sunlight and to cover with sunscreen creams, gloves and use anti-UV sunglasses. It should also be noted that prevention of the adverse consequences of exposure to ultraviolet rays is not possible without public awareness, culture and changing people’s attitudes. Therefore, providing the necessary training in this regard should be placed in the priorities of the relevant organizations.

Introduction: Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites produced by some species of Aspergillus fungus on agricultural products. They have great health, medical and economic significance due to mutagenic and carcinogenic effects on consumers. The purpose of this study is to compare ultraviolet and tungsten rays in reducing aflatoxin B1 in rice flour. Materials and Methods: Contaminated rice flour with two concentrations of 50 and 100 ng/g of aflatoxin B1 that produced by Aspergillus flavus in the laboratory were illuminated at 5 times 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 minutes, with two different distances of 7 and 14 cm from ultraviolet light source with wavelength 366 nm and tungsten 100 W. Aflatoxin content was measured using competitive ELISA in two replications. Aflatoxin levels were compared with control samples by SAS (Release 9. 1, SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) software using Duncan test. Results: The results showed that maximum (67 and 68%) and minimum (14 and 18%) reduction of aflatoxin B1 occur after 50 and 10 minutes irradiation at 7 and 14 cm, by ultraviolet and tungsten light, respectively. The initial concentrations of Aflatoxin B1 did not affect the test, but reducing the distance to the source of light and increasing exposure time led to a further reduction of aflatoxin (P≤ 0. 01). Conclusion: Reducing the distance between rice flour and ultraviolet or tungsten ray source decreases aflatoxin further. On the other hand, the longer exposure to radiation, the more aflatoxin declines. The use of these rays can be considered in aflatoxin mitigation of food.

Juice is one of the beverages with nutritional value, which is a rich source of vitamins and antioxidants, which brings risks for consumers if health standards are not met. This study aimed to investigate of the effect of ultraviolet rays on Escherichia coli bacteria in white grape juice. Three samples of white grape juice were randomly obtained from the market of Shahrekord City and transported under sterile conditions to the food hygiene laboratory of Shahrekord Azad University. First, the samples were passed through a filter by UVasteril to remove suspended substances. After ensuring it is not used, a certain amount of E. coli is added in 6 consecutive dilutions. After adding the capacity, the grape juice is passed through the UV radiation device, and the population of E. coli is counted before and after irradiation. For this purpose, 30, 60, and 120 seconds of continuous radiation were applied. Excel software was used to draw graphs and analyze Duncan's multirange test statistically. The results showed a statistically significant difference during successive dilutions during 30 days (p>0. 05),the highest statistic related to the first dilution was 6. 78±, 1. 39. The lowest score of the game for the fifth draw was 0. 93 ±,1. 89. According to the results of achieving the effect of the UV method to reduce E. coli in grape juice, it can be concluded that this matter can be accurately converted into liquids, and it can positively affectthe reduction process. It should be prescribed for Escherichia coli.

Today, due to increasing public awareness, the use of eggs as a source of essential amino acids in the human body has expanded. Since the egg is a packaged food, the quality and mechanical integrity of the shell are of great importance. In this study, a number of healthy eggs were selected and then exposed to ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) radiation. After this step, half of the samples were smeared in sunflower oil and stored for 2 days. In the next step, the fracture force of the eggshell was obtained with the help of the Instron device. The results of this experiment showed that a number of levels of ultraviolet radiation factors were able to cause changes in the amount of fracture force of the eggshell. In the study of the effect of infrared light on the fracture force of the eggshell, it was observed that with increasing the number of bulbs and irradiation time, the amount of breaking force has also increased and this had a direct relationship with the factors of number of lamps and irradiation time. Also, in the study of the effect of infrared samples and impregnation of the shell with sunflower oil, it was concluded that impregnation of the eggshell with the oil reduces the amount of refractive force from 30.3 to 26.5 N. Finally, it was observed that the infrared samples had a higher average refractive index than the ultraviolet samples.

Purpose: To determine and compare the frequency and distribution of pterygium in patients with and without senile cataract.Materials and Methods: In this case-control study 98 patients with cataract (196 eyes) and 98 patients without cataract (196 eyes) almost in the same age and sex, and without any probable and definite cataract risk factor like diabetes mellitus, eye trauma,... were selected and examined.Results: Findings of 196 eyes with cataract showed that frequency of ptreygium in right eyes was 26.5% and in left eyes was 17.3%. Findings of 196 eyes without cataract showed a frequency of 14.2% in right eyes and 16.3% in left eyes. Pterygium in right eyes had significant difference between two groups (X2 = 4.52, P<0.03) but there were not any significant difference between the left eyes (X2 = 0.3, P<0.82). Conclusion: UV rays contribute to cataract and pterygium formation.

The effect of ultra violet light (DV) on cataract and pterygium has been studied in many researches, but research on joint occurrence of these two ophtical diseases is quite few. This study was designed to study the effect of ultra violet light (UV) on occurrence of cataract and ptrygium in Bandar Abbas and Tehran with different geographical situations from intensity of sun light point of view. 100 patients in Bandar Abbas and 65 patients in Tehran, suffering from at least one of the mentioned ophthical diseases who referred to ophthalmology clinics were chosen as cases and for each case a person with no ophthical problem was randomly selected as control. Control groups were matched by age and sex. All cases were examined for severity and type of ophthalmic disease by slat lamp and ophtholmoscope and visual acuity was also examined by E-Chart. For each of the cases and controls a questionnaire containing demographic characteristics, some risk factors and the number of hours each person exposes to strong sunlight was completed. Patients with some known risk factors such as diabetics, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, eye trauma, corticosteroid therapy, cigarette smoking and use of spectacles were excluded from the study. Results show that joint occurrence of cataract and pterygium in Bandar Abbas is 8 times more than it in Tehran (66.66% and 8.5%, respectively). Moreover, relative risk of more than ten hours direct exposure of sun light and occurrence of at least one of the mentioned ophthalmic diseases was 10.49 and 1.9 in Bandar Abbas and Tehran, respectively. It seems that the main reason for occurrence of ophthalmic diseases in Bindar Abbas is UV, whereas, cataract and ptrygium in Tehran is mostly age related.  

Introduction & Objective: The use of computers and monitors (displays) has been developed due to their increasing capabilities. The presence of electromagnetic fields, infrared and ultraviolet radiations has been proven around the display, which all of them have adverse effects on human health. Therefore, this study was conducted to survey and compare the mentioned variables around the displays.Material & Methods: The present descriptive–analytical study was accomplished in Hamadan university of medical sciences in 2011. The statistical sample included 46 LCD and 50 CRT devices selected by simple random sampling. In order to assay the electric and magnetic fields, the HI-3604 device and for measuring the IR and UV rays, Hanger device was used.Results: The magnetic field in the CRT display was higher than the LCD display. Also the magnetic field of the front of the display was more than back position in the both displays (P=0.000). The electric field in the nearest distance of the display was higher in CRT than LCD (P=0.000). In 30 cm distances of CRT and LCD displays, 96% and 8.3% of the samples had magnetic field more than TCO standard, respectively.Conclusions: The current finding demonstrated that LCD displays radiate much lower amount of magnetic field, IR and UV rays than CRT displays. Life extension of the system has a great influence on the production of electromagnetic fields.

Background and Objectives: Pathogen reduction technologies are among methods to eliminate transfusion transmitted infections. Mirasol method using riboflavin in combination with ultraviolet rays is one of them. The aims of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of Mirasol method to inactivate some model pathogens as well as examination of the sensitivity of plasma proteins after treatment. Materials and Methods: Riboflavin in 50μ M concentration and ultraviolet (365 nm) in three different energy doses (3. 6, 7. 2, and 10. 8 j/cm2) were employed to inactivate model pathogens. Four standard viruses were used in this study including Vesicular Stomatitis Virus (VSV), Herpes Simplex Virus1 (HSV-1), Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus (BVDV) and Polio Virus. 50% Tissue Culture Infectious Dose (TCID50) and Reed– Muench Methods were used to estimate viruses’ titers. E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus were used as bacterial models. Four plasma proteins including factor V, VIII, fibrinogen and antithromin were used to determine their sensitivity to pathogen inactivation treatment. Results: The most pathogen reduction titre was determined for 15 minutes irradiation period equal to 10. 8 J/cm2 that is corresponding to Log 6. 10 for BVDV, Log 6. 09 for HSV-1, Log 6. 62 for VSV and Log 3. 36 for Polio. Bacterial reduction titer was Log 6. 94 for E. coli and Log 7. 00 for S. aureus. Indicator proteins for plasma activity were determined to be 75% for factor V, 88% for factor VIII, 52% for fibrinogen and 94% for antithrombin. Conclusion: Results showed that the employed method can inactivate most of the pathogens in fresh frozen plasma. The acceptable activities of selected plasma proteins remained after treatment.

The destruction of the ozone layer leads to the penetration of some harmful solar radiation, such as ultraviolet rays into the atmosphere. These radiations have negative effects on plants’ growth and development. The current study investigated the effect of three UV radiation bands on plant growth, oxidative stress induction, and defense mechanisms in Melissa officinalis seedlings. The experiment was conducted in a hydroponics system under a completely randomized plan with three replicates. The seedlings, after a seven-leaf stage, were exposed to UV-A and UV-B for 20 min, and UV-C for three min daily for one week. The effect of different UV bonds was reported on oxidants, such as oxygen free radicals (ROS), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), antioxidants (total antioxidants, phenolic compounds, anthocyanin and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme activity), and seedling growth. The results revealed that UV-A radiation did not induce a significant effect on ROS, H2O2 and MDA contents compared with those of the control. However, under UV-B and UV-C ROS, H2O2 and MDA contents showed 59-89, 67-104, and 103-166 % increase compared with the control. All of the studied anti-oxidant content increased under three different UV radiations. The highest increase was reported for phenolic compounds with 148-178% compared with the control. The oxidant content increased under UV-B, and UV-C indicating that the plants’ anti-oxidant system was unable to sweep ROS and reduce the stress. Consequently, the radiation treatments reduced root and shoot fresh weight. Overall, the results indicated that the lemon balm plant was sensitive to UV radiation. Introduction Plants need light for photosynthesis and respond to light through different photoreceptors. Apart from active photosynthetic rays (PAR), plants are also exposed to other rays including ultraviolet (UV) light. Ultraviolet rays are classified based on their wavelengths into UV-C (200-280 nm), UV-B (280-320 nm), and UV-A (320-390 nm). UV-C is the most dangerous range of ultraviolet light that is completely absorbed by the ozone layer. UV-B is very important because of its severe destructive effects on the growth and development of plants. UV-A radiation has less toxic effects than other wavelengths of ultraviolet radiation. Plants control growth and development changes in response to UV by creating a complex network of transcriptomes. Severe UV-B or UV-C stress leads to cell cycle arrest, chloroplast and mitochondrial dysfunction, DNA fragmentation, and finally programmed cell death (PCD). The amount of damage in plants varies depending on environmental factors, plant species, intensity of radiation, and type of radiation. Current knowledge about the eco-physiological impact of UV radiation on plants is limited. In this study, the effects of UV-A, UV-B, and UV-C on growth, induction of oxidative stress and resistance mechanisms of Melissa officinalis seedlings were studied. Materials and Methods The seeds of Melissa officinalis were grown in containers with perlite. After germination, plants were transferred to pots containing washed perlite and irrigated with Hoagland's nutrient solution with one-fifth dilution. The lemon balm plants were exposed to ultraviolet rays (UV-A and UV-B for 20 minutes, and UV-C for 3 minutes) for one week after the 7-leaf stage. The control plants were exposed to visible light in the growth chamber. At the end of the treatments, growth parameters (fresh weight of shoots, roots, and leaves), oxidants (ROS, H2O2, and MDA), and antioxidants (total antioxidants, phenolic compounds, anthocyanins, and SOD enzyme activity) were measured. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications (n=3). The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and SPSS 22 software were used for the statistical analysis of the data. Mean data were compared by Duncan's multiple range test (p ≤ 0.05). Results and Discussion The results of the study revealed that there is a positive correlation of 0.9 (R2) between oxidant indices, such as ROS, H2O2, and MDA in the treated plants. The amount of oxidants in seedlings treated with UV-A did not show any significant difference in comparison with the control plants. UV-B and UV-C rays increased oxidant contents. UV-B and UV-C rays lead to the transfer of electrons to O2 and the formation of active oxygen species due to the photo-oxidation of the chloroplast membrane and mitochondria. The produced ROS are highly reactive and lead to oxidative damage to DNA, proteins, and lipid peroxidation. The antioxidant system in cells was able to remove ROS molecules. The results of the analysis of variance obtained from the data showed that all the antioxidant indices measured in this study increased in all of the seedlings treated with UV. The increase of these organic compounds in plants was probably due to the induction effect of UV rays on the genes encoding the enzymes of relevant pathways. However, UV-B and UV-C rays led to an increase in the amount of ROS, increased lipid peroxidation, and ultimately cell damage, despite the increase in non-enzymatic and enzymatic antioxidant system components. This system was not able to control 100% of the effects caused by these rays in plants. Therefore, it led to the reduction of biomass in UV treatments, which was a general response in many plant species under severe stress conditions. Conclusion Considering the result of the present study, Melissa officinalis seedlings showed physiological changes when exposed to ultraviolet rays. Increasing the amount of antioxidants in UV treatments allowed plants to survive under oxidative stress conditions, but it still caused damage (e.g. oxidants increase and weight decrease) to the plant. Therefore, Melissa officinalis was sensitive to stress caused by ultraviolet rays.

Background: This research studied the effect of UV light on pentachlorophenol (PCP) removal in the electro-Fenton (EF) process. Methods: PCP was used as the pollutant in this study. The effects of Fenton’ s reagent, i. e. hydrogen peroxide concentration, solution pH, and treatment time by EF (EF) and photoelectro-Fenton (PEF) processes, were studied to determine rates of PCP removal. The results showed that a better performance and a high removal efficiency were achieved by coupling UV radiation and the EF process. Results: EF processes required more time to remove PCP, while after a reaction time of 10 minutes, the PEF achieved a removal efficiency of 90. 4%; this value is higher than the maximum efficiency of the EF process (83. 44% after 40 minutes). The kinetic mechanisms of both processes were examined and compared. The rate constants at optimum conditions were 0. 0455 and 0. 0579 min− 1 for EF and PEF processes, respectively. Conclusion: Removal efficiency was obtained in the order of PEF > EF.