The Flora of Iran is very rich due to the diverse climatic and soil conditions in mdifferent ecological regions. Iran has around 10000 species of wild plant of which about 850 are considered being medicinally important. In the present work the phytochemistry of several Iranian medicinal plants and their possible usage will be discussed.

Soil micro-organisms are an integral but often underestimated part of plant and soil ecosystems. Long-term industrial air pollution in the Sudbury, Ontario region has altered vegetation and soil, and therefore, possibly, soil microbial function. This study focuses on the historical pollution gradient resulting from a decommissioned smelter near Sudbury, and aims to determine the effect of conta...

Although little is known about the behavior of engineered nanomaterials after exposure to terrestrial areas, recent studies indicate that silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can perturb the soil environment due to their biocidal and catalytic properties. The fundamental evaluation of the environmental fate of AgNPs would be a significant step toward a comprehensive understanding of the harmful effects...

Soil aggregates include sand/silt/clay, water, ion and organic matter contents combined with natural dry/wet (D/W) cycling alters both the formation and function of intra-aggregate pore continuity, connectivity, dead-end storage volumes, and tortuosity. Surface aggregates in the 0-5 cm depths of most soils experience from 34 to 57 D/W cycles that exceed differences in water contents >10%. Both ...

The observance of hand hygiene compliance is important to reduce cross-infection by micro-organisms. The aim of this preliminary study was to evaluate the level of hand hygiene in healthcare workers from different departments, with particular emphasis on transient flora. The study was conducted in three departments (Surgery, Intensive Care Unit, Obstetrics and Gynecology) of a hospital in Campa...

Effective prophylactic antibiotic agents are active against most but not all potential pathogens, which usually are endogenous flora. The goal of antibiotic prophylaxis is to prevent infection, not to cure or treat disease. In contrast to the therapeutic use of antibiotics, prophylaxis must be administered before the potential exposure, and usually for a short duration (less than 24 hours). The...