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Background and purpose: Polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAHs) are considered as priority organic compounds pollutants worldwide due to their high toxicity. Presence of oil wells has made petroleum hydrocarbon as one of the sources of pollution in the Caspian Sea. These are the pollutants of soil and water which are very dangerous and lethal for the aquatic ecosystem. The purpose of this study was to determine the 16PAHs (as oil pollution) in the sediments and two commercial fish in the Caspian Sea. Materials and methods: In this study, 32 sediment samples were collected from 8 stations at eight transects at 10 meter depth during four seasons. Also, 34 samples of Liza saliens (n=17) and Rutilus frisii kutum (n=17) were taken from the south of Caspian Sea. The samples were extracted using Soxhlet execrator with organic solvents and then analyzed using GC-FID (Shimadzu-14 A) instruments. Results: Concentration of 16PAHs in sediment in most stations was lower than critical level (NOAA standard). Applying different PAHs ratios, it was found that PAHs originated predominantly from the pyrogenic source either from the combustion of grass, wood and coal (majority of the samples) or from petroleum combustion (harbor area). The mean concentration of PAHs in Liza. s and R. frisii kutum were observed 2460 ± 60 and 2710 ± 56 µg/kg dw, respectively and 990 ± 33 µg/kg dw for sediment. In general, concentrations of PAHs in edible tissue of two species were higher than their corresponding sediment concentrations reflecting their great bioavailability (242-3880 µg/kg dw). The highest concentrations were observed in some ports of the southern Caspian Sea (Anzali, Nowshahr, and Amirabad), probably due to intensive shipping activities. Conclusion: The distribution pattern of PAHs was similar for fish and sediments, particularly for sediments characterized by high contamination level, and they were dominated by the high molecular weight PAHs (4-6-rings) which have high ecological risks.

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Background and purpose: Petroleum hydrocarbons might have a natural origin, but human activity is the main source of these pollutants in the environment. This study was done to determine the origin of n-alkanes and PAHs in surface sediments of the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea. Materials and methods: A total of 12 sediment samples from six stations in Noshahr and Amir Abad ports were collected from 5, 15 and 30 meters depths. The samples were analyzed using gas chromatography. Results: In order to determine the origin of the n-alkanes we used CPI index (0.40-1.20), and biomarkers such as U/R (1.20-5.40), LMW / HMW (1.90-24.00), Pristane and Phytane (0.13-0.65). Also, to identify the source of PAHs the ratios of LMW / HMW (1.31-3.31), Phenanthrene / Anthracene (10.35- 12.88), Fluoranthene/Fl (0-0/43) + Pyrene, Benzo (a) anthracene / Chrysene (0.18-0/39), Fluoranthene / Pyrene (0.002-0.77) and An / An + Phe (0.01-0.09) were used. The results showed that n-alkanes and PAHs in the region both had petrogenic origins. This could be due to the reason that the studied regions are commercial ports with high rate of shipping activities. Conclusion: According to this study oil extraction in the country of Azerbaijan was the main source of oil pollution in the region which polluted the water by anticyclonic flow.

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Background and purpose: Cold-smoking is one of the most common ways to increase the shelf life of fish during storage. Materials and methods: This study aimed to extract and measure the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) carcinogens, using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC)-mass, fatty acids profile, nutritional value, and bacterial community in three widely-used species of smoked fishes [Rutilus frisii (Kutum), Liza aurata, and Hypophthalmichthys molitri] of Caspian Sea, Iran. Results: Amounts of high molecular weight (HMW)-PAHs, as indicator of carcinogenic components in smoke, showed concentrations of 0.100, 0.039 and 0.033 µg/kg in smoked Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Liza aurata and Rutilus frisii, respectively (P < 0.05). The concentration of Benzo[a]Pyrene was calculated in Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Rutilus frisii 0.001, and in Liza aurata 0.004 µg/kg (P < 0.05). The amounts of ω-3 in Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Liza aurata and Rutilus frisii were 15.79%, 11.18% and 8.74%, respectively (P < 0.05). The Poleyen index amounts (EPA+DHA/C16) were 0.30% in, 0.13% and 0.14% in Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Liza aurata and Rutilus frisii, respectively (P < 0.05). High correlation was considered between amounts of lipids and PAHs (R2 = 0.56). Number of anaerobic bacteria in smoked Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Liza aurata and Rutilus frisii was 5.26, 5.15 and 5.18 log ufc/g, respectively and amounts of total coliform (TC) was recorded 5.21, 5.23 and 5.20 in them, respectively (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Contents of PAHs, quality indexes and bacterial community were at the accepted ranges and the suitable unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and Polyen index were considerable in studied fish.

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Background and purpose: Shadegan wetland as the largest wetland in Iran is constantly exposed to hydrocarbons entering through the main entrance of the lagoon including Jarahi River, outbursts of seasonal rivers from upstream, Persian Gulf tides from downstream, atmospheric deposition, and possible leaks from oil pipelines. The aim of this study was to investigate toxicity and identifying the sources and spatial distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in surface sediments of the study area for its appropriate management.

Materials and methods: Sediment samples were collected (in 2015) from 202 stations at the top 5 cm of the sediment according to a systematic-random sampling design. The concentrations of PAHs were analyzed by GC–MS.

Results: The total PAHs (sum of 30 PAH compounds) ranged from 593.74 to 53393.86 ng/g dw. The results of diagnostic ratios indicated that the study area was highly contaminated by petrogenic hydrocarbon sources. The concentrations of PAHs in this research were substantially higher than those found in many other aquatic systems and significantly more than current sediment quality criteria (ERL).

Conclusion: High levels of petrogenic contamination were found in sediments of Shadegan wetland. A vast majority of the study area (90%) is subjected to chronic pollution of oil contaminants that could adversely affect benthic biota.

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Background and purpose: Phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disorder with an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance, is mainly due to phenyalanine hydroxylase deficiency. In Iran, many studies have investigated the genetics of this disease among different populations. This study aimed to report the frequencies of the mutations for each population as determined in different studies.

Materials and methods: The studies that were published during 2003-2015 in online databases including PubMed, ISI Web of Science, SCOPUS, Science Direct, SID, Wiley Online Library, and Elsevier were searched. To this aim, a combination of the following keywords was employed: 'phenylketonuria', 'phenylketonuria + Iran', 'mutation + phenylketonuria + Iran', and 'phenylketonuria + genetics and Iran'.

Results: Totally, 11 studies were on the genetics of PKU. According to the results, 53 mutations were reported in different populations of Iran. Nonsense, deletion, missense, and splice-site mutations, were detected in 6, 6, 28, and 30 cases, respectively. Furthermore, IVS10-11G>A and p.Pro281Leu, p.Gln383Ter and IVS10-11G>A, and p.Arg252Trp were found to be the most prevalent mutations in Azerbayjan and Kermanshah, Khorasan, and Isfahan, repectively. Additionally, p.Gln375Arg and p.Gln383Ter were the two mutations observed in Khuzestan and Khorasan for the first time.

Conclusion: Considering the prevalence of consanguineous marriage in Iran, determining the common PAH gene mutations is important for designing screening panels.

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         Background and purpose: The Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world. Due to having a long            coastal line, population areas, agricultural and industrial activity its have always been exposed to variety of pollutants. Due to variaty effects of pollutant on aquatic life and human, periodic investigation of pollutant in water bodis is wery important.

        Materials and methods: In this study, oil pollution and heavy metal (nickel and vanadium) contamination of sediment and gamaros samples from Guilan province coasts were investigated. For hydrocarbon analyze, the samples were extracted with a Soxhlet extractor and analyzed with (GC-MS). In order to heavy metals analyzes, samples were digested with HNO3 /HCL (1:3) and analysed with ICP-OES spectrometers.

         Results: Total mean concentration of PAHs in sediment and Living tissue was 19.8 ng/g and 35.4 ng/g respectively. Also total mean concentration of TPH in sediment and Living tissue was 11.4 µg/g and 38.4 µg/g respectively. mean concentration of nickel and vanadium in sediment was 16.45 µg/g and 45 µg/g respectively also mean concentration of nickel and vanadium in soft tissue was 2.16 µg/g and 2.06 µg/g respectively.

         Conclusion: Ratio values of PAH compounds were calculated to evaluate the possible source of PAH contamination. This ratios suggesting that this reagain have a petrogenic and pyrogenic input of PAHs. Sediment quality guidelines were conducted to assess the toxicity of PAH compounds. The levels of total PAHs at all of stations were below the effects range low. Also, concentrations of nickel and vanadium were below the standards.

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Background and purpose: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) compounds are amongst the most hazardous environmental pollutants due to some features such as chemical stability, low degradation, bioaccumulation, and high toxicity for living organisms. Their resources are found in Persian Gulf beaches, so, this study aimed at investigating the concentration, source identification, and ecological risk of PAH compounds in coastal sediments in Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), Iran.
Materials and methods: In order to assess the concentration of PAHs, 16 stations along the coast were selected and in each station two samples were collected. After preparation and extraction of samples using Soxhlet, the concentrations of these compounds were determined by HPLC. The toxicity evaluation indicators and diagnostic ratios were used to assess the ecological risk and determining their origin.
Results: Mean concentration of PAHs in sediment was 292.72±54.44 ng/g dry weight. The mean effects range-median quotient of the PAHs (M-ERM-Q, M-PEL-Q), toxic equivalence quotient (TEQ), and mutagenic equivalence quotient (MEQ) showed that current values were less than the permissible limit. Comparison of PAHs concentration with sediment quality standards (NOAA, SQGs, and EPA) showed that the values for all compounds were lower than the standard limits (PEC, TEC, PEL, TEL, ERM). However, among these compounds, the average concentration of Acl was higher than the ERL standard and the concentrations of Acl, Ace, and Phe were higher than the EPA toxicity threshold.
Conclusion: In this study, moderate PHAs pollution was seen in the region. Both petrogenic and fuel sources were found to be involved in introduction of these compounds into coastal sediments depending on the location of the station and its sources of contamination. Also, in terms of ecological risk, these compounds have low risks for living organisms.