AV大平台

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Professor Parvez Haris

Job: Professor of Biomedical Science and Head of Research for the School of Allied Health Sciences

Faculty: Health and Life Sciences

School/department: School of Allied Health Sciences

Address: AV大平台, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH.

T: +44 (0)116 250 6306

E: pharis@dmu.ac.uk

W: /hls

 

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Publications and outputs


  • dc.title: Can a healthy 鈥渨ater cycle鈥� in the body prevent or delay dementia ? dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.) dc.description.abstract: Several factors that have been shown to be beneficial for protection against Alzheimer鈥檚 disease and other type of dementia appears to have in common the enhancement of water movement in the body through a cycle of 鈥渨ater loss鈥� and 鈥渨ater gain鈥�. Factors that contribute to this 鈥渨ater loss鈥� and 鈥渨ater gain鈥� cycle include physical exercise, sleep, Mediterranean diet, coffee, green tea, sauna, diuretic medications, etc. There is a link with water in all of these factors. Physical exercise leads to loss of water through breathing and sweating. This loss is compensated by drinking water after exercise and often water is also consumed before exercise. Sleeping leads to greater water loss, compared to the awake state, due to abstinence from food and water. This causes mild dehydration leading to shrinking of cells which increases the volume of the interstitial space enhancing the clearance of wastes from the brain. Water is consumed after waking up and this leads to swelling of cells and this circadian rhythm of cell shrinking and cell swelling may act like a 鈥減ump鈥� that enhances waste clearance from the body. The Mediterranean diet contains water-rich foods which is beneficial for hydration. Coffee and green tea contain caffeine that has diuretic properties which assists in removing water from the body. Taking sauna enhances water loss (sweating) which is followed by 鈥渨ater gain鈥� (drinking of water). Research have shown that those who take the diuretic medication, bumetanide, have significantly lower prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. According to the arguments presented here, this is also due to removal of water from the body that enhances a healthy movement of water in the body. A daily cycle of healthy 鈥渨ater gain鈥� and 鈥渨ater loss鈥� through sleep, physical activity & diet may offer a strategy for prevention and treatment of dementia.

  • dc.title: Was Hippocrates the first to describe an epidemic caused by methanol poisoning? dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.) dc.description.abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the world witnessed an increase in deaths and hospitalisations due to methanol poisoning associated with accidental exposure to this toxic form of alcohol. Fake news spread through the social media that drinking alcohol or hand sanitizers can be protective against COVID-19 infection. As a consequence, in Iran 6,000 people were hospitalised and as many as 800 people lost their lives due to methanol poisoning. Some of the victims were children and teenagers. Drinking methanol contaminated alcoholic beverages kills thousands of people each year. Methanol is deliberately added to beverages as it is cheaper than ethanol. However, methanol can also be produced naturally in foods such as wines and fruit juices and its concentration in wine and spirits is strictly regulated in many countries around the world. To the authors best knowledge, there are no description of ancient epidemics caused by methanol poisoning. Here it is suggested that Hippocrates is the first person to describe a methanol poisoning epidemic. In his first book of Epidemics, Hippocrates describes the following symptoms that fits perfectly well with what is currently known about methanol poisoning. The following is taken from the translation by Francis Adams (Book I, Section II): 鈥淧ains about the head and neck, and heaviness of the same along with pain, occur either without fevers or in fevers. Convulsions occurring in persons attacked with frenzy, and having vomitings of verdigris-green bile, in some cases quickly prove fatal. In ardent fevers, and in those other fevers in which there is pain of the neck, heaviness of the temples, mistiness about the eyes, and distention about the hypochondriac region, not unattended with pain, hemorrhage from the nose takes place, but those who have heaviness of the whole head, cardialgia and nausea, vomit bilious and pituitous matters; children, in such affections, are generally attacked with convulsions, and women have these and also pains of the uterus; whereas, in elder persons, and those in whom the heat is already more subdued, these cases end in paralysis, mania, and loss of sight鈥�. Nearly all of the symptoms described are those seen with methanol poisoning that are currently well known. The source of methanol could be wine which was not only drunk for pleasure but was also an important medicine used by Hippocrates and others in ancient Greece. It is well known that methanol can be produced from grapes during fermentation and its concentration can increase when it is produced from grapes contaminated with fungus. It is possible, that the epidemic described by Hippocrates in his first and third book relates to poisoning from unusually higher levels of methanol in wine and other beverages produced from contaminated grapes. Over 25 centuries after his death, detailed observations made by Hippocrates continues to influence modern medicine and medical history in diverse ways.

  • dc.title: Occupational exposure explains the higher COVID-19 deaths amongst the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups in the United Kingdom dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.) dc.description.abstract: Occupational exposure explains the higher COVID-19 deaths amongst the Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups in the United Kingdom Parvez I. Haris Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, AV大平台, Leicester, United Kingdom, E-Mail: pharis@dmu.ac.uk COVID-19 mortality data from the UK office of National Statistics (ONS) reveals that the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities were not only adversely affected during the first and second waves but also showed the largest increase in mortality in the second wave. In the second wave, there was a 60% reduction for black Africans (men and women) but a dramatic increase by 124% and 97% for men and women from Pakistani ethnicity, respectively. As yet, this alarming increase in deaths during the second wave has not been explained although multiple factors are likely to have been responsible. The Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups suffered economically due to the lockdown as a large proportion of the people from these communities鈥� own restaurants and takeaways and also work in this sector. To support this badly affected sector, a 鈥渆at out to help out鈥� scheme was introduced by the government with the price of meals discounted by 50%. This was a great incentive for the businesses and the community to generate income and also for the public to enjoy meals at discounted prices during the summer of 2020. During the period of the scheme, long queues were seen outside restaurants throughout the country, especially in areas with a high concentration of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. People from these ethnicities have the highest percentage of people working in the sector that was most directly connected to the 鈥渆at out to help out鈥� scheme. According to the ONS data, over 30% of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis work in the distribution, hotels and restaurants sector. This is two-fold higher compared to the Black ethnic group and it is also higher than any other ethnic groups. Furthermore, the Bangladeshis and Pakistanis have the highest percentage of people (17.8%) working in the transport and communication sector compared to the Black ethnic group (11.1%). This category of workers, especially taxi and mini-cab drivers, would have been more active during the 鈥渆at out to help out鈥� scheme taking customers to and from restaurants. Small kitchens in restaurants and fast-food outlets were packed with staff serving unusually high number customers taking advantage of heavily discounted meals. Wearing masks, at least properly with the nose and mouth fully covered, in a hot kitchen environment, during busy periods and over several hours of continuous work, is unlikely to have been easy. Social distancing in a kitchen environment is virtually impossible due to space limitation and the need to move around. Furthermore, the ventilation systems in kitchens vary widely and may not have been adequate enough to eliminate virus-laden water droplets exhaled by the restaurant workers. Exposure of virus between workers and customers is likely to have been higher during the 鈥渆at out to help out scheme鈥� compared to other periods. All of this may have created an ideal environment for the transmission of the virus between restaurant workers and customers and thereafter being transmitted to family members and others in the community. In the UK, 43.9% of the Black ethnic group work in the public administration, education and health sectors. In contrast, 25.2% of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis work in this sector. The decrease in COVID-19 deaths amongst the Black ethnic groups (both Black African and Black Caribbean) during the second wave is probably due to the fact that a greater percentage of them work in the more well-regulated and financially well supported sectors such as the NHS and education sectors, where risk assessment and adherence to COVID-19 health and safety measures were strongly implemented, especially after the first wave. In contrast, small businesses such as restaurants, which many Bangladeshi and Pakistanis either own and/or work in, may not have sufficient resources for implementing strict health and safety measures such as social distancing, for example in a small kitchen with 5-6 people working in close contact to each other for many hours for 6-7 days a week. This difference in employment environment of Blacks, compared to Bangladeshis and Pakistanis, may explain why the COVID-19 mortality decreased for the Blacks in the second wave but increased for Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. Taxi and mini-cab drivers were badly affected by COVID-19. During the 鈥渆at out to help out鈥� this sector will have been very busy taking passengers to and from restaurants. Thus a combination of working in restaurants and driving taxis may explain the higher mortality from COVID-19 in Bangladeshi and Pakistanis and this increased substantially in the second wave due to higher activity in these sectors caused by the 鈥渆at out to help out鈥� incentive. To conclude, the key factor responsible for the higher COVID-19 deaths in the Bangladeshi and Pakistani communities is due to higher risk of exposure to the virus as they have higher percentage of people working in restaurants, takeaways and driving taxis and mini-cabs. The frequency and dose of exposure to the virus is likely to be high due to duration of time spent in overcrowded kitchens, taxis and mini-cabs. The well intentioned 鈥渆at out to help out鈥� scheme turned out to be an opportunity for making more money for businesses and their staff as well as greater enjoyment for the customers but it created an ideal environment for exposure to COVID-19. Adequate risk assessment and necessary support is needed to protect the health and safety of workers and customers in restaurants, fast-food outlets and those working as taxi and mini-cab drivers. This is particularly urgent as prevention strategies, such as wearing of masks and social distancing, are lifted from 19 July 2021.

  • dc.title: Biomembrane Structures dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.); Chapman, D.

  • dc.title: New biomedical materials: basic and applied studies dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.); Chapman, D.

  • dc.title: Henry Horst Mantsch鈥揂 visionary biomedical spectroscopist and a true interdisciplinary professional dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.)

  • dc.title: Laurence Barron: The founding father of Raman optical activity. dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.)

  • dc.title: Correction: Multiple Sclerosis in the Mount Etna Region: Possible Role of Volcanogenic Trace Elements dc.contributor.author: Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.)

  • dc.title: Progress in vibrational spectroscopy in diagnosis and screening dc.contributor.author: Severcan, F.; Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.); Aksoy, C.; Simsek Ozek, N.

  • dc.title: Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules: Proceedings from the 14th European Conference on the Spectroscopy of Biological Molecules 2011 dc.contributor.author: Marques, M.P.; de Carvalho, L.B.; Haris, P. I. (Parvez I.)

Research interests/expertise

  • Application of diverse biophysical techniques such as FTIR, NMR, CD, MALDI-TOF, ICP-MS, Fluorescence as well as Synchrotron based spectroscopic methods, for characterisation of medically important peptides, proteins, macromolecular interactions including protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions.  Studies are also performed on cells, tissues and biofluids.
  • Development of spectroscopic and bioinformatics tools for application in the fields of proteomics, metabolomics, disease diagnosis, screening and treatment.
  • Structure-function studies of novel antimicrobial agents, based mainly on peptides and proteins, to counter antibiotic resistance.
  • Role of metals in health and disease through analysis of metals in the environment, diet and the human body.
  • Understanding the complex relationship between diet, exposure to pollutants, nutrition, life-style, ethnicity and health through human biomonitoring studies.
  • Improving human health and the environment through development of novel, environmental friendly, strategies for removal of toxic contaminants from water and the food-chain.
  • Studies of migrant health with particular focus on the relationship between health and practices such as betel quid chewing, geophagy.

Areas of teaching

  • Biochemical Disease Processes
  • Biomedical Techniques
  • Protein Structure-Function
  • Advanced Topics in Biomedical Science
  • Bioinformatics

Qualifications

PhD, BSc (Hons.)

AV大平台 taught

  • BSc Biomedical Science
  • MSc Biomedical Science
  • MPharm Pharmacy
  • MSc Pharmaceutical Biotechnology

Membership of professional associations and societies

  • Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC, CChem)
  • Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health (FRSPH)
  • Member of the Biochemical Society (since 1986)

Professional licences and certificates

Chartered Chemist (CChem)

Current research students

  • First Supervisor: 5 PhD students
  • Second Supervisor: 5 PhD students

Externally funded research grants information

Funding for research has been obtained from various sources including the UK Research Councils (EPSRC, BBSRC), the British Council, the European Union etc. For example, principal investigator, from DMU, on a research consortium consisting of 15 leading European Universities (awarded EU grant of €3.15 million of which €198490.46 is allocated to AV大平台) investigating the human health impact of geogenic elements in groundwater and soils in the European Union. This was a 4 year project that started in January 2007.

Professional esteem indicators

  • Editor-in-Chief: Biomedical Spectroscopy and Imaging
  • Editorial Advisory Panel Member: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering
  • Editor: Biochemical Journal (until 2008)
  • Editor: Analytical Cellular Oncology
  • Editorial Advisor: Molecular Membrane Biology
  • Committee Member and treasurer of the Protein and Peptide Science Group of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
  • Committee Member of the Molecular Structures Theme Panel of theBiochemical Society (until March 2012)