Microplastic hotspots mapped across the Southern Ocean reveal areas of potential ecological impact.

Marine microplastic is pervasive, polluting the remotest ecosystems including the Southern Ocean. Since this region is already undergoing climatic changes, the additional stress of microplastic pollution on the ecosystem should not be considered in isolation. We identify potential hotspot areas of ecological impact from a spatial overlap analysis of multiple data sets to understand where marine biota are likely to interact with local microplastic emissions (from ship traffic and human populations associated with scientific research and tourism).

Connecticut Pediatric Opioid Poisoning Trends Surrounding the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objective: Opioids are common substances involved in poisonings with increasing rates in fentanyl-related mortality since 2014. The COVID-19 pandemic compromised school attendance and supervision, which may have increased the risk of opioid ingestions in children. Our objective was to evaluate pediatric opioid poisonings in Connecticut before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Potential Process Control Issues with Vasopressin.

The University of Kentucky's Drug Quality Task Force (DQTF) conducted a study to perform consumer-level quality assurance screening of vasopressin injections used in their healthcare pharmacies. The primary objective was to identify potential quality defects by examining intralot and interlot variability using Raman spectrometry and statistical analyses. Raman spectra were collected noninvasively and nondestructively from vasopressin vials (n=51) using a Thermo Scientific Smartraman DXR3 Analyzer.

An Investigation of Senftenberg Illnesses in the United States Linked to Peanut Butter-2022.

In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and state partners conducted a sample-initiated investigation of a multistate outbreak of Senftenberg illnesses linked to peanut butter.