Microplastic occurrence in the digestive system and health status assessment in a commercially important cephalopod species, Sepia officinalis from the Gulf of Patti (southern Tyrrhenian Sea).

Cephalopods are ecologically and economically important species and play a key role in marine ecosystems. However, knowledge about the presence and effects of microplastic (MP) ingestion in this taxonomic group is still limited. The present research aimed to explore plastic ingestion and health status in the cuttlefish, Sepia officinalis, from the Gulf of Patti in the southern Tyrrhenian Sea, for the first time.

Targeted bismuth-based materials for cancer.

The use of bismuth and its compounds in biomedicine has developed rapidly in recent years. Due to their unique properties, there are great opportunities for the development of new non-invasive strategies for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of cancers. This perspective highlights key fabrication methods to generate well-defined and clinically relevant bismuth materials of varying characteristics.

Grade classification of nasal obstruction from endoscopy videos using machine learning.

Nasal obstruction (NO), referring to blockage in the nasal cavity, is prevalent, affecting approximately one-third of the adult population. Consequently, diagnosis typically requires a combination of medical imaging techniques and tests, as NO is often subjective. This study aims to automate the grade classification of NO from anterior nasal cavity images using nasal endoscopy as a standalone diagnostic tool for common NO conditions: allergic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis, and deviated nasal septum.

Incisional Hernia Risk Reduction for Living Kidney Donors: Kidney Extraction Site Matters.

Background: Although most transplant centers preferentially offer minimally invasive approaches to donor nephrectomies, there remains less standardization specific to the kidney extraction site. This study aimed to evaluate incisional hernia occurrence in living kidney donors based on kidney extraction site location.

Study Design: This was a retrospective study of all donors who underwent minimally invasive living donor nephrectomies at the Mayo Clinic Arizona between 2011 and 2023 with a 2-year external validation cohort from Mayo Clinic Florida and Mayo Clinic Minnesota.

The Effectiveness of Functional Septorhinoplasty in Improving COVID-19-related Olfactory Dysfunction.

Long-Term COVID-19-related olfactory dysfunction (C19OD) remains a significant challenge with no established treatment providing meaningful improvement. This study aimed to assess the efficacy of functional septorhinoplasty (fSRP) in improving olfactory dysfunction in patients with persistent C19OD compared to a control group undergoing olfactory training (OT). In this prospective study patients with persistent C19OD undergoing fSRP were enrolled while those declining surgery continued with OT as the control group.

The antibacterial activity and selectivity of bismuth(III) tris(8-hydroxyquinolinates).

The series of bismuth(III) tris(8-hydroxyquinolinates); [Bi(Q")] (1), [Bi(Q'Cl)] (2), [Bi(QCl)] (3), [Bi(QBr)] (4), and [Bi(QI)] (5) (where Q"-H = CHNO; Q'Cl-H = CHNOCl, QCl-H = CHNOCl; QBr-H = CHNOBr; and QI-H = CHNOI) were synthesised, fully characterised, and evaluated for their antibacterial activity towards three Gram-positive bacteria (vancomycin-resistant E. faecalis, S. aureus, methicillin-resistant S.

Facilitating best clinical practice in domestic violence work with hospital social workers.

Background: Domestic and family violence (DFV) is a major public health issue mainly affecting women and children. Health services are an important site in the identification and initial response to DFV. Social Workers often lead the psychosocial response to DFV.

Irradiated Homologous Costal Cartilage Grafts in Complex Functional Septorhinoplasty.

Optimal results in complex nasal reconstruction, particularly in the context of post-traumatic and revision septorhinoplasty, often require the use of cartilage grafts to provide additional structural support to the nose. While autologous costal cartilage (ACC) has been traditionally used, this can be limited by donor site morbidity, increased operative time, and in some cases, lack of suitable cartilage for grafting. There has been a trend towards using irradiated homologous costal cartilage (IHCC) as an alternative source of graft material.

Facile construction of polyoxometalate-polymer hybrid nanoparticles with pH/redox dual-responsiveness.

Responsive nanomaterials have emerged as promising candidates for advanced drug delivery systems (DDSs), offering the potential to precisely target disease sites and enhance treatment efficacy. To fulfil their potential, such materials need to be engineered to respond to specific variations in biological conditions. In this work, we present a series of pH/redox dual-responsive hybrid nanoparticles featuring an amphiphilic shell polymer and a pH-responsive core polymer.

Highly selective organo-gallium hydroxamate mediated inhibition of antibiotic resistant .

Five complexes of gallium derived from hydroxamic acids have been synthesised, characterised, and their anti-bacterial activity and mammalian cell toxicity established. These are three metal-organic complexes; [Ga(BPHA)] 1, [Ga(BHA-)] 2, [Ga(SHA-)(SHA-)] 3, and two heteroleptic organometallic complexes [GaMe(BPHA)] 4, and [GaMe(BHA-)] 5, along with the iron complex [Fe(BPHA)] 6 (BPHA-H = -benzoyl--phenylhydroxamic acid, BHA-H = phenylhydroxamic acid, and SHA-H = salicylhydroxamic acid). Solid-state structures of 1, 4-6 were identified by single-crystal X-ray crystallography.

Assessing the Quality and Readability of Online Patient Information: ENT UK Patient Information e-Leaflets versus Responses by a Generative Artificial Intelligence.

Background:  The evolution of artificial intelligence has introduced new ways to disseminate health information, including natural language processing models like ChatGPT. However, the quality and readability of such digitally generated information remains understudied. This study is the first to compare the quality and readability of digitally generated health information against leaflets produced by professionals.

Objective and Subjective Outcomes Following Radiofrequency of Inferior Turbinates in Patients with Sleep-Disordered Breathing.

Background: Nasal obstruction is a frequent problem amongst patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Radiofrequency of the inferior turbinates (RFIT) is commonly utilized for inferior turbinate (IT) reduction but its effectiveness in SDB patients remains unproven. We aim to evaluate long-term objective and subjective nasal, olfactory and sleep outcomes following RFIT in SDB patients.

Tri-aryl antimony(V) hydroximato and hydroxamato complexes: Combining lipophilic Sb(III/V) and hydroxamic acids in combating Leishmania.

Six novel tri-aryl antimony(V) hydroximato complexes (3-8) with composition [SbAr(ONCR)] (3: Ar = Ph, R = o-(OH)Ph, 4: Ar = Ph, R = Me, 5: Ar = Ph, R = Ph; 6: Ar = Mes, R = Me, 7: Ar = Mes, R = Ph, 8: Ar = Mes, R = o-(OH)Ph (where Ph = phenyl, Me = methyl, Mes = mesityl)), were synthesised and evaluated for anti-parasitic activity towards Leishmania major (L. major) promastigotes and amastigotes. Complexes of the form [SbAr(ONCR)], with the dianionic hydroximato ligand binding O,O'-bidentate to the Sb(V) centre, exist in the solid-state for the mesityl-derived complexes.

The Role of Botulinum Toxin A Neuromodulator in the Management of Synkinesis in Facial Palsy.

Facial palsy describes the denervation of the facial nerve leading to difficulty in facial animation and expression. Facial synkinesis is the result of complex pathological nerve regeneration following damage to the facial nerve axons. Synkinesis in facial palsy can be managed using facial neuromuscular rehabilitation, botulinum toxin neuromodulators, and surgical treatment options.

Effects of open-label transdermal nicotine antidepressant augmentation on affective symptoms and executive function in late-life depression.

Background: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by a poor response to antidepressant medications and diminished cognitive performance, particularly in executive functioning. There is currently no accepted pharmacotherapy for LLD that effectively treats both mood and cognitive symptoms. This study investigated whether transdermal nicotine augmentation of standard antidepressant medications benefitted mood and cognitive symptoms in LLD.

Inconsistent Methods Used to Set Airway Pressure Release Ventilation in Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Regression Analysis.

Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is a protective mechanical ventilation mode for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that theoretically may reduce ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) and ARDS-related mortality. However, there is no standard method to set and adjust the APRV mode shown to be optimal. Therefore, we performed a meta-regression analysis to evaluate how the four individual APRV settings impacted the outcome in these patients.

A human neural crest model reveals the developmental impact of neuroblastoma-associated chromosomal aberrations.

Early childhood tumours arise from transformed embryonic cells, which often carry large copy number alterations (CNA). However, it remains unclear how CNAs contribute to embryonic tumourigenesis due to a lack of suitable models. Here we employ female human embryonic stem cell (hESC) differentiation and single-cell transcriptome and epigenome analysis to assess the effects of chromosome 17q/1q gains, which are prevalent in the embryonal tumour neuroblastoma (NB).

Psychological Aspects of Facial Palsy.

This article discusses the psychological effects of facial palsy (FP) in adults. FP is the abnormal functioning of facial muscles resulting from temporary or permanent damage of the facial nerves. Following facial paralysis, patients can develop motor and psychosocial functioning issues impacting quality of life.