Evaluating microplastic contamination in Omani mangrove habitats using large mud snails (Terebralia palustris).

This study investigated microplastic pollution in the large mud snail Terebralia palustris (Linnaeus, 1767) (Gastropoda: Potamididae) inhabiting the Avicennia marina mangrove ecosystems along the Sea of Oman. A modified digestion protocol, combining two methods, was employed to improve the detection of microplastics within the snail tissue. Results indicated that 50 % of the examined snails contained microplastics, with significant variability observed among different lagoons.

Discharge Pain Medications: Do They Affect 6-Month Patient-Reported Outcomes After Operative Treatment of CMC Arthritis?

Background: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between discharge opioids after operative treatment of carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis and patient-reported outcomes (PROs) over a 6-month episode of care.

Methods: A total of 172 patients met inclusion criteria for this study. Patient-reported outcomes including patient-reported wrist/hand evaluation (PRWHE), single assessment numeric evaluation, and PRO measurement information system (PROMIS) global-10 questionnaires were collected prospectively and stored in an electronic data capture system until review for the purpose of this study.

Generic Volar Locking Plate Use in Distal Radius Fractures: A Prospective Randomized Study to Evaluate Clinical Outcomes and Cost Reduction.

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate differences in 90-day clinical outcomes between patients treated with generic volar locking plates (VLPs) and conventional VLPs in distal radius fractures. Secondary aims included assessing for differences in surgical characteristics and cost between the groups.

Methods: From November 2022 to April 2023, a prospective block-randomized study was undertaken in which surgeons alternated between using a generic VLP and a conventional VLP each month.

Specific discrimination of pathogenic bacteria causing septic arthritis using Raman spectroscopy: In-vitro study.

In this study we performed preliminary experiments using Raman spectroscopy as an evolving technology in biofluid and microbial characterization, to explore its potential for rapid diagnosis of pathogenic bacteria in an in-vitro synovial fluid infection model. Normal human synovial fluids samples were collected from patients undergoing knee surgery and the three most common pathogenic bacteria introduced in-vitro into the samples. The bacterial growth was systematically monitored using a Raman spectroscopy.

Enhanced intramolecular charge transfer and near-infrared fluorescence in 4-dimethylamino-chalcone analogues through extended conjugation: synthesis, photophysical properties, and theoretical modelling.

The distinctive characteristics of near-infrared fluorescent organic molecules render them indispensable across diverse applications, from energy harvesting to bioimaging and sensing technologies. In this work, we continue our investigation on the chalcone derivative, 4-dimethylamino-2'-hydroxychalcone (DHC, = 1; where is the number of olefinic bonds), by expanding the number of central double bonds ( = 2 (2DHC) and = 3 (3DHC)). Additionally, we also synthesized the structurally related chalcones lacking the OH group (DC, 2DC, 3DC) in order to obtain a comprehensive understanding of their effects on the intramolecular charge transfer (ICT).