Advances in chitin and chitosan-based materials for microplastics treatment.

Microplastics (MPs) have emerged as widespread environmental pollutants in aquatic ecosystems, primarily due to the extensive use of plastic products, their persistent nature, and improper disposal methods. It is essential to develop effective purification methods to treat the hazardous MPs in water. Chitin and chitosan (CS) have gained attention as promising adsorbents for MPs because of their low cost, abundance, biodegradability, and the presence of functional groups such as amino and hydroxyl groups, which facilitate the removal of various toxins from wastewater.

Relationship of vitamin D, fibrinogen and their ratio with acute coronary syndrome: A comparative analysis of unstable angina, NSTEMI, and STEMI.

Background: There is emerging evidence suggesting that vitamin D and fibrinogen play contrasting roles in ACS pathophysiology and their combined impact, expressed as the vitamin D/fibrinogen ratio, can be a potential biomarker for ACS severity. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D, fibrinogen, and their ratio with ACS types, and assess their potential as risk stratification biomarkers.

Methods: This multicenter observational study was conducted in tertiary care hospitals in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Pakistan, including 300 ACS patients.

Microplastics monitoring in different environments: separation, physicochemical characterization, and quantification.

Multiple environments (such as water and soil) on Earth are contaminated with randomly distributed microplastics (MPs). Wind and water can redistribute MPs from their point sources to diverse locations (such as farmland, lakes, and rivers), thus necessitating simultaneous monitoring. This study systematically investigated the contamination of MPs in the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), its surrounding water bodies, and the soils around plastic factories.

Investigating the performance of asphalt pavements modified with reclaimed asphalt and crumb rubber.

This research provides useful insights into sustainable and cost-effective pavement rehabilitation by evaluating the combined effects of both Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) and Crumb Rubber (CR) modification on flexible pavement performance using actual motorway sections. Pavement rehabilitation and maintenance can enhance the design and serviceable life of the pavement. Additionally, modification of asphalt with Crumb Rubber (CR) and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) not only proves to be economical but can also increase the resistance of flexible pavement concerning rutting, fatigue, and moisture damage.

Significant spatiotemporal shifts of land cover over the Mongolian Plateau through the past three decades.

Land cover (LC) change is a crucial indicator reflecting the interaction between human activities and ecological environment. In semi-arid and arid regions like the Mongolian Plateau (MP), LC change analysis is particularly meaningful in shaping biodiversity, agricultural and grassland environment, and climate regulation, but long-term spatiotemporal dynamics of LC change in MP remain uncertain. This study employed an intensity analysis approach to investigate LC changes over the MP from 1990 to 2020 by using a fine-scale 30 m resolution land cover dataset generated from multi-source satellite images.