Metals are essential for the physiological and biochemical processes in the human brain. However, their accumulation can cause neurotoxic effects, including the generation of reactive oxygen species and structural changes in biomolecules. This study aimed to assess the presence and distribution of metals in the human globus pallidus internus using Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) and Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDX). Post-mortem brain tissue samples from six individuals without clinical neuropathological findings were analysed. PIXE analysis revealed the presence of Fe, Cr, Al, Zn, Pb, and Ca. SEM-EDX analysis provided the qualitative elemental composition of an observed aggregate, revealing C, N, O, Na, Ca, Al, Si, S, K, Mg, Cl, Fe, Ni, and Cr. Our findings suggest that metal accumulation in the brain can result from environmental pollution and protein aggregation, as well as biomineralisation processes that sequester metal ions to mitigate their harmful effects. A deeper understanding of these accumulation pathways could contribute to improved therapeutic strategies for neurological diseases associated with metal toxicity.

This study aims to statistically compare two methods for determining ²¹⁰Pb in tobacco: the molecular recognition sorbent method (AnaLig Sr01) and the extraction chromatography sorbent method (Sr Resin). The TriCarb 3100 TR liquid scintillation spectrometer was used to measure and determine ²¹⁰Pb activity in the tobacco solution. Statistical analysis confirmed the accuracy and precision of the ²¹⁰Pb measurements, with high detection efficiencies of 82% for both AnaLig Sr01 and Sr Resin. The linear model demonstrated that the residuals followed the Gaussian model, without any autocorrelation or trend. Paired t tests showed consistent results across all methods, and all solid-phase extraction methods proved efficient for ²¹⁰Pb separations in tobacco samples. These findings provide support for the suitability of both methods and lay a foundation for future articles on tobacco and cigarette samples.

Chronic skin defects, particularly venous leg ulcers, impose a substantial clinical and socio-economic burden. This single-arm observational study was undertaken to describe the healing dynamics, pain outcomes, feasibility and tolerability of adjuvant visible incoherent polarised (VIP) phototherapy in patients with chronic skin defects who were managed with full standard care, and to examine whether outcomes varied with the principal clinical problem and treatment duration. A prospective, single-arm cohort of 50 patients (38 females, 12 males; mean age 69.4 years) was observed. Adjuvant VIP phototherapy (626 nm; 2 mW/cm ² ) was applied alongside the standard conservative and surgical wound care received by all patients, for 10–20 min per field, two to three times daily; the continuous emission mode was changed to a pulsed mode (5 Hz) after 7–10 days. Wound area was assessed planimetrically in a representative case, and pain on a 0–10 numeric scale. No sham-irradiated control group was included. Positive healing dynamics were recorded in 92% of the cohort and complete defect closure in 52% ( n = 26). In the chronic-pain subgroup ( n = 17), pain was reduced in 12 patients and resolved in 5. Improvement was associated with the principal clinical problem (χ ² = 10.406; df = 3; p = 0.015) and with therapy duration (χ ² = 8.630; df = 3; p = 0.035). Two patients reported mild, transient local reactions; no severe adverse events occurred. In this uncontrolled cohort, adjuvant VIP phototherapy was feasible, well tolerated and accompanied by favourable healing and pain outcomes. Because no control group was studied, these findings cannot be attributed to the light itself and are hypothesis-generating; randomised, sham-controlled trials are required.

The accumulation of metallic micro- and nanoparticles in the human hippocampus is increasingly linked to neurotoxic processes and neurodegenerative disorders. Precise segmentation and detailed characterization of these particles are crucial to understanding their role. This study presents a novel method that combines discrete segmentation based on graph-cut theory with Dinic’s algorithm for the computation of maximum flow. The images are modeled as directed weighted graphs, with pixel intensities and gradients defining edge capacities, enabling robust segmentation in electron microscopy data. To ensure robustness, the method is validated against ground-truth masks, achieving a Dice coefficient of 0.97898 ± 0.0172 and an Intersection over Union (IoU) of 0.9609 ± 0.0326. Morphometric parameters—area, perimeter, circularity, and Feret diameters—are automatically extracted. Concurrently, elemental analysis using Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) reveals a heterogeneous composition, including iron-rich particles and compounds containing nickel and chromium. The observed variability highlights the importance of single-particle analysis in better understanding the neurobiological impact of metallic deposits.