Agnes Michalczyk

Material selection for medical equipment manufacturing requires balancing environmental sustainability, economic feasibility, and energy consumption. Despite increased focus on sustainability, few studies have integrated multi-objective optimization frameworks to simultaneously evaluate these factors. This study applies Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) with the ReCiPe endpoint method and uses Multi-Objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) and Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) to optimize material selection for eight equipment categories: hydrophilic urinary catheter, disposable feeding tube, laryngeal mask airway (LMA), laryngoscope handle, laryngoscope blade, central venous catheter kit, breathing circuit, and face mask. Results show reusable items (e.g., central venous catheter kit) have higher impacts on human health (DALY (Disability-Adjusted Life Year)) and resource depletion due to intensive maintenance, whereas single-use alternatives present lower per-use impacts but higher cumulative burdens. Reusable equipment (e.g., laryngoscope blades, face masks) reduces waste but has higher environmental impacts from energy-intensive sterilization, while single-use items have lower per-use impacts but create cumulative burdens over time. Optimization results identify Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as a cost-effective material. MOPSO outperforms MOGA in terms of energy efficiency and environmental impact, making it more suitable for applications where sustainability is prioritized. This study emphasizes balanced material selection, integrating environmental and economic goals to guide sustainable healthcare procurement. This study advances LCA–optimization by incorporating hospital-specific factors and directly comparing MOGA and MOPSO to guide sustainability-focused decisions.

Across the globe, the healthcare sector has significant impacts on the environment. This study used a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the environmental footprints of a variety of types of hospital equipment and consumables in four categories, specifically: reusable instruments, single-use instruments, medical disinfectants, and specimen collection containers. We gathered the required data for the LCA from three sources — Dhaka Medical College Hospital, published literature, and a public database — and analysed it using OpenLCA software. The LCA results show that single-use instruments have higher carbon emissions and terrestrial ecotoxicity than reusable instruments, disinfectants, and containers. Conversely, reusable instruments impact mineral resource scarcity and freshwater ecotoxicity more significantly. The single-use steel laryngoscope handle has the highest greenhouse gas emissions (1.252 kg CO₂ eq), while alcohol swabs have the lowest (0.00315 kg CO₂ eq). The laparotomy tray shows the highest mineral resource scarcity impact (0.0466 kg Cu eq) and freshwater ecotoxicity (measured at 0.36 kg 1,4-Dichlorobenzene (DCB) equivalents), while alcohol swabs and urine specimen jars have the lowest mineral resource scarcity and freshwater ecotoxicity impacts, respectively. These findings can inform strategies to reduce environmental impacts in healthcare. Based on the findings, the study also proposes actionable policy recommendations to promote sustainable procurement, encourage efficient equipment use, and support environmental accountability in hospital practices.

High strength steel in marine environments suffers from severe corrosion susceptibility and the presence of bacteria can exacerbate the effect, accelerating degradation via microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). Here we propose a novel approach to MIC inhibition by designing a system capable of limiting the effects of both bacteria growth and corrosion. The combination of a newly synthesised compound, cetrimonium 4-hydroxycinnamate, with lanthanum 4-hydroxycinnamate was the only system tested to date that could both inhibit abiotic corrosion in artificial seawater and minimise bacteria consortium densities over an exposure period of 24 hours. The electrochemical data for the La+Cet mixture demonstrated the significant inhibition of both abiotic corrosion to a level similar to La(4OHCin)3, as well as the ability to reduce bacteria densities of single strains and a consortium. This is unlike the La+CetNal mixture which accelerated abiotic corrosion and the La+IMI which had an insignificant effect on microbial densities (Catubig et al. 2020). A compatible mixture of ionic inhibitors was achieved by using the same cinnamate anion. This mixture of Cet-4OHCin and La(4OHCin)3 demonstrated significant abiotic corrosion inhibition and bacteria density reductions, making it a strong candidate as an MIC inhibitor system for 80HLES. The Cet-4OHCin compound and its mixture with La(4OHCin)3 retained relatively low sensitivity towards skin and intestinal cells, making it a safer and more attractive alternative than other more hazardous corrosion inhibitor materials.

Article published by the Endocrine Society Article published by the Endocrine Society

Ceruloplasmin (Cp) is a multicopper ferroxidase that is considered to be an important source of copper in milk for normal neonatal development. We inv

Two cases of zinc deficiency in breastfed neonates were investigated where zinc levels in the mothers’ milk were reduced by more than 75 % compared to normal. The objective of this study was to find the molecular basis of the maternal zinc deficiency condition. Significant reductions in mRNA expression and protein levels of the zinc transporters SLC30A5 and SLC30A6 were found in maternal tissue, suggesting a causal link to the zinc-deficient milk. Novel splice variants of the SLC30A6 transcript were detected. No modifications were found in coding regions, or in transcription binding sites of promoter regions or in 5′ and 3′ untranslated regions of both transporters in lymphoblasts and fibroblasts isolated from both mothers. Altered DNA methylation in SLC30A5 at two CpG sites was detected and may account for the reduced levels of SLC30A5 mRNA and protein in lymphoblasts. Reduced SLC30A6 mRNA and protein levels in lymphoblasts may be secondary to reduced SLC30A5 expression, as they function as a heterodimer in zinc transport. In conclusion, two cases of zinc deficiency are linked to low levels of the SLC30A5 and SLC30A6 zinc transporters. These two zinc transporters have not been previously associated with zinc deficiency in milk.

Aims To characterize genes involved in maintaining homeostatic levels of zinc in the cyanobacterium Nostoc punctiforme. Methods and Results Metal efflux transporters play a central role in maintaining homeostatic levels of trace elements such as zinc. Sequence analyses of the N. punctiforme genome identified two potential cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) metal efflux transporters, Npun_F0707 (Cdf31) and Npun_F1794 (Cdf33). Deletion of either Cdf31or Cdf33 resulted in increased zinc retention over 3 h. Interestingly, Cdf31⁻ and Cdf33⁻ mutants showed no change in sensitivity to zinc exposure in comparison with the wild type, suggesting some compensatory capacity for the loss of each other. Using qRT‐PCR, a possible interaction was observed between the two cdf's, where the Cdf31⁻ mutant had a more profound effect on cdf33 expression than Cdf33⁻ did on cdf31. Over‐expression of Cdf31 and Cdf33 in ZntA⁻‐ and ZitB⁻‐deficient Escherichia coli revealed function similarities between the ZntA and ZitB of E. coli and the cyanobacterial transporters. Conclusions The data presented shed light on the function of two important transporters that regulate zinc homeostasis in N. punctiforme. Significance and Impact of the Study This study shows for the first time the functional characterization of two cyanobacterial zinc efflux proteins belonging to the CDF family.