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Certain metal powders used in the synthesis and processing of high-entropy alloys (HEAs) pose significant health hazards, as many of these metals are toxic substances with no biological role in the human body. These metals can mimic essential elements or interfere with metabolic processes (the chemical reactions in living organisms that sustain life), leading to detrimental health effects. While some metals, such as aluminum, can be eliminated from the body through natural biological processes, others tend to accumulate, causing chronic illnesses over time. This review examines the toxicity mechanisms and health impacts of metals used in HEA synthesis, focusing on laboratory-scale processing. It also identifies potential health risks associated with occupational exposure in laboratory environments, including the inhalation of toxic metal powders and nanoparticles. A simple risk scoring model is introduced to systematically assess and quantify these risks based on factors such as toxicity levels, exposure limits, and carcinogenic potential (the ability of a substance to cause cancer) as given by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) standards. The proposed model can be applied to evaluate the relative hazards of commonly used HEA constituent powders (e.g., Ni, Co, Cr, and Al), offering practical guidance for safer laboratory handling and material selection. By integrating this risk assessment framework, this review aims to enhance workplace safety, guide the development of better material handling practices, and assist researchers in mitigating health risks associated with HEA processing.

Pyrimidine catabolism is implicated in hepatic steatosis. Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPYD) is an enzyme responsible for uracil and thymine catabolism, and DPYD human genetic variability affects clinically observed toxicity following 5-Fluorouracil administration. In an in vitro model of fatty acid-induced steatosis, the pharmacologic inhibition of DPYD resulted in protection from lipid accumulation. Additionally, a gain-of-function mutation of DPYD, created through clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated protein 9 (CRISPR-Cas9) engineering, led to an increased lipid burden, which was associated with altered mitochondrial functionality in a hepatocarcionma cell line. The studies presented herein describe a novel role for DPYD in hepatocyte metabolic regulation as a modulator of hepatic steatosis.

In this study, a computational approach is employed to understand the densification behavior of a multi-component alloy system during the sintering process by generating a phase field modeling image. First, a single-phase body-centered cubic (BCC) AlCrFeNiTi high entropy alloy (HEA) is prepared via a mechanical alloying (MA) route, and the powder-processed HEA is shown to exhibit dual BCC phases after spark plasma sintering (SPS). Then, phase field modeling (PFM) is used to generate a generalized image and to understand densification behavior during the sintering process. The results indicate that bulk and grain-boundary diffusion take place during the early stage and grain growth of the powder particles starts when the particles interact with their adjacent grains. Subsequently, in the final sintering stage point contacts and necking were observed. This understanding has been presented based on the phase field simulation to explore the different stages of the sintering during the processing.

This research investigates the effect of carbon sequestration via accelerated carbon curing (ACC) in alkali-activated earth-based alkali-activated mortar (25S-AAM) on the long-term engineering performance, chemical bonding and microstructure. The addition of clay accelerates hydration kinetics and promotes the formation of more cross-linked calcium–(sodium) alumino silicate hydrates (N-A-S-H and C-(N)-A-S-H). This contributes to early strength and a 25% reduction in total shrinkage after 60 days. Although ACC promotes higher carbon sequestration and increases 1-d compressive strength by 13%, it leads to severe decalcification of 25S-AAM after 365 days of natural exposure, resulting in coarsening of the pore structure in the mesoporous size range of 10–100 nm. Due to a relatively low Ca/Si ratio, 25S-AAM is more adversely affected by natural carbonation during the 365-d exposure period than the control (without clay). In summary, ACC is not recommended for earth-based AAM products especially if they are applied for outdoor constructions.

Paraquat, a commonly available herbicide, when consumed in high doses, affects organs with high blood flow (lungs, heart, kidney and liver), leading to pulmonary fibrosis, respiratory failure and death. Few reports of rescue lung transplantation exist. Complete depletion of paraquat from the body is necessary prior to transplant; however, timing for and concerns after lung transplantation remain unknown. We report 2 patients (median age 19 years) with severe respiratory failure requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support, acute kidney injury requiring haemodialysis and acute liver injury in the pre‐transplant period. Volume of paraquat consumption was more than 30 mL and PF ratio less than 100 before transplant. Once their urine paraquat level was negative (median time 32 days), both underwent bilateral lung transplantation after receiving an induction agent with basiliximab and were continued on triple immunosuppressant following the transplant. With reported mortality rates reaching up to 90%, lung transplantation remains a reasonable option for patients with paraquat poisoning not responding to conventional treatment options. Once paraquat levels are negative and after optimising renal and liver function, these patients could be considered for bilateral lung transplantation and have successful outcomes as reported here. This case report describes two patients with severe lung damage from paraquat poisoning who underwent successful bilateral lung transplantation. Both required ECMO support and showed good recovery. This report highlights lung transplant as a potential treatment option in paraquat‐induced lung injury when other medical management fails.

Ichthyosis follicularis, alopecia and photophobia (IFAP) syndrome type I is a rare, X-linked disorder resulting from pathogenic variants in MBTPS2 . Here we report a Pakistani IFAP pedigree of three affected individuals harboring the recurrent MBTPS2 splice-site variant c.970+5G>A that was reported previously in Chinese and Argentinian families. Haplotype analyses across these three families excluded a founder effect, establishing c.970+5G>A as a recurrent mutational hotspot. In addition, phenotypic severity varied across the families, suggesting additional modifiers.

This study investigates the role of silicon (Si) addition in governing the evolution of phase symmetry and microstructural stability in a high-entropy alloy (HEA) synthesized via powder metallurgy. Mechanically alloyed powders were consolidated through conventional sintering, followed by systematic heat treatment to examine symmetry-driven phase transformations. Particular attention is given to the symmetry relationship between body-centered cubic (BCC) and face-centered cubic (FCC) crystal structures and their compositional stabilization mechanisms. X-ray diffraction and microstructural analyses reveal that Si incorporation modifies lattice symmetry, promotes controlled phase transformation, and influences the balance between competing crystallographic phases. The addition of Si contributes to symmetry stabilization by reducing heterogeneity in lattice distortion and suppressing grain coarsening during thermal exposure. These findings demonstrate that compositional tuning can regulate structural symmetry and phase equilibrium in multicomponent alloy systems. The work provides insight into symmetry-controlled material design strategies for enhancing the thermal robustness and structural reliability of HEAs for high-temperature applications.

Background Acromesomelic chondrodysplasias are a rare subgroup of the clinically and genetically heterogeneous osteochondrodysplasias that are characterised by abnormalities in the limb development and short stature. Here, we report a 2‐year‐old boy, offspring of consanguineous parents, with acromesomelic dysplasia and postaxial polydactyly in which exome sequencing identified a novel homozygous missense variant in BMPR1B. The patient showed skeletal malformation of both hands and feet that included complex brachydactyly with the thumbs most severely affected, postaxial polydactyly of both hands, shortened toes as well as a bilateral hypoplasia of the fibula. Methods Whole trio exome sequencing was conducted to identify potential genetic variants in the patient. Results The analysis identified the biallelic variant NM_001203.3:c.821A > G;p.(Gln274Arg) in BMPR1B, a gene encoding bone morphogenetic protein receptor 1B. Conclusion The skeletal phenotype can be brought in line with the phenotypes of previously reported cases of BMPR1B‐associated chondrodysplasias. However, the postaxial polydactyly described here is a novel clinical finding in a BMPR1B‐related case; notably, it has previously been reported in other acromesomelic dysplasia cases caused by homozygous pathogenic variants in GDF5—a gene which encodes for growth differentiation factor 5, a high‐affinity ligand to BMPR1B. Postaxial polydactyly—a novel clinical finding in a patient with a biallelic BMPR1B variant.

The present work explores the synthesis of nanocrystalline tungsten-containing AlCrFeMnNiWx (x= 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 mol) high-entropy alloys (HEAs) by mechanical alloying with subsequent Spark Plasma Sintering (SPS) route. Microstructure, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of designed HEAs are critically analyzed and discussed. It is found that nanocrystalline HEA powders exhibit the presence of primary BCC solid solution phase, and the sintered HEAs at 900 °C show the formation of sigma rich tetragonal phase, ordered B2, BCC phase, and minor FCC solid solution phase. The designed HEAs exhibit excellent hardness (8.31-13.57 GPa) as well as high elastic modulus (165.52-202.3 GPa), which are strongly dependent upon the tungsten content.

This study systematically optimizes the synthesis parameters for nano‐enhanced phase‐change materials (NEPCMs) based on paraffin wax and copper oxide. The objective is to collectively improve both thermal conductivity and latent heat capacity. Unlike the previous research, the present approach considers all significant synthesis parameters simultaneously, employing a fractional factorial approach for efficient experimentation. By varying CuO nanoparticle sizes, paraffin wax melting temperatures, and mass fractions of CuO and surfactant in pure paraffin wax, the comprehensive thermal analysis reveals a maximum enhancement of 51.2% thermal conductivity compared to pure paraffin wax. In addition to thermal conductivity improvement, the applied optimization strategy identifies six NEPCM combinations, collectively enhancing thermal conductivity, latent heat of melting, and solidification. Among these, one NEPCM exhibits notable improvements of 13.39%, 6.9%, and 4.5% in thermal conductivity, latent heat of melting, and solidification, respectively, making it suitable for thermal energy storage systems due to combined enhanced thermal properties. Additionally, the ANOVA approach indicates the melting temperature of pure PCM as the most significant factor for thermal conductivity enhancement, with a contribution of 55.45%. The present study has a direct impact on improving thermal properties, specifically in thermal energy storage technology, making it relevant to the thermal management research community.