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This study investigated whether university students following a vegetarian diet differed from non-vegetarian students in nutrient intake, biochemical, hematological and blood mineral profile of nutritionally relevant elements. In total, 107 students from a university, following either a non-vegetarian or a vegetarian diet for at least 1 year prior to the study, were recruited in two stages, setting up two experiments. Nutrient intake (experiment 1, n = 58), and biochemical and hematological parameters (experiment 2, n = 49) were evaluated. TXRF spectroscopy was used for determination of trace elements in whole blood. Vegetarians showed differences in nutrient intake, mainly higher consumption of unsaturated fatty acids and fiber. No significant differences in the biochemical and hematological parameters were found. The prevalence of abnormal parameters in a considerable number of vegetarians and non-vegetarians were found, mainly regarding high density lipoprotein (HDL-c) and total cholesterol (TC). TXRF spectroscopy proved to be a simple tool for determining nutrition-relevant elements (K, Fe, Cu and Zn) in blood samples. The high incidence of abnormal parameters, regardless of the dietary pattern, raises concern about the high prevalence of bad eating habits among young university students. Particularly for the vegetarian students, these results may partly counteract the beneficial lifestyle of a vegetarian diet evidenced by previous studies. It is important for students to be aware of its potential nutritional limitations. In this context, food and nutrition education programs in the academic context could contribute to set up autonomous and healthy subjects, regardless of the diet chosen.

The present study was aimed to understand the dose-dependent effects of cobalt carbonate nanoparticles (CoCO 3 NPs), impacts on the antioxidant systems, hematological parameters, and organ morphology of albino mice. Furthermore, impacts on liver and kidney function and influence on lipid profiles and antioxidant enzyme activities were assessed in albino mice. The experiments were conducted using two groups of two different doses of CoCO 3 NPs in a low dose (50 µl of 1 mg/ml) and high dose (100 µl of 1 mg/ml) compared with the control group. Parameters evaluated included the activities of the antioxidant enzymes catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and peroxidase (POD); hematological parameters; and histopathological examination of liver and kidney tissues. The nanoparticles were characterized using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Data showed that the activities of CAT and SOD, which are representative of adaptive responses toward oxidative stress, are enhanced in a dose–response manner in the presence of CoCO 3 NPs. However, POD activity decreased, indicating that there might be some inhibitory effects at higher dosages. Hematological analysis showed a significant alteration in monocyte count and platelet count with an increase in nanoparticle concentration. On the other hand, histopathological examination is indicative of damage to the liver and kidney at higher doses. Finally, the study has demonstrated that exposure to CoCO 3 NPs exerts complex effects in albino mice, characterized by increases in some antioxidant defenses, organ damage, and alterations in hematological parameters.

Valorization of adsorbent spent is a modern trend to maximize the utilization of absorption waste. Analytical methods, inclusive Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR) spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), were applied to evaluate the adsorbent spent (Zn-Co-Fe/LDH @ heavy metal). We examined the mechanistic toxicological effects of heavy metals within an animal model (rats) via probit analysis to evaluate the safety and acute toxicity of the spent adsorbent. The acute toxicity was evaluated and documented for 24 h, and it persisted for 14 days. A diverse multitude of toxic impacts on a different of body organs and tissues is the consequence of the bioaccumulation of these heavy metals. The rodents were weighed daily, and a variety of observations, like mortality, injury, behavior, and any indications of disease, were conducted. The safety and toxicological analyses were conducted using Probit analysis. The acute toxicity evaluation revealed varying safety profiles for the spent adsorbents. Zn-Co-Fe/LDH-As exhibited the lowest level of toxicity with an LD 50 of 370 mg/kg and a calculated safe dose of 18.5 mg/kg. In contrast, the highest toxicity was observed for Zn-Co-Fe/LDH-Pb (LD 50  = 103.7 mg/kg; safe dose = 5.2 mg/kg), followed by Zn-Co-Fe/LDH-Hg (LD 50  = 204 mg/kg; safe dose = 10.2 mg/kg). These results quantify the biological risk associated with metal-laden adsorbents and establish the safety benchmarks required for their sustainable valorization. Evaluations of biochemical parameters and hematological analysis were conducted at the conclusion of each investigation. Comparative to the controls, gross findings were obtained from the histopathological examination of the animals’ vital organs, which included the heart, lung, kidney, liver, and stomach. Our safety and toxicological data demonstrated the safety of layered double hydroxide (LDH) efficacy in adsorption, as well as a lower level of toxicity for LDH/As after adsorption. The iron content within the Zn-Co-Fe/LDH framework remained structurally integrated; however, the observed hematological alterations suggest a potential interference with iron metabolism or heme synthesis following exposure to heavy-metal laden adsorbents.

Background/Objectives: In recent years, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have garnered significant attention due to their potent antimicrobial properties, which hold promise for various applications. However, concerns about their potential toxicity have also emerged, particularly regarding their impact on human and animal health. This study investigates the acute toxicological effects of AgNPs synthesized using a green route with an aqueous extract of a native Cerrado plant (AgNPs-Cb) in mice. Methods: The AgNPs-Cb were intravenously administered at a concentration of 64 µM, and the mice were euthanized after 24 h for the collection of blood and organ samples (liver, spleen, kidneys, and lungs) for hematological, biochemical, and histological analyses. Results: Hematological analysis, including complete blood count (CBC) and differential leukocyte count, showed no statistically significant alterations in the groups treated with AgNPs-Cb, Cb extract, and Ag+, compared with the control group (p < 0.05). Notably, only the Ag+ group exhibited a significant increase in red blood cell count and hematocrit levels, suggesting that the nanoformulation of silver might mitigate the hematological impact seen with free silver ions. Biochemical analyses of liver and kidney function markers also revealed no significant differences across the treatment groups. Conclusions: These findings indicate that AgNPs-Cb may offer a safer alternative for antimicrobial applications, reducing the risk of acute toxicity in mammals while maintaining efficacy against pathogens. Further studies are needed to explore the underlying mechanisms and long-term effects of AgNPs-Cb exposure.

Recently, copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS-NPs) have acquired much attention because they are cheaper and easily available and have numerous applications in medicine like drug delivery, DNA and glucose detection, immunosensor, tumor therapy, photothermal ablation, and photoacoustic imaging. Despite the numerous advantages and potential applications of CuS-NPs, there are also concerns regarding the toxicity of the NPs. Herein, we have explored the potential in-vivo toxicity of PEGylated CuS-NPs in a rat model ( Sprague Dawley) . The PEGylation was achieved using a simple chemical precipitation approach followed by extensive characterization analysis using techniques like XRD, FTIR, XRD, SEM, and EDX. The NPs were then evaluated for safety profiling at low (1.73 mg/200 g) and high doses (3.46 mg/200 g) in a rat model, and biochemical, hematological, and histopathological parameters were examined. Our results show significant dose-dependent differences in biochemical and hematological parameters like WBC count, RBC count, platelets level, ESR level, ALT level, ALP level, creatinine level, and uric acid levels as compared with the control groups. Furthermore, histopathological investigation reveals liver parenchyma with fatty alterations and ballooning degradation in the low-dosage group, but liver parenchyma with widespread necrosis and cholestasis was observed in the high-dose group. We thus conclude that CuS-NPs even capped with compatible polymers like PEG can result in potential toxicity at high doses. Graphical Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to perform hematological and molecular analyses of the HbS allele of the hemoglobin subunit beta gene in the Sudanese population. Methods This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. Hematological parameters and fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels were assessed in all participants. Data were gathered through the use of questionnaires and laboratory investigations. The βS-globin haplotypes, S allele distributions, and hematological parameters with HbF levels were investigated using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism, gel electrophoresis, and a Sysmex hematology analyzer, respectively. Results According to our findings, the Bantu (BA) haplotype was found in 10.8% of participants with homozygous uncontested haplotypes, followed by Benin (BA) and Sudan (SU), each in 9.8% of participants. This Sudanese group from Northern Kordofan lacked the Arab-Indian haplotype. Two heterozygous versions of undisputed haplotypes were found in 17.3% of participants: SU/BA in 10.8% and CA/BE in 6.5%. Conclusion As a result of sickle cell anemia, this investigation found changes in hematological parameters. In the Sudanese population, a new haplotype of the S gene was discovered.

: Accurate segmentation of white blood cells (WBCs) in peripheral blood smear images is a fundamental step in computational hematology, enabling downstream tasks such as classification, morphological assessment, and quantitative analysis. However, reliable segmentation remains challenging due to staining variability, complex cellular morphology, overlapping structures, and limited availability of high-quality annotations. : The aim of this study is to develop a robust and fully automated segmentation framework for white blood cells (WBCs) in microscopic blood smear images, providing a reliable foundation for subsequent computational analysis. We propose TransNet-SAM2, a hybrid deep learning architecture that integrates hierarchical transformer-based feature extraction with a foundation-model-based decoder for prompt-free segmentation. Specifically, a Swin Transformer backbone is employed to capture multi-scale contextual representations, which are subsequently aligned and fused through a feature adaptation module. The fused features are directly injected into the SAM2 mask decoder, replacing conventional prompt-based conditioning and enabling fully automatic segmentation. In addition, a weakly supervised self-training strategy is incorporated to utilize partially annotated data, improving model generalization while reducing annotation requirements. The proposed framework is evaluated using a clinically curated dataset from Dicle University, the publicly available Raabin-WBC dataset, and an additional external leukemic blast validation dataset (ALL-IDB) to assess robustness under both routine and atypical hematological conditions. : TransNet-SAM2 achieved a Dice coefficient of 0.95 ± 0.01 and IoU of 0.90 on internal testing, significantly outperforming U-Net (0.89), Mask R-CNN (0.90), and SAM2 (0.92) ( < 0.05). In cross-dataset evaluation (Dicle training, Raabin-WBC testing), the framework maintained strong performance (Dice: 0.91, IoU: 0.84), demonstrating robustness to domain shifts. Ablation studies confirmed each component's contribution, with the full model improving Dice by 6% over a CNN baseline. Qualitative analysis showed accurate boundary delineation even with cell overlap and background clutter. : These findings indicate that the proposed framework provides a promising and scalable framework for WBC segmentation. While the current study focuses on segmentation, future work will investigate integration with classification and radiomics pipelines, as well as validation on more diverse clinical datasets, including bone marrow and leukemia samples.

Nanoparticles are widely used for targeted drug delivery applications. Surface modification with appropriate polymer and ligands is carried out to target the drug to the affected area. Toxicity analysis is carried out to evaluate the safety of the surface modified nanoparticles. In this study, paclitaxel attached, folic acid functionalized, polyethylene glycol modified hydroxyapatite and titanium dioxide nanoparticles were used for targeted drug delivery system. The toxicological behavior of the system was studied in vivo in rats and mice. Acute and subchronic studies were carried out. Biochemical, hematological, and histopathological analysis was also done. There were no significant alterations in the biochemical parameters at a low dosage. There was a small change in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level at a high dosage. The results indicate a safe toxicological profile.

Introduction The study of medicinal plants and their potential toxicity arises from the need to address health issues and provide immediate therapeutic solutions. The vast diversity of plants worldwide can lead to confusion regarding their use for food or medicinal purposes, sometimes resulting in intoxications that threaten human health. Objective To assess the acute toxicity of the ethanol extract of Minquartia guianensis Aubl (\"huacapú\") leaves in Rattus norvegicus Var. \"Holtzman\". Methods M. guianensis leaves were collected, dried, ground, and macerated to obtain the ethanol extract. Phytochemical analysis was conducted using staining and precipitation techniques. Acute toxicity was evaluated according to OECD 423 guidelines, administering a single oral dose of 2000 mg/kg to 20 rats, while 10 control rats received distilled water. Animals were monitored for 14 days, after which they were euthanized on day 15. Blood samples were analyzed for hematological parameters, and organs (brain, lung, liver, stomach, kidney, heart, spleen, ovaries, and testes) were examined for histopathological changes. Results No mortality was observed during the experiment. Minimal hematological alterations were detected, but these were not statistically significant. Histopathological evaluation revealed no lesions in any organs. Conclusion The ethanol extract of M. guianensis Aubl (\"huacapú\") leaves, at a dose of 2000 mg/kg, demonstrated no acute toxicity.

Medicinal plants remain central to traditional healthcare, yet their increasing integration into modern pharmacology necessitates robust toxicological evaluation. Origanum majorana L. (sweet marjoram), widely used in culinary and folk medicine, contains diverse secondary metabolites with both therapeutic and potential genotoxic activities. Despite its popularity, systematic in vivo and in vitro safety assessments remain limited. This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate the acute oral toxicity, cytotoxicity, and genotoxicity of O. majorana methanolic extract, providing baseline toxicological data to support its safe traditional use and potential pharmaceutical applications. The methanol extract of O. majorana leaves was tested in NIH-3T3 fibroblasts for cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. In vivo acute oral toxicity was assessed in rats according to OECD Guideline 420, with animals monitored over 14 days for clinical signs, hematological and biochemical alterations, and histopathological changes. The extract preserved fibroblast viability above 90% across all tested concentrations (10–200 µg/mL), indicating absence of cytotoxicity. However, comet and micronucleus assays revealed dose-dependent DNA damage, suggesting genotoxic potential at higher exposures. In vivo, no mortality or overt systemic toxicity was observed at doses up to 2000 mg/kg. Hematological analyses showed immunomodulatory shifts (increased neutrophils and monocytes, reduced eosinophils), while biochemical profiles indicated hepatoprotective and cardioprotective effects, with reduced ALT, AST, and LDH levels. Histopathological evaluation revealed only mild, focal changes consistent with adaptive rather than irreversible responses. O. majorana extract demonstrates a favorable acute safety profile with preserved hepatic and renal function, hematological modulation, and absence of in vitro cytotoxicity. Nevertheless, dose-dependent genotoxicity warrants caution for concentrated formulations. According to GHS classification, the extract aligns with Category 5 (acute oral toxicity, lowest hazard) and Category 2 (germ cell mutagenicity). These findings underscore the importance of dose management and further long-term genotoxicity studies before translational applications in nutraceutical or biomedical fields.