The use of jewelry among healthcare professionals poses a risk of cross contamination due to potential bacterial accumulation and spread. Through a mixed-method design, this study first analyzed the implications of healthcare professionals wearing jewelry on patient care biosafety as well as on the residual bacterial load of hands and rings after hand hygiene. Firstly, an observational prevalence study to verify whether nursing professionals wear personal accessories during healthcare assistance was carried out. Second, an experimental design involving intentional contamination and hygiene of the hands, with and without a ring, was conducted. The bacterial load of both hands and rings was measured by counting colony forming units. The observational study showed that nursing workers frequently wear jewelry during healthcare assistance. Nonetheless, the experimental study did not indicate differences in bacterial contamination between hands with and without a ring, despite the hand hygiene procedure applied. In conclusion, many nursing workers wear jewelry in the workplace. Although hands with and without a ring exhibited similar microbial load, rings appeared as a potential source of bacterial contamination, reinforcing the need to remove jewelry during working hours. Hand hygiene using alcohol, or soap and water significantly decreased the bacterial load on the participants\' hands, with handwashing proving to be the most efficient method for removing intentional contamination.

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METHODS: A 41-year-old man removed a tungsten carbide ring from his left index finger by cutting it off with a high-speed metal burr. The patient presented two days later with a pink and perfused left index finger with circumferential dry gangrene along the area of the ring, active flexor and extensor tendon excursion, and decreased sensation distally. Within 24 hours, the wound developed into wet gangrene and diffuse cyanosis requiring amputation.
CONCLUSIONS: After reviewing previously documented methods to remove tungsten carbide rings, the authors conclude clinicians should be cognizant of the potential complications associated with the use of a high-speed metal burr.

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Amino acid surfactants have gained significant importance in overcoming the limitations of conventional surfactants, notably, their low biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the current amino acid surfactants lack multifunctional properties due to the nonreactivity of their aliphatic chains, necessitating the development of a new type of amino acid surfactant. A novel melanin-like amino acid surfactant and a biomimetic synthesis route were devised by mimicking the biosynthesis of melanin. Renewable natural polyphenol compounds with catechol moieties were utilized as building blocks for the hydrophobic group. In a proof-of-concept experiment, ethyl protocatechuate was oxidized to o-quinone and subsequently covalently linked to the amino group of lysine via Michael addition. The chemical structure was verified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectroscopy. The melanin-like amino acid surfactant exhibited excellent surface-active properties, with a critical micelle concentration of 1.59 mN m-1. Furthermore, it demonstrated remarkable emulsifying, foaming, solubilizing, dispersing, and wetting capabilities. Notably, it also possessed multifunctionality, including antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity, robustness, and mildness. These outstanding properties indicate significant potential for various applications. This strategy offers innovative insights and a versatile, modular toolbox for synthesizing multifunctional amino acid surfactants that mimic melanin. The approach allows for the easy interchange of o-quinone building blocks, which is akin to snap jewelry.

This article focusses on the environmental implications of low-cost jewelry for adults from Chinese e-commerce platforms ((n = 8) with heavy metal impurities (Pb, Cd and Hg) and their potential impact on human health and the environment. The study highlights the advantages of using portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis for rapid, non-destructive, and in situ analysis of heavy metals in jewelry. The results reveal that all products (n = 106) contained heavy metals at varying levels, Hg being the most commonly detected heavy metal. The fact that 71% of the samples exceeded the EU limit for Pb and 51% exceeded the EU limit for Cd is alarming and highlights the need for stricter regulations and monitoring of the jewelry industry to mitigate the risks posed by heavy metals in the environment. The study emphasizes the importance of using pXRF analysis to identify heavy metals in jewelry and address the literature gap in environmental risk assessments of Pb, Cd, and Hg in low-cost jewelry for adults from China. In general, the findings call for urgent action to ensure the safety of consumers and prevent environmental pollution by strengthening regulations and monitoring the jewelry industry.

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Globally, the hazardous substance in children\'s goods is of great concern. Toxic chemicals are potentially harmful to the health and growth of infants and children. Lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd)-contaminated children\'s jewelry is widely encountered in many countries. This study aims to determine the concentration of metal toxicants (Pb, Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, Co, and Fe) in event-based (Independence Day festival) children\'s jewelry, considering time-limited and fast production products that may compromise the quality and safety parameters during manufacturing. The determinations are for the time-constraint industrial production of children\'s jewelry in the context of the toxic substances in a variety of base materials used. This is the first time event-based children\'s jewelry has been monitored and critically assessed for metal contamination. Forty-two samples, including metallic, wooden, textile, rubber, plastic, and paint-coated plastic children\'s jewelry, were tested. Seventy-four percent of samples detected Pb and Cd in quantifiable amounts. Ni in 71%, Cu in 67%, Co in 43%, and Zn and Fe were detected in 100% samples with quantifiable amounts. Twenty-two ID-CJ samples exceeded the US regulatory limit for Pb and four samples for Cd. However, twenty-nine samples for Pb, eleven for Cd, five for Co, and one for Cu exceeded the EU regulatory limit. The highest concentration of Pb was found in paint-coated plastic jewelry, and the highest Cd was found in metallic jewelry. These results suggest that the potential hazards of event-based children\'s jewelry deserve the attention of government agencies seeking to limit children\'s exposure to toxic chemicals. Intergovernmental organizations and individual countries regulate chemicals in consumer products, but a coordinated international approach is lacking. Some continents and countries still lack in regulations for children\'s products, especially jewelry, and toys.

Plain language summary From jewels and coinage to anticancer and antiviral agents, the peculiar \'soft\' character as well as physicochemical, redox and ligand exchange properties of gold can be exploited to design novel bioactive complexes, which may open up new perspectives to the development of drugs for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.
From jewels and coinage to anticancer and antiviral agents, the peculiar ‘soft’ character as well as physicochemical, redox and ligand exchange properties of gold can be exploited to design novel bioactive complexes, which may open up new perspectives to the development of drugs for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.