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Gene therapy is a revolutionary technology in healthcare that provides novel therapeutic options and has immense potential in addressing genetic illnesses, malignancies, and viral infections. Nevertheless, other obstacles still need to be addressed regarding safety, ethical implications, and technological enhancement. Nanotechnology and gene therapy fields have shown significant promise in transforming medical treatments by improving accuracy, effectiveness, and personalization. This review assesses the possible uses of gene therapy, its obstacles, and future research areas, specifically emphasizing the creative combination of gene therapy and nanotechnology. Nanotechnology is essential for gene delivery as it allows for the development of nano‐scale carriers, such as carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which may effectively transport therapeutic genes into specific cells. CQDs exhibit distinctive physicochemical characteristics such as small size, excellent stability, and minimal toxicity, which render them highly favorable for gene therapy applications. The objective of this study is to review and describe the current advancements in the utilization of CQDs for gene delivery. Additionally, it intends to assess existing research, explore novel applications, and identify future opportunities and obstacles. This study offers a thorough summary of the current state and future possibilities of using CQDs for gene delivery. Combining recent research findings highlights the potential of CQDs to revolutionize gene therapy and its delivery methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the heavy metal content in dust storm samples from Erbil, Iraq, along with four other locations. Using ICP-MS, Cd, Ni, Cr, Hg, Pb, Zn, Mn, Cu, Co, Fe and As were determined. The health risks due to exposure to these metals through ingestion, inhalation and dermal contact were assessed for both adults and children. Non-carcinogenic risks were evaluated using the hazard quotient (HQ) and hazard index (HI). Children faced a cumulative risk with HQ > 0.2 for As and Cr and HI > 1. The carcinogenic risk was measured using the carcinogenic risk factor (CRF), which fell below 10–6, indicating low cancer risk. However, children had a higher cancer risk (10−4 to 10−6) for As. The pollution indices revealed varying pollution levels from unpolluted to moderately polluted in the studied areas. Overall, this study highlights potential health risks associated with heavy metal exposure during dust storms, particularly for children, and emphasises the importance of addressing these concerns to safeguard public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a novel, cost‐effective approach involving spectrophotometric and smartphone paper‐based (SPB) methods and a distinctive salting‐out air‐assisted dispersive microextraction procedure to quantify thiocyanate in saliva samples. The method relies on the inhibitory effect of thiocyanate on quinoneimine dye formation during the Emerson reaction with sodium hypochlorite. Spectrophotometry quantifies the extracted dye by monitoring quinoneimine color intensity reduction at 525 nm. In the SPB method, extracted dye is applied to a paper strip, a smartphone captures the colored paper, and an application analyzes red, green, and blue components. All analyte determination and extraction variables were explored. Both methods exhibit good linearity (10–100 μg/L) with a coefficient of determination of 0.9991 and a limit of detection of 7.5 μg/L for the spectrophotometric method, and a coefficient of determination of 0.9988 and a limit of detection of 8.8 μg/L for the SPB method. The calculated values for the enrichment factor and extraction recovery of the developed extraction methodology were 46% and 93%, respectively. The methods detect thiocyanate in saliva samples, producing results comparable to a validated method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]