TiO(2) microspheres constructed by well-crystallized faceted nanorods with high aspect ratios expose 100% photocatalytic reactive {111} facets on the spherical surface. The microspheres demonstrated excellent photocatalytic antibacterial activity towards Staphylococcus aureus due to effective suppression of photoinduced electron-hole pair recombination and active TiO(2)@˙OH core-shell structure.

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The unique properties of nanodiamonds (NDs) such as chemical stability, surface modifiability and remarkable biocompatibility impart them with a great opportunity to be versatile platforms for drug delivery. In this study, chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) and cell penetrating peptide TAT were conjugated to the surface of NDs in sequence through carbodiimide coupling in order to avoid premature release and enhance the intracellular delivery of DOX. The cytotoxicity, intracellular location and cellular uptake of DOX-conjugated NDs with or without TAT were evaluated in C6 glioma cells. Our results revealed that conjugation of TAT to ND-DOX could enhance the translocation across the cell membrane and exhibit a higher cytotoxicity effect than free DOX. This antitumor drug and penetrating peptide-conjugated ND drug delivery system therefore represents a novel delivery system with promoted antineoplastic activity of therapeutics and minimized side effects.

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Background Mechanical heart valve replacement (MHVR) is an effective method for the treatment of severe heart valve disease; however, it subjects patient to lifelong warfarin therapy after MHVR with the attendant risk of bleeding and thrombosis. Whether internet-based warfarin management reduces complications and improves patient quality of life remains unknown. Objective This study aimed to compare the effects of internet-based warfarin management and the conventional approach in patients who received MHVR in order to provide evidence regarding alternative strategies for long-term anticoagulation. Methods This was a prospective, multicenter, randomized, open-label, controlled clinical trial with a 1-year follow-up. Patients who needed long-term warfarin anticoagulation after MHVR were enrolled and then randomly divided into conventional and internet-based management groups. The percentage of time in the therapeutic range (TTR) was used as the primary outcome, while bleeding, thrombosis, and other events were the secondary outcomes. Results A total of 721 patients were enrolled. The baseline characteristics did not reach statistical differences between the 2 groups, suggesting the random assignment was successful. As a result, the internet-based group showed a significantly higher TTR (mean 0.53, SD 0.24 vs mean 0.46, SD 0.21; P<.001) and fraction of time in the therapeutic range (mean 0.48, SD 0.22 vs mean 0.42, SD 0.19; P<.001) than did those in the conventional group. Furthermore, as expected, the anticoagulation complications, including the bleeding and embolic events had a lower frequency in the internet-based group than in the conventional group (6.94% vs 12.74%; P=.01). Logistic regression showed that internet-based management increased the TTR by 7% (odds ratio [OR] 1.07, 95% CI 1.05-1.09; P<.001) and reduced the bleeding and embolic risk by 6% (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.92-0.96; P=.01). Moreover, low TTR was found to be a risk factor for bleeding and embolic events (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.83-0.91; P=.005). Conclusions The internet-based warfarin management is superior to the conventional method, as it can reduce the anticoagulation complications in patients who receive long-term warfarin anticoagulation after MHVR. Trial Registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR1800016204; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=27518 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1136/bmjopen-2019-032949