Transdermal drug delivery system (TDDS) is an attractive method for drug delivery with convenient application, less first-pass effect, and fewer systemic side effects. Among all generations of TDDS, ...transdermal nanocarriers show the greatest clinical potential because of their non-invasive properties and high drug delivery efficiency. However, it is still difficult to design optimal transdermal nanocarriers to overcome the skin barrier, control drug release, and achieve targeting. Hence, surface modification becomes a promising strategy to optimize and functionalize the transdermal nanocarriers with enhanced penetration efficiency, controlled drug release profile, and targeting drug delivery. Therefore, this review summarizes the developed transdermal nanocarriers with their transdermal mechanism, and focuses on the surface modification strategies via their different functions.
Purpose
The optimal technique for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is still controversial. The aim of this study was to compare modified arthroscopic double-pulley suture-bridge (DPSB) technique with ...medial knot tying to those without tying, considering clinical and radiological outcomes.
Methods
This study included 292 patients with large full-thickness rotator cuff tears treated with modified DPSB technique. The patients were divided into 158 cases with medial knot tying (knot-tying group) and 134 without tying (knotless group). At follow-up, clinical outcome was assessed by the Constant score, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and Shoulder Rating Scale of the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) score. The assessment of tendon healing was performed with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at a minimum of 12 months postoperatively.
Results
The Constant score, ASES score and UCLA score in the knot-tying and knotless groups all improved significantly from before surgery to 12 months postoperatively (
P
< 0.05, respectively). No significant differences were observed between groups for each phase evaluated (n.s.). Tendon healing was categorised according to Sugaya’s classification. The retearing rate was 27/158 (17.0%) in the knot-tying group and 20/134 (14.9%) in the knotless group, with no statistically significant difference between groups (n.s.). Additionally, the retear was classified using the Cho’s classification. When comparing the retear rates of different types independently, no statistically significant differences were found between groups (n.s.).
Conclusions
The knotless modified DPSB technique showed comparable short-term functional outcomes to those of the knot tying method in large full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Additionally, no significant differences in repair integrity were observed between the two methods. Both techniques can be considered effective treatments for patients with large-sized full-thickness rotator cuff tears.
Level of evidence
III.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) was first reported in 1987 for treating vertebral hemangiomas. PVP is also an effective treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture that mainly ...involves a percutaneous injection of polymethylmethacrylate. Severe complications of PVP have been reported in recent years. However, to the best of our knowledge, cement-associated thrombotic embolism in the inferior vena cava and bilateral iliac veins after PVP has rarely been reported. We experienced a patient with cement-associated thrombotic embolism in the inferior vena cava and bilateral iliac veins after PVP. Fortunately, after conservative therapy, we achieved a satisfactory result. Unfortunately, we could not explain the cause of the cement leakage and formation of the thrombotic embolism. We believe that surgeons should have a better understanding of the fracture pattern and anatomy of the vertebral venous net system. They should also perform meticulous imaging monitoring with slower pushing of the cement to minimize the risks during the PVP. This case report highlights a rare, but potentially life-threatening, complication of PVP. Surgeons need to be aware of the possibility of cement leakage and the formation of cement-associated thrombotic embolism so that they are much more vigilant when performing PVP.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a new therapeutic strategy for hypertrophic scars (HSs), and nanoethosomes (ES) have attracted considerable attention as an efficient transdermal delivery system for PDT ...of HSs (HS-PDT). However, the delivery of photosensitizers and the hypoxic microenvironment of HSs limit HS-PDT efficacy. Consequently, functional transdermal ES (A/A-ES) that are loaded with the photosensitizer, 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA), and immobilized nanoenzyme Au nanoclusters (ANCs) within the ES surface have been developed that exhibit superior co-delivery characteristics and produce catalase that enhances HS-PDT efficacy. The unique structure of A/A-ES enables them to co-deliver ALA and ANCs into the HS tissue and to efficiently decompose the endogenous hydrogen peroxide in the HS to generate oxygen. The findings from in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that A/A-ES efficiently co-delivered ALA and ANCs into the HS tissue and that they improved the hypoxic microenvironment of the HS. Systematic assessments reveal that A/A-ES enhance HS-PDT efficacy and that they are highly effective at improving the morphology and promoting HS fibroblast apoptosis and the rearrangement of collagen. These works give rise to an effective treatment option for HSs that integrates the transdermal co-delivery of ALA and nanoenzymes, thereby enabling them to exert their respective beneficial effects, and they highlight the enhancement of HS-PDT efficacy via self-generating oxygen.
The bismuth tungstate with different morphologies was controllably synthesized by simple hydrothermal synthesis under different pH and different hydrothermal reaction time (HRT). Under the influence ...of these two conditions, the results show that with the increase of pH, the sample gradually changed from orthogonal phase Bi
2
WO
6
to cubic Bi
3.84
W
0.16
O
6.24
and the morphology changed from lamellas composed of nanorods to octahedral particles, as well as the photo-catalytic activity of Bi
3.84
W
0.16
O
6.24
was far less than that of Bi
2
WO
6
. Additionally, with the increase of HRT, the thickness of flaky Bi
2
WO
6
is thinner, the crystallinity is more stable, and the direction of growth is changed from lamellar to flower buds. The photo-catalytic activity of lamellar BWO-8/BWO-T-10 (prepared in lower pH and lower HRT) is the best. After radiation of 2 h, the degradation efficiency of tetracycline is 85% and the kinetic reaction rate constant is 0.0135 min
−1
. After three cycles of reusing, it still maintains high stability. The catalytic mechanism analysis shows that the active particle
.
OH produced by the photoelectron hole to the reaction has strong oxidizing property, which can quickly decompose tetracycline.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an emerging therapeutic strategy for hypertrophic scars (HS), which is heavily dependent on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation. However, the unsatisfactory ...delivery and excitation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA, a commercial photosensitizer in dermatology) result in an insufficient ROS generation, and thus limit the clinical application of PDT treating HS (HS-PDT). Consequently, sophisticated transdermal co-delivery nanoethosomes (named A/A-ES) with ALA and Au nanotriangles (AuNTs) in cores are prepared via an
in-situ
seed-mediated growth method, and then applied to improve HS-PDT through localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)-enhanced ROS generation. A/A-ES display a satisfactory performance in co-delivery in HS tissue with sufficient protoporphyrin IX production and LSPR effect in cytoplasm, which is beneficial for ALA excitation as well as ROS generation.
In vitro/vivo
studies reveal that A/A-ES significantly improve HS-PDT in promoting to fibroblast apoptosis and collagen remodeling through LSPR-enhanced ROS generation. Therefore, this study provides a feasible strategy that integrates transdermal delivery and LSPR to enable the beneficial effects of HS-PDT through boosting the delivery and excitation of ALA.
Daytime radiative cooling (DRC) can spontaneously cool a surface without consuming energy by reflecting sunlight and emitting thermal radiation to the outer space through atmospheric transmission ...windows. However, the manufacturing of efficient DRC designs with low cost, high scalability, strong applicability, and along with achieving great weather resistance for practical applications remains a challenge. Here, we report a facile strategy to fabricate spectrally selective single-layer DRC coatings by facilely embedding hydrophobically modified TiO2@SiO2 nanospheres in commercially available fluorocarbon resin matrix for improving daytime cooling. The TiO2 shell thickness, pigments volume fraction, and coating thickness are optimized using finite difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation to maximize the sunlight scattering efficiency with minimal material usage. The coating prepared with a spaying time of 40 s reflects above 93% of solar irradiance and exhibits an infrared emissivity of ∼94% at atmospheric transmittance window wavelength, leading to a desirable daytime sub-ambient temperature drop of ∼10.9 °C. Building energy simulations demonstrates that 32.6% of cooling energy can be saved per year in China when the coating is used as building envelopes. The coatings also show improved scalability, peel strength, self-cleaning, and weather resistance, which makes them attractive candidates for long period outdoor DRC applications. This work paves a new way to design radiative cooling coatings with low cost and ease of application for the development of highly energy-efficient cooling technology.
Display omitted
•Durable spectrally selective single-layer coatings by embedding designed core-shell nanospheres in fluorocarbon resin were firstly prepared.•The DRCC-40 simultaneously had a high average solar reflectance of 0.93 and a high ATW emissivity of 0.95.•DRCC-40 could save 32.6% cooling energy and achieve a temperature decrease of 10.90 °C at day time.
The effects of carbon and boron co-doping on the microstructure and properties of AlTiN coatings are still unclear. In this study, a comparative study on the effects of carbon and boron co-doping and ...doping alone on their microstructure and performance of the as-deposited AlTiN, AlTiCN, AlTiBN and AlTiBCN coatings was performed. The results showed that, typical columnar crystal structure changes, starting from undoped AlTiN coating, have been well demonstrated after doping. At the doping content is 5 at.% (relative to the non-N elements), carbon can induce a stronger 200-preferred orientation, which is beneficial for enhancing the nanohardness and Young's modulus of the coating, while the grain refinement of boron plays a dominant role in the coating growing. When the actual doping content further increases to 10 at.%, carbon as well as boron supports the formation of the hexagonal structure (w-AlN). Due to the amorphous transformation, carbon and boron are present in the form of amorphous carbon and BN, respectively. The above microstructure evolution after doping can be inherited in the co-doped coating. The AlTiBCN coating exhibits the best adhesion between the coating and substrate because of the formed amorphous-nanocrystalline composite structure. Compared to doping alone, carbon and boron co-doping significantly reduces the wear rate, and AlTiB0.08C0.02N has the minimum value of 1.8 × 10−6 mm3/(N·m). The improving effect of carbon and/or boron on the cutting performance of the coated tools is in sequence as follows: carbon and boron co-doping > carbon doping > undoped > boron doping. The AlTiB0.02C0.005N coated tool exhibits the best cutting performance.
•A low content of carbon can induce a stronger 200-preferred orientation.•More than 2 at.%, carbon as well as boron supports the formation of the hexagonal structure (w-AlN).•Carbon and boron are present in the form of amorphous carbon and BN, respectively.•AlTiB0.08C0.02N has the minimum value of 1.8×10−6 mm3/(N·m), and AlTiB0.02C0.005N coated tool exhibits the best cutting performance.
Nitrate-driven sulfide oxidation has been proved a cost-effective way to control sediments odor which has long been a universal problem for urban rivers in south China areas. In this work, sediments ...treatment experiments under a dynamic variation of temperature from 5 °C to 35 °C with 3% of calcium nitrate added were conducted to reveal the influence of temperature variation on this process. The results showed that microbial community was remarkably restructured by temperature variation. Pseudomonas (15.56–29.31%), Sulfurimonas (26.81%) and Thiobacillus (37.99%) were dominant genus at temperature of ≤15 °C, 25 °C and 35 °C, respectively. It seemed that species enrichment occurring at different temperature gradient resulted in the distinct variation of microbial community structure and diversity. Moreover, nitrate-driven sulfide and ferrous oxidation were proportionally promoted only when temperature increased above 15 °C. The dominant bacteria at high temperature stage were those genus that closely related to autotrophic nitrate-driven sulfide and ferrous oxidizing bacteria (e.g.Thiobacillus, Sulfurimonas and Thermomonas), revealing that promotion of sulfide/ferrous oxidation could be attributed to the change of dominant bacteria determined by temperature variation. Thus, a higher treatment efficiency by calcium nitrate addition for odor control would be achieved in summer than any other seasons in south China areas.
•Mechanism of how temperature variation affects sulfide/ferrous oxidation was study.•S/Fe oxidation associated bacteria were remarkably restructured by temperature.•Variation of S/Fe oxidation could attributed to shift of dominant bacteria.•Higher odor control efficiency would be achieved in summer than other seasons.
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