Effect of precursor pH on AuNP/MWCNT nanocomposites synthesized by plasma-induced non-equilibrium electrochemistry

In recent years, plasma-induced non-equilibrium electrochemistry (PiNE) has been increasingly used for the synthesis of nanomaterials. In this study, we investigated the effect of solution pH on the formation of AuNP/MWCNT nanocomposites synthesized by PiNE. It is found that resulting nanocomposite morphology can be manipulated by the solution pH with pH 2 giving the most uniformly distributed AuNP along the MWCNT surface during the nanocomposite formation. The detailed mechanisms of AuNP/MWCNT nanocomposites formation under different pH have been discussed. For selected AuNP/MWCNT, we further evaluated the photothermal conversion performance under a blue laser (wavelength 445 nm) and the material biocompatibility using HeLa cells. The promising photothermal capability and biocompatibility of the composite sample point to their potential future applications such as solar thermal conversion and healthcare technology

Tissue Scaffolds with Nanoscale Hybrid Coating Shining New Lights on Multi-Modal Bone Targeted Therapeutics

The challenging post-surgery management of bone metastasis sees the needs for multi-functional bone scaffolds that offer multi-modal therapeutic functions. Through a nature-inspired layer-by-layer assembly process, we developed a unique multi-functional tissue scaffold that consists of porous polyurethane substrate and nanoscale chitosan/ graphene oxide hybrid coating. Alternative layers of drug laden chitosan and graphene oxide nanosheets were held together through strong electrostatic interaction, giving rise to a robust multilayer architecture with control over structural element orientation and chemical composition at nanoscale. For the first time, proof-of-concept on combining pH-controlled co-delivery of multiple therapeutic agents and photothermal therapy have demonstrated, in the context of malignant bone cancer treatment. Our scaffold system can be tailored to the patient’s specific needs through loading of bespoke therapeutic agents and offering on-demand photothermal therapy. The methodology can also be generalized to create functional surfaces for a wide range of biomedical devices as well as for applications beyond healthcare technology.</p

Compliance with physical activity guidelines in a group of UK-based postal workers using an objective monitoring technique

Compliance with physical activity (PA) recommendations was assessed using objective PA monitoring of ambulatory activity, in two healthy groups of individuals with active and sedentary occupations. The study showed generally low compliance with the guidelines (53% with 10,000 steps a day; 10% with 30 min of moderate activity a day; and 1% with 30 min of moderate activity a day in bouts of at least 10 min (ACSM)). Adherence to guidelines decreased as more rigorous conditions were applied to the PA data. Use of an objective monitor revealed that health enhancing bouts of activity were performed in periods of approximately 1-min duration, which may be due to unavoidable environmental interruptions. These bouts of activity are much shorter than those advocated in the ACSM guidelines, raising questions regarding how actual behaviour, based on objective monitoring, can be reconciled with guidelines based on self-reported PA

Dataset for Nanoscale Hybrid Coating Enables Multifunctional Tissue Scaffold for Potential Multimodal Therapeutic Applications

Dataset for Nanoscale Hybrid Coating Enables Multifunctional Tissue Scaffold for Potential Multimodal Therapeutic Applications, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, 2019