Preparation and characterization of ι-carrageenan nanocomposite hydrogels with dual anti-HPV and anti-bacterial activities.

Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are usually caused by co-infections of bacteria and viruses. However, there is a lack of products that possess both antibacterial and antiviral activities without using chemical drugs. Here, we developed a carrageenan silver nanoparticle composite hydrogel (IC-AgNPs-Gel) based on the antiviral activity of iota carrageenan (IC) and the antibacterial effect of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) to prevent STDs. IC-AgNPs-Gel showed excellent biocompatibility, hemostasis, antibacterial and antiviral effects. IC-AgNPs-Gel not only effectively prevented S. aureus, E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and C. albicans without using antibiotics, but also significantly inhibited human papilloma virus (HPV)-16 and HPV-6 without using chemotherapy drugs. Moreover, IC-AgNPs-Gel showed the effects of accelerating infected wound healing and reducing inflammation in a rat wound model infected with S. aureus. Therefore, the multifunctional hydrogel shows great potential application prospect in preventing STDs.

The development of multifunctional sulfated polyguluronic acid-based polymeric micelles for anticancer drug delivery.

Numerous disseminated tumor cells specifically overexpress P-selectin. Therefore, it was thought to be a potential target for tumor therapy. Herein, we described a novel P-selectin-targeted glycosyl ligand-sulfated polyguluronic acid (PGS), as an oriented carrier of P-selectin-targeted drug delivery system. Specifically, the PGS-SS-DOX polymeric micelles were constructed to confirm the practicability of the PGS carrier as a new P-selectin-targeted ligand. PGS-SS-DOX micelles comprised P-selectin-targeted PGS, doxorubicin (DOX) as an anticarcinogen, and pH/redox dual-sensitive bio-linker facilitating drug release in tumor tissues. In vitro and in vivo data showed that PGS-SS-DOX micelles significantly increased tumor cell killing capacity and exhibited a favorable biocompatibility comparison with Free-DOX. This work proved that PGS was an ideal low immunogenic, biodegradable drug carrier for the delivery of anti-cancer drugs. The facile PGS-SS-drug micelle system provided enormous opportunities for treating disseminated tumors utilizing many irreplaceable anticarcinogens.

Tubular Polypyrrole with Chloride Ion Dopants as an Ultrafast Organic Anode for High-Power Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Polypyrrole (PPy), as a representative p-type conductive polymer, attracts wide attention for energy storage materials. However, the sluggish reaction kinetics and low specific capacity of PPy impede its application in high-power lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). Herein, tubular PPy with chloride and methyl orange (MO) anionic dopants is synthesized and investigated as an anode for LIBs. The Cl- and MO anionic dopants can increase the ordered aggregation and the conjugation length of pyrrolic chains, forming plentiful conductive domains and affecting the conduction channel inside the pyrrolic matrix, thereby achieving fast charge transfer and Li+ ion diffusion, low ion transfer energy barriers, and rapid reaction kinetics. On account of the above synergistic effect, PPy electrodes deliver a high specific capacity of 2067.8 mAh g-1 at 200 mA g-1 and a remarkable rate capacity of 1026 mAh g-1 at 10 A g-1 , realizing high energy density (724 Wh kg-1 ) and power density (7237 W kg-1 ) simultaneously.

[An analysis of soft tissue profile features of beautiful men and women with polar coordinates].

PURPOSE: To analyze the profile features of soft tissues of beautiful young men and women with Han nationality by polar coordinates. METHODS: Sixty-two beautiful college students (aged 18-23 years, average 20.1 years, 31 men, 31 women) were chosen according to inclusion criteria as study samples. The lateral cephalograms of the samples were taken in natural head position. The polar system was established with the Bolton (Bo) point as the pole, and the Bo-N line as the polar axis. The polar coordinates were measured of the mark points on the soft tissues of the samples' maxillofacial regions respectively. The measured data were statistically analyzed with SPSS 17.0 software package. RESULTS: There were no significant differences among the polar angles of the marking points on the soft tissues (P>0.05), the results were not statistically significant; there were significant differences among the measured data of line distances (P<0.01); the ratios of the polar radius of each mark point and Bo-N were not significantly different (P>0.05); there were significant differences among the values of Bo-Pos/ Bo-Sn, Bo-LL/Bo-Pos between men and women, which was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Polar coordinates can be applied to cephalometry to accurately and integrally describe maxillofacial profile features. There are minor differences between the profile features of beautiful men and women, and the differences are mainly shown in mandible and the fullness of lips.