Synergistic antibacterial attributes of copper-doped polydopamine nanoparticles: an insight into photothermal enhanced antibacterial efficacy.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and associated infectious diseases pose a grave threat to human health. The antibacterial activity of metal nanoparticles has been extensively utilized in several biomedical applications, showing that they can effectively inhibit the growth of various bacteria. In this research, copper-doped polydopamine nanoparticles (Cu@PDA NPs) were synthesized through an economical process employing deionized water and ethanol as a solvent. By harnessing the high photothermal conversion efficiency of polydopamine nanoparticles (PDA NPs) and the inherent antibacterial attributes of copper ions, we engineered nanoparticles with enhanced antibacterial characteristics. Cu@PDA NPs exhibited a rougher surface and a higher zeta potential in comparison to PDA NPs, and both demonstrated remarkable photothermal conversion efficiency. Comprehensive antibacterial evaluations substantiated the superior efficacy of Cu@PDA NPs attributable to their copper content. These readily prepared nano-antibacterial materials exhibit substantial potential in infection prevention and treatment, owing to their synergistic combination of photothermal and spectral antibacterial features.

Diet-related factors, educational levels and blood pressure in a Chinese population sample: findings from the Japan-China Cooperative Research Project.

As part of the Japan-China Cooperative Research Project of the WHO-Cardiovascular Disease and Alimentary Comparison Study, a cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate risk factors for high blood pressure (BP) in male adults in Chongqing, China. Subjects with hypertension (HT) were defined as those if they had systolic BP (SBP) > or = 140 mmHg or diastolic BP (DBP) > or = 90 mmHg or if they were receiving anti-hypertensive drug therapy. Subjects were also categorized into three groups according to their level of education, i.e., low- (< or = 6 years), intermediate- (7-9 years), or high- (> or = 10 years) level education. The results were as follows. (a) 20.3% of subjects had HT, 16.7% had hypercholesterolemia (serum total cholesterol > or = 220 mg/dl), and 23.4% were overweight (body mass index > or = 25 kg/m2). (b) After adjustment for age, SBP and DBP showed a significant positive association with body mass index, urinary sodium (Na) excretion, and total cholesterol (TC) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL). SBP and DBP tended to be negatively associated with 24 h urinary potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg) excretion. (c) Subjects with the highest educational level had the lowest prevalence of HT (11.6%), followed by those with the low (22.6%) and the intermediate (25.0%) educational levels (p<0.05). (d) Logistic regression analysis indicated that the relative risks (95%CI) of being overweight, high TC/HDL ratio, high Na excretion and lower educational level (<10 years) for risk of HT were 5.39 (2.42-11.98), 1.73 (1.13-2.63), 1.30 (1.06-1.58), and 2.56 (1.41-6.71) respectively. (e) Subjects with the highest educational level had significantly lower Na, significantly lower Na/K ratio excretion, and significantly higher K and Mg excretion values than those with intermediate or low educational levels. In conclusion, BP was strongly associated with BMI, salt intake and other diet-related factors in the study sample. The results emphasize that education plays an important role in public health for the control of high BP in the Chinese population.

Passive Smoking and Other Factors at Different Periods of Life and Breast Cancer Risk in Chinese Women who have Never Smoked - A Case-control Study in Chongqing, People's Republic of China.

A case-control study of breast cancer (BC) was conducted from 1994 to 1996 in Chongqing, People's Republic of China, in order to explore the etiological role of passive smoking (PS, so-called second hand smoking) as well as other early life factors (weight, height, socioeconomic status and history of suffering from a disease resulting in hospitalization). These factors were reviewed both in childhood (age less than 10 years) and in the teenage years (youth: 10 to 16 years). One hundred and eighty six cases of newly diagnosed and histologically confirmed BC, aged 24 to 55 years, were individually matched by day (within six months) and age (within 2 years) at diagnosis as well as marital status to 186 controls selected from outpatients not suffering from cancer. All subjects, cases and controls were never-smokers. A standardized questionnaire was used for interview in a face-to-face situation. After adjustment for a wide range of covariates using multiple logistic regression analysis, PS was found to be a statistically significant risk factor for BC. This was found for exposure to PS in childhood [odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.24 (1.07-1.43)], in youth [1.15 (0.90-1.47)] and in adulthood for either exposure at home [4.07 (2.21-7.50)] or at work [1.27 (1.04-1.55)]. For exposure to PS in childhood, a significant dose-response effect was evident (test for trend, p<0.05) with the number of smokers in the home, as well as the perceived level of exposure to PS, and in adulthood with the number of smokers at work. Our study also found an increased risk of BC in those with a past history of suffering from a disease requiring hospitalization [2.41 (1.21-4.81)]. Subjects with a low body weight in childhood and with a poor economic status in youth were associated with increased risk of BC in their adulthood [1.54 (1.09-2.18) and 1.03 (1.00-1.06)]. Being overweight as an adult, however, was associated with a high risk of BC [1.76 (1.02-3.04)]. Age at menarche [0.83 (0.72-0.95)] was associated negatively with risk of BC. A history of benign breast disease [2.05 (1.01-4.16)] or a history of life stress [2.32 (1.54-3.48)] were both associated with increased risk of BC. Our results therefore indicate a small but definite effect associated with PS, the credibility of which is enhanced by a dose-response relationship to BC risk. The other early life factors, such as age at menarche, history of suffering from a disease requiring hospitalization, history of benign breast disease, being overweight as an adult and life stress are similar to those consistently found in other countries. The associations involving low body weight, low socioeconomic status in early life and subsequent high risk of BC require further study.