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Advances in nanotechnology provide plenty of exciting solutions to environmental issues affecting air, soil as well as water. To solve the water pollution problem caused by organics and microorganisms, development of a simple, environment-friendly, and cheap method for the synthesis of nanomaterials is of paramount importance. Herein, we prepared a novel nanocomposite (named Eggshell/Ag) using waste eggshell as a support and Cacumen platycladi extract as reducing and stabilizing agents in aqueous solutions at room temperature. Biogenic-stabilized Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) with an average diameter of 60 nm were well-dispersed on the surface of eggshells, exhibiting dual-functional properties of organics catalytic degradation and bacterial growth inhibition. Through five repeated assays, it was established that the reduction efficiency of the nanocomposite for 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was high. The reduction could be completed rapidly at room temperature. Moreover, significant inhibition zones were observed for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) agar plates and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Meanwhile, the minimum inhibition concentrations (MIC) were determined to be 0.08 and 0.04 mg mL−1, respectively, while the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was measured as 0.64 mg mL−1. The biogenic Eggshell/Ag nanocomposites are promising candidates for a series of applications in the fields of biomedicine, environment as well as energy.

Background: Bleeding and thromboembolic events (TE) are common complications following HeartMate II (HMII) implantation. The aim of the study was to review our experience related to bleeding and TE events in patients with a HMII and identify factors associated with increased risk of these events. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 70 consecutive patients who received a HMII between May 2006 and December 2011. The patients were followed for 12 months or until cardiac transplantation, device explantation or death. Major bleeding was defined by INTERMACS criteria with intracranial bleeding events added. Results: There were 48 bleeding events in 28 (40%) patients with gastrointestinal bleeding (54.2%) being most common. Patients with bleeding events had significantly higher average INR (p=0.04) and more chronic kidney disease (p=0.03), although 43.8% of bleeding events occurred at an INR Conclusion: Different factors are associated with bleeding and TE events. The appropriate target INR range for HMII patients should be chosen to balance the risk between bleeding and TE events based largely on patient factors.

Portopulmonary hypertension (PoPH) refers to pulmonary arterial hypertension associated with portal hypertension with or without evidence of an underlying liver disease. Despite the potential for curing PoPH with liver transplantation, the presence of moderate or severe PoPH is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and is, therefore, a contraindication to transplantation. Previous studies have predominantly used intravenous epoprostenol for treatment in order to qualify patients for liver transplantation. In this retrospective case series, we describe the clinical course of 11 patients whom we successfully treated (predominantly with oral sildenafil and subcutaneous treprostinil) in order to qualify them for liver transplantation. The mean pulmonary artery pressure significantly improved from 44 to 32.9 mm Hg, and the pulmonary vascular resistance decreased from 431 to 173 dyn second cm(-5) . There were significant improvements in the cardiac output and the transpulmonary gradient with these therapies as well. All 11 patients subsequently received liver transplants with a 0% mortality rate to date; the duration of follow-up ranged from 7 to 60 months. After transplantation, 7 of the 11 patients (64%) were off all pulmonary vasodilators, and only 2 patients required transiently increased doses of prostacyclins. In conclusion, an aggressive approach to the treatment of PoPH with sildenafil and/or treprostinil and subsequent liver transplantation may be curative for PoPH in some patients.