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IntroductionNetwork meta-analyses have confirmed that paclitaxel plus carboplatin could improve progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) compared with platinum alone. However, detailed implementation schedule (weekly or 3-weekly therapy) was not specified in clinical practice guidelines. Evidence from studies is also inconsistent. We will conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the benefits and harms of weekly therapy and 3-weekly therapy of paclitaxel combined with carboplatin in women with ovarian cancer.MethodsWe will search PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library databases to include relevant randomised controlled trials comparing weekly therapy versus 3-weekly therapy of paclitaxel combined with carboplatin for women with ovarian cancer. Random-effects model will be used to pool data for patient-reported outcomes including survival rate, OS, PFS and adverse events. Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach will be used to rate the quality of evidence.Ethics and disseminationThis systematic review and meta-analysis will be based on published data and does not therefore require specific ethical approval or consent for participation. The results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.OSF registration number10.17605/OSF.IO/GJUMA.

Various sizes and shapes of Mn3O4 nanocrystals have been prepared in a one-pot synthesis in extremely dilute solution by soft template self-assembly. To better control size and shape, the effects of varying the growth time, reaction temperature, surfactant, and manganese source were examined. The average size of octahedral Mn3O4 crystallites was found to be related to the reaction time, while higher reaction temperature (150 °C) and the use of a cetyltrimethylammonium bromide/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (CTAB/PVP) mixture allowed construction of a better-defined octahedral morphologies. When PVP or poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide) (P123) was used as template, large-scale agglomeration resulting in loss of the octahedral morphology occurred and crystallites with a quasi-spherical shape were obtained. The nano-octahedral crystallites were shown to be an efficient catalyst for the oxidation of methylene blue.

We synthesized novel α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals (NFO-1) with single crystalline structure. In our synthetic strategy, the morphology and structure can be controlled simultaneously by the choice of inorganic salt (IS) and organic template (OT) in the extremely low precursor concentration reaction system. The evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) method was used to accelerate the reaction and to recover the synthesized α-Fe2O3 with high yields while preserving its favorable shape and structure. The morphologies and structures of the obtained α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals greatly influence their surface functionalization capability. The chemical interaction between NFO-1 and the surface functionalization agent (dopamine) was obviously enhanced because of its special spindle-like morphology. The synthesis method described in this paper is suitable for the synthesis of other transition metal oxide single nanocrystals as well and we expect that this new route will be useful for the synthesis of novel nanomaterials.

A simple method was developed for the synthesis of novel macroporous silica cages with tailored pore architecture and high thermal stability. The silica cages possess anamorphic spherical morphology and narrow particle size distribution (∼1.5 µm), consisting of numerous channels interconnected with one another to form a fully open three-dimensional network. The morphology and structure of macroporous silica cages are strongly affected by synthetic conditions, including the molar compositions of reactants, the evaporation time of solvent, and the aging conditions. The number of silica crystal nuclei in the synthesis system is the major factor that determines the formation of silica cages and the disorder-to-order transformation, which can be controlled by changing the reactant molar concentrations and the solvent evaporation time. Using the appropriate aging time in ethanol provides the possibility of effecting the transformation from disordered twisting silica nanofibers with random branches to silica cages. The transformation from the macroporous cages to the mesostructures and the formation mechanism of the cages are also discussed in detail.