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Background: Long-term biological therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) include infliximab and vedolizumab, which are administered intravenously. Although highly effective, non-adherence to these biologics is common and is associated with adverse sequelae and loss of response. Objective: In this study, we aim to characterize long-term intravenous biologic adherence trajectories among IBD patients and identify the factors linked with these trajectories. Methods: We conducted a retrospective multicenter study of IBD patients over 2 years to assess their adherence to infliximab and vedolizumab. The date of infusion was determined based on medical and pharmacy records. Using group-based trajectory modeling (GBTM), adherence trajectories were identified based on patients' 90-day coverage of days over time. The effect of relevant variables on adherence behavior was assessed using multinomial regression analysis. Results: 374 patients with IBD were included in the study, 68.2% males with a median age of 34.3 (IQR 28.0–44.4) years old. Three distinct adherence trajectories were identified for intravenous biologics: "consistent adherence" (n = 136, 36.4%), "slow decline" (n = 137, 36.6%) and "rapid decline" (n = 101, 27.0%). Compared with consistent adherence, concomitant use of aminosalicylates (OR 3.49, 95% CI 1.34–9.05) was associated with a significantly greater risk of rapid decline. Conversely, being married at the initiation of biologics (OR 0.43, 95% CI 0.19–0.95) and having been hospitalized within preceding years (OR 0.44, 95% CI 0.23–0.88) appeared to have a protective effect against rapid decline. Additionally, being male (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.32–1.01) was found to be protective against slow decline. Conclusion: Distinct adherence patterns for infusion biologics among IBD patients have been identified, offering valuable insights to refine the design and timing of adherence interventions. However, only limited factors were found to be associated with specific adherence trajectories, revealing the complex nature of adherence behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pathogenic bacteria in the environment pose a significant threat to public health. Titanium dioxide (TiO2)-based photocatalysts have emerged as a promising solution due to their potent antimicrobial effects under visible light and their generally eco-friendly properties. This review focuses on the antibacterial properties of visible-light-activated, TiO2-based photocatalysts against pathogenic bacteria and explores the factors influencing their efficacy. Various TiO2 modification strategies are discussed, including doping with non-metals, creating structure defects, combining narrow-banded semiconductors, etc., to extend the light absorption spectrum from the UV to the visible light region. The factors affecting bacterial inactivation, and the underlying mechanisms are elucidated. Although certain modified TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) show antibacterial activities in the dark, they exhibit much higher antibacterial efficacies under visible light, especially with higher light intensity. Doping TiO2 with elements such as N, S, Ce, Bi, etc., or introducing surface defects in TiO2 NPs without doping, can effectively inactivate various pathogenic bacteria, including multidrug-resistant bacteria, under visible light. These surface modifications are advantageous in their simplicity and cost-effectiveness in synthesis. Additionally, TiO2 can be coupled with narrow-banded semiconductors, resulting in narrower band gaps and enhanced photocatalytic efficiency and antibacterial activities under visible light. This information aids in understanding the current technologies for developing visible-light-driven, TiO2-based photocatalysts and their application in inactivating pathogenic bacteria in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present work highlights the synthesis of graphene oxide (GO) modified polythiophene (PTh) for its application as an antibacterial agent as well as a visible light active photocatalyst. PTh was synthesized via the interfacial polymerization method using FeCl3 as initiator and then formulated as nanohybrids by mixing it in different weight ratios with graphene oxide (GO) i.e., 1 wt.%,3 wt.% and 5 wt. %. PTh and GO/PTh nanohybrids were characterized using FTIR, UV-visible, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. The polymerization of PTh as well as modification of PTh with GO was confirmed by IR studies, while the shifting of electronic transitions of PTH upon modification with GO were confirmed by the UV-visible studies. The degradation of dyes, Alizarin Yellow (AY), Basic Blue (BB) and Congo Red (CR) was carried out via sonophotocatalysis under visible light using PTh and GO/PTh as catalysts for a period of 60 min. The GO/PTh revealed higher degradation efficiency as compared to PTh. To evaluate its effectiveness as an antibacterial agent against Bacillus subtilis, disk diffusion inhibitory assay was carried out under dark and light conditions. The results showed that PTh and GO/PTh nanohybrids had bactericidal properties, regardless of light exposure. The results of the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay indicated the nanohybrid of 3-GO/PTh had the lowest MIC, followed by 1-GO/PTh and 5-GO/PTh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon–semiconductor hybrid quantum dots are classical carbon dots with core carbon nanoparticles doped with a selected nanoscale semiconductor. Specifically, on those with the nanoscale TiO2 doping, denoted as CTiO2-Dots, their synthesis and thorough characterization were reported previously. In this work, the CTiO2-Dots were evaluated for their visible light-activated antibacterial function, with the results showing the effective killing of not only Gram-positive but also the generally more resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The hybrid dots are clearly more potent antibacterial agents than their neat carbon dot counterparts. Mechanistically, the higher antibacterial performance of the CTiO2-Dots is attributed to their superior photoexcited state properties, which are reflected by the observed much brighter fluorescence emissions. Also considered and discussed is the possibility of additional contributions to the antibacterial activities due to the photosensitization of the nanoscale TiO2 by its doped core carbon nanoparticles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The carbon/TiO2 hybrid dots (C/TiO2-Dots) are structurally TiO2 nanoparticles (in the order of 25 nm in diameter from commercially available colloidal TiO2 samples) surface-attached by nanoscale carbon domains with organic moieties, thus equivalent to hybrids of individual TiO2 nanoparticles each decorated with many carbon dots. These hybrid dots with exposure to visible light exhibit potent antibacterial properties, similar to those found in neat carbon dots with the same light activation. The results from the use of established scavengers for reactive oxygen species (ROS) to "quench" the antibacterial activities, an indication for shared mechanistic origins, are also similar. The findings in experiments on probing biological consequences of the antibacterial action suggest that the visible light-activated C/TiO2-Dots cause significant damage to the bacterial cell membrane, resulting in higher permeability, with the associated oxidative stress leading to lipid peroxidation, inhibiting bacterial growth. The induced bacterial cell damage could be observed more directly in the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. Opportunities for the further development of the hybrid dots platform for a variety of antibacterial applications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]