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Nanobiotechnology is a specific field of biotechnology that utilizes nanoscale methods and materials to investigate biological systems and create innovative medical technologies. This review discusses the diverse use of nanobiotechnology in health, focusing on both its superior properties and challenges. The main aims of this report are to present and elaborate on the global market share of this growing field as well as the scientific output, regarding publications and patents in the last decade. Quantitative data is derived from the Statnano database, which includes information related to the articles from the Web of Science (WoS) and approved patents from the European Patent Office and the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The final aim of this review is to provide some suggestions based on these data. Government support is the most important driving force in building up research and publications. Support for advancement in nanotechnology to fabricate products for commercial and public benefit is the top priority of developed nations. Thus, entrepreneurial training of young researchers, and collaborations between scientists, policymakers, investors, and citizens, should be encouraged. To work together globally and set international standards for the creation of consistent methods in characterizing nanoscale products with biological systems is imperative.

We studied the intra- and inter-rater reliability of muscle thickness and cross-sectional area measurements of thenar muscles with a water bath ultrasonography technique in eight healthy volunteers and 16 patients with trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis. Thickness and cross-sectional area of the opponens pollicis, abductor pollicis brevis, flexor pollicis brevis, first dorsal interosseous and adductor pollicis muscle were measured. The results showed changes in the morphometric properties of the thenar muscles in patients with trapeziometacarpal osteoarthritis (TMC OA) compared with the healthy volunteers. In the dominant-sided patients ( n  = 14), there were lower cross-sectional area values for the abductor pollicis brevis and opponens pollicis muscles. In the non-dominant-sided patients ( n  = 10), there were lower cross-sectional area values for the abductor pollicis brevis and flexor pollicis brevis and lower muscle thickness of the abductor pollicis brevis. The water bath ultrasonography technique could be used to diagnose and treat diseases where changes in thenar muscle thickness and cross-sectional area can be expected. Level of evidence: III.

Background: Evidence suggests that the effect of 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) use for oral care on the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and ventilator-associated tracheobronchitis (VAT) is lacking. Evidence-based approaches to the prevention of VAP and VAT are of paramount importance for improving patients' outcomes., Objectives: This study aimed to (1) compare the effect of 0.12% CHX use for oral care on preventing VAP and VAT with the placebo group, as well as (2) compare its effect on oral health and prevention of oral microbial colonization with the placebo group., Methods: Prospective, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial performed in 2 intensive care units at a hospital. The sample comprised 57 mechanically ventilated adults randomly allocated to the 0.12% CHX group and the placebo group. Barnason's oral assessment guide was used to evaluate the oral health of both groups before oral care during the first 24 hr of tracheal intubation (Day 0) and at Day 2 and Day 3. Oropharyngeal secretion, endotracheal tube aspirate, and nonbronchoscopic bronchoalveolar lavage samples were collected on Day 0 and Day 3., Results: The rate of VAT development was not statistically different between the groups (p = .318). However, a significant difference existed in the rate of VAP development (p = .043). The frequency of oropharyngeal colonization significantly decreased in the 0.12% CHX group compared with the placebo group at Day 3 (p = .001)., Conclusion: The use of 0.12% CHX for oral care could be effective for VAP prevention and reducing microbial colonization in mechanically ventilated patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Society of Trauma Nurses.)

Recently, Mo-based materials have emerged as promising candidates to replace Pt catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction. Among these, MoO₂ holds a great promise due to its metallic conductivity. Here, we investigate the effect of V doping on the hydrogen evolution reaction activity of MoO₂ thin films. V doped MoO₂ thin films with different dopant concentrations were prepared on conductive Si substrates by co-sputtering followed by thermal sulfurization. The electrochemical measurements revealed that V doping has an adverse effect on the hydrogen evolution reaction performance of MoO₂ films, attributed to the p -type doping nature of V. This study gives insight into the effect of dopant type on the catalytic activity of hydrogen evolution reaction catalysts and provides a hint for the correct selection of dopant elements to enhance the activity of the existing catalyst materials.

We report a flexible hydrogen sensor, composed of WS2 nanosheet-Pd nanoparticle composite film, fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate. The sensor offers the advantages of light-weight, mechanical durability, room temperature operation, and high sensitivity. The WS2-Pd composite film exhibits sensitivity (R 1/R 2, the ratio of the initial resistance to final resistance of the sensor) of 7.8 to 50,000 ppm hydrogen. Moreover, the WS2-Pd composite film distinctly outperforms the graphene-Pd composite, whose sensitivity is only 1.14. Furthermore, the ease of fabrication holds great potential for scalable and low-cost manufacturing of hydrogen sensors.

We report a doping strategy, where nickel oxide (NiO) nanoparticle film coating is employed for graphene/Si heterojunction solar cells to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE). NiO doping has been shown to improve the short circuit current (J(SC)) by 12%, open circuit voltage (V(OC)) by 25% and fill factor (FF) by 145% of the cells, in turn increasing the PCE from 1.37% to 4.91%. Furthermore, NiO doped graphene/Si solar cells don't show any significant performance degradation over 10 days revealing that NiO doping can be a promising approach for practical applications of graphene in solar cells.

We have successfully fabricated and characterized highly uniform nanopatterned graphene (NPG). Thin anodized aluminum oxide nanomask was prepared by facile self-assembly technique without using polymer buffer layer, which was utilized as a direct-contact template for oxygen plasma etch to produce near-periodic, small-neck-width NPG. The NPG exhibits a homogeneous mesh structure with an average neck width as small as ~11 nm. The highly uniform 11-nm neck width creates a quantum confinement in NPG, which has led to a record bandgap opening of ~200 meV in graphene for the given level of neck width. Electronic characterization of single-layer NPG field-effect transistors (FETs) was performed, which demonstrated a high on-off switching ratio. We found that the NPG allows for experimental confirmation of the relationship between electrical conductance and bandgap. This work also demonstrates that our direct-contact, self-assembled mask lithography is a pathway for low-cost, high-throughput, large-scale nanomanufacturing of graphene nanodevices.

We report CoFe2O4 nanoparticles (NPs) synthesized using a facile hydrothermal growth and their attachment on 3D carbon fiber papers (CFPs) for efficient and durable oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The CFPs covered with CoFe2O4 NPs show orders of magnitude higher OER performance than bare CFP due to high activity of CoFe2O4 NPs, leading to a small overpotential of 378 mV to get a current density of 10 mA/cm(2). Significantly, the CoFe2O4 NPs-on-CFP electrodes exhibit remarkably long stability evaluated by continuous cycling (over 15 h) and operation with a high current density at a fixed potential (over 40 h) without any morphological change and with preservation of all materials within the electrode. Furthermore, the CoFe2O4 NPs-on-CFP electrodes also exhibit hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance, which is considerably higher than that of bare CFP, acting as a bifunctional electrocatalyst. The achieved results show promising potential for efficient, cost-effective, and durable hydrogen generation at large scales using earth-abundant materials and cheap fabrication processes.

Graphene has received appreciable attention for its potential applications in flexible conducting film due to its exceptional optical, mechanical, and electrical properties. However increasing transmittance of graphene without sacrificing the electrical conductivity has been difficult. The fabrication of optically highly transparent (≈98%) graphene layer with a reasonable electrical conductivity is demonstrated here by nanopatterning and doping. Anodized aluminium oxide nanomask prepared by facile and simple self-assembly technique is utilized to produce an essentially hexagonally nanopatterned graphene. The electrical resistance of the graphene increases significantly by a factor of ≈15 by removal of substantial graphene regions via nanopatterning into hexagonal array pores. However, the use of chemical doping on the nanopatterned graphene almost completely recovers the lost electrical conductivity, thus leading to a desirably much more optically transparent conductor having ≈6.9 times reduced light blockage by graphene material without much loss of electrical conductivity. It is likely that the availability of large number of edges created in the nanopatterned graphene provides ideal sites for chemical dopant attachment, leading to a significant reduction of the sheet resistance. The results indicate that the nanopatterned graphene approach can be a promising route for simultaneously tuning the optical and electrical properties of graphene to make it more light-transmissible and suitable as a flexible transparent conductor., (© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

Highly sensitive hydrogen detection at room temperature can be realized by employing solution-processed MoS 2 nanosheet-Pd nanoparticle composite. A MoS 2 -Pd composite exhibits greater sensing performance than its graphene counterpart, indicating that solvent exfoliated MoS 2 holds great promise for inexpensive and scalable fabrication of highly sensitive chemical sensors.

The fabrication of large-scale graphene nanoribbon (GNR) network and its application for gas sensing are reported. A large area, nanoscale GNR network was produced by a facile approach of silver nanowires (Ag NWs) templated graphene masking and subsequent 02 plasma etching. GNR network shows significantly enhanced sensitivity to ammonia gas compared to pristine graphene layer. The gas detection sensitivity of the nanoscale GNR network is even further improved by decorating GNR network with palladium (Pd) or platinum (Pt) nanoparticles, which show a relative resistance response of 65% and 45%, respectively to 50 ppm (parts per million) of ammonia (NH3) in nitrogen (N2) at room temperature as well as good reversibility in air.