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Objective: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) have been widely used in the treatment of hard-to-heal (chronic) wounds, but there is still a lack of sufficient evidence for their combined use for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds. This systematic review aimed to identify the clinical efficacy and safety of adding adjunctive HBOT to NPWT for hard-to-heal wounds. Method: Embase, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang were searched from the establishment of the database to March 2022. The literature was screened according to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria. We assessed the quality of each included study with the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias tool and Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. A meta-analysis was performed using R programming software version 4.1.0 (R Project for Statistical Computing, US). The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were used to report data from systematic reviews and meta-analysis. Results: A total of 15 studies were identified, including nine randomised clinical controlled trials and six retrospective studies. Meta-analysis results showed that NPWT combined with HBOT had better outcomes compared with the NPWT alone with regards to: wound healing rate (odds ratio (OR)=6.77; 95% confidence interval (Cl): 3.53–12.98; p<0.0001); bacterial positive rate of wound (OR=0.16; 95% CI: 0.05–0.55; p=0.0037); wound healing time (mean difference (MD)= –3.86; 95% Cl: –5.18 – –2.53; p<0.0001); wound area (standardised mean difference (SMD)=1.50; 95% Cl: 0.35–2.65; p=0.0104); hospitalisation time (MD= –3.14; 95% Cl: –4.93 – –1.36; p=0.005); and hospitalisation cost (OR= –202.64; 95% Cl: –404.53 – –0.75; p=0.0492). There was no significant difference in pain score (MD= –0.43; 95% Cl: –1.15–0.30; p=0.25). Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated that adjunctive HBOT with NPWT is safe and effective in the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds. However, these findings should be interpreted with great caution given the limitations of the studies included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creep life prediction of component materials exposed to air and liquid sodium environments is critical to ensure the safe operation and structural integrity of a sodium‐cooled fast reactor. In this paper, a method for predicting the creep life of a wide range of austenitic stainless steels in air and liquid sodium was proposed based on a physics‐informed neural network. Based on the established datasets for sodium corrosion rates and creep life in air and liquid sodium, the predictive performance of physical equations, conventional machine learning models, and the proposed model were assessed. Subsequently, a data‐driven creep life assessment framework was established, providing insight into the engineering application of machine learning methods in high‐temperature structure assessment. The results show that the creep fracture of austenitic stainless steel is accelerated by liquid sodium corrosion. The proposed physics‐informed neural network exhibits enhanced suitability and accuracy for predicting the sodium corrosion rate and creep life than physical equations and conventional machine learning methods. Highlights: A data‐driven creep life prediction method for metals under corrosion was proposed.New physical constraint and feature have been proposed based on domain knowledge.The excellent predictive performance of proposed method has been validated.Data‐driven creep assessment under environment effects has been proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infected wounds present a complex challenge characterized by the dual problems of bacterial overgrowth and delayed healing. Conventional treatments have yet to address these issues concurrently and effectively. In response to this, we developed a nanofirework, ZnS/CuS@BSA (BSA, bovine serum albumin), synthesized via a biomineralization process. This nanocomposite is designed for hydrogen sulfide (H2S)-assisted photothermal therapy (PTT) targeting bacterial infections in wounds. Upon exposure to 808 nm laser irradiation, the CuS component of the ZnS/CuS@BSA nanofirework efficiently converts light energy into heat, which denatures the bacteria present in the wound. Simultaneously, the acidic environment at the wound site catalyzes the controlled release of H2S from the ZnS component. This released H2S not only inhibits bacterial peroxidase activity, which increases levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), but also enhances cell migration and proliferation, accelerating the wound healing process. Furthermore, the concurrent release of zinc ions (Zn2+) compromises the bacterial membrane integrity, enhancing the overall antibacterial efficacy of the nanocomposite. Both in vitro and in vivo studies have substantiated the capability of ZnS/CuS@BSA to significantly promote cell proliferation and inhibit bacterial growth, thereby facilitating rapid healing of the infected wound. This innovative approach, integrating H2S with PTT through a biomineralized nanofirework, offers a promising antibiotic-free strategy. It has the potential to significantly enhance the treatment of infected wounds, presenting a synergistic antimicrobial effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have used botulinum toxin type A (BTXA) to improve postoperative and hypertrophic scars; however, there is lack of detailed verification on the safety and effectiveness of this approach. This study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of BTXA on postoperative hypertrophic scars and its influence on cytokine expression in animal models. A computerised search of different databases was performed, including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, Embase, CNKI, and Wanfang, up to 10 March 2021. A meta‐analysis was performed using R 4.0.0 based on hypertrophic index, epithelialisation time, wound area, and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. Eleven studies were included. The meta‐analysis showed a significant difference in hypertrophic index (standardised mean difference [SMD] = −2.63, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −3.50 to −1.76, P <.01), wound area (SMD = −0.54, 95% CI: −1.24 to 0.16, P <.01), and VEGF expression (SMD = −2.56, 95% CI: −3.50 to −1.62, P <.01). This study shows that BTXA is safe and effective in preventing and treating scar hypertrophy in animal models, but excessive doses of BTXA and BTXA to treat large areas should be avoided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cost management and toxic waste generation are two key issues that must be addressed before the commercialization of perovskite optoelectronic devices. We report a groundbreaking strategy for eco-friendly and cost-effective fabrication of highly efficient perovskite solar cells. This strategy involves the usage of a high volatility co-solvent, which dilutes perovskite precursors to a lower concentration (<0.5 M) while retaining similar film quality and device performance as a high concentration (>1.4 M) solution. More than 70% of toxic waste and material cost can be reduced. Mechanistic insights reveal ultra-rapid evaporation of the co-solvent together with beneficial alteration of the precursor colloidal chemistry upon dilution with co-solvent, which in-situ studies and theoretical simulations confirm. The co-solvent tuned precursor colloidal properties also contribute to the enhancement of the stability of precursor solution, which extends its processing window thus minimizing the waste. This strategy is universally successful across different perovskite compositions, and scales from small devices to large-scale modules using industrial spin-coating, potentially easing the lab-to-fab translation of perovskite technologies. A universal strategy is reported for formation of very low concentration of perovskite precursor inks that yields high-efficiency photovoltaics while substantially reducing toxic waste generation, fabrication cost and process complexity, thus taking a step closer towards commercialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]