A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Remission Induction with Modified Multitarget Therapy with Intravenous Cyclophosphamide in Proliferative Lupus Nephritis

Introduction

Therapy of proliferative lupus nephritis (PLN) is yet to be optimized. Standard of care for induction consists of intravenous (IV) cyclophosphamide (CYC) and steroids, which shows an improved outcome, but end-stage renal disease (ESRD) progression, increased mortality, and therapy-related adverse effects remain a major concern. The other treatment reported to induce early remission was the multitarget therapy comprising tacrolimus, mycophenolate, and steroid, but infections were high in the multitarget therapy. Considering azathioprine as a potentially safer and effective alternative anti-B-cell therapy, modified multitarget therapy (MMTT) was planned replacing mycophenolate with azathioprine.

Material and Methods

A single-center, 24-week, open-label, randomized controlled trial comprising adults of age 18-65 years with biopsy-proven PLN was carried out. The intervention groups were 1) MMTT: tacrolimus 0.075 mg/kg/day and azathioprine 2 mg/kg/day and 2) IV CYC group with a starting dose of 0.75 (adjusted to 0.5-1.0) g/m2 every 4 weeks for 6 months. Both groups received 3 days of pulse methylprednisolone followed by a tapering course of oral prednisone therapy.

Results

Among 100 randomized patients, 48 were in MMTT arm and 52 were in IV CYC arm. At the end of 24 weeks, overall remission (complete and partial) was comparable in both the arms: MMTT (86.36%) and IV CYC (87.75%). There was comparable proteinuria reduction and systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) score improvement with recovery of complement level C3 in both groups. Major adverse events were numerically more in the IV CYC group, including one death from pneumonia.

Conclusion

The MMTT arm is as effective as IV CYC in improving short-term outcome in PLN, with a comparable safety profile.

AB1566-HPR SHIFTING THE MINDSET: USING A HEALTH COACHING APPROACH FOR HEALTH PROMOTING CONSULTATION IN ADOLESCENT RHEUMATOLOGY

Background

Juvenile rheumatic diseases have a significant negative impact on health early in life which may affect later health outcomes. The Adolescent and Young Adult Rheumatology Department (AYAD) at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) looks after over 2,000 young people with a variety of rheumatological conditions and provides developmentally appropriate interdisciplinary (ID) approach to healthcare.

Health coaching (HC) is “a behavioural intervention that facilitates participants in establishing and attaining health promoting goals in order to change lifestyle-related behaviour, with the intent of reducing health risks, improving self-management of chronic conditions, and increasing health related quality of life”.[1] Evidence shows that health coaching can improve health related behaviours including medication adherence, patient activation, and use of healthcare resources. [2-4]

Objectives

The aim of this project is to enable young people attending the AYAD to establish and achieve their own health-promoting goals and thereby change behaviour and increase confidence in self-management. As a first stage the aim was to develop health coaching capabilities within our ID Team by March 2022.

Methods

The strategy to deliver this project included commissioning a recognised core skills health coaching course for multidisciplinary team (MDT) members. Pre and post course surveys were completed by participants.

Results

All the AYA team members comprising 3 physiotherapists, 2 nurse specialists, a transition pathway coordinator, 4 consultants and 2 senior registrars took part in the health coaching workshops.

A pre course survey (10/ 12 responded) revealed that 70% of MDT members felt their consultations focused solely on young people’s medical/clinical care. 80% reported they discuss lifestyle choices such as sleep, and weight management. 40 % felt that their consultation times were long enough to discuss resources that would support long-term management. 30% reported they felt effective in facilitating Young people and their families to self-manage and/or had sufficient health coaching awareness to facilitate behaviour change.

The course was delivered over 2 separate days, one week apart, and included educational material, presentations, group discussion and skills development delivered in a coaching style.

A post course survey (11/12 responses) demonstrated 100% of participants were satisfied with the course content, delivery, facilitation and opportunities to work and learn with colleagues, and felt that the skills were applicable to their work. They reported that the skills learned could be applied beyond healthcare, for example, with colleagues or in leadership roles, the course helped to raise self-awareness of behaviours that can negatively and positively impact patient and family engagement in their care, and that using some techniques and small changes to practice could potentially have a big impact on quality of care and outcomes as well as patient and staff experience.

Conclusion

Health coaching skills were considered as a useful tool by all AYAD team members.

Skills gained on the course were considered useful in managing young people and applicable in settings beyond clinical care.

The next stage of this project will include embedding the techniques learned into clinical practice and measuring qualitative and quantitative outcomes over time

References

[1]van Ryn, M., & Heaney, C. A. (1997). Developing effective helping relationships in health education practice. Health Education & Behavior, 24(6), 683–702

[2]https://www.health.org.uk/publications/reducing-emergency-admissions-unlocking-the-potential-of-people-to-better-manage-their-long-term-conditions

[3]Newman P, McDowell A, Life changing conversations: clinicians experience of health coaching in the east of England, 3-2-147 Future Hosp J June 1, 2016

[4]https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/health-coaching-implementation-and-quality-summary-guide.pdf

Disclosure of Interests

None declared

Late-onset nephrotic syndrome with thyroid hypoplasia and nup85 mutation in Galloway-Mowat syndrome: A case report

Galloway-Mowat syndrome is an autosomal recessive rare hereditary disorder with progressively worsening renal function, neurological and psychomotor abnormalities, microcephaly, facial dysmorphism, and thyroid, adrenal, and ovarian hypoplasia/agenesis. Here, we present the case of a 9-year-old girl who presented with late-onset steroid-resistant nephrotic syndrome with rapid worsening of renal function, microcephaly, hypertelorism, high-arched palate, delayed speech and developmental milestones, poor intellectual function, short stature, hypertension, and hypothyroidism. Magnetic resonance imaging brain was suggestive of cerebral and cerebellar atrophy, hypomyelination, and optic atrophy. Renal biopsy was suggestive of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Whole-genome exon sequencing revealed a homozygous mutation in the NUP85 gene. The clinicians should be aware of this rare syndrome and consider it as a possibility in any patient presenting with nephrotic syndrome, microcephaly, and neurological abnormality.

Occupational health management of work-related stress: guidelines versus practice

BACKGROUND

Work-related stress, anxiety and depression (WRSAD) are common, overlapping mental health problems burdened with major medical, occupational, institutional and societal implications. Current occupational health (OH) management of WRSAD is based on clinical and managerial guidelines and individual risk assessment.

AIMS

The study sought to identify patterns of OH advice in WRSAD and the relationships between the OH advice, available evidence, experience and expertise of the OH doctors (OHDs).

METHODS

A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of 101 first-time OH consultations for WRSAD by nine OHDs.

RESULTS

The three most common OH interventions included follow-up OH consultations, adjusted duties and referrals for counselling. All OHDs preferred a light-touch approach but the less experienced and qualified OHDs were more proactive and prescriptive.

CONCLUSIONS

In the absence of a specific occupational medical guideline for the management of WRSAD, the OH interventions may be guided by clinical guidelines, individual risk assessment, the client's circumstances or the experience, expertise and preferences of the OHDs. In the study group, OH interventions were under-utilized and not consistently applied. Our findings support the argument for OH guideline for WRSAD to improve the consistency and effectiveness of OH interventions. This is important given the scale of the problem and the recent increase in WRSAD during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The changing face of pregnancy-related acute kidney injury from eastern part of India: A hospital-based, prospective, observational study

This study was initiated to look into the etiologies, prevalence, and outcome of pregnancy-related acute kidney injury (PRAKI) in a tertiary care hospital. Women admitted with PRAKI from January 2015 to December 2016 were included in the study. All patients were investigated and treated and followed up for the next six months.. For statistical analysis, Chi- square test and analysis of variance were performed to analyze the data. Multivariate analysis was applied to compare the risk of nonrecovery of renal function in different etiologies of PRAKI. During the study period, 81 patients were admitted with PRAKI, of whom 68 (84%) received hemodialysis (HD). A total of 449 patients including all cases of AKI underwent HD from January 2015 to June 2016. The incidence of dialysis requiring PRAKI was 68 out of the 449 patients (15%). Sixty-eight (84%) patients required dialysis support while the most common cause was sepsis (49%), with the second being pregnancy-associated atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (P-aHUS) (17%) followed by obstetric hemorrhages (16%). There was a significant reduction of first-trimester AKI (8.6%) compared to a previous study published from this institute (19.3%). The maternal mortality (25%) and fetal mortality (23.5%) were high. Nearly 39% of the patients had complete recovery of renal function. This study revealed significant PRAKI burden due to a largely preventable cause, puerperal sepsis. Renal survival was poor in P- aHUS. The gaps in the obstetric care may be identified for the improvement of fetomaternal outcome.

Role of free volumes and segmental dynamics on ion conductivity of PEO/LiTFSI solid polymer electrolytes filled with SiO2 nanoparticles: a positron annihilation and broadband dielectric spectroscopy study

The limited ionic conductivity of polymer electrolytes is a major issue for their industrial application. Enhancement of ionic conductivity in the poly(ethylene oxide), PEO, based electrolyte has been achieved by loading passive nanofillers such as SiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs). To investigate the role of modifications in free volume characteristics and the polymer chain dynamics induced by the loading of passive fillers on the ionic conductivity of the PEO based ternary electrolyte, a systematic investigation has been carried out using positron annihilation and broadband dielectric spectroscopy. As a result of interfacial interactions, the loading of SiO₂ NPs alters the semi-crystalline morphology of PEO resulting in a higher crystallinity at lower loadings due to the surface confinement of PEO chains, and the formation of smaller PEO crystallites at higher loadings due to interparticle nanoconfinement. These modifications are accompanied by a decrease in free volume fraction at the lowest loading (0.5 wt%) followed by an increase at higher loadings (≥2.0 wt%). The Almond-West formalism considering two different universalities in different temperature and frequency ranges has been used to explain the ion-conduction process at different NP loadings. The Li ion conductivity is observed to be maximum for a 5.0 wt% loading of SiO₂ NPs. The enhancement in ionic conductivity is observed to be directly correlated with the free volume characteristics and segmental dynamics of the PEO matrix, confirming their role in ion transport in polymer electrolytes.

Remote Ischemic Preconditioning for Prevention of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients of CKD Stage III and IV Undergoing Elective Coronary Angiography: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Introduction:

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a serious complication of coronary angiography (CA). The aim of this randomized, parallel group, single blind, sham-controlled trial was to assess the safety and efficacy of the remote ischemic preconditioning on the prevention of CI-AKI.

Methods:

Patients of 18–80 years of age with CKD 3 and 4, who were admitted for elective coronary angiography in a tertiary care hospital in eastern India were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to standard care with ischemic preconditioning (n = 45; intermittent arm ischemia through 4 cycles of 5-min inflation and 5-min deflation of a blood pressure cuff) or with standard care and sham ischemic preconditioning (n = 42). Overall, both study groups were at moderate risk of developing CI-AKI according to the Mehran risk score. The primary endpoint was the incidence of CI-AKI, defined as an increase in serum creatinine ≥25% or ≥0.5 mg/dL above baseline at 48 h after contrast medium exposure.

Results:

CI-AKI occurred in 8 patients (19.04%) in the control group and 2 (4.4%) in the remote ischemic preconditioning group (odds ratio, 0.198, 95% confidence interval, 0.087 to 0.452; P = 0.04). No major adverse events were related to remote ischemic preconditioning.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that remote ischemic preconditioning is a simple and well-tolerated procedure, which reduces the incidence of CI-AKI in CKD 3 and 4 patients undergoing coronary angiography.

AB1084 A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE ABILITY OF WHOLE BODY MRI TO ASSESS DISEASE ACTIVITY AND TREATMENT RESPONSE IN INFLAMMATORY ARTHRITIS

Background:

Whole body MRI (WBMRI) is an imaging technique that allows the assessment of the spine and peripheral joints in patients with inflammatory arthritis (IA) in a single examination. Depending on the protocol, it can potentially identify synovitis, enthesitis, spondyloarthritis and chronic structural changes.

Objectives:

To evaluate the performance of WBMRI in patients with IA for detecting inflammation compared with clinical assessments and to show changes in response to treatment.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic search of the electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library. Two authors selected independently the eligible studies, extracted the predefined data and assessed the quality using the QUADAS2 tool. Studies that reported a)disease activity scores, b)patient or physician reported outcomes or c)results from other imaging tests in IA patients who underwent WBMRI were included.

Results:

Fourteen studies out of 471 met our inclusion criteria. The majority of the studies were performed in Spondyloarthritis [SpA] (n=9), followed by Rheumatoid Arthritis [RA] (n=4) and Psoriatic Arthritis [PsA] patients (n=3). Nine studies provided clinical and MRI outcome measures. There was great heterogeneity in the quality of studies, disease specific outcomes reported and methodology used to compare with MRI findings. One study documented low correlation between 28 swollen/tender joint count and MRI bone marrow oedema (BME)/synovitis in RA patients, whereas another reported that 31% of MRI negative joints (other than hand joints) exhibited tenderness. In PsA, one study demonstrated correlation between 28 swollen joint count and BME (r=0.54,p=0.03). Superiority of WBMRI in the detection of synovitis and enthesitis over clinical examination was documented in two studies with SpA patients. A third study in SpA showed a ranging agreement of 49 to 100% between clinical and WBMRI enthesitis.

Treatment response to biologics was assessed by WBMRI in 7 studies (5 in SpA, 2 in RA). In RA, one study showed numerical (but not statistically significant) reduction of WBMRI joint count at week 16 and 52 of Adalimumab treatment, whereas the reduction was statistically significant for the subset of patients achieving good EULAR response at week 16. The other study demonstrated a reduction in WBMRI synovitis and bone oedema scores after 1 year of anti-TNF or Tocilizumab treatment (median DAS28 score decreased from 5.1 to 2.1). A multicentre open label study reported a reduction in the number of MRI enthesitis lesions, spinal and sacroiliac joint scores at week 48, year 2 and 3 of Etanercept treatment in SpA patients. The mean BASDAI score decreased from 5.4 at baseline to 1.5 at year 2 and 2.2 at year 3. Improvement in WBMRI scores in SpA was also documented in one Adalimumab and one further Etanercept study.

Conclusion:

There was a variable level of correlation between clinical and WBMRI outcome measures across the included studies. The clinical significance of inflammation detected by WBMRI in some studies remains unclear. Many of the devised WBMRI scores appear to decrease after biologic treatment. Further studies are needed to determine the accuracy of WBMRI in detecting inflammation and its potential utility for clinical practice.

Disclosure of Interests:

Varvara Choida: None declared, Anastasia-Vasiliki Madenidou: None declared, Debajit Sen: None declared, Margaret Hall-Craggs: None declared, Coziana Ciurtin Grant/research support from: Pfizer, Consultant of: Roche, Modern Biosciences

Aquaporin-4 IgG antibody-related disorders in patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to: (a) screen a large group of unselected patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus for anti-aquaporin 4 antibodies (AQP4-Ab); (b) identify clinical and laboratory predictors of the presence of AQP4-Ab positivity in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus.

METHODS

Sera from 90 patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus were tested for the presence of AQP4-Ab using a cell-based assay. Demographics, clinical and immunological features, treatment received were summarized. Fisher's exact test was used to identify clinical predictors of positivity for AQP4-Ab.

RESULTS

Five of 90 (5.5%) patients tested positive for AQP4-Ab, all of which had neurological involvement, mainly transverse myelitis and optic neuritis. AQP4-Ab-positive patients were more likely to have neurological symptoms (P = 0.002), less likely to experience dermatological manifestations (P = 0.045), and less likely to have detectable anti-dsDNA antibodies (P = 0.022). These patients were also more likely to have received anti-epileptic (P = 0.023) and anti-coagulant (P = 0.007) drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings of this study indicate that some patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus develop antibodies against aquaporin-4 and may be at risk of developing a neurological clinical phenotype. We suggest that all juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus patients should be systematically screened for the presence of AQP4-Ab and this may help identify a high risk for neurological involvement in juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus.

An Artificial Intelligence Platform for Asset Management Contributes to Better Decision-making Tools for Operations, Maintenance, and Utility Management

  An Artificial Intelligence system was developed and implemented for water, wastewater, and reuse plants to improve management of sensors, short and long-term maintenance plans, asset and investment management plans. It is based on an integrated approach to capture data from different computer systems and files. It adds a layer of intelligence to the data. It serves as a repository of key current and future operations and maintenance conditions that a plant needs have knowledge of. With this information, it can simulate the configuration of processes and assets for those conditions to improve or optimize operations, maintenance and asset management, using the IViewOps (Intelligent View of Operations) model. Based on the optimization through model runs, it is able to create output files that can feed data to other systems and inform the staff regarding optimal solutions to the conditions experienced or anticipated in the future.

Porous nano-structured micro-granules from silica-milk bi-colloidal suspension: Synthesis and characterization

Synthesis and characterization of nano-structured porous granules, with fairly defined morphology and porosity, is crucial because such granules are widely utilized for various technological applications. However, an easy, one-step, economic synthesis protocol for large scale production is extremely desirable. In the present work, we have reported the synthesis and characterization of the nano-structured micro-granules using aerosol drying of bi-colloidal suspension of nano-silica and milk. Removal of soft organic component from the granules results in formation of meso and macro pores with moderate specific surface area. Granule morphology and porosity depends strongly on the concentration ratio of the individual components in the drying aerosol as well as the interaction between them.

Primary Pulmonary Diffuse Large B Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

Patient: Female, 48

Final Diagnosis: Primary pulmonary DLBCL

Symptoms: Cough • weigh loss

Medication: R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone)

Clinical Procedure: Bone marrow biopsy • CT-guided lung biopsy

Specialty: Oncology

Occupational chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a standard of care

BACKGROUND

Consistent evidence from population studies report that 10-15% of the total burden of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated with workplace exposures. This proportion of COPD could be eliminated if harmful workplace exposures were controlled adequately.

AIMS

To produce a standard of care for clinicians, occupational health professionals, employers and employees on the identification and management of occupational COPD.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was used to identify published data on the prevention, identification and management of occupational COPD. Scottish Intercollegiate Guidance Network grading and the Royal College of General Practitioner three star grading system were used to grade the evidence.

RESULTS

There are a number of specific workplace exposures that are established causes of COPD. Taking an occupational history in patients or workers with possible or established COPD will identify these. Reduction in exposure to vapours, gases, dusts and fumes at work is likely to be the most effective method for reducing occupational COPD. Identification of workers with rapidly declining lung function, irrespective of their specific exposure, is important. Individuals can be identified at work by accurate annual measures of lung function.

CONCLUSIONS

Early identification of cases with COPD is important so that causality can be considered and action taken to reduce causative exposures thereby preventing further harm to the individual and other workers who may be similarly exposed. This can be achieved using a combination of a respiratory questionnaire, accurate lung function measurements and control of exposures in the workplace.

Working with asbestos and the possible health risks

BACKGROUND

The generic term asbestos refers to a group of crystalline mineral silicates that occur naturally in various forms. Because of their properties of strength, heat and electrical resistance and their ability to withstand corrosion by acids and sea water, asbestos was used extensively both in the UK and worldwide.

AIMS

To provide a historical perspective of this ubiquitous occupational hazard, consider the key changes in UK legislation aimed at improving the management of this occupational health risk and describe the evidence from the scientific literature concerning asbestos and disease.

METHODS

Original articles, reviews (including reference textbooks) and scientific literature in PubMed and other principal medical science databases, 1960-2014, were searched. Publications by regulatory agencies and by governmental organizations were also considered and included where relevant.

RESULTS

Asbestos remains the biggest cause of cancer deaths worldwide. For malignant mesothelioma deaths alone, it is estimated that in the UK, between 2015 and 2020, the number of cases will peak at 2500 cases annually. It is not clear whether there is a safe level of asbestos fibres in air. Evidence for the efficacy of health surveillance is lacking.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the use of asbestos was banned in the UK in 1985 (amosite and crocidolite) and 1999 (chrysotile), it remains a significant occupational risk factor for work-related morbidity and mortality, causing both benign and malignant diseases, often with long latency. Further research is needed regarding exposure levels and health surveillance.

Health surveillance for occupational asthma in the UK

BACKGROUND

Periodic health surveillance (HS) of workers can identify early cases of occupational asthma. Information about its uptake and its content in the UK is lacking.

AIMS

To identify the overall levels of uptake and quality of HS for occupational asthma within three high-risk industry sectors in the UK.

METHODS

A telephone survey of employers, and their occupational health (OH) professionals, carried out in three sectors with exposures potentially capable of causing occupational asthma (bakeries, wood working and motor vehicle repair).

RESULTS

A total of 457 organizations participated (31% response rate). About 77% employed <10 people, 17% between 10 and 50 and 6% >50. Risk assessments were common (67%) and 14% carried out some form of HS for occupational asthma, rising to 19% if only organizations reporting asthma hazards and risks were considered. HS was carried out both by in-house (31%) and external providers (69%). Organizational policies were often used to define HS approaches (80%), but infrequently shared with the OH provider. OH providers described considerable variation in practice. Record keeping was universal, but worker-held records were not reported. HS tools were generally developed in-house. Lung function was commonly measured, but only limited interpretation evident. Referral of workers to local specialist respiratory services was variable.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provided new insights into the real world of HS for occupational asthma. We consider that future work could and should define simpler, more practical and evidence-based approaches to HS to ensure maximal consistency and use of high-quality approaches.

Gene therapy as a potential tool for treating neuroblastoma-a focused review

Neuroblastoma, a solid tumor caused by rapid division of undifferentiated neuroblasts, is the most common childhood malignancy affecting children aged <5 years. Several approaches and strategies developed and tested to cure neuroblastoma have met with limited success due to different reasons. Many oncogenes are deregulated during the onset and development of neuroblastoma and thus offer an opportunity to circumvent this disease if the expression of these genes is restored to normalcy. Gene therapy is a powerful tool with the potential to inhibit the deleterious effects of oncogenes by inserting corrected/normal genes into the genome. Both viral and non-viral vector-based gene therapies have been developed and adopted to deliver the target genes into neuroblastoma cells. These attempts have given hope to bringing in a new regime of treatment against neuroblastoma. A few gene-therapy-based treatment strategies have been tested in limited clinical trials yielding some positive results. This mini review is an attempt to provide an overview of the available options of gene therapy to treat neuroblastoma.

Temperature Mediated Morphological Transition during Drying of Spray Colloidal Droplets

Understanding how a tiny dilute evaporative colloidal spray droplet gets transformed into a microgranule with a characteristic morphology is crucial from scientific as well as technological points of view. In the present work, it is demonstrated that the morphology and the size distribution of the microcapsules can be tuned simply by adjusting the drying temperature. Shape and size of the capsules are quantified at four different drying temperatures. It is shown that the morphology transits gradually from sphere to toroid with increasing temperature keeping the average volume-fraction of the correlated nanoparticles nearly unaffected for the synthesized granules. A plausible mechanism for the chronological pathway of such morphological transformation is illustrated. Computer simulation corroborates the experimentally observed morphological transition. The variation in hollowness and buckling tendency of the capsules are elucidated by scattering and imaging techniques.

Amorphous carbon nanotubes as potent sorbents for removal of a phenolic derivative compound and arsenic: theoretical support of experimental findings

Amorphous carbon nanotubes can be uses as potential material for water purification.

Colloidal Nanoparticle Interaction Transition during Solvent Evaporation Investigated by in-Situ Small-Angle X-ray Scattering

In-situ scanning small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) experiments have been performed to probe the drying of a single suspended droplet of silica colloids. It has been demonstrated that the formation of a nanoparticle shell during drying can be confirmed just by measuring the temporal evolution of the spatial transmission profile across the drying droplet. The shrinkage of the droplet stops once the shell is formed. The temporal dependence of the shell thickness and droplet radius has been estimated by quantitative analysis of the functionality of the transmission profiles. It is revealed that the position of the correlation peak originating from interactions between silica nanoparticles evolves linearly during the initial stage of drying and exhibits sigmoidal growth behavior in later stages. The interaction between colloidal particles in different drying stages has been investigated. We provide experimental confirmation of the transition from repulsive interaction to a capillary-driven short-range attraction during shell formation. The present work demonstrates that in-situ scanning SAXS on a suspended droplet is an invaluable technique for monitoring the dynamic self-organization of colloids as it probes the drying of complex fluids without the interference of a substrate.

Formation of nano-structured core–shell micro-granules by evaporation induced assembly

Nano-structured spherical micro-granules of core–shell morphology have been realized by utilizing the contrasting interfacial interaction of two different types of nano-particles with liquid solvent.

Organic–inorganic composite micro-granules by evaporation induced assembly: role of trapped water in structural evolution

Nano-structured composite micro-granules are promising candidates for many technological and medical applications.