On-body non-invasive glucose monitoring sensor based on high figure of merit (FoM) surface plasmonic microwave resonator.

High-figure of merit (FoM) plasmonic microwave resonator is researched as a non-invasive on-body sensor to monitor the human body's blood glucose variation rate in adults for biomedical applications, e.g., diabetic patients. The resonance frequencies of the proposed sensor are measured to be around [Formula: see text] GHz and [Formula: see text] GHz over the frequency band of DC to 6GHz which are suitable for monitoring interstitial fluid (ISF) changing rate. The [Formula: see text] sensor is experimentally wrapped on the human body arm to monitor the blood glucose changing rate via amplitude and frequency variations of the sensor. Amplitude variation and frequency shift are measured to be around 7 dB and 30 MHz, respectively. The measured results demonstrate the high precision of the proposed approach to depict a valid diagram for glucose changing rate due to good impedance matching of the designed microwave sensor and human body. The sensor is shown to enhance the sensitivity by a factor of 5 compared to the conventional ones.

Corrosion Resistant Coatings Based on Zinc Nanoparticles, Epoxy and Silicone Resins.

In this study, corrosion-resistant composite coatings were produced by incorporating zinc (Zn) nanoparticles in an epoxy resin and a hybrid silicone resin. While performing sodium chloride saltspray tests, the corrosion performance of the nano-composite coatings was evaluated by applying these corrosion-resistant composite coatings on a carbon steel substrate. The nano-composite coatings on the substrates were characterized by an adhesion test, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and transmission electron microscope (TEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX). The results of the salt-spray tests showed that the Zn nanoparticles in the epoxy and hybrid silicone resins could react with permeated oxygen, thereby improving the anticorrosion properties of the Zn nano-composites. The corroded area of the epoxy resin samples decreased from more than 80% without Zn doping to less than 5% in a 3000-ppm Zn-doped sample after a 500-h saltspray test. An evaluation of the bactericidal properties showed that the Zn/epoxy and Zn/hybrid silicone resin nano-composites with at least 360 ppm of Zn nanoparticles exhibited bactericidal ability, which remarkably increased with the Zn nanoparticles content. The corrosion-resistant properties improved with the addition of Zn nano-composites coatings.

Hepcidin correlates with interleukin-1ß and interleukin-6 but not iron deficiency in children with Helicobacter pylori infection.

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with iron deficiency (ID) in children. Inflammatory cytokine reactions could influence the consequences of H. pylori infection. Hepcidin is an important regulator in iron homeostasis and could be induced by chronic inflammation. The relationship between hepcidin and cytokine levels in children infected with H. pylori remains controversial. METHODS: Based on serology testing for anti-H. pylori IgG, participants (43 seropositive and 43 seronegative) aged 10-18 years were enrolled. Serum hepcidin levels and iron profiles, including iron, ferritin, and total iron-binding capacity, were measured. ID is defined as iron saturation less than 15%. Seropositive children were divided into low hepcidin (n = 22) and high hepcidin (n = 21) groups. IL-1ß, IL-6, and IL-8 serum levels were compared. RESULTS: Serum IL-1ß and IL-6 levels were comparable between H. pylori seropositive and seronegative children, as were the median serum hepcidin levels (6.5 ng/mL versus 8.6 ng/mL; P = 0.1318). Median levels of serum iron, ferritin, and iron saturation were significantly lower in seropositive children with low hepcidin than in those with high hepcidin (P = 0.0123, P = 0.0001, and P = 0.0004, respectively). The prevalence of ID was significantly higher in those with low serum hepcidin levels (33.3% versus 4.5%; P = 0.015). Compared to the high hepcidin seropositive group, the low hepcidin group had significantly lower median serum levels of cytokines IL-1ß and IL-6, but not IL-8 (P = 0.0151 and P = 0.0015, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Inflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and IL-6, but not IL-8, might be associated with increased hepcidin levels among H. pylori-seropositive children. Further studies are needed to clarify the role of hepcidin.