A macroporous TiO2 oxygen sensor fabricated using anodic aluminium oxide as an etching mask.

An innovative fabrication method to produce a macroporous Si surface by employing an anodic aluminium oxide (AAO) nanopore array layer as an etching template is presented. Combining AAO with a reactive ion etching (RIE) processes, a homogeneous and macroporous silicon surface can be effectively configured by modulating AAO process parameters and alumina film thickness, thus hopefully replacing conventional photolithography and electrochemical etch methods. The hybrid process integration is considered fully CMOS compatible thanks to the low-temperature AAO and CMOS processes. The gas-sensing characteristics of 50 nm TiO(2) nanofilms deposited on the macroporous surface are compared with those of conventional plain (or non-porous) nanofilms to verify reduced response noise and improved sensitivity as a result of their macroporosity. Our experimental results reveal that macroporous geometry of the TiO(2) chemoresistive gas sensor demonstrates 2-fold higher (∼33%) improved sensitivity than a non-porous sensor at different levels of oxygen exposure. In addition, the macroporous device exhibits excellent discrimination capability and significantly lessened response noise at 500 °C. Experimental results indicate that the hybrid process of such miniature and macroporous devices are compatible as well as applicable to integrated next generation bio-chemical sensors.

[Effect of fulu baoxinping oral liquid in treatment of coronary heart disease patients with premature ventricular beat].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Fulu Baoxinping (FLBXP) oral liquid in the treatment of coronary heart disease patients with premature ventricular beat (PVB), differentiated as qi-yin deficiency with phlegm-stasis syndrome type. METHODS: Adopting randomized, double-blinded, double-simulated, positive drug parallel controlled and multi-centered clinical research method, 240 patients enrolled were randomly assigned equally to the treatment group treated with FLBXP 10 mL (containing 13.33 g of crude drug) thrice a day and the control group treated with Wenxin Granule 9 g thrice a day. Meanwhile, simulator of the test or positive control drug was given to them all correspondingly. The therapeutic course for them all was 28 days. Efficacy on PVB and TCM syndrome was observed. RESULTS: The markedly effective rate and total effective rate on PVB were 55.0% and 78.4% in the treatment group, and 37.2% and 53.1% in the control group, significant difference between groups was shown in comparison of both indexes (P < 0.05). Dynamic ECG showed the total number of PVB decreased for 3460.59 +/- 6516.56 beats/24 h in the treatment group, and for 2148.36 +/- 5129.47 beats/24 h in the control group, difference between them showed no statistical significance (P > 0.05). The TCM syndrome score in both groups was markedly decreased after treatment when compared with before treatment (P < 0.01); the differences of the treated and the control groups were -9.34 +/- 4.21 and -8.08 +/- 4.33 respectively, showing sigificant difference (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: FLBXP oral liquid has certain effect on PVB in CHD patients of qi-yin deficiency with phlegm-stasis syndrome type, no obvious adverse reaction was found in the clinical trial.

[Effect of fulu baoxin oral liquid on lipid peroxidation, plasma nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factor in acute myocardial infarction rats].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect and mechanism of Fulu Baoxin Oral Liquid (FBOL) on lipid peroxidation (LPO), plasma nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in myocadial tissue of rats with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: The contents of superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA) and VEGF in myocardial tissue and the plasm NO level were determined by immunohistochemical method. RESULTS: Compared with those in AMI model rats, contents of SOD, plasma NO and myocardial VEGF were higher and MDA was lower obviously in the FBOL high dosage and coronary favorable medicine treated rats (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: FBOL could increase SOD activity and lower MDA content in myocardial tissue, and up-regulate plasma NO and myocardial VEGF, which may be related to its curative effect on AMI.

Clinical non-inferiority trial on treatment of coronary heart disease angina pectoris of Xin-blood stasis syndrome type with lyophilized Salvia salt of lithospermic acid powder for injection.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of lyophilized Salvia salt of lithospermic acid powder for injection (SSLA) in treating coronary heart diseases angina pectoris (CHD-AP) of Xin-blood stasis syndrome type, and to conduct the non-inferiority trial with Danshen injection (DSI) as positive control. METHODS: An non-inferiority clinical layered, segmented, randomized, and blinded trial on three parallel and multiple centered groups was conducted in 480 patients with stable effort angina grade I, II and III, who had two or more times of attack every week. The 240 patients in test group A were treated with SSLA 200 mg added in 250 ml of 5% glucose solution for intravenous dripping every day; the 120 patients in test group B were treated with SSLA but the dosage doubled; and the 120 patients in the control group were treated with DSI 20 ml daily in the same method as SSLA was given. The clinical effectiveness and safety were evaluated after the patients were treated for 14 days. RESULTS: The results showed that the markedly effective rate in test groups A, B and control group was 37.45%, 36.75% and 30.09% respectively, while the total effective rate in them was 88.09%, 89.74% and 67.26% respectively. Statistical significance was shown in comparisons of the therapeutic effect between control group with test group A and test group B, with that in the two test groups superior to that in the control group, and non-inferiority trial showed eligibility (P < 0.01). Adverse reaction appeared in 8 patients in the test groups and 2 in the control group. CONCLUSION: SSLA has definite therapeutic effect in treating patients with CHD-AP, with its effect not inferior to that of DSI, and no evident toxic-adverse reaction.