Flame-Retardant and Transparent Unsaturated Polyester Based on P/N Liquid Flame Retardants and Modified Halloysite Nanotubes.

Unsaturated polyester resin (UPR) with excellent flame retardant is mainly obtained by adding large amounts of flame retardants, usually at the expense of mechanical properties. In this work, a reactive flame retardant containing phosphorus and nitrogen (DOPO-N) was successfully synthesized and incorporated in UPR as a crosslinker. The mechanical and flame-retardant properties of UPR composites were enhanced. UPR/30DOPO-N passed a UL-94 V-1 rating with a limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 30.8%. The tensile strength of UPR/30DOPO-N increased by 24.4%. On this basis, a small amount of modified HNTs (VHNTs) was added to further improve the flame-retardant properties of the composite. With the introduction of 3 wt% VHNTs, the composite passed the UL-94 V-0 rating. The peak of heat release rate (PHRR) and total heat release (THR) of it decreased by 60.7% and 48.3%, respectively. Moreover, the detailed flame-retarding mechanism of DOPO-N and VHNTs was investigated by thermogravimetric infrared spectroscopy (TG-IR), Raman spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It was found that DOPO-N played a role in quenching the flame in the gas phase and cooperated with VHNTs to enhance the barrier effect in the condensed phase.

Allelochemicals-mediated interaction between algae and bacteria: Direct and indirect contact.

Secondary metabolites with bioactivity are allelochemicals. This study adopted direct contact (R0) and indirect contact (separated by 0.45 µm membrane, R1-A for algae, R1-S for sludge) to reveal the role of metabolites especially allelochemicals on interaction of bacteria and algae. Direct contact exhibited better nutrients removal than indirect contact, due to less antibacterial allelochemicals and oxidative stress. Bacterial signaling molecules were not detected. The major algae-derived allelochemicals were 13-Docosenamide, 9-Octadecenamide, n-Hexadecanoic acid, erucic acid, octadecanoic acid, ß-sitosterol, and E,E,Z-1,3,12-Nonadecatriene-5,14-diol. Furthermore, presence of 13-Docosenamide and 9-Octadecenamide was associated with succession of Flavobacterium and suppression of nitrifying bacteria (Nitrosomonas, Ellin6067, and Nitrospira). Direct contact stimulated denitrifying bacteria Saccharimonadales and algae Scenedesmus, whereas indirect contact is friendly to Dechloromonas, Competibacter, nitrifying bacteria, algae Desmodesmus and Dictyosphaerium. This study highlights the essentiality of cell contact of bacteria-algae in establishing synergy, as cell contact mitigates antagonistic effect induced by metabolites.

A New Phosphorous/Nitrogen-Containing Flame-Retardant Film with High Adhesion for Jute Fiber Composites.

In this work, a novel P/N flame-retardant monomer (PDHAA) was synthesized through reacting phenyl dichlorophosphate (PDCP) with N-hydroxyethyl acrylamide (HEAA). The structure of PDHAA was confirmed using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. PDHAA monomer and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate phosphate (PM-2) monomer were mixed at different mass ratios, to prepare UV-curable coatings, and then applied to the surface of fiber needled felts (FNFs), to improve their flame retardancy. PM-2 was introduced to reduce the curing time of the flame-retardant coatings and improve the adhesion between the coating and the fiber needled felts (FNFs). The research results indicated that the surface flame-retardant FNFs had a high limiting oxygen index (LOI) and rapidly self-extinguished in a horizontal combustion test and passed a UL-94 V-0 test. At the same time, the CO and CO2 emissions were greatly reduced, and the carbon residue rate was increased. In addition, the introduction of the coating improved the mechanical properties of the FNFs. Therefore, this simple and efficient UV-curable surface flame-retardant strategy has broad application prospects in the field of fire protection.

Polymer Composite Thermoforming: Ultrasonic-Assisted Optimization for Enhanced Adhesive Performance in Automotive Interior Components.

Dual-component epoxy resins are widely used for bonding different materials in automotive interior processing. However, due to the complexity and variability of automotive interior parts, uneven temperature distribution on curved surfaces during the thermoforming process can lead to uneven thermal stress distribution, damaging the interior components. This study focuses on addressing the damage issues caused by uneven thermal stress distribution during the thermoforming of automotive interior components. By monitoring the temperature and strain on the adhesive surface of the interior components during processing, using sensors and combining the readings with a finite element simulation, damage to the adhesive during processing was simulated. Based on this, a segmented thermoforming method for the model surface was employed, but it was found that this method did not significantly reduce the level of damage to the adhesive during application. Building upon the segmented simulation, significant results were achieved by applying temperature modulation at a certain frequency to adjust the damage of the interior components during processing. The techniques used in this study successfully reduced the unevenness of the adhesive surface temperature, improved the performance of the adhesive during application through segmented optimization and the application of ultrasound-assisted techniques, and markedly reduced the manufacturing process's energy consumption.

Preparation of carbon black/silicone rubber composites with large-area-homogeneous-low electrical-resistance used as electroplating matrix.

Conductive carbon black (CCB) is an important filler in stretchable conductive silicone rubber (CSR) composites. However, due to the active oxygen-containing groups on CCB, introducing it into silicone rubber (SR) may cause SR to not completely cure. Surface modification of CCB may ease the problem but at the cost of reducing the electrical conductivity of pristine CCB. In this work, the curing and crosslinking performance of CCB/SR is detected in detail, the hydroxyl groups (-OH) carried by CCB can react with the silicon-hydrogen group (Si-H) with the existence of Pt catalyst, causing insufficiency of the hydrosilylation reaction thus hindering the solidifying process of silicon rubber. To take advantage of this reaction, more hydrogen silicone oil (PHMS) possessing silicon-hydrogen bonds is introduced into the system to improve the curing degree as well as fix the CCB in the crosslinked network. Due to the lock-in effect of CCB, the resistance of CSR samples is stable after several hundred bending cycles, and the composite's tensile strength is three times that of the pure SR samples. Besides, the size of the composites can expand to dozens of centimeters or even a few meters with uniform electric conductivity. This composite has resistance as low as 10.20 Ω and is suitable to make electroplating mold, and a rapid plating rate of 2.4 mm/24 h can be achieved. Meanwhile, the overall properties make this CSR composite have potential applications in mold manufacture, flexible electronics, and other related fields.

Quercetin attenuates the proliferation, inflammation, and oxidative stress of high glucose-induced human mesangial cells by regulating the miR-485-5p/YAP1 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is a kidney damage caused by diabetes and the main cause of end-stage renal disease. However, the current treatment of DN has many limitations. Quercetin is a bioflavonoid compound with therapeutic benefits in metabolic diseases. This study aims to determine the therapeutic potentials and underlying mechanism of quercetin on DN. METHODS: We collected blood samples from DN patients and healthy controls and treated human mesangial cells (HMCs) with high glucose (HG) to establish an in vitro model of DN. Then we assessed the expression difference of miR-485-5p as well as YAP1 in serum of DN patients and healthy controls and between HG-induced HMCs and control cells. qRT-PCR and western blot were performed to assess miR-485-5p and YAP1 expression levels; CCK-8 and ELISAs were used to examine cell proliferation, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Dual luciferase reporter assay was implemented to detect the binding of miR-485-5p and YAP1 mRNA sequence. RESULTS: Quercetin suppressed proliferation, inflammation, and oxidative stress of HMCs induced by HG. As for mechanism, miR-485-5p directly bound to YAP1 and inhibited YAP1 expression. The downregulation of miR-485-5p and upregulation of YAP1 were also observed in the serum of DN patients. Quercetin modulated miR-485-5p/YAP1 axis to regulate HG-induced inflammation and oxidative stress. CONCLUSION: Quercetin inhibits the proliferation, inflammation, and oxidative stress of HMCs induced by HG through miR-485-5p/YAP1 axis, which might provide a novel treatment strategy for DN.

A core-shell structured COVID-19 mRNA vaccine with favorable biodistribution pattern and promising immunity.

Although inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines has rolled out globally, there is still a critical need for safe and effective vaccines to ensure fair and equitable supply for all countries. Here, we report on the development of a highly efficacious mRNA vaccine, SW0123 that is composed of sequence-modified mRNA encoding the full-length SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein packaged in core-shell structured lipopolyplex (LPP) nanoparticles. SW0123 is easy to produce using a large-scale microfluidics-based apparatus. The unique core-shell structured nanoparticle facilitates vaccine uptake and demonstrates a high colloidal stability, and a desirable biodistribution pattern with low liver targeting effect upon intramuscular administration. Extensive evaluations in mice and nonhuman primates revealed strong immunogenicity of SW0123, represented by induction of Th1-polarized T cell responses and high levels of antibodies that were capable of neutralizing not only the wild-type SARS-CoV-2, but also a panel of variants including D614G and N501Y variants. In addition, SW0123 conferred effective protection in both mice and non-human primates upon SARS-CoV-2 challenge. Taken together, SW0123 is a promising vaccine candidate that holds prospects for further evaluation in humans.

Micro-CT image denoising with an asymmetric perceptual convolutional network.

Micro-CT has important applications in biomedical research due to its ability to perform high-precision 3D imaging of micro-architecture in a non-invasive way. Because of the limited power of the radiation source, it is difficult to obtain a high signal-to-noise image under the requirement of temporal resolution. Therefore, low-dose CT image denoising has attracted considerable attention to improve the image quality of micro-CT while maintaining time resolution. In this paper, an end-to-end asymmetric perceptual convolutional network (APCNet) is proposed to enhance the network's ability to capture and retain image details by improving the convolutional layer and introducing an edge detection layer. Compared with the previously proposed denoising models such as DnCNN, CNN-VGG, and RED-CNN, experiments proved that our proposed method has achieved better results in both numerical indicators and visual perception.

Synthesis of a grape-like conductive carbon black/Ag hybrid as the conductive filler for soft silicone rubber.

Conductive silicone rubber (CSR) is an outstanding stretchable conductive composite due to its excellent mechanical properties and stable conductivity. In this paper, silver nanoparticles were deposited on carbon black (CB) through a reduction reaction. The uniform dispersion of silver particles on the surface of CB as well as the grape-like branch structure of hybrid particles was formed by the condensation reaction of the hydroxyl groups of CB with (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (KH-590), along with the interattraction between sulfhydryl groups of KH-590 and silver ions. This sulfhydryl modified conductive carbon black/Ag hybrid filler (SMCB@Ag) avoided the high processing viscosity of CSR caused by the hydroxyl groups of CB. The percolation threshold of CSR made from SMCB@Ag was 5.5 wt% according to the percolation equation. With the addition amount of SMCB@Ag increasing to 10 wt%, the conductivity of CSR increased from 10-5 to about 101. Moreover, the conductivity of this CSR showed excellent stability with extension of storage time and increase of stretching-recovery cycles.

Astragaloside IV prevents high glucose-induced podocyte apoptosis via downregulation of TRPC6.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the most important causes of end­stage renal disease. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is a saponin isolated from Astragalus membranaceus, which possesses various pharmacological activities. AS­IV prevents podocyte apoptosis and ameliorates renal injury in DN; however, few studies have focused on its effects on ion channels. The transient receptor potential channel 6 (TRPC6) is an important Ca2+­permeable ion channel in podocytes, which is involved in high glucose (HG)-induced podocyte apoptosis. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether AS­IV prevented HG­induced podocyte apoptosis via TRPC6. Cultured podocytes were pre­treated with 10, 20 or 40 µM AS­IV for 1 h prior to HG exposure for 24 h. Apoptosis, cell viability, expression of TRPC6, nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT2) and B­cell lymphoma 2­associated X protein (Bax), as well as the intracellular Ca2+ concentration were subsequently analyzed. The results indicated that HG induced podocyte apoptosis and upregulation of TRPC6, and increased intracellular Ca2+. Furthermore, enhanced NFAT2 and Bax expression was detected. Conversely, AS­IV protected HG­induced podocyte apoptosis, downregulated TRPC6 expression and suppressed intracellular Ca2+ in HG-stimulated podocytes. AS­IV also suppressed NFAT2 and Bax expression. These results suggest that AS­IV may prevent HG-induced podocyte apoptosis via downregulation of TRPC6, which is possibly mediated via the calcineurin/NFAT signaling pathway.

Effect of Auricular Acupressure on Uremic Pruritus in Patients Receiving Hemodialysis Treatment: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background. Uremic pruritus (UP) is a common symptom in patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Objective. To determine the clinical efficacy of auricular acupressure therapy on pruritus in hemodialysis patients and to explore possible underlying mechanisms. Methods. Patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis at a referral medical center were recruited and assigned to intervention (n = 32) and control (n = 30) groups. The intervention group underwent auricular acupressure treatment three times a week for six weeks. Auricular acupressure was not applied to patients in the control group. However, tape without Vaccaria seeds was applied to the same six auricular acupoints as the intervention group. Pruritus scores were assessed using VAS scores, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) were used to measure levels of other possible contributory biochemical factors. Results. There was a significant difference in mean VAS scores between the postintervention and control groups during follow-up (3.844 ± 1.687 versus 5.567 ± 2.285, F = 22.32, P < 0.0001). Compared to the control group, serum histamine levels in the postintervention group at the six-week follow-up had decreased significantly (F = 5.01, P = 0.0290). Conclusion. Our findings suggest that auricular acupressure may be a useful treatment in the multidisciplinary management of UP in ESRD patients.

Altered STAT4 Isoform Expression in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

BACKGROUND: Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the major forms of inflammatory bowel disease, and pathogenesis involves a complex interplay among genetic, environmental, and immunological factors. We evaluated isoform expression of the IL-12-activated transcription factor STAT4 in children with CD and UC. METHODS: We collected biopsy samples from both patients newly diagnosed with CD and with UC. We further collected blood samples from patients newly diagnosed with CD and with UC as well as from patients who had a flare-up after being in clinical remission, and we examined the ratios of STAT4ß/STAT4α mRNA. In addition to STAT4 isoforms, we measured the expression of the cytokines TNFα, IFNγ, granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, and IL-17 using polymerase chain reaction of biopsy samples and multiplex analysis of patient serum samples. RESULTS: Ratios of STAT4ß/STAT4α were increased in specific gastrointestinal tract segments in both patients with CD and those with UC that correlate with the location and severity of inflammation. In contrast, we did not observe changes in STAT4ß/STAT4α ratios in biopsy specimens from patients with eosinophilic esophagitis. We also observed increased STAT4ß/STAT4α ratios in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of patients with UC and those with CD, compared with healthy controls. Ratios were normalized after patients were treated with steroids. CONCLUSIONS: Collectively, these data indicate that STAT4 isoforms could be an important noninvasive biomarker in the diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory bowel disease and that expression of these isoforms might provide further insight into the pathogenesis of IBD.

TH9 cells are required for tissue mast cell accumulation during allergic inflammation.

BACKGROUND: IL-9 is important for the growth and survival of mast cells. IL-9 is produced by T cells, natural killer T cells, mast cells, eosinophils, and innate lymphoid cells, although the cells required for mast cell accumulation during allergic inflammation remain undefined. OBJECTIVE: We sought to elucidate the role of TH9 cells in promoting mast cell accumulation in models of allergic lung inflammation. METHODS: Adoptive transfer of ovalbumin-specific TH2 and TH9 cells was used to assess the ability of each subset to mediate mast cell accumulation in tissues. Mast cell accumulation was assessed in wild-type mice and mice with PU.1-deficient T cells subjected to acute and chronic models of allergic inflammation. RESULTS: Adoptive transfer experiments demonstrated that recipients of TH9 cells had significantly higher mast cell accumulation and expression of mast cell proteases compared with control or TH2 recipients. Mast cell accumulation was dependent on IL-9, but not IL-13, a cytokine required for many aspects of allergic inflammation. In models of acute and chronic allergic inflammation, decreased IL-9 levels in mice with PU.1-deficient T cells corresponded to diminished tissue mast cell numbers and expression of mast cell proteases. Mice with PU.1-deficient T cells have defects in IL-9 production from CD4(+) T cells, but not natural killer T cells or innate lymphoid cells, suggesting a TH cell-dependent phenotype. Rag1(-/-) mice subjected to a chronic model of allergic inflammation displayed reduced mast cell infiltration comparable with accumulation in mice with PU.1-deficient T cells, emphasizing the importance of IL-9 produced by T cells in mast cell recruitment. CONCLUSION: TH9 cells are a major source of IL-9 in models of allergic inflammation and play an important role in mast cell accumulation and activation.

Serum MicroRNA-21 as a Biomarker for Allergic Inflammatory Disease in Children.

MicroRNAs (miRs) have emerged as useful biomarkers for different disease states, including allergic inflammatory diseases such as asthma and eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Serum miRs are a possible non-invasive method for diagnosis of such diseases. We focused on microRNA-21 (miR-21) levels in serum, in order to assess the feasibility of using this gene as a non-invasive biomarker for these diseases in the clinic, as well as to better understand the expression pattern of miR-21 in allergic inflammation. We used quantitative PCR (QPCR) to assay miR-21 and other control miRs in esophageal biopsies from EoE patients and serum samples from EoE and asthma patients. Serum levels of miR-21 were significantly elevated in patients with asthma, whereas serum miR-21 levels were not associated with the presence of allergen-specific IgE (i.e. atopy). Esophageal biopsies showed a large elevation of miR-21 in EoE and an increase in miR-21 in EoE serum. Control U6 miR did not vary between asthma and control patients, however EoE serum had significantly decreased U6 microRNA compared to controls. The decreased U6 in EoE sera did not completely account for the relative increase in miR-21 in the sera of EoE patients. We report for the first time that miR-21 is elevated in the sera of both asthma and EoE patients. We find no relation between serum miR-21 levels and atopy. Our results thus suggest miR-21 is a novel biomarker for human allergic inflammatory diseases.

Exhaled nitric oxide during infancy as a risk factor for asthma and airway hyperreactivity.

Childhood asthma is often characterised by elevated exhaled nitric oxide (eNO), decreased lung function, increased airway reactivity and atopy; however, our understanding of when these phenotypic airway characteristics develop remains unclear. This study evaluated whether eNO, lung function, airway reactivity and immune characteristics during infancy are risk factors of asthma at age 5 years. Infants with eczema, enrolled prior to wheezy illness (n=116), had eNO, spirometry, airway reactivity and allergen sensitisation assessed at entry to the study and repeated at age 5 years (n=90). Increasing eNO at entry was associated with an increased risk of asthma (p=0.037) and increasing airway reactivity (p=0.015) at age 5 years. Children with asthma at 5 years of age had a greater increase in eNO between infancy and age 5 years compared with those without asthma (p=0.002). Egg sensitisation at entry was also associated with an increased risk of asthma (p=0.020), increasing eNO (p = 0.002) and lower forced expiratory flows (p=0.029) as a 5 year-old. Our findings suggest that, among infants at high risk for developing asthma, eNO early in life may provide important insights into the subsequent risk of asthma and its airway characteristics.

The transcriptional repressor Bcl6 controls the stability of regulatory T cells by intrinsic and extrinsic pathways.

Foxp3(+) regulatory T (Treg) cells are essential to maintain immune homeostasis, yet controversy exists about the stability of this cell population. Bcl6-deficient (Bcl6(-/-) ) mice develop severe and spontaneous T helper type 2 (Th2) inflammation and Bcl6-deficient Treg cells are ineffective at controlling Th2 responses. We used a lineage tracing approach to analyse the fate of Treg cells in these mice. In the periphery of Bcl6(-/-) mice, increased numbers of Foxp3-negative 'exTreg' cells were found, particularly in the CD25(+) population. ExTreg cells from Bcl6(-/-) mice expressed increased interleukin-17 (IL-17) and extremely elevated levels of Th2 cytokines compared with wild-type exTreg cells. Although Treg cells normally express only low levels of cytokines, Treg cells from Bcl6(-/-) mice secreted higher levels of IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 and IL-17 than wild-type conventional T cells. Next, Treg-specific conditional Bcl6-deficient (Bcl6(Foxp3-/-) ) mice were analysed. Bcl6(Foxp3-/-) mice do not develop inflammatory disease, indicating a requirement for non-Treg cells for inflammation in Bcl6(-/-) mice, and have normal numbers of exTreg cells. We induced Th2-type allergic airway inflammation in Bcl6(Foxp3-/-) mice, and found that while exTreg cytokine expression was normal, Bcl6-deficient Treg cells expressed higher levels of the Th2-specific regulator Gata3 than Bcl6(+) Treg cells. Bcl6(Foxp3-/-) mice had increased numbers of Th2 cells after induction of airway inflammation and increased T cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. These data show both Treg-intrinsic and Treg-extrinsic roles for Bcl6 in controlling Treg cell stability and Th2 inflammation, and support the idea that Bcl6 expression in Treg cells is critical for controlling Th2 responses.

Atopy, cytokine production, and airway reactivity as predictors of pre-school asthma and airway responsiveness.

BACKGROUND: Childhood asthma is often characterized by recurrent wheezing, airway hyper-reactivity, atopy, and altered immune characteristics; however, our understanding of the development of these relationships from early in life remains unclear. The aim of our study was to evaluate whether atopy, cytokine production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), and airway responsiveness, assessed in infants and toddlers, are associated with asthma and airway responsiveness at 4-years of age. METHODS: Infants with eczema (N = 116), enrolled prior to wheezing, were assessed at entry (mean age of 10.7 months), at 1-year follow-up (N = 112), and at 4-years of age (N = 94). Total serum IgE, specific IgE to allergens, and cytokines produced by stimulated PBMCs, were assessed at entry and 1-year follow-up. Spirometry was obtained at all 3-visits, while airway reactivity to methacholine was assessed at entry and 1-year follow-up, and bronchodilator (BD) responsiveness, as well as current asthma was assessed at 4-years of age. RESULTS: We found that pre-school children with asthma had lower spirometry and a greater BD-response. Serum IgE, particularly to egg and/or milk, and altered cytokine production by PBMCs at entry to the study were associated with asthma, lower spirometry, and greater airway responsiveness at 4-years of age. In addition, we found that airway responsiveness, as well as spirometry, tracked from infancy to 4-years of age. CONCLUSIONS: While spirometry and airway responsiveness track longitudinally from early in life, atopy and cytokine production by PBMCs are associated not only with an increased risk of pre-school asthma, but also lower spirometry and increased airway responsiveness.

Advanced IgA nephropathy with impaired renal function benefits from losartan treatment in rats.

BACKGROUND: Treatment with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is successful in mitigating IgA nephropathy (IgAN), independent of blood pressure changes, but the therapeutic role of ARB in advanced IgAN with impaired renal function is to be ascertained. The present study was performed to investigate the effect of losartan on advanced IgAN induced by staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) combined with 5/6 nephrectomy in rats. METHODS: Fifty-four male SD rats were randomly divided into three group: Rats in the model group were treated with SEB plus 5/6 nephrectomy, and those in the losartan group were gavaged with losartan (33.3 mg kg(-1 )d(-1)) besides the treatment with SEB plus 5/6 nephrectomy. The urine and blood biochemical changes of rats were tested. IgA, IgG, IgM and C3 depositions were studied dynamically with immunofluorescence. The renal tissue structures were observed under light microscopy. The expressions of TGF-ß1, FN, alpha-SMA and FGF-1 in rat renal tissues were determined with immunohistochemical methods and real-time PCR. RESULTS: At 12 weeks, rats with SEB treatment plus 5/6 nephrectomy showed gradually increased urinary red blood cell (URBC) with a gradual elevation of the 24 h urinary protein, serum BUN and Scr, but losartan treatment lowered the levels of 24 h urinary protein, serum BUN and Scr. A large number of IgA depositions in the mesangial area, glomerulosclerosis and tubulointerstitial fibrosis were found in the model group, and the losartan group showed relieved injury. The expressions of TGF-ß1, FN, alpha-SMA and FGF-1 were significantly elevated in the model. Losartan lessened their expressions. CONCLUSION: Losartan treatment can delay the progression of advanced IgA nephropathy with impaired renal function.

TiO2 nanoparticle thin film-coated optical fiber Fabry-Perot sensor.

In this paper, a novel TiO(2) nanoparticle thin film coated optical fiber Fabry-Perot (F-P) sensor had been developed for refractive index (RI) sensing by monitoring the shifts of the fringe contrast in the reflectance spectra. Using in situ liquid phase deposition approach, the TiO(2) nanoparticle thin film could be formed on the fiber surface in a controlled fashion. The optical properties of as-prepared F-P sensors were investigated both theoretically and experimentally. The results indicated that the RI sensitivity of F-P sensors could be effectively improved after the deposition of nanoparticle thin-films. It was about 69.38 dB/RIU, which was 2.6 times higher than that of uncoated one. The linear RI measurement range was also extended from 1.333~1.457 to 1.333~1.8423. More importantly, its optical properties exhibited the unique temperature-independent performance. Therefore, owing to these special optical properties, the TiO(2) nanoparticle thin film coated F-P sensors have great potentials in medical diagnostics, food quality testing, environmental monitoring, biohazard detection and homeland security, even at elevated temperature.