Increased Arterial Stiffness In Resistant Hypertension Is Associated With Inflammatory Biomarkers.

Increased levels of inflammatory biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), 10 (IL-10), 1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are associated with arterial stiffness in hypertension. Indeed, resistant hypertension (RHTN) leads to unfavorable prognosis attributed to poor blood pressure (BP) control and target organ damage. This study evaluated the potential impact of inflammatory biomarkers on arterial stiffness in RHTN. In this cross-sectional study, 32 RHTN, 20 mild hypertensive (HTN) and 20 normotensive (NT) patients were subjected to office BP and arterial stiffness measurements assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV). Inflammatory biomarkers were measured in plasma samples. PWV was increased in RHTN compared with HTN and NT (p < 0.05). TNF-α levels were significantly higher in RHTN and HTN than NT patients. No differences in IL-6 levels were observed. RHTN patients had a higher frequency of subjects with increased levels of IL-10 and IL-1β compared with HTN and NT patients. Finally, IL-1β was independently associated with PWV (p < 0.001; R(2) = 0.5; β = 0.077). RHTN subjects have higher levels of inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-10) as well as increased arterial stiffness, and detectable IL-1β levels are associated arterial stiffness. These findings suggest that inflammation plays a possible role in the pathophysiology of RHTN.

Triboelectric Effect As A New Strategy For Sealing And Controlling The Flow In Paper-based Devices.

We reported here for the first time that triboelectric charges on PET sheets can be used to seal and control the flow rate in paper-based devices. The proposed method exhibits simplicity and low cost, provides reversible sealing and minimizes the effect of sample evaporation.

Construção de um calorímetro isotérmico diferencial de alta sensibilidade e baixo custo

The high cost of sensitivity commercial calorimeters may represent an obstacle for many calorimetric research groups. This work describes the construction and calibration of a batch differential heat conduction calorimeter with sample cells volumes of about 400 μL. The calorimeter was built using two small high sensibility square Peltier thermoelectric sensors and the total cost was estimated to be about US$ 500. The calorimeter was used to study the excess enthalpy of solution of binary mixtures of liquids, as a function of composition, for the following binary systems of solvents: water + 1,4-dioxane or + dimethylsulfoxide at 298,2 ± 0,5 K.