Корреляционный анализ морфофункциональных и иммунологических параметров у пациентов с продвинутыми стадиями первичной открытоугольной глаукомы

PURPOSE. To study the correlations between the immunological data and the indicators of electroretinography (ERG) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in patients with advanced stages of primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG).METHODS. Previously, we conducted a multimodal study of patients with advanced stages of glaucoma involving ERG, morphometric and immunological studies. In this new study we performed a correlation analysis of the immunological and morphofunctional data of patients with advanced stages of POAG. The study included 35 patients (35 eyes), among them 19 women and 16 men, who were divided into two groups: group 1 — stage II POAG (12 patients, 12 eyes), and group 2 — stage III POAG (23 patients, 23 eyes). The average age of the subjects was 64.2±6.5 years. Intraocular pressure was compensated in all study patients. The Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to calculate the linear relationship between continuous features.RESULTS. In the subgroup with stage II POAG significant correlations of moderate strength (according to the Chaddock scale) were found between the parameters of pattern ERG (PERG) and photopic negative response (PhNR) and the level of VEGF-A in the blood serum (BS), EGF in the tear fluid (TF) and aqueous humor (AH); strong correlations — for the concentrations of EGF and TGF-β2 in the AH. In group 2, moderate correlations between PERG and PhNR parameters and the level of IL-1RA in the TF were found, as well as moderate correlation of TGF-β2 expression in the AH with PnHR amplitude from the baseline. In patients with stage II glaucoma, the levels of MIP-1β/CCL4 in the TF, IL-1RA in the intraocular fluid correlated with the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and retinal ganglion cell layer (GCL), while the EGF in the TF and AH correlated with RNFL thickness. In the group with stage III POAG, correlations of moderate strength were found for the expression level of TNF-α, IL-8/CXCL8 in the TF and RNFL thickness, and strong correlations — for the level of IP-10/CXCL10, HGF/SF, TGF-β2 in AH and the thickness of RNFL and GCL.CONCLUSION. Comparison of ERG, OCT findings and the level of cytokines of various biological effects in the BS, TF and AH confirmed the high informativeness of PERG and PhNR indicators and immunological data as markers of advanced stages of POAG, and allow EGF to be considered as the most promising pathogenetically oriented immunological marker of II and III stages of glaucoma.ЦЕЛЬ. Изучить корреляционные взаимосвязи между данными иммунологических исследований и показателей электроретинографии (ЭРГ) и оптической когерентной томографии (ОКТ) у пациентов с продвинутыми стадиями первичной открытоугольной глаукомой (ПОУГ).МЕТОДЫ. Ранее нами было выполнено мультимодальное исследование пациентов с продвинутыми стадиями глаукомы, включающее электроретинографию, морфометрические и иммунологические исследования. В настоящей работе проведен корреляционный анализ данных иммунологических и морфофункциональных исследований у больных с продвинутыми стадиями ПОУГ. Проанализированы результаты исследований 35 пациентов (35 глаз), в том числе 19 женщин и 16 мужчин, в двух группах: 1 — с развитой (12 больных, 12 глаз), и 2 — далекозашедшей стадией ПОУГ (23 пациента, 23 глаза). Средний возраст исследуемых составил 64,2±6,5 лет. Внутриглазное давление было компенсировано у всех обследуемых. Для вычисления линейной зависимости между непрерывными признаками использовали коэффициент корреляции Пирсона.РЕЗУЛЬТАТЫ. В подгруппе с развитой глаукомой выявлены достоверные корреляции «заметной» силы (по шкале Чеддока) между параметрами паттерн-ЭРГ (ПЭРГ) и фотопического негативного ответа (ФНО) и уровнем VEGF-A в сыворотке крови (СК), EGF в слезной жидкости (СЖ) и внутриглазной жидкости (ВГЖ); и взаимосвязи «высокой» силы – для концентраций EGF и TGF-β2 в ВГЖ. В группе больных с далекозашедшей ПОУГ выявлены корреляции «умеренной» силы для параметров ПЭРГ и ФНО и содержания IL-1RA в СЖ, и «заметная» корреляция экспрессии TGF-β2 в ВГЖ с амплитудой ФНО от изолинии. У пациентов со развитой стадией глаукомы уровни содержания MIP-1β/CCL4 в СЖ, IL-1RA в ВГЖ коррелируют с толщиной слоя нервных волокон сетчатки (СНВС) и ганглиозных клеток сетчатки (ГКС), а концентрации EGF в СЖ и ВГЖ — с толщиной СНВС. В группе с далекозашедшей ПОУГ обнаружены корреляции «умеренной» силы для уровня экспрессии TNF-α, IL-8/CXCL8 в СЖ и толщины СНВС и «заметной» силы — для содержания  IP-10/CXCL10,  HGF/SF,  TGF-β2  в  ВГЖ  и  толщины СНВС и слоя ГКС.ЗАКЛЮЧЕНИЕ. Сопоставление результатов электроретинографии, ОКТ и уровня цитокинов разнообразного биологического действия в СК, СЖ и ВГЖ подтверждают клинически значимую информативность параметров ПЭРГ и ФНО и показателей иммунологических исследований как маркеров продвинутых стадий ПОУГ и позволяют выделить EGF в качестве наиболее перспективного патогенетически ориентированного иммунологического маркера II и III стадии глаукомы

Enhancing the thermoelectric performance of single-walled carbon nanotube-conducting polymer nanocomposites

Harnessing energy lost in the form of heat is an important challenge today. Organic thermoelectric materials (TE) can convert lost heat into electricity at relatively low temperature. Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are known to boost the TE properties of organic-based materials at room temperature (TR). However, the TE performance decreases with the increasing temperature, which restricts the working temperature region of the devices. Here, we present a three steps investigation: initially, the influence of the net of SWCNTs on TE properties of polymer matrix; secondly, creation of hybrid fillers via SWCNTs treatment with gold chloride; lastly, chemical post-treatment of obtained systems in the temperature range 325–410 K. In the process of HAuCl4 aerosolization (gold chloride treatment) on the surface of nanotubes, different ionic conformations (Au and AuCl4−) can be formed. For this reason, we performed a theoretical investigation on the influence of ionic conformations on SWCNTs on the electronic structure. Implementation of SWCNTs net into polymer matrix alongside gold chloride doping and chemical post-treatment successfully increased the power factor of the system in the temperature interval from 300 to 410 K. These results demonstrate the potential of combined approach in creation of hybrid fillers based on organic/inorganic materials with chemical post-treatment in boosting the thermoelectric performance within the whole operating temperature of polymer-based composite alongside the importance of theoretical modeling in tuning the electronic structure of composite systems through a material-by-design approach

Terahertz-infrared spectroscopy of wafer-scale films of single-walled carbon nanotubes treated by plasma

Funding Information: The authors acknowledge Mogorychnaya A.V. for assistance with spectroscopic experiments. The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation , grant RSF21-72-20050 (spectroscopic measurments and analysis of carbon nanotubes films). D.S.K. and A.G.N. acknowledge Russian Foundation of Basic Research project No. 20-03-00804 (synthesis, characterization and plasma treatment of carbon nanotubes). A.P.T. acknowledges the EDUFI Fellowship (No. TM-19-11079) from the Finnish National Agency for Education and the Magnus Ehrnrooth Foundation (the Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters ) for personal financial support. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 Elsevier LtdWe investigated terahertz-infrared electrodynamic properties of wafer-scale films composed of plasma-treated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and films comprising SWCNTs grown with different lengths. The spectra of complex conductance of the films were measured at frequencies 5–20 000 cm−1 and in the temperature interval 5–300 K. Terahertz spectral response of films of pristine SWCNTs is well described with the Drude conductivity model and a plasmon resonance located at ≈100 cm−1. Stepwise treatment of the films with oxygen plasma led to a gradual suppression of the Drude spectral weight from the low-frequency side. For films with the nanotubes shorter than 1 μm, i.e., close to electrons mean free path and localization length, scattering of charge carriers at the nanotubes edges is shown to additionally contribute to the carriers scattering rate and to the damping of plasmon resonance. The temperature coefficient of ac resistance (ac TCR) in both kinds of films is found to strongly increase in amplitude during cooling and frequency decrease. The values of ac TCR increase in films with longer time of plasma treatment and nanotubes with shorter length but reach saturation in films with exposure time longer than ≈100 s or composed from SWCNTs shorter than 1 μm.Peer reviewe

Express determination of thickness and dielectric function of single-walled carbon nanotube films

Single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) films are promising building blocks for diversified applications in electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics. However, their electrical and optical engineering is still a challenging task owing to multiple obstacles, including the absence of fast and easy-to-use methods for the determination of SWCNT film properties. Here, we present a rapid, contactless, and universal technique for accurate estimation of both SWCNT film thicknesses and their dielectric functions. The approach combines broadband optical absorbance and highly sensitive spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements. The observed linear dependence of the film thickness on its absorbance at 550nm provides a time-effective and contactless method of thickness assignment, which is of significant importance to the practical implementation of SWCNT films in optoelectronic devices. Additionally, our approach revealed that a simple procedure of film densification allows to controllably alter the dielectric response by atleast 40% and, thus, to add extra fine-tuning capabilities during material property engineering. Therefore, this express technique as a whole offers an advanced metrological tool for current and next-generation SWCNT-based devices.Peer reviewe