Effects of spironolactone on proteinuria of patients with type 2 diabetes

Background: Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of kidney failure. We investigated the beneficial effects of spironolactone, alone and in combination with hydrochlorothiazide, on diabetic nephropathy. Methods: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. The patients were allocated to three groups of 20 to receive spironolactone (50 mg/d) plus placebo, spironolactone (50 mg/d) plus hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg/d), or placebo plus hydrochlorothiazide (25 mg/d). The duration of the study was three months. Measurements of 24-hour urine protein and other markers were performed at start and end of the study. Findings: Of 60 patients, 43 were male. The mean age of patients was 56.8 ± 8.3 years. The three groups were homogeneous regarding general factors. At the end of the study, a significant difference in proteinuria was observed between the groups. In the groups that received spironolactone, the mean 24-hour urine protein was reduced (200 mg/24h). However, there was no significant change in the last group. The mean serum potassium in the first group showed a significant increase (0.26 meq/l). However, there were no significant increases in the second and third groups. Conclusion: This investigation showed that spironolactone plus hydrochlorothiazide had a significant effect on reducing proteinuria without causing hyperkalemia and renal failure in patients with glomerular filtration rate > 50 cc/min. Therefore, spironolactone can serve as a renoprotective drug in diabetic nephropathy

Association of serum uric acid with proteinuria in type 2 diabetic patients

Background: Various findings suggest that uric acid is an inflammatory factor and may have a role in endothelial dysfunction and act as a mediator of diabetic nephropathy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationships between serum uric acid level and level of proteinuria in type 2 diabetic (T2D) patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 60 patients with T2D without a history of gout. None was treated with allopurinol. Venous blood samples were obtained in fasting state for determinations of serum creatinine, uric acid, and hemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) (reference range 3.8-5.5%); 24-h urine proteinuria was also measured. Results: Mean age of the patients was 57 +/- 8.3 years. Mean +/- standard error (SE) of serum creatinine was 0.98 +/- 0.028 mg/dL, mean +/- SE of serum uric acid was 4.5 +/- 0.15 mg/dL, and mean +/- SE of proteinuria was 388 +/- 28.7 mg/day (median = 303.5 mg/day). There was no significant difference in serum uric acid, HbA(1c), and creatinine level between males and females (P > 0.05). There was a significant positive association between body mass index (BMI) and serum uric acid levels (r = 0.428, P = 0.001). After adjustment for weight, a significant positive association of serum uric acid with level of proteinuria was seen (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Serum uric acid had a significant positive association with diabetic nephropathy. It might be hypothesized that serum uric acid plays a role in diabetic nephropathy in T2D

Angular displacement and velocity sensors based on coplanar waveguides (CPWs) loaded with S-shaped split ring resonators (S-SRR)

In this paper, angular displacement and angular velocity sensors based on coplanar waveguide (CPW) transmission lines and S-shaped split ring resonators (S-SRRs) are presented. The sensor consists of two parts, namely a CPW and an S-SRR, both lying on parallel planes. By this means, line-to-resonator magnetic coupling arises, the coupling level being dependent on the line-to-resonator relative angular orientation. The line-to-resonator coupling level is the key parameter responsible for modulating the amplitude of the frequency response seen between the CPW ports in the vicinity of the S-SRR fundamental resonance frequency. Specifically, an amplitude notch that can be visualized in the transmission coefficient is changed by the coupling strength, and it is characterized as the sensing variable. Thus, the relative angular orientation between the two parts is measured, when the S-SRR is attached to a rotating object. It follows that the rotation angle and speed can be inferred either by measuring the frequency response of the S-SRR-loaded line, or the response amplitude at a fixed frequency in the vicinity of resonance. It is in addition shown that the angular velocity can be accurately determined from the time-domain response of a carrier time-harmonic signal tuned at the S-SRR resonance frequency. The main advantage of the proposed device is its small size directly related to the small electrical size of the S-SRR, which allows for the design of compact angular displacement and velocity sensors at low frequencies. Despite the small size of the fabricated proof-of-concept prototype (electrically small structures do not usually reject signals efficiently), it exhibits good linearity (on a logarithmic scale), sensitivity and dynamic range.Jordi Naqui, Jan Coromina, Ali Karami-Horestani, Christophe Fumeaux and Ferran Martí

Rotation Sensor Based on Horn-Shaped Split Ring Resonator

This paper presents a rotation sensor based on a modified split ring resonator (SRR) coupled to a coplanar waveguide. It is shown that compared with previous SRR-based rotation sensors, the proposed sensor benefits from a higher dynamic range and superior linearity. It is shown that the geometry of the SRR can be optimized to compensate for the non-uniformity of the magnetic flux through the SRR, in order to suppress the unwanted frequency shift in the resonance. This is a significant improvement because the sensor can be operated as an inexpensive single frequency system. The concept and simulation results are validated by experimental measurements.Ali Karami Horestani, Derek Abbott, Christophe Fumeau

New structure for adder with improved speed, area and power

Adders are the main parts of processing circuits and play an important role in all mathematical operations like subtraction, multiplication, division, etc. Carry Look ahead Adder (CLA) is one of the fastest adder structures that is widely used in the processing circuits. In this article a new structure for adder is proposed. The results show that compared to the previous common Modified Carry Look ahead Adder (MCLA) structure, the proposed structure has very smaller on-chip area and delay and also it has lower power consumption. Using the proposed structure a 64-bit adder is designed and results are presented. The circuit is designed in TSMC 0.18μm CMOS technology with 1.8v power supply and simulated with HSPICE.Fatemeh Karami H. and Ali K. Horestan

Metamaterial-inspired displacement sensor with high dynamic range

Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics, META 2013, United Arab Emirates, 18 Mar - 22 Mar 201: pp.274-276http://www.ieee.org/conferences_events/conferences/conferencedetails/index.html?Conf_ID=3070

Rotation sensing based on the symmetry properties of an open-ended microstrip line loaded with a split ring resonator

This paper proposes the principle for rotation sensing based on an open-ended microstrip line loaded with a split ring resonator (SRR). It is shown that the variations in the depth of the resonance notch in the reflection coefficient of the structure can be used to sense the rotation angle of the SRR. This effect arises from the rotation-induced break of symmetry for the geometry. The proposed sensor benefits from a compact size and a higher dynamic range compared to previously published rotation sensors based on depth of notch. The sensor also benefits from immunity to the environmental changes such as temperature variations.Zahra Shaterian, Ali K. Horestani, and Christophe Fumeau

Designing of high-Q slow-wave coplanar strips for CMOS MMICs

In contrast to conventional coplanar transmission lines, slow-wave coplanar transmission lines offer higher quality factor and smaller on-chip area. Among coplanar transmission lines, coplanar strips have the advantage of higher level of integration and a balanced structure that has favourable features for integrated voltage controlled oscillators (VCO) and low noise and power amplifiers. In this article, the affect of geometrical dimensions of slow-wave coplanar strips on the quality factor, characteristic impedance, and on-chip wavelength are investigated. Based on the presented guidelines mm-wave slow-wave coplanar strips operating at 60 GHz in a standard CMOS process were optimised for a 50 Ω characteristic impedance with a 250% improvement in quality factor of 31.Ali Karami Horestani, Said Al-Sarawi, and Derek Abbot

Application of metamaterial-inspired resonators in compact microwave displacement sensors

There is an emerging interest in the application of metamaterial-inspired resonators for the realization of smart sensors. This paper briefly describes two main categories of metamaterial-inspired displacement sensors, namely, the displacement sensors based on shift in the resonance frequency, and sensors based on changes in the depth of resonance. The paper also highlights the advantages and disadvantages of each category in terms of dynamic range, sensitivity, compactness, and robustness to noise and changes in ambient conditions.Ali K. Horestani, Zahra Shaterian, Derek Abbott, and Christophe Fumeau