Diabetes mellitus and renal failure: Prevention and management.

Nowadays, diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension are considered as the most common causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In this paper, other than presenting the role of DM in ESRD, glucose metabolism and the management of hyperglycemia in these patients are reviewed. Although in several large studies there was no significant relationship found between tight glycemic control and the survival of ESRD patients, it is recommended that glycemic control be considered as the main therapeutic goal in the treatment of these patients to prevent damage to other organs. Glycemic control is perfect when fasting blood sugar is less than 140 mg/dL, 1-h postprandial blood glucose is less than 200 mg/dL, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) is 6-7 in patients with type 1 diabetes and 7-8 in patients with type 2 diabetes. Administration of metformin should be avoided in chronic renal failure (CRF) because of lactic acidosis, the potentially fatal complication of metformin, but glipizide and repaglinide seem to be good choices

An experimental and computational study of graphene oxide functionalized with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane as an electrode material for supercapacitors

Abstract In this research, graphene oxide (GO) functionalized with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (T) was synthesized with a simple one-pot method, and applied as an electrode material for supercapacitors. Electrochemical measurements on the synthesized tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-functionalized graphene oxide (GO@T) indicated a specific capacitance of 549.8 F g− 1 at a specific current of 2.5 A g− 1 and a specific capacitance of 358 F g−1 at a specific current of 7 A g− 1 in the potential range of − 0.5–0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl. It also showed a high cyclic stability. According to the results, 80 and 68% of the initial capacitance was retained after 5500 and 9300 cycles, respectively. Density functional theory calculations were used to investigate the quantum capacitance, free energy change during functionalization reaction, and the layer distance of GO and GO@T

Evaluating the appropriateness of γ-graphyne derivatives as electrode materials for supercapacitors

Abstract DFT calculations were used to study the quantum capacitance of pure, B/Al/Si/N/P-doped, and defective γ-graphyne. Due to the direct relationship between capacitance and electronic states around the Fermi level, structures' electronic properties were evaluated by DOS plots. The results of integrated specific quantum capacitance in the range of water stability potential show an improvement of capacity in each p and n-type doping. The calculated cohesive energies of doped structures reflect the stability enhancement. Also, the stability/capacitance of single and double vacancies in two distinct positions (sp and sp2) were examined. The results illustrate stability retention and quantum capacitance improvement of these defective structures. Among the doped structures, the maximum quantum capacitance is 2251.10 F/gr belonging to the aluminum doped structure (in the sp position). For the defective structures, the maximum quantum capacitance is 4221.69 F/gr belonging to removing two sp carbon atoms. These quantum capacitances significantly improved compared to the pristine structure (1216.87 F/gr) and many other structures. These stunning results can contribute to the design of appropriate structures as electrode materials for high-efficiency supercapacitors

First-Principles Calculation of Quantum Capacitance of Codoped Graphenes as Supercapacitor Electrodes

Because of their many advantages, graphene and graphene-based materials are used in supercapacitor electrodes. The main limitation of these electrodes is their low quantum capacitance, which is a direct result of the shortage of states near the Fermi level. Using first-principles density functional theory calculations, this report explored the quantum capacitances of Si-, S-, and P-doped graphenes and the same materials codoped with nitrogen. The findings imply that using phosphorus- and nitrogen-doped graphenes as electrode materials for supercapacitors could be a worthwhile strategy. Quantum capacitance calculations confirmed the greater advantage of some codoped graphenes compared with doped and pristine graphene

Arterial indices and serum cystatin C level in individuals with occupational wide band noise exposure

Background: Chronic exposure to noise is known to cause a wide range of health problems including extracellular matrix (ECM) proliferation and involvement of cardiovascular system. There are a few studies to investigate noise-induced vascular changes using noninvasive methods. In this study we used carotid artery intima-media thickness (CIMT) and aortic augmentation as indices of arterial properties and cystatin C as a serum biomarker relating to ECM metabolism. Materials and Methods: Ninety-three male participants were included in this study from aeronautic technicians: 39 with and 54 without a history of wide band noise (WBN) exposure. For better discrimination, the participants were divided into the two age groups: 40 years old. Adjusted aortic augmentation index (AI) for a heart rate equal to 75 beats per minute (AIx@HR75) were calculated using pulse wave analysis (PWA). CIMT was measured in 54 participants who accepted to undergo Doppler ultrasonography. Serum cystatin C was also measured. Results: Among younger individuals the mean CIMT was 0.85 ± 0.09 mm and 0.75 ± 0.22 mm in the in the exposed and the control groups respectively. Among older individuals CIMT had a mean of 1.04 ± 0.22 mm vs. 1.00 ± 0.25 mm for the exposed vs. the control group. However, in both age groups the difference was not significant at the 0.05 level. A comparison of AIx@HR75 between exposure group and control group both in younger age group (5.46 ± 11.22 vs. 8.56 ± 8.66) and older age group (17.55 ± 10.07 vs. 16.61 ± 5.77) revealed no significant difference. We did not find any significant correlation between CIMT and AIx@HR75 in exposed group (r = 0.314, P value = 0.145) but the correlation was significant in control group (r = 0.455, P value = 0.019). Serum cystatin C level was significantly lower in individuals with WBN exposure compared to controls (441.10 ± 104.70 ng/L vs. 616.89 ± 136.14, P value < 0.001) both in younger and older groups. Conclusion: We could not find any evidence for the association of WBN exposure with arterial properties, but cystatin C was significantly lower in the exposed group