Circulating Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Responses to Steady-State Moderate-Intensity and High-Intensity Interval Exercise in Mid-Spectrum Chronic Kidney Disease

Inflammation and oxidative stress can be potent modulators of vascular function. These factors may transiently respond to moderate-intensity steady state exercise (SSE) in a manner that improves post-exercise vascular function in healthy adults. Whether exercise imparts similar effects in adults with Stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease (CKD) remains understudied. Moreover, a comparison of SSE and high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) may add to clinically-relevant findings for improving vascular function in mid-spectrum CKD. PURPOSE: To determine the influence of SSE and a comparable amount of HIIE on post-exercise inflammation and oxidative stress in patients diagnosed with secondary Stage 3 or 4 CKD. METHODS: Twenty participants (n = 6 men; n = 14 women; age 62.0 + 9.9 yr; weight 80.9 + 16.2 kg; body fat 37.3 + 8.5% of weight; VO2max 19.4 + 4.7 ml/kg/min) completed 30 min of SSE at 65% VO2reserve or HIIE by treadmill walking (90% and 20% of VO2reserve in 3:2 min ratio) in a randomized crossover design. Both exercise conditions averaged ~ 65% VO2reserve. Blood samples were obtained by the same technician under standardized conditions just before, 1hr and 24hrs after exercise. Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), paraoxonase1 (PON1), asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), 3nitrotyrosine (3NT) and interleukin-6 (IL6) responses were analyzed using 2 (condition) by 3 (sample point) repeated measures ANOVAs. RESULTS: Relative to pre-exercise measures: TAC increased by 4.3% 24hr after exercise (p = 0.012). PON1 was maintained 1hr and elevated by 6.1% 24hr after SSE, but not HIIE (p = 0.035). When corrected for plasma volume shifts, ADMA increased 30 ng/ml at 1hr but was 58 ng/ml lower 24hrs after exercise (p = 0.0006). 3NT and IL6 remained stable in the hours after exercise (p \u3e 0.05). CONCLUSION: Modest inflammatory and oxidative stress marker responses to either SSE and HIIE may contribute to improved vascular function in mid-spectrum CKD

Nanowires in electronics packaging

In the light of continuous miniaturization of traditional microelectronic components, the demand for decreasing wire diameters becomes immediately evident. The observation of metallic conductor properties for certain configurations of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and their current-carrying capability [1] sets the minimal diameter of a “true” wire to about 3 nm (compare Chap. 18). Investigations are in progress even below that diameter on nanocontacts, formed by single metal atoms, i.e. quantum wires. Quantum wires can be produced by mechanical wire breaking [2] or its combination with etching and deposition [3] or other techniques. The properties of quantum wires are only about to be understood theoretically [4]. Doubtless, they are worth considering for packaging solutions in molecular electronics to come [5]. In this chapter we focus on metal wires and rods in the size range above 10 nm up to submicron diameters, evaluated already to be attractive for microelectronic packaging purposes. Techniques to generate, to characterize and to handle them, as well as their interaction with electromagnetic fields will be useful for packaging applications in the age of nanotechnology. With the wealth of information available, this review focuses on general trends and starting points for deeper study. Although the cited references are representative, they cannot be complete, since numerous activities are still ongoing to produce and to characterize new kinds of wire-like geometries from different materials