Search

Abstract: Immunotactoid glomerulopathy is a glomerular disorder typified by hollow cylindrical and sometimes spherical microtubular deposits, with a diameter of 30–40 nm, but up to 90 nm, often in a parallel arrangement or in intersecting bundles. These patients frequently end up receiving kidney transplants due to progressive renal insufficiency. Known to recur in renal transplant recipients with variable outcomes, its treatment options are limited. Classically steroids, cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, and plasma exchanges have been used to treat these recurrences. More recently, rituximab has been suggested as a treatment and has demonstrated improved outcomes in other glomerular diseases. Herein we describe a case of a middle-aged female renal transplant recipient for end-stage renal disease secondary to immunotactoid glomerulopathy, who experienced a recurrence of this condition in the transplanted kidney. Following a failure of conventional therapy we administered a course of rituximab, resulting in a reduction and stabilization of her serum creatinine level while her proteinuria persisted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are employed to protect hot section components in industrial and aerospace gas turbine engines. Conventional TBCs frequently fail due to high residual stresses generated within the coating systems owing to the difference between coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the substrate & deposited layers. Functionally graded-thermal barrier coatings (FG-TBCs) with gradual variation in composition and microstructure have been proposed to minimize the problem. In the present study, three different TBC systems, one duplex and two FG-TBCs, having three and five layers, respectively, were prepared by atmospheric plasma spray (APS) process on Nimonic 90 substrates using Ni-5Al as bond coat (BC) and magnesia stabilized zirconia as top coat (TC) materials. Five layers comprising the three TBC systems were also deposited separately as individual coatings to study their characteristic properties. The coatings were characterized by a scanning electron microscope. Microhardness and CTE of the individual coatings were also measured. Finite element analysis (FEA) using ANSYS 14.5 was performed to estimate the thermal residual stresses generated within the as-sprayed coating systems. The microstructure, microhardness and CTE in the five-layer FG-TBC changed gradually as compared with duplex and three-layer FG-TBC. The lowest radial, axial and shear stresses were generated in the five-layer FG-TBC compared with those of the duplex and three-layer FG-TBC. Increasing the number of layers with a gradient in composition from BC to TC having similar thickness of coatings increased the bond strength of the FG-TBCs. The bond strength of five-layer FG-TBC was found to be almost 1.5 times as high as that of the duplex TBC. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]