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Lupus nephritis (LN) is a significant cause of various acute and chronic renal diseases, which can eventually lead to end-stage renal disease. The pathogenic mechanisms of LN are characterized by abnormal activation of the immune responses, increased cytokine production, and dysregulation of inflammatory signaling pathways. LN treatment is an important issue in the prevention and treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have the advantages of immunomodulation, anti-inflammation, and anti-proliferation. These unique properties make MSCs a strong candidate for cell therapy of autoimmune diseases. MSCs can suppress the proliferation of innate and adaptive immune cells, such as natural killer cells (NKs), dendritic cells (DCs), T cells, and B cells. Furthermore, MSCs suppress the functions of various immune cells, such as the cytotoxicity of T cells and NKs, maturation and antibody secretion of B cells, maturation and antigen presentation of DCs, and inhibition of cytokine secretion, such as interleukins (ILs), tumor necrosis factor (TNF), and interferons (IFNs) by a variety of immune cells. MSCs can exert immunomodulatory effects in LN through these immune functions to suppress autoimmunity, improve renal pathology, and restore kidney function in lupus mice and LN patients. Herein, we review the role of immune cells and cytokines in the pathogenesis of LN and the mechanisms involved, as well as the progress of research on the immunomodulatory role of MSCs in LN.

Titanium surface was modified by anodization in phosphoric acid solution at the voltages of 100 and 250 V, respectively. Surface characteristics and corrosion behaviors of anodized titanium were investigated before and after hydrothermal exposure in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution at 160 °C for 24 h. It was found that anodization at 100 and 250 V resulted in the formation of a dense and a porous TiO2 layer, respectively. The existence of anatase in the oxide layers of the 250-V samples was confirmed by X-ray diffraction analysis but not in the oxide layers of the 100-V samples. After the hydrothermal exposure, the surface morphology of the 100-V sample changed significantly, and discrete nanorods were formed on the surface. In contrast, the 250-V sample basically preserved their original surface structures after the exposure except that numerous closely packed nanoparticles emerged on the surface. X-ray diffraction analysis indicated that the exposure transformed the amorphous oxides into crystalline anatase. The corrosion behavior investigation of anodized titanium showed that the hydrothermal exposure had slight influence on the corrosion resistance of the 100-V samples but decreased the corrosion resistance of the 250-V samples significantly. ASTAR (Agency for Sci., Tech. and Research, S’pore)

This paper presents a new approach for the preparation of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/clay nanocomposites using surfactant-free clay (sodium montmorillonite, Na-MMT) with trisilanolphenyl polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (Tsp-POSS) as dispersant. The dispersion of clay in the PET/Na-MMT/Tsp-POSS nanocomposites is enhanced over that in PET/Na-MMT by using a very small amount of Tsp-POSS, which acts as functional spacer to keep clay platelets apart and pull monomers in, and, at the same time, acts as a PET chain extender. As a result, thermomechanical properties and thermo-oxidative stability of PET/Na-MMT/Tsp-POSS are improved simultaneously compared with those of PET/organoclay nanocomposites. ASTAR (Agency for Sci., Tech. and Research, S’pore)

Nanocomposites are composites in which the reinforcement phase has one or more of its dimensions in the nanometer length scale. Polymer/clay nanocomposites are so-called because of the nanoscopic thickness of the high aspect ratio clay sheets when they are delaminated into individual layers in the polymer matrix. The reason for the burgeoning interest in polymer/clay nanocomposites in the past decade is two-fold. From the engineering point of view, polymer/clay nanocomposites offer an attractive alternative to conventional microcomposites because they often exhibit a quantum leap in performance, such as enhanced mechanical, physical and thermal properties, at relatively low inorganic loadings. Furthermore, in some cases, property changes, such as stiffness and toughness, which are traditionally considered to be inversely related, have been found to improve cooperatively in such systems.

The objectives of this project are to develop novel thermotropic liquid crystalline polymers with their liquid crystalline phase ranges matching the process windows of some important engineering thermoplastics. RG 35/99