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Urinary N-acetyl-β -D-glucosaminidase (NAG) is a sensitive indicator of renal tubular injury. The aim of the study is to determine the status of urinary NAG excretion in Chinese children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) but without any clinical evidence of nephropathy, and to try to find the possible associated factors of such tubular injury if any. Thirty-one children (8 males and 23 females) with IDDM who have normal serum creatinine, 24-hour urinary creatinine clearance and urinary total protein excretion were enrolled in the study. The mean age of the patients was 11.6 ± 3.7 years. The random urinary NAG levels of the patients and the normal controls were 10.76 ± 6.32 and 3.65 ± 1.84 U/g Cr, respectively (p < 0.001). The diabetic patients were divided into 4 groups according to their duration of disease ( < 3, 3-5, 5-10 and 10-16 years). The random urinary NAG level of each group was significantly higher than that of the control group, but there was no statistically significant difference among any 2 of these 4 groups. No good correlation was noted in our study between urinary NAG and patients’ age (r = -0.23, p = 0.21), serum cholesterol (r = 0.04, p = 0.84), insulin dosage (r = 0.13, p = 0.49), 24-hour urinary creatinine clearance (r = -0.41, p = 0.085) or urinary total protein excretion (r = -0.28, p = 0.26). However, the plasma HbAlc level correlated significantly with urinary NAG (r = 0.50, p < 0.01). We concluded that urinary NAG is increased in Chinese IDDM children without any clinical evidence of nephropathy. Such increased excretion is correlated with the plasma HbAlc level. Our results suggest that there is tubular dysfunction in the early stage of IDDM children even before there is any clinical evidence of nephropathy, and urinary NAG may reflect glycemic control in such patients.

To remove t h e c o n s t r a i n t s w i t h o u t loss o f t h e advant a g e s of p o l y c u l t u r e , an a l t e r n a t i v e system o f " i n t e g r a t e d pond c u l t u r e " h a s evolved.The a n t a g o n i s t i c s p e c i e s are c u l t u r e d i n d i s c r e t e ponds which m a i n t a i n contact o n l y through t h e flow o f n u t r i e n t s and food organisms.By simple e n g i n e e r i n g and p r o p e r c o o r d i n a t i o n o f the ponds, t h i s system shows promise f o r conserving w a t e r , energy, and e s p e c i a l l y n u t r ie n t s . T h i s i s r e f l e c t e d i n reduced o p e r a t i n g cost i n s t o c k i n g , f e e d i n g and h a r v e s t i n g . Comparisons are made of p o l y c u l t u r e and i n t e g r a t e d pond c u l t u r e w i t h r e g a r d t o a s p e c t s o f management, e n g i n e e r i n g , economics and ecology.

We developed monodisperse ZnO nanocapsules and atmospheric N plasma was used to develop a ZnOorganic nanocomposite. To test the seal of the ZnO nanocapsule, the halide perovskite CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 was used as the filler. Al atoms were doped into ZnO nanorods to increase the conductivity of ZnO nanorods. A green emission peak located at 535 nm was observed in the nanocapsules with a 410 nm excitation because of the free-exciton recombination of CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 . The Al-doped ZnO (AZO)/ CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 nanocapsules was further tested under using a three-electrode photoelectrochemistry cell. AZO/ CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 nanocapsule arrays yield an elevated photocurrent of approximately 0.2 mA/cm 2 at 1 V versus Ag/AgCl under air mass 1.5 (AM 1.5), almost 1.5 times larger than that of the AZO nanorod arrays. The photo-current stability of AZO/ CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 nanocapsule arrays photoelectrode is better than that of AZO nanorod arrays under a repeated on/off light test. This confirmed that the AZO/CH 3 NH 3 PbBr 3 nanocapsules had been successfully sealed and that the degradation of CH 3 NH 3 PbNBr 3 was thus dramatically reduced. Our study yields a novel platform for nanoscale optical and optoelectronic devices or for delivery of highly toxic drugs.

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