Chronic eosinophilic pneumonia and difficult to control asthma

We report a case of typical chronic eosinophilic pneumonia (CEP), in a female of 27 years-old suffering bronchial asthma light. Although the initial answer to the treatment with steroids was satisfactory, the patient develop difficult to control asthma (DCA). DCA is a clinical situation which requires careful investigation of several potential factors which can be solved. We suggest a protocol of treatment for patients affected with DCA.     

Static output-feedback control under information structure constraints

An important challenge in the static output-feedback control context is to provide an isolated gain matrix possessing a zero–nonzero structure, mainly in problems presenting information structure constraints. Although some previous works have contributed some relevant results to this issue, a fully satisfactory solution has not yet been achieved up to now. In this note, by using a Linear Matrix Inequality approach and based on previous results given in the literature, we present an efficient methodology which permits us to obtain an isolated static output-feedback gain matrix having, simultaneously, a zero–nonzero structure imposed a priori.     

堆石坝施工期过水稳定性初步研究

本文在阐述堆石坝施工期过水特性的基础上，提出了堆石坝施工期过水渡汛的保护范围及措施。并根据水力试验资料，给出了堆石坝下游侧坝肩和下游坡面上保护结构在水力作用下的稳定计算公式，具有实际意义。     

Prostaglandin E2 Enhances Gap Junctional Intercellular Communication in Clonal Epithelial Cells

Prostaglandins are a group of lipids that produce diverse physiological and pathological effects. Among them, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stands out for the wide variety of functions in which it participates. To date, there is little information about the influence of PGE2 on gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in any type of tissue, including epithelia. In this work, we set out to determine whether PGE2 influences GJIC in epithelial cells (MDCK cells). To this end, we performed dye (Lucifer yellow) transfer assays to compare GJIC of MDCK cells treated with PGE2 and untreated cells. Our results indicated that (1) PGE2 induces a statistically significant increase in GJIC from 100 nM and from 15 min after its addition to the medium, (2) such effect does not require the synthesis of new mRNA or proteins subunits but rather trafficking of subunits already synthesized, and (3) such effect is mediated by the E2 receptor, which, in turn, triggers a signaling pathway that includes activation of adenylyl cyclase and protein kinase A (PKA). These results widen the knowledge regarding modulation of gap junctional intercellular communication by prostaglandins.     

Functional and bioactive properties of Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) protein hydrolysates produced by enzymatic treatments

Velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens) protein hydrolysates were produced with gastrointestinal enzymes. Functional properties such as nitrogen solubility, emulsifying capacity and emulsion stability, foam capacity and stability of the hydrolysates were determined. Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory, antioxidant and antithrombotic capacities were evaluated to determine the biological activity of hydrolysates. For pepsin, degree of hydrolysis (DH) increased sharply between 5 min (22.33 %) and 60 min (28.07 %), respectively, with a maximum DH of 33.50 % (90 min). For pancreatin, DH increased sharply between 5 min (25.08 %) and 90 min (34.92 %), respectively, with a maximum DH of 37.23 % (120 min). For sequential system pepsin–pancreatin, DH increased sharply between 5 min (25.21 %) and 60 min (32.82 %), respectively, with a maximum DH of 34.14 % (120 min). Hydrolysates with the lowest DH and the highest DH were selected to assess the functional and biological potential. Mucuna pruriens limited hydrolysates can be considered a useful food additives to provide functional properties, while M. pruriens extensive hydrolysates can be used as nutraceutical ingredients.     

Discomfort glare indices: a comparative study

From the luminance distribution measured with a stereoluminancemeter we have studied the variation in the principal indices of discomfort glare while considering the orientation of the line of vision of the observer and the limiting luminance of the glare source. This method provides the ideal orientation for the observer in a lighted environment, minimizes the detrimental effects of glare, and determines the reliability of the indices calculated for discomfort glare.     

Cadmium phytotoxicity: Quantitative sensitivity relationships between classical endpoints and antioxidative enzyme biomarkers

In this work, cadmium phytotoxicity and quantitative sensitivity relationships between different hierarchical endpoints in plants cultivated in a contaminated soil were studied. Thus, germination rate, biomass growth and antioxidative enzyme activity (i.e. superoxide dismutase, peroxidase, catalase and glutathione reductase) in three terrestrial plants (Avena sativa L., Brassica campestris L. cv. Chinensis, Lactuca sativa L. cv. hanson) were analyzed. Plant growth tests were carried out according to an International Standard Organization method and the results were analyzed by ANOVA followed by Williams' test. The concentration of Cd2+ that had the smallest observed significant negative effect (LOEC) on plant biomass was 6.25, 12.5 and 50 mg Cd/kg dry soil for lettuce, oat and Chinese cabbage, respectively. Activity of all enzymes studied increased significantly compared to enzyme activity in plant controls. For lettuce, LOEC values (mg Cd/kg dry soil) for enzymic activity ranged from 0.05 (glutathione reductase) to 0.39 (catalase). For oat, LOEC values (mg Cd/kg dry soil) ranged from 0.19 (for superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase) to 0.39 (for catalase and peroxidase). For Chinese cabbage, LOEC values (mg Cd/kg dry soil) ranged from 0.19 (peroxidase, catalase and glutathione reductase) to 0.39 (superoxide dismutase). Classical (i.e. germination and biomass) and biochemical (i.e. enzyme activity) endpoints were compared to establish a sensitivity ranking, which was: enzyme activity>biomass>germination rate. For cadmium-soil contamination, the determination of quantitative sensitivity relationships (QSR) between classical and antioxidative enzyme biomarkers showed that the most sensitive plant species have, generally, the lowest QSR values.