COPD control: Can a consensus be found?

AbstractThere are currently no reliable instruments for assessing the onset and progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or predicting its prognosis. Currently, a comprehensive assessment of COPD including several objective and subjective parameters is recommended. However, the lack of biomarkers precludes a correct assessment of COPD severity, which consequently hampers adequate therapeutic approaches and COPD control. In the absence of a definition of “well-controlled disease”, a consensus regarding COPD control will be difficult to reach. However, COPD patient assessment should be multidimensional, and anchored in five points: control of symptoms, decline of pulmonary function, levels of physical activity, exacerbations, and Quality of Life.Several non-pharmacological and pharmacological measures are currently available to achieve disease control. Smoking cessation, vaccination, exercise training programs and pulmonary rehabilitation are recognized as important non-pharmacological measures but bronchodilators are the pivotal therapy in the control of COPD. This paper discusses several objective and subjective parameters that may bridge the gap between disease assessment and disease control. The authors conclude that, at present, it is not possible to reach a consensus regarding COPD control, essentially due to the lack of objective instruments to measure it. Some recommendations are set forth, but true COPD control awaits further objective assessments

Preliminary study on the contribution of external forces to ship behavior

Computational modeling has become a prominent tool to simulate physical processes for research and development projects. The coastal region of southern Brazil is very susceptible to oil spill accidents. Currently, oil is intensively transported in the region due to the presence of the Rio Grande Harbor, the TranspetroWaterway Terminal (Petrobras) and the Riograndense S/A Oil Refinery. Therefore, simulations under ideal navigation conditions for ships with potentially polluting loads are important because their use can reduce oil spills and toxic compound accidents in the environment. Therefore, the main objective of this work is to present a preliminary study of the contribution of external forces to a ship's behavior over a simulation period of 5 h. The methodology is based on the development of a numerical model using LaGrangian formalism and the calculus of variations, besides Maneuvering Modeling Group (MMG Model). The external forces considered were the wind acting directly on the ship, waves driven by wind, the rudder, the force acting on the hull, inertial forces, and seawater density. The results indicate that at the beginning of the simulation, the inertial forces were of primary importance for controlling the trajectory of the ship. After 5 h of simulations, the ship had completely changed its trajectory due to forces suffered by the ship, classified according to MMG Model

Life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of portuguese olive oil

The main goal of this paper was to assess the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of olive oil production in Portugal. A life-cycle model and inventory were implemented for the entire production process, including a comprehensive analysis of olive cultivation, olive oil extraction, packaging, and distribution. Data originates from five differently-sized Portuguese olive growers and from a total of six olive oil mills, representing the three extraction processes in use: three-phase extraction, two-phase extraction, and traditional pressing. The results show that the GHG intensity lies in the range 1.8-8.2 kg CO2eq/liter and that the main contributors were fertilizers (production and field emissions). Efficient use of fertilizers thus seems to be a key factor for mitigating the GHG intensity of olive oil production.This research was supported by project ECODEEP (Eco-efficiency and Eco-management in the Agro Industrial sector, FCOMP–05–0128–FEDER–018643) and the Portuguese Scienc

Scaling predictions for radii of weakly bound triatomic molecules

The mean-square radii of the molecules $^4$He$_3$, $^4$He$_2-^6$Li, $^4$He$_2-^7$Li and $^4$He$_2-^{23}$Na are calculated using a three-body model with contact interactions. They are obtained from a universal scaling function calculated within a renormalized scheme for three particles interacting through pairwise Dirac-delta interaction. The root-mean-square distance between two atoms of mass $m_A$ in a triatomic molecule are estimated to be of de order of ${\cal C}\sqrt{\hbar^2/[m_A(E_3-E_2)]}$, where $E_2$ is the dimer and $E_3$ the trimer binding energies, and ${\cal C}$ is a constant (varying from $\sim 0.6$ to $\sim 1$) that depends on the ratio between $E_2$ and $E_3$. Considering previous estimates for the trimer energies, we also predict the sizes of Rubidium and Sodium trimers in atomic traps.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figure

New triazine bridged triads based on BODIPY-porphyrin systems: extended absorption, efficient energy transfer and upconverted emission

Two novel triads connecting a BODIPY to ethylenediamine substituted porphyrins via triazine linker have been synthesized and characterized. One of the triads is a linear D-A structure with one BODIPY (D) and one porphyrin (A) bridged by the triazine linker and the other one is a branched A-D4 structure with the porphyrin core linked to four BODIPY units. The triads show extended absorption in the visible region with contributions from both porphyrin (Soret band centred at 410–430 nm) and BODIPY units (strong absorption at ≈ 502 nm) in good agreement with the expected molar ratio. Both triads exhibit linear and nonlinear optical properties featuring an efficient energy transfer from the BODIPY donor to the porphyrin acceptor. The nonlinear upconverted emission properties of the triads were studied by two-photon excitation in the Near-infrared (NIR, 710–930 nm). The maximum two-photon absorption cross-section values for the triads (40–70 GM) are larger than those typically reported in this wavelength range for porphyrins and BODIPY. Both the green emission of BODIPY (≈514 nm) and the red emission of porphyrins (650–750 nm) were observed under NIR excitation at 930 nm. The distinct features of triads, namely i) an extended absorption; ii) an efficient energy transfer and iii) the nonlinear upconverted emission featuring a large separation between the excitation and emission wavelengths could be beneficial for application in sensing and imaging procedures.publishe

Dermatophylosis in Santa Inês sheep from Distrito Federal

Relataram-se quatro casos de dermatofilose em ovinos da raça Santa Inês, no período de um ano. Microscopicamente observaram-se filamentos na forma de "trilho de bonde" e zoósporos nos quatro casos. A tentativa do isolamento do microrganismo foi realizada por meio do método de Haalstra e em apenas um caso obteve-se sucesso, observando-se colônias de aparência lisa, formato circular, cor amarelada e hemolítica em ágar sangue. O exame direto com coloração de Gram mostrou-se um método bastante eficiente na confirmação da presença do microrganismo afetando a epiderme em razão da morfologia típica do agente.Four cases of dermatophylosis were reported in Santa Inês sheep in a study period of one year. Microscopically, septate filaments and coccoid forms zoospores were observed. Attempts to isolate the microorganisms were accomplished using Haastra's method and it was successful in only one case. Dermatophilus congolensis samples have grown on blood agar, colonies where hemolytic, small, round and pigmentation vary from yellow to orange. The gram staining method was efficient to confirm the presence of the microorganism affecting the epidermis due to typical morphology of the agent

Effects of Dietary Protein and Fat Content on Intrahepatocellular and Intramyocellular Lipids during a 6-Day Hypercaloric, High Sucrose Diet: A Randomized Controlled Trial in Normal Weight Healthy Subjects.

Sucrose overfeeding increases intrahepatocellular (IHCL) and intramyocellular (IMCL) lipid concentrations in healthy subjects. We hypothesized that these effects would be modulated by diet protein/fat content. Twelve healthy men and women were studied on two occasions in a randomized, cross-over trial. On each occasion, they received a 3-day 12% protein weight maintenance diet (WM) followed by a 6-day hypercaloric high sucrose diet (150% energy requirements). On one occasion the hypercaloric diet contained 5% protein and 25% fat (low protein-high fat, LP-HF), on the other occasion it contained 20% protein and 10% fat (high protein-low fat, HP-LF). IHCL and IMCL concentrations (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) and energy expenditure (indirect calorimetry) were measured after WM, and again after HP-LF/LP-HF. IHCL increased from 25.0 ± 3.6 after WM to 147.1 ± 26.9 mmol/kg wet weight (ww) after LP-HF and from 30.3 ± 7.7 to 57.8 ± 14.8 after HP-LF (two-way ANOVA with interaction: p < 0.001 overfeeding x protein/fat content). IMCL increased from 7.1 ± 0.6 to 8.8 ± 0.7 mmol/kg ww after LP-HF and from 6.2 ± 0.6 to 6.9 ± 0.6 after HP-LF, (p < 0.002). These results indicate that liver and muscle fat deposition is enhanced when sucrose overfeeding is associated with a low protein, high fat diet compared to a high protein, low fat diet