Effects of ammonia and lactate on growth, metabolism, and productivity of BHK cells.

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of ammonia and lactate on growth, metabolism, and productivity of BHK cells producing a recombinant fusion protein. Results show that cell growth was reduced with the increase in ammonia or lactate: k(1/2) of 1.1 mM and 3.5 mM for stirred and stationary cultures, respectively, for ammonia and of 28 mM for both stationary and stirred cultures for lactate, were obtained. The cell-specific consumption rates of both glucose (q(Glc)) and glutamine (q(Gln)) increased, whereas that of oxygen (q(O2)) decreased, with the increase in ammonia or lactate concentrations. The cell-specific production rates of lactate (q(Lac)) increased with an increase in ammonia concentration; similarly for the cell-specific production rates of ammonia (q(Amm)), which also increased with an increase in lactate concentration; on the other hand, both q(Lac) and q(Amm) markedly decreased when lactate or ammonia concentrations were increased, respectively; lactate was consumed at lactate concentrations above 30 mM and ammonia was consumed at ammonia concentrations above 5 mM. In vivo (31)P NMR experiments showed that ammonia and lactate affect the intracellular pH, leading to intracellular acidification, and decrease the content in phosphomonoesters, whereas the cell energy state was maintained. The effect of lactate on cell growth and q(Gln) is partially due to osmolarity, on q(Glc) and q(Amm) is entirely due to osmolarity, but on q(Lac) is mainly due to lactate effect per se. An increase in ammonia from 0 to 20 mM induced a 50% reduction in specific productivity, whereas an increase in lactate from 0 to 60 mM induced a 40% decrease.

[Analysis of environmental technological risks: prospects for the worker's health field] / Análise de riscos tecnológicos ambientais: perspectivas para o campo da saúde do trabalhador.

The objective of this paper is to identify theoretical questions and challenges for the public health field, especially the field of workers' health, raised by technological and environmental risks related to the workplace but going beyond it. Using industrial chemical risks as an example, the authors show the vulnerability of contemporary societies in handling such risks and the worsening situation in peripheral countries. The scope of risk analysis is presented according to the engineering, toxicological, and epidemiological approaches as well as the critique raised by the social sciences. Science alone cannot solve such complex problems as technological and environmental risks. To overcome these limits, some theoretical and methodological proposals have been developed by the risk analysis and workers' health fields. The authors emphasize the discussions on the interdisciplinary, systemic, and participant approaches, incorporating the interaction between knowledge and dialogue as fundamental conditions for the prevention and control of technological and environmental risks.

Mudanças climáticas e desastres naturais: lições da região serrana para o alerta, respostas e prevenção de riscos - Carlos Machado de Freitas

Cita que a Opas (Organização Pan-Americana da Saúde) definiu como 11ª função essencial da saúde pública a redução dos impactos das emergências e desastres em saúde pública. Entretanto, sua adaptação pelo Conselho Nacional de Secretários Estaduais de Saúde do Brasil eliminou essa função, incluindo a descentralização e a regionalização. Finaliza destacando a importância de o Sistema Nacional de Defesa Civil possuir um financiamento nos moldes do SUS, estabelecido por critérios epidemiológicos, que perpasse municípios, estados e o governo federal. Arquivo disponível para leitura e/ou download no ícone ao lado.

Manaus: uma análise ecossistêmica através de indicadores de sustentabilidade ambiental e de saúde.

Relaciona os fatores portadores de futuro para esta capital, com as condições e tendências dos processos de desenvolvimento reinantes na Amazônia Legal, com intensos impactos ambientais, desigualdades, e prejuízos à qualidade de vida dos habitantes. O texto tem por base uma abordagem ecossistêmica, onde procura-se compreender como o desenvolvimento urbano de Manaus afeta os serviços dos ecossistemas e as condições de bem estar e saúde através do desenvolvimento de um conjunto de indicadores de sustentabilidade ambiental e de saúde. Esta compreensão tem como objetivo subsidiar propostas de ações que contribuam para tomadas de decisões na gestão urbana e ambiental de Manaus que favoreçam a promoção da saúde. Arquivo disponível para leitura e/ou download no ícone ao lado.

Território e desenvolvimento: as múltiplas escalas entre o local e o global - debate

Áudio do debate realizado com o público presente. Arquivo disponível para audição e/ou download no ícone ao lado.