Unveiling Urinary Mutagenicity by the Ames Test for Occupational Risk Assessment: A Systematic Review

Occupational exposure may involve a variety of toxic compounds. A mutagenicity analysis using the Ames test can provide valuable information regarding the toxicity of absorbed xenobiotics. Through a search of relevant databases, this systematic review gathers and critically discusses the published papers (excluding other types of publications) from 2001–2021 that have assessed urinary mutagenicity (Ames test with Salmonella typhimurium) in an occupational exposure context. Due to the heterogeneity of the study methods, a meta-analysis could not be conducted. The characterized occupations were firefighters, traffic policemen, bus drivers, mail carriers, coke oven and charcoal workers, chemical laboratory staff, farmers, pharmacy workers, and professionals from several other industrial sectors. The genetically modified bacterial strains (histidine dependent) TA98, TA100, YG1041, YG1021, YG1024 and YG1042 have been used for the health risk assessment of individual (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) and mixtures of compounds (e.g., diesel engine exhaust, fire smoke, industrial fumes/dyes) in different contexts. Although comparison of the data between studies is challenging, urinary mutagenicity can be very informative of possible associations between work-related exposure and the respective mutagenic potential. Careful interpretation of results and their direct use for occupational health risk assessment are crucial and yet complex; the use of several strains is highly recommended since individual and/or synergistic effects of complex exposure to xenobiotics can be overlooked. Future studies should improve the methods used to reach a standardized protocol for specific occupational environments to strengthen the applicability of the urinary mutagenicity assay and reduce inter- and intra-individual variability and exposure source confoundersThis work received financial support from the projects PCIF/SSO/0017/2018 and PCIF/SSO/0090/2019 of the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) through national funds. This work received support from UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/50006/2020 and LA/P/0008/2020. M. Oliveira and B. Barros were supported by the scientific contract CEEC Individual 2017 Program Contract CEECIND/03666/2017 and the Ph.D. grant 2020.07394.BD, respectively. These were supported by the FCT and the European Union through the Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) and Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Biomonitoring of firefighting forces: a review on biomarkers of exposure to health-relevant pollutants released from fires

Occupational exposure as a firefighter has recently been classified as a carcinogen to humans by International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Biomonitoring has been increasingly used to characterize exposure of firefighting forces to contaminants. However, available data are dispersed and information on the most relevant and promising biomarkers in this context of firefighting is missing. This review presents a comprehensive summary and critical appraisal of existing biomar-kers of exposure including volatile organic compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, several other persistent other organic pollutants as well as heavy metals and metalloids detected in biological fluids of firefighters attending different fire scenarios. Urine was the most characterized matrix, followed by blood. Firefighters exhaled breath and saliva were poorly evaluated. Overall, biological levels of compounds were predominantly increased in firefighters after participation in firefighting activities. Biomonitoring studies combining different biomarkers of exposure and of effect are currently limited but exploratory findings are of high interest. However, biomonitoring still has some unresolved major limitations since reference or recommended values are not yet established for most biomarkers. In addition, half-lives values for most of the biomarkers have thus far not been defined, which significantly hampers the design of studies. These limitations need to be tackled urgently to improve risk assessment and support implementation of better more effective preventive strategies.This work received support by UIDB/50006/2020, UIDP/ 50006/2020, LA/P/0008/2020, and through the project PCIF/ SSO/0090/2019 by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Ensino Superior (MCTES) through national funds. The authors would also like to thank to FCT and European Union through Fundo Social Europeu (FSE) which supported the scientific contract CEEC- Individual 2017 Program Contract CEECIND/03666/2017 and the PhD grant 2020.07394.BD, respectively.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Omecamtiv mecarbil in chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction, GALACTIC‐HF: baseline characteristics and comparison with contemporary clinical trials

Aims: The safety and efficacy of the novel selective cardiac myosin activator, omecamtiv mecarbil, in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is tested in the Global Approach to Lowering Adverse Cardiac outcomes Through Improving Contractility in Heart Failure (GALACTIC‐HF) trial. Here we describe the baseline characteristics of participants in GALACTIC‐HF and how these compare with other contemporary trials. Methods and Results: Adults with established HFrEF, New York Heart Association functional class (NYHA) ≥ II, EF ≤35%, elevated natriuretic peptides and either current hospitalization for HF or history of hospitalization/ emergency department visit for HF within a year were randomized to either placebo or omecamtiv mecarbil (pharmacokinetic‐guided dosing: 25, 37.5 or 50 mg bid). 8256 patients [male (79%), non‐white (22%), mean age 65 years] were enrolled with a mean EF 27%, ischemic etiology in 54%, NYHA II 53% and III/IV 47%, and median NT‐proBNP 1971 pg/mL. HF therapies at baseline were among the most effectively employed in contemporary HF trials. GALACTIC‐HF randomized patients representative of recent HF registries and trials with substantial numbers of patients also having characteristics understudied in previous trials including more from North America (n = 1386), enrolled as inpatients (n = 2084), systolic blood pressure < 100 mmHg (n = 1127), estimated glomerular filtration rate < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 (n = 528), and treated with sacubitril‐valsartan at baseline (n = 1594). Conclusions: GALACTIC‐HF enrolled a well‐treated, high‐risk population from both inpatient and outpatient settings, which will provide a definitive evaluation of the efficacy and safety of this novel therapy, as well as informing its potential future implementation

A avaliação do desempenho docente enquanto estratégia promotora do desenvolvimento profissional dos professores

Tese de doutoramento, Educação (Formação de Professores), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2013A presente investigação pretendeu estudar os efeitos do modelo de avaliação do desempenho docente de 2007-2009 no desenvolvimento profissional dos professores, tendo equacionado uma reflexão sobre as significações atribuídas ao processo pelos seus mais diretos intervenientes, os professores avaliados e os professores avaliadores. O estudo, descritivo e correlacional, conciliou metodologias de natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, tendo recorrido, numa primeira etapa, a um questionário de resposta aberta e à entrevista de grupo focalizado, e, numa segunda etapa, a um questionário de resposta fechada, aplicado a 185 professores do 3º Ciclo e do Ensino Secundário. Procurou saber-se, junto de docentes em diferentes fases da carreira, como a avaliação do desempenho em que estiveram implicados, no biénio 2007-2009, influenciara as suas representações sobre a profissão e o seu desempenho profissional, tendo-se aventado as hipóteses tanto de um processo de crescimento como de involução das competências profissionais. Os resultados alcançados permitiram evidenciar um conjunto de convicções positivas sobre os valores da profissão, a necessidade de atualização permanente e as vantagens de uma avaliação docente. Foi igualmente possível apurar um reconhecimento valorativo da experiência avaliativa de 2007-09, junto de um grupo numeroso de professores, em cujas opiniões, que organizámos em diferentes dimensões, se destacaram positivamente vários aspetos processuais do modelo e também diversos resultados formativos atingidos, nomeadamente, no desenvolvimento de competências profissionais específicas que se terão refletido no desempenho profissional tanto ao nível da prática letiva como no domínio da intervenção na instituição escolar local e no âmbito do aperfeiçoamento profissional. O estudo termina com o enunciado de um conjunto de recomendações para a reconceptualização da avaliação dos professores e do desenvolvimento profissional, tendo em vista a articulação dos dois sistemas, se se tiver a finalidade de concretizar a avaliação docente como estratégia impulsionadora do desenvolvimento profissional dos professores num sentido positivo.Cette recherche a eu le but d’ étudier les effets du modèle d'évaluation des enseignants 2007-2009, au Portugal, sur le développement professionnel des professeurs, en proposant une réflexion sur les significations attribuées à l’expérience vécue, tant par les enseignants évaluateurs que par leurs évalués. L'étude, descriptive et corrélationnelle, a articulé des méthodologies qualitatives et quantitatives, en s’appuyant d’abord sur le questionnaire ouvert et sur l’entretien de groupe focalisé et, ensuite, sur l’enquête par questionnaire, appliqué à 185 enseignants du 3e cycle et du secondaire. On a cherché à savoir auprès des enseignants, à différentes étapes de leur carrière, comment le procédé d'évaluation auquel ils ont été soumis, pendant 2007-2009, a influencé leurs représentations sur la profession et leurs pratiques professionnelles, considérant l'hypothèse d’un processus soit de perfectionnement soit de régression des compétences professionnelles. Les résultats de l’étude ont mis en évidence un certain nombre de convictions positives chez les professeurs sur les valeurs de la profession, le besoin d’un apprentissage permanent et les avantages d'une évaluation des enseignants. En outre, un groupe considérable de professeurs a jugé favorablement l'expérience évaluative de 2007-09. Leurs opinions, organisées selon différentes dimensions, ont relevé de façon positive divers procédures du modèle, ainsi que plusieurs résultats formatifs, en particulier, sur le développement de compétences professionnelles spécifiques qui se sont répercutées dans leur travail quotidien, tant en salle de classe qu’au niveau de l'intervention dans l’institution scolaire et dans le domaine du développement professionnel. L'étude s’achève par l’énonciation d’un ensemble de recommandations visant une conceptualisation de l'évaluation des enseignants et du développement professionnel, où on puisse envisager ces deux concepts de façon articulée, afin de mettre en valeur l'évaluation des enseignants en tant que stratégie de développement professionnel des professeurs vers un sens positif

Firefighters’ occupational exposure: Contribution from biomarkers of effect to assess health risks

Firefighting is physically and physiologically exhausting besides encompassing exposure to toxic fire emissions. Biomonitoring studies from the past five years have been significantly contributing to characterize the occupational-related health effects in this group of professionals and to improve risk assessment. Therefore, this study gathers and critically discusses the most characterized biomarkers of effect (oxidative stress, DNA and protein damage, stress hormones, inflammation, and vascular, lung, and liver injury), including those potentially more promising to be explored in future studies, and their relation with health outcomes. Various studies proved an association between exposures to fire emissions and/or heat and significantly altered values of biomarkers of inflammation (soluble adhesion molecules, tumor necrosis factor, interleukins, and leucocyte count), vascular damage and tissue injury (pentraxin-3, vascular endothelial growth factor, and cardiac troponin T) in firefighting forces. Moreover, preliminary data of DNA damage in blood, urinary mutagenicity and 8-isoprostaglandin in exhaled breath condensate suggest that these biomarkers of oxidative stress should be further explored. However, most of the reported studies are based on cross-sectional designs, which limit full identification and characterization of the risk factors and their association with development of work-related diseases. Broader studies based on longitudinal designs and strongly supported by the analysis of several types of biomarkers in different biological fluids are further required to gain deeper insights into the firefighters occupational related health hazards and contribute to implementation of new or improved surveillance programs

Continent-based systematic review of the short-term health impacts of wildfire emissions

This review systematically gathers and provides an analysis of pollutants levels emitted from wildfire (WF) and their impact on short-term health effects of affected populations. The available literature was searched according to Population, Exposure, Comparator, Outcome, and Study design (PECOS) database defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and a meta-analysis was conducted whenever possible. Data obtained through PECOS characterized information from the USA, Europe, Australia, and some Asian countries; South American countries were seldom characterized, and no data were available for Africa and Russia. Extremely high levels of pollutants, mostly of fine fraction of particulate matter (PM) and ozone, were associated with intense WF emissions in North America, Oceania, and Asia and reported to exceed several-fold the WHO guidelines. Adverse health outcomes include emergency department visits and hospital admissions for cardiorespiratory diseases as well as mortality. Despite the heterogeneity among exposure and health assessment methods, all-cause mortality, and specific-cause mortality were significantly associated with WF emissions in most of the reports. Globally, a significant association was found for all-cause respiratory outcomes including asthma, but mixed results were noted for cardiovascular-related effects. For the latter, estimates were only significant several days after WF emissions, suggesting a more delayed impact on the heart. Different research gaps are presented, including the need for the application of standardized protocols for assessment of both exposure and adverse health risks. Mitigation actions also need to be strengthened, including dedicated efforts to communicate with the affected populations, to engage them for adoption of protective behaviors and measures.</p

Exposure to particulate matter in fire stations: preliminary results

Firefighters are at increased risk for many types of health diseases (IARC, 2010). While most of the studies on this topic focus on exposures and their impacts due to the fire combats (Oliveira et al., 2017), firefighters spend large portions of their day-by-day shift within the fire stations, where they can be exposed to a variety of air pollutants, including particulate matter (PM), i.e., a known carcinogen. This work aimed to assess the levels of particulate matter (PM) at fire stations and to investigate the possible parameters that may influence the respective levels.N/