Wood smoke exposure of Portuguese wildland firefighters: DNA and oxidative damage evaluation

Portugal is among the European Union countries most devastated by forest fires each year. In the last three decades, more than 3.8 million hectares of forest were burned. Wildland firefighters are exposed to a variety of hazards, including many toxic combustion products that may lead to deleterious health effects. Epidemiological studies showed a positive association between firefighting and several chronic diseases, including cancer. Results from biomonitoring studies in firefighters, particularly concerning genotoxicity evaluation, constitute a valuable tool for investigating important occupational hazards. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess genotoxicity in a group of wildland firefighters using the comet assay for DNA damage and oxidative stress. Both parameters were increased in firefighters compared to controls, but significance was only found for basal DNA damage. No significant influence was found regarding major confounding variables on the genotoxic endpoints studied, with the exception of age. Data obtained provide preliminary information on human health effects of wildland firefighting exposure at genetic and molecular levels. These findings may also provide new important data to serve as public awareness to the potential adverse health risks involving wildland firefighting. Implementation of security and hygiene measures in this sector as well as good practices campaigns may be crucial to decrease risk.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Firefighters exposure to fire emissions: Impact on levels of biomarkers of exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and genotoxic/oxidative-effects

Firefighters represent one of the riskiest occupations, yet due to the logistic reasons, the respective exposure assessment is one of the most challenging. Thus, this work assessed the impact of firefighting activities on levels of urinary monohydroxyl-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (OHPAHs; 1-hydroxynaphthalene, 1-hydroxyacenaphthene, 2-hydroxyfluorene, 1-hydroxyphenanthrene, 1-hydroxypyrene, 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene) and genotoxic/oxidative-effect biomarkers (basal DNA and oxidative DNA damage) of firefighters from eight firehouses. Cardiac frequency, blood pressure and arterial oxygen saturation were also monitored. OHPAHs were determined by liquid-chromatography with fluorescence detection, while genotoxic/oxidative-effect biomarkers were assessed by the comet assay. Concentrations of total OHPAHs were up to 340% higher (p≤0.05) in (nonsmoking and smoking) exposed workers than in control subjects (non-smoking and non-exposed to combat activities); the highest increments were observed for 1-hydroxynaphthalene and 1-hydroxyacenaphthene (82–88% of ΣOHPAHs), and for 2-hydroxyfluorene (5–15%). Levels of biomarker for oxidative stress were increased in non-smoking exposed workers than in control group (316%; p≤0.001); inconclusive results were found for DNA damage. Positive correlations were found between the cardiac frequency, ΣOHPAHs and the oxidative DNA damage of non-smoking (non-exposed and exposed) firefighters. Evidences were raised regarding the simultaneous use of these biomarkers for the surveillance of firefighters’ health and to better estimate the potential short-term health risks.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

[1-(3-Chloro­phen­yl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]methanol hemihydrate

The asymmetric unit of the title hydrate, C9H8ClN3O·0.5H2O, comprises two independent 1,2,3-triazole mol­ecules and a water mol­ecule of crystallization. The dihedral angles between the six- and five-membered rings in the 1,2,3-triazole mol­ecules are 12.71 (19) and 17.3 (2)°. The most significant different between them is found in the relative orientations of the terminal CH2OH groups with one being close to perpendicular to the five-membered ring [N—C—C—O torsion angle = 82.2 (5)°], while in the other mol­ecule, a notable deviation from a perpendicular disposition is found [torsion angle = −60.3 (5)°]. Supra­molecular chains feature in the crystal packing sustained by O—H⋯(O,N) inter­actions along the a-axis direction. The chains are connected via C—H⋯N inter­actions and the resultant layers stack along the b axis

Different conformations and packing motifs in the crystal structures of four thiophene--carbohydrazide--pyridine derivatives

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Family Health Strategy and More Doctors Program in Rural Area of Porto Velho, Brazil: A Qualitative Analysis under the Nurse’s Perspective

The Family Health Strategy (FHS) together with the implementation of the More Doctors Program (MDP) has an effective contribution to the strengthening of Primary Health Care (PHC) and the consolidation of the Unified Health System (SUS), which has intended to meet the health needs of the population in need of care less complex. Thus, this study aims to analyze the Family Health Strategy and the Program More Doctors implanted in the Rural Municipality of Porto Velho, Rondônia, from the perspective of nurses. This is a qualitative research, descriptive exploratory performed in the field, based on the assessment the perspective of nurses working in the FHS, which are favored by the MDP. The data collection was carried out through a questionnaire,Primary Care Assessment Tool (PCA Tool), in its version validated in Brazil entitled PCA Tool- Brazil (BRAZIL, 2010). This instrument is widely used by national research that evaluates the quality of primary care. For the construction of the database was used Microsoft Word software. For qualitative data, the collection was carried out through interviews recorded by a script containing open questions. The response were discussed based on the content analysis technique proposed by Bardin (2011). The results achieved indicate that the MDM enabled the structuring of teams that were incomplete in the rural area of the town, however presents numerous challenges in the organization of the work process and the understanding of program objectives

Different packing motifs mediated by weak inter­actions and polymorphism in the crystal structures of five 2-(benzyl­­idene)benzosuberone derivatives

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Use of In Vivo and In Vitro Systems to Select Leishmania amazonensis Expressing Green Fluorescent Protein

Various Leishmania species were engineered with green fluorescent protein (GFP) using episomal vectors that encoded an antibiotic resistance gene, such as aminoglycoside geneticin sulphate (G418). Most reports of GFP-Leishmania have used the flagellated extracellular promastigote, the stage of parasite detected in the midgut of the sandfly vector; fewer studies have been performed with amastigotes, the stage of parasite detected in mammals. In this study, comparisons were made regarding the efficiency for in vitro G418 selection of GFP-Leishmania amazonensis promastigotes and amastigotes and the use of in vivo G418 selection. The GFP-promastigotes retained episomal plasmid for a prolonged period and G418 treatment was necessary and efficient for in vitro selection. In contrast, GFP-amastigotes showed low retention of the episomal plasmid in the absence of G418 selection and low sensitivity to antibiotics in vitro. The use of protocols for G418 selection using infected BALB/c mice also indicated low sensitivity to antibiotics against amastigotes in cutaneous lesions

Benzyl N-((S)-2-hydr­oxy-1-{N′-[(E)-2-methoxy­benzyl­idene]hydrazinecarbon­yl}eth­yl)carbamate from synchrotron data

A U-shaped conformation is found in the title compound, C19H21N3O5, with the benzene rings lying to the same side of the mol­ecule; the dihedral angle between them is 10.83 (16)°. The dihedral angle formed between the hydrazinecarbonyl and carbamate residues is 68.42 (13)°. The carbonyl groups lie approximately at right angles to each other [O—C⋯C—O pseudo torsion angle of 107.7 (3)°], and the conformation about the C12=N3 bond [1.279 (4) Å] is E. An intra­molecular Ncb—H⋯Ohy (cb = carbmate and hy = hydr­oxy) hydrogen bond occurs, generating an S(6) loop. In the crystal, inter­molecular Oh—H⋯Oca (ca = carbon­yl) and Nhz—H⋯Oca (hz = hydrazine) hydrogen bonds lead to the formation of a supra­molecular chain, two mol­ecules thick, which propagates along the a axis; these are connected by C—H⋯Oca contacts

Pieris brassicae excrements: cytological effects

Attention has been focused on identifying naturally occurring compounds with anticarcinogenic activity. Epidemiological data evidence the protective role of Brassica species, especially due to their phenolics and glucosinolates. Pieris brassicae, an insect whose larvae constitutes a frequent pest of Brassica species, has the capacity to uptake, metabolize and excrete these phytochemicals by the faeces. Phenolics composition of excrements from P. brassicae reared on Brassica oleracea var. acephala presents flavonoids (sulfated and glycosilated), some of them not detected in host plant [1]. Their volatiles profile shows compounds belonging to different classes, with especial attention to terpenes and glucosinolates breakdown products (sulfur and nitrogen compounds) [2]. Furthermore, this matrix already revealed to have antioxidative properties [1]