Reuso de águas cinzas em empreendimentos comerciais: um estudo de caso em edifício hoteleiro de Belo Horizonte / Reuse of gray water in commercial projects: a case study in a hotel building in Belo Horizonte

As tecnologias de reuso de águas cinzas são soluções sustentáveis e contribuem para uso racional da água, proporcionando a redução da demanda sobre os mananciais de água. A atividade hoteleira pode ser considerada uma das atividades comerciais que mais consomem água, graças a sua complexidade e por necessidades peculiares a este ramo econômico. Portanto, é urgente implementar o uso racional da água, a preservação e o seu reuso nestes ambientes. O estudo apresenta um levantamento sobre a viabilidade econômica de se implementar o reuso de água em um empreendimento hoteleiro de Belo Horizonte e faz uma análise desta prática acerca de sistemas de tratamento que propiciam a recirculação deste efluente, citando suas vantagens e desvantagens.

Red blood cells microparticles are associated with hemolysis markers and may contribute to clinical events among sickle cell disease patients

Microparticles are sub-micron vesicles possessing protein and other materials derived from the plasma membrane of their parent cells, and literature suggests that they may have a role in the pathophysiology and downstream manifestations of sickle cell disease (SCD). The contributions of red blood cells microparticles (RMP) to the pathogenic mechanisms and clinical phenotypes of SCD are largely unknown. There is a controversy as to whether the proportions of intravascular hemolysis (approximately <= 30% of total hemolysis) would be enough to explain some complications seen in patients with SCD. We investigated RMP among 138 SCD patients and 39 HbAA individuals. Plasma RMPs were quantified by flow cytometry, plasma hemoglobin and heme by colorimetric assays, and haptoglobin and hemopexin by ELISA. The patients had higher RMP, plasma hemoglobin, and heme compared to the controls. On the contrary, haptoglobin and hemopexin were depleted in the patients. The RMP correlated positively with heme, lactate dehydrogenase, plasma hemoglobin, serum bilirubin, reticulocyte counts, and tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity of the patients. Contrarily, it correlated negatively with HbF, hemopexin, red blood cells counts, hemoglobin concentration, and haptoglobin. Although patients treated with hydroxyurea had lower RMP, this did not attain statistical significance. Patients with sickle leg ulcer and elevated tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity had higher levels of RMP. In conclusion, these data suggest that RMPs are associated with hemolysis and may have important roles in the pathophysiology and downstream complications of SCD981125072521CNPQ - Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e TecnológicoFAPESP – Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa Do Estado De São Paulo2015/141693-02014/00984-