Occupational Health and Safety Prevention Plan in Water Treatment Plant

The research was carried out at the "El Guarumo" drinking water plant located in Santa Ana, province of Manabí, Ecuador. The objective of the investigation was the proposal of a plan of prevention of occupational risks that allows the management of the labor risks in said plant. The main tools used were: survey, interview, checklist, LEST questionnaire for the diagnosis of the current situation in terms of working conditions, the risk identification matrix and the binary method of risk assessment. The main results obtained were the identification of the risks in their different categories, observing that the critical risk factors are related to the physical overexertion, the uncomfortable postures and the manual lifting of the load. Among the important risks are falling objects, skin contact with toxic substances and mental overwork, closely related to work pressures and job security? It was possible to carry out the proposal of preventive and corrective measures in order to properly manage the risks and contribute to the safety and health of the workers

Drosophila IAP1-Mediated Ubiquitylation Controls Activation of the Initiator Caspase DRONC Independent of Protein Degradation

Ubiquitylation targets proteins for proteasome-mediated degradation and plays important roles in many biological processes including apoptosis. However, non-proteolytic functions of ubiquitylation are also known. In Drosophila, the inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 (DIAP1) is known to ubiquitylate the initiator caspase DRONC in vitro. Because DRONC protein accumulates in diap1 mutant cells that are kept alive by caspase inhibition (“undead” cells), it is thought that DIAP1-mediated ubiquitylation causes proteasomal degradation of DRONC, protecting cells from apoptosis. However, contrary to this model, we show here that DIAP1-mediated ubiquitylation does not trigger proteasomal degradation of full-length DRONC, but serves a non-proteolytic function. Our data suggest that DIAP1-mediated ubiquitylation blocks processing and activation of DRONC. Interestingly, while full-length DRONC is not subject to DIAP1-induced degradation, once it is processed and activated it has reduced protein stability. Finally, we show that DRONC protein accumulates in “undead” cells due to increased transcription of dronc in these cells. These data refine current models of caspase regulation by IAPs

Two sides of the same coin – compensatory proliferation in regeneration and cancer

Apoptosis has long been regarded as a tumor suppressor mechanism and evasion from apoptosis is considered to be one hallmark of cancer. However, this principle is not always consistent with clinical data which often illustrate a correlation between apoptosis and poor prognosis. Work in the last 15 years has provided an explanation for this apparent paradox. Apoptotic cells communicate with their environment and can produce signals which promote compensatory proliferation of surviving cells. This behavior of apoptotic cells is important for tissue regeneration in several model organisms, ranging from hydra to mammals. However, it may also play an important feature for tumorigenesis and tumor relapse. Several distinct forms of apoptosis-induced compensatory proliferation (AiP) have been identified, many of which involve reactive oxygen species (ROS) and immune cells. One type of AiP, undead AiP, in which apoptotic cells are kept in an immortalized state and continuously divide, may have particular relevance for tumorigenesis. Furthermore, given that chemo- and radiotherapy often aim to kill tumor cells, an improved understanding of the effects of apoptotic cells on the tumor and the tumor environment is of critical importance for the well-being of the patient. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of AiP and focus our attention on recent findings obtained in Drosophila and other model organisms, and relate them to tumorigenesis