OBJECTIVE:We compared the adverse effects of two types of real ambient particles; i.e., total suspended particles from an electrostatic precipitator of a steel mill and fine air particles from an urban ambient particulate matter of 2.5 µm, on mucociliary clearance.METHOD:Mucociliary function was quantified by mucociliary transport, ciliary beating frequency and the amount of acid and neutral mucous in epithelial cells through morphometry of frog palate preparations. The palates were immersed in one of the following solutions: total suspended particles (0.1 mg/mL), particulate matter 2.5 µm 0.1 mg/mL (PM0.1) or 3.0 mg/mL (PM3.0) and amphibian Ringer’s solution (control). Particle chemical compositions were determined by X-ray fluorescence and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry.RESULTS:Exposure to total suspended particles and PM3.0 decreased mucociliary transport. Ciliary beating frequency was diminished by total suspended particles at all times during exposure, while particulate matter of 2.5 µm did not elicit changes. Particulate matter of 2.5 µm reduced epithelial mucous and epithelium thickness, while total suspended particles behaved similarly to the control group. Total suspended particles exhibited a predominance of Fe and no organic compounds, while the particulate matter 2.5 µm contained predominant amounts of S, Fe, Si and, to a lesser extent, Cu, Ni, V, Zn and organic compounds.CONCLUSION:Our results showed that different compositions of particles induced different airway epithelial responses, emphasizing that knowledge of their individual characteristics may help to establish policies aimed at controlling air pollution.

OBJETIVO: Analisar a situação da mortalidade materna na Região do ABC comparando indicadores produzidos pelo Comitê de Estudos da Mortalidade Materna da Região do Grande ABC (CEMM), da Direção Regional de Saúde II de Santo André (DIR II), e pela Fundação Sistema Estadual de Análise de Dados (SEADE). MÉTODOS: Este é um estudo transversal. As informações foram obtidas junto ao banco de dados do CEMM da DIR II - Santo André, que compreende dados dos sete municípios da região do Grande ABC. Foram analisados todos os óbitos de mulheres em idade fértil ocorridos no período de 1997 a 2005 na região. Os testes t pareado, Wilcoxon e Kruskal-Wallis foram utilizados para a análise estatística. RESULTADOS: Observam-se diferenças entre os coeficientes de mortalidade materna para os municípios de Diadema, São Bernardo do Campo, Santo André e DIR II, sendo os coeficientes calculados pelo CEMM maiores do que os fornecidos pelo SEADE (p < 0,001). Para os municípios de Mauá, Rio Grande da Serra, Ribeirão Pires e São Caetano do Sul não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre esses dois coeficientes (p ≥ 0,05), apesar de os coeficientes fornecidos pelo CEMM serem maiores do que os coeficientes fornecidos pelo SEADE. CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados deste estudo demonstram que os dados oficiais de mortalidade materna no Brasil ainda são subestimados e sinalizam a falta de qualidade dos serviços de assistência a gestação, parto e puerpério

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the maternal mortality in the ABC Region, comparing indicators from the Committee for the Study of Maternal Mortality in the Great ABC Region (CEMM) of the II Regional Health Center of Santo Andre (DIR II), and the State Data Analysis System Foundation (SEADE). METHODS: This is a cross sectional study. The information was obtained from the database of CEMM DIR II - Santo André, which includes data from seven counties of the ABC Region. We analyzed all deaths of childbearing-age women that occurred from 1997 to 2005 in that region. The paired t test, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: There were differences regarding the maternal mortality rates in the towns of Diadema, São Bernardo do Campo, Santo André and DIR II, with the coefficients calculated by CEMM being higher than those provided by the SEADE (p < 0.001). Concerning the towns of Mauá, Rio Grande da Serra, Ribeirão Pires and São Caetano do Sul, no significant differences were observed between these two coefficients (p ≥ 0.05), although the coefficients provided by CEMM were higher than the coefficients obtained from SEADE. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that the official data of maternal mortality in Brazil are still underestimated and point to the lack of healthcare quality during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum