Eficiência de lagoas de polimento no pós-tratamento de reator UASB no tratamento de águas residuárias de suinocultura / Efficiency of a polishing pond for the post-treatment of the effluent from UASB reactor treating swine wastewater

Avaliou-se o desempenho de um sistema de lagoas seriadas que recebeu efluentes de reator UASB, no tratamento de águas residuárias de suinocultura. O sistema foi composto de reator anaeróbio de chicanas (RAC), reator UASB, em escala real, e uma série de lagoas (uma lagoa facultativa e três de maturação), em escala piloto. As análises físico-químicas realizadas foram: pH, demanda bioquímica de oxigênio (DBO), demanda química de oxigênio (DQO), sólidos suspensos totais (SST), sólidos suspensos voláteis (SSV), nitrogênio amoniacal (N-am.), fósforo total (Pt), coliformes totais (CT) e Escherichia coli (EC). As lagoas de pós-tratamento contribuíram eficientemente para remoção de nutrientes, matéria orgânica e sólidos, fornecendo um efluente com qualidade para o reuso agrícola ou lançamento em corpos d'água...

The performance of a post-treatment pond for treating swine wastewater from an UASB reactor was evaluated. The system was assembled with an anaerobic baffle reactor (RAC), followed by an UASB reactor (UASB) on a real scale, and a post-treatment pond on a demonstration scale. The following parameters were analyzed: pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids (TSS), volatile suspended solids (VSS), ammonia nitrogen (N-am.), total phosphorus (Pt), total coliforms (CT) and Escherichia coli (E coli.). The post-treatment lagoons contributed efficiently to remove nutrients, organic matter and solids, providing an effluent quality for agricultural reuse or discharge into a body of water...

GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-6)-induced ACTH release in patients with addison's disease: effect of glucocorticoid withdrawal.

GH releasing peptide (GHRP-6) is a synthetic hexapeptide with potent GH releasing activity both in man and in animals. This peptide is also able to stimulate ACTH and cortisol (F) release. It has been suggested that the ACTH responsiveness to GHRP-6 is modulated by circulating glucocorticoid levels. To further clarify this hypothesis, we studied the effect of GHRP-6 (1 ug/kg, iv) on ACTH and F release in patients with Addison's disease (no.=6) during replacement therapy and after 72 h of glucocorticoid withdrawal. Seven controls were also submitted to a single GHRP-6 test. In control subjects, ACTH values (pmol/l; mean +/- SE) increased from 2.9 +/- 0.8 to 4.7 +/- 1.4 (peak). AUC (pmol.min/l) values were 170.3 +/- 48.8. F (nmol/l) values increased from 257.0 +/- 42.9 to 367.0 +/- 50.8. In patients with Addison's disease there was an increase in ACTH levels from 38.1 +/- 17.1 to 174.9 +/- 79.4 after GHRP-6 administration. AUC values were 5490.4 +/- 2269.1. After 72 h withdrawal of glucocorticoid, there was an increase in basal ACTH values (191.2 +/- 97.3), and a trend toward an increase in ACTH levels after GHRP-6 (p=0.053). Patients with Addison's disease on therapy showed a significantly higher ACTH response to GHRP-6 when compared to controls. Our results show that in patients with Addison's disease on replacement there is an increased ACTH release after GHRP-6 administration, compared to controls. After 72 h glucocorticoid withdrawal, this enhanced responsiveness is not maintained. Our data suggest that circulating glucocorticoids modulate GHRP-6-induced ACTH release and that multiple mechanisms may be involved in this process.