Ecophysiology 1655-Lek22EKOF-J

The subject is to provide students with theoretical knowledge in the field of comprehensively understood medical, ecophysiological and biotechnological aspects used in the fight against environmental diseases and in the field of medical biotechnology. Important aspects for the proper interpretation of this issue are the basic aspects constituting the scope of lectures and seminars within the subject:
The use of ecological and biotechnological methods in medicine, agriculture, industry and environmental protection. Selected examples of the use of ecophysiological methods related to human health. Biogeochemical processes in the environment and their relationship with the state of the organism. The influence of the atmosphere on human health. Chain photochemical reactions. The impact of radiation on the health and condition of the organism. Atmospheric aerosol participation in ion transfer and effects in the organism. Medical and ecophysiological aspects of biogeochemical reactions in the hydrosphere. Influence of biogeochemical processes in the lithosphere on shaping the health and condition of the human organism. Waste as a source of environmental pollution and the state of the organism's condition (waste disposal, methods of reducing the amount of waste, biotechnologies and recovery of raw materials and energy from waste in terms of human health). Application of biotechnological methods in medicine and human ecophysiology.
The use of an appropriate methodology for regulating the physiological states of the cell. Interaction of chloro- and phospho-organic compounds. The use of biodegradable microorganisms in the human trophic chain. Medical and environmental aspects, conditioned by parasite infestations in humans (parasitic invasion control, antiparasitic drugs and their mechanisms of action, parasite resistance and the causes of its formation, drug resistance mechanisms, methods of drug resistance detection, immunoprophylaxis of parasitic invasions in humans). Vaccines against parasites - biotechnological methods of fighting parasites. Gene preparations and gene therapy (genotherapy). The use of stem cells. Biotechnological methods of identification and control of parasites in water and soil.
Medical, physiological and biochemical aspects of the human organism's defense against toxic substances. Selection, absorption and formation of complexes containing metals (bioavailability of metal ions). Toxic heavy metals. Enzymes involved in detoxification. Regulation of detoxification genes. Generation and use of metal ion concentration gradients. Generation of ion gradients. Ion transport through ion channels. Binding of metal ions and complexes with active centers of biomolecules. The selection and incorporation of metal ions into the active sites of proteins. Binding of metal ions and complexes with nucleic acids. Promotion of metal-ligand interactions by biopolymers. The role of reactive oxygen species as substrates of enzymatic reactions. Non-enzymatic defense reactions of the organism to environmental stress. The importance of stress proteins in the defense processes of living organisms. Lipoperoxidation as a defense mechanism against environmental stressors. Induction of protein biosynthesis by reactive oxygen species. Changes in the correct coding of protein and enzyme systems. Reactive oxygen species as mediators and regulators of metabolic pathways.
Mechanisms of the organism's defense against reactive oxygen species (stress proteins, enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants). Monooxygenases, cytochromes, phosphatases. The importance of lipoperoxidation. Fatty acid oxidation. DNA repair mechanisms. Mitochondria and immune mechanisms. The human immune system under various environmental stress conditions. Mechanisms of development of immune (ecophysiological) reactions in degraded environments. The effectiveness of the immune system in defending the organism. Physiological and biochemical methods of the human organism's defense against toxic substances. Limits of defense against environmental stressors (external and internal).
The organism's defense against toxicants (oxidative stress, mutagenic effects of reactive oxygen species, the defensive role of reactive oxygen species). Reactive oxygen species and pathological states of the organism. Reactive oxygen species and drugs. Reactive oxygen species and the harmful effects of environmental factors. The use of biotechnological methods in shaping the pro-antioxidant balance of the organism. The role of reactive oxygen species as substrates of enzymatic reactions. Induction of protein biosynthesis and enzyme systems by reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species as mediators and regulators of metabolism. Possibilities of using biotechnology in the regulation of physiological states of the cell.
Biocatalysts; possibilities of use, importance in medicine. Application of biocatalysts in ecophysiology: Biocatalysts as a natural sense organ. Biocatalysts used in food, cosmetics and drug production control. Biocatalysts using electric pulses, electromagnetic waves, ultrasound and selective agents. Mutagen-sensitive biosensors. Biocatalysts of enzymatic electrodes and optodes using fluorescence. Electrochemical converters. Biosensors using cell preparations with a wide range of sensitivity. Chemical biocatalysts in ecotoxicology and pharmacology. Physiological and medical ecology. Bioenergetics and ecophysiological and medical bioclimatology. Biochemical and ecological interactions of organisms, pathophysiological states. The importance of biogeochemistry in ecophysiology and medicine. Bioaccumulation of elements in the environment; ecophysiological conditions of the condition of the organism. Costs of maintaining heterotrophs, the role of blood, relations with the environment. The influence of the environment through the digestive tract, respiration and skin; determinants of the condition of the organism. Pathophysiological changes in the organism as ecophysiological reactions to degradation changes in the environment. Absorption and transfer of xenobiotics in the organism. The impact of air pollution on the health and condition of the organism. Adaptations to polluted environments. Biogeochemical transformations in the environment caused by anthropopressure; impact on health and condition of the organism. Influence of water pollution. Radiation problems; radioactive contamination. Noise and vibrations in the environment. The fate of xenobiotics in the organism. Hazardous organic compounds. Factors influencing toxicity. Mutagenic and carcinogenic effects of xenobiotics. The formation and interaction of chromosomal mutations and genetic polymorphisms. Kidney, liver and lung ecophysiology in the face of environmental threats. Occupational ecotoxicology; ecophysiological conditions of the environment and health. Pro-antioxidant balance of the organism in various environments. Defense mechanisms against oxidative stress. Determinants of oxygen supply and thermoregulation in humans. The importance of pro-antioxidant enzyme systems for shaping the condition of the organism. The influence of biogeochemical barriers on the circulation of matter and energy flow in the organism.
The influence of stress factors on the course of the metabolic pathways. Consequences of changes in the metabolic paths. The importance of the interaction of elements on trophic levels; medical and ecophysiological conditions. Ion transport through ion channels; medical and environmental conditions. The importance of element ions and chemical compounds in shaping the ecophysiological response in humans. Biogeochemical and ecophysiological processes in humans. Medical and environmental conditions of macronutrients. Environmental conditions of parasitic diseases; defense mechanisms. Strategies of human metabolic adaptation to the physicochemical factors of the environment. Ecophysiological biochemistry in the trophic and respiratory chains.
The course of environmental changes depending on the environmental conditions (WHO), i.e. external and internal factors (severe, poor or no response to routine treatment, emergence of new, extremely rare or completely eradicated diseases, diseases with atypical features or in the vaccinated population (genetic modification). Detection and potential significance of the causes and symptoms of environmental diseases in terms of medical, contemporary problems.