From sea monsters to charismatic megafauna: changes in perception and use of large marine animals

Marine megafauna has always elicited contrasting feelings. In the past, large marine animals were often depicted as fantastic mythological creatures and dangerous monsters, while also arousing human curiosity. Marine megafauna has been a valuable resource to exploit, leading to the collapse of populations and local extinctions. In addition, some species have been perceived as competitors of fishers for marine resources and were often actively culled. Since the 1970s, there has been a change in the perception and use of megafauna. The growth of marine tourism, increasingly oriented towards the observation of wildlife, has driven a shift from extractive to non-extractive use, supporting the conservation of at least some species of marine megafauna. In this paper, we review and compare the changes in the perception and use of three megafaunal groups, cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers, with a special focus on European cultures. We highlight the main drivers and the timing of these changes, compare different taxonomic groups and species, and highlight the implications for management and conservation. One of the main drivers of the shift in perception, shared by all the three groups of megafauna, has been a general increase in curiosity towards wildlife, stimulated inter alia by documentaries (from the early 1970s onwards), and also promoted by easy access to scuba diving. At the same time, environmental campaigns have been developed to raise public awareness regarding marine wildlife, especially cetaceans, a process greatly facilitated by the rise of Internet and the World Wide Web. Currently, all the three groups (cetaceans, elasmobranchs and groupers) may represent valuable resources for ecotourism. Strikingly, the economic value of live specimens may exceed their value for human consumption. A further change in perception involving all the three groups is related to a growing understanding and appreciation of their key ecological role. The shift from extractive to non-extractive use has the potential for promoting species conservation and local economic growth. However, the change in use may not benefit the original stakeholders (e.g. fishers or whalers) and there may therefore be a case for providing compensation for disadvantaged stakeholders. Moreover, it is increasingly clear that even non-extractive use may have a negative impact on marine megafauna, therefore regulations are needed.SFRH/BPD/102494/2014, UID/MAR/04292/2019, IS1403info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Perfil epidemiológico dos portadores de fissuras orofaciais atendidos em um Centro de Referência do Nordeste do Brasil Epidemiological characteristics of patients with orofacial clefts attending a Referral Center in Northeast Brazil

OBJETIVOS: descrever a frequência dos tipos de lesão dos portadores de fissura lábio-palatina, verificar a associação entre os fatores demográficos com essas lesões e identificar os fatores associados à idade em que foi realizado o primeiro atendimento médico especializado. MÉTODOS: este é um estudo do tipo série de casos, com 1216 crianças <10 anos portadoras de fissura labial e/ou palatina não sindrômica atendidas no Centro de Atenção aos Defeitos da Face do Instituto de Medicina Integral Professor Fernando Figueira no período de janeiro de 2002 a dezembro de 2005. Os dados foram obtidos de um banco de dados secundário desse Centro. RESULTADOS: observou-se um discreto predomínio do sexo masculino (57,4%) e uma maior procedência do Recife/Região Metropolitana. Cerca de metade da amostra (48,9%) encontrava-se no grupo etário >24 meses quando realizou o primeiro atendimento médico especializado. As crianças cujo primeiro atendimento especializado ocorreu antes dos 12 meses de vida procederam com maior frequência do Agreste e Sertão. Das crianças portadoras de fissura submucosa, 55% só foram atendidas após os cinco anos de idade. CONCLUSÕES: observou-se que os dados obtidos estão de acordo com os da literatura, no aspecto geral das fissuras. Necessita-se que os profissionais de saúde sejam melhor preparados para atender e diagnosticar as fissuras lábio-palatinas.<br>OBJECTIVES: to describe the frequency of types of lesions in patients with cleft lip and/or palate, in order to confirm the association between demographic factors and cleft lesions and to identify the factors associated with age on first receiving specialized medical attention. METHODS: a case-series study was conducted with 1,216 children aged <10 years with non-syndromic cleft lip and/or palate. They were being treated at the Facial Deformity Care Center at the Professor Fernando Figueira General Medical Center from January 2002 to December 2005. Data were obtained form a secondary dataset belonging to this Center. RESULTS: the prevalence of clefts was higher among males (57.4%). Most of them came from Recife Metropolitan area. About half (48.9%) were aged >24 months when they first received a specialized medical consultation. A higher percentage of children whose first specialized medical care occurred at an age of less than one year was found for the Agreste and Sertão regions. Around 55% of children with submucosa cleft first received care at an age greater than five years. CONCLUSIONS: it was observed that the overall distribution of clefts accords with that presented in the literature. There is a need for a greater knowledge on the part of health professionals to allow them to provide adequate care and diagnose clefts

"King archie, who was quite grouchy" - a vocal dysphonia health education project O rei Sebastião que era muito resmungão

PURPOSE: one major cause of dysphonia can be linked to the presence of vocal folds nodules - a condition commonly seen in children due to vocal misuse and/or vocal abuse. The present health education project, also directed to parents and educators, aims at making children (the project's chief target-population) aware of how to make a correct use of their voice. METHOD: the target population includes parents, educators and children from both sexes and aged between five and eight years old. RESULT: a health education initiative was developed, which main instrument consists in a children's literature book, supplemented by an interactive CD. The instrument relies on a simple and easy-to-follow story where the issue of child dysphonia is addressed. CONCLUSIONS: the developed health education instrument is substantial for its chief target-population; it works as a suitable vehicle for promoting, in children, access, sensibility and awareness regarding aspects of one's voice one should be attentive to

Considerações teóricas sobre a relação entre respiração oral e disfonia Theoretical considerations on the relationship between mouth breathing and dysphonia

Sabe-se que a respiração oral pode ocasionar diversas alterações ósseas, posturais, musculares e funcionais, como também, alterações na qualidade e/ou comportamento vocal. Estas alterações podem comprometer a comunicação oral, na qual a voz não consegue desempenhar seu papel básico de transmissão da mensagem verbal e emocional do indivíduo. O indivíduo com respiração oral pode apresentar ressonância nasalizada e a voz pode apresentar alterações no traço de sonoridade, hiper ou hiponasal, ou rouca. A partir de pesquisa nas bases de dados LILACS, SciELO, livros, revistas especializadas sobre o tema, buscamos fazer uma revisão na literatura sobre a relação entre respiração oral e disfonia, analisando a influência das alterações causadas pela respiração oral na qualidade e/ou comportamento vocal. No entanto, foi possível observar que a respiração oral promove uma série de alterações estruturais significativas que refletem nas funções estomatognáticas, interferindo também na fonação. Contudo, poucos autores relatam a possível correlação entre esses dois parâmetros (respiração oral e disfonia).<br>It is known that mouth breathing can lead to several bone, postural, muscular and functional alterations, and also changes on vocal quality and/or vocal behavior. These alterations can compromise oral communication, in which the voice cannot perform its basic role on the transmission of an individual's verbal and emotional message. Individuals with mouth breathing can present hiper or hiponasal resonance, changes on voicing features and hoarseness. From researches on LILACS and SciELO databases, books and specialized magazines about the subject, it was carried a literature review about the relationship between mouth breathing and dysphonia, analyzing the influence of alterations caused by mouth breathing on vocal quality and/or vocal behavior. It was possible observe that mouth breathing promotes several significant structural alterations, which reflect on stomatognathic functions and on phonation. However, few authors report the possible correlation between mouth breathing and dysphonia