Identifying Factors to Improve Oral Cancer Screening Uptake: A Qualitative Study

Aims: To engage with high risk groups to identify knowledge and awareness of oral cancer signs and symptoms and the factors likely to contribute to improved screening uptake. Methods: Focus group discussions were undertaken with 18 males; 40+ years of age; smokers and/or drinkers (15+ cigarettes per day and/or 15+ units of alcohol per week), irregular dental attenders living in economically deprived areas of Teesside. Results: There was a striking reported lack of knowledge and awareness of oral cancer and its signs and symptoms among the participants. When oral/mouth cancer leaflets produced by Cancer Research UK were presented to the participants, they claimed that they would seek help on noticing such a condition. There was a preference to seek help from their general practitioner rather than their dentist due to perceptions that a dentist is ‘inaccessible ’ on a physical and psychological level, costly, a ‘tooth specialist ’ not a ‘mouth specialist’, and also not able to prescribe medication and make referrals to specialists. Interestingly, none of the 18 participants who were offered a free oral cancer examination at a dental practice took up this offer. Conclusions: The uptake of oral cancer screening may be improved by increasing knowledge of the existence and signs and symptoms of oral cancer. Other factors that may increase uptake are increased awareness of the role of dentists in diagnosing oral cancer, promotion of oral cancer screening by health professionals during routine health checks, and the use of a ‘‘health’ ’ screening setting as opposed to a ‘‘dental’ ’ setting for such checks

Habitat association of plaice, sole and lemon sole in the English Channel

Flatfishes have been the subject of scientific research since the beginning of the 19th century but information on the specific habitat requirement of the adult life stages is largely anecdotal. Detailed knowledge of flatfish habitats however is a precondition for a more ecosystem orientated approach to fisheries management. Here the association between benthic habitat and the adult life stage of three flatfish species plaice (Pleuronectes platessa), sole (Solea solea) and lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) was investigated in the English Channel. Data from groundfish surveys spanning a period of 9 years was used to identify three distinct site groups: sites where a species occurred in consistently high abundances, sites of variable or low abundance and sites at which none were caught. Following the supposition of habitat selection theories such as the ideal free distribution theory these three sites groups should represent a gradient in habitat suitability from highly suitable to less suitable and unsuitable respectively. Habitat parameters and features for the three site groups and species were described and analysed. In particular sediment type and the importance of structuring epifauna for adult flatfish was investigated. Overall plaice and sole showed very similar trends for abiotic environmental parameters such as depth, temperature, salinity and tidal currents. Lemon sole was found over distinctly different habitats which may indicate a stronger niche partitioning of this species. Sediment associations differed between the three species with plaice predominantly occurring over sandy substrates with little mud and gravel content, while sole was found over a wider range of muddy to sandy substrates. Lemon sole was predominantly found over sand however containing a higher percentage of gravel than plaice. Structuring emergent epifauna was related positively to plaice and lemon sole abundances. These structures might be important as they tend to harbour larger numbers of epibenthic species upon which adult plaice and lemon sole prey. No such trend was found for the tactile feeding sole which mainly forages on infaunal polychaetes and molluscs

Evaluation of habitat use by adult plaice (Pleuronectes platessa L.) using underwater video survey techniques

Large-scale spatial surveys of fish species in relation to habitat have tended to focus on depth, sediment type and temperature as descriptors of fish habitats. At a smaller scale, habitat parameters such as the relief of the sea floor, the presence of structuring fauna and prey availability may have a large influence on fish distribution, but often are not considered. In the present study we used video survey techniques to study habitat components in areas of the English Channel that were known to support consistently high densities of adult plaice. Habitat features were quantified and related to the density of adult plaice caught within the same study areas. To focus the study on habitat components other than sediment type all sites chosen had sandy substrata. The scale and spatial distribution and heterogeneity of physical and biological structures were quantified for each site and correlated to plaice densities. Plaice densities correlated with the abundance of benthic fauna recorded. In particular the emergent tube-dwelling polychaetes Lanice conchilega and Cheatopterus spp., that are a valuable food source for plaice dominated some sites. Abiotic habitat features and habitat heterogeneity showed no clear relationships with respect to plaice densities at the scale of our surveys. This indicated that prey availability might be the driving force for habitat selection of adult plaice within sandy habitats and that other habitat descriptors assume lesser importance at smaller spatial scales

Demersal fish and epifauna associated with sandbank habitats

A habitat specific survey of the epifauna and fish fauna of sandbanks off the Welsh coastline was undertaken in 2001. Of these, three sandbanks were considered to represent extensions of shallow nearshore soft-sediment communities, while a further six sandbanks were considered to be distinct sandbanks; seabed features clearly defined in comparison with surrounding sediments. Multivariate community analyses revealed that the distinct sandbanks had both fish and epifaunal assemblages that were distinct from those sandbanks considered to be extensions of nearshore sediments. The distinct sandbanks were typified by low species diversity and shared indicator species such as the weever fish Echiichthys vipera, the shrimp Philocheras trispinosus and the hermit crab Pagurus bernhardus. Differences occurred in species composition among the distinct sandbanks, in particular, southern sandbanks were typified by sand sole Solea lascaris and small-eyed ray Raja microocellata. The sandbanks considered as extensions of nearshore sediments shared many similarities with the Pleuronectes platessa-Limanda limanda assemblage, identified by Ellis et al. (Estuar. Coastal Shelf Sci. 51 (2000) 299), which is widespread in the Irish Sea. Sandbanks, as a habitat definition under the EU habitats directive, are likely to incorporate a number of physically and biologically distinct habitats of which two have been described in the present study.</p

Non-Native Aquaculture Species Releases: Implications for Aquatic Ecosystems

Aquaculture is undergoing a rapid worldwide expansion. Of significant concern is the increasing use of non-native species, with subsequent escapes of these species and their associated pathogens and parasites posing a serious threat to native biodiversity, economic value and ecosystem function, particularly in regions rich in endemic species. The contribution of non-native species to the growth of the global aquaculture industry and the economic benefits that it has brought to many developing countries cannot be underestimated. However, minimizing the escapes of non-native aquaculture species must be a high priority for resource managers, conservationists and the aquaculture industry. This paper reviews intentional and unintentional non-native aquaculture introductions and the environmental consequences that escapes can have on the aquatic environment and presents a potential system of risk evaluation, management and funding mechanisms to assist in the long term sustainable development of the aquaculture industry