CETACEAN RECORDS ALONG SAO PAULO STATE COAST, SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)The Sao Paulo state (SP) coast (23 degrees 18'S, 44 degrees 42'W; 25 degrees 14'S, 48 degrees 01'W) is of approximately 600 km in length, bordering the Western Atlantic Ocean, in southeastern Brazil. Cetacean sightings and strandings have long been observed throughout this area. Scattered data from scientific publications, skeletal remains in museums, photographs and articles from newspaper files, universities and aquaria have been organised and updated since 1993. Field investigations on strandings and sightings have also been conducted. A total of 29 cetacean species have been recorded, including 7 baleen whales (Mysticeti) and 22 toothed whales (Odontoceti), as follows: Balaenoptera physalus, B. borealis, B. edeni, B. acutorostrata, B. bonaerensis, Megaptera novaeangliae, Eubalaena australis, Physeter macrocephalus, Kogia breviceps, K. sima, Berardius arnuxii, Mesoplodon europaeus, M. mirus, Ziphius cavirostris, Orcinus orca, Feresa attenuata, Globicephala melas, G. macrorhynchus, Pseudorca crassidens, Delphinus capensis, Lagenodelphis hosei, Steno bredanensis, Tursiops truncatus, Stenella frontalis, S. longirostris, S. coeruleoalba, Lissodelphis peronii, Sotalia guianensis and Pontoporia blainvillei. Several species have been observed only once and include strays from their areas of common distribution, as well as species with known preferences for offshore distribution. Others, such as P. blainvillei and S. guianensis, are common coastal dwellers year-round. Z. cavirostris, P. crassidens and L. hosei are reported for the first time on the SP coast.582123142Cetacean International SocietyWhale & Dolphin Conservation SocietyWWF-Fundo Mundial para a NaturezaEarthwatch InstitutePetrobrasCoordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq

Records of franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) from the coastal waters of São Paulo State, southeastern Brazil

Little is known about franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) in the coastal waters of São Paulo State (~23-25° S), Brazil. This is due to the lack of long-term research efforts directed towards this species. The data presented in this paper reflect the efforts of three research groups in collecting information from marine mammal stranding events along portions of São Paulo State coast. Data from 109 records, mostly of single stranding events (n=98), are presented. Ten individuals that were captured incidentally by gillnets were obtained from local fishermen. One calf was caught by a swimmer in shallow waters and released after four hours. The number of reported strandings was not evenly distributed throughout the year with more strandings being reported during summer, spring and winter months than in the autumn. Calves (n=28) were reported year-round with no significant seasonal differences. Six live strandings of calves were reported. Five of these calves died shortly after being held in small pools and one was released alive in coastal waters. Because of recent efforts in research and recovering of a relatively high number of dead animals, the easy accessibility to carcasses and local logistics, the central region of São Paulo State coast, known as 'Baixada Santista', offers the best potential to better develop P. blainvillei research

Morphology of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) off southeastern Brazil: sexual dimorphism, growth and geographic variation

Variations in body and skull morphology may exhibit geographic differences evidencing distinct population stocks. The objectives of the present study were to analyze such variation to test the hypothesis of a disjunct distribution of the franciscana (Pontoporia blainvillei) off the southeastern coast of Brazil. Body length and 39 cranial variables were measured from bycaught animals to considere sexual, ontogenetic and geographic variations. The areas studied were Espírito Santo (ES) (18°30'S-19°40'S), northern Rio de Janeiro (NRJ) (21°35'S-22°25'S) and São Paulo (SP) (23°30'S-25°30'S). Franciscanas from NRJ and SP presented significant sexual dimorphism, with the means for the metric characters larger for females than for males. Sexual dimorphism for franciscanas from ES was not examined due to limited sample size. The growth pattern for body and skull did not indicate clinal variation. The asymptotic values obtained for franciscanas from SP were smaller than the values obtained for franciscanas from NRJ and ES. Canonical discriminant analysis of the cranial metric characters indicated significant differences among the three geographic areas. Differences between areas ES and NRJ accounted for 85%; of the variation (axis 1). The remaining 15%; (axis 2) was due to difference between the area SP from the others. The geographic variation supports the hypothesis stock division in southeast Brazil; allopatry might be present. Therefore, three franciscana stocks from the southeastern coast of Brazil should be considered distinct for conservation and management actions

Morphology of the Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) off southeastern Brazil: growth and geographic variation

The objective of this study was to analyze the morphology of Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis) to evaluate the existence of geographical variation along southeastern Brazil. Body length and 39 cranial variables were measured of specimens stranded or accidentally captured to consider ontogenetic and geographic variations. The areas studied were Espírito Santo (ES; 18°30’S-20°40’S), northern Rio de Janeiro (NRJ; 21°35’S-22°25’S), southern Rio de Janeiro (SRJ; 23°00’S-23°07’S) and São Paulo (SP; 23°30’S-25°30’S). Body length at age zero predicted by a non-linear Gompertz model for the Guiana dolphin was 148.3cm for area ES, 108.97cm for area NRJ, 98.4cm for area SRJ and 90.9cm for area SP. Asymptotic values were reached at about six years of age for total body length and cranial variations. These results indicate that Guiana dolphins reach adult size and sexual maturity simultaneously at six to seven years of age, when specimens cease to grow. The growth pattern for body and skull size indicated that there is variation between geographic areas. Guiana dolphins found in São Paulo are smaller than those analyzed in northern Rio de Janeiro and Espírito Santo, which implies a different growth rate. A canonical discriminant analysis of the cranial metric characters indicated significant differences between the four geographic areas. Differences between areas NRJ, SRJ and SP were responsible for 54% (axis 1) and 34% (axis 2) of the variation, respectively. The third axis depicted a difference between the area ES and the others. A partial overlap between geographic areas was observed in the projection of the species on the canonical axes, suggesting parapatry. Geographic variation recorded in this study is likely to be related to environmental adaptations. One of the areas that could play a role in the distribution of Guiana dolphin in the surveyed area is the central coast of Rio de Janeiro, which is characterized by the absence of river discharges, a narrowing of the continental shelf and upwelling influence that might be limiting the species occurrence in this area

Potential approaches for the pricing of cancer medicines across Europe to enhance the sustainability of healthcare systems and the implications.

- CLEAN VERSION Introduction: There are growing concerns among European health authorities regarding increasing prices for new cancer medicines, prices not necessarily linked to health gain and the implications for the sustainability of their healthcare systems. Areas covered: Narrative discussion principally among payers and their advisers regarding potential approaches to the pricing of new cancer medicines. Expert commentary: A number of potential pricing approaches are discussed including minimum effectiveness levels for new cancer medicines, managed entry agreements, multicriteria decision analyses (MCDAs), differential/tiered pricing, fair pricing models, amortization models as well as de-linkage models. We are likely to see a growth in alternative pricing deliberations in view of ongoing challenges including the considerable number of new cancer medicines in development including new gene therapies and being launched with uncertainty regarding their value, continued high prices coupled with the extent of confidential discounts for reimbursement; however, balanced against the need for new cancer medicines. This will lead to greater scrutiny over the prices of patent oncology medicines as more standard medicines lose their patent, calls for greater transparency as well as new models including amortization models. We will be monitoring these developments

Potential approaches for the pricing of cancer medicines across Europe to enhance the sustainability of healthcare systems and the implications

Introduction: There are growing concerns among European health authorities regarding increasing prices for new cancer medicines, prices not necessarily linked to health gain and the implications for the sustainability of their healthcare systems. Areas covered: Narrative discussion principally among payers and their advisers regarding potential approaches to the pricing of new cancer medicines. Expert opinion: A number of potential pricing approaches are discussed including minimum effectiveness levels for new cancer medicines, managed entry agreements, multicriteria decision analyses (MCDAs), differential/tiered pricing, fair pricing models, amortization models as well as de-linkage models. We are likely to see a growth in alternative pricing deliberations in view of ongoing challenges. These include the considerable number of new oncology medicines in development including new gene therapies, new oncology medicines being launched with uncertainty regarding their value, and continued high prices coupled with the extent of confidential discounts for reimbursement. However, balanced against the need for new cancer medicines. This will lead to greater scrutiny over the prices of patent oncology medicines as more standard medicines lose their patent, calls for greater transparency as well as new models including amortization models. We will be monitoring these developments. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group