Environmental Smoke

HOW TO MEASURE THE WELL-BEING OF A NATION: A NEW PROPOSAL BASED ON A MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH

2024-10-24T16:31:57+00:00

Measuring the well-being of a nation means identifying all the tools that enable its individuals to live well without worsening the lives of their neighbours or those to come in the future. For many years, the focus has been solely on the economic dimension, creating critical problems in the social and environmental spheres that will take years and large investments to remedy. This article gives an overview of the measurements used over the years in the international arena by recognised and respected bodies. The application of these indicators to the realities of countries has made it possible to identify models to be followed in order to enable the growth of the well-being of societies as a whole.

FIXED OIL FROM PEQUI FRUIT (Caryocar coriaceum) PREVENTS LUNG CHANGES CAUSED BY VEHICLE POLLUTANTS

2024-08-30T10:55:47+00:00

The exposure to diesel exhaust particles (DEP) in high-traffic environments is associated with significant alterations in the respiratory system. In parallel, it is assumed that the regular inclusion of compounds containing high levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as pequi oil (Caryocar coriaceum), in the diet may help with disorders caused by these pollutants. The present work investigates the benefits of oral ingestion of fixed oil from Caryocar coriaceum (CC) on lung tissue and ventilatory mechanics in mice exposed to DEP, as well as its chemical composition. The CC, mainly composed of linoleic acid (49.13%), prevented the increase in the bronchoconstriction index and the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the pulmonary alveoli. Moreover, it was able to prevent changes in ventilatory parameters caused by DEP, such as airway resistance, tissue resistance, elastance, lung compliance, inspiratory capacity, and the area of the pressure-volume curve. Our findings demonstrated that the implementation of CC in the diet of mice exposed to DEP was responsible for preventing the establishment of histological and functional alterations in the respiratory system caused by these vehicular pollutants.

ROPE TO THE SEA: OBSERVATION OF THE FISHING ROPE ACTING AS ARTIFICIAL SUBSTRATA TO FIXATION OF CORAL Astrangia solitaria (Le SUEUR, 1817) COLLECTED IN THE GREAT AMAZON REEF SYSTEM (GARS)

2024-07-16T15:08:02+00:00

Herein, we report the first observation of the coral Astrangia solitaria (Le Sueur, 1817) adhered on the polypropylene fishing rope (artificial substrate), collected in the areas of the Great Amazon Reef System (GARS). The specimens of A. solitaria were collected adhered on the fishing rope abandoned in bottom areas associated with the GARS, in the state of Amapá (Northern Brazil) (02°57'54"N; 048°27'50,4"W), during the commercial fishing operations of the red snapper - Lutjanus purpureus (Poey, 1866) - in May 2024. We observed 226 m of lost rope from the illegal lobster trap “caçoeira” adhered (wrapped) in the fish trap called “manzuá”, where we accounted 63 colonies of A. solitaria covering 12.5 cm of this rope. This observation can be associated with a wide range of marine invertebrate adaptations for the use of these types of macroplastics in an anthropized environment.

ANATOMICAL VARIATIONS OF THE VERTEBRAL ARTERY AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS

2024-04-11T19:37:59+00:00

The Vertebral arteries correspond to a pair of vessels that originate from the superior branch of the 1st portion of the A. Subclavia. In general, they present general anatomical variations regarding the length and diameter of the lumen, with the left being larger than the right. More extreme variations, such as the absence of one of the arteries, due to agenesis or involution, are generally related to craniovertebral defects. The objective of this work was to evaluate the anatomical variations found in the vertebral arteries and to discuss their clinical implications. In the construction of this study, a descriptive research, of the RIL type, was carried out, fulfilling all the stages of development. The search resulted in 23 articles. After reading, the corpus was composed of 12 articles, whose potential content was dedicated to investigating the type of anatomical variation of the vertebral artery and its implications and harms in the health of the carriers. Symmetrical vertebral arteries are found in about 26% of individuals. Marked differences in the diameter of the arteries, called Vertebral Artery Dominance (VAD) result in a significant decrease in the blood flow velocity of the artery and an increase in the resistance index (RI). The incidence of infarction in the posterior region of the brain is significantly higher in individuals with VAD. Infarctions occurred more frequently on the side of the non-dominant vertebral artery, probably due to non-mixing of Aa blood. vertebral arteries within the A. basilar, which run separately and with a central zone where flow is absent, called the "dead spot". Changes in normal blood flow were tested to determine their correlations with sites of thrombosis and atherosclerosis in humans. The agenesis of some branches of A. vertebral is also identified as an important factor for the occurrence of strokes in the posterior region of the brain.

CLIMATE CHANGE IN SOUTH-EAST NIGERIA

2024-04-05T20:24:35+00:00

The study is an assessment of the effects of climate change in South Eastern region. Apart from struggling with the scars of a civil war, the region is experiencing exponential increase in industrialisation, manifesting in a number of industrial clusters which has given rise in the level of industrial gas emissions, establishment of housing estates, resulting in large scale deforestation in a region already threatened by floods, and gully erosion. The study examined the trend in erosion and flooding in South East region of Nigeria, the effects of erosion and flooding in the region, the constitutive efforts of governments to address the effects of erosion and flooding, the implications for regional and national development as well as a conclusion. The findings show that the people of the South East have had their fair- share of the devastating impact of the Climate change, as manifested in the apparent changes in general weather pattern, increasing level of erosion menace in many States across the region, poor yield in agricultural produce, resettlement of residents as a result of flooding, among others. The paper concludes that community based interventions are relevant to sustain government initiatives to mitigate the effects of climate change, especially erosion and flooding in Southeast, Nigeria.

RECORD OF METACERCARIAE OF PARAGONIMUS BRAUN, 1899 (PLATYHELMINTHES: TREMATODA) IN THE AMAZON PROVINCE

2024-04-05T11:21:16+00:00

In this study we report a new occurrence of Paragonimus Braun, 1899 in the Amazon province, recovered from a new host, the semi-terrestrial sesarmid crab Armases benedicti (Rathbun, 1897). Additionally, we would like to alert the health authorities to the presence of trematodes in the urban area of Belém-PA. The specimens of A. benedicti were manually collected on the banks of the Guamá River (01°28’22.6”S; 048°26’49.79”W) in January 2024. We accounted for 42 specimens of A. benedicti, with one male showing the presence of an excysted metacercariae of Paragonimus sp. in the seminal tube. Despite the low number of individuals, the occurrence of this parasite in the region raises the possible parasitism in other organisms such as mollusks, other crustaceans and fish, which are directly consumed by humans. Thus, this paper focuses in warning the risk of contamination of the population, especially by pulmonary paragonimiasis, however, further studies and new samples are needed to identify this parasite in species level and describe its life cycle in the region.

EVALUATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING PROCESS OF MARINE CALCAREOUS ALGAE BY THE IBAMA IN BRAZIL

2024-03-29T11:49:27+00:00

Currently, the efforts of marine research and marine resources exploitation are rising. However, debate usually is divided into economic and conservation approaches. One procedure used in Brazil to achieve coherence between economic development and environmental management in exploitation of natural resources is the environmental licensing. In Brazil, this activity is relatively recent and so little is known about the actual negative environmental impacts. The goal of this paper was to evaluate the main positive and negative aspects from environmental licensing process of exploitation of marine algae in Brazil guided by the IBAMA, focusing on processes with operation license emitted or expired. This qualitative research and methodology was developed into different stages between 2014 to 2015, analysis of legislation, information in licensing online systems and consultation in the technical collection of IBAMA head office, in Brasília. From processes evaluated, some of the main negative aspects found were incomplete studies, occurrence of irregularities, time elapsed and judicial intervention. On the other hand, positive aspects were strategies to give more speed and efficiency to processes. For breaching the conditions of operating licenses, all these licenses were suspended. The improvement of environmental licensing is needed and very required by several actors. However, it needs a broad discussion that considers the institutional existing experiences and limitations, mainly under challenges and pressure in its operational, budgetary or political performance.

UPDATED DISTRIBUTION OF OCTOCORAL Carijoa riisei (DUCHASSAING & MICHELOTTI, 1860) IN BRAZIL INCLUDING ITS FIRST RECORD IN THE STATE OF SERGIPE, NORTHEASTERN BRAZIL

2024-03-26T17:57:28+00:00

This study recorded, for the first time, the presence of the azooxanthellate colonial octocoral Carijoa riisei (Carijoidae) in the state of Sergipe, Brazil. In September 2021, colonies of C. riisei were observed attached to a floating pier in the estuary of the Vaza-Barris River, in the central region of the Sergipe coastline. These colonies were photographed in situ and collected for confirmation of their morphological identification in the laboratory. Our results represent the first recorded occurrence of Carijoa riisei in the state of Sergipe and contribute to filling a gap in the species distribution along the Brazilian coast. Future studies are necessary to assess the potential impacts of C. riisei on local ecosystems and understand the role of artificial substrates in the dispersal of invasive species.

ANALYSIS OF WOMEN’S SERVICE NETWORKS IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL: CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES FOR THE EFFECTIVENESS OF SERVICES

2024-10-27T22:41:45+00:00

This article proposes a critical analysis of women's care networks in the Northeast of Brazil, focusing on support services for victims of violence and the promotion of women's health and rights. The research aims to identify the main challenges faced by care networks in the region and explore possible strategies for improving the effectiveness of these services. The analysis will be based on a combination of literature review, secondary data analysis.