Climate-driven deoxygenation elevates fishing vulnerability for the ocean's widest ranging shark.

Climate-driven expansions of ocean hypoxic zones are predicted to concentrate pelagic fish in oxygenated surface layers, but how expanding hypoxia and fisheries will interact to affect threatened pelagic sharks remains unknown. Here, analysis of satellite-tracked blue sharks and environmental modelling in the eastern tropical Atlantic oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) shows shark maximum dive depths decreased due to combined effects of decreasing dissolved oxygen (DO) at depth, high sea surface temperatures, and increased surface-layer net primary production. Multiple factors associated with climate-driven deoxygenation contributed to blue shark vertical habitat compression, potentially increasing their vulnerability to surface fisheries. Greater intensity of longline fishing effort occurred above the OMZ compared to adjacent waters. Higher shark catches were associated with strong DO gradients, suggesting potential aggregation along suitable DO gradients contributed to habitat compression and higher fishing-induced mortality. Fisheries controls to counteract deoxygenation effects on shark catches will be needed as oceans continue warming.

Estimulação elétrica neuromuscular em crianças com paralisia cerebral do tipo diplegia espástica / Neuromuscular eletric stimulation in children with spastic diplegi cerebral palsy

Nos últimos anos, vários estudos propuseram a utilização da estimulação elétrica como forma de tratamento da paralisia cerebral (PC). Objetivo: Utilizando um delineamentodo tipo antes e depois (a within-subjects design) buscou-se avaliar os efeitos da estimulação elétrica neuromuscular (EENM) nas habilidades motoras de crianças com PC do tipo diplegia espástica. Material e método: Doze pacientes (08 do sexo masculino, média de 06 anos) foram avaliados antes e depois de 12 semanas de terapia utilizando EENM. As habilidades motoras forma avaliadas através da escala de função motora grossa(GMFM), parâmetros lineares da marcha e amplitude de movimento (ADM) de flexão dorsal dos tornozelos. Resultados: A diferença entre as médias dos escores da GMFM foram estatisticamente significativos (P= 0,032) quando comparados antes (73,1 +- 17,2) e depois (76,5 +- 16,3) da intervenção com EENM. Quando os pacientes forma classificados quanto à independência para marcha, o escore da GNMF permaneceu significativo apenas nas crinaças dependentes do auxílio para marcha (P=0,045). O parâmetro de cadência da marcha diferiu antes e depois da EENM no grupo de crianças independentes para marcha (P= 0,030). Conclusões: Este estudo demonstrou que a EENM pode ser uma ferramenta complementar no manejo de crianças PC do tipo diplégica espástica. Os mecanismos pelos quais a EENM melhora a função motora não estão totalmente esclarecidos.

Introduction: For the last years, several studies have proposed the use of eletric stimulation as a valid therapy for cerebral palsy (CP). Aims: Using a within-subjects design , we set out to determine the effect of neuromeuscular eletric stimulation (NMES) on tje motor skills of children with spastic diplegic CP. Materials and methods: Twelve patients (08 male, men age 06 years), were evaluated before accomplished by using the gross motor function measure (GNMF), linear parameters of gait, and ankle dorsiflexion range of moviment. Results: The mean scores of GMFM were significantly different (P= 0,032) before (73,1 =-17,2) and after (76,5 =- 16,3) the intervention with NMES. When patients were classified for gait dependence, the GMFM scores remained significant only for children dependent of aid (p = 0,045). The cadence parameter of gait significantly differ before and after NMES in the group of CP children independent for gait (P = 0,030). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that NMES might be a complementary tool for the handling of children with spadtic diplegic CP. The mechanisms by wich NMES improves the motor function are yet not established.