HEMATOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF Micropogonias furnieri, DESMAREST, 1823, SCIANIDAE, FROM TWO ESTUARIES OF BAIXADA SANTISTA, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL

Hematological alterations in fish are considered a useful tool to evaluate pathological processes resulting from the exposure to environmental pollutants. The whitemouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri is a common species in estuarine areas and potentially exposed to many contaminants. In the present study, the hematological characteristics of fish collected at two sites in Baixada Santista (Santos Estuarine System - SES, a polluted site; and the Estuary of Itanhaem River - EIR, unpolluted site) del was analysed. The following blood descriptors were analyzed: number of Erythrocytes (Er), Hematocrit (Ht), Hemoglobin (Hb), Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Fish from SES exhibited significant lower levels of Ht and increase on MCHC and Hb. Such differences are likely related to the different contamination levels found in these estuaries.

Long-term effects of oil pollution in mangrove forests (Baixada Santista, Southeast Brazil) detected using a GIS-based multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs

Oil spills are potential threats to the integrity of highly productive coastal wetlands, such as mangrove forests. In October 1983, a mangrove area of nearly 300 ha located on the southeastern coast of Brazil was impacted by a 3.5 million liter crude oil spill released by a broken pipeline. In order to assess the long-term effects of oil pollution on mangrove vegetation, we carried out a GIS-based multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs of the years 1962, 1994, 2000 and 2003. Photointerpretation, visual classification, class quantification, ground-truth and vegetation structure data were combined to evaluate the oil impact. Before the spill, the mangroves exhibited a homogeneous canopy and well-developed stands. More than ten years after the spill, the mangrove vegetation exhibited three distinct zones reflecting the long-term effects of the oil pollution. The most impacted zone (10.5 ha) presented dead trees, exposed substrate and recovering stands with reduced structural development. We suggest that the distinct impact and recovery zones reflect the spatial variability of oil removal rates in the mangrove forest. This study identifies the multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs as a useful tool for assessing a system's capacity for recovery and monitoring the long-term residual effects of pollutants on vegetation dynamics, thus giving support to mangrove forest management and conservation.

Metropolitan and regional health planning: dilemmas of the Pact for Health in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area, Sao Paulo State, Brazil

This paper focuses on the relationship between metropolitan and regional health planning based on the processes of regionalization and the Pact for Health in the Baixada Santista Metropolitan Area, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The method used was a case study in two stages, namely during initial implementation of the Pact for Health (2007) and the Regional Administration Committees (CGR) and in 2010. Municipal and regional health systems managers and the director of the Metropolitan Agency were interviewed, and records were analyzed from ten years of meetings of the Regional Inter-Administration Committee and the Regional Development Council. Four issues emerged: financing and infrastructure; health services utilization; inefficiency of the Regional Health Administration's instruments and decision-making levels; and the relationship between different levels in the Administration. Metropolitan health management remained as an underlying issue, appearing only incidentally or tangentially to regional management. Despite some limitations, the CGR has been legitimized as a space for regional health management.

Metrópole e região: dilemas da pactuação da saúde. O caso da Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista, São Paulo, Brasil

O trabalho aborda aspectos da relação entre metropolização e regionalização em saúde, tendo por base os processos de regionalização e pactuação na Região Metropolitana da Baixada Santista, São Paulo, Brasil. Trata-se de estudo de caso, realizado em dois momentos: o primeiro, no início da implementação do Pacto pela Saúde (2007) e dos Colegiados de Gestão Regional (CGR), e o segundo, em 2010. Foram entrevistados gestores municipais e regionais do SUS e a direção da Agência Metropolitana. Também foram analisadas atas de dez anos de reuniões da Comissão Intergestora Regional e do Conselho de Desenvolvimento da Baixada Santista. Emergiram quatro grandes temas: financiamento e infraestrutura; utilização de serviços; ineficiência das instâncias e instrumentos de gestão; relação entre os níveis de gestão. Permaneceu latente a questão da metropolização, que aparece de forma incipiente ou tangencial à gestão regional. Avalia-se que apesar de algumas limitações, o CGR vem se legitimando como espaço de gestão regional.

Long-term effects of oil pollution in mangrove forests (Baixada Santista, Southeast Brazil) detected using a GIS-based multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs

Oil spills are potential threats to the integrity of highly productive coastal wetlands, such as mangrove forests. In October 1983, a mangrove area of nearly 300 ha located on the southeastern coast of Brazil was impacted by a 3.5 million liter crude oil spill released by a broken pipeline. In order to assess the long-term effects of oil pollution on mangrove vegetation, we carried out a GIS-based multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs of the years 1962, 1994, 2000 and 2003. Photointerpretation, visual classification, class quantification, ground-truth and vegetation structure data were combined to evaluate the oil impact. Before the spill, the mangroves exhibited a homogeneous canopy and well-developed stands. More than ten years after the spill, the mangrove vegetation exhibited three distinct zones reflecting the long-term effects of the oil pollution. The most impacted zone (10.5 ha) presented dead trees, exposed substrate and recovering stands with reduced structural development. We suggest that the distinct impact and recovery zones reflect the spatial variability of oil removal rates in the mangrove forest. This study identifies the multitemporal analysis of aerial photographs as a useful tool for assessing a system's capacity for recovery and monitoring the long-term residual effects of pollutants on vegetation dynamics, thus giving support to mangrove forest management and conservation.

Estratégias para implementar o acesso aberto na Universidade de São Paulo

Objetivo: Compartilhar a experiência da construção da política e do repositório institucional da USP, a partir da descrição das distintas e complexas estratégias desenvolvidas para a mudança de paradigma e inserção da universidade no cenário atual do acesso aberto.

Varredura de hidrocarbonetos em grânulos plástico da praia de Embaré, Baixada Santista, São Paulo, Brasil

Os oceanos e as praias têm recebido todo o tipo de fragmentos, que podem ter impactos econômicos, estéticos e ecológicos (USEPA, 1992). Dentre esses fragmentos, estão os pellets ou grânulos plásticos, que são utilizados na indústria para manufatura de diversos produtos (Ogata et al, 2009). Esses grânulos entram no ambiente de forma acidental ou intencional durante o transporte ou produção de plástico (ITF, 1988) e representam um importante constituinte da poluição marinha por resíduos sólidos, estando presentes em todos os oceanos e praias do mundo, com relatos desde a década de 70 (Turra, 2008). Efeitos adversos que podem ocorrer em organismos que ingerem esses grânulos incluem bloqueio do trato intestinal, redução de consumo alimentar e aumento à exposição dos produtos químicos (Endo et al., 2005). Segundo Karapanagioti e Klontza (2008), os grânulos de baixa densidade flutuam na superfície do oceano e chegam nas praias. Sendo orgânicos, os grânulos adsorvem contaminantes hidrofóbicos, como hidrocarbonetos, presentes ao longo percurso até chegar na praia (Mato et al., 2001). Esses compostos estão entre contaminantes que podem afetar o ambiente marinho e podem ser provenientes de vazamentos de óleo e queima incompleta de combustíveis fósseis (NRC, 1985). O objetivo deste trabalho é apresentar resultados desses compostos em grânulos de plástico coletados na superfície do sedimento da Praia do Embaré, Baixada Santista, SP, região muito afetada pela introdução de hidrocarbonetos.