A scoping review on the links between sustainable development goal 14 and early childhood caries.

BACKGROUND: The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 addresses life below the waters, an important source of protein and contributor to global food security and economic development. Our aim was to explore possible evidence on the links between life below water and early childhood caries (ECC). METHODS: This scoping review identified articles on the link between life below water and caries according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Three electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus) were systematically searched in January 2023, using specific search terms. Studies written in English, with full text available, addressing life under water, focusing on dental caries in humans, with results that can be extrapolated to control ECC in children less than 6 years of age were included in the review. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the retrieved papers and graphical presentation was used for visualization. RESULTS: There were 224 publications retrieved of which 13 studies, published between 1960 and 2022, were included in the analysis. The papers originated from Asia (7/13), North America (3/13), Europe (1/13), and 2/13 had multi-country authorship. Also, four laboratory studies extracted agents from marine products to determine their efficacy in preventing caries formation and preventing/slowing plaque formation; four letters discussed the caries prevention potential of sea salt as a source of fluoride; and two review articles about the positive effects of extracted marine products for caries prevention. Most (11/13) studies addressed target 14.1 concerned with enriching the marine environment with nutrients and minerals; two addressed target 14.4 focused on ensuring fish stocks are within biologically sustainable levels; two addressed target 14.7 aimed at increasing the economic benefits through sustainable use of marine resources such as fisheries; and one focused on target 14.5 aimed at conserving marine areas by increasing protected areas. In addition, one ecological study assessed the association between the ecosystem and ECC. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, there is little known about the impact of protection of marine and coastal ecosystem from pollution and ocean acidification on the risk of ECC. Further evidence on possible associations between life below water and ECC management is needed.

Experiences with the quality of telemedical care in an offshore setting - a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: The evaluation and the improvement of the quality of telemedical care become increasingly important in times where this type of care is offered to a broad number of patients more and more. As telemedical care in an offshore setting has already been in use for decades, analyzing the extensive experience of offshore paramedics using telemedical care can help identify determinants of quality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore determinants of the quality of telemedical care using the experiences of experienced offshore paramedics. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative analysis of 22 semi-structured interviews with experienced offshore paramedics. The results were categorized in a hierarchical category system using content analysis as described by Mayring. RESULTS: All 22 participants were males, having a mean of 3.9 years of experience working with telemedicine support offshore. Generally, participants stated that for them telemedical interaction did not differ much from personal interaction. However, the offshore paramedics personality and way to communicate were mentioned to impact the quality of telemedical care as it influenced the way cases were presented. Furthermore, interviewees described it to be impossible to use telemedicine in cases of an emergency as it was too time-consuming, technically too complex, and lead to cognitive overload as other tasks with higher priority needed their attention. Three determinants of a successful consultation were mentioned: low levels of complexity in the reason for consultation, telemedical guidance training for the teleconsultant physician and for the delegatee. CONCLUSION: Appropriate indications for telemedical consultation, communication training of consultation partners, and the impact of personality need to be addressed to enhance the quality of future telemedical care.

The Lived Experience of Victims of Catastrophic Coastal Erosion: A cycle of impact, consequence and recovery.

OBJECTIVES: Environmental hazards are part of the Earth's natural cycle and are ongoing within human history. When vulnerable situations meet environmental hazards, disasters occur where human and natural costs could be enormous. This study aimed to explore the experiences of the victims of coastal erosion during the monsoon season. METHODS: Seven victims of catastrophic coastal erosion in the Kollam District of Kerala, India, were interviewed from December 2013 to February 2014. The study followed Edmond Husserl's descriptive phenomenological method. RESULT: These interviews constituted the primary data source. Three main themes with eleven subthemes emerged from these data. The main themes were impact, consequences and recovery. The subthemes were living in constant fear, escaping from the catastrophe; cataclysmic sea waves and their tumultuous behaviour, instant damage and destruction, the epoch of losses; agony and suffering; homelessness-helplessness-sleeplessness mixed with fear; government aid only in dreams; haunting memories; never-ending daily needs; first home and native land; and the desire to go back to the site of the disaster. CONCLUSION: From the derived themes, a phenomenon associated with coastal erosion evolved. The phenomenon is termed "Catastrophic coastal erosion: A cycle of impact, consequences, and recovery."

The Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) Partnership: Addressing Data Gaps in Harmful Algal Bloom Monitoring and Shellfish Safety in Southeast Alaska.

Many communities in Southeast Alaska harvest shellfish such as mussels and clams as an important part of a subsistence or traditional diet. Harmful algal blooms (HABs) of phytoplankton such as Alexandrium spp. produce toxins that can accumulate in shellfish tissues to concentrations that can pose a hazard for human health. Since 2013, several tribal governments and communities have pooled resources to form the Southeast Alaska Tribal Ocean Research (SEATOR) network, with the goal of minimizing risks to seafood harvest and enhancing food security. SEATOR monitors toxin concentrations in shellfish and collects and consolidates data on environmental variables that may be important predictors of toxin levels such as sea surface temperature and salinity. Data from SEATOR are publicly available and are encouraged to be used for the development and testing of predictive algorithms that could improve seafood risk assessment in Southeast Alaska. To date, more than 1700 shellfish samples have been analyzed for paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in more than 20 locations, with potentially lethal concentrations observed in blue mussels (Mytilus trossulus) and butter clams (Saxidomus gigantea). Concentrations of PSTs exhibit seasonality in some species, and observations of Alexandrium are correlated to sea surface temperature and salinity; however, concentrations above the threshold of concern have been found in all months, and substantial variation in concentrations of PSTs remain unexplained.

Drivers of Regional Bacterial Community Structure and Diversity in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean.

The fundamental role of bacteria in global biogeochemical cycles warrants a thorough understanding of the factors controlling bacterial community structure. In this study, the integrated effect of seasonal differences and spatial distribution on bacterial community structure and diversity were investigated at the regional scale. We conducted a comprehensive bacterial survey, with 451 samples of the Scotian Shelf sector of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean during spring and fall of 2014 and 2016, to analyze the effects of physicochemical gradients on bacterial community structure. Throughout the region, Pelagibacteraceae and Rhodobacteraceae were the most common in the free-living fraction, while Flavobacteriia and Deltaproteobacteria were more abundant in the particle-associated fraction. Overall, there was strong covariation of the microbial community diversity from the two size fractions. This relationship existed despite the statistically significant difference in community structure between the free-living and particle-associated size fractions. In both size fractions, distribution patterns of bacterial taxa, and species within taxa, displayed temporal and spatial preferences. Distinct bacterial assemblages specific to season and depth in the water column were identified. These distinct assemblages, consistent for both 2014 and 2016, suggested replicable patterns in microbial communities for spring and fall in this region. Over all sites, temperature and oxygen values were highly correlated with community similarity, and salinity and oxygen values were the most strongly positively- and negatively correlated with alpha diversity, respectively. However, the strengths of these correlations depended on the depth and season sampled. The bathymetry of the Scotian Shelf, the abrupt shelf break to the Scotian Slope and the major ocean currents dominating in the region led to the formation of distinct on-shelf and off-shelf bacterial communities both in spring and fall. The highest species richness was observed at the shelf break, where water masses from the two major currents meet. Our study establishes the baseline for assessing future changes in the bacterial community of the Scotian Shelf waters, a rapidly changing sector of the Atlantic Ocean.

Chest injuries related to surfing.

BACKGROUND: Surfing is a popular sport in coastal areas, which can be associated with chest injuries. METHODS: Between 2008 and 2013, 6 patients were referred to our hospital with chest injuries sustained during surfing. Clinical data were collected from their medical records and analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Patient age ranged from 35 to 52 years. Five of the 6 patients were male. Four patients were injured in August, and the other two were injured in September and October. Rib fractures were observed in 3 of the 6 patients. The other 3 patients were diagnosed with chest contusions only. Hemothorax occurred in one patient. No lacerations were observed in any of the 6 patients. CONCLUSION: Chest injuries associated with surfing are usually blunt chest injuries; however, they may occasionally be life-threatening.

Evaluation of a community-based drowning prevention programme in northern Islamic Republic of Iran

This study evaluated the feasibility of a drowning intervention package in northern Islamic Republic of Iran. A quasi-experimental design used pre- and post-observations among residents and tourists in water-recreation beach areas of intervention and control regions by the Caspian Sea and in residents near the Caspian Sea coastline. The fatal drowning rate in the studied resident population in the provinces fell from 4.24 per 100 000 residents at baseline to 3.04 per 100 000 residents at endline. The risk of death from drowning in the intervention areas in the water-recreation area was greater during the pre-intervention [OR = 1.15, 95% CI: 0.66-2.01] than the implementation period [OR = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.15-0.37]. The risk of drowning can be reduced by implementing increased supervision and raising community awareness

Clinical Characteristics of Patients who Suffered an Injury Associated with A Maritime Accidents

PURPOSE: This study was designed to determine the characteristics of patients who suffered from an injury associated with a maritime accident. METHODS: Using reviews of medical records, we retrospectively investigated the characteristics of maritime accident related injured patients that visited the emergency center of Inha University hospital. Variables analyzed were age, sex, sailor or passenger, type of accident, time required to arrive at the hospital, type of injury, site of injury, submersion or not, level of submersion, severity of injury, disposition of injury, type of ship, gross tonnage of ship, and distance from shore. RESULTS: Between January 1999 and December 2009, a total of 85 patients who were injured because of a maritime accident visited the emergency center of InHa Univ. hospital. The mean age of patients was 45.7+/-15.1 years old. Fifty four were male and 31 were female. The most common types of injury were submersion (40.0%) and contusion (38.8%). Submersed patients as a group had a higher injury severity and higher mortality than those not submersed. The most frequent sites of injury were the extremities (62.9%) and the head and neck (35.5%). The mean injury severity scale were 4.63+/-13.05 units?. Almost all patients (85.9%) had a mild degree of injury. The mortality rate was 10.6%; the most common cause of death was drowning. CONCLUSION: Submerged patients have a higher injury severity and mortality than non-submerged patients. Capsizing and sinking is associated with a higher severity of injury and mortality according to the type of accident, because submersion confers high risk for injury and mortality. Prevention of submersion is important for reducing injury severity and mortality in patients who have maritime accidents.