Population‐based analysis of health care contacts among suicide decedents: identifying opportunities for more targeted suicide prevention strategies

The objective of this study was to detail the nature and correlates of mental health and non‐mental health care contacts prior to suicide death. We conducted a systematic extraction of data from records at the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario of each person who died by suicide in the city of Toronto from 1998 to 2011. Data on 2,835 suicide deaths were linked with provincial health administrative data to identify health care contacts during the 12 months prior to suicide. Sub‐populations of suicide decedents based on the presence and type of mental health care contact were described and compared across socio‐demographic, clinical and suicide‐specific variables. Time periods from last mental health contact to date of death were calculated and a Cox proportional hazards model examined covariates. Among suicide decedents, 91.7% had some type of past‐year health care contact prior to death, 66.4% had a mental health care contact, and 25.3% had only non‐mental health contacts. The most common type of mental health contact was an outpatient primary care visit (54.0%), followed by an outpatient psychiatric visit (39.8%), an emergency department visit (31.1%), and a psychiatric hospitalization (21.0%). The median time from last mental health contact to death was 18 days (interquartile range 5‐63). Mental health contact was significantly associated with female gender, age 25‐64, absence of a psychosocial stressor, diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, past suicide attempt, self‐poisoning method and absence of a suicide note. Significant differences between sub‐populations of suicide decedents based on the presence and nature of their health care contacts suggest the need for targeting of community and clinical‐based suicide prevention strategies. The predominance of ambulatory mental health care contacts, often close to the time of death, reinforce the importance of concentrating efforts on embedding risk assessment and care pathways into all routine primary and specialty clinical care, and not only acute care settings.     

Mating games squid play: reproductive behaviour and sexual skin displays in Caribbean reef squid Sepioteuthis sepioidea

Observation of the sexual interactions of Sepioteuthis sepioidea squid during the short reproductive stage of their lives showed a scramble competition system, with both male and female polygyny. Mature females were faithful to a specific location in the daytime, whereas males moved from group to group and formed short-term consortships with females. Males defended females from other males, particularly with an agonistic Zebra display. Male–female pairs exchanged Saddle-Stripe displays, after which males might display an on–off Flicker. There was considerable female choice. Only if a female responded to this display with a parallel Rocking action would she pair and would the male deposit spermatophores at the base of her arms, and only 50% of the time did females move the spermatophores internally to where sperm might be released and stored in the oviducal gland for later fertilization of eggs. This long-term set of interactions and solitary deposition of hidden egg strings contrasts with the attraction of both sexes to a common ‘egg mop’ laid by many females which was a site of competition in other loliginid squid. Since Sepioteuthis is a primitive genus within the family Loliginidae, it may represent a generalist reproductive strategy that evolved into a specialized localization one.     

Response of soil microbial biomass and activity in early restored lands in the northeastern Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Intensive land use of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest accelerated with the rise of sugar cane plantations in the northeastern part of Brazil. Consequently, many ecosystems were destroyed, including riparian forests. The number of studies of riparian restoration has increased but comparative studies on the belowground effects of common reforestation strategies are rare. Here, we compared soil microbial properties among four different land use types: native rainforest, sugar cane plantation, single species reforestation, and mixed species reforestation, each replicated at two spatially independent sites. Soil samples were taken in 2013 and 2014, that is 2 and 3 years after reforestation, respectively. In both years, land use types had a significant effect on basal respiration, microbial biomass, and specific respiration (whereas specific respiration was marginally affected in 2014). In 2013, basal respiration in sugar cane plantations was significantly lower (?65%) when compared to native forests. In 2014, basal respiration (+60%) and soil microbial biomass (+90%) were significantly higher in mixed species reforestation compared to sugar cane, whereas single species reforestation had comparable values as in sugar cane plantations. Our results indicate that soil microbial biomass and activity respond rapidly to land use change when mixed species reforestation is used. Thus, using mixed species reforestation may enhance the provisioning of ecosystem services already in the short term.     

城市绿化对空气质量的影响研究——以中国27个省会城市为例

城市间绿化程度与空气污染比较及相关差异分析是提出城市环境管理措施的重要前提。选择全国27个主要省会城市,基于网络街景照片测定绿色指数差异,对比空气主要质量指标[空气质量指数(AQI)、细颗粒物(PM_2.5)、可吸入颗粒物(PM₁₀)、二氧化硫(SO_2)、二氧化氮(NO_2)、臭氧(O_3)、一氧化碳(CO)]的基础上,探讨了二者相关关系,旨在为提升环境质量、改善绿化水平提供基础数据。结果表明:(1)济南市和重庆市的绿色指数最高,分别达到是11.70%和11.55%,呼和浩特市和拉萨市城市绿色指数最低,在4%～5%。(2)海口市的空气质量最好,AQI为39.66,郑州市和济南市的空气质量最差,AQI年均值分别为117.34和113.93。但是不同空气指标城市排序间差异较大,比如PM_2.5、PM₁₀、NO_2以及SO_2年平均最低的城市都是海口,拉萨市年平均CO含量最低(0.55 mg·m^-3),哈尔滨市年平均O_3含量最低(77.08μg·m^-3)。(3)相关关系分析发现,增加城市的绿色程度,伴随着空气质量的改善,如沈阳、南宁、合肥等城市;但对于某些城市,则存在明显的正相关,如兰州、昆明、贵阳等城市,这意味着城市越绿伴随着空气污染的加重。尽管大量研究已经表明,城市绿色植被能够起到滞尘降低污染的作用,目前我国主要城市的空气污染程度,仅依靠城市绿化改善已经远远不够,甚至某一些城市绿色植被存在阻碍空气流通的作用。上述研究结果为科学规划城市绿化、提升空气质量提供基础数据支撑。     

Landscape structural analysis of the Lençóis Maranhenses national park: implications for conservation

Our work evaluated the anthropic effects on the landscape structure of the Lençóis Maranhenses National Park (LMNP) and its Buffer Zone, and proposed strategies for the region’s conservation. LMNP is an important protected area in Brazilian north coast which protects a unique wetland ecosystem composed of sand dunes fields and a coastal vegetation called restinga. Supervised mapping of LMNP and a surrounding buffer of 3 km was carried out through high resolution and fine scale (1:5000) satellite images. The mapped area was subdivided in 1000 ha hexagonal Analysis Units (AU) and the following landscape metrics were calculated for each one of them: cover area (CA) of each soil cover class - dune fields (CA-DUNES), water bodies (CA-WATER), dense restinga (CADENSE), scattered restinga (CA-SCATTER), grassland (CA-SANDY), mangroves (CA-MANG), anthropogenic activity (CA-ANTRO) and, secondary vegetation (CA-SECOND); Landscape Shannon Diversity Index (SHDI), and; percentage of native vegetation cover (NV−COV). Pearson correlations were performed between the CA of each class and SHDI to identify the classes most correlated to CA-ANTRO. Our results showed that anthropic classes (crops, trails, and villages) had a stronger correlation (Pearson Correlation, r ≈ 0.65) with phytophysiognomies of dense restinga, secondary vegetation and SHDI, thus indicating that the land use conversion occurs in dense restinga areas and promotes vegetation secondarization, as well as increasing fragmentation. At least, 42% of the dense restinga habitats was destroyed due to human activities. Five conservation and restoration strategies were proposed in a local scale depending on the percentage of native vegetation cover on each AU, from the most to less conserved: (a) only conservation; (b) conservation with management; (c) management; (d) management and restoration; and, (e) restoration. The implementation of Agroforestry Systems with agro-successional restoration goals was recommended as an alternative for land use.     

Accelerated bio‐cognitive aging in Down syndrome: State of the art and possible deceleration strategies

Down syndrome (DS) has been proposed by George Martin as a segmental progeroid syndrome since 1978. In fact, DS persons suffer from several age‐associated disorders much earlier than euploid persons. Furthermore, a series of recent studies have found that DS persons display elevated levels of age biomarkers, thus supporting the notion that DS is a progeroid trait. Nowadays, due to the progressive advancements in social inclusion processes and medical assistance, DS persons live much longer than in the past; therefore, the early‐onset health problems of these persons are becoming an urgent and largely unmet social and medical burden. In particular, the most important ailment of DS persons is the accelerated cognitive decline that starts when they reach about 40 years of age. This decline can be at least in part counteracted by multi‐systemic approaches including early‐onset cognitive training, physical activity, and psychosocial assistance. However, no pharmacological treatment is approved to counteract this decline. According to the most advanced conceptualization of Geroscience, tackling the molecular mechanisms underpinning the aging process should be a smart/feasible strategy to combat and/or delay the great majority of age‐related diseases, including cognitive decline. We think that a debate is needed urgently on if (and how) this strategy could be integrated in protocols to face DS‐associated dementia and overall unhealthy aging. In particular we propose that, on the basis of data obtained in different clinical settings, metformin is a promising candidate that could be exploited to counteract cognitive decline in DS.     

Eight decades of invasion by Chromolaena odorata (Asteraceae) and its biological control in West Africa: the story so far

ABSTRACT

Chromolaena odorata (L.) R.M. King and H. Robinson (Asteraceae) is a perennial weedy shrub of neotropical origin and a serious biotic threat in its invasive range. The Asian-West Africa (AWA) biotype of C. odorata present in West Africa is both morphologically and genetically different from the southern African (SA) biotype. The AWA biotype was first introduced into Nigeria in the late 1930s and rapidly spread across West Africa. Currently, 12 of the 16 countries in West Africa have been invaded, with significant negative effects on indigenous flora and fauna. However, locals in West Africa have found several uses for the weed. As chemical, physical and other conventional methods were unsustainable, costly and largely ineffective, three biological control agents, Apion brunneonigrum (Coleoptera: Brentidae), Pareuchaetes pseudoinsulata (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) and Cecidochares connexa (Diptera: Tephritidae), have been released in West Africa between the 1970s and the early 2000s. However, only C. connexa and P. pseudoinsulata established, contributing to the control of the weed, in six and four countries in West Africa respectively. Limited research funding, the absence of post-release evaluations of the established agents, and the ‘conflict of interest’ status of C. odorata (i.e. being beneficial for local use but damaging to ecosystem services and agriculture), are serious factors deterring the overall biological control effort. Here, using historical records and field surveys, we examine the invasion history, spread, impacts, and management of C. odorata in West Africa and make recommendations for the sustainable management of C. odorata in the region.