The association between bereavement and biomarkers of inflammation.

Bereavement is a major life event that has been associated with a range of negative health outcomes. To assess whether levels of inflammation markers and cortisol vary significantly by bereavement status and/or number of recent bereavements. The study was based on a secondary analysis of data from the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) II biomarkers project. After excluding participants suffering from conditions which directly affect immune functions, 529 participants were included (age 34-84 years), of whom 260 experienced the death of a person close to them 5-63 months prior to assessment. Levels of interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-I), Soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin) and cortisol were examined controlling for demographic and health characteristics. Bereaved respondents had higher levels of inflammatory biomarkers IL-6 and sE-selectin, but not CRP and sICAM-I than the non-bereaved. Number of recent bereavements significantly predicted levels of IL-6 in the unadjusted and adjusted regression models. Body Mass Index (BMI) and number of chronic conditions partially mediated the association between number of bereavements and IL-6 levels. Number of recent bereavements is associated with higher levels of inflammation, particularly among individuals with higher BMI and/or chronic health problems.

Suicidal ideation in a population-based sample of adolescents: implications for family medicine practice.

Introduction. This study investigated the relationship between suicidal ideation and demographic characteristics, health conditions, depression, and health care utilization patterns among adolescents. Methods. Secondary analysis of the regionally representative Canadian Community Health Survey conducted in 2000/2001 (response rate 85%). Adolescents aged 15 to 19 who reported suicidal ideation in the previous year (n = 260) were compared with their peers who did not (n = 5528). The association between suicidal ideation and socio-demographic and health characteristics were investigated. Findings. Almost three-quarters (73%) of suicidal adolescents had not spoken with any health professional about mental health issues in the preceding year. Despite the fact that 80% of suicidal adolescents had regular contact with their family doctor, only 5% had consulted with them about mental health issues. In addition to the well-known risk factors of depression and stress, suicidal ideation was highly elevated in adolescents with two or more chronic health conditions, self-reported poor health, migraines, and back pain and those whose activities were prevented by pain (P < .05). Other characteristics significantly correlated with suicidal ideation included smoking, living in single parent families, and having lower levels of social support. Conclusions. Family physicians should regularly screen for suicidal thoughts in their adolescent patients with these characteristics.

Anthropogenic enhancement of Egypt's Mediterranean fishery.

The highly productive coastal Mediterranean fishery off the Nile River delta collapsed after the completion of the Aswan High Dam in 1965. But the fishery has been recovering dramatically since the mid-1980s, coincident with large increases in fertilizer application and sewage discharge in Egypt. We use stable isotopes of nitrogen (delta(15)N) to demonstrate that 60%-100% of the current fishery production may be from primary production stimulated by nutrients from fertilizer and sewage runoff. Although the establishment of the dam put Egypt in an ideal position to observe the impact of rapid increases in nutrient loading on coastal productivity in an extremely oligotrophic sea, the Egyptian situation is not unique. Such anthropogenically enhanced fisheries also may occur along the northern rim of the Mediterranean and offshore of some rapidly developing tropical countries, where nutrient concentrations in the coastal waters were previously very low.

North Atlantic phylogeography and large-scale population differentiation of the seagrass Zostera marina L.

As the most widespread seagrass in temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere, Zostera marina provides a unique opportunity to investigate the extent to which the historical legacy of the last glacial maximum (LGM18 000-10 000 years bp) is detectable in modern population genetic structure. We used sequences from the nuclear rDNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and chloroplast matK-intron, and nine microsatellite loci to survey 49 populations (> 2000 individuals) from throughout the species' range. Minimal sequence variation between Pacific and Atlantic populations combined with biogeographical groupings derived from the microsatellite data, suggest that the trans-Arctic connection is currently open. The east Pacific and west Atlantic are more connected than either is to the east Atlantic. Allelic richness was almost two-fold higher in the Pacific. Populations from putative Atlantic refugia now represent the southern edges of the distribution and are not genetically diverse. Unexpectedly, the highest allelic diversity was observed in the North Sea-Wadden Sea-southwest Baltic region. Except for the Mediterranean and Black Seas, significant isolation-by-distance was found from ~150 to 5000 km. A transition from weak to strong isolation-by-distance occurred at ~150 km among northern European populations suggesting this scale as the natural limit for dispersal within the metapopulation. Links between historical and contemporary processes are discussed in terms of the projected effects of climate change on coastal marine plants. The identification of a high genetic diversity hotspot in Northern Europe provides a basis for restoration decisions.