Estimations In Distribution And Growing Characteristics Of Wild Hypericum Perforatum L. (Hypericaceae) Populations During The Last Decade In Armenia

The small mountainous country of Armenia has a rich flora of ca. 3600 species of vascular plants, which makes about half of entire Caucasian flora, distributed across desert and semi-desert, steppe, forest and alpine landscape. Anthropogenic threats to this biodiversity such as overpopulation, deforestation and urbanization have simultaneously hindered research and increased the need for it. Of the ca. 500 species in the Armenian flora with a record of medicinal and/or economic use, ca. 50 species are used in the folk medicine and include both wild-collected (Crataegus sp., Hypericum perforatum, Artemisia absinthium) and cultivated (Chamomilla recutita, Mentha piperita, Crocus sativus) species (1). Only limited information on the genetic biodiversity, population location, structure and size, and conservation status of most of these species is, however, at this time available. During 2007-2009, field studies were conducted to re-locate populations of wild Hypericum perforatum L. (common St. Johnswort, Hypericaceae) on the basis of historical (i.e. herbarium voucher, (2)) records, and to discover new populations. The plants habitat and phenological characteristics were estimated growing in different populations. GPS map of population distribution was created and its overall sizes were assessed. According to historical records this species had been widely distributed in the south regions of Armenia, however almost half of the populations no longer existed in the cited locations. However, 2 new populations were loacated in the south east regions. Evidence that the abundance and distributional range of H. perforatum is expanding in the north region was collected. This research provided baseline data that can be used for the development of further ex situ and in vitro strategies to conserve unique genotypes of this important medicinal and culinary species in Armenia

Environmental Niche Modelling with Desktop GARP for Wild Origanum vulgare L . (Lamiaceae) in Armenia

Predicting species’ distributions has became one of the significant components of conservation biology in recent years. During the study, GARP (genetic algorithm) has been identified the key modelling technique for determining Origanum vulgare L. (Oregano, Lamiaceae) environmental niche in the Republic of Armenia. For over three consecutive years, from 2010-2013 it has been created relevant environmental layers through ESRI ArcGIS programs to be used with the plant actual distribution (occurrence records) as input data of GARP. In the result of the study, it has been produced the fundamental and realized niche and predictive habitat distribution of O. vulgare L. with Bitmap under the global climate change. Produced Bitmap illustrates that Oregano distributions would decrease mostly in the central regions due to environmental deterioration and climate change. This research could provide significant data for future conservation planning of wild Oregano in the Republic of Armenia

BioDATA - Biodiversity Data for Internationalisation in Higher Education

BioDATA is an international project on developing skills in biodiversity data management and data publishing. Between 2018 and 2021, undergraduate and postgraduate students from Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Ukraine, have an opportunity to take part in the intensive courses to become certified professionals in biodiversity data management. They will gain practical skills and obtain appropriate knowledge on: international data standards (Darwin Core); data cleaning software, data publishing software such as the Integrated Publishing Toolkit (IPT), and preparation of data papers. Working with databases, creating datasets, managing data for statistical analyses and publishing research papers are essential for the everyday tasks of a modern biologist. At the same time, these skills are rarely taught in higher education. Most of the contemporary professionals in biodiversity have to gain these skills independently, through colleagues, or through supervision. In addition, all the participants familiarize themselves with one of the important international research data infrastructures such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is coordinated by the University of Oslo (Norway) and supported by the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU)

Changes In Distribution And Structure Of Wild Origanum Vulgare L. Populations During The Last Decade In Armenia And Implications For Conservation

Armenia has a strong interest in examining the biodiversity of native plant species and assessing their conservation status. Anthropogenic threats to this biodiversity such as overpopulation, deforestation and urbanization have simultaneously hindered research and increased the need for it. Only limited information on the genetic biodiversity, population location, structure and size, and conservation status of most of these species is, however, at this time available. During 2006-2009, field studies were conducted to re-locate populations of wild Melissa officinalis L. on the basis of historical (i.e. herbarium voucher) records, and to discover new populations. The growth, phenological and habitat characteristics of the plant, and overall populations size were assessed. GPS map of present and past population distribution were created. This research provided baseline data that can be used for the development of further ex situ and in vitro strategies to conserve unique genotypes, as well as to assess the sustainability of wild populations with regard to the IUCN Red Book Criteria, of this important medicinal and culinary species in Armenia

Missed teachable moments for promoting smoking cessation in primary care: a qualitative study in Armenia

Background Teachable moments (TM) have been advocated for endorsing health behavior change in a variety of settings. While primary healthcare settings have been the most potential venue for providing smoking cessation, physicians miss many TM to discuss smoking with their patients at every medical visit. The study aimed to reveal what influences primary healthcare physicians' (PHPs) decision to utilize TMs to facilitate smoking cessation counselling with patients. Methods The study team implemented a qualitative research through focus group discussions with PHPs using a semi-structured guide. Purposive sampling was used to recruit participants (n=23) from two Armenian cities (the capital city Yerevan and the second largest city Gyumri). We transcribed the collected data and analyzed by the directed content analysis technique. Results The study results illustrated several misconceptions that hamper PHPs to utilize TM for providing smoking cessation counselling to their patients. Majority of PHPs reported that they preferred discussing smoking only with those patients who expressed explicit concern about smoking, as they were afraid of harming physician-patient relationship. PHPs' believed that asking patients about their smoking status could be intrusive and lead to conflict situations. Some of PHPs were considering smoking as a culturally sensitive issue and preferred checking smoking status of men rather than women. Physicians also tend to miss the opportunity to discuss smoking with special patient subgroups (elderly patients, patients with other co-morbidities) because of the misbelief that smoking "already harmed" them and their health problems take precedence over smoking cessation counseling. Conclusions Physicians missed opportunities to employ TMs for smoking cessation counseling with patients. Physicians appear to prioritize smoking cessation counseling based on patients' socio-demographic characteristic (age, gender), as well as diagnosis at the time of the visit. Specific interventions should be implemented to instruct physicians' to capitalize on TM and discuss smoking cessation during routine consultations with all patients

Tuberculosis and Tobacco in Armenia: Physicians’ perspective on two global epidemics

Introduction Aim: Tuberculosis and smoking are two colliding epidemics which independently pose a significant threat to global health. There is consistent epidemiological evidence of the association between smoking and TB. This study aims to investigate Armenian TB physicians’ perceptive on the association between smoking and TB treatment. Methods The study team implemented the qualitative study through in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) with TB physicians. Study participants were from in-patient and outpatient healthcare settings from Yerevan (the capital city), Syunik and Gegharkunik marzes. Semi-structured guides were used for moderating the IDIs and FGDs. The snowball sampling technique was utilized to identify 21 TB physicians. Results The overwhelming majority of TB physicians knew about the influence of smoking on TB treatment and agreed that TB patients need to quit smoking. Improved TB treatment outcomes, accelerated recovery, and decreased risk of TB relapse were identified as the most common positive effects of smoking cessation among TB patients. Some physicians mentioned other benefits of quitting smoking which were not directly linked to TB treatment, such as improved health outcomes related to non-communicable diseases, improved metabolism, and stronger immune system. However, a few TB physicians were skeptical about smoking adversely affecting the TB treatment process and outcomes. They commented on the shortage of statistical data supporting the direct effect of smoking and the perception that smoking harms the body but does not specifically impede the process of TB treatment demonstrating their doubts regarding the adverse effects of smoking. Conclusions The acknowledgment of negative association of smoking on TB treatment process and outcomes could facilitate provision of smoking cessation interventions by TB physicians and ultimately address the dual burden of TB and tobacco in Armenia. Funding The study was supported by the Global Bridges Healthcare Alliance for Tobacco Dependence Treatment, hosted by Mayo Clinic and Pfizer Independent Grants for Learning and Change

Evaluation of smoking cessation training in Armenia

Background Healthcare providers play a central role in promoting smoking cessation. Patients getting advice from physicians are 1.6 times more likely to quit, and trained physicians are twice as likely to offer assistance to patients. This study aimed to design, implement, and evaluate the first smoking cessation training for primary healthcare physicians (PHP) in Armenia. Methods We recruited 58 PHPs for a two-day training (intervention group) and 51 PHPs in the control group from the two biggest cities. We utilized a quasi-experimental design to evaluate the training effectiveness using a self-administered questionnaire at baseline and 4-months follow-up. Practice score was calculated by awarding 1 point when the recommended practice was reported as being “Always” performed in physicians'' everyday work. We performed paired analysis to compare baseline and follow-up data using paired t-test and Wilcoxon test. Results Overall, 105 PHPs (57-intervention, 48-control) participated in both baseline and follow-up surveys. The self-reported mean practice score significantly increased in the intervention group (10.34 vs. 14.96; p< 0.001) but not in the control group (10.03 vs. 10.25; p=0.739). The improvements from baseline to follow-up in the intervention group were observed regarding most of the selected evidence-based recommendations. However, the most vivid improvements were observed pertaining to practices in assisting patients to quit. At follow-up, more intervention group PHPs were always proposing their help to patients in quitting (45.61% vs. 85.96%, p< 0.001) and prescribing pharmacological aids such as Nicotine replacement therapy (5.36% vs. 24.56%, p< 0.001), Cytisine (1.75% vs. 24.56%, p< 0.001) and Varenicline (3.51% vs. 8.77%, p< 0.001). Conclusions Training of healthcare providers can greatly improve compliance with the evidence-based smoking cessation recommendations. Similar tobacco dependence treatment trainings should be applied for all primary healthcare physicians in Armenia as well as adapted and implemented for other healthcare professional groups

Exposure to violence and suicidal ideation among schoolgoing adolescents

Objective: Despite growing international interest in the area of violence and suicidal ideation among school-going adolescents, epidemiological data are scant in Portugal. The objective of this study was to measure the prevalence of suicidal ideation among Portuguese adolescents from 7th to 12th grade and to estimate the association of violence exposure with suicidal ideation. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 2 602 adolescents enrolled in public schools in Porto, Portugal. Sampling was performed in four school groups consisting of seven schools, during the 2014/2015 academic year.Results: The results revealed that 11.4% of Portuguese school-going adolescents reported suicidal thoughts during the past 12 months. Moreover, adolescents who had been involved in physical fighting were two times more likely to have suicidal thoughts. These odds substantially increased when bullying and cyberbullying victimisation were included.Conclusion: Effective interventions with multidisciplinary efforts involving parents, schoolteachers, principals, and mental health professionals, should be integrated into school-basedprogrammes to improve adolescents’ mental health and strengthen them against suicidal ideation.Supplementary material: Supplementary data are available at https://doi org/10 2989/17280583 2020 184884

BioDATA: Biodiversity data mobilisation and data publication training in Eurasia

BioDATA (Biodiversity Data for Internationalisation in Higher Education) is an international project to develop and deliver biodiversity data training for undergraduate and postgraduate students from Armenia, Belarus, Tajikistan, and Ukraine. By training early career (student) biodiversity scholars, we aim at turning the current academic and education biodiversity landscape into a more open-data-friendly one. Professional practitioners (researchers, museum curators, and collection managers involved in data publishing) from each country were also invited to join the project as assistant teachers (mentors). The project is developed by the Research School in Biosystematics - ForBio and the Norwegian GBIF-node, both at the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and partners from each of the target countries. The teaching material is based on the GBIF curriculum for data mobilization and all students will have the opportunity to gain the respective GBIF certification. All materials are made freely available for reuse and even in this very early phase of the project, we have already seen the first successful reuse of teaching materials among the project partners. The first BioDATA training event was organized in Minsk (Belarus) in February 2019 with the objective to train a minimum of four mentors from each target country. The mentor-trainees from this event will help us to teach the course to students in their home country together with teachers from the project team. BioDATA mentors will have the opportunity to gain GBIF certification as expert mentors which will open opportunities to contribute to future training events in the larger GBIF network. The BioDATA training events for the students will take place in Dushanbe (Tajikistan) in June 2019, in Minsk (Belarus) in November 2019, in Yerevan (Armenia) in April 2020, and in Kiev (Ukraine) in October 2020. Students from each country are invited to express their interest to participate by contacting their national project partner. We will close the project with a final symposium at the University of Oslo in March 2021. The project is funded by the Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education (DIKU)