The role of anthropogenic habitats in freshwater mussel conservation

Anthropogenic freshwater habitats may provide undervalued prospects for long-term conservation as part of species conservation planning. This fundamental, but overlooked, issue requires attention considering the pace that humans have been altering natural freshwater ecosystems and the accelerated levels of biodiversity decline in recent decades. We compiled 709 records of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) inhabiting a broad variety of anthropogenic habitat types (from small ponds to large reservoirs and canals) and reviewed their importance as refuges for this faunal group. Most records came from Europe and North America, with a clear dominance of canals and reservoirs. The dataset covered 228 species, including 34 threatened species on the IUCN Red List. We discuss the conservation importance and provide guidance on how these anthropogenic habitats could be managed to provide optimal conservation value to freshwater mussels. This review also shows that some of these habitats may function as ecological traps owing to conflicting management practices or because they act as a sink for some populations. Therefore, anthropogenic habitats should not be seen as a panacea to resolve conservation problems. More information is necessary to better understand the trade-offs between human use and the conservation of freshwater mussels (and other biota) within anthropogenic habitats, given the low number of quantitative studies and the strong biogeographic knowledge bias that persists.This publication is based upon work from COST Action CA18239, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). A.M.L. was financed by the Institute of Environmental Sciences Jagiellonian University (N18/DBS/000003) and K.N. by the Aragón Government. The authors acknowledge Jarosław Andrzejewski, Bartosz Czader, Anna Fica, Marcin Horbacz, Tomasz Jonderko, Steinar Kålås, Tomasz Kapela, Bjørn Mejdell Larsen, Maciej Pabijan, Katarzyna Pawlik, Ilona Popławska, Joanna Przybylska, Tomasz Przybył, Mateusz Rybak, Kjell Sandaas, Jarosław Słowikowski, Tomasz Szczasny, Michał Zawadzki and Paweł Zowada for providing detailed information on specific examples concerning freshwater mussels in anthropogenic habitats. We thank the editor and two anonymous referees for the valuable suggestions made, which increased the clarity of our manuscript.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Depression in Cancer: the many biobehavioural pathways driving tumor progression

Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is common among cancer patients, with prevalence rates up to four-times higher than the general population. Depression confers worse outcomes, including non-adherence to treatment and increased mortality in the oncology setting. Advances in the understanding of neurobiological underpinnings of depression have revealed shared biobehavioral mechanisms may contribute to cancer progression. Moreover, psychosocial stressors in cancer promote: (1) inflammation and oxidative/nitrosative stress; (2) a decreased immunosurveillance; and (3) a dysfunctional activation of the autonomic nervous system and of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Consequently, the prompt recognition of depression among patients with cancer who may benefit of treatment strategies targeting depressive symptoms, cognitive dysfunction, fatigue and sleep disturbances, is a public health priority. Moreover, behavioral strategies aiming at reducing psychological distress and depressive symptoms, including addressing unhealthy diet and life-style choices, as well as physical inactivity and sleep dysfunction, may represent important strategies not only to treat depression, but also to improve wider cancer-related outcomes. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review of the intertwined biobehavioural pathways linking depression to cancer progression. In addition, the clinical implications of these findings are critically reviewed

A higher risk of congenital anomalies in the offspring of personnel who served aboard a Norwegian missile torpedo boat

Background. Our society is increasingly using equipment that produces and emits non-ionizing electromagnetic fields (EMF), and little is known regarding exposure to such fields and the possible impact on male reproductive health. The main objective of this thesis is to gain more knowledge regarding the possible influence of nonionizing EMFs on male reproduction. Material and methods. The Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) had specific concerns regarding non-ionizing EMFs and reproductive health, as there were worries related to work on-board a specific vessel, namely the “Kongelig Norsk Marine (KNM) Kvikk”. Papers I and II were the result of cross-sectional studies conducted among all employees in the RNoN in 2002 by means of questionnaires. Paper I used self-reported exposures, and the questionnaire included variables regarding work history, physical health characteristics, education, diseases and reproductive health. In paper II the same questionnaire was used, and an expert panel categorized 18 work categories among the military men in the RNoN in terms of exposure or non-exposure to non-ionizing EMFs. Paper III was a dosimeter study on electric (E) fields on-board two vessels in the RNoN, a missile-torpedo boat (MTB) and a submarine. Personnel on-board wore the instrument in their breast pocket during their shifts and answered questions regarding location on-board and work tasks performed. In addition, the vessel’s activity and use of non-ionizing EMF-emitting equipment was noted. Paper IV was a prospective randomized balanced cross-over study of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and influence on hormones relevant for male reproduction. Twenty-four male medical students who met a number of inclusion criteria were investigated by means of serum-blood samples immediately before and after a real and sham MRI investigation. Results. Response rate in the cross-sectional studies (Paper I and II) was 58 per cent (n=2265) among all personnel (military and civilian personnel) and 63 per cent (n=1487) among the military men. The prevalence ratio (PR) of having a child with congenital anomaly was 4.0 (confidence interval (CI) 1.9 - 8.6) among the personnel who had served on-board the “KNM Kvikk”. Among the same personnel, the PR of having a stillborn child or a child that died within one week of birth was 4.1 (CI 1.7 - 9.9). In paper II, three work categories were classified as exposed to non-ionizing EMFs: “tele/communication”, “radar/sonar” and “electronics”. Logistic regression adjusted for age, whether the subject had ever smoked, military education and physical exercise at work displayed an increased odds ratio (OR) of 1.72 (CI 1.04 - 2.85) among “tele/communication” workers and OR of 2.28 (CI 1.27 - 4.09) among “radar/sonar” workers for self-reported infertility compared to unexposed workers. “Electronics” did not display an increased OR for self-reported infertility compared to the unexposed workers. In paper III, a total of 56 measurements were conducted on Efields on-board two vessels in the RNoN. The E-field values measured were very low, averaging 0 – 10 per cent of the guidelines given by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). In paper IV, there was no change seen in hormone levels either immediately after exposure or within the next 11 days when persons exposed to real and sham MRI were compared. Conclusion. Paper I displayed an increased PR for having children with congenital anomalies, stillbirths or perinatal deaths after having served on-board a specific MTB vessel in the RNoN. Paper II showed an increased OR for self-reported experience of infertility among personnel serving in work categories categorized as being exposed to non-ionizing EMFs. Paper III investigated and described very low exposure for Efields measured on-board two RNoN vessels. Paper IV did not find evidence for a significant impact on hormones relevant for male reproduction after exposure in MRI. This thesis could not establish non-ionizing EMFs as a cause for the findings in paper I and II. Furthermore, the studies could not explain the findings using other factors. The difference in exposure levels and duration may be of importance, as well as confounding factors that have not been investigated in this thesis

Updating and prospective validation of a prognostic model for high sickness absence

Objectives To further develop and validate a Dutch prognostic model for high sickness absence (SA). Methods Three-wave longitudinal cohort study of 2,059 Norwegian nurses. The Dutch prognostic model was used to predict high SA among Norwegian nurses at wave 2. Subsequently, the model was updated by adding person-related (age, gender, marital status, children at home, and coping strategies), health-related (BMI, physical activity, smoking, and caffeine and alcohol intake), and work-related (job satisfaction, job demands, decision latitude, social support at work, and both work-to-family and family-to-work spillover) variables. The updated model was then prospectively validated for predictions at wave 3. Results 1,557 (77 %) nurses had complete data at wave 2 and 1,342 (65 %) at wave 3. The risk of high SA was under-estimated by the Dutch model, but discrimination between high-risk and low-risk nurses was fair after re-calibration to the Norwegian data. Gender, marital status, BMI, physical activity, smoking, alcohol intake, job satisfaction, job demands, decision latitude, support at the workplace, and work-to-family spillover were identified as potential predictors of high SA. However, these predictors did not improve the model's discriminative ability, which remained fair at wave 3. Conclusions The prognostic model correctly identifies 73 % of Norwegian nurses at risk of high SA, although additional predictors are needed before the model can be used to screen working populations for risk of high SA. © 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Health measures in prediction models for high sickness absence: single-item self-rated health versus multi-item SF-12

Background: Self-rated health (SRH) has been found to predict sickness absence (SA). The present study investigated the effect of replacing single-item SRH by a multi-item health measure on SA predictions. Methods: Longitudinal study of 2059 Norwegian nurses with assessments in three waves each separated by 1 year. Health was measured by single-item SRH and multi-item SF-12 in waves 1 and 2. SA was self-reported in all three waves and high SA was defined as more than or equal to 31 SA days within the last 12 months. Predictions of high SA by a model including age, prior SA and single-item SRH were compared with predictions by a model including age, prior SA and multi-item SF-12. Both models were bootstrapped to correct for over-optimism and prospectively validated for their predictions in a new time frame. Results: 1253 nurses (61%) had complete data for analysis. The SF-12 model predicted the risk of high SA more accurately (χ2 = 4.294; df = 8) and was more stable over time than the SRH model (model χ2 = 14.495; df = 8). Both prediction models correctly discriminated between high-risk and low-risk individuals in 73% of the cases at wave 2 and in 71% of the cases at wave 3. Conclusions: The accuracy of predictions increased when single-item SRH was replaced by multi-item SF-12, but the discriminative ability did not improve. Single-item SRH suffices to identify employees at increased risk of high SA

Coping styles relate to health and work environment of Norwegian and Dutch hospital nurses: A comparative study

Nurses exposed to high nursing stress report no health complaints as long as they have high coping abilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate coping styles in relation to the health status and work environment of Norwegian and Dutch hospital nurses. This comparative study included a random sample of 5400 Norwegian nurses and a convenience sample of 588 Dutch nurses. Coping, health, and work environment were assessed by questionnaire in both samples and associations were investigated bivariately and multivariately. We found that active problem-solving coping was associated with the health and work environment of Norwegian nurses but not with the health and work environment of Dutch. Passive coping (avoiding problems or waiting to see what happens) was found to relate to poor general health, poor mental health, low job control, and low job support in both Norwegian and Dutch nurses. Improvements in the nursing work environment may not only result in better mental health, but may also reduce passive coping

Predictive Value of the SF-12 for Sickness Absence Because of Mental, Musculoskeletal, and Other Somatic Disorders

Objective: To investigate the predictive value of the 12-item short form (SF-12) for long-term sickness absence (LTSA) because of mental, musculoskeletal, and other somatic disorders. Methods: In this cohort study with 2-year follow-up of 1381 nurses, baseline SF-12 scores were analyzed against registered mental, musculoskeletal, and other somatic LTSA during follow-up by logistic regression models. Results: The SF-12 dimensions, general health, vitality, emotional role limitations, mental health, and social functioning, predicted mental LTSA. Physical functioning, bodily pain, and vitality predicted musculoskeletal LTSA, and physical role limitations, bodily pain, general health, and social functioning predicted other somatic LTSA. Positive predictive values were low, and negative predictive values were high. Conclusions: Different SF-12 dimensions predicted mental, musculoskeletal, and other somatic LTSA but did not identify nurses at high risk of mental, musculoskeletal, and other somatic LTSA

Self-rated coping styles and registered sickness absence among nurses working in hospital care:A prospective 1-year cohort study

Background: Sickness absence is an important problem in healthcare that affects the quality of care. Sickness absence has been related to coping strategies. Problem-focused coping was shown to be associated with low sickness absence and emotion-focused coping with high sickness absence among postal workers. Objectives: This study investigated the relationship between coping styles and sickness absence in healthcare. Design: Prospective study linking self-rated coping styles at baseline with the number of episodes of sickness absence during one year of follow-up. Setting: Somatic hospital employing 1153 persons. Participants: Convenience sample of 566 female nurses working in the hospital's clinical wards and outpatient clinic. Of these, 386 (68%) nurses had complete data for analysis. Methods: The nurses completed a questionnaire at baseline with items on health, work, and coping styles. Three styles of coping were defined: problem-solving coping (i.e., looking for opportunities to solve a problem), social coping (i.e., seeking social support in solving a problem), and palliative avoidant coping (i.e., seeking distraction and avoiding problems). Sickness absence data were retrieved from the hospital's register in the following year. The association between the coping styles and the number of both short (1-7 days) and long (>7 days) episodes of sickness absence was assessed by Poisson regression analyses with age, work hours per week, general health, mental health, and effort-reward [ER] ratio as covariates. Results: Problem-solving coping was negatively associated with the number of long episodes of sickness absence (rate ratio [RR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.64-0.95). Social coping was negatively associated with the number of both short episodes (RR = 0.88,95% Cl = 0.79-0.97) and long episodes (RR = 0.79,95% Cl = 0.64-0.97) of sickness absence. After adjustment for the ER-ratio, the associations of coping with short episodes of sickness absence strengthened and associations with long episodes weakened, however, significance was lost for both types of sickness absence. Palliative avoidant coping was not associated with sickness absence among female hospital nurses. Conclusion: Problem-solving coping and social coping styles were associated with less sickness absence among female nurses working in hospital care. Nurse managers may use this knowledge and reduce sickness absence and understaffing by stimulating problem-solving strategies and social support within nursing teams. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Priming of inducible defenses protects Norway spruce against tree-killing bark beetles

Plants can form an immunological memory known as defense priming, whereby exposure to a priming stimulus enables quicker or stronger response to subsequent attack by pests and pathogens. Such priming of inducible defenses provides increased protection and reduces allocation costs of defense. Defense priming has been widely studied for short‐lived model plants such as Arabidopsis, but little is known about this phenomenon in long‐lived plants like spruce. We compared the effects of pretreatment with sublethal fungal inoculations or application of the phytohormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) on the resistance of 48‐year‐old Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees to mass attack by a tree‐killing bark beetle beginning 35 days later. Bark beetles heavily infested and killed untreated trees but largely avoided fungus‐inoculated trees and MeJA‐treated trees. Quantification of defensive terpenes at the time of bark beetle attack showed fungal inoculation induced 91‐fold higher terpene concentrations compared with untreated trees, whereas application of MeJA did not significantly increase terpenes. These results indicate that resistance in fungus‐inoculated trees is a result of direct induction of defenses, whereas resistance in MeJA‐treated trees is due to defense priming. This work extends our knowledge of defense priming from model plants to an ecologically important tree species.publishedVersio

Predictors of shift work disorder among nurses : a longitudinal study

Background: Shift work is associated with sleep problems and impaired health. The main aim of the present study was to explore predictors of developing shift work disorder (SWD) among Norwegian nurses using a longitudinal design. Methods: A total of 1533 nurses participating in a survey on shift work, sleep and health responded to questionnaires at baseline and at follow-up about two years later. SWD was defined as problems of excessive sleepiness and/or complaints of insomnia related to the work schedule. Results and Conclusions: There was a significant reduction (p < 0.001) in the prevalence of SWD from baseline to follow-up, from 35.7% to 28.6%. Logistic regression analyses showed significant risks of having SWD at follow-up and the following variables measured at baseline: number of nights worked the last year (OR = 1.01, 95% CI = 1.01–1.02), having SWD (OR = 5.19, 95% CI = 3.74–7.20), composite score on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04–1.13), use of melatonin (OR = 4.20, 95% CI = 1.33–13.33), use of bright light therapy (OR = 3.10, 95% CI 1.14–8.39), and symptoms of depression measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.00–1.14). In addition, leaving night work between baseline and follow-up was associated with a significantly reduced risk of SWD atfollow-up (OR = 0.12, 95% CI = 0.07–0.22)