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PubMed2003

[The 2002/2003 influenza season in the Netherlands and the vaccine composition for the 2003/2004 season].

As in the 2000/2001 and 2001/2002 seasons, the influenza epidemic in the 2002/2003 season started late (week 7 of 2003) and was only moderate in size. Influenza A (H3N2) and B viruses were detected in equal numbers among patients of general practitioners and these two viruses were therefore equally responsible for the epidemic. However, H3N2 viruses dominated isolates taken from hospitals. In haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) assays most of the H3N2 viruses proved highly reactive with antiserum to the vaccine-reference strain A/Moscow/10/99. This was also true for a number of isolates, including those obtained from nursing home residents, closely related to the reference strain A/Finland/170/03. However, an estimated 4% of the H3N2 isolates belonged to the variant A/Fujian/411/02 from China, which constituted the majority of the H3N2 viruses isolated in Europe in the later phase of the season. This variant reacted poorly with antiserum to A/Moscow/10/99. In H1 tests all influenza A(H1N1)-virus isolates and all B-virus isolates were closelyrelated to the corresponding vaccine-reference strains. Taking this data into consideration, the World Health Organization has advised the same vaccine composition for the 2003/2004 season as for the 2002/2003 season, namely: A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2), A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) and B/Hong Kong/330/01. There is the possibility of a mismatch occurring between the H3N2-vaccine strain and the circulating H3N2 viruses in the coming influenza season. In March and April 2003 there was an outbreak of influenza-A (H7N7) fowl plague in the Netherlands. A special monitoring survey revealed that 91 people who had handled infected poultry became infected with the H7N7 virus. One of these later died as a result of this. None of the avian and human H7N7-virus isolates examined contained human or porcine influenza-A virus genes.

Global Health↗
PubMed1993

Seasonal variation in behavioral responses to m-CPP in patients with seasonal affective disorder and controls.

This paper reports the behavioral responses to m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), a serotonin agonist, in patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and controls during the summer. Results are compared with the responses of SAD patients and controls given m-CPP in the winter. Results of the winter study were reported earlier by our group. Baseline Hamilton depression ratings in SAD patients were significantly lower in the summer than in winter (p < 0.05). Additionally, in both SAD patients and controls, there were seasonal differences on the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) self-rating scale items: "depressed affect," "dysphoria," and "functional deficit" at baseline. The behavioral responses to m-CPP across seasons differentiated patients from normals only in the "activation/euphoria" item, on which a far greater response was seen in patients than in controls during the winter. This behavioral response may be a state marker for winter depression, as it was significantly reduced after light treatment of these patients in the winter, and in the summer. SAD patients responded differently from controls on "altered self-awareness" and "dysphoria" independently of seasons, and these responses may be considered as possible trait markers for this condition. These results provide further evidence of a possible deficiency in serotonergic transmission in seasonal affective disorder.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire for identifying seasonal affective disorders.

The SPAQ is a widely used tool for identifying possible cases of recurrent major depressive disorders with a seasonal pattern. However, its test-retest reliability, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, efficiency and predictive validity have not previously been formally assessed. Forty-seven subjects who fulfilled the DSMIIIR criteria for a major depressive disorder with a seasonal pattern were traced and re-interviewed after five to eight years. The SPAQ was found to have a positive predictive value of 48% and an efficiency of 57% in identifying cases of SAD confirmed by follow-up. The test-retest reliability was low. There was a mean difference in seasonality score between the first and second test of 3.17 +/- 4.7 (mean +/- 1 S.D.). Although the SPAQ is a rapid method of collecting information about recent seasonal variation, it has low test-retest reliability and on its own is unable to predict the seasonality of the future course of illness.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Genetic studies of seasonal affective disorder and seasonality.

Genetic studies of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and seasonality have received considerable attention over the past several years. Studies of the prevalence of SAD and nonseasonal mood disorders among relatives of patients with SAD suggested a familial contribution to the development of SAD. Two twin studies demonstrated a substantial role of genetic variation in seasonality. Two genetic variants related to serotonergic transmission, the 5-HTTLPR and the 5-HT(2A)-1438G/A gene promoter polymorphisms, have been found to be associated with SAD. 5-HTTLPR is also associated with seasonality in SAD patients and in the general population. It is not clear whether SAD is inherited as a distinct entity or whether seasonality and depression are separate heritable traits that happen to coincide in certain individuals. Vulnerability to SAD and disease pathology may be influenced by many genes, perhaps on several chromosomes.

Dopamine↗
PubMed1980

The relation between seasonal birth variation and the season of the mother's birth.

Seasonal birth variation was investigated in relation to the season of the mother's birth by examining: (1) 21,517 case records of a maternity hospital in Tokyo, Japan, for the period between 1925 and 1960 and (2) 2,348 questionnaires on mothers and their offsprings. In general, the birth rate was the lowest in the May--July season but mothers born in May--July of 1896 through 1915 and February--April of 1916 through 1935 had their births more evenly distributed throughout the year. The less season-sensitive mothers were more fertile than the others. The existence of some epidemic and immunogenic "seasonal infertile factors" is put forward as an explanation for these phenomena.

Birth Rate↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A comparison of normal, bipolar and seasonal affective disorder subjects using the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire.

The Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire is an instrument for retrospective self-rating of change in mood and vegetative functions with the seasons. It has been used in studies to identify and characterise patients with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in three countries. In this paper, the test-retest reliability of all items and the sensitivity to differences between groups have been investigated. Clear differences were found between the SAD group and a normal group. A group of bipolar affective disorder patients had intermediate scores on reported seasonal changes between the normal and SAD groups. All groups reported significant changes in mood and vegetative functions during the winter in the direction symptomatic for SAD suggesting that SAD patients may suffer an exaggerated form of a normal seasonal variation.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed2004

In humans, the seasonal variation in poly-unsaturated fatty acids is related to the seasonal variation in violent suicide and serotonergic markers of violent suicide.

BACKGROUND: Depression is accompanied by a depletion of n-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). There is also a negative correlation between suicide and fish-oil intake (rich in n-3 PUFAs) across different countries. Both depression and suicide show a seasonal variation and are related to disorders in the serotonergic system. AIMS: The present study was carried out to determine if there is a seasonal variation in the PUFA fractions in serum phospholipids and whether there are significant relationships between lowered n-3 PUFA status and the seasonal variation in the number of suicide deaths and serotonergic markers of suicide. METHODS: We took monthly blood samples during 1 calendar year from 23 healthy volunteers and analyzed the PUFA composition in serum phospholipids and related those data to the annual variation in the mean weekly number of suicides for Belgium and the Bmax [3H]-paroxetine binding to platelets in the same 23 subjects. RESULTS: Significant annual rhythms were detected in the long-chain PUFAs only, i.e. arachidonic acid (C20: 4n-6; AA), eicosapentaenoic acid (C20: 5n-3; EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (C22: 6n-3; DHA). There was a significant correlation between the changes over the last 2 weeks in AA and EPA and the mean weekly number of violent, but not nonviolent, suicide deaths in Belgium. There was a significant correlation between the PUFAs, AA and DHA, and the Bmax [3H]-paroxetine binding to platelets. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that there is a true seasonality in long-chain PUFAs, such as AA, EPA and DHA. The results suggest that the seasonality in PUFAs may be related to the incidence of violent suicide and the expression of the serotonin transporter complex.

Arachidonic Acid↗
PubMed2001

The Seasonal Health Questionnaire: a preliminary validation of a new instrument to screen for seasonal affective disorder.

BACKGROUND: The main screening tool for Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire, but its reliability and validity have been thrown into doubt by several studies. METHOD: In this study we developed a new questionnaire, the Seasonal Health Questionnaire (SHQ), which is scored by computer to derive the four main operational criteria for diagnosis of SAD. A group of clinically diagnosed SAD patients was contrasted with a group of patients with recurrent non-seasonal depressive disorder using the SPAQ and the SHQ. RESULTS: The SHQ could be completed without difficulty by patients with long histories of recurrent mood disorder. The SPAQ and the Rosenthal Criteria were the least specific of the criteria for identifying SAD - misclassifying many non-seasonal patients. CONCLUSIONS: After further development the SHQ may be a more appropriate screening instrument for SAD. The SPAQ should no longer be used for this purpose as it gives misleadingly high estimates of prevalence.

Humans↗
PubMed1997

Atypical depressive symptoms in seasonal and non-seasonal mood disorders.

The authors examined the rates of atypical depression and prevalence of specific atypical symptoms in patients with seasonal versus non-seasonal depression. Fifty-three patients with seasonal affective disorder (SAD) were compared to 54 patients with non-seasonal major depressive disorder (MDD) using the atypical depression diagnostic scale (ADDS). SAD patients scored significantly higher than non-seasonal MDD patients in hyperphagia and hypersomnia, and significantly lower in interpersonal sensitivity and other rejection avoidance. There was no difference in the rate of ADDS diagnosis of atypical depression. Differences between atypical depression and SAD suggest that they are separate subtypes of depression with an overlapping symptom picture.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Mood and energy regulation in seasonal and non-seasonal depression before and after midday treatment with physical exercise or bright light.

The effects of two non-drug treatments (physical exercise and bright light) on mood, body weight and oxygen consumption were compared in age-matched groups of female subjects with winter depression, non-seasonal depression or without depression. It was found that oxygen consumption in the pre-treatment condition was similar in non-depressed subjects (n=18) and depressed non-seasonals (n=18), while comparatively lower values were obtained in winter depression (n=27). Neither mood nor metabolic parameters changed significantly in the group of nine untreated winter depressives. One week of physical exercise (1-h pedaling on a bicycle ergometer between 13.00 and 14.00 h) increased oxygen consumption in the group of nine winter depressives and lowered oxygen consumption in nine-subject groups of depressed and non-depressed non-seasonals. One week of bright light treatment (2-h exposure to 2500 lux between 14.00 and 16.00 h) increased oxygen consumption in nine winter depressives and nine non-depressed subjects, while no significant change in oxygen consumption was found in nine subjects with non-seasonal depression. Weight loss was observed in the groups treated with physical exercise and in the group of light-treated winter depressives. Winter depression responded equally well to exercising and light, while a significant therapeutic difference in favor of exercising was found in non-seasonal depression. Overall, the results of the study suggest that energy-regulating systems are implicated in the antidepressant action of the non-drug treatments.

Body Weight↗
PubMed2003

Seasonality of births is associated with seasonality of marriages in Malta.

This study was carried out to quantify secular trends in seasonal variation in births in Malta, a small Mediterranean country where the vast proportion of births occur in wedlock due to a predominantly Roman Catholic population. It also related such variations to seasonal variation in marriages. Annual seasonal peaks of marriages and births were analysed over the period 1950-1996 by X11 ARIMA. A significant peak in marriages (n = 111,932) in the third quarter of the year was found for almost the entire period under study. This was paralleled by a peak in births (n = 299,558) for the period 1970-1996, which lagged after the peak in marriages by 13-14 months. For the period 1994-1996, when monthly data for monthly pregnancies were available by pregnancy order, the peak in births was caused by first pregnancies only. Seasonal patterns in births occur almost universally due to cultural and/or biometeorological factors. The best known patterns include those of the southern United States, where births decline in April and May, and in northern Europe, where births peak in March and April. In Malta, the late summer peak in births appears to be due to a practical and planned approach by Maltese couples to contraceptive planning, probably influenced by the Roman Catholic ethos and social pressures, with unprotected intercourse occurring only after marriage. In Malta, birth control, albeit by so-called natural methods, was introduced in the 1960s. Prior to this period, births peaked towards the beginning/end of the year, and this may be the more natural seasonality of births in Malta.

Birth Rate↗
PubMed1978

Seasonal variation in admissions of psychiatric patients and its relation to seasonal variation in their births.

Inpatient admissions to all psychiatric hospital beds in England and Wales in 1970-73 were studied by month of admission for eight diagnostic groups. The admission rates for schizophrenia showed a pronounced seasonal variation, with a maximum in summer. The seasonal pattern for schizophrenia was very similar to the one shown for mania, although somewhat less marked. The admission rates for neurosis and for the large group of 'all other non-psychotic mental illness' showed little evidence of seasonal variation as there was could largely be explained by social factors. In schizophrenic and manic patients, the pattern of seasonal admissions (peak months July and August) is similar to the pattern reported for their births (peak months February and March). This is consistent with the hypothesis of an abnormal seasonal pattern of parental conception as the cause of the abnormal birth pattern.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1987

Seasonal reproduction in ewes selected on seasonal changes in wool growth.

Romney and Perendale ewes were selected on the amplitude of seasonal wool growth. The ewes were fed a constant plane of nutrition and run with vasectomized rams. Ovarian activity was recorded by laparoscopy during 11 months. Ewes with a low amplitude of seasonal wool growth (Group L) had a 68% higher wool growth rate in winter and a 17% lower wool growth rate in summer compared with ewes with a high amplitude (Group H). There was no difference between the groups in the date of the first mating mark. Ewes in Group L entered anoestrus significantly later than did ewes in Group H; the difference was 11 days in the mean date of the last mating mark and 17 days in the mean date of the last ovulation. A significantly higher proportion of ewes in Group L ovulated during July to November. In addition, ewes in Group L had a significantly higher proportion of multiple ovulations throughout the experiment: on average the difference between the groups was 0.21. These results show that phenotypic selection for a low amplitude of seasonal wool growth resulted in a delay in the end of the breeding season associated with an increase in ovulation rate, suggesting independent effects on the beginning and end of the breeding season.

Anestrus↗
PubMed1992

Choroid plexus, ependyma and arachnoidea express receptors for vitamin D: differences between "seasonal" and "non-seasonal" breeders.

Autoradiographic studies with [3H]1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 demonstrated nuclear high affinity binding sites (receptors) in epithelial cells of choroid plexus, ependyma and arachnoid in "seasonal" breeders of various vertebrate phyla, namely Xiphophorus helleri, Hyla crucifer, Xenopus laevis, Bufo woodhousei, Chrysemys scripta, Anolis carolinensis, Nerodia sipedon and Phodopus sungorus, but vitamin D receptors were undetectable in these tissues in non-seasonal breeders, such as zebra finch, laboratory mice and rats. Both "seasonal" and "non-seasonal" species, however, exhibited nuclear binding in distinct nuclei of CNS. The data suggest that vitamin D is involved in the regulation of certain functions at the level of the blood-brain barrier in species strongly affected by seasonal changes.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Analysis of the seasonality of birth effect in schizophrenic patients in Poland with the application of the seasonal decomposition method].

INTRODUCTION: Seasonality of the birth of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia is one of the most repetitive phenomena in epidemiological studies on this illness. The paper presents a review of the literature, with an emphasis on the research findings and development of methods used to investigate the phenomenon. AIM: The aim of the study was to analyze the phenomenon of birth seasonality in schizophrenic patients in the Polish population, using new methods of the seasonal decomposition analysis. METHODS: The study utilized birth dates of 13,668 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the ICD-10 criteria, and discharged from all psychiatric hospitals in Poland in the years 1997-2000. The data on live births in the general population as published by the Main Statistical Office served as the reference group. 7,432,803 people were born in Poland in the years 1964-1976. Efforts were made to minimize the age-related incidence effect. In order to eliminate seasonal variations resulting from deviations in the number of births in the general population, an indicator of the number of births of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia per 10 thousand live births in the general population was created. A time series of 156 monthly observations covering the period of 13 years was produced. The data were analyzed using the Census II X- 11 method, one of the most recent methods to analyze time series and seasonal decomposition. RESULTS: The results confirm a 5-8% birth excess for schizophrenia in December and January.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Effects of mid-season frost and elevated growing season temperature on stomatal conductance and specific xylem conductivity of the arctic shrub, Salix pulchra.

An increased risk of frost is expected during the growing season, as climate warming increases spring temperatures in the Arctic. Because deciduous species have a growth season limited in length and also have generally larger conduit volumes, they are more likely than evergreens to be injured by freeze-thaw-induced cavitation during the growing season. To test whether growth at elevated temperature increases susceptibility to freeze-thaw damage, we grew a deciduous arctic shrub species (Salix pulchra Cham.) in simulated Alaskan summer temperatures and at 5 degrees C above the ambient simulation (+5 degrees C plants) in controlled environments. Stem specific hydraulic conductivity (k(s)) and leaf stomatal conductance (g(s)) were measured in plants grown at both temperatures before and after a freeze treatment simulating a mid-season frost. Before the freeze treatment, specific xylem conductivity was 2.5 times higher and stomatal conductances were 1.3 times higher in +5 degrees C plants than in ambient-grown plants. Reductions in hydraulic conductivity and stomatal conductance as a result of the freeze were 3.5 and 1.8 times greater respectively in +5 degrees C plants than in ambient-grown plants. Many of the +5 degrees C plants showed extensive leaf damage. Plants grown in the two treatments also differed in comparative xylem anatomy; +5 degrees C plants had larger vessel diameters (25.4 versus 22.6 micro m) and higher vessel densities (71 versus 67.4 vessels mm(-2)) than ambient-grown plants. Our results suggest that higher growing season temperatures will increase the susceptibility of arctic deciduous shrubs to frost damage, which may offset their competitive growth advantage.

Arctic Regions↗
PubMed2000

[Influenza season 1999/2000 and vaccine composition for the season 2000/01].

The first signs of influenza activity in the Netherlands during the 1999/2000 influenza season were the isolation of an influenza A (H3N2) virus in week 40 and of two more in week 43 of 1999. From week 50 onwards, a strong increase of the clinical influenza activity was observed which reached its peak in weeks 1 and 2 of 2000 and then rapidly declined. The clinical influenza activity was associated with the isolation of predominantly influenza A (H3N2) viruses. Near the end of the epidemic, influenza A (H1N1) and influenza B viruses were isolated sporadically. The antigenic properties of the influenza A (H3N2) viruses resembled those of the epidemic strains isolated in the previous season and the vaccine strain A/Sydney/5/97. This influenza season, influenza B viruses did not play a significant role and they matched the vaccine strain B/Yamanashi/166/98. In addition, a small number of influenza A (H1N1) viruses were isolated. Some of these viruses resembled the old variant of influenza A (H1N1) viruses, A/Bayern/7/95, whilst others showed a close antigenic relationship with the vaccine strain recommended for the next influenza season, A/New Caledonia/20/99. For the influenza season 2000/'01, it is recommended by the World Health Organization that the vaccines contain the following (or similar) virus strains: A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2), A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1) and B/Beijing/184/93.

Disease Outbreaks↗
PubMed2001

[2000/01 influenza season and the vaccine composition for the season 2001/'02].

In the 2000/01 season, the size of the influenza epidemic in the Netherlands was exceptionally small. Since the start of the Continuous Morbidity Registration of the Netherlands Institute of Primary Health Care (NIVEL) in 1970, the peak incidence of influenza-like illnesses has never been so low. The aetiology of the epidemic was also unusual. Most remarkable was the relatively extensive circulation of subtype H1N1 and the low activity of subtype H3N2. The epidemic started in week 1 of 2001 and ended in week 8. The antigenic properties of the influenza A (H1N1) viruses closely resembled those of the vaccine strain A/New Caledonia/20/99. This new variant of subtype H1N1 was first isolated in Asia in 1995 and was only (sporadically) detected in the Netherlands in the 1999/2000 season. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these viruses represent a new line of subtype H1N1. Following the influenza-activity caused by H1N1 viruses in the 2000/01 season, a small number of B and H3N2 viruses were also isolated up to week 19. Antigenically, these viruses were identical to those obtained in the previous years. On the basis of the antigenetic analyses presented, it can be concluded that the vaccine provided good protection against the circulating influenza viruses in the 2000/01 season. The World Health Organization recommends that influenza vaccines intended for use in the 2001/02 season of the northern hemisphere should contain the following, or antigenically similar, strains: A/Moscow/10/99 (H3N2), A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1), and B/Sichuan/379/99.

Global Health↗