Foraging range scales with colony size in high-latitude seabirds.

Density-dependent prey depletion around breeding colonies has long been considered an important factor controlling the population dynamics of colonial animals.1-4 Ashmole proposed that as seabird colony size increases, intraspecific competition leads to declines in reproductive success, as breeding adults must spend more time and energy to find prey farther from the colony.1 Seabird colony size often varies over several orders of magnitude within the same species and can include millions of individuals per colony.5,6 As such, colony size likely plays an important role in determining the individual behavior of its members and how the colony interacts with the surrounding environment.6 Using tracking data from murres (Uria spp.), the world's most densely breeding seabirds, we show that the distribution of foraging-trip distances scales to colony size0.33 during the chick-rearing stage, consistent with Ashmole's halo theory.1,2 This pattern occurred across colonies varying in size over three orders of magnitude and distributed throughout the North Atlantic region. The strong relationship between colony size and foraging range means that the foraging areas of some colonial species can be estimated from colony sizes, which is more practical to measure over a large geographic scale. Two-thirds of the North Atlantic murre population breed at the 16 largest colonies; by extrapolating the predicted foraging ranges to sites without tracking data, we show that only two of these large colonies have significant coverage as marine protected areas. Our results are an important example of how theoretical models, in this case, Ashmole's version of central-place-foraging theory, can be applied to inform conservation and management in colonial breeding species.

Diverging phenological responses of Arctic seabirds to an earlier spring.

The timing of annual events such as reproduction is a critical component of how free-living organisms respond to ongoing climate change. This may be especially true in the Arctic, which is disproportionally impacted by climate warming. Here, we show that Arctic seabirds responded to climate change by moving the start of their reproduction earlier, coincident with an advancing onset of spring and that their response is phylogenetically and spatially structured. The phylogenetic signal is likely driven by seabird foraging behavior. Surface-feeding species advanced their reproduction in the last 35 years while diving species showed remarkably stable breeding timing. The earlier reproduction for Arctic surface-feeding birds was significant in the Pacific only, where spring advancement was most pronounced. In both the Atlantic and Pacific, seabirds with a long breeding season showed a greater response to the advancement of spring than seabirds with a short breeding season. Our results emphasize that spatial variation, phylogeny, and life history are important considerations in seabird phenological response to climate change and highlight the key role played by the species' foraging behavior.

[Pharmacotherapy effectiveness for some symptoms of borderline personality disorder].

A high percentage of patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) are prescribed psychotropic medications. Recent meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials suggested evidence of effects of antiepileptics on impulsivity and anger and of atypical antipsychotics on cognitive-perceptual symptoms and anger. Antidepressants had no or negligible effect. Total BPD severity was not significantly reduced by pharmacotherapy. Longitudinal studies suggest that BPD tends to improve, but it is not clarified whether long-term pharmacotherapy make the naturalistic recovery occur more rapidly.

[Delirium in older, hospitalized patients is common and is associated with a poor outcome].

Delirium is a common neuropsychiatric complication to acute physical illness in older, hospitalized patients. It is associated with a poor outcome. The pathophysiogenesis is unknown. The neurochemical and neuroinflammatory hypotheses are supported increasingly. Short-term, low-dose haloperidole is still the best choice of treatment in controlling symptoms in hyperactive delirium, but atypical antipsychotics are probably equally efficacious. Antipsychotics also appear to have a beneficial role in hypoactive delirium, but the evidence is weak. There is a weak evidence of effect of prophylactic, non-pharmacological interventions.

[Prevention of repeated suicide attempts. Evaluation of the treatment effectiveness]. / Forebyggelse af gentaget selvmordsforsøg. Evaluering af behandlingseffekten.

INTRODUCTION: Repetition of suicide attempts occurs frequently. There is a lack of knowledge as to which treatment strategies are most effective. MATERIALS AND METHODS: STUDY 1: A cohort of 200 psychiatric inpatients, consecutively admitted for current suicide attempt, were studied as to the association among quality level of examination, treatment and referral to aftercare and repetition of attempted suicide in one year. STUDY 2: Three cohorts of psychiatric inpatients, consecutively admitted for current suicide attempt, were compared for repetition of suicide in one year. The 2001-2002 cohort of 173 inpatients had received problem-oriented therapy and been provided with a contact card to a psychiatric emergency room. The 1994-1995 control cohort of 200 inpatients had received quality-ensured standard treatment. The 1989 control cohort of 126 inpatients had received standard treatment only. Similarly, two cohorts of psychiatric emergency outpatients, referred after current suicide attempts, were compared: 116 patients in 2001-2002 and 75 patients in 1994-1995. RESULTS: A higher quality level of examination and treatment was significantly related to lack of repetition of attempted suicide in one year. No association was found between higher quality level of referrals to aftercare and no repetition of attempted suicide. The rate of repetition of suicide attempts in one year was reduced from 30% to 24% after establishment of quality assurance and problem-oriented therapy, but the reduction was not significant. CONCLUSION: It is still uncertain which treatment modalities of patients admitted for attempted suicide are most effective.