Vol 30, No 6 (2023)

BACKGROUND: Over the past 150 years, a large number of articles have been published around the world on the associations between ambient temperature and suicide. However, only in the last 30 years daily data with sufficient validity are in use, necessitating the systematization of the latest research evidence.

AIM: To conduct a systematic selection and qualitative synthesis of published information on the associations between ambient air temperature and suicide from 1990.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic review using PRISMA criteria. Studies published in peer-reviewed journals from January 1990 to April 2022 in PubMed and eLIBRARY in Russian or English, respectively, comprised the study base.

RESULTS: Of the 1932 identified articles, 32 empirical studies with the number of cases ranging from 225 to 1,067,333 from 26 countries were included in the qualitative synthesis. In addition to mean temperatures, the minimum and maximum temperatures, as well as the calculated apparent mean, minimum and maximum temperature were used. In some studies, the difference in temperature between the index and the previous day were used. By design, most studies had ecological or case-crossover design. Generalized Additive Models (GAM) were used as the main analytical tools, and in multicenter studies the results were obtained using meta-regression. The results were presented as relative risks or the percentage increase in the number of suicides with an increase in temperature by 1 °C. Virtually all studies reported a significant linear relationship between the temperature and suicide rates, but effect sizes varied between countries. The effect was more pronounced in temperate climate, in men and people over 65 years of age.

CONCLUSIONS: Most of the studied suggest a direct relationship between high air temperature and the number of suicides in different latitudes. It is necessary to monitor the situation and study the mechanisms behind the associations between high temperatures and the risk of suicide to minimize the consequences of climate change for public health.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hypertension in the Arkhangelsk region is steadily increasing. Despite the progress in the diagnostics and the availability of treatment, a half of the population are unaware of their hypertension and its potential consequences, and consequently, do not adhere to the prescribed medications. This lack of awareness, coupled with the challenging climatic conditions of the northern regions, can significantly increase the risk of acute myocardial infarctions and strokes among young adults.

AIM: To study the association between atmospheric air temperature and blood pressure among the adult population in Arkhangelsk.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: For the purpose of this study we used blood pressure data obtained from 2342 participants individuals aged 35–69 years who participated in the “Know your heart” study in Arkhangelsk from November 1, 2015 to October 31, 2017. Every blood pressure measurement was linked to the time-corresponding readings of atmospheric air temperature recorded by the city meteorological station. The effect of the temperature on blood pressure was assessed using linear regression analysis separately for the warm (April 16–October 15) and the cold (October 16–April 15) seasons.

RESULTS: In the warm season, in the group of participants without hypertension and in those with treated arterial hypertension, high values of atmospheric air temperature (17.5–26.5 °С) relative to the average level (8.8–12.2 °С) were associated with a decrease in systolic blood pressure at 7.9 mm Hg (p=0.004) and 8.5 mm Hg (p=0.012), respectively, and diastolic blood pressure by 5.1 mm Hg (p=0.002) and 4.5 mm Hg (p=0.021), respectively. In the group of participants with untreated arterial hypertension, changes in ambient air temperature above (12.3–17.2 °С) and below (6.0–8.7 °С) the average level for this period were associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure by 11.7 mm Hg (p=0.044) and 16.9 mm Hg (p=0.004), and diastolic blood pressure by 8.9 mm Hg (p=0.018) and 13.8 mm Hg (p <0.001), respectively. In the cold season, no effect of air temperature on blood pressure was found in persons without arterial hypertension. In persons with treated arterial hypertension, an increase in air temperature in the cold season to the levels of (–1.3…1.1 °С) relative to the average level (–3.9–1.4 °С) were associated with lower systolic blood pressure by 8.5 mm Hg (p=0.001).

CONCLUSION: The results of the study demonstrate the association between the atmospheric air temperature and blood pressure. Patients with untreated hypertension are more susceptible to fluctuations in blood pressure parallel to changes in ambient air temperature.

BACKGROUND: Empirical data on the effect of infrastructural and geographical factors on the subjective well-being of residents of small urban and rural communities are scarce.

AIM: To identify indicators of subjective well-being among adolescents, as well as their behavioral attitudes and subjective assessments of the school environment.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed data collected from 1164 respondents residing in 25 rural and urban settlements across Siberia and the European part of Northern Russia between 2016 and 2018. The Cronbach’s alpha values for the dependent variables ranged from 0.654 to 0.811. The variables used to differentiate the comparison groups included the school size, the distance of the settlement from the regional center’s infrastructure, and its geographic location in relation to the Arctic zone.

RESULTS: Various characteristics of the school environment demonstrated the effect of differentiating variables. These characteristics included the friendliness within the school environment, the attitudes of teachers, the preparedness for self-defense, and the attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and illegal behavior. The attitudes towards the use of psychoactive substances and the readiness for self-defense were particularly sensitive to differentiating variables.

CONCLUSION: The results of this study can be used to develop solutions that effectively manage the risks associated with the social and personal development of adolescents residing in small urban and rural settlements within sparsely populated regions of the Russian Federation.

BACKGROUND: The physiological functions and body development take place as the body adapts to the environment. For schoolchildren aged 16-17, their primary focus is on studying, which involves processing and retaining a significant volume of diverse information. The P300 auditory evoked potential reflects the neurophysiological aspects of cognitive functions such as attention and memory. This assessment is particularly relevant when considering the autonomic heart rate regulation in young individuals residing in the northern and southern regions of Russia.

AIM: The objective of this study was to assess the auditory evoked potential components, namely P300 and N2, along with heart rate variability parameters in a group of healthy young Russian adolescents living in different climatic and geographical conditions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study sample consisted of 156 individuals aged 16–17 years permanently residing in Arkhangelsk, Nadym and Simferopol. The assessment of the autonomic nervous system was carried out according to the parameters of heart rate variability on the agro-industrial complex “Varikard”. Registration of P300 and N2 components was carried out on the Neuron-Spectrum-4/VPM electroencephalograph (Neurosoft, Russia), using the oddball paradigm.

RESULTS: The predominance of sympathetic nervous system activity in the regulation of heart rate and the lengthening of the N2 latency was revealed in adolescents in Nadym. In residents of Arkhangelsk and Simferopol, there were no differences in the parameters of heart rate variability and components of the auditory evoked potential of P300. Interhemispheric asymmetry of N2 latency was observed in young people of Arkhangelsk, where the time was shorter in the central (C4, p=0.04) and right anterior temporal (F8, p=0.01) sections.

CONCLUSIONS: The imbalance in the autonomic nervous system towards the predominance of sympathetic influences in the heart rate regulation is reflected in slower recognition and differentiation of the sound signal.