Evgeny Abramson

Suicide-homicide temporal interrelationship, links with other fatalities, and environmental physical activity

UNLABELLED Homicide and suicide are extremes in human behavior. The aim of this study is to investigate the connection by time between suicide and homicide, between them and other fatalities, and their links with the level of cosmophysical activity. METHODS Using the national database of Lithuania (1990-2002) we found that 547,875 deaths, 4,638 homicides (3,374 male) and 19,527 (16,019 male) suicides were registered in that period. Their temporal distribution over 156 months was compared with solar and cosmic-ray activity. Pearson correlation coefficients and their probabilities were established. RESULTS There was a correlation between monthly rates of homicide and male groups. Female suicide rates correlated with male and total homicide numbers. Both homicide and suicide rates were inversely correlated with solar and cosmic-ray activity. Suicide numbers, but not homicides, were inversely related to geomagnetic activity. Suicide rates were inversely correlated with total, cardiovascular, traffic accident, and sudden deaths; homicide with total, traffic accident, and sudden deaths. CONCLUSION Temporal distribution of homicide and suicide is significantly interrelated. Both are linked to parameters of cosmophysical activity. The influence of cosmic rays deserves special attention.

SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY: LINKS TO AGE, GENDER AND AGONY TIME

BACKGROUND In previous studies, we analyzed sudden cardiac death (SCD) of shorter and longer agony time with geomagnetic activity (GMA) levels, with controversial results. The goals of the present study were (1) to study SCD at ages below 65 and 65 and older for each gender on days of low (Io) and higher (IIo-IVo) GMA; (2) to compare links between SCD and GMA with death at 1 h and from 1 to 24 h. METHODS We studied 1327 SCD, 392 (29.5%) females and 935 (70.5%) males, from the Kaunas Registry (part of the MONICA Study): 785 deaths during 1826 consecutive days (1994-1998) at ages 25 to 64 years and 524 deaths at ages 65 and older during 732 consecutive days (1996-1997). Of these, 261 SCD occurred at 1 h, 1076 between 1 h and 24 h without prodromes. GMA data were obtained from the National Geophysical Data Center and the National Space Services Center, USA. Student t-test and its probabilities for daily SCD at Io and IIo-IVo GMA were compared. RESULTS The daily number of SCD was significantly different for most of the compared groups at lowest and higher GMA levels. For all SCD, both at age <65 and at >65, the frequency was significantly higher on days of IIo-IVo GMA than on days of Io GMA (p=0.00067-0.03). A strong trend for more SCD on days of Io GMA was seen in males aged <65 who died within 1 h (p=0.06); females aged <65 who died within >1 h to 24 h (p=0.06), and females >65 who died within 1 h (p=0.0267). Females below the age of 65 who died in less than 1 h showed a trend toward higher SCD frequency at IIo-IVo GMA that did not achieve significance (p=0.057). CONCLUSIONS The distribution of SCD, with short (< or =1h) and longer (1-24 h) time of death, on days of lowest (Io) GMA differs from that on days of unsettled, active, or stormy (IIo-IVo) GMA. Despite the general trend to higher SCD frequency at IIo-IVo GMA, certain rapidly dying groups (< 65 y males, > 65 y females) showed a strong trend toward higher numbers of SCD at the lowest GMA.

Links between Monthly Rates of Four Subtypes of Acute Myocardial Infarction and Their Corresponding Cosmophysical Activity Parameters

UNLABELLED The aim of this study was (1) to examine the relation between the monthly rate of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and three cosmophysical activity parameters: solar activity (SA), geomagnetic activity (GMA), and cosmic rays activity (CRA) levels; (2) to study whether different subtypes of AMI: ST-elevation MI (STEMI), non-ST-elevation (NSTEMI), Q-wave (Q-waveMI) and non-Q-wave (NQ-wave MI) are linked with monthly cosmophysical indices or with the daily level (I degrees-IV degrees) of GMA. METHODS For the first question, we studied for 204 consecutive months (1983-1999) 16,683 patients (including 10405 males) with AMI who were included in the Kaunas Registry and for the second, 3824 AMI patients (2342 males), 72-month data. Cosmophysical data were obtained from the Apatity Neutron Monitoring Station of the Russian Academy of Science. RESULTS According to neutron monitoring data, total AMI and all its subtypes significantly correlated with monthly levels of CRA and inversely correlated with SA and GMA indices (r = 0.32-0.45; p = 0.0007-0.0001). No significant correlation was found between AMI subtypes and the daily level (I degrees-IV degrees) of GMA. All cosmophysical parameters were stronger in female patients. CONCLUSION The monthly rates of all subtypes of AMI were significantly correlated with CRA and inversely correlated with SA and GMA, more strongly in female patients. We presume that the environmental factors studied here affect the general patho-physiological components of AMI, and that different subtypes are a consequence of the localization and extent of the process.

Gender-related differences in hospitalized heart failure patients.

The burden of heart failure (HF)‐related hospitalization and mortality of female patients with HF is substantial. Currently, several gender‐specific distinctions have been recognized amongst HF patients, but their relationships to outcomes have not been fully elucidated. Accordingly, in the current work, we aimed to explore gender‐specific clinical and echocardiographic measures and to assess their potential impact on outcome.

Neutrons and sudden cardiac death (SCD) codes 121-125 ICD 10

Recent studies have shown that (1) monthly neutron activity (NA) (imp/min) correlates with monthly number of acute myocardial infarction (AMI); (2) NA is higher on days of automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (AICD) discharges for VT, VF. Here we checked the level of NA in relation to timing and type of sudden cardiac death (SCD) patients [n=848 (579, 68.28% male)] obtained from the Kaunas registry for the years 2002-2004. All underwent Forensic Medicine post mortem examination and classification according to ICD10 by code 121-125. Daily NA data were obtained from Oulu U-ty, Finland and Moscow Monitoring Station of the Russian Academy of Sciences. No difference in NA was found on days with or without SCD. In men < 65, SCD occurred on days with higher NA than in women of the same age (p = 0.01) or in > 65 y old men (p = 0.045). Days of SCD with myocardial ruptures showed the highest level of NA, significantly higher than on all days (n = 669) of SCD (p = 0.037) and all 1096 days of the study (p = 0.0048). Three groups were accompanied by significantly higher NA: repeated AMI, myocardial ruptures (codes122, 123), and coronary atherothrombosis without AMI, related to electrical heart instability. The mechanism of possible neutron role in pathophysiology needs special studies.

Cosmic rays activity and monthly number of deaths: a correlative study.

We studied the relation between the intensity of cosmic rays, the level of solar/geomagnetic activity, and the monthly numbers of deaths in a large hospital in Israel and in all Lithuania. The Israeli data include 30526 hospital deaths, two groups of fatal suicides (2359, 2763), and 15435 suicidal attempts for two periods of 108 and 236 consecutive months. The national data for the entire Republic of Lithuania include 424925 deaths for the period of 120 consecutive months. Cosmic rays intensity was measured by an Apatity neutron monitor. We obtained the data on solar, geomagnetic radiovawe propagation, ionosphere ionization hours, proton flux of two energy levels (>90 and 60 MeV) from the National Geophysical Data Center at Goddard Space Flight Center, National Space Environment Center at Boulder, Colorado, USA, and from the Institute of Terrestrial Magnetism, Ionosphere and Radio Wave Propagation (IZMIRAN), Russia. We calculated Pearson coefficients and their probabilities for correlation between monthly space activity level and monthly number of male and female deaths from different causes. Cosmic rays activity revealed significant negative correlation with solar/geomagnetic activity indices and related physical phenomena levels. This activity strongly correlated with flux of protons with the energies >90 MeV proton flux and did not exhibit significant correlation with 60 MeV proton fluxes. Cosmic rays intensity correlation with monthly numbers of deaths was strong for noncardiovascular deaths, suicides, and traffic accidents. The correlation was much weaker for deaths caused by ishemic heart disease and strokes.

Distribution of Deaths from Ischemic Heart Disease and Stroke. Environmental and Aging Influences in Men and Women

UNLABELLED The goal of this study was to check: 1) links between month of the year (1-12), monthly solar activity (SA) and monthly geomagnetic activity (GMA) with the temporal distribution of deaths from ischemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke in Israel and Lithuania (48 months); 2) related age and gender differences; 3) temporal connection between deaths from IHD and suicide and their relationship to SA and GMA, as was suggested in our previous study in Israel. RESULTS Total deaths from IHD in Lithuania showed a trend towards a link with SA (r = 0.25, p = 0.09) and a highly significant correlation for females (r = 0.37, p = 0.00096) but not for males. Age < 74 showed no correlation with SA or GMA in females, but a negative correlation with SA in males (r = -0.513, p = 0.0002). At age > 74 both females (r = 0.467, p = 0.0006, n = 20763) and males (r = 0.476, p = 0.0006, n = 14682) showed a highly significant correlation with SA and a negative correlation with 1-12 months of the year, with deaths concentrating at the beginning of the year (r = -0.32, p = 0.002). Number of monthly suicide and IHD deaths were negatively related to each other (r = -0.45, p = 0.0014). CONCLUSIONS 1) Around age 70 an increasingly positive relationship between the temporal distribution of deaths from IDH and SA is seen. 2) Gender differences in links to SA are partially a consequence of the higher number of deaths in females from IHD at age > 74.3) Monthly number of suicides is inversely related to number of deaths from IHD.

Are neutrons involved in the pathogenesis of life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias?

Geomagnetic fields protect the earth from the adverse effects of cosmic rays, whose activity can be indirectly measured by monitoring the level of neutrons in the environment. The number and days of discharges from automatic implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICD) in patients with cardiac arrhythmias are inversely correlated with the daily level of geomagnetic activity (GMA). The aim of the present was to determine whether neutron levels on days of AICD discharges are higher than average. Days on which discharges occurred were recorded in 31 patients bearing ICDs for managing ischemic cardiomyopathy. Daily neutron levels obtained from the monitoring data of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow were analyzed using Students t test. The mean (+/-SD) daily neutron level for the 1096-day period was 8299.29 +/- 294.236 imp/min (median 8252), and for days of ACID discharge, 8423.93 +/- 274.187 imp/min (median 8443) (p = 0.0002). The mean neutron activity on days of AICD discharges in response to ventricular disturbances was significantly higher than the mean level over the 1096-day study period. Whether this relation is a direct result of low GMA or due to an independent role of neutrons in the pathogenesis and timing of cardiac arrhythmias is unknown.

Clinical cosmobiology: The Lithuanian study 1990-1992

The numbers of deaths from ischaemic heart disease (IHD), stroke (CVA), all accidents except vehicular, vehicular accidents and suicide (overall total, totals for men and women) per month for 36 months (1990–1992) in Lithuania were analysed in relation to: (1) month of the year (1–12); (2) geomagnetic activity; and (3) solar activity. A total of 122227 deaths (64490 men and 57737 women) was studied, and the results compared with those obtained in an earlier study in Israel, differing geographically and climatically from Lithuania. It was shown that the time of year, solar activity, and geomagnetic activity were related to the monthly death distribution, especially regarding death from IHD and suicide. Age and gender differences were apparent in the relationship between death distribution and physical environmental factors. At age >70 years, many of these relationships change. The monthly distribution of deaths from IHD and suicide are adversely correlated with solar activity and with each other. Differences are presumed in serotoninergic effects as caused by environmental influences.

Congenital heart disease: Correlation with fluctuations in cosmophysical activity, 1995–2005

BACKGROUND Environmental physical activity is known to be associated with many factors of human homeostasis, such as fetal development, birth number, and some genetic abnormalities. This study sought to investigate possible temporal links between the occurrence of congenital heart disease and solar, geomagnetic, and cosmic ray activities. PATIENTS AND METHODS The study sample include 79,085 infants born live at a tertiary medical center in central Israel from 1995 to 2005, of whom 1739 were diagnosed with congenital heart disease, including 309 with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). The number of infants with congenital heart disease (total and excluding PDA) was analyzed against the values of the physical parameters, as derived from international indices, by year of birth and 1 year before and by month of birth and 9 months before. Pearson correlation coefficients and their probabilities were calculated. RESULTS The number of cases of infantile congenital heart disease over the 132-month study period significantly correlated with solar activity (r=0.5, p<0.0001) and with cosmic ray activity (r=-0.45, p<0.0001). On analysis by year, correlations were as follows: with solar activity 1 year before delivery, r=0.71, p=0.014, n=11, and at time of delivery, r=0.66, p=0.026; with cosmic ray activity, 1 year before delivery, r=-0.66, p=0.03, and at time of delivery, r=-0.61, p=0.047, n=11. The levels of correlation and probability were higher for solar activity indices at conception (9 months or 1 year before delivery) than at birth. Significance was maintained when cases of PDA were excluded. CONCLUSION The monthly number of infants born with congenital heart disease is directly correlated with the level of solar activity and inversely correlated with the level of cosmic ray activity during pregnancy, predominantly in the month of conception. The mechanism underlying the possible effect of solar activity on the occurrence of congenital heart disease warrants additional studies.