The prenatal environment may program health and disease susceptibility via epigenetic mechanisms. We evaluated associations of maternal trimester-specific intake of micronutrients with global DNA methylation (%5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylation (%5hmC) at birth in cord blood and tested for persistence into childhood. We quantified global %5mC and %5hmC in cord blood cells (n = 434) and in leukocytes collected in early (n = 108) and mid-childhood (n = 390) from children in Project Viva, a pre-birth cohort from Boston, MA. Validated food frequency questionnaires estimated maternal first- and second-trimester intakes of vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, betaine, choline, methionine, iron, and zinc. Mean (SD) cord blood %5mC and %5hmC was 5.62% (2.04) and 0.25% (0.15), respectively. Each μg increase in first-trimester B12 intake was associated with 0.002 lower %5hmC in cord blood (95% CI: −0.005, −0.0003), and this association persisted in early childhood (β = −0.007; 95% CI: −0.01, −0.001) but not mid-childhood. Second-trimester iron (mg) was associated with 0.01 lower %5mC (95% CI: −0.02, −0.002) and 0.001 lower %5hmC (95% CI: −0.01, −0.00001) in cord blood only. Increased second-trimester zinc (mg) intake was associated with 0.003 greater %5hmC in early childhood (β = 0.003; 95% CI: 0.0004, 0.006). Second-trimester folate was positively associated with %5hmC in early childhood only (β = 0.08, 95% CI: 0.003, 0.16). Associations did not survive multiple testing adjustment; future replication is needed. Trimester-specific nutrients may impact various sensitive windows of epigenetic programming some with lasting effects in childhood. Further research is needed to understand the role of gene-specific epigenetic changes and how global DNA methylation measures relate to child health.

Depressive symptoms are diagnosed by physicians using scales but their pathophysiology is unclear. Low serotonin (5–HT) levels play an important role in depression, and the 5–HT transporter (5–HTT) is an important regulator of plasma serotonin levels and reuptake. Additionally, the 5–HTT gene-linked polymorphic region (5–HTTLPR) is associated with depression. The aim was to clarify the roles of plasma serotonin levels in plasma and the 5HTTPLR polymorphism in depressive symptoms in older adults. A total of 84 older adult participants were evaluated. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale of 20 items (CESD–20). The plasma serotonin levels were determined by ELISA, and the 5–HTTLPR genotype was analyzed by PCR. Depressive symptoms were present in 39.3% (N = 33) of the participants. The median plasma serotonin level was 204.34 ng/mL (SD = 93.88). A significant correlation was found between the CESD–20 scale and plasma serotonin levels (r = –.256; p = .019). Low serotonin levels were associated with the presence of depressive symptoms (p = .001). The 5–HTTLPR analysis showed that of the 84 older adults, 35.7% had the SS genotype, 10.7% had the LL genotype, and 53.6% were heterozygous. The 5–HTTLPR polymorphism was not associated with depressive symptoms (p = .587) and plasma serotonin levels (p = 0.391). Depressive symptoms correlate with low serotonin levels in plasma, but not with the 5–HTTLPR polymorphism in older Mexican adults.

Glaciological data collected at Patriot Hills, Antarctica (80°18'S, 81°22'W), are used to assess the local mass balance of the ice sheet. The data were collected during two field campaigns conducted by the Instituto Antartico Chileno in January and November 1995. Measurements included surveying of stakes, and ice thickness derived from discrete radar soundings with a ground-based high-frequency impulse system.

Ablation occurred on the bare-ice field at the base of Patriot Hills, with a maximum value of 7g cm −2a−1. Net accumulation was detected away from the mountains, over the firn-covered area of the glacier, with a maximum rate of 10 g cm 2 a−1 Ice thickens rapidly away from the mountains, reaching a thickness of 383 m, the maximum range of the radar system, near the center of the blue-ice field. No significant difference in surface elevation of the ice was detected over the 305 d period, which indicates that the ice is in near-equilibrium at Patriot Hills.

Occupying the upper levels of trophic webs and thus regulating prey at lower levels, sharks play an important role in the trophic structure and energy dynamics of marine ecosystems. In recent years, the removal of these individuals from upper trophic levels as a result of overfishing has negatively affected ecosystems. We analysed the diet of blue sharks (Prionace glauca) caught off the west coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico, during the months of February–June in 2001, 2005 and 2006. We employed both stomach content and stable isotope analyses as each method provides distinct yet important information regarding the role of blue sharks in marine food webs, allowing us to estimate the relative contribution of different prey items to this predator's diet. Of the 368 stomachs analysed, 210 contained food (57%) and 158 (43%) were empty. Based on stomach contents and the index of relative importance (IRI), the pelagic red crab (Pleuroncodes planipes) was the most important prey, followed by the squids Gonatus californiensis (34.1%) and Ancistrocheirus lesueurii (10.4%). The mean (±SD) values for δ15N (16.48 ± 0.94‰) and δ13C (−18.48 ± 0.63‰) suggest that blue sharks prefer feeding in oceanic waters. The trophic level based on stomach content analysis was 4.05, while that based on the stable isotope analysis was 3.8, making blue sharks top consumers in the marine ecosystem of Baja California Sur, Mexico.

The sailfish Istiophorus platypterus is one of the most common billfish species in the Mexican Pacific. Information about its feeding habits in the coastal region of Acapulco, Guerrero is extremely limited. In the present study we quantified the diet of sailfish, based on captures made from March 2008 to December 2009 by the sport fishing fleet of Acapulco. We analysed a total of 561 stomachs, of which 254 contained food (45%). The size interval of examined specimens was between 101 and 212 cm postorbital length and between 15 and 47 kg total weight. In general, teleosts were the most important prey, followed by cephalopods. According to index of relative importance, the most important species in the diet were the fish Auxis thazard (63.04%) and Fistularia commersonii (6.62%), followed by the cephalopod Octopus spp. (4.58%). There were no significant differences in the diet by sex (males and females), sexual maturity (immature and mature), or by season (warm and cold seasons). In all cases the most important prey species was A. thazard. We conclude that the sailfish I. platypterus off Acapulco behaves as a specialist predator because, despite the consumption of a high number of prey items, it feeds preferentially on a reduced number of prey species that form schools, and are available and abundant in the ocean.

The stomach contents of 50 Cortez damselfish Stegastes rectifraenum captured at Los Frailes, Baja California Sur, Mexico were analysed to describe their diet. According to our results, S. rectifraenum is an omnivorous species with a preference for certain prey; invertebrates (benthic copepods) and algae (Bryopsis spp. and Ectocarpus spp.). Other animal components (Cerithium spp. and Olivella spp.) can also be found in their diet. No differences were observed between genders (analysis of similarity (ANOSIM), R = 0.002, P = 0.001) or among seasons (ANOSIM, R = 0.046, P = 0.001), therefore their food can be available all year at the rocky reef at Los Frailes.