The effects of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress disorder on women and their relationships: a qualitative study

There is converging evidence that 1%-2% of women develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of childbirth. The current study aimed to explore the long-term effects of childbirth-related PTSD on women, their relationship with their partner and their relationship with their child. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with six women who reported clinically significant PTSD after birth, ranging from 7 months to 18 years beforehand. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Childbirth-related PTSD was found to have wide-ranging effects on women and their relationships. Women reported changes in physical well-being, mood and behaviour, social interaction, and fear of childbirth. Women reported negative effects on their relationship with their partner, including sexual dysfunction, disagreements and blame for events of birth. The mother-baby bond was also seriously affected. Nearly all women reported initial feelings of rejection towards the baby but this changed over time. Long-term, women seemed to have either avoidant or anxious attachments with their child. It is concluded that childbirth-related PTSD can have severe and lasting effects on women and their relationships with their partner and children. Further research is needed to compare this to normal difficulties experienced by women after having children

Noncariogenic Sweeteners: Sugar Substitutes for Caries Control

The evidence is clear that the incidence of dental caries is related to the frequency of eating sugar. The use of sugar substitutes is a suggested way of reducing sugar intake. A variety of noncariogenic sweeteners exists, but most have no practical value for caries control because of their technical or safety problems, taste, or cost. Urinary bladder tumorigenic effects have been reported in experimental animals treated with saccharin and cyclamates. Because of concerns for human safety, cyclamates were banned in the U.S., and saccharin use was permitted only by special legislation. The polyalcohols sorbitol and xylitol are important sugar substitutes since they are not efficient substrates for plaque bacteria and therefore produce only minimal plaque pH drop. Aspartame, with its sugar-like taste, is an excellent low-calorie sweetener now used in over 100 products under the name NutraSweet. Consumption of aspartame by normal humans is safe and does not promote tooth decay. Individuals with a need to control their phenylalanine intake should handle aspartame like any other source of phenylalanine

A single-board preprocessor and pulse generator

The Aeronomy Lab. of NOAA has designed and built a single board, programmable radar controller for use with VHF ST (stratosphere troposphere) radars. The controller consists of a coherent integrator preprocessor and a radar pulse generator, both of which are described, as well as interfaces to an antenna beam switch and a receiver bandwidth switch. The controller occupies a single slot in a Data General Nova of Eclipse computer. The integrator and pulse generator take advantage of high density, dual port FIFO chips such as the 512 x 9 Mostek MK 4501. These FIFOs have separate input and output ports and independent read and write cycles with cycle times of less than 200 ns, making them very fast and easy to interface. A simple block diagram of the coherent integrator is shown. The integrator is designed to handle inputs from one receiver (2 channels) with 1 sec sample spacing. The pulse generator is based on controllers designed by R. F. Woodman for the Arecibo and SOUSY radars us a recirculating memory scheme

Coping styles associated with post-traumatic stress and depression symptoms following childbirth in croatian women

Childbirth is a normative event in a woman's life and is considered as a positive event. However, one in three women perceive childbirth as a physical threat to themselves or their new-born and 3% of women develop posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth. Poor coping strategies have been associated with PTSD following childbirth. However, previous studies mainly utilised unidimensional measures of coping strategies, therefore, it remains to be investigated which specific dimensions of coping are more predictive of PTSD after childbirth. The aims of this study were to explore whether women in Croatia report PTSD symptoms following childbirth, and how different coping styles were related to PTSD and depression symptoms. Women (N = 160) who gave birth in the last two years, completed an online questionnaire measuring PTSD symptoms (Impact of Event Scale – IES), postnatal depression symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale – EPDS) and coping styles (Brief Cope). In this sample, 1.9% reported severe PTSD symptoms following childbirth and 21.9% reported depression symptoms. Many women (66.7%) with PTSD symptoms reported depression symptoms. On the other hand, 28.6% of women with depression symptoms also reported PTSD symptoms, showing that there is a higher co-morbidity of PTSD and depression than vice versa. Avoidant coping styles, specifically, denial and self-blame were positively correlated with both PTSD and depression symptoms. Moreover, of avoidant coping styles, behavioural disengagement was positively correlated with PTSD symptoms only, while self-distraction was positively correlated with depression symptoms only. Also, lower levels of planning and higher levels of emotional support were related to higher levels of depression. However, after controlling for postnatal psychopathology symptoms, coping styles were not significant predictors of PTSD symptoms, but self-blame was a significant predictor of depression symptoms. Psychopathological symptoms following childbirth are reported by Croatian women and are related to coping styles. The avoidant coping style, self-blame, is particularly associated with depression symptoms. Future studies should explore predictors of postpartum PTSD in Croatian women in more representative samples during pregnancy and with the follow-up after childbirth. Also, screening for postnatal psychopathological symptoms should be performed both for depression and PTSD symptoms

The role of posttraumatic stress and depression symptoms in mother-infant bonding

Background: There is some evidence posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following childbirth may impact on the mother-infant bond. However, the evidence is inconsistent over whether PTSD or co-morbid depressive symptoms are primarily related to impaired bonding. This study therefore aimed to examine the relationship between PTSD symptoms, depressive symptoms and mother-infant bonding. Methods: A cross-sectional online study included 603 mothers of infants aged 1–12 months. Measures were taken of PTSD (City Birth Trauma Scale, Ayers et al., 2018) which has two subscales of birth-related PTSD symptoms and general PTSD symptoms; depression (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Cox et al., 1987) and mother-infant bonding (Postpartum Bonding Questionnaire, Brockington et al., 2001). Results: Impaired bonding was related to both dimensions of PTSD symptoms and depressive symptoms in bivariate analysis. Path analysis testing the model of whether depressive symptoms mediated the effect of PTSD symptoms on mother-infant bonding found a differential role of birth-related and general PTSD symptoms. Birth-related PTSD symptoms did not have any effect on bonding or depressive symptoms. In contrast, general PTSD symptoms had a direct effect on bonding and an indirect effect on bonding via depressive symptoms. Limitations: Self-report measures of PTSD and depression symptoms were used. Conclusions: Further research regarding different aspects of postpartum PTSD, depression and other disorders in the context of mother-infant bonding are needed. Future preventive programs should focus on diminishing symptoms of postpartum PTSD and depression so that the mother-infant bonding remains optimal

Structural and Kinetics Studies of the Enzyme Dihydropteroate Synthase and the Implications for Antibiotic Resistance

The goal of this study is to develop small molecule inhibitors of DHPS for the treatment of a variety of infectious diseases. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), infectious diseases kill more than 13 million people worldwide every year making it the second leading cause of death behind cardiovascular disease. The sulfonamide class of drugs has been in use since the 1930’s to treat many infectious agents and act by targeting the enzyme dihydropteroate synthase (DHPS) of the prokaryotic and lower eukaryotic folate pathway. DHPS is an ideal drug target because humans do not synthesize folate de novo and is a well validated system. However, the emergence of bacterial resistance has limited the efficacy of sulfonamides, and an increasing trend in drug resistance has heightened the need for development of new therapeutics. Although drug resistance has severely limited the clinical use of sulfonamides, the folate pathway, and DHPS in particular, remain an ideal target for therapeutic development. This is due to the fact that DHPS accommodates two substrates, para-aminobenzoic acid (pABA) and 6-hydroxymethyl-7,8-dihydropterin-pyrophosphate (DHPPP), which bind to separate and distinct regions of the protein. Sulfonamides act by binding the pABA pocket composed largely of dynamic loop regions which fold in upon substrate binding to complete the active site. In contrast, the pterin pocket is a highly conserved, rigid binding site, and is predicted to be more suitable for the development of small molecule inhibitors. Therefore, we propose targeting the pterin binding site as a means of developing novel small molecule inhibitors of DHPS. The advantages of this method are that pterin binds to a distinct region of DHPS separate from the pABA binding site and removed from areas known to accommodate sulfonamide resistance. In addition, it provides a novel approach to exploit a well validated drug target. We hypothesize that pterin-based compounds will provide a new class of antibiotics that will overcome the problems of drug resistance and provide novel therapeutics for a broad spectrum of infectious diseases

Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development: A Theoretical Reflection on Applied Work

This capstone is a “theoretically and experientially informed report” of the work I began as an AmeriCorps VISTA member in August 2021 and now do as Program Director for SEEED (Socially Equal Energy Efficient Development), a small Black-led nonprofit working to address racialized generational poverty in the communities of East Knoxville. The report serves as a record and reflection of my experience doing front-line anti-poverty work, primarily directing the flagship Career Readiness Program (CRP). I begin this report with a short recounting of the history of Knoxville’s urban development through a Black geographies lens and continue with a review of the city’s more recent figures on race, poverty, and community violence to give context to the place in which SEEED works and the people it aims to serve. In Chapter 2 I introduce SEEED and its founding as a response to a very visceral community need, and then dive deeper into how SEEED attempts to operationalize its mission of ‘pathways out of poverty’ for young adults. I describe the Career Readiness Program - an 8-week paid work experience program designed to equip participants (ages 18-24) with the life and job skills that will ensure their success with finding and keeping employment. I go on to explain the organizational logic model SEEED is working to develop through the Community Engagement and Green Construction social enterprises. Finally, Chapter 3 serves as a space to reflect on the work and the constraints that hinder its progress. In analyzing my experience of “doing” applied sociology, I explore two aspects of my experience working at SEEED and the theoretical frameworks I employed to attempt to understand both. First, I use Friere’s model of revolutionary pedagogy to engage with my work designing the Career Readiness Program as we strive to reach and educate at-risk, disillusioned young adults. Then I reflect on the experience of working as an employee of SEEED. I conclude with commentary on the contradictions I encountered doing anti-oppression work within the corporate non-profit environment, employing Haiven and Khasnabish’s “radical imaginaries\u27\u27 (2014) as a potential framing for transformational organizational and social change moving forward

Matrix product states and their uses in quantum chemistry

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Review of \u3cem\u3eSanctuary Cities, Communities, and Organizations\u3c/em\u3e. Melvin Delgado

Melvin Delgado, Sanctuary Cities, Communities, and Organizations. Oxford University Press (2018), 282 pages, $22.41 (hardcover)