Investigating the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health

Background: Mother-child bonding is rooted in the affective relationship between mother and child that is shaped during pregnancy and leads to the mental growth of infants. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health in Ilam. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 mothers in Ilam were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. The demographic characteristics questionnaire, the mother-infant bonding scale, Spielberger anxiety inventory, and edinburgh postnatal depression scale constituted the data collection instruments in this study, which were completed in the eighth to tenth postnatal week. Data were analyzed in SPSS via descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential tests (t tests and ANOVA). Results: The results of this study revealed that the mean and standard deviation of the obtained mother-child bonding scores were 38.48±12.86. Weakened mother-child bonding and risk of child abuse comprised the highest and lowest frequencies, respectively. Mother-child bonding had a statistically significant association with mothers' state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, and these variables affected mother-child bonding (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health, proper screening is required to pursue secondary prevention in pregnant mothers. In addition, it is essential to perform necessary interventions to improve maternal mental health to facilitate better mother-child bonding. © 2018, Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics

Investigating the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health

Background: Mother-child bonding is rooted in the affective relationship between mother and child that is shaped during pregnancy and leads to the mental growth of infants. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health in Ilam. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 300 mothers in Ilam were selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. The demographic characteristics questionnaire, the mother-infant bonding scale, Spielberger anxiety inventory, and edinburgh postnatal depression scale constituted the data collection instruments in this study, which were completed in the eighth to tenth postnatal week. Data were analyzed in SPSS via descriptive statistics (means and standard deviations) and inferential tests (t tests and ANOVA). Results: The results of this study revealed that the mean and standard deviation of the obtained mother-child bonding scores were 38.48±12.86. Weakened mother-child bonding and risk of child abuse comprised the highest and lowest frequencies, respectively. Mother-child bonding had a statistically significant association with mothers' state anxiety, trait anxiety, and depression, and these variables affected mother-child bonding (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Considering the relationship between mother-child bonding and maternal mental health, proper screening is required to pursue secondary prevention in pregnant mothers. In addition, it is essential to perform necessary interventions to improve maternal mental health to facilitate better mother-child bonding. © 2018, Journal of Comprehensive Pediatrics

A practical way to synthesize chiral fluoro-containing polyhydro-2H-chromenes from monoterpenoids

Abstract Conditions enabling the single-step preparative synthesis of chiral 4-fluoropolyhydro-2H-chromenes in good yields through a reaction between monoterpenoid alcohols with para-menthane skeleton and aldehydes were developed for the first time. The BF 3 ·Et 2 O/ H 2 O system is used both as a catalyst and as a fluorine source. The reaction can involve aliphatic aldehydes as well as aromatic aldehydes containing various acceptor and donor substituents. 4-Hydroxyhexahydro-2H-chromenes were demonstrated to be capable of converting to 4-fluorohexahydro-2H-chromenes under the developed conditions, the reaction occurs with inversion of configuration. 64

Synthesis of octahydro-2H-chromen-4-ol from vanillin and isopulegol over acid modified montmorillonite clays: Effect of acidity on the Prins cyclization

Two calcium-rich natural layered aluminosilicates containing 90–95 wt.% montmorillonite were chemically activated using 0.125–3.0 M HCl solutions. Structural and textural properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis and N2-adsorption/desorption analyses. According to infrared spectroscopy using pyridine as probe molecule, the amount of Brønsted acid sites increased when increasing HCl concentration. The catalytic performance of these materials was investigated in the Prins cyclization of (−)-isopulegol with vanillin to form octahydro-2H-chromen-4-ol, carried out in toluene at 35 °C. It was found that the amount of Brønsted acid sites and the microporosity of the catalysts are key factors for the control of the reaction rate and the selectivity towards octahydro-2H-chromen-4-o

A Novel Small Molecule Supports the Survival of Cultured Dopamine Neurons and May Restore the Dopaminergic Innervation of the Brain in the MPTP Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease

We previously showed that monoterpenoid (1R,2R,6S)-3-methyl-6-(prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol 1 alleviates motor manifestations of Parkinson's disease in animal models. In the present study, we designed and synthesized monoepoxides of (1R,2R,6S)-3-methyl-6-(prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol 1 and evaluated their biological activity in the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease. We also assessed the ability of these compounds to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). According to these data, we chose epoxide 4, which potently restored the locomotor activity in MPTP-treated mice and efficiently penetrated the BBB, to further explore its potential mechanism of action. Epoxide 4 was found to robustly promote the survival of cultured dopamine neurons, protect dopamine neurons against toxin-induced degeneration, and trigger the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling cascade in cells of neuronal origin. Meanwhile, neither the survival-promoting effect nor MAPK activation was observed in non-neuronal cells treated with epoxide 4. In the MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease, compound 4 increased the density of dopamine neuron fibers in the striatum, which can highlight its potential to stimulate striatal reinnervation and thus halt disease progression. Taken together, these data indicate that epoxide 4 can be a promising compound for further development, not only as a symptomatic but also as a neuroprotective and neurorestorative drug for Parkinson's disease.Peer reviewe

The genetic background of Southern Iranian couples before marriage

Genetic service for couples plays an increasingly important role in diagnosis and risk management. This study investigated the status of consanguinity and the medical genetic history (effectiveness and coverage of medical genetic services) in couples residing in a city in southern Iran. We questioned couples who were referred to Behbahan Marital Counseling Center, Behbahan, Iran, during the period from January to November 2014, to obtain information on consanguinity, disease history, and previous referral to a medical genetics center. For the collected data was obtained descriptive statistics with STATA 11.0 software. A total of 500 couples were questioned. Mean age was 24.8 ± 5.2 years. Almost one quarter (23.4) of the couples were consanguineous. Consanguinity was almost twice as common in rural areas as in urban areas (33.9 vs. 19.2, p = 0.001). Only a few couples (~3.0) had ever been referred for genetic counseling. The main reason for previous genetic counseling was consanguinity (85.7). The majority of the participants (96.3) had never been tested for any genetic conditions. Our findings suggest that only a small proportion of couples in Khuzestan Province, Iran (Behbahan City) were receiving adequate genetics care. This may reflect the limited accessibility of such services, and inadequate awareness and education among the care providers. © 2016 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

A Newly Identified Monoterpenoid-Based Small Molecule Able to Support the Survival of Primary Cultured Dopamine Neurons and Alleviate MPTP-Induced Toxicity In Vivo

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the most common age-related movement disorder characterized by the progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. To date, PD treatment strategies are mostly based on dopamine replacement medicines, which can alleviate motor symptoms but do not slow down the progression of neurodegeneration. Thus, there is a need for disease-modifying PD therapies. The aim of this work was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of the novel compound PA96 on dopamine neurons in vivo and in vitro, assess its ability to alleviate motor deficits in MPTP- and haloperidol-based PD models, as well as PK profile and BBB penetration. PA96 was synthesized from (1R,2R,6S)-3-methyl-6-(prop-1-en-2-yl) cyclohex-3-ene-1,2-diol (Prottremin) using the original three-step stereoselective procedure. We found that PA96: (1) supported the survival of cultured näive dopamine neurons; (2) supported the survival of MPP+-challenged dopamine neurons in vitro and in vivo; (3) had chemically appropriate properties (synthesis, solubility, etc.); (4) alleviated motor deficits in MPTP- and haloperidol-based models of PD; (5) penetrated the blood–brain barrier in vivo; and (6) was eliminated from the bloodstream relative rapidly. In conclusion, the present article demonstrates the identification of PA96 as a lead compound for the future development of this compound into a clinically used drug

Integrating genetic maps in bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.] and their syntenic relationships among closely related legumes

Background Bambara groundnut [Vigna subterranea (L) Verdc.] is an indigenous legume crop grown mainly in subsistence and small-scale agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa for its nutritious seeds and its tolerance to drought and poor soils. Given that the lack of ex ante sequence is often a bottleneck in marker-assisted crop breeding for minor and underutilised crops, we demonstrate the use of limited genetic information and resources developed within species, but linked to the well characterised common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) genome sequence and the partially annotated closely related species; adzuki bean (Vigna angularis) and mung bean (Vigna radiata). From these comparisons we identify conserved synteny blocks corresponding to the Linkage Groups (LGs) in bambara groundnut genetic maps and evaluate the potential to identify genes in conserved syntenic locations in a sequenced genome that underlie a QTL position in the underutilised crop genome. Results Two individual intraspecific linkage maps consisting of DArTseq markers were constructed in two bambara groundnut (2n = 2x = 22) segregating populations: 1) The genetic map of Population IA was derived from F2 lines (n = 263; IITA686 x Ankpa4) and covered 1,395.2 cM across 11 linkage groups; 2) The genetic map of Population TD was derived from F3 lines (n = 71; Tiga Nicuru x DipC) and covered 1,376.7 cM across 11 linkage groups. A total of 96 DArTseq markers from an initial pool of 142 pre-selected common markers were used. These were not only polymorphic in both populations but also each marker could be located using the unique sequence tag (at selected stringency) onto the common bean, adzuki bean and mung bean genomes, thus allowing the sequenced genomes to be used as an initial ‘pseudo’ physical map for bambara groundnut. A good correspondence was observed at the macro synteny level, particularly to the common bean genome. A test using the QTL location of an agronomic trait in one of the bambara groundnut maps allowed the corresponding flanking positions to be identified in common bean, mung bean and adzuki bean, demonstrating the possibility of identifying potential candidate genes underlying traits of interest through the conserved syntenic physical location of QTL in the well annotated genomes of closely related species. Conclusions The approach of adding pre-selected common markers in both populations before genetic map construction has provided a translational framework for potential identification of candidate genes underlying a QTL of trait of interest in bambara groundnut by linking the positions of known genetic effects within the underutilised species to the physical maps of other well-annotated legume species, without the need for an existing whole genome sequence of the study species. Identifying the conserved synteny between underutilised species without complete genome sequences and the genomes of major crops and model species with genetic and trait data is an important step in the translation of resources and information from major crop and model species into the minor crop species. Such minor crops will be required to play an important role in future agriculture under the effects of climate change

Nomograms of Iranian fetal middle cerebral artery Doppler waveforms and uniformity of their pattern with other populations' nomograms

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Doppler flow velocity waveform analysis of fetal vessels is one of the main methods for evaluating fetus health before labor. Doppler waves of middle cerebral artery (MCA) can predict most of the at risk fetuses in high risk pregnancies. In this study, we tried to obtain normal values and their nomograms during pregnancy for Doppler flow velocity indices of MCA in 20 – 40 weeks of normal pregnancies in Iranian population and compare their pattern with other countries' nomograms.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>During present descriptive cross-sectional study, 1037 normal pregnant women with 20^th–40^thweek gestational age were underwent MCA Doppler study. All cases were studied by gray scale ultrasonography initially and Doppler of MCA afterward. Resistive Index (RI), Pulsative Index (PI), Systolic/Diastolic ratio (S/D ratio), and Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV) values of MCA were determined for all of the subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results of present study showed that RI, PI, S/D ratio values of MCA decreased with parabolic pattern and PSV value increased with simple pattern, as gestational age progressed. These changes were statistically significant (P = 0.000 for all of indices) and more characteristic during late weeks of pregnancy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Values of RI, PI and S/D ratio indices reduced toward the end of pregnancy, but PSV increased. Despite the trivial difference, nomograms of various Doppler indices in present study have similar pattern with other studies.</p