Does abortion reduce self-esteem and life satisfaction?

PurposeThis study aims to assess the effects of obtaining an abortion versus being denied an abortion on self-esteem and life satisfaction.MethodsWe present the first 2.5 years of a 5-year longitudinal telephone-interview study that follows 956 women who sought an abortion from 30 facilities across the USA. We examine the self-esteem and life satisfaction trajectories of women who sought and received abortions just under the facility's gestational age limit, of women who sought and received abortions in their first trimester of pregnancy, and of women who sought abortions just beyond the facility gestational limit and were denied an abortion. We use adjusted mixed effects linear regression analyses to assess whether the trajectories of women who sought and obtained an abortion differ from those who were denied one.ResultsWomen denied an abortion initially reported lower self-esteem and life satisfaction than women who sought and obtained an abortion. For all study groups, except those who obtained first trimester abortions, self-esteem and life satisfaction improved over time. The initially lower levels of self-esteem and life satisfaction among women denied an abortion improved more rapidly reaching similar levels as those obtaining abortions at 6 months to one year after abortion seeking. For women obtaining first trimester abortions, initially higher levels of life satisfaction remained steady over time.ConclusionsThere is no evidence that abortion harms women's self-esteem or life satisfaction in the short term

Constructing and Implementing a Summer Wellness Curriculum: Bridging the Gaps at YES

Introduction: Youth experiencing homelessness lack learning experiences during the summer months, potentially leading to delinquent activities and hazardous situations. The project created and implemented a summer wellness curriculum at Youth Emergency Service (YES) that aimed to identify gaps in and educate the youth on various health and wellness topics. Daily exercise actively promoted physical wellbeing. Methods: The curriculum aimed at a mixed group of adolescents facing homelessness integrated various educational and/or physical activities with wellness activities by YES staff and Title I programming. Activity description, cost, location, time and date, and number of attendees were recorded in a logbook. Qualitative analysis described reception of the activities and was compared to cost and number of attendees. Title I programming, YES wellness activities, field trips, and activities after 7/26 were not included in analysis. Results: The most attended activities with greatest apparent interest cost money (Power of Words, Tie-Dye, and Skyzone) or supplied a monetary incentive (Haven House). 16 youth learned about HIV and participated in HIV testing. The most successful inclusive free activities were yoga, cooking, and water balloon games, as both males and females participated and were consistently engaged throughout; males predominated attendance of other physical activities. Creating the Heart Smart poster and vision boards were the least popular. Conclusion: Youth at YES tended to be motivated by special activities or monetary incentives; more of these activities should be incorporated into future programming. Individualized input from female youth should be utilized to elicit greater participation during physical activities next year

Demyelination and axonal preservation in a transgenic mouse model of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease

It is widely thought that demyelination contributes to the degeneration of axons and, in combination with acute inflammatory injury, is responsible for progressive axonal loss and persistent clinical disability in inflammatory demyelinating disease. In this study we sought to characterize the relationship between demyelination, inflammation and axonal transport changes using a Plp1-transgenic mouse model of Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease. In the optic pathway of this non-immune mediated model of demyelination, myelin loss progresses from the optic nerve head towards the brain, over a period of months. Axonal transport is functionally perturbed at sites associated with local inflammation and 'damaged' myelin. Surprisingly, where demyelination is complete, naked axons appear well preserved despite a significant reduction of axonal transport. Our results suggest that neuroinflammation and/or oligodendrocyte dysfunction are more deleterious for axonal health than demyelination per se, at least in the short ter

"It Depends on What They Experience in Each Health Facility. Some Are Satisfied, Others Are Not." A MixedMethods Exploration of Health Workers' Attitudes Towards Performance-Based Financing in Burkina Faso.

BACKGROUND: Evidence emerging from qualitative studies suggests the existence of substantial variation in how health workers experience performance-based financing (PBF) within the same setting. To date, however, no study has quantified or systematically explored this within-setting heterogeneity. Considering that differences in health workers' affective reactions to PBF likely constitute an important element mediating the effectiveness of PBF in improving health service delivery, systematic and tangible information will be highly valuable to policy-makers and program managers who aim to maximize positive impacts of PBF. Our study aimed at contributing to filling this gap in knowledge by quantifying health workers' knowledge of, satisfaction with, and perceptions of PBF in Burkina Faso, and exploring factors associated with heterogeneity therein. METHODS: The study employed a post-intervention cross-sectional explanatory mixed methods study design with a dominant quantitative component - a structured survey to a total of 1314 health workers from 396 intervention health facilities - and a small and focused qualitative component - key informant interviews with 5 program managers - to triangulate and further elucidate the quantitative findings. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively as well as using 3-level mixed-effects models. Qualitative data were analyzed in a largely deductive process along the quantitative variables and results. RESULTS: Health workers were on average moderately satisfied with PBF overall, with a slight tendency towards the positive and large variation between individuals. Two-thirds of health workers did not have adequate basic knowledge of key PBF elements. Perceived fairness of the performance evaluation process, of the bonus distribution process, and satisfaction with the individual financial bonuses varied dramatically between respondents. Factors associated with heterogeneity in knowledge, satisfaction, and fairness perceptions included responsibility at the facility, general work attitudes, management factors, and training in and length of exposure to PBF. CONCLUSION: Findings imply that investments into staff training on PBF and manager training on organizational change processes might be beneficial to positive staff attitudes towards PBF, which in turn would likely contribute to improving the effectiveness of PBF

Amnion cells engineering: A new perspective in fetal membrane healing after intrauterine surgery?

In this study we aimed to set up an in vitro culture of the rabbit amnion in order to support in vivo fetal membrane healing capacity following fetoscopy. Fetal membranes were collected from a mid- gestational rabbit, and cultured on collagen support material for 14 days. 34 rabbits at 22 - 23 days gestational age ( GA) underwent fetoscopy. The entry site was randomly allocated to 4 closure technique study groups: group I, human amnion membrane ( n = 23); group II, collagen foil ( n = 16); group III, collagen plug ( n = 19), and group IV, collagen plug with cultured amnion cells ( n = 19). In all groups membrane access sites were additionally sealed with fibrin sealant, and the myometrium was closed with sutures. Fetal survival, amnion membrane integrity, and the presence of amniotic fluid were evaluated at 30 days GA. Cultures showed good survival in the collagen support material. Increased cellularity, survival and proliferations were observed. The amnion at the access site resealed in 58 - 64% of cases in groups II - IV, but none of the tested techniques was significantly better than the other. Histological examination indirectly revealed the anatomic repair of the membranes, since no entrapment of the membranes could be demonstrated in the myometrial wound. Copyright (c) 2006 S. Karger AG, Basel

Regulation of stanniocalcin-1 secretion by BeWo cells and first trimester human placental tissue from normal pregnancies and those at increased risk of developing preeclampsia.

Stanniocalcin-1 (STC-1) is a multi-functional glycosylated peptide present in the plasma of healthy women postpartum and increased further in pregnancies complicated by preeclampsia. Although the STC-1 gene is expressed by the placenta what regulates its secretion and from which cells at the feto-maternal interface is unknown. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that the syncytiotrophoblast and cytotrophoblast are a major site of STC-1 protein expression in first trimester placental tissue. Further, in response to low oxygen, first trimester chorionic villous tissue from pregnancies at increased risk of developing preeclampsia secreted significantly more STC-1 than normal tissue under the same conditions. Using the human trophoblast cell line BeWo we have shown that low oxygen increased the secretion of STC-1 but it required co-stimulation with the Adenosine-3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) analogue, 8-Bromo adenosine-3', 5'-cyclic monophosphate cAMP (8 Br-cAMP) to reach significance. Inhibition of Hypoxia inducible factor 2α (HIF-2α) and the Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase (PI3 -Kinase)/AKT/Serum and glucocorticoid-induced kinase-1(SGK-1) pathway resulted in significant inhibition of STC-1 secretion. As both low oxygen and cAMP are known to play a central role in placental function, their regulation of STC-1 points to a potentially important role in the maintenance of a normal healthy pregnancy and we would hypothesize that it may act to protect against prolonged placental hypoxia seen in preeclampsia

WAAA!

40 million unattended births, 2.8 million neonatel deaths with 1 million babies dying on the day they are born due to inadequate care and scarce human resources. The aims of WAAA! are in tune with the WHO and Unicef’s Every New Born Vision (2015 and the new sustainable development goal- 3.1: preventing avoidable newborn deaths. WAAA! (Wearable, Anytime, Anywhere, APGAR) comprises of APGAR education, a celleluar gateway and a 9 wearable. The Apgar scale is universal tool used to assess neonatal vital signs: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity & Respiratory. The system monitors newborns by proxy and when they are at most risk: the first minute, the first hour, the first day of life. Dangerous respiratory and pulse levels triggers the gateway box to send a SMS text alert to village health teams to activate an emergency response. WAAA has the capability to collect birth registration data and monitor regional neonatal trends/ initiatives for 0.32 per birth

O lineamento transbrasiliano na Bacia do Paraná : compartimentação crustal do embasamento e reativações fanerozóicas

Tese (doutorado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Geociências, 2015.A Plataforma Sul Americana inclui dois importantes componentes geológicos de escala continental e com raízes estruturais em comum: o Lineamento Transbrasiliano (LTB) e a Bacia do Paraná. Importante relação entre os dois ocorre na região entre o Arco Magmático de Goiás e a Faixa Paraguai, que impõem particularidades estruturais obscurecidas pela cobertura sedimentar da Bacia do Paraná. A área, alvo desse estudo, é recoberta por dados aerogeofísicos, magnéticos e gravimétricos, adquiridos com diferentes resoluções. Sua integração permitiu gerar mapas de anomalias magnéticas e anomalias Bouguer, este incluindo dados terrestres.Técnicas de processamento e modelagem geofísica foram utilizadas com objetivo de esclarecer a disposição de compartimentos crustais e estruturas do embasamento da bacia em diferentes níveis de profundidade. Três grandes descontinuidades magnéticas do LTB limitam compartimentos crustais na área, de leste para oeste: lineamentos Serra Negra, Baliza e General Carneiro, com direções gerais N30°E, N60°E e N70°E, respectivamente, que separam mudanças significativas no background gravimétrico, ainda subdividido por lineamento adicional N50°W, São Vicente. Análise de lineamentos de 1ª, 2ª e 3ª ordens aponta a predominância de orientações NE, interpretadas como originalmente brasilianas e reativadas no Jurássico-Cretáceo, e direções NW, bem marcadas nas unidades sedimentares da bacia e com caráter distensivo, atribuído a reativação mesozóica. Análise do matched-filter aplicada a dados magnéticos e gravimétricos, com suporte da deconvolução de Euler e tilt-depth, aponta estimativas de profundidades importantes: (i) 2,5 km, relacionado ao topo do embasamento da Bacia do Paraná; (ii) 6 km, atribuído ao topo do embasamento da bacia neoproterozóica (Grupo Cuiabá); (iii) 20 km, possivelmente associado à interface crosta superior/inferior; e (iv) 33-39 e 43 km, relativos às espessuras crustais a oeste e sudeste do lineamento Serra Negra, respectivamente. A crosta a leste é formada pelo o Arco Magmático de Arenópolis e o limite noroeste do Bloco Paranapanema e a oeste é constituída por zona de transição crustal e o paleocontinente Amazônico. A modelagem geofísica conjunta 2D com dados gravimétricos e magnéticos esclarece a geometria assimétrica do embasamento da bacia, configurando pelo menos três meiográbens formados ao longo de estruturas reativadas do LTB. A região entre os lineamentos Serra Negra e General Carneiro caracteriza-se por menor espessura e maior fraqueza crustal, onde importantes estruturas se desenvolveram no Mesozóico: desde reativações com direção NW, vinculadas a soerguimento crustal e à implantação de pequenas bacias cretáceas alinhadas a NE. Dois depocentros importantes ocorrem: a norte do lineamento General Carneiro, com direção N70°E, e a leste da falha Serra Negra, com direção N30°E – NS.The South American Platform includes two major geological components of continental scale with common structural roots: the Transbrasiliano Lineament (LTB) and the Paraná Basin. An important relationship between the two is observed in the region between the Goiás Magmatic Arc and the Paraguay Belt, which impose structural features concealed by the sedimentary cover of the Paraná Basin. This region comprises our study area, and is covered by airborne magnetic and gravity surveys, acquired with different resolutions. These data were integrated to generate maps of magnetic and Bouguer anomalies, the latter included ground data. Data processing and geophysical modeling techniques were used in order to reveal the disposition of crustal compartments and the basin basement structures at different depths. Three large magnetic discontinuities limit crustal compartments in the area, from east to west: Serra Negra, Baliza and General Carneiro lineaments, with N30°E, N60°E and N70°E trending alignments, respectively, which separate significant changes in the gravity background, still subdivided by the additional Sao Vicente lineament, N50°W. Analyses of 1st, 2nd and 3rd order lineaments indicate predominance of NE trending directions, which were interpreted as Brasiliano structures, reactivated in the Jurassic-Cretaceous. NW directions, well-marked in the sedimentary units of the basin and with extensional character, were attributed to Mesozoic reactivation. Matched-filter analysis applied to magnetic and gravity data, supported by the Euler deconvolution and tiltdepth, yielded important depths estimates: (i) 2.5 km to the top of the Paraná Basin basement; (ii) 6 km to the top of the Neoproterozoic Basin basement (Cuiabá Group); (iii) 20 km, possibly associated with the upper/lower crust interface; and (iv) 33-39 and 43 km related to crustal thicknesses west and southeast of the Serra Negra lineament, respectively. To the east, the crust is formed by the Arenópolis Magmatic Arc and the northwest boundary of Paranapanema Block, while to the west it consists of a crustal transition zone and the Amazon paleocontinent. The 2D geophysical modeling based on gravity and magnetic data sheds light on the asymmetric geometry of the basement of the basin, with at least three half-grabens formed by LTB reactivated structures. The region between the Serra Negra and General Carneiro lineaments is characterized by thinner crust and higher crustal weakness, where important structures have developed in the Mesozoic, including NW trending reactivations, linked to crustal uplift and deployment of small NE-aligned Cretaceous basins. Important depocenters occur: the first, to the north of General Carneiro lineament, and the second, to the east of the Serra Negra fault, with N70ºE and N30°E – NS trending directions, respectively