202 research outputs found
Improving cardiometabolic and mental health in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their offspring: study protocol for <i>MySweetHeart Trial</i>, a randomised controlled trial.
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) carries prenatal and perinatal risk for the mother and her offspring as well as longer-term risks for both the mother (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease) and her child (obesity, type 2 diabetes). Compared with women without GDM, women with GDM are twice as likely to develop perinatal or postpartum depression. Lifestyle interventions for GDM are generally limited to physical activity and/or nutrition, often focus separately on the mother or the child and take place either during or after pregnancy, while their results are inconsistent. To increase efficacy of intervention, the multifactorial origins of GDM and the tight link between mental and metabolic as well as maternal and child health need to be heeded. This calls for an interdisciplinary transgenerational approach starting in, but continuing beyond pregnancy.
This randomised controlled trial will assess the effect of a multidimensional interdisciplinary lifestyle and psychosocial intervention aimed at improving the metabolic and mental health of 200 women with GDM and their offspring. Women with GDM at 24-32 weeks gestational age who understand French or English, and their offspring and partners can participate. The intervention components will be delivered on top of usual care during pregnancy and the first year postpartum. Metabolic and mental health outcomes will be measured at 24-32 weeks of pregnancy, shortly after birth and at 6-8 weeks and 1 year after childbirth. Data will be analysed using intention-to-treat analyses. The <i>MySweetHeart Trial</i> is linked to the <i>MySweetHeart Cohort</i> (clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02872974).
We will disseminate the findings through regional, national and international conferences and through peer-reviewed journals.
NCT02890693; Pre-results
The Lausanne Infant Crying Stress Paradigm: Validation of an Early Postpartum Stress Paradigm with Women at Low vs. High Risk of Childbirth-Related Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.
Stress reactivity is typically investigated in laboratory settings, which is inadequate for mothers in maternity settings. This study aimed at validating the Lausanne Infant Crying Stress Paradigm (LICSP) as a new psychosocial stress paradigm eliciting psychophysiological stress reactivity in early postpartum mothers (n = 52) and to compare stress reactivity in women at low (n = 28) vs. high risk (n = 24) of childbirth-related posttraumatic stress disorder (CB-PTSD). Stress reactivity was assessed at pre-, peri-, and post-stress levels through salivary cortisol, heart rate variability (high-frequency (HF) power, low-frequency (LF) power, and LF/HF ratio), and perceived stress via a visual analog scale. Significant time effects were observed for all stress reactivity outcomes in the total sample (all p < 0.01). When adjusting for perceived life threat for the infant during childbirth, high-risk mothers reported higher perceived stress (p < 0.001, d = 0.91) and had lower salivary cortisol release (p = 0.023, d = 0.53), lower LF/HF ratio (p < 0.001, d = 0.93), and marginally higher HF power (p = 0.07, d = 0.53) than low-risk women. In conclusion, the LICSP induces subjective stress and autonomic nervous system (ANS) reactivity in maternity settings. High-risk mothers showed higher perceived stress and altered ANS and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal reactivity when adjusting for infant life threat. Ultimately, the LICSP could stimulate (CB-)PTSD research
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Swiss pregnant and breastfeeding women - a cross-sectional study covering the first pandemic wave.
Information on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnancy and breastfeeding experiences, as well as on perinatal mental health in Switzerland is limited. In Switzerland, there are few national studies and little information. Using an anonymous online survey accessible after the first wave of the outbreak in Switzerland, we have investigated how this pandemic affected pregnant and breastfeeding women. Among women who completed the survey, 69.0% (1050/1518) indicated the first wave of the pandemic affected their personal habits, 61.0% (689/1131) were affected in their work and 40.0% (632/1573) reported impaired relations with healthcare services (different denominators correspond to the number of participants who answered the question). 36.8% (110/299) of women reported an impact of the pandemic on their current pregnancy experience or breastfeeding experience (8.2%, 46/555). Overall, 11.6% (170/1467) of participants who completed the validated screening tests for mental health symptoms (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7, Perceived Stress Scale) presented a score compatible with symptoms of major depression, severe anxiety or high perceived stress, which is higher than in the pre-pandemic period according to literature. Risk factors independently associated with impaired mental health were being hospitalized, having symptoms of COVID-19, living with a person with COVID-19 symptoms, having comorbidities, having experienced reduced healthcare services, having restricted usual activities and being a housewife. Protective factors independently associated were a high level of education and living with a partner. Our findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic might have significantly affected the well-being and mental health of pregnant and breastfeeding women, directly in the case of exposure, and indirectly as a result of the potential modifications in their life habits and in healthcare facilities
One-Dimensional S=1 Spin-Orbital Model with Uniaxial Single-Ion Anisotropy
We investigate ground-state properties of a one-dimensional S=1 spin-orbital
model with or without uniaxial single-ion anisotropy. By means of the density
matrix renormalization group method, we compute the ground-state energy, the
magnetization curves and the correlation functions. We discuss how the
ground-state properties depend on the two exchange couplings for orbital and
spin sectors. The phase diagram obtained is compared with that for the S=1/2
model. We also address the effect of uniaxial single-ion anisotropy.Comment: 7 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
Manganites at Quarter Filling: Role of Jahn-Teller Interactions
We have analyzed different correlation functions in a realistic spin-orbital
model for half-doped manganites. Using a finite-temperature diagonalization
technique the CE phase was found in the charge-ordered phase in the case of
small antiferromagnetic interactions between electrons. It is shown
that a key ingredient responsible for stabilization of the CE-type spin and
orbital-ordered state is the cooperative Jahn-Teller (JT) interaction between
next-nearest Mn neighbors mediated by the breathing mode distortion of
Mn octahedra and displacements of Mn ions. The topological phase
factor in the Mn-Mn hopping leading to gap formation in one-dimensional models
for the CE phase as well as the nearest neighbor JT coupling are not able to
produce the zigzag chains typical for the CE phase in our model.Comment: 16 pages with 16 figures, contains a more detailed parameter estimate
based on the structural data by Radaelli et al. (accepted for publication in
Phys. Rev. B
Optical spectroscopic study of the interplay of spin and charge in NaV2O5
We investigate the temperature dependent optical properties of NaV2O5, in the
energy range 4meV-4eV. The symmetry of the system is discussed on the basis of
infrared phonon spectra. By analyzing the optically allowed phonons at
temperatures below and above the phase transition, we conclude that a
second-order change to a larger unit cell takes place below 34 K, with a
fluctuation regime extending over a broad temperature range. In the high
temperature undistorted phase, we find good agreement with the recently
proposed centrosymmetric space group Pmmn. On the other hand, the detailed
analysis of the electronic excitations detected in the optical conductivity,
provides direct evidence for a charge disproportionated electronic
ground-state, at least on a locale scale: A consistent interpretation of both
structural and optical conductivity data requires an asymmetrical charge
distribution on each rung, without any long range order. We show that, because
of the locally broken symmetry, spin-flip excitations carry a finite electric
dipole moment, which is responsible for the detection of direct two-magnon
optical absorption processes for E parallel to the a axis. The charged-magnon
model, developed to interpret the optical conductivity of NaV2O5, is described
in detail, and its relevance to other strongly correlated electron systems,
where the interplay of spin and charge plays a crucial role in determining the
low energy electrodynamics, is discussed.Comment: Revtex, 19 pages, 16 postscript pictures embedded in the text,
submitted to PRB. Find more stuff at
http://www.stanford.edu/~damascel/andreaphd.html or
http://www.ub.rug.nl/eldoc/dis/science/a.damascelli
One-dimensional dynamics of the d-electrons in -NaVO
We have studied the electronic properties of the ladder compound
-NaVO, adopting a joint experimental and theoretical
approach. The momentum-dependent loss function was measured using electron
energy-loss spectroscopy in transmission. The optical conductivity derived from
the loss function by a Kramers-Kronig analysis agrees well with our results
from LSDA+U band-structure calculations upon application of an
antiferromagnetic alignment of the V~3 spins along the legs and an
on-site Coulomb interaction U of between 2 and 3 eV. The decomposition of the
calculated optical conductivity into contributions from transitions between
selected energy regions of the DOS reveals the origin of the observed
anisotropy of the optical conductivity. In addition, we have investigated the
plasmon excitations related to transitions between the vanadium states within
an effective 16 site vanadium cluster model. Good agreement between the
theoretical and experimental loss function was obtained using the hopping
parameters derived from the tight binding fit to the band-structure and
moderate Coulomb interactions between the electrons within the ab plane.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures; submitted to PR
Tomato: a crop species amenable to improvement by cellular and molecular methods
Tomato is a crop plant with a relatively small DNA content per haploid genome and a well developed genetics. Plant regeneration from explants and protoplasts is feasable which led to the development of efficient transformation procedures.
In view of the current data, the isolation of useful mutants at the cellular level probably will be of limited value in the genetic improvement of tomato. Protoplast fusion may lead to novel combinations of organelle and nuclear DNA (cybrids), whereas this technique also provides a means of introducing genetic information from alien species into tomato. Important developments have come from molecular approaches. Following the construction of an RFLP map, these RFLP markers can be used in tomato to tag quantitative traits bred in from related species. Both RFLP's and transposons are in the process of being used to clone desired genes for which no gene products are known. Cloned genes can be introduced and potentially improve specific properties of tomato especially those controlled by single genes. Recent results suggest that, in principle, phenotypic mutants can be created for cloned and characterized genes and will prove their value in further improving the cultivated tomato.
Construction of plant transformation vectors carrying beet necrotic yellow vein virus coat protein gene (ii)- plant transformation
Fragments containing the coat protein gene of beet necrotic yellow vein virus were cloned in two plant transformation vectors: pCAMBIA3301M with the bar gene as selectable marker, and pCAMBIA1304M, with resistance to hygromycin. Three constructs were made of each vector: CPL, containing coat protein gene with leader sequence; CPS with coat protein gene, and CPSas with coat protein gene in antisense orientation. Vectors pC3301MCPL, pC3301MCPS. and pC3301MCPSas were used in Agrobacterium—mediated transformation of Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco), Nicotiana excelsior and Nicotiana benthamiana. Regenerants that developed roots on selective media were tested for the presence of CP fragments and the bar gene, but most regenerants were nontransformed (50-83% escapes). After all rooted plants had been selfed, and T1 seed germinated on selective media, only plants descending from one N. excelsior regenerant transformed with pC3301MCPS were positive for presence of bar gene and CPS fragment. Tobacco and Nicotiana benthamiana were transformed with constructs pC1304MCPS and pC1304MCPSas. Transformation efficiency was much higher and approximately 50% of regenerants that rooted on media with 20 mg l−1 hygromycin were positive for the presence of CP fragments. All T1 plants were positive for presence of CP fragments
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