Current Biotechnological Approaches to the Prevention of Restenosis

No systemic pharmacological treatment has been convincingly shown to reduce the incidence of restenosis after angioplasty in patients. The lack of success of many pharmaceutical agents in reducing restenosis rates post-angioplasty and following stent implantation, as documented in dozens of clinical trials, has encouraged the development of new biotechnological approaches to the treatment of restenosis. Gene therapy and other agents, including antibodies, fusion toxins and ribozymes, have the potential to prevent some of the sequelae after arterial injury, particularly cell proliferation. Mechanical methods of preventing restenosis, for example sophisticated local drug delivery strategies and biodegradable stents using new materials, in combination with novel therapeutic agents or radiation, may also be of use.     

Does Perceived Quality of Care Moderate Postpartum Depression? A Secondary Analysis of a Two-Stage Survey

Maternal and Child Health Journal - The purpose of this study was to examine if women’s perceptions of the quality of hospital care during childbirth moderate their risks for symptoms of...     

Acculturation,Discrimination and 24-h Activity in Asian American Immigrant Women

Asian American immigrant (AAI) women may have suboptimal 24-h activity patterns due to traditional gender role and caregiving responsibilities. However, little is known about their objectively-measured activity. We measured AAI women’s 24-h activity patterns using accelerometry and examined cultural correlates of time in sedentary behavior (SB), light intensity physical activity (LIPA), moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and sleep. Seventy-five AAI women completed surveys on acculturation (years of U.S. residency and English proficiency), discrimination, and sleep quality, and 7 days of wrist- and hip-accelerometer monitoring. Linear regression was conducted controlling for age, BMI, and education. We also compared activity patterns across Asian subgroups (East, Southeast, South Asians). On average, AAI women had 33 min of MVPA, 6.1 h of LIPA, 10 h of SB, and 5.3 h of sleep per day. South Asian women had the longest SB and the shortest sleep and MVPA hours. English proficiency was negatively related to MVPA (p?=?0.03) and LIPA (p?<?0.01). Years of U.S. residency was positively related to SB (p?=?0.07). Discrimination was related to shorter (p?=?0.03) and poorer quality sleep (p?=?0.06). Culturally-tailored programs targeting SB and sleep and integrating coping strategies against discrimination could help optimize AAI women’s 24-h activity patterns.

     

Social–Emotional Profiles of PTSD,Complex PTSD,and Borderline Personality Disorder Among Racially and Ethnically Diverse Young Adults: A Latent Class Analysis

The debate around the construct validity of complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) has begun to examine whether CPTSD diverges from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) when it co‐occurs with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). The present study (a) examined the construct validity of CPTSD through a latent class analysis of a non–treatment‐seeking sample of young trauma‐exposed adults and (b) characterized each class in terms of trauma characteristics, social emotions (e.g., shame, guilt, blame), and interpersonal functioning. A total of 23 dichotomized survey items were chosen to represent the symptoms of PTSD, CPTSD, and BPD and administered to 197 trauma‐exposed participants. Fit statistics compared models with 2–4 latent classes. The four‐class model showed the best fit statistics and clinical interpretability. Classes included a “high PTSD+CPTSD+BPD” class, characterized by high‐level endorsement of all symptoms for the three diagnoses; a “moderate PTSD+CPTSD+BPD” class, characterized by endorsement of some symptoms across all three diagnoses; a “PTSD” class, characterized by endorsement of the ICD‐11 PTSD criteria; and a “healthy” class, characterized by low symptom endorsement overall. Pairwise comparisons showed individuals in the high PTSD+CPTSD+BPD class to have the highest levels of psychological distress, traumatic event history, adverse childhood experiences, and PTSD symptoms. Shame was the only social emotion to significantly differ between the classes, p = .002, η² = .16. The findings diverge from the literature, indicating an overlap of PTSD, CPTSD, and BPD symptoms in a non–treatment‐seeking community sample. Further, shame may be a central emotion that differentiates between presentation severities following trauma exposure.     

Effect of postbariatric maternal weight loss and surgery to conception interval on perinatal outcomes of nulliparous women

BackgroundBariatric surgery is associated with an increased risk of delivering a small neonate. The role of maternal weight loss and surgery to conception interval is unclear.ObjectivesTo investigate the effect of maternal weight loss, as a result of bariatric surgery, and surgery to conception interval on fetal growth and birthweight (BW).SettingInner London Teaching HospitalMethodsWe studied prospectively nulliparous women with previous bariatric surgery. Information on type, time, and presurgery weight was obtained. Surgery-to-conception interval was calculated as the time between surgery and conception, defined as the fourteenth day of the pregnancy dated by first trimester ultrasound scan. In the first trimester, maternal weight was measured. Assessment of maternal weight change between presurgery and first trimester of pregnancy was defined as total weight loss (TWL) (%). Fetal ultrasound scans were performed twice; 30–32 and 35–37 weeks’ gestation and estimated fetal weight (EFW) was calculated. Fetal growth rate was calculated as the ratio of EFW increase (in grams) between 30–32 and 35–37 weeks divided by the time interval (in days) between the 2 examinations. BW was recorded.ResultsThe study included 54 pregnant women, 26 with a restrictive procedure (gastric band or vertical sleeve gastrectomy) and 28 with a gastric bypass. Surgery to conception interval was not a significant predictor of the offspring’s growth. Maternal TWL was a significant predictor of fetal growth rate (P = .04) and predictor of BW (P = .005), even after adjustment for confounders.ConclusionsMaternal weight loss, as a result of bariatric surgery, has an inverse correlation with fetal growth rate and BW.     

Daily,limited access to methamphetamine self-administration during pregnancy leads to increased methamphetamine sensitivity in adult offspring

Methamphetamine use by women, even throughout pregnancy, is common. But there is limited knowledge about the effects in prenatally methamphetamine-exposed children. This study investigated how prenatal methamphetamine exposure in rats, via maternal i.v. self-administration, affected the sensitivity of adult offspring to methamphetamine in comparison with controls. The offspring were generated from dams either self-administering methamphetamine daily under limited-access conditions prior to and throughout pregnancy, or their respective saline-yoked control dams. Spontaneous and methamphetamine-induced locomotor activity was assessed in male and female offspring of both exposure groups after a range of methamphetamine doses. In a separate group of offspring, acquisition of i.v. methamphetamine self-administration, responding under fixed and progressive ratio schedules of methamphetamine reinforcement, and reinstatement of extinguished drug-seeking behavior were assessed. Methamphetamine dose-dependently increased locomotor activity in both exposure groups. However, methamphetamine-exposed males showed significantly enhanced locomotor activity compared with controls at 1 mg/kg, and methamphetamine-exposed females showed significantly enhanced locomotor activity compared with controls at 3.2 mg/kg. Methamphetamine-exposed offspring of both sexes acquired methamphetamine self-administration faster and showed overall higher levels of methamphetamine-induced reinstatement compared with controls. Taken together, these results indicate that prenatal methamphetamine exposure to relatively low levels alters methamphetamine sensitivity in male and female adult offspring.