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Maternal Responses (maternal + response)
Selected AbstractsThe role of autocrine TGF,1 in endothelial cell activation induced by phagocytosis of necrotic trophoblasts: a possible role in the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia,THE JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY, Issue 1 2010Qi Chen Abstract Pre-eclampsia is a disorder of pregnancy characterized by hypertension and endothelial cell dysfunction. The causes of pre-eclampsia are unclear but it is proposed that a factor released from the placenta triggers the maternal symptoms. One possible triggering factor is dead trophoblasts that are shed from the placenta, then deported to become trapped in the maternal pulmonary capillaries. It is hypothesized that trophoblasts die by apoptosis in normal pregnancy, but by necrosis in pre-eclampsia. Deported trophoblasts may be phagocytosed by the pulmonary endothelial cells and we have previously shown that phagocytosis of necrotic trophoblasts leads to the activation of endothelial cells, accompanied by the release of interleukin-6 from these cells. However, the mechanistic pathway linking phagocytosis of necrotic trophoblasts and endothelial cell activation is unknown. Here we show that, after phagocytosis of necrotic, but not apoptotic, trophoblasts, endothelial cells secrete TGF,1. Using recombinant endoglin to inhibit the function of TGF,1 we have shown that the TGF,1 does not directly activate endothelial cells but rather it induces endothelial IL-6 secretion. The IL-6 then induces endothelial cell activation. Inhibiting either TGF,1 or IL-6 prevented endothelial cell activation in response to phagocytosing necrotic trophoblasts, but inhibiting IL-6 did not prevent secretion of TGF,1, confirming the order of signalling. IL-6 also reduced endothelial cell-surface endoglin but increased the amount of soluble endoglin released from placental explants. These interactions between the IL-6 and TGF,1 pathways in both the endothelium and placenta may help to regulate the maternal response to deported trophoblasts in pregnancy. Copyright © 2010 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Motivational systems and the neural circuitry of maternal behavior in the ratDEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2007Michael Numan Abstract Jay Rosenblatt's approach-avoidance model of maternal behavior proposes that maternal behavior occurs when the tendency to approach infant stimuli is greater than the tendency to avoid such stimuli. Our research program has uncovered neural circuits which conform to such a model. We present evidence that the medial preoptic area (MPOA: located in the rostral hypothalamus) may regulate maternal responsiveness by depressing antagonistic neural systems which promote withdrawal responses while also activating appetitive neural systems which increase the attractiveness of infant-related stimuli. These MPOA circuits are activated by the hormonal events of late pregnancy. Preoptic efferents may suppress a central aversion system which includes an amygdala to anterior hypothalamic circuit. Preoptic efferents are also shown to interact with components of the mesolimbic dopamine (DA) system to regulate proactive voluntary maternal responses. We make a distinction between specific (MPOA neurons) and nonspecific motivational systems (mesolimbic DA system) in the regulation of maternal responsiveness. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Dev Psychobiol 49: 12,21, 2007. [source] Korean mothers' psychosocial adjustment to their children's cancerJOURNAL OF ADVANCED NURSING, Issue 5 2003Hae-Ra Han PhD RN Background., During the course of adjustment to their child's illness and medical treatment, parents of children with cancer may experience numerous challenges and difficulties. Although parental adjustment has been a research topic for many years, little research has been conducted among families in different cultures and countries. Aim., To identify factors that influence maternal psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer using a new cultural group: Korean. Methods., A sample of 200 Korean mothers of children with cancer was included in the study. Guided by the double ABCX model of family adjustment and adaptation, a series of variables (i.e. maternal stress, coping, social support and selected illness-related and demographic questions) were examined for their relationships with maternal psychosocial adjustment to childhood cancer. Results., Using a hierarchical multiple regression, we found perceived level of stress, coping, social support, and time since diagnosis to be significant correlates of maternal psychosocial adjustment. Stress accounted for most (50%) of the total variance explained (56%) in maternal adjustment. Conclusion., The results suggest that the stress-coping framework may be appropriate in explaining maternal responses to childhood cancer across cultures. [source] Reproduction-Induced Neuroplasticity: Natural Behavioural and Neuronal Alterations Associated with the Production and Care of OffspringJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 4 2008Craig H. Kinsley As a female transitions into motherhood, many neurobiological adaptations are required to meet the demands presented by her offspring. In addition to the traditional maternal responses (e.g. crouching, nursing, retrieving, grooming), our laboratories have observed several behavioural modifications accompanying parity, especially in the areas of foraging and emotional resilience. Additionally, brain modifications have been observed in the hippocampus and amygdala, providing support for neural plasticity extending beyond the expected hypothalamic alterations. Interestingly, we have observed parenting-induced neuroplasticity to persist into late adulthood, even providing protection against age-related brain and memory deficits. Although the majority of work on the parental brain has been conducted on females, preliminary research suggests similar changes in the biparental male California deer mouse. Taken together, research suggests that the parental brain is dynamic and changeable as it undergoes diverse and, in some cases, long-lasting, modifications to facilitate the production and care of offspring. [source] | ||||||||||