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PubMedDate not supplied

Administration of long-term estradiol and progesterone followed by progesterone withdrawal does not alter the plasma oxytocin secretory response to cholecystokinin or the pituitary oxytocin content in ovariectomized rats.

The hormone oxytocin (OT) is important for several pre- and postpartum events, including uterine contractions at parturition, the induction of maternal behavior, and milk ejection during nursing. During late pregnancy, OT mRNA is increased in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) due to high estrogen and declining progesterone levels. Administration of sequential estrogen and progesterone to, followed by withdrawal of progesterone from, an ovariectomized rat also increases OT mRNA. However, pituitary OT peptide is not affected. In the present experiment, we determined if this steroid exposure alters peripheral OT secretion during a provocative stimulus to OT release, such as cholecystokinin (CCK). Adult ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted on day 1 with either estrogen or empty silastic capsules, on day 3 with progesterone or empty capsules, and on day 14 progesterone or empty capsules were removed. Forty-eight hrs after removal of the progesterone capsules, plasma OT was measured before and after i.v. injection of 10 micrograms/kg of CCK. At the completion of the study, pituitary glands were removed and OT peptide was measured. No significant differences were found between the sham and hormone-treated animals either in their basal or CCK-stimulated plasma OT levels or their pituitary content of OT peptide. Although sequential exposure to estradiol and progesterone followed by withdrawal of progesterone has been shown previously to increase PVN OT mRNA, neither pituitary OT immunoreactivity nor basal and CCK-stimulated release of plasma OT is affected by this treatment. Although the mechanism of this steroid effect is not yet understood, our observations suggest a unique action of gonadal steroids upon PVN OT neurons.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

Retrieving of pups by neonatally stressed mothers.

In the rat, perinatal food and maternal deprivation provoke long-lasting effects upon the retrieving responses of dams to displaced pups. In the current study, the retrieving latency and the disruption in the body area of pups chosen by the mother to transport them to a new location was investigated on days 4, 8 and 12 postpartum in lactating Wistar rats. Rats, neonatally underfed by daily (12 h) mother-litter separation in an incubator from days 1 to 23 postpartum, exhibited prolonged retrieving latencies and disruption in the body area of young ones chosen by the dam to transport them to the nest. Furthermore, neonatally underfed dams frequently transported pups in a rude manner eliciting sonic distress cries from them compared to control mothers. These findings are possibly relevant to understand the impact of epigenetic influences on offspring brain and physiological maturation partly mediated through maternal care.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral (drinking water) two-generation reproductive toxicity study of bromodichloromethane (BDCM) in rats.

Bromodichloromethane (BDCM) was tested for reproductive toxicity in a two-generation study in CRL SD rats. Thirty rats/sex/ group/generation were continuously provided BDCM in drinking water at 0 (control carrier, reverse osmosis membrane-processed water), 50,150, and 450 ppm (0, 4.1 to 12.6, 11.6 to 40.2, and 29.5 to 109.0 mg/kg/day, respectively). Adult human intake approximates 0.8 microg/kg/day (0.0008 mg/kg/day). P and F1 rats were observed for general toxicity (viability, clinical signs, water and feed consumption, body weights, organ weights [also three weanling Fl and F2 pups/sex/litter], histopathology [10/sex, 0- and 450-ppm exposure groups]) and reproduction (mating, fertility, abortions, premature deliveries, durations of gestation, litter sizes, sex ratios, viabilities, maternal behaviors, reproductive organ weights [also three weanling Fl and F2 pups/sex/ litter], sperm parameters, and implantations. F1 rats were evaluated for age at vaginal patency or preputial separation. Ten P and F1 rats/sex from the 0- and 450-ppm exposure groups and rats at 50 and 150 ppm with reduced fertility were evaluated for histopathology (gross lesions, testes, intact epididymis, all F1 dams for number of primordial follicles). Developmental parameters in offspring included implantation and pup numbers, sexes, viabilities, body weights, gross external alterations, and reproductive parameters (Fl adults). Toxicologically important, statistically significant effects at 150 and/or 450 ppm included mortality and clinical signs associated with reduced absolute and relative water consumption, reduced body weights and weight gains, and reduced absolute and relative feed consumption (P and F1 rats). Significantly reduced body weights at 150 and 450 ppm were associated with reduced organ weights and increased organ weight ratios (% body and/or brain weight). Histopathology did not identify abnormalities. Small delays in sexual maturation (preputial separation, vaginal patency) and more Fl rats with prolonged diestrus were also attributable to severely reduced pup body weights. Mating, fertility, sperm parameters, and primordial ovarian follicular counts were unaffected. The no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) and the reproductive and developmental NOAELs for BDCM were at least 50 ppm (4.1 to 12.6 mg/kg/day), 5125 to 15,750 times the human adult exposure level, if delayed sexual maturational associated with severely reduced body weights is considered reproductive toxicity. If considered general toxicity, reproductive and developmental NOAELs for BDCM are greater than 450 ppm (29.5 to 109.0 mg/kg/day), or 36,875 to 136,250 times the human adult exposure level. Regardless, these data indicate that BDCM should not be identified as a risk to human reproductive performance or development of human conceptuses.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Oral (drinking water) two-generation reproductive toxicity study of dibromoacetic acid (DBA) in rats.

In a two-generation study of dibromoacetic acid (DBA), Crl SD rats (30 rats/sex/group/generation) were provided DBA in drinking water at 0 (reverse osmosis-deionized water), 50, 250, and 650 ppm (0, 4.4 to 11.6, 22.4 to 55.6, and 52.4 to 132.0 mg/kg/day, respectively; human intake approximates 0.1 microg/kg/day [0.0001 mg/kg/day]). Observations included viability, clinical signs, water and feed consumption, body and organ weights, histopathology, and reproductive parameters (mating, fertility, abortions, premature deliveries, durations of gestation, litter sizes, sex ratios and viabilities, maternal behaviors, reproductive organ weights, sperm parameters and implantation sites, sexual maturation). Histopathological evaluations were performed on at least 10 P and F1 rats/sex at 0 and 650 ppm (gross lesions, testes, intact epididymis; 10 F1 dams at 0, 250, and 650 ppm for primordial follicles). Developmental observations included implantations, pup numbers, sexes, viabilities, body weights, morphology, and reproductive performance. At 50 ppm and higher, both sexes and generations had increased absolute and relative liver and kidneys weights, and female rats in both generations had reduced absolute and relative adrenal weights; adrenal changes were probably associated with physiological changes in water balance. The livers and kidneys (10/sex/group/generation) had no histopathological changes. Other minimal effects at 50 ppm were reduced water consumption and a transient reduction in body weight. At 250 and 650 ppm, DBA reduced parental water consumption, body weight gains, body weights, feed consumption, and pup body weights. P and F1 generation male rats at 250 and 650 ppm had altered sperm production (retained step 19 spermatids in stages IX and X tubules sometimes associated with residual bodies) and some epididymal tubule changes (increased amounts of exfoliated spermatogenic cells/residual bodies in epididymal tubules, atrophy, and hypospermia), although inconsistently and at much lower incidences. Unilateral abnormalities of the epididymis (small or absent epididymis) at 650 ppm in four F1 generation male rats were considered reproductive tract malformations. The no-observable-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) and reproductive and developmental NOAELs for DBA were at least 50 ppm (4.5 to 11.6 mg/kg/day), 45,000 to 116,000 times the human adult exposure level. Reproductive and developmental effects did not occur in female rats exposed to DBA concentrations as high as 650 ppm. Based on the high multiples of human exposure required to produce effects in male rats, DBA should not be identified as a human reproductive or developmental risk.

Acetates↗
PubMed2004

Coherence of mind in daughter caregivers of mothers with dementia: links with their mothers' joy and relatedness on reunion in a strange situation.

This paper reports on a small sample (n = 17) of daughter caregivers of mothers with dementia who were interviewed with the Adult Attachment Interview, while their mothers stayed in an adjoining university room. Daughters were then reunited with their mothers, after a one-hour separation. Joyful and related 'secure' maternal behaviors, including proximity seeking, contact maintaining and overall responsiveness, were positively correlated with coherence of mind, and coherence of transcript ratings derived from the daughters' AAIs. Controlling for the severity of dementia in the mothers did not alter the power of these associations. Discussion addresses the lifelong significance of reunion behavior, the survival of 'secure' attachment behavior even into the late stages of dementia, and the clinical relevance of the Adult Attachment Interview.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Complementary and alternative medicine for low-back pain in pregnancy: a cross-sectional survey.

OBJECTIVE: To identify common treatments used for low-back pain (LBP) during pregnancy. DESIGN: A two-part anonymous survey. SETTING/LOCATION: New Haven, Connecticut. SUBJECTS: Pregnant women and providers of prenatal health care (nurse educators, nurse midwives, and obstetricians). RESULTS: We found that the majority of pregnant women who participated in our survey (61.7%) reported that they would accept complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy as treatment for LBP during pregnancy. Similarly, 61% of providers of prenatal health care in our sample reported that they would consider using CAM as treatment for LBP during pregnancy. Massage (61.4%), acupuncture (44.6%), relaxation (42.6%), yoga (40.6%), and chiropractic (36.6%) were the most common CAM therapies recommended for LBP in pregnancy by the providers of prenatal health care in our sample. CONCLUSIONS: This two-part survey study found that both providers of prenatal health care and pregnant women in New Haven county are likely to use CAM treatments for pregnancy-induced LBP. Further investigation should focus on whether it is a nationwide phenomenon, as well as if various CAM therapies are an efficacious treatment for LBP during pregnancy.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed2006

Changes in the prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy among recent and at-risk drinkers in the NLSY cohort.

PURPOSE: To support efforts to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), population-based data are needed on the prevalence of alcohol use at any time during gestation, particularly among women who were recent and at-risk drinkers. METHODS: We used National Longitudinal Survey of Labor Market Experiences in Youth (NLSY) files to estimate the prevalence of any drinking during pregnancy and to evaluate alcohol history risk factors among 6676 births reported by women with prepregnancy drinking data. Prevalence estimates were obtained for 2-year intervals for all 1982-1995 births and for subsets with prepregnancy recent and at-risk drinking. RESULTS: Among all births, drinking during pregnancy declined from 38.3% in 1982-1983 to 23.0% in 1994-1995 (p < 0.0001). Drinking during pregnancy also declined over time among recent and at-risk drinkers (p < 0.0001), but the 1994-1995 prevalences were still high (39.3% and 29.0%, respectively). Adjusted logistic models confirmed both the decrease in risk for the later birth years and the persistent heightened risk for births among recent and at-risk drinkers. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to ongoing universal prevention strategies that have helped reduce the prevalence of drinking during pregnancy, selective and indicated prevention approaches are needed to encourage abstinence during pregnancy among recent and at-risk drinkers.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social support and prenatal alcohol use.

BACKGROUND: Lack of social support during pregnancy may be associated with the prenatal use of alcohol. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree, predictors, and consequences of social support in a cohort of 200 pregnant women who scored 2 or more on the T-ACE, a 4-item screening questionnaire for prenatal drinking. METHODS: The pregnant women completed the Maternal Social Support Index (MSSI). Their partners completed the same measure, which was modified to reflect their status as the biological fathers. RESULTS: Despite having similar overall MSSI scores, there was only slight to fair agreement on the level of support received by the pregnant women for most daily tasks when their responses were compared with their partners. Predictors of increased maternal social support included the woman's being married and having more education and a more prestigious job than her partner. Social support was not predictive of either subsequent prenatal alcohol use or newborn birth weight. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of social support, previous, prepregnancy, and early pregnancy drinking were the most predictive factors for subsequent prenatal alcohol consumption in this sample, underscoring the importance of screening pregnant women for drinking.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Effect of United States residence on birth outcomes among Mexican immigrants: an exploratory study.

Adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight are increased among US-born mothers of Mexican descent compared with immigrant mothers born in Mexico. It is unknown whether adverse reproductive outcomes change among Mexican immigrants after only 5 years of US residence. The authors conducted a study of 1,114 Mexican immigrant mothers and their infants in two California counties. The relation between US residence status and birth outcomes was examined, controlling for sociodemographic factors and maternal behaviors. Long-term immigrants who have lived in the United States for more than 5 years were more likely to deliver preterm infants (odds ratio (OR) = 1.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1-3.3) and low birth weight infants (OR = 1.5, 95% CI 0.8-2.7) than newcomers who have lived in the United States for 5 years or less. Long-term immigrants had higher parity, more pregnancy complications, and fewer planned pregnancies, and were more likely to smoke than newcomers. After controlling for confounders, the effect of residence status on preterm delivery was of borderline significance (adjusted OR = 1.8, 95% CI 1.0-3.2). Pregnancy complications was an intervening variable between residence status and preterm delivery. Length of US residence is associated with an increase in low birth weight via a decrease in gestational age rather than intrauterine growth retardation.

Birth Weight↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Functional heterogeneity in cingulate cortex: the anterior executive and posterior evaluative regions.

The cingulate gyrus is a major part of the "anatomical limbic system" and, according to classic accounts, is involved in emotion. This view is oversimplified in light of recent clinical and experimental findings that cingulate cortex participates not only in emotion but also in sensory, motor, and cognitive processes. Anterior cingulate cortex, consisting of areas 25 and 24, has been implicated in visceromotor, skeletomotor, and endocrine outflow. These processes include responses to painful stimuli, maternal behavior, vocalization, and attention to action. Since all of these activities have an affective component, it is likely that connections with the amygdala are critical for them. In contrast, posterior cingulate cortex, consisting of areas 29, 30, 23, and 31, contains neurons that monitor eye movements and respond to sensory stimuli. Ablation studies suggest that this region is involved in spatial orientation and memory. It is likely that connections between posterior cingulate and parahippocampal cortices contribute to these processes. We conclude that there is a fundamental dichotomy between the functions of anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. The anterior cortex subserves primarily executive functions related to the emotional control of visceral, skeletal, and endocrine outflow. The posterior cortex subserves evaluative functions such as monitoring sensory events and the organism's own behavior in the service of spatial orientation and memory.

Amygdala↗
PubMed2000

Tactile Contact by Deaf and Hearing Mothers During Face-to-Face Interactions With Their Infants.

Tactile contact with an infant plays an important role (though one largely overlooked by researchers until recently) in the development of synchronous interactive dialogues between caregiver and child. Dyads in which one or both partners are deaf present a unique opportunity to examine the use of touch as a means of optimizing or enhancing communication when the number of available sensory channels is restricted. Touch in these dyads may play an important role in eliciting visual attention, in alerting the infant that signed communication is forthcoming, in assisting the infant to achieve emotional regulation, or in simply maintaining contact even when the deaf child has looked away from the partner. The data presented here represent one attempt to investigate the role of touch in relation to deaf infants and deaf parents, for whom it may play a particularly salient role. Both deaf and hearing mothers were observed in videotaped face-to-face interactions with their infants (also either deaf or hearing); maternal behavior was coded for each event during which mothers initiated tactile contact with the infant and was classified according to intensity, location on the infant's body, and type of touch (e.g., active vs. passive). Results of this study indicate that deaf mothers may be especially responsive to the tactile needs of their deaf infants, as shown by qualitative differences in their behavioral interactions with 6- and 9-month-olds. However, hearing mothers with deaf infants also appear to be incorporating more active forms of touch in their interactions, although they tend to rely on longer durations of tactile contact than do the deaf mothers.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1993

Developmental differences in interactional characteristics of mothers and their children with failure to thrive.

Observed interactional characteristics during feeding sessions among 68 pairs of low-income mother-child dyads. Half of the children were experiencing non-organic failure to thrive (NOFTT) and half were growing adequately. Children were spoon-fed and ranged in age from 8 to 26 months. Across NOFTT and comparison groups, toddlers (13.5 to 26 months) were perceived by their mothers as more difficult than were infants (8 to 13.4 months). Although there were few differences between the NOFTT and comparison groups on interactional characteristics overall, mothers of NOFTT toddlers were more hostile, intrusive, and less flexible than mothers of NOFTT infants and there was more tension and anger in their interactions. Maternal behavior did not differ among the comparison group. Mothers of NOFTT children may experience difficulties in responding to the increasing demands for autonomy during feeding among toddlers. Finally, when the interaction was observed in dyadic terms, toddlers in both groups tended to be more active and involved than infants.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Maternal smoking and birth defects: validity of birth certificate data for effect estimation.

OBJECTIVES: The authors sought to assess the validity of birth certificate data for estimating the association between maternal smoking and birth defects. The US standard birth certificate includes check boxes for maternal smoking and for 21 congenital anomalies. The sensitivity and specificity of birth certificate data have been studied, but previous studies have not addressed the validity of these data for estimating the association between birth defects and maternal smoking or other risk factors. METHODS: US public-use natality data (1997-1998) were used to calculate the prevalence ratio (adjusted for maternal age, race/ethnicity, and education) for the association between maternal smoking and 13 defects/defect categories. All analyses were restricted to 45 states, New York City, and the District of Columbia because they collect both maternal smoking and birth defect data. RESULTS: Maternal smoking was associated with an increased prevalence of hydrocephaly (adjusted prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.08, 1.43), microcephaly (PR 1.47; 95% CI 1.15, 1.88), omphalocele/gastroschisis (PR 1.37; 95% CI 1.22, 1.53), cleft lip/palate (PR 1.35; 95% CI 1.25, 1.45), clubfoot (PR 1.62; 95% CI 1.49, 1.75), and polydactyly/syndactyly/adactyly (PR 1.33; 95% CI 1.23, 1.43 ). Previous studies have indicated an association between maternal smoking and gastroschisis, oral clefts, and clubfoot with effect estimates of similar magnitude to this study. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that birth certificate data may be useful for exploratory or corroborative studies estimating the association between birth defects and some risk factors recorded on birth certificates.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Improving delivery and offspring viability of in vitro-produced and cloned sheep embryos.

Recently developed, assisted reproductive technologies (e.g., in vitro embryo production and nuclear transfer) have encountered perinatal morbidity/mortality of the offspring produced, which are likely to hinder the application of these techniques. Consequently we have sought to develop a system of hormonal stimulation that will ensure the delivery of offspring more prepared for extrauterine life. Here we examine deliveries outcome in sheep carrying in vitro-produced and nuclear transfer (NT) embryos in comparison to artificially inseminated and naturally mated control ewes. All groups (excluding NT, which received one treatment) were subjected to one of two hormonal treatments for induction of delivery, whereas the third part of each group was left without any treatment. The first (commonly used for naturally mated ewes) dexamethasone treatment did not solve a majority of parturition disturbances, and actually the number of deliveries necessitating assistance was reduced (P < 0.05) by this treatment in the control group. On the other hand, combined estradiol plus betamethasone stimulation (E + B) solved a majority of complications regarding delivery performance such as lack of the preparation of the mammary gland, low myometrial contractility, insufficient cervical ripening, and impaired maternal behavior. Moreover, substantial reduction of neonatal mortality was observed following the combined treatment. In conclusion, the E + B induction of delivery overcame the majority of physiological and behavioral intrapartum failures of sheep foster mothers and increased the survival of offspring, and thus can be recommended as a safe method for inducing delivery in foster mothers carrying in vitro-generated embryos.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Endocrine changes in the incubating and brooding turkey hen.

Turkey hens were allowed to incubate eggs and to hatch and rear young. Plasma prolactin (Prl) levels increased prior to the start of continuous incubation and rose sharply as incubation progressed to reach a peak of 1178.2 +/- 221.8 ng/ml (mean +/- SEM) just before hatching. Prl levels then fell precipitously before the hens left the nest, and returned to preincubation levels (36.8 +/- 3.4 ng/ml) by the time the poults were 2 weeks old. These results show that the high plasma concentrations of Prl found during incubation are not initiated or maintained only by the stimulus of nesting. We suggest that the decline in Prl levels at the end of incubation could be related to the pipping and hatching of eggs, and the consequent shift to maternal behavior. Plasma growth hormone (GH) levels were significantly increased in hens which were brooding poults, but not in hens incubating eggs. An elevenfold, 1-day increase in plasma GH was observed immediately after the hens left the nests. Mean plasma GH levels rose from 12.0 +/- 4.7 ng/ml on the day that the hens left the nests to 133.0 +/- 32.0 ng/ml on the following day, and then declined to 23.1 +/- 9.6 ng/ml after an additional day. There were no significant changes in plasma thyroxine levels during laying, incubation and brooding. Plasma glucose concentration was significantly depressed during incubation.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Estrogen receptor alpha is essential for induction of oxytocin receptor by estrogen.

The induction of oxytocin receptor (OTR) synthesis in the periphery and in the brain by estrogen is critical for reproductive success. Oxytocin receptors are involved in the control of parturition, milk ejection, and sexual and maternal behaviors. The discovery of a second estrogen receptor (ERbeta) in the brain and the failure of in vitro transcription studies using OTR promoter constructs to replicate the in vivo transcriptional regulation have raised questions regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of the OTR gene by estrogen. Using mice genetically deficient in estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha), we demonstrate that ERalpha is not necessary for basal OTR synthesis, but is absolutely necessary for the induction of OTR binding in the brain by estrogen.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Predictors of coping with pain in mothers and their children with sickle cell syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined predictors of strategies used to cope with pain in children with sickle cell disease and their mothers. METHOD: Disease severity, socioeconomic status, child adjustment and adaptive behavior, maternal psychopathology, and family functioning were examined in 55 mother-child dyads to determine the predictive potential of these factors on engagement and disengagement coping. RESULTS: While controlling for socioeconomic status and psychopathology in the mothers, 15% of the variance in engagement coping was predicted by family adaptability. Disengagement coping was predicted by internalizing symptoms exhibited by the child, including a negative and pessimistic attributional style, which accounted for nearly one fifth of the variance. Finally, mothers who reported more active strategies for coping with their child's pain were more likely to endorse greater use of techniques to prevent and effectively manage pain in their children. CONCLUSIONS: Neither coping strategy was predicted by severity of disease presentation in the children, suggesting the importance of psychosocial factors in adapting to childhood chronic illness and that severity of disease may not necessarily be a marker for families at risk for adjustment difficulties. Findings were interpreted to support a systemic family model in promoting active and adaptive engagement coping in caretakers of children with sickle cell syndrome.

Adaptation, Psychological↗