Covariation of Pluripotency Markers and Biomechanical Properties in Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.

Pluripotent cells are subject to much interest as a source of differentiated cellular material for research models, regenerative medical therapies and novel applications such as lab-cultured meat. Greater understanding of the pluripotent state and control over its differentiation is therefore desirable. The role of biomechanical properties in directing cell fate and cell behavior has been increasingly well described in recent years. However, many of the mechanisms which control cell morphology and mechanical properties in somatic cells are absent from pluripotent cells. We leveraged naturally occurring variation in biomechanical properties and expression of pluripotency genes in murine ESCs to investigate the relationship between these parameters. We observed considerable variation in a Rex1-GFP expression reporter line and found that this variation showed no apparent correlation to cell spreading morphology as determined by circularity, Feret ratio, phase contrast brightness or cell spread area, either on a parameter-by-parameter basis, or when evaluated using a combined metric derived by principal component analysis from the four individual criteria. We further confirmed that cell volume does not co-vary with Rex1-GFP expression. Interestingly, we did find that a subpopulation of cells that were readily detached by gentle agitation collectively exhibited higher expression of Nanog, and reduced LmnA expression, suggesting that elevated pluripotency gene expression may correlate with reduced adhesion to the substrate. Furthermore, atomic force microscopy and quantitative fluorescent imaging revealed a connection between cell stiffness and Rex1-GFP reporter expression. Cells expressing high levels of Rex1-GFP are consistently of a relatively low stiffness, while cells with low levels of Rex1-GFP tend toward higher stiffness values. These observations indicate some interaction between pluripotency gene expression and biomechanical properties, but also support a strong role for other interactions between the cell culture regime and cellular biomechanical properties, occurring independently of the core transcriptional network that supports pluripotency.

Distribution of CORE-OM scores in a general population, clinical cut-off points and comparison with the CIS-R.

BACKGROUND: Although measures of psychopathology are designed for use in clinical populations, their meaning derives from comparison with normal populations. AIMS: To compare the distribution of scores on the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation-Outcome Measure (CORE-OM) from a general population sample with the distribution in an aggregated clinical sample to derive recommended cut-off points for determining clinical significance. METHOD: The CORE-OM general population sample was based on a weighted subsample of participants in the psychiatric morbidity follow-up survey who completed valid CORE-OM forms following their interview (effective n=535). RESULTS: Comparison of the CORE-OM general population sample with a clinical sample aggregated from previous studies (n=10761) yielded a cut-off score of 9.9 on the 0-40 scale of the CORE-OM. The CORE-OM was highly correlated (r=0.77) with the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised, supporting convergent validity. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend rounding the CORE-OM cut-off score to 10. However, cut-off scores must be used thoughtfully and adjusted to fit context and purpose.

The influence of in-pregnancy smoking cessation programmes on partner quitting and women's social support mobilization: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN89131885].

BACKGROUND: Smoking cessation interventions in pregnancy could influence a woman's social behaviour and her partner's smoking behaviour, but this has not been examined in any published randomized trials. METHOD: 918 women smoking at booking for antenatal care were enrolled in a cluster-randomized trial of three interventions: standard care, self-help manual and enhanced stage-based counselling, or self-help manual, enhanced stage-based counselling and use of an interactive computer program. The outcomes were change in social support received by women between booking for maternity care and 30 weeks gestation and 10 days postpartum and reported cessation in the woman's partner at these times. RESULTS: Few pregnant women's partners stopped smoking (4.1% at 30 weeks of gestation and 5.8% at 10 days postpartum) and the probability of quitting did not differ significantly by trial arm. Women's scores on the Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors showed a slight decline from booking to 30 weeks gestation, and a slight increase to 10 days postpartum, but these changes did not differ significantly by trial arm. CONCLUSION: The stage-based interventions tested in this trial aimed partly to influence women's mobilization of support and might have influenced partners' quitting, but there was no evidence that they did so. Given that women and their partners often stopped smoking together, future interventions to prevent smoking in pregnant women could encourage both partners to quit together.

Is advice to stop smoking from a midwife stressful for pregnant women who smoke? Data from a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: There are no randomized trials examining whether intensive advice to pregnant smokers is more stressful than standard care. METHOD: Nine hundred eighteen U.K. women currently smoking on commencing antenatal care were randomized into three arms. Women in Arm A received one episode of brief advice to stop smoking. Women in Arm B were assessed for stage of change and worked through an exercise in self-help manuals on three occasions. Women in Arm C used a 20-min interactive computer program three times in addition to the intervention women in Arm B received. Stress was assessed by the change in score on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) from baseline to 30 weeks gestation, the month before delivery, and 10 days postpartum. RESULTS: There were small and not significant differences in the changes in PSS between the arms at all outcome times. There was no evidence that the importance women attached to pleasing their midwife by stopping, having failed to quit, or nulliparity modified the effect of intensive advice on change in stress levels. CONCLUSIONS.: Intensive advice to stop smoking was not associated with increases in stress. Advice and support for pregnant women to stop smoking should be given without fear of causing stress.

Let's ask them: a national survey of definitions of quality of life and its enhancement among people aged 65 and over.

This study aimed to explore older peoples' definitions of, and priorities for, a good quality of life for themselves and their peers. Nine hundred and ninety-nine people aged 65 and over, living at home in Britain, were interviewed for the study. Good social relationships were the most commonly mentioned constituent that gave respondents' lives quality (mentioned by 81 percent). Other important factors were social roles and activities, health, psychological outlook and well-being, home and neighborhood, finances, and independence. Poor health was most often mentioned as taking quality away from life (by 50 percent). Social relationships and health were judged to be the most important areas. Having health and enough money were the two most frequently mentioned things that would improve the quality of their own lives and those of their peers (though in different order of magnitude). The need for dynamic, multidimensional, and integrated models of quality of life in older age is suggested by these results.

Are older people willing to give up their place in the queue for cardiac surgery to a younger person?

OBJECTIVES: to measure whether people aged 65 and over living in Britain would be willing to give up their place on the cardiac surgery waiting list for someone younger than them. METHODS: two British surveys, based on random types of people sampled for the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Surveys, identified respondents aged 65 and over for a module on waiting lists. They were asked to imagine they had a heart condition that required surgery, and that they were on an NHS waiting list. They were then asked if they would be prepared to give up their place on the cardiac surgery waiting list to a younger person (aged 45). The study compared responses to one of two relative waiting list time frames (6 and 12 months). SETTING: two national random samples of the British public aged 65 and over. RESULTS: fifty eight per cent and 62% of Omnibus respondents aged 65 and over responded that it was not right to give up their place on the cardiac surgery waiting list for someone younger in relation to a 6 and 12 month wait respectively. Thirty seven per cent and 34% of each group of Omnibus respondents aged 65+ said it was right to give up their place on the cardiac surgery waiting list for someone younger than them, in relation to a 6 and 12 month relative waiting period respectively. Thus the length of the wait had little effect on response among British respondents. The proportions who were willing to cede priority are far less than that reported in a comparable Italian survey. Consistent with the Italian survey, willingness to cede priority increased with age. CONCLUSIONS: most older people in Britain do not wish to cede priority on the waiting list for cardiac surgery to people younger than themselves, although willingness to give up one's place increased with age. The specific time frame did not have an impact on people's responses. The increase in willingness to cede priority with older age could be interpreted as older people valuing themselves less, or that they feel that they have had their 'fair innings' and are willing to give younger people the chance of reaching their age. It could even reflect a cohort effect. It is likely that ageing 'baby boomers' may be even less willing to give up their place in the health service queue and will be more assertive about their right to equity in health care provision.

The contribution of gender-role orientation, work factors and home stressors to psychological well-being and sickness absence in male- and female-dominated occupational groups.

The associations of work stress, types of work and gender-role orientation with psychological well-being and sickness absence were investigated in a questionnaire survey of 588 male and female nurses and 387 male and female accountants. We hypothesised that health might be impaired among women working in the male-dominated occupation (accountancy), and men in the female-dominated occupation (nursing), but that effects might be moderated by job strain (perceptions of high demand and low control), work and home hassles, and traditional male (instrumentality) and female (expressivity) psychological characteristics. Responses were analysed from 172 female and 61 male nurses, and from 53 female and 81 male commercial accountants. Female accountants were more likely than other groups to have high anxiety scores on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales, while male nurses had the highest rates of sickness absence. Male nurses and female accountants also reported more work-related hassles than did female nurses and male accountants. Men and women in the same occupation did not differ in job strain or job social support, but nurses reported greater job strain than accountants, due to higher ratings of demands and lower skill utilisation. After adjusting for age, sex, occupation, paid work hours and a measure of social desirability bias, risk of elevated anxiety was independently associated with higher job strain, lower job social support, more work hassles, more domestic responsibility, lower instrumentality and higher expressivity. The association between sex and anxiety was no longer significant after instrumentality had been entered into the regression model. Sickness absence of more than three days over the past 12 months was independently associated with higher job strain, more work hassles, lower instrumentality and higher expressivity. The results suggest that when men and women occupy jobs in which they are in the cultural and numerical minority, there may be adverse health effects that are gender-specific. Psychological traits related to socially constructed gender roles may also be relevant, and mediate in part the differences in psychological well-being between men and women.