Longitudinal data on implementing an activity-based work environment.

Using a longitudinal field survey, we collected data on how implementing an activity-based work environment impacts employees across time [1]. The sample consisted of 100 employees in a government organization implementing an activity-based working environment, with each employee surveyed on three time-points. The sample included all employees affected by the implementation. At each time-point, the response rate was 87%, 75%, and 69%, respectively. The sample was approximately 75% female at each time-point. Data collection took place about two months before the activity-based environment was implemented (condition 1), again about four months after implementation (condition 2), and finally, about nine months after implementation (condition 3). All data were collected using an online survey. The survey included questions on privacy, psychological ownership, and attitude towards activity-based work, in addition to questions on productivity, job satisfaction, job strain, and satisfaction with the work environment.

The New Old CD8+ T Cells in the Immune Paradox of Pregnancy.

CD8+ T cells are the most frequent T cell population in the immune cell compartment at the feto-maternal interface. Due to their cytotoxic potential, the presence of CD8+ T cells in the immune privileged pregnant uterus has raised considerable interest. Here, we review our current understanding of CD8+ T cell biology in the uterus of pregnant women and discuss this knowledge in relation to a recently published immune cell Atlas of human decidua. We describe how the expansion of CD8+ T cells with an effector memory phenotype often presenting markers of exhaustion is critical for a successful pregnancy, and host defense towards pathogens. Moreover, we review new evidence on the presence of long-lasting immunological memory to former pregnancies and discuss its impact on prospective pregnancy outcomes. The formation of fetal-specific memory CD8+ T cell subests in the uterus, in particular of tissue resident, and stem cell memory cells requires further investigation, but promises interesting results to come. Advancing the knowledge of CD8+ T cell biology in the pregnant uterus will be pivotal for understanding not only tissue-specific immune tolerance but also the etiology of complications during pregnancy, thus enabling preventive or therapeutic interventions in the future.

Hippo signaling, actin polymerization, and follicle activation in fragmented human ovarian cortex.

The Hippo pathway has been associated with regulation of early follicle growth. Studies of murine ovaries suggest that changes in the actin cytoskeleton, caused by fragmentation, result in inhibition of the Hippo pathway, and in turn, may activate follicle growth. In humans, the connections between fragmentation, the actin cytoskeleton, and follicle activation are yet to be confirmed. In this study, we investigated the impact in vitro fragmentation of a human ovarian cortex on (a) actin polymerization, (b) components of the Hippo pathway, and (c) follicle growth in vivo. The results showed that the ratio between globular and filamentous actin remained unchanged at all timepoints (0, 10, 30, 60, 120, and 240 min) following tissue fragmentation. Neither was the Hippo pathway effector protein YES-associated protein upregulated nor was gene expression of the downstream growth factors CCN2, CCN3, or CCN5 increased at any timepoint in the fragmented cortex. Furthermore, the number of growing follicles was similar in fragmented and intact cortex pieces after 6 weeks' xenotransplantation. However, the total number of surviving follicles was considerably lower in the fragmented cortex compared with intact tissue, suggesting detrimental effects of fragmentation on tissue grafting. These results indicate that fragmentation is likely to be ineffective to activate follicle growth in the human ovarian cortex.

Effect of sphingosine-1-phosphate on activation of dormant follicles in murine and human ovarian tissue.

In vitro activation of resting ovarian follicles, with the use of mechanical stress and/or pharmacological compounds, is an emerging and novel approach for infertility treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the sphingolipid, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), as a potential in vitro activation agent in murine and human ovarian tissues and isolated follicles. Juvenile murine ovaries and donated human ovarian tissues, from 10 women undergoing ovarian tissue cryopreservation for fertility preservation, were incubated with or without 12 µM S1P for 3 h for quantitative PCR analysis, and 12 h for xenotransplantation or culture studies. Gene expression analyses were performed for genes downstream of the Hippo signaling pathway. Murine ovaries and isolated murine and human preantral follicles showed significantly increased mRNA expression levels of Ccn2/CCN2 following S1P treatment compared to controls. This increase was shown to be specific for the Hippo signaling pathway and for the S1P2 receptor, as co-treatment with Hippo-inhibitor, verteporfin and S1PR2 antagonist, JTE-013, reduced the S1P-induced Ccn2 gene expression in murine ovaries. Histological evaluation of human cortical tissues (5 × 5 × 1 mm; n = 30; three pieces per patient) xenografted for 6 weeks and juvenile murine ovaries cultured for 4 days (n = 9) or allografted for 2 weeks (n = 48) showed no differences in the distribution of resting or growing follicles in S1P-treated ovarian tissues compared to controls. Collectively, S1P increased Ccn2/CCN2 gene expression in isolated preantral follicles and ovarian tissue from mice and human, but it did not promote follicle activation or growth in vivo. Thus, S1P does not appear to be a potent in vitro activation agent under these experimental conditions.

A new clinical test for cervicocephalic kinesthetic sensibility: "the fly".

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability and discriminative ability of a new test designed to detect accuracy of neck movements. DESIGN: Repeated-measures. Case-control. SETTING: University musculoskeletal research clinic in Iceland. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty women (mean age +/- standard deviation [SD], 30.8+/-9.1 y; range, 18-49 y) with chronic whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) grades I and II (duration, 6 mo-6 y), with current pain score on a visual analog scale of 46.8+/-21.8, and a disability score on the Northwick Park Neck Pain Disability Index of 45%+/-14%. Twenty asymptomatic women (mean age +/- SD, 29.3+/-8.6 y; range, 18-48 y) with no history of whiplash or insidious onset neck pain served as controls. INTERVENTION: A slowly moving object appeared on a computer screen and traced an unpredictable movement path that the subjects were required to follow by moving their heads. Three randomly ordered movement patterns were tested. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: A new software program connected to a 3Space Fastrak system was used to measure the mean absolute error (in millimeters) of 3 trials in each movement pattern. RESULTS: The mean differences (+/-2 SD) between days 1 and 2 were.01+/-.64 mm for the asymptomatic group and.33+/-1.80 mm for the WAD group. The between-day intraclass correlation coefficients were between.60 and.77 for the asymptomatic group and.79 and.86 for the WAD group. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed a significant difference between groups (P=.02). The Tukey post hoc test showed significant between-group differences for each movement pattern (P