Investigating the association between infertility and psychological distress using Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH).

Infertility affects millions of people globally. Although an estimated 1 in 6 couples in Australia are unable to conceive without medical intervention, little is known about the mental health impacts of infertility. This study investigated how infertility impacts the mental health of women. The study used nationally representative Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health (ALSWH) data. We analysed data from survey periods 2-8 conducted every three years between 2000 and 2018 for 6582 women born in 1973-78. We used a Generalised Equation Modelling (GEE) method to investigate the association of primary, secondary and resolved fertility status and psychological distress over time. Multiple measures were used to measure psychological distress: the (1) the mental health index subscale of the 36-item short form survey (SF-36), (2) the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10), (3) the Goldberg Anxiety and Depression Scale (GADanx) anxiety subscale; and a (4) composite psychological distress variable. About a third (30%) of women reported infertility at any of the survey rounds; a steady increase over 18 years from 1.7% at round 2 to 19.3% at round 8. Half of the women reporting primary or secondary infertility reported psychological distress, with the odds of having psychological distress was higher in women reporting primary (odds ratio (OR) 1.24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.45), secondary (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.10-1.46) or resolved infertility (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.05-1.26) compared to women reporting normal fertility status. Women with partners, underweight or higher BMI, smoking, and high-risk alcohol use had higher odds of psychological distress, whereas women in paid work had significantly lower odds of psychological distress (p < 0.001). Diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and other chronic physical illness were independently associated with higher odds of psychological distress. Infertility has a significant impact on mental health even after it is resolved. Frequent mental health assessment and a holistic approach to address the lifestyle factors should be undertaken during the treatment of infertility.

Intravenous delivery of targeted liposomes to amyloid-ß pathology in APP/PSEN1 transgenic mice.

Extracellular amyloid-ß (Aß) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles constitute the major neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD). It is now apparent that parenchymal Aß plaque deposition precedes behavioral signs of disease by several years. The development of agents that can target these plaques may be useful as diagnostic or therapeutic tools. In this study, we synthesized an Aß-targeted lipid conjugate, incorporated it in stealth liposomal nanoparticles and tested their ability to bind amyloid plaque deposits in an AD mouse model. The results show that the particles maintain binding profiles to synthetic Aß aggregates comparable to the free ligand, and selectively bind Aß plaque deposits in brain tissue sections of an AD mouse model (APP/PSEN1 transgenic mice) with high efficiency. When administered intravenously, these long circulating nanoparticles appear to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to Aß plaque deposits, labeling parenchymal amyloid deposits and vascular amyloid characteristic of cerebral amyloid angiopathy.

Quantification of water solubilized CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in Daphnia magna.

The relative transparency of Daphnia magna (daphnia) and the unique optical properties of quantum dots (QDs) were paired to study the accumulation potential and surface coating effects on uptake of amphiphilic polymer coated CdSe/ZnS QDs. Fluorescence confocal laser scanning microscopy was used to visualize and spectrally distinguish QDs from competing autofluorescent signals arising from the daphnia themselves and their food sources. QDs were found to accumulate within the digestive tracts of daphnia, as well as, in some cases, adhere to the carapace, antennae, and thoracic appendages. After 48 h of gut clearance with and without feeding, QD fluorescence signal was still apparent in the digestive tracts of daphnia, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements confirmed that 36-53% of the initial uptake was retained. As surface charge and pegylation can influence the uptake of nanoparticles, uptake of QDs coated with two different amphililic polymers and their polyethylene glycol (PEG) coated counterparts was also examined. Fluorescence microscopy and ICP-MS measurements revealed differences in uptake after 24 h of exposure which were attributed to particle surface coating and stability.

Analytical validation of the GeXP analyzer and design of a workflow for cancer-biomarker discovery using multiplexed gene-expression profiling.

The GeXP genetic analysis system allows for multiplexed detection and quantitation of up to 35 genes in 192 samples in a single analysis. The analytical procedure includes modified reverse transcription and PCR amplification, followed by capillary electrophoretic separation. RNA material from multiple sample types can be used, including blood, cell lines, and tissue material. This instrumentation has a lower limit of detection of <2 ng with a dynamic range greater than two orders of magnitude, as tested in this validation. Precision experiments demonstrate a within-run coefficient-of-variation (CV) = 11.1% at 25 ng and 12.9% at 12.5 ng total RNA for the complete workflow and CV = 4.8% at 25 ng and 6.7% at 12.5 ng levels for the GeXP analysis alone. The between-run precision for the entire workflow was determined to be 25% at 25 ng. We have devised an optimized protocol and use it to successfully identify a gene expression signature capable of discriminating prostate tumor and non-tumor tissue samples. We used a combination of multiplex gene panels to interrogate ~70 genes in our primary screen. Our results demonstrate that a subset of these genes can be used to separate normal and tumor prostate tissue samples. This protocol using the GeXP analyzer allows for a high-throughput, robust, and reproducible assessment of multiplexed gene expression analysis, and can be used for biomarker discovery to compare different sample groups. With a dynamic linear range and satisfactory precision, this technology holds promise for rapidly identifying gene expression signatures from multiplexed reactions of up to 35 genes in large numbers of samples with limited amounts of starting material.