Inducible heat shock protein A1A (HSPA1A) is markedly expressed in rat myometrium by labour and secreted via myometrial cell-derived extracellular vesicles.

The myometrium goes through physiological, cellular and molecular alterations during gestation that necessitate effective cellular proteostasis. Inducible heat shock protein A1A (HSPA1A) is a member of the 70-kDa heat shock protein A (HSPA) family, which acts as a chaperone to regulate proteostasis; however, HSPA1A also participates as a cytokine in inflammatory regulation, leading to its designation as a chaperokine. This study examined the spatiotemporal expression of HSPA1A protein in the rat myometrium throughout gestation and assessed whether it is secreted as cargo of myometrial cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs). Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that HSPA1A expression was markedly elevated during late pregnancy and labour and increased by uterine distension. Myometrial HSPA1A expression insitu increased in myocytes of longitudinal and circular muscle layers from Day 19 through to postpartum, specifically in the cytoplasm and nuclei of myocytes from both muscle layers, but frequently detectable just outside myocyte membranes. Scanning electron microscopy examination of samples isolated from hTERT-HM cell-conditioned culture medium, using EV isolation spin columns, confirmed the presence of EVs. EV lysates contained HSPA8, HSPA1A and the EV markers apoptosis-linked gene 2-interacting protein X (Alix), the tetraspanin cluster of differentiation 63 (CD63), tumour susceptibility gene 101 (TSG101) and HSP90, but not the endoplasmic reticulum protein calnexin. These results indicate that HSPA1A may act as a chaperokine in the myometrium during pregnancy.

Psychological and behavioural characteristics of females with anorexia nervosa in Singapore.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to compare a sample of females with anorexia nervosa in Singapore with international clinical and population samples from published data in terms of endorsement of risk factors related to anorexia nervosa, severity of eating pathology and levels of psychosocial impairment and to explore the nature of the relationships between the anorexia nervosa risk factors and adherence to Asian cultural values. METHOD: Data from the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26), the Perceived Sociocultural Pressure Scale (PSPS), the Ideal Body Stereotype Scale (IBSS), the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), the Clinical Impairment Assessment Questionnaire, and the Asian American Values Scale-Multidimensional (AAVS-M) were collected from 41 female patients (13-31 years old) who presented for treatment of anorexia nervosa at the Singapore General Hospital. RESULTS: The profile and presentation of anorexia nervosa in Singapore was comparable to that observed in the Western clinical samples in terms of levels of endorsement of the risk factors for anorexia nervosa. No protective benefit of orientation to Asian culture was found. CONCLUSION: The observed pattern of general similarity of presentation between Western data and Singaporean data, together with the finding that no protective benefit of orientation to Asian culture was observed, suggests that it may be appropriate to directly apply evidence-based Western models of intervention to the treatment of anorexia nervosa in Singapore.

Anxiety in children having elective surgery.

One hundred and twenty children aged 5-12 years and their parents were interviewed preoperatively about anxiety and fear. Needles, postoperative pain, the unknown, and many unrecognizable people in the induction room were all reported as increasing anxiety for children. Effective modes of reducing children's anxiety were considered to be the prospect of eating after surgery, staff speaking directly to children in a friendly way, and having a television to watch. Parents' suggestions for reducing children's anxiety included giving better explanations, ensuring that children who have had their operations do not return to the same ward where other children are still waiting, and providing more distractions.