Emphasizing mindfulness training in acceptance relieves anxiety and depression during pregnancy.

Mindfulness intervention, which trains participants to monitor momentary experiences with an accepting attitude, is effective for reducing maternal anxiety and depression. Monitoring and acceptance are two central components of mindfulness training. The aim of the study is to clarify whether adding acceptance component to monitoring training can help improve the mental health of pregnant people by comparing the effects between mindfulness training on monitoring with an emphasis on acceptance training and training on monitoring alone. Pregnant people with depressive or anxious symptoms (N = 149) were randomized to either a 4-week online intervention of (1) monitoring training (MT), (2) monitoring with an emphasis on acceptance training (MAT), or (3) emotional regulation course conditions as an active control group. All mindfulness training was based on the WeChat platform. We used the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy Scale (RESE) to evaluate symptoms of anxiety and depression, mindfulness monitoring and acceptance skills, and the self-efficacy of emotional regulation pre-and postintervention. Of the 149 people enrolled in this study, 10 in the MT training group, 9 in the MAT group, and 15 in the control group did not complete the intervention. Monitoring with an emphasis on acceptance training significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression and improved perceived self-efficacy in managing depression/distress compared with the monitoring training alone and the control group. In addition, participants in the monitoring group showed a downward trend in GAD-7 scores and an upward trend in scores of perceived self-efficacy in managing anger/irritation. This study not only shows that the 4-week online mindfulness training could be a promising technique to help people improve mental health; moreover, it provides evidence that emphasizing acceptance skills on mindfulness training may play a critical role because of its positive effects. We suggest that the online mindfulness intervention should be added as part of psychological care and recommend emphasizing acceptance training during pregnancy.

Heritable shifts in redox metabolites during mitochondrial quiescence reprogramme progeny metabolism.

Changes in maternal diet and metabolic defects in mothers can profoundly affect health and disease in their progeny. However, the biochemical mechanisms that induce the initial reprogramming events at the cellular level have remained largely unknown owing to limitations in obtaining pure populations of quiescent oocytes. Here, we show that the precocious onset of mitochondrial respiratory quiescence causes a reprogramming of progeny metabolic state. The premature onset of mitochondrial respiratory quiescence drives the lowering of Drosophila oocyte NAD+ levels. NAD+ depletion in the oocyte leads to reduced methionine cycle production of the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine in embryos and lower levels of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation, resulting in enhanced intestinal lipid metabolism in progeny. In addition, we show that triggering cellular quiescence in mammalian cells and chemotherapy-resistant human cancer cell models induces cellular reprogramming events identical to those seen in Drosophila, suggesting a conserved metabolic mechanism in systems reliant on quiescent cells.

Psychological trajectories of Chinese women undergoing pregnancy termination for foetal abnormality: A descriptive qualitative study using expressive writing.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore the psychological trajectories of women who have had a diagnosis of foetal abnormality from the time of receiving a definite diagnosis to one month after discharge. BACKGROUND: Foetal abnormalities are not uncommon worldwide. Such situations are devastating, and the termination of a pregnancy due to foetal abnormalities is a traumatic and stressful event for the mother. DESIGN: A descriptive qualitative approach using expressive writing. METHODS: The study included 20 women recruited through purposive sampling at a tertiary hospital in China. The participants were asked to write four 15-min essays related to their experiences with foetal abnormalities. Thematic analysis was used to generate themes. The COREQ checklist (see Supporting Information Appendix S1) was used. RESULTS: Four themes that reflected the women's psychological trajectories were identified: (a) traumatic response, (b) ruminant meditation, (c) positive coping and (d) post-traumatic growth stages. The psychological trajectories were dynamically shaped, and different responses were displayed in each stage. CONCLUSIONS: Various responses were observed during each of the four psychological trajectories, which indicated that awareness regarding the psychological impacts associated with foetal abnormalities should be increased. The present findings suggest that healthcare services should be made accessible for women who have had a diagnosis of foetal abnormality to allow them to receive targeted nursing care at different stages and improve their psychological well-being. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Midwives, nurses and other healthcare professionals should pay more attention to the mental health of women pregnant with foetuses diagnosed with abnormalities. Interventions designed based on women's worries and demands during various phases should be offered. In terms of the present research method, expressive writing possesses unique advantages that can be applied for relevant qualitative research.

Family support for pregnant women with foetal abnormality requiring pregnancy termination in China.

Family support is an important protective factor for pregnant women with a foetal abnormality and can prevent adverse psychological outcomes in this population. This study aimed to explore the importance and influencing factors of family support for pregnant women with foetal abnormalities requiring pregnancy termination and then determine the correlation between family support and women's post-traumatic stress symptoms. A mixed methods study was conducted from March 2016 to September 2017. In all, 214 participants were surveyed using self-reported questionnaires including the demographic, family and obstetric information questionnaire, the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection and Resolve Index and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised to collect quantitative data. Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 28 participants were conducted to collect qualitative data. Of the pregnant women with foetal abnormalities, 35% had obstacles in family function such that family support was low. The Impact of Event Scale-Revised score was negatively associated with total score on the Family Adaptation Partnership Growth Affection and Resolve Index as well as the score for each item on this index. In terms of family support, the demographic, family and obstetric variables hierarchically entered into the regression models significantly explained 20.0%, 26.5% and 2.6% of variation, respectively. In addition, three key themes were identified based on qualitative analyses: intensified instrumental support, inadequate emotional support and insufficient informational support. The findings showed that family support plays a protective role in preventing post-traumatic stress symptoms following termination of pregnancy. At present, family support still needs to be improved, especially in emotional support and informational support. The factors influencing family support may be important to consider for improving family support.

Expressive writing for Chinese women with foetal abnormalities undergoing pregnancy termination: An interview study of women's perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effectiveness and applicability of expressive writing and women's experiences during the process. DESIGN AND SETTING: A descriptive qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was employed, and telephone interviews were conducted from February to April 2019 at a tertiary hospital in China. PARTICIPANTS: The present study included 14 women with foetal abnormalities purposively sampled based on women's scores on the Impact of Event Scale-Revised one month after the completion of the expressive writing intervention. INTERVENTION: The participants were asked to write three 15-min essays (i.e. before, during, and after pregnancy termination) related to their experiences with the foetal abnormalities. FINDINGS: The transcripts were coded to generate themes and sub-themes to flow from the data. Four themes were revealed from the descriptions of practices of expressive writing during women's hospitalization: 1) benefits of expressive writing, 2) challenges in clinical practice, 3) suggestions for improvement and 4) future directions for development. KEY CONCLUSION: Expressive writing practices may contribute to the psychological health of women with foetal abnormalities undergoing pregnancy termination. Based on the research, the intervention of expressive writing was optimized to provide a basis for the formulation of psychological intervention strategies and the promotion of psychological rehabilitation for vulnerable women. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Expressive writing is an acceptable and feasible form of intervention for women with foetal abnormalities undergoing pregnancy termination.

Effects of an Online Mindfulness Intervention Focusing on Attention Monitoring and Acceptance in Pregnant Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Attention monitoring and acceptance underlie the effects of mindfulness meditation. This study tested the feasibility and acceptability of an online mindfulness intervention for pregnant women as an approach to reduce depressive and anxious symptoms. METHOD: We developed an 8-week mindfulness intervention program that trained participants to monitor their internal and external experiences in an accepting way. The mindfulness course was based on the Wechat platform. This study was conducted in a women's hospital in China. A total of 123 women with scores on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale and Patient Health Questionnaire suggesting mild or moderate symptoms of depression and anxiety were recruited from the outpatient department between April and June 2018. The participants were randomized to receive the mindfulness intervention or routine prenatal care. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire, and the Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire were used to evaluate the levels of anxiety, depression, and mindfulness, respectively, before and after the intervention. RESULTS: Of the 123 women enrolled in this study, 10 in the intervention group and 11 in the control group did not complete the intervention. The retention rate and feedback suggested that the mindfulness intervention was feasible and acceptable among pregnant women. Participants in the intervention group showed greater declines in depressive and anxious symptoms compared with those in the control group, as well a significant improvement in mindfulness skills (eg, attention monitoring and acceptance). DISCUSSION: These results suggest that an online mindfulness intervention may be a promising technique to help women use mindfulness skills to reduce depressive and anxious symptoms. The mindfulness intervention could constitute part of the psychological care provided to pregnant women.

Retinoic acid-induced CYP51 nuclear translocation promotes meiosis prophase I process and is correlated to the expression of REC8 and STAG3 in mice.

Lanosterol 14 α-demethylase (CYP51) plays a crucial role in cholesterol biosynthesis. In gamete development, CYP51 is involved in initiating meiosis resumption in oocytes through its product, meiosis activating sterol (MAS). In this study, CYP51 was observed to localize within the nucleus of germ cells undergoing meiotic prophase I. Following the addition of retinoic acid (RA) to induce meiosis or the RA receptor pan-antagonist AGN193109 to block meiosis in fetal ovaries, the translocation of CYP51 into the nucleus of oocytes was advanced or delayed, respectively. In addition, treatment with Cyp51-siRNA or RS21745, a specific CYP51 inhibitor, significantly delayed the meiotic progression of oocytes in the ovary, with most oocytes arresting at the zygotene stage, and likewise, significantly reduced perinatal primordial follicle formation. Furthermore, inhibition of CYP51 is correlated to significantly decreased expression of REC8 and STAG3, both of which are meiosis-specific cohesin subunits. To sum up, RA-induced CYP51 nuclear translocation is critical for oocytes meiotic progression, and consequently folliculogenesis, which might act through impacting the expression of meiosis-specific cohesins REC8 and STAG3.

Parental exposure to heavy fuel oil induces developmental toxicity in offspring of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius.

The present study investigated the toxic effects of parental (maternal/paternal) exposure to heavy fuel oil (HFO) on the adult reproductive state, gamete quality and development of the offspring of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus intermedius. Adult sea urchins were exposed to effluents from HFO-oiled gravel columns for 7 days to simulate an oil-contaminated gravel shore, and then gametes of adult sea urchins were used to produce embryos to determine developmental toxicity. For adult sea urchins, no significant difference in the somatic size and weight was found between the various oil loadings tested, while the gonad weight and gonad index were significantly decreased at higher oil loadings. The spawning ability of adults and fecundity of females significantly decreased. For gametes, no effect was observed on the egg size and fertilization success in any of the groups. However, a significant increase in the percentage of anomalies in the offspring was observed and then quantified by an integrative toxicity index (ITI) at 24 and 48 h post fertilization. The offspring from exposed parents showed higher ITI values with more malformed embryos. The results confirmed that parental exposure to HFO can cause adverse effects on the offspring and consequently affect the recruitment and population maintenance of sea urchins.