Aurora magazine

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh have identified a hormone that facilitates implantation of the embryo. The discovery could help improve current techniques for assisted reproduction.

Each month the hormones send specific chemical signals to the uterus, so as to make it favorable to pregnancy. The newly fertilized eggs are indeed very sensitive and require a special environment. Any change is likely to invalidate the implant and make the pregnancy shipwrecked in the bud.

Scientists do not yet know what the exact characteristics necessary for implantation of the embryo are. However, a team from Edinburgh has identified a hormone that appears to be involved in the process, the DHEA. The DHEA hormone decreases significantly over a lifetime. It could therefore play a key role in female infertility due to age or other factors.

The researchers tested the effects on healthy tissues donated by women who were undergoing unrelated interventions. The uterus cells treated with DHEA have developed twice the proteins associated with the embryo implant. The hormone has also increased the production of active androgens, mainly male hormones.

According to the researchers, these last hormones could be linked to the positive changes detected.

It is still early to talk about a real treatment for infertility. According to the lead author of the study, Dr. Gibson, the discovery is still an important step. It could help to better understand how the implant works in utero. In this way it would be easier to develop treatments to facilitate it.

Source: ed.ac.uk

Future mothers may have been quiet: running during pregnancy is safe and healthy. This is stated by a study led by Professor Andrew Shennan of King's College London.

Women who run during pregnancy do not risk giving birth before or their children are likely to be born underweight. On the contrary, the study showed that running has no negative effect on healthy women and fetuses. It is therefore confirmed: it is possible to continue running during all three quarters, except for pregnancies at risk.

A previous study found a link between high-intensity running and problems with the cervix. According to this work, running too much would be dangerous for the child. Professor Shennan denied it: the offending study focused on professional athletes. Instead, he examined the effects of the race as practiced by the average population.

In commenting on his study, the professor encouraged future mothers to continue exercising. Not only would it not be dangerous, it would also be healthy for both them and the fetuses. The important thing is to consult with your gynecologist and adapt the exercises to the new conditions of the body.

Professor Shennan's study confirms the importance of physical exercise during pregnancy. Women who do 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day gain less weight and experience less complications. Those who do not exercise, on the other hand, tend to earn an average of 2.3 kg more.Source: deccanchronicle.com

A team from the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) and Cedars-Sinai has discovered a new way to measure cell age. The technique could improve current tumor screening and monitoring techniques.

According to some studies, over the years the cells lose particular chemicals that regulate cell activity. The process is progressive and measurable, easy to identify especially in the early stages of development. Nevertheless, these changes go on throughout life, determining the actual age of the person. They are also connected to the development of some forms of cancer.

The work in question is based on these concepts and on a 2011 study conducted by the authors themselves. At the time the team identified the areas of the genome in which these substances are lost, called methyl groups. However, the technique was applicable only to cancer cells. Therefore, a fee applicable to healthy cells was missing.

The cellular clock starts when our cells begin to divide and reproduce. Each division causes imperceptible changes in the genome, which accumulate over the years. The new method allows to cover all cell divisions, starting from the early stages of embryonic development. In this way it is possible to measure the genetic damage caused by age.

The link between tumors and loss of methyl groups in DNA has been established for years. It is known that it is much more common in tissues that reproduce very quickly, since rapid cell turnover facilitates the accumulation of errors. However, the mechanisms behind the phenomenon are largely unknown. The discovery highlighted the degeneration of cancer cells is an increased and accelerated version of normal cellular aging.

Source: vai.org

Pregnancy causes a series of major changes in a woman's body. These act both on the physical and on the mental sphere. After delivery, stress and hormonal changes are easy to alter mood. In most cases these result in a passing malaise that resolves in a few months. In 10-15% of cases, however, the malaise lasts and becomes the so-called post-natal depression.

Postpartum depression involves at least five of the following symptoms, which must last for at least two weeks:

• depressed mood
• loss of pleasure
• lack / excess appetite
• sudden decrease / increase in weight
• altered sleep
• lack of energy
• isolation
• sense of impotence
• anxiety
• decrease in libido
• decrease in concentration
• thoughts of death
• agitation.

In the event that these symptoms occur, it is necessary to contact a specialist to confirm the diagnosis. In some cases, in fact, the symptoms in question may be related to other disorders of the emotional and psychological sphere. At other times, however, they are only a momentary reaction to the stress of change. A specialist will know how to identify the causes behind the individual malaise and advise how to deal with it. In any case, it is important never to underestimate the problem.

The first symptoms of postpartum depression often occur between the 3rd and 4th week after delivery. They tend to reappear cyclically up to the 6th month, sometimes up to 9th. In some cases they can persist for years, with damage to the quality of life of the whole family. A psychological consultation and - where necessary - psychiatric can avoid many unnecessary suffering to mother and child.

Source: stateofmind.it