Lean on me: effects of social support on low socioeconomic-status pregnant women.

This study identified how close relationships are related to low-income pregnant women's ability to cope and overall health. Previous research has shown that stress during pregnancy is related to long-term negative physical and psychological health outcomes for both the mother and the infant. Lower socioeconomic status has been related to higher morbidity and mortality across the lifespan. Women typically rely on close relationships for social support to help reduce stress. However, stress levels can be elevated when women engage in co-rumination. Co-rumination is defined as excessive problem discussion with negative-affect focus. Thirty-one low-income pregnant women from central Oklahoma, USA, reported their daily stressors, social support, communication habits with friends and family, and general health in a series of questionnaires at a prenatal visit. The results revealed that daily stressors, co-rumination with friends, and the relationship with the baby's father were related to physical pain and depressive symptoms. The results suggested that specific social support dynamics, such as co-rumination, during pregnancy have implications for the health of low-income mothers and their infants.

Increased RhoA translocation in renal cortex of diabetic rats.

RhoA, a member of the Rho small G protein family, mediates multiple intracellular signaling pathways, and is highly expressed in renal cortex. RhoA translocation is associated with RhoA activation. This study was undertaken to examine the relation of translocation of RhoA in the renal cortex with diabetic renal injury in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control and diabetic groups and were studied at 8 weeks after STZ-injection (55 mg/kg, i.v). We found that the kidney weight and urinary protein excretion were significantly increased in diabetic rats. Diabetic glomerulopathy was confirmed by mesangial matrix expanding and glomerular basement membrane thickening. The ratio of membrane-bound RhoA verses cytosolic RhoA is 1.8 fold higher (p < 0.01) in diabetic group, indicating an enhanced RhoA translocation. There was no significant difference in total RhoA protein expression and RhoA mRNA expression between diabetic and control groups. These data suggest that RhoA translocation might be involved in diabetic renal injury.

The father-daughter dance: the relationship between father-daughter relationship quality and daughters' stress response.

The goal of the study was to determine whether father-daughter relationship quality is related to activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (salivary cortisol) and autonomic nervous system (salivary alpha-amylase, sAA) in late adolescence-emerging adulthood during peer interactions. In the 1st study, reported father-daughter relationships characterized by rejection, chaos, and coercion had lower morning cortisol levels and were temperamentally more sensitive to emotional changes. In the 2nd study, young women who reported father-daughter relationships characterized by warmth, autonomy, support, and structure had lower pretask cortisol levels, and they had attenuated cortisol responses to problem discussion with a friend. In contrast, those who reported father-daughter relationships characterized by rejection, chaos, and coercion had higher pretask cortisol levels, had elevated cortisol in response to problem discussion with a friend, and were more likely to self-disclose about psychosocial stressors. No differences were observed between reported father-daughter relationship quality and sAA levels or task-related reactivity. The findings suggest that father-daughter interactions potentially influence both social cognition and HPA reactivity to developmentally salient stressors in young women.

Increased RhoA translocation in aorta of diabetic rats.

AIM: To analyze RhoA expression and activation in the aorta of diabetic rats. METHODS: Male SD rats (n=70) were divided into 2 groups: the diabetic group and the control group. Diabetes was induced by intravenous injection of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). The Rats were studied 3 weeks after the induction of diabetes. Western blotting was used to measure the expression and activation of Rho. RESULTS: Heart rate was measured 24 h/d; it decreased by 58+/-13 beats/min in the diabetic rats. Isometric tension showed that the contraction of diabetic aorta was significantly reduced compared with that of control aorta when stimulated by KCl and serotonin. The relaxation of the diabetic aorta was reduced when stimulated by acetylcholine. An enhanced RhoA translocation in the aortic tissues of diabetic rats was determined by a 90% increase in membrane-bound RhoA, indicating that the activation of RhoA is markedly increased in the diabetic aorta. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that upregulated RhoA could be involved in the vascular dysfunction of diabetic rats.