Decidual cells from women with preeclampsia exhibit inadequate decidualization and reduced sFlt1 suppression.

Uterine stromal cell decidualization of maternal tissue is essential for implantation of and local adaptation to the fetal allograft, as well as growth and maintenance of the placenta in healthy pregnancies. Maternal defects in decidualization have been suggested as a possible driver of preeclampsia. Preeclampsia (PE) pregnancies demonstrate shallow implantation, inadequate spiral artery remodeling, and elevated levels of the anti-angiogenic protein, sFlt1. To test whether stromal cells (DSCs) isolated from PE placentas exhibit inadequate re-decidualization and increased expression of sFlt1, DSCs from normotensive (NT-DSCs) and PE (PE-DSCs) placentas were treated for 8 days (D8) with cAMP to induce decidualization and levels of decidualization markers (PRL, IGFBP1, VEGF) and sFlt1 were measured at day 0 (D0), D8, and after reversal of treatment. NT-DSCs achieved statistically significant elevations in PRL and IFGBP1 expression (25.72 [5.78-50.04], p = 0.0008 and 92.09 [1.79-543.10], p = 0.005). PE-DSCs increased PRL and IFGBP1 expression to 6.15 [2.30-10.73] (p = 0.18) and 8.67 [1.64-376.10] (p = 0.04). NT-DSCs reduced sFlt1 expression at D8 to 0.25 [0.17-0.49] (p = 0.0021) compared to 0.31 [0.25-0.82] (p = 0.087) in PE-DSCs. These results show that, when induced to decidualize, PE-DSCs fail to increase expression of decidualization markers to levels achieved by NT-DSCs. sFlt1 expression is higher in PE-DSCs during decidualization, suggesting inadequate suppression during the crucial implantation period. These defects at the maternal fetal interface may lead to the failed spiral artery modification, decreased placental invasion of the uterus, and elevated circulating sFlt1 levels seen in PE pathology.

Race and Gender Differences in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Structures and Research Outcomes.

Participating in undergraduate research with mentorship from faculty may be particularly important for ensuring the persistence of women and minority students in science. Yet many life science undergraduates at research universities are mentored by graduate or postdoctoral researchers (i.e., postgraduates). We surveyed a national sample of undergraduate life science researchers about the mentoring structure of their research experiences and the outcomes they realized from participating in research. We observed two common mentoring structures: an open triad with undergraduate-postgraduate and postgraduate-faculty ties but no undergraduate-faculty tie, and a closed triad with ties among all three members. We found that men and underrepresented minority (URM) students are significantly more likely to report a direct tie to their faculty mentors (closed triad) than women, white, and Asian students. We also determined that mentoring structure was associated with differences in student outcomes. Women's mentoring structures were associated with their lower scientific identity, lower intentions to pursue a science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) PhD, and lower scholarly productivity. URM students' mentoring structures were associated with higher scientific identity, greater intentions to pursue a STEM PhD, and higher scholarly productivity. Asian students reported lower scientific identity and intentions to pursue a STEM PhD, which were unrelated to their mentoring structures.

Yoga for Risk Reduction of Metabolic Syndrome: Patient-Reported Outcomes from a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

Lifestyle change is recommended as treatment for adults at risk for metabolic syndrome (MetS), although adoption of new behavioral patterns is limited. In addition, most existing lifestyle interventions do not address psychological stress or quality of life, both of which impact the burden of MetS. Yoga, a form of physical activity that incorporates psychological components (e.g., maintaining attention, relaxation), is a promising intervention for improving the burden of MetS. This randomized controlled trial assessed the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a 12-week yoga program coupled with an evidence-based health education program (HED) compared to HED alone. A secondary, exploratory aim examined perceived stress, quality of life, and related psychological outcomes (mindfulness, perceived health competence, and mood). Sixty-seven adults at risk for MetS enrolled (mean age [SD]: 58 [10] years; 50% male; 79% non-Hispanic White). Preliminary results revealed significantly larger improvements in two quality of life domains (role-physical and general health perceptions) in the HED plus yoga group versus HED alone (ps < 0.05). This is the first study that implemented lifestyle education along with yoga to evaluate the potential unique effects of yoga on participants at risk for MetS. A larger clinical trial is warranted to further investigate these promising patient-reported outcomes.

A Social Capital Perspective on the Mentoring of Undergraduate Life Science Researchers: An Empirical Study of Undergraduate-Postgraduate-Faculty Triads.

Undergraduate researchers at research universities are often mentored by graduate students or postdoctoral researchers (referred to collectively as "postgraduates") and faculty, creating a mentoring triad structure. Triads differ based on whether the undergraduate, postgraduate, and faculty member interact with one another about the undergraduate's research. Using a social capital theory framework, we hypothesized that different triad structures provide undergraduates with varying resources (e.g., information, advice, psychosocial support) from the postgraduates and/or faculty, which would affect the undergraduates' research outcomes. To test this, we collected data from a national sample of undergraduate life science researchers about their mentoring triad structure and a range of outcomes associated with research experiences, such as perceived gains in their abilities to think and work like scientists, science identity, and intentions to enroll in a PhD program. Undergraduates mentored by postgraduates alone reported positive outcomes, indicating that postgraduates can be effective mentors. However, undergraduates who interacted directly with faculty realized greater outcomes, suggesting that faculty interaction is important for undergraduates to realize the full benefits of research. The "closed triad," in which undergraduates, postgraduates, and faculty all interact directly, appeared to be uniquely beneficial; these undergraduates reported the highest gains in thinking and working like a scientist.