NOTCH, WNT, and TGFβ: Key pathways in extravillous trophoblast formation and differentiation.

During gestation, the human placenta ensures nutrition, gas exchange, and protection against pathogens for the growing fetus. As key component in placentation, extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) arise from trophoblast (TB) progenitors through extensive proliferation at placental tip structures. A stepwise and tightly orchestrated differentiation process enables post-proliferative EVTs to invade maternal uterine layers, remodel the uterine vasculature, and modulate the maternal immune system to sustain pregnancy.

Real-world insights into incretin-based therapy: Associations between changes in taste perception and appetite regulation in individuals with obesity and overweight: A cross-sectional study.

Aims: This cross-sectional study examined associations between self-reported taste perception changes and appetite-related outcomes in individuals with obesity treated with glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RAS) or dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP)/GLP-1 RAS in real-world conditions.

Materials And Methods: Four hundred and eleven adults on Wegovy® (n = 217), Ozempic® (n = 148) and Mounjaro® (n = 46) completed an online survey assessing sociodemographic, anthropometric and sensory changes and appetite-related outcomes. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess associations between taste changes and satiety, appetite and craving.

Hypoxia and loss of GCM1 expression prevent differentiation and contact inhibition in human trophoblast stem cells.

During the first stages of embryonic development, the placenta develops under very low oxygen tension (∼1%-2% O), so we sought to determine the regulatory role of oxygen in human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs). We find that low oxygen promotes hTSC self-renewal but inhibits differentiation to syncytiotrophoblast (STB) and extravillous trophoblast (EVT). The transcription factor GCM1 (glial cell missing transcription factor 1) is downregulated in low oxygen, and concordantly, there is substantial reduction of GCM1-regulated genes in hypoxic conditions.

The multifaceted roles of the transcriptional coactivator TAZ in extravillous trophoblast development of the human placenta.

Insights into the molecular processes that drive early development of the human placenta is crucial for our understanding of pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, since defects in maturation of its epithelial cell, the trophoblast, have been detected in the severe forms of these diseases. However, key regulators specifying the differentiated trophoblast subtypes of the placenta are only slowly emerging. By using diverse trophoblast cell models, we herein show that the transcriptional coactivator of HIPPO signaling, TAZ, plays a pivotal role in the development of invasive extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs), cells that are essential for decidual vessel remodeling and adaption of maternal blood flow to the placenta.

Influencing children: food cues in YouTube content from child and youth influencers.

Digital marketing of unhealthy foods is linked to childhood obesity. This study evaluated nutrient quality and creative strategies of food cues on social media, focusing on child/youth influencers, to inform the ongoing digital media regulatory debate. Using the WHO's Monitoring of Marketing of Unhealthy Products to Children and Adolescents protocol, 162 videos from seven child/youth influencers' YouTube accounts with German content (33.

Spatial multiomic landscape of the human placenta at molecular resolution.

Successful pregnancy relies directly on the placenta's complex, dynamic, gene-regulatory networks. Disruption of this vast collection of intercellular and intracellular programs leads to pregnancy complications and developmental defects. In the present study, we generated a comprehensive, spatially resolved, multimodal cell census elucidating the molecular architecture of the first trimester human placenta.

Senescent Syncytiotrophoblast Secretion During Early Onset Preeclampsia.

Background: Preeclampsia is a severe hypertensive disorder in pregnancy that causes preterm delivery, maternal and fetal morbidity, mortality, and life-long sequelae. Understanding the pathogenesis of preeclampsia is a critical first step toward protecting mother and child from this syndrome and increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life. However, effective early predictive tests and therapies for preeclampsia are scarce.

Association between frailty and subsequent disability trajectories among older adults: a growth curve longitudinal analysis from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004-19).

Frailty is associated with adverse health outcomes in ageing populations, yet its long-term effect on the development of disability is not well defined. The study examines to what extent frailty affects disability trajectories over 15 years in older adults aged 50+. Using seven waves of data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), the study estimates the effect of baseline frailty on subsequent disability trajectories by multilevel growth curve models.

Dissecting the Impact of Maternal Androgen Exposure on Developmental Programming through Targeting the Androgen Receptor.

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) exhibit sustained elevation in circulating androgens during pregnancy, an independent risk factor linked to pregnancy complications and adverse outcomes in offspring. Yet, further studies are required to understand the effects of elevated androgens on cell type-specific placental dysfunction and fetal development. Therefore, a PCOS-like mouse model induced by continuous androgen exposure is examined.

Trends over time in the deficit of (instrumental) activities of daily living in the Austrian population aged 65 years and older : Results from the Austrian Health Interview Survey series.

Background: Difficulties in activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) in older adults are associated with diminished quality of life and increased demand for long-term care. The present study examined the prevalence of disability among individuals aged 65 years and older in Austria, using data from the Austrian Health Interview Surveys (ATHIS).

Methods: The ATHIS 2014 and 2019 surveys were used (N = 5853) for the analysis.

Step-by-step protocol for isolating the entire repertoire of human first trimester placental cells.

Correct placental development and function are essential for adapting the mother to the ongoing pregnancy and the wellbeing of the growing fetus; however, underlying processes are still poorly understood. Only limited structural and cellular placental features are shared among species hence requiring reliable human in-vitro models. Recently established trophoblast stem cell and organoid models significantly improved placental research; however, the human placenta constitutes a multi-cellular organ with tightly orchestrated, cellular and molecular networks between trophoblasts (TBs) and villous core cells (VCCs) vital for correct placentation.

Chronic exercise effects on overall depression severity and distinct depressive symptoms in older adults: A protocol of a systematic and meta-analytic review.

Introduction: There is high evidence that chronic exercise benefits overall depression severity in older adults. However, late-life depression is characterized by considerable heterogeneity in clinical manifestation emphasizing the need for more individualized exercise intervention programs. Therefore, the objective of the proposed review is to investigate the effects of chronic exercise on overall depression severity and on different symptoms of depression in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) including older adults with a mean age of at least 60 years, and by considering the moderating effects of intervention characteristics and individual characteristics.

Perceptions of Therapeutic Climbing for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis in Neurorehabilitation: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Therapeutic climbing (TC) has emerged as a prospective rehabilitation approach for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). The existing literature primarily focuses on the physical and psychological benefits of TC across diverse populations but is limited concerning its application and efficacy for patients with MS.

Objectives: This study aimed to delineate the experiences, subjective effects, and perceptions of both individuals with MS and therapists regarding TC, highlighting the potential benefits and challenges of this therapeutic approach.

Experiences of Vegans with General Practitioners in the Austrian Health Care System: A Qualitative Study.

This article explores the factors influencing the choice of general practitioners (GPs) and their role in the health care of vegans in Austria. The number of people identifying as vegan is on the rise, and GPs are increasingly confronted with vegan patients. A qualitative method was chosen for this study, and 14 semi-structured interviews with vegans were conducted between April 2022 and July 2022.

Cancer risk factors and access to cancer prevention services for people experiencing homelessness.

Cancer is one of the most pressing global health issues, and populations with complex needs, such as people experiencing homelessness, have higher cancer incidence and mortality rates compared with the housed population. We mapped the evidence on cancer risk factors as well as barriers and facilitators to cancer prevention services among people experiencing homelessness, which is key to localising research gaps and identifying strategies for tailored interventions adapted to people experiencing homelessness. The results of 40 studies contribute to an understanding of the dynamic, interactive factors at different levels that determine access to cancer prevention services: socioeconomic, psychological, and physical factors (individual level); practical support and relational loops between health-care providers and people experiencing homelessness (interpersonal level); housing and regular medical care (system level); and interventions to facilitate access to cancer prevention (policy level).

Gene-network based analysis of human placental trophoblast subtypes identifies critical genes as potential targets of therapeutic drugs.

During early pregnancy, extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) play a crucial role in modifying the maternal uterine environment. Failures in EVT lineage formation and differentiation can lead to pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, fetal growth restriction, and pregnancy loss. Despite recent advances, our knowledge on molecular and external factors that control and affect EVT development remains incomplete.

Trophoblast Organoids as a Novel Tool to Study Human Placental Development and Function.

The human placenta provides the site of exchange between the maternal and fetal bloodstreams, acts as an endocrine organ, and has immunological functions. The majority of pregnancy disorders including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction have their roots in pathological placentation. Yet, the underlying molecular causes of these complications remain largely unknown, not least due to the lack of reliable in vitro models.

NOTCH3 signalling controls human trophoblast stem cell expansion and differentiation.

Failures in growth and differentiation of the early human placenta are associated with severe pregnancy disorders such as pre-eclampsia and fetal growth restriction. However, regulatory mechanisms controlling development of placental epithelial cells, the trophoblasts, remain poorly elucidated. Using trophoblast stem cells (TSCs), trophoblast organoids (TB-ORGs) and primary cytotrophoblasts (CTBs) of early pregnancy, we herein show that autocrine NOTCH3 signalling controls human placental expansion and differentiation.

Health aspects of vegan diets among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analyses.

Health effects of vegan diets among children and adolescents are a controversial public health topic. Thus, the aim of the present systematic review is to evaluate a broad range of health outcomes among vegan children and adolescents aged 0 to 18 years. 18 studies met the inclusion criteria (17 cross-sectional, 1 RCT).

Cancer risk factors and access to cancer prevention services for people experiencing homelessness: a scoping review protocol.

Introduction: Homelessness is a complex social issue that significantly impairs the health of those affected. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) have a higher prevalence of adverse health outcomes, including premature mortality, compared with the general population, with cancer being the second-leading cause of death. The objective of this scoping review is to map the evidence to assess the exposure of PEH to known cancer risk factors and identify barriers and facilitators PEH experience in accessing cancer prevention services.

Generation of extracellular fluids from first-trimester decidual tissues and their validation by detecting tissue-specific secreted proteins.

The human placenta comes in direct contact with maternal cells and blood at two interfaces. The syncytiotrophoblast layer is surrounded by maternal blood at the intervillous space, and extravillous trophoblasts breach the vascular endothelial cells layer upon spiral artery remodeling and invasion of decidual veins. However, little knowledge exists about EVT-derived secreted factors, which may serve as predictive markers for obstetrical syndromes or shape the local environment at the maternal-fetal interface.

Human organoid systems in modeling reproductive tissue development, function, and disease.

Research focused on human reproductive biology has primarily relied upon clinical samples affording mainly descriptive studies with limited implementation of functional or mechanistic understanding. More importantly, restricted access to human embryonic material has necessitated the use of animals, primarily rats and mice, and short-term primary cell cultures derived from human patient material. While reproductive developmental processes are generally conserved across mammals, specific features unique to human reproduction have resulted in the development of human-based in vitro systems designed to retain or recapitulate key molecular and cellular processes important in humans.

The Association between Vegan Dietary Patterns and Physical Activity-A Cross-Sectional Online Survey.

A balanced diet and sufficient physical activity (PA) are known to have positive health effects. The relationship between a vegan diet and PA levels is understudied. This cross-sectional online survey aimed to analyze whether different vegan dietary patterns differ in PA.