Phytoestrogens are chemicals produced by plants that act like estrogens and have the ability to bind to the mammalian estrogen receptor system. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a new phytoestrogen analog called 4-acetoxy Resveratrol. Resveratrol is a phytoestrogen that has been found in the skin of grapes. Resveratrol has been shown to be able to bind to the estrogen receptors and has a similar molecular structure as estradiol. Resveratrol has been shown to have many positive health benefits such as improving cardiovascular health, serving as a neuroprotective agent, acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, working as an anti-cancer agent, increasing sperm output, acting as an anti-aging agent, and reducing incidence of prostatic adenocarcinoma. The challenge with using Resveratrol as an oral therapy is that it is quickly metabolized by the liver so for this study we used injections. The injections were 5mg/ Kg, 20 mg/Kg, and 90 mg/Kg of 4-acetoxy Resveratrol. We used intact 160 day old male Long-Evans rats and intact 90 day old female Long-Evans rats. The rats were given injections once a day for 21 days based on their treatment group. The animals were weighed daily and then tested in the Porsolt swim test at day 160 and 90 respectively. At the end of 21 days the rats were sacrificed and white adipose tissue, blood, brains, testis, and prostates were collected. Administration of 4-acetoxy Resveratrol decreased weight gain but not white adipose tissue in the male rats but has no effect in the females. In the male rat administration of 4-acetoxy resveratrol the high group also decreased testosterone, 5α-DHT , and prostate 5α-reductase activity. The high dose of 4-acetoxy Resveratrol also caused a change in prostate histology and decreased prostate weight. 4-acetoxy Resveratrol had no effect on testis weight and only showed a slight increase in depressive-like behaviors. In the females, 4-acetoxy resveratrol had no effect on white adipose tissue deposition, estrous cycle, hypothalamus aromatase activity, or depressive-like behaviors.

Approximately 40% of the world’s flowering plants are categorized as rare and of conservation priority. Carnivorous plants in particular are threatened and sensitive to environmental changes and hence can play a key ecological role in ecosystems, however, remain largely understudied. Drosera rotundifolia is classified as rare throughout North America, particularly in Southern Appalachia with only four known populations in Tennessee. Surprisingly, information on this species’ life history, survival and reproductive strategies is lacking, which limits conservation action. This project aims to fill these knowledge gaps by evaluating spatial variation, and in particular the effect of population size, in determining D. rotundifolia’s survival and reproductive strategies. This information is urgently needed to aid in the preservation of this species. I evaluated variation in germination rate, plant size, prey capture rate, flowering phenology, and mating strategies of D. rotundifolia across eight populations in Southern Appalachia and how this may be affected by population size and elevation. We recorded flower production, prey capture per individual, and plant size for all individuals in up to12 plots per population. We evaluated the degree of selfing, outcrossing and autonomous self-pollination for each population under greenhouse conditions. Approximately 3050 individual plants were observed across all sites with an average size of 26.29 mm ± 9.71mm but with large differences across populations (6.2 mm – 45.84 mm). Average daily prey capture rate was 9.88 insects across all populations but range between 0 insects – 90 insects observed per visit. Elevation seems to have no effect on flowering phenology (time of peak flowering). We found a significant effect of population size on prey capture rate, but it did not affect peak flowering or plant size. Plant size did not affect prey capture rate. Evaluation of reproductive strategies is ongoing. It has been shown that population size plays a key role in mediating reproductive success and genetic diversity within plant populations. Our results however suggest that population size may also play a key role in nutrient acquisition in Carnivorous species, which is key for their survival. Population size and elevation however did not affect flowering phenology or plant size. Larger plants were also no more successful at obtaining prey compared to smaller plants suggesting other important mechanisms are at play. Our results, although preliminary, can have important practical applications for conservation and management efforts in this species.

Introduction: Over 420,000 women aged 13-44 in Tennessee depend on publicly funded contraceptive services, yet only 42.9% receive them. Lack of access to contraception leads to unintended pregnancies, which are associated with higher rates of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. This study explores perceived barriers to contraception and patient awareness of preexisting resources to mitigate such barriers in a rural region. Methods: Women with a confirmed pregnancy establishing obstetric care at East Tennessee State University’s resident clinic were offered a 20-question survey assessing demographic variables and perspectives to contraceptive care. Results: 141 survey respondents met inclusion criteria. 95.7% denied using contraception prior to conception. Of these, 24.8% reported their pregnancy was unintended. Only 59.6% reported knowing where they could access free long-acting, reversible contraception (LARC) in the community. 50.4% agreed it would be helpful to have a free community clinic providing reproductive health care. Specifically, 73.7% of participants reported they would benefit from free LARCs; 61.0% expressed need for evening hours and 67.4% for weekend hours. Conclusions: One in four women experienced an unintended pregnancy. The known risks of unintended pregnancies to the mother and fetus will likely increase secondary to recent changes in abortion policies. Two in five women reported no awareness of resources for free LARCs in our community, suggesting that knowledge about and access to contraception is lacking at a time which women need autonomy over reproductive choices the most. Initiatives which aim to educate women regarding contraceptive care and to eliminate barriers which hinder access are warranted.

Homeschooling is becoming an increasingly popular education alternative in much of the developed world and the desire by parents to homeschool is slowly changing the perception of homeschooling and the laws that regulate and/or prohibit the practice. This paper examines the practice of homeschooling via a gendered lens and with clear recognition of the devaluation of reproductive labor within the modern, capitalist social context.

Young men are at the greatest risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) within the U.S. male populations, yet are the least likely to make a sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care visit. Clinical approaches in these areas that include the outreach to and the involvement of male partners of female patients can prove particularly useful in expanding SRH care to men and can also improve health outcomes for women who have sex with men. In this study I examined UCF's healthcare provider's approaches to educate and involve men (between the ages of 18 and 30) and male partners of female patients in their SRH needs. I conducted qualitative semi-structured interviews with 18 health care providers at the Student Health Center; including physicians, physician assistants, and registered nurses. This study found that there were significant differences in perception of men's SRH risk behaviors among the providers. In addition, this study revealed issues that might deter male students from accessing care, specifically how patients are required to state to the operator (who is also an undergraduate student) their name, PID and exactly why they are scheduling a visit to the clinic, thus many men say they have cold symptoms instead of issues with SRH. This study is significant because it can contribute to improvements in the delivery of SRH care to male students on campus.

In order to maximize fitness, individuals must partition their limited resources among competing physiological processes, creating negative statistical associations between processes known as “life-history trade-offs”. Evidence indicates that individuals tend to decrease their reproductive investment when confronted with a significant immunological challenge in order to increase investment in immune defense. This trade-off is often accompanied by a significant decrease in the sexual signal, which provides an honest signal of the male’s infection status to potential mates. However, if individual residual reproductive value is low, they may instead increase their reproductive investment to maximize reproductive success before the end of their life (a.k.a. terminal investment). Here, we investigate the potential for terminal investment in the ground cricket Allonemobius socius by inoculating males with varying dosages of an immune challenge. We predicted that both high dose and advanced male age would induce terminal investment. Furthermore, we predicted that terminally investing males would produce a dishonest signal by increasing their signaling effort. We found that upon infection We found that upon infection, young males and old males differentially alter their reproductive strategy. Young males exhibited the classic deceleration of reproductive effort. However, old males increased their calling song energetics and decreased their parental investment (nuptial gift size), suggesting that old males are dishonestly signaling their condition to the female.

Since 2015 Canada has welcomed 44,620 Syrian refugees. The research on Syrian refugees in Canada has mainly focused on their immediate health needs, communicable diseases, and chronic illnesses. Aside from maternal health, the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of Syrian refugee women is undocumented in Canada. To address this gap in the literature we conducted a qualitative study in Ottawa, Ontario that involved in-depth interviews with Syrian refugee women and individuals who provide health services to them. When accessing SRH services Syrian women identified a preference for women providers, faced difficulty adjusting to societal norms during the perinatal period, felt that contraception counselling was not culturally informed, and struggled with their maternal mental health. Key informants mainly echoed these findings and expressed a need for more cultural competency/humility training, interpretation services, and trauma-informed counselling. The path to improving SRH services for Syrian women is complex, but highly warranted.

Individuals with chronic medical conditions are at an increased risk for adverse reproductive and perinatal outcomes. However, there is limited condition-specific information on the reproductive and perinatal implications of chronic conditions and their associated treatments. In this dissertation, we focus on thyroid disorders and migraines, two relatively common chronic conditions among females of reproductive age, and three distinct reproductive outcomes, spanning from preconception to delivery. In study one, we analyzed the association between thyroid disorders and fecundability, the per-cycle probability of conception among non-contracepting couples, using data from Pregnancy Study Online (PRESTO), a preconception cohort study of pregnancy planners in the United States and Canada. We did not find an association between a diagnosis of hypothyroid, hyperthyroid, thyroid autoimmunity, or thyroid nodules/thyroid cancer and fecundability. We also found no association between thyroid medication use or non-use among individuals with a thyroid disorder and fecundability. In the second study, we focused on migraines and spontaneous abortion (SAB), which is pregnancy loss before twenty weeks gestation, also using PRESTO data. We found that a history of migraines is not independently associated with SAB risk in females, but that routine use of medication for migraines during the preconception period may be associated with an increased risk of SAB. In the third study, we focused on the association between migraines and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDOP), which include gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. We used data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink Gold, a longitudinal database of de-identified patient records from hundreds of primary care practices in the United Kingdom. We found that while migraines overall are associated with a small increase in risk of HDOP, this increase is most substantial among those with pre-pregnancy migraines that persist in the first trimester of pregnancy. Overall, we observed that while a history of diagnosed thyroid disorder or migraines ascertained via self-report during the preconception period may not be associated with the reproductive and perinatal outcomes we studied, certain subgroups of individuals with migraines may be at increased risk of SAB or HDOP. Migraine severity and persistence in the first trimester are likely important factors in determining the magnitude of this increased risk. Nuanced research into chronic conditions with a disproportionate disease burden among females of reproductive age will guide and improve reproductive health care for individuals with chronic conditions. This dissertation aims to address these gaps in the literature by exploring the relationship between two chronic conditions and three reproductive and perinatal outcomes: thyroid disorders and fecundability, migraines and spontaneous abortion, and migraines and hypertensive disorders of pregnancy. / 2023-04-20T00:00:00Z

The requirements of European Unification, along with broader processes of globalization, including immigration, are reshaping economic and welfare priorities and reconfiguring the relationship between citizens and the state in Italy. The reorganization of the Italian welfare state around the principle of subsidiarity combines neoliberal restructuring with a commitment to social solidarity and cohesion and privileges the family as the social formation best suited to mediate between state, market, and citizens. As the state retreats from some of its former social welfare responsibilities, it simultaneously extends its reach into matters of reproduction and family-making. Biopolitics in the time of subsidiarity encompasses concerns over birth rates, the population, the rights of the unborn, and the proper composition of the family. This dissertation examines the terms of social cohesion in post-welfare Italy and the central role that matters of reproduction and the family play in its reformulation as a moral and cultural problem. I focus on three discursive sites: the politics of life; the assertion of the heteronormative family as an urgent and legitimate site of political intervention; and the parameters for the "appropriate" integration of migrants into Italian society. I draw on ethnographic inquiry with associations and individuals engaged in reproductive and migrant health and politics in Milan. Tracing the policies, practices, and discourses that seek to govern in the name of social cohesion sheds light on new citizenship projects and logics of inclusion/exclusion in the post-welfare moment and underscores the continued salience of gender, sexuality, and reproduction to processes of state building.

ABSTRACT Background: In the late 1980s the possibility was raised that periodontal infections could constitute maternal infections so it could influence adversely birth outcomes. Adversely birth outcomes such as preterm infants (born before 37 weeks of gestation). Low birth weight (LBW) (<2500g) is also usual with preterm infants. Transient bacteraemia commonly occurs in subjects with inflamed gingiva (Kinane et al. 2005) and may reach the tissues of the placenta, which could cause inflammatory impetus for labour induction  Aim: The aim of this study was to review published articles during the last ten years to summarize the current research field to elucidate if there is an association between periodontitis and some adverse birth outcomes, specifically low birth weight, pre-eclampsia and pre-term birth. Methods: A literature search was conducted in the database PubMed with the aim to find published articles in which the association between periodontitis and adverse birth outcomes was examined. Human clinical studies that were published within the last ten years, had an abstract available and a minimum of 200 subjects were included. Studies published before 2012 were excluded. Results: Results of the primary search presented 280 articles. Twentyone of these articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Two thirds of the included studies could show an association between periodontitis and adverse birth outcomes.  Conclusions: Within the limitations of this paper there is very likely to be an association between periodontitis and adverse birth outcomes in some populations, and under some conditions such as diagnostic criteria for periodontitis.