Vignettes of Vieques: Medical Tales of a Timeless Island

Vieques is an island that is both beautiful and underserved. Its rural location and complex colonial history have caused the area to receive little to no medical service. However, its people are vibrant and inspirational, despite the numerous health problems most families are facing. This essay aims to bring awareness to the circumstances, lifestyles, and values of the people of Vieques

Non-communicable Diseases [NCDs] in Maternal Health: A Scoping Review

Background As countries move through obstetric transition, changing patterns in maternal mortality and morbidity have resulted in a reduction in maternal deaths from direct obstetric causes and an increasing proportion of maternal deaths due to indirect causes.1 Indirect maternal deaths make up almost one-third of all maternal deaths.2 One of the indirect causes of maternal death are NCDs as reproductive age women including pregnant women globally are increasingly being affected by them. The WHO describes NCDs as chronic diseases that tend to be of long duration and are the result of a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental and behavioural factors.3 The main types of NCDs described by the WHO are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes.3 Almost 15% of maternal deaths have been reported to be from pre-existing medical conditions.2However, there is no standardized definition of NCDs in maternal health as medical conditions, malignancies and mental health conditions have all been included under the umbrella of NCDs.4 Similarly, the literature on NCDs in maternal health covers the spectrum of acute, transient, chronic and permanent conditions.5 Pregnancy provides an opportunity for NCD care, prevention and health promotion. This not only impacts the woman’s health in the short term but also through her life course and may also have intergenerational impact. Identification of common risk factors and linkages among NCDs and reproductive health is also critical to intersectoral action and integration of health care services to sustainably improve maternal health as well address the rising burden of NCDs. Purpose A scoping study can be used to rapidly map the key concepts underlying a research area that has not been comprehensively reviewed before. The purpose of this scoping review is to examine how the “concept” of NCDs are described during a woman’s reproductive life. Specifically, we aim to: • Understand how NCDs are defined and operationalized in maternal health both in high and low resource settings • Examine how NCDs are being addressed throughout the woman’s life course • Identify gaps and research priorities • Map the available literature and develop a conceptual framework of NCDs specific to maternal health The findings of this scoping exercise will be used to inform future studies in the area of maternal health and NCDs. Research questions 1. How are NCDs defined in the maternal health literature in high and low resource settings? 2. How has the concept of NCDs evolved over time? 3. What disease conditions are included in the definition of NCDs within the field of maternal health and in what context are they described? 4. Within which time frame(s) in the woman’s life course [from pre-conception to postpartum] are NCDs addressed in the literature? 5. Identify partners, programs and organizations working in the area of NCDs and maternal healt

Additional file 1 of Non-communicable diseases and maternal health: a scoping review

Additional file 1: Table S1. Reporting guideline checklist. Table S2. Search Strategies. Table S3. Conditions by organ system

The integrated stress response effector GADD34 is repurposed by neurons to promote stimulus-induced translation

Summary: Neuronal protein synthesis is required for long-lasting plasticity and long-term memory consolidation. Dephosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2α is one of the key translational control events that is required to increase de novo protein synthesis that underlies long-lasting plasticity and memory consolidation. Here, we interrogate the molecular pathways of translational control that are triggered by neuronal stimulation with brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which results in eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (eIF2α) dephosphorylation and increases in de novo protein synthesis. Primary rodent neurons exposed to BDNF display elevated translation of GADD34, which facilitates eIF2α dephosphorylation and subsequent de novo protein synthesis. Furthermore, GADD34 requires G-actin generated by cofilin to dephosphorylate eIF2α and enhance protein synthesis. Finally, GADD34 is required for BDNF-induced translation of synaptic plasticity-related proteins. Overall, we provide evidence that neurons repurpose GADD34, an effector of the integrated stress response, as an orchestrator of rapid increases in eIF2-dependent translation in response to plasticity-inducing stimuli