BENAVENTE PEREZ, FRANCISCA
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BENAVENTE PEREZ, FRANCISCA
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Online Intervention Targeting Postnatal Depression and Anxiety in Chilean First-Time Mothers: Feasibility Trial

2023 , COO CALCAGNI, SOLEDAD , María Ignacia García , PÉREZ EWERT, JANET CAROLA , Marcia Olhaberry , ALDONEY RAMIREZ, DANIELA , Olga Fernández , Nicolle Alamo , Pamela Franco , Sofía Fernández , Francisca Pérez , Jane Fisher , Heather Rowe

Abstract Objective Internet-based interventions may positively impact maternal symptoms of postnatal depression and anxiety. This study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, perceived usefulness, and preliminary effectiveness of an m-Health version of “What Were We Thinking?” (m-WWWT). Methods A mixed-methods with a 2-arm randomized parallel design was used. From a total of 477 women, 157 met the inclusion criteria. 128 first-time mothers of full-term infants, aged 4–10 weeks, who received health care at primary public health centers in Chile, were randomly assigned to the experimental (EG, n = 65) or control (CG, n = 63) groups; data of 104 of them (53 and 51, respectively) was analyzed. We used percentages and rates to measure feasibility outcomes and mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) and latent class analyses (LCA) to assess preliminary effectiveness. Participants completed questionnaires on mental health, social support, and maternal self-efficacy upon recruitment and 3 months after completing the intervention. For the qualitative component, 12 women from the EG were interviewed. Results Quantitative results show good feasibility outcomes, such as high recruitment (82%), low attrition (EG = 12% and CG = 17%), and high follow-up (EG = 97% and CG = 91%) rates. Qualitative results indicate high acceptability and perceived usefulness of m-WWWT. Mixed ANOVA did not show significant differences between the groups (all p >.05). However, multinomial regression analysis in LCA showed that women with low baseline symptoms of depression and anxiety benefit from the intervention (B = 0.43, 95% confidence interval 1.09–2.16). Conclusion m-WWWT is feasible to be implemented in Chile; future studies are needed to assess the intervention’s effectiveness.

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Novel C1q receptor-mediated signaling controls neural stem cell behavior and neurorepair

2020 , BENAVENTE PEREZ, FRANCISCA , Katja M Piltti , Mitra J Hooshmand , Aileen A Nava , Anita Lakatos , Brianna G Feld , Dana Creasman , Paul D Gershon , Aileen Anderson

C1q plays a key role as a recognition molecule in the immune system, driving autocatalytic complement cascade activation and acting as an opsonin. We have previously reported a non-immune role of complement C1q modulating the migration and fate of human neural stem cells (hNSC); however, the mechanism underlying these effects has not yet been identified. Here, we show for the first time that C1q acts as a functional hNSC ligand, inducing intracellular signaling to control cell behavior. Using an unbiased screening strategy, we identified five transmembrane C1q signaling/receptor candidates in hNSC (CD44, GPR62, BAI1, c-MET, and ADCY5). We further investigated the interaction between C1q and CD44 , demonstrating that CD44 mediates C1q induced hNSC signaling and chemotaxis in vitro, and hNSC migration and functional repair in vivo after spinal cord injury. These results reveal a receptor-mediated mechanism for C1q modulation of NSC behavior and show that modification of C1q receptor expression can expand the therapeutic window for hNSC transplantation.

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