Matrix metalloproteinases are proteolytic enzymes that degrade the extracellular matrix and are essential for tissue remodeling. Uterine and cervical growth require remodeling of structural barriers to cell invasion and matrix metalloproteinase-2 and -9 degrade type IV collagen, the major component of basement membranes. Relaxin stimulates uterine and cervical growth and remodeling, which inclu...

Human uterine fibroids, benign tumors derived from the smooth muscle layers of the uterus, impose a major health burden to up to 50% of premenopausal women in their daily life. To improve our understanding of this disease, we developed and characterized a patient-derived xenograft model by subcutaneous transplantation of pieces of human uterine fibroid tissue into three different strains of sev...

Innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), including NK cells, contribute to barrier immunity and tissue homeostasis. In addition to the role of uterine NK cells in placentation and fetal growth, other uterine ILCs (uILCs) are likely to play roles in uterine physiology and pathology. In this article, we report on the composition of uILCs in the endometrium during the luteal phase and in the decidua during e...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate uterine contractility, oxytocin receptor (OTR) expression in myometrial smooth muscle cells (MSMCs) derived from uterine tissues from women with and without adenomyosis correlate OTR expression with uterine contractility and dysmenorrhea severity, and see whether trichostatin A (TSA) and andrographolide inhibit OTR expression. DESIGN Laboratory study using human tissues....

The present studies detail the cytopathological alterations in uterine epithelial, basal lamina, and stromal endometrial subregions, and associated endocrine parameters that occur during the progressive exacerbation of the diabetes syndrome in this species of mouse. These alterations result in a cellular lipoatrophic condition that compromises uterine tissue integrity and promotes reproductive ...

We report two cases of postpartum intractable bleeding with coagulopathy. Case 1: A 34-year-old low-risk woman at 39 weeks of gestation was admitted to our hospital. After an uneventful vaginal delivery, placenta separation failed. Ultrasonography revealed absence of placental lacunae suggesting a retained placenta with a lower possibility of placenta accreta. Manual separation was then attempt...

A study was conducted to determine whether bovine blastocyst-stage embryos and trophoblastic vesicles stimulate the production of progesterone in bovine luteal cells during incubation in vitro. The effects of co-incubation of these embryos and vesicles with uterine endometrial tissue on progesterone production was also investigated. Bovine small and large luteal cells were obtained on day 12 of...

Alveolar soft part sarcoma (ASPS) is a rare malignant soft tissue tumor, mainly localized in the extremities, occurring principally in adolescents and young adults. ASPS is uncommon in the female genital tract , and only 37 cases have been reported so far, including 9 cases in the uterine corpus and 17 cases in the uterine cervix. We here reported a case of ASPS occurring in the lower uterine s...

The intermediate filament proteins desmin and vimentin from pregnant and non-pregnant uterine muscle and smooth-muscle cells in culture were analysed using SDS/PAGE. The desmin content in uterine muscle increases dramatically during pregnancy, whereas vimentin remains unchanged or changes very little. When muscle cells are kept in culture, a considerable increase in vimentin content is observed...