PURPOSE To evaluate the effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) on uterine contractility using cine MRI, and correlate the kinematic findings with the static findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS Healthy female volunteers of reproductive age (23 taking OCs, and 15 not) were evaluated at mid-cycle. MR images were obtained with a 1.5T magnet, with 60 serial images taken every three seconds by half-Fouri...

In late gestation, enhanced myometrial contractility is mediated in part through increased Rho/Rho kinase. Since leptin, which is elevated in pregnancy and obesity, can directly depress myometrial function, we hypothesized that in leptin receptor-deficient mice, myometrial contractility would be greater in late pregnancy due to increased Rho/Rho kinase activity. To test this, we correlated RhoA...

Spiral galaxies that move through the intracluster medium lose a substantial amount of their gas discs due to ram pressure stripping. The recent observations of NGC 4388 by Oosterloo & van Gorkom (2005) reveal a tail of stripped gas of ∼ 100 kpc behind the source galaxy. We present first 3D hydrodynamical simulations of the evolution of such ram pressure stripped tails. We find that if the ICM ...

Root hairs are tubular extensions of specific root epidermal cells important in plant nutrition and water absorption. To determine membrane glycerolipids in root hairs and roots may differ, as well as their respective response to nutrient availability, this study analyzed the membrane glycerolipid species in soybean root hairs and in roots stripped of root hairs, and their response to nitrogen ...