Preterm birth (PTB; birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation) remains the major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The current generation of biomarkers predictive of PTB have limited utility. In pregnancy, the human cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) proteome is a reflection of the local biochemical milieu and is influenced by the physical changes occurring in the vagina, cervix and adjacen...

Women exposed to diethylstilbestrol (DES) in utero develop abnormalities, including cervicovaginal adenosis that can lead to cancer. We report that transient disruption of developmental signals by DES permanently changes expression of p63, thereby altering the developmental fate of Müllerian duct epithelium. The cell fate of Müllerian epithelium to be columnar (uterine) or squamous (cervicovagi...

Several human mucosal fluids are known to possess an innate ability to inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection and replication in vitro. This study compared the HIV-1 inhibitory activities of several mucosal fluids, whole, submandibular/sublingual (sm/sl), and parotid saliva, breast milk, colostrum, seminal plasma, and cervicovaginal secretions, from HIV-1-seronegative don...

OBJECTIVE To detect anti-HIV antibodies in cervicovaginal secretions of HIV-seronegative female sex workers and to evaluate whether the presence of these antibodies is associated with increased sexual exposure. METHODS A cross-sectional study was carried out at a confidential clinic for female sex workers in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. The participants were 342 HIV-seronegative female sex workers...

BACKGROUND The importance of accurate diagnosis of premature rupture of membranes (PROM) is quite apparent while trying to diminish false negative or positive results as much as possible. This study compares Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) and three rapid human chorionic gonadothropin (HCG) dipsticks in diagnosis of premature rupture of membranes. METHODS During 2008-2009, 181 pregn...

HIV-1 and HSV-2 are frequent genital co-infections in women. To determine how self-collected genital swabs compare to provider-collected cervicovaginal lavage, paired self-collected genital swabs and cervicovaginal lavage from women co-infected with HIV-1 and HSV-2 were evaluated. Women were in an acyclovir clinical trial and their samples were tested for HIV-1 RNA (361 samples) and HSV-2 DNA (...

BACKGROUND There is an association between periodontal diseases and preterm delivery. AIM To assess the relationship between periodontal diseases, ascending bacterial infection and placental pathology with preterm delivery. PATIENTS AND METHODS A periodontal examination and collection of amniotic fluid and subgingival plaque samples were performed in women with preterm labor with intact mem...