The pathogenesis of leiomyoma may be related to an imbalance in the interaction of sex steroids with paracrine growth factors that may control the modulation of mitogenesis and local immunity. The authors investigate the temporal and spatial expression of proliferative and preapoptotic molecules that may participate in the modulation of myometrial function and leiomyoma pathogenesis. Immunohist...

This study investigated the roles of endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors and endothelin-1 (ET-1) for regulating myometrial contractions during gestation in the rat. Basal and stimulated cyclic GMP production with L-arginine as a NOS substrate or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) as a NO donor were significantly enhanced at the middle of gestation (14th day), while these were greatly decr...

Prolongation of pregnancy i.e. going more than 10 days over the estimated due date, complicates up to 10% of all pregnancies and is associated with increased risk to both mother and fetus. Despite the obvious need for contractions of the uterus to end pregnancy, there have been no studies directly examining the role of uterine smooth muscle, myometrium, in the aetiology of prolonged pregnancy. ...

Injectable hydrophobic drugs are typically dissolved in surfactants and non-aqueous solvents which can induce negative side-effects. Alternatives like 'top-down' fine milling of excipient-free injectable drug suspensions are not yet clinically viable and 'bottom-up' self-assembled delivery systems usually substitute one solubilizing excipient for another, bringing new issues to consider. Here, ...

We present optical and IR surface photometry of M51 (NGC 5194) at B V R I J K and CO(2.3μ). These data are used to establish whether K-band (2.2μ) images of spiral galaxies provide reliable maps of stellar surface mass density features such as massive spiral arms or bars. The main distorting agents in the mapping at shorter wavelengths are dust extinction and luminous young stars. From modeling...

We used a PCR-based subtraction method, representational difference analysis of cDNA (cDNA--RDA), to identify genes with a higher expression in leiomyomas in comparison with the corresponding myometrium during the proliferative phase of the menstrual cycle. Increased expression of the genes for pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPPA), tomoregulin, cellular retinoid acid binding protein 1 ...

ObjectiveTo explore the link between sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) signaling and leiomyoma possible S1P cross-talk with fibrotic effect of activin A.DesignCase-control laboratory study.SettingUniversity institute university hospital.Patient(s)Patients uterine fibroids (n = 26).Interventions(s)Tissue specimens normal myometrium were obtained from patients undergoing myomectomy or total hysterect...

The aim of this study was to investigate whether apamin-sensitive K(+)channels play a role in the NO induced relaxation of the human pregnant myometrium. Concentration-response curves for sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (10(-9)-10(-4)M) were constructed in the absence and presence of 10(-8)M apamin and 10(-7)M charybdotoxin (CTX). Preincubation with apamin resulted in a significant attenuation of th...

Uterine leiomyomas are benign tumors that develop from smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been shown to be involved in the signaling pathways that stimulate proliferation of a variety of cell types. Thioredoxin-1 (TRX-1) is a redox-regulating protein, which is overexpressed in various tumors. In the present study, we investigated the expressions of TRX-1 and its ...

In this study, we characterized the changes in the extracellular matrix proteoglycan decorin in pregnant intrauterine tissues in late gestation and in association with labor and delivery in sheep. In addition, we examined the effects of estradiol and progesterone on regulation of decorin mRNA expression in myometrium from the nonpregnant ovariectomized sheep. Using suppression subtractive hybri...