Previously, we reported that 2,2'-dichlorobiphenyl (2,2'-DCB)-induced decreases of amplitude and synchronization of uterine contractions are dependent on MAPK-induced phosphorylation of Connexin43 (Cx43) and inhibition of myometrial gap junctions. Recent studies show that oxidative stress inhibits uterine contractions and myometrial gap junctions also. The present study examines the hypothesis ...

During pregnancy, the muscular layer of the uterine wall known as the myometrium, which is composed mainly of smooth muscle cells, is maintained in a state of relative quiescence. A switch from myometrial quiescence to myometrial activation is required to establish uterine contractions during labor. Researchers have long been perplexed by the fact that the major prostaglandin produced by the ut...

Changes in several extracellular matrix proteins, such as fibronectin in fetal membrane and cervical collagens, occur at term and preterm delivery. However, no studies have evaluated changes in extracellular matrix proteins, in relation to myometrial activation recorded using invasive techniques during parturition in any species. We used suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH), to demonstra...

BACKGROUND Ex situ analyses of human myometrial tissue has been used to investigate the regulation of uterine quiescence and transition to a contractile phenotype. Following concerns about the validity of cultured primary cells, we examined whether myometrial tissue undergoes culture-induced changes ex situ that may affect the validity of in vitro models. OBJECTIVES To determine whether human...

A number of steroidal and nonsteroidal estrogen receptor-binding ligands were tested for their ability to affect the formation and internalization of gap junctions in hypophysectomized rat uterine myometrial and serosal cells. Potent estrogen, including diethylstilbestrol, estradiol benzoate (EB), estradiol-17 beta, and the weak estrogens, estriol and estrone, stimulate formation of macular and...

These studies sought to test the hypothesis that prostaglandin F2α(PGF2α)-stimulated phasic myometrial contractions are characterized by the activation of the phosphatidylinositol-signaling pathway resulting in the generation of cytosolic calcium oscillations. For the experiments described in this report rat myometrial tissue was used, after the tissue was loaded with fura 2, to perform cytosol...

An understanding of the physiological and pharmacological factors regulating myometrial contractility is essential to development of therapeutic interventions aimed at addressing the clinical disorders associated with labor. Preterm labor and dystocia are the clinical conditions associated with dysfunctional myometrial contractility. Both conditions are seen in increased frequency in the presen...

background : this study assesses the expressions of estrogen and progesterone receptors in endometrioid carcinomas of the endometrium and their association with established clinicopathological prognostic parameters. methods : we reviewed the pathology and medical records from 45 cases of endometrioid endometrial carcinomas that were seen from 2006 to 2011 for relevant clinical and histological ...

Background: The illegal use of anabolic and androgenic steroids is a public health problem, so that their side effects in women are completely different from those shown in men. Objectives: This study aimed comparison of the effect of eight weeks of Propolis, Chicory, and Resistance training on histopathological and morphometric changes of uterine tissue in rats consuming Testosterone enanthat...

OBJECTIVE Evaluate if different bleeding patterns associated with the use of the levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS) are associated with different uterine and endometrial vascularization patterns, as evidenced by ultrasound power Doppler analysis. METHODOLOGY A longitudinal study, with each subject acting as its own control was conducted between January 2010 and December 2012. Health...