A case of endometriosis presenting as a mass in the groin of a pregnant woman is described. The mass increased in size during the pregnancy and the radiological features were suspicious of malignancy. Histological examination showed atrophic glands set in an abundant stroma. This was not typical of normal endometrial stroma but had a pronounced myxoid appearance with areas of decidualization. T...

We have demonstrated previously that cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX2), the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of prostaglandins (PGs), is essential for blastocyst implantation and decidualization. However, the candidate PG(s) that participates in these processes and the mechanism of its action remain undefined. Using COX2-deficient mice and multiple approaches, we demonstrate herein that COX2-der...

Preeclampsia is a hypertensive, proteinuric disease that affects 5-10% of all pregnancies and is a leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity/mortality (Soto et al., J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med 25: 498-507, 2011). The primary treatment for preeclampsia still is delivery of the fetus and placenta. The underlying mechanisms remain elusive. One possibility is inadequate uterine angiogenesis...

Abstract Introduction: Maxillary canines commonly have an ectopic eruption. This study aimed to assess the factors related to the ectopic maxillary permanent canines. Materials and Methods:This was a descriptive cross-sectional study of 1357 panoramic radiographs from patients 8 to 13 years old. The radiography was excluded if the patient had any developmental disease or if the panoramic im...

Endometrial decidualization results from the differentiation of stromal cells in an ovarian steroid-sensitive manner. Human endometrial tissues obtained from fertile women at various stages of the menstrual cycle were subjected to immunohistochemistry to localize the components of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) system. TGF-beta receptor-I and -II expression was higher in stromal...

Steroid hormone-regulated differentiation of uterine stromal cells, known as decidualization, is essential for embryo implantation. The role of the estrogen receptor-α (ESR1) during this differentiation process is unclear. Development of conditional Esr1-null mice showed that deletion of this gene in both epithelial and stromal compartments of the uterus leads to a complete blockade of decidual...

BACKGROUND Cyclooxygenase (COX)-derived prostanoids (PGE2, PGI2) are important contributors to the process of decidualization. Previous studies showed the presence of Ang-(1-7) in the primary and secondary decidualized zones of the implantation site at early pregnancy. Decreased concentrations of Ang-(1-7) were found in the decidualized uterus compared to the non-decidualized uterus of pseudopr...

Human trophoblast invasion of decidualized endometrium is essential for placentation and is tightly regulated and involves trophoblast-decidual cell interaction. High temperature requirement A4 (HtrA4) is a secreted serine protease highly expressed in the invasive extravillous trophoblasts that invade decidua. In contrast, both HtrA1 and HtrA3 have been shown to inhibit trophoblast invasion. He...