Li, Zhicheng and Meredith Hay. 17-b-Estradiol modulation of area postrema potassium currents. J Neurophysiol 84: 1385–1391, 2000. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 17-bestradiol on area postrema neuronal activity in vivo and on area postrema potassium currents (IK) in vitro. In anesthetized rats, intravenous injection of 17-b-estradiol (10 ng/kg bw) -inhibited area postr...

Background: Naturally occurring CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Treg) exert an important role in mediating maternal tolerance to the fetus during pregnancy. During pregnancy the elevated number of regulatory T cells (Tregs) correlates with 17-b oestradiol (E2) level. The role of maternal hormones in successful pregnancy is well known. Maternal hormones through re-engineering of the maternal immun...

genated aromatic hydrocarbon that exerts reproductive toxicity, developmental teratogenic effects, and carcinogenicity. Generally, most of the toxic effects of TCDD are mediated through specific binding to the cytosolic aromatic hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). The AhR is a ligand-activated basic region-helix–loop–helix transcription factor that forms a heterodimeric complex with the AhR nuclear tra...

Recently, there has been a growing controversy, especially among evangelicals, over whether the birth control pill might have an abortifacient mechanism that sometimes causes early chemical abortions. An understanding of this controversy necessitates a clear definition of abortion, abortifacient, pregnancy, implantation, and especially personhood. If a zygote (fertilized egg) is not a person, t...