Murine knock-out models and blastocyst co-culture studies have identified prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase (PTGS) 2, prostaglandin (PG) E receptor 2 (PTGER2) and the chemokine receptor CXCR4 as important regulators of early pregnancy events. In vitro studies and studies in non-human primates have shown that these proteins are regulated in the endometrium by the early embryonic signal, chorio...

Human fetal membranes play an important role in term and preterm labor and are responsive to steroids. We examined the expression of steroid receptor coactivators in fetal membranes obtained prior to and following labor at term. Proteins were localized by immunohistochemistry, Western analysis was carried out in nuclear extracts, and mRNA levels were determined by real-time RT-PCR. SRC-1, SRC-2...

Methylated fatty acid (FA) compounds in the heartwood and bark of some softwood species, specifically Pinus sylvestris, Abies alba, Picea abies, and Larix decidua, grown in the Czech Republic were evaluated. Strong H2SO4 was used for methylation of the lipids. The highest content of lipid was found in P. abies bark (40.132 mg/g o.d. sample), and the lowest content was in A. alba wood (11.027 mg...

Trophoblast differentiation is a key event in human placental development. During extravillous trophoblast (EVT) differentiation, stem cells from the anchoring villi detach from their basement membrane and proliferate to form aggregates called trophoblast cell columns (TCCs). They subsequently invade the decidua and differentiate into interstitial and endovascular trophoblasts. The influence of...

Spontaneous abortion is the most common complication of pregnancy. Several lines of evidence indicate that immunologic effector cells may play a role in the pathogenesis of idiopathic repetitive abortions. Leukocytes form a substantial proportion of stromal cells in decidua and the endometrial granulated lymphocytes (eGL) is the predominant decidual leukocyte population in the first trimester o...

Capparis decidua is xerophytic shrub, commonly known as Kair. The ethanolic extracts (50%) of different parts of Capparis decidua i.e. bark, fruit and flower (500 mg/kg b. wt.) were used to evaluate their glucose lowering potential. Diabetes (type 2) was induced in rats of either sex, aged 48 ± 2 hrs, were injected with Streptozotocin in citrate buffer (pH 4.5) at a dose of 90mg / kg body weigh...

BACKGROUND Decidual vascular development is important for implantation. This study analysed decidual vascular adaptation to implantation in correlation with miscarriage in decidual secretory endometrium (DSE), decidua parietalis (DP) and decidua basalis (DB) of miscarriage patients and matched controls. METHODS Decidua was obtained during first trimester termination of pregnancy (controls) an...

Solar ultraviolet-B radiation (UV-B, 280–315 nm) in the Southern Hemisphere has been increasing over the last few decades due to seasonal stratospheric ozone depletion associated with the ‘ozone hole’ and a more general erosion of the stratospheric ozone layer. We studied the effect of UV-B radiation on growth responses of Carex curta and C. decidua, the two most dominant sedges in a fen ecosys...

several studies have shown that decidual tissue produces soluble factors which can mediate a variety of immunosuppressive activities. in order to assess whether prostaglandin e2 (pge2) was present in supernatants produced by explant culture of 10 human specimens of first trimester decidua. the effect of the supernatants from the two different series (with and without indomethacin treatment) of ...