CONTEXT Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (PTGS2) is a key enzyme involved in parturition. PTGS2 mRNA was found to be differentially expressed between placental amnion (amnion overlying the placental disc) and reflected amnion (amnion of the extraplacental chorioamniotic membranes) in term placentas. OBJECTIVE The aim was to evaluate the spatial and temporal regulation of PTGS2 expression...

It is increasingly evident that cytokines and growth factors produced in the decidua play a pivotal role in the regulation of the local immune microenvironment and the establishment of pregnancy. One of the major growth factors produced in the decidua is vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which acts not only on endothelial cells, but also on multiple other cell types, including macropha...

PROBLEM Decidual immune dysregulation is thought to underlie major pregnancy disorders; however, incomplete understanding of the decidual immune interface has hampered the mechanistic investigation. METHOD OF STUDY Human term decidua was collected, and single-cell phenotypic information was acquired by highly polychromatic flow cytometry. Cellular identity analysis was performed with t-distri...

Concentrations of accumulated heavy metals were compared between the terrestrial bryophyte Pohlia nutans and needles and bark of Larix decidua collected on a dump situated in the vicinity of cokeand sulphuric acid-producing factories and a municipal thermal-electric power station. The dump consisted of heavily polluted mine and smelter wastes located near Walbrzych (southwestern Poland). The pl...

the search continues for a safe effective and cheap method for mid-trimester termination of pregnancy. misoprostol is a strong contender in this respect. the dose schedule is still not fixed. the objective of this study was to compare the efficacy and adverse effects of two dose regimens of vaginal misoprostol for second trimester termination. prospective randomized double blind controlled tria...

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) participates in preeclampsia; however, the relative contributions from the circulating RAS and the tissue-based, uteroplacental RAS are unknown. We hypothesized that the tissue-based uteroplacental RAS is dysregulated in preeclampsia. We performed microarray and gene expression studies and confirmed the findings on the protein level by immunohistochemistry in ...

It has been suggested that natural killer (NK) cell activity and Th1 immunity may be involved in the pathogenesis of preeclampsia. This study aimed to investigate the immunophenotypes of NK cells and type 1/type 2 immunity in both decidua and maternal peripheral blood between normal (n=11) and preeclamptic pregnant women (n=20) by flow cytometry. The results showed that no significant differenc...

Mouse developmental kinase 4 (MDK4), a novel receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK), was identified via degenerate primer screening of mouse embryo cDNA. The mRNA encoding this RTK was found only in skeletal muscle of mouse embryos and the maternal decidua. Northern blot analysis predicted an mRNA transcript size of 6.1 kb. The amino acid sequence is most closely related to Torpedo RTK. Analysis of mRN...

BACKGROUND Extensive invasion of the maternal decidua by extravillous trophoblast is considered of critical importance for implantation and placentation in humans, the decidua being viewed as a passively invaded tissue. In this study, we examined whether decidual cells might contribute to the highly dynamic processes at the fetal-maternal interface by active movement. METHODS Primary endometr...