The present study was designed to investigate a possible role for ovarian steroids in the regulation of rat uterine oxytocin receptor (OTR) mRNA expression before labour. By using a competitive RT-PCR system, we have previously reported that parturition was associated with high levels of uterine OTR mRNA in all the animals examined. On the other hand, near term, some rats showed high OTR mRNA l...

After parturition, the somatotropic axis of the dairy cow is uncoupled, partly because of reduced concentration of liver-specific GH receptor (GHR) 1A. Estradiol-17 beta(E(2)) concentrations increase at parturition and E(2) upregulates suppressors of cytokine signaling-2 (SOCS-2) mRNA expression, potentially inhibiting GH signaling. Therefore, we hypothesized that SOCS-2 mRNA is upregulated aft...

Oxidative stress (OS)-induced senescence of the amniochorion has been associated with parturition at term. We investigated whether telomere fragments shed into the amniotic fluid (AF) correlated with labor status and tested if exogenous telomere fragments (T-oligos) could induce human and murine amnion cell senescence. In a cross-sectional clinical study, AF telomere fragment concentrations qua...

labor is a physiological event involving a sequential, integrated set of changes within the myometrium, deciduas, and uterine cervix that occur gradually over a period of days to weeks. biochemical connective tissue changes in the uterine cervix appear to precede uterine contractions and cervical dilation, and all of these events usually occur before rupture of the fetal membranes. in other wor...

This study was initiated to examine parturition related behavior both from an ecological perspective and to investigate implications for brucellosis transmission risk among elk and between elk and cattle. These aspects were investigated for elk fed during the winter, elk using improved winter feedlines, and free-ranging elk. Brucellosis is a disease causing abortion in elk (Cervus elaphus nelso...