Rosenfeld CR, DeSpain K, Liu X-t. Defining the differential sensitivity to norepinephrine and angiotensin II in the ovine uterine vasculature. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 302: R59–R67, 2012. First published October 26, 2011; doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00424.2011.—The intact ovine uterine vascular bed (UVB) is sensitive to -agonists and refractory to angiotensin II (ANG II) during pregnancy;...

The aim of this study is to simulate the contraction phenomena in pregnant uterine. Differential equations are used to model the uterine contractions for three states, namely contracting, refractory, and resting. Since verification and validation are vital for simulation systems, we compared our model with uterine magnetomyogram (MMG) data which are recorded non-invasively using SQUID-Array for...

Previous work in our laboratory showed that o,p'-DDT increases the frequency of rat uterine contractions in vitro. The present study investigated whether this response was related to prostaglandin E 2 (PGE2) release from the uterine strips or to the estrogenicity of o,p'-DDT. Contraction frequency was evaluated by recording isometric spontaneous contractions in longitudinal uterine strips from ...

This study was designed to assess the effect of inflatable obstetric belts on uterine fundal pressure in the management of the second stage of labor. One hundred twenty-three nulliparas with a singleton cephalic pregnancy at term were randomized. Standard care was performed in the control group, and uterine fundal pressure by the Labor Assister (Baidy M-420/Curexo, Inc., Seoul, Korea) was utili...

OBJECTIVE Oxytocin is frequently used by intravenous bolus and infusion to minimize blood loss and prevent postpartum hemorrhage at cesarean delivery. Current dosing regimens are arbitrary whereas large doses may pose a serious risk to the mother. The purpose of this study was to estimate the minimum effective intravenous bolus dose of oxytocin (ED90) required for adequate uterine contraction a...

Mechanisms regulating uterine contractility are poorly understood. We hypothesized that a specific isoform of small conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (SK) channel, SK3, promotes feedback regulation of myometrial Ca(2+) and hence relaxation of the uterus. To determine the specific functional impact of SK3 channels, we assessed isometric contractions of uterine strips from genetically altered mic...

BACKGROUND Management of preterm labor by tocolysis remains an unmet medical need. Prostaglandins play a major role in regulation of uterine activity and in molecular mechanisms of human labor and parturition. There is some circumstantial evidence that prostaglandin F2alpha by action through the prostaglandin receptor subtype FP is effective in key events during labor uterine contraction, ruptu...

BACKGROUND The present study demonstrates the expression of intermedin (IMD) and its receptor components in the uterus of the female rat during the estrous cycle and its effect on uterine contraction. METHODS The gene expression level of intermedin and its receptor components and the peptide level of intermedin were studied by real-time RT-PCR and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) respectively. The se...

Pro-inflammatory cytokines play an important role during the process of human parturition. The focus of this review was to explore the contribution of biological, biochemical, and genetic changes in the onset of term labor. This article reviews the English-language literature on inflammatory, hormonal, and immunological factors in an effort to identify the molecular basis of human parturition. ...

In clinical trial study, effect of ampicillin on idiopathic premature labor in 16 hospitals for 4 months from 74/09/30 was evaluated. (Tehran, 1995). Cases (30 subjects) have received ampicillin, but controls (30 subjects) didn't receive it. In two groups, maternal age, gestational age, parity, vaginal examination (lillatation & effacement), uterine contractions within 10 minutes, tocolytic dru...