Life Sciences Commons^™

The Balance Between Prostaglandin E2 Ep3 And Ep4 Receptors Determines Severity Of Cardiac Damage In Myocardial Infarction And An Angiotensin Ii-Induced Model Of Hypertension, Timothy Dean Bryson

Wayne State University Dissertations

According to the center for disease control about 610,000 people die every year in the United States from heart disease, of which, coronary heart disease is the most common form. One major risk factor for heart attack is hypertension, which affects nearly half of all Americans [472, 473]. PGE2 plays an important role in regulating cardiovascular function and mediating inflammation, both of which contribute to the development of hypertension and/or heart disease. Prostaglandin E2 can act as a vasodilator or vasoconstrictor depending on which of its receptor subtypes are activated.

In general, activation of the EP1 and EP3 receptors is …

The Role Of Pparγ In Placental Development And Disease, Leena Kadam

Wayne State University Dissertations

The placenta in mammals forms the maternal fetal interface serving as the source of nutrition for the fetus throughout gestation. It comprises of two major trophoblast lineages: (i) the decidua invading extra-villous trophoblast (EVT) and (ii) the placenta residing villous trophoblast (VT). The EVT’s invade the maternal endometrium to establish pregnancy and secure blood-flow to the implantation site. The VT villous trophoblast forms the main maternal-fetal exchange surface and ensures nutrient and gas exchange to facilitate growth throughout pregnancy. Additionally, both lineages are involved in immunological functions such as maintaining allogenic tolerance and regulation of immune cell activation at the …

Cervical Remodeling/Ripening At Term And Preterm Delivery: The Same Mechanism Initiated By Different Mediators And Different Effector Cells, Juan Miguel Gonzalez Velez

Wayne State University Dissertations

Premature cervical remodeling/ripening is believed to contribute to preterm delivery (PTD), the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Despite considerable research, the causes of term and PTD remain unclear, and there is no effective treatment for PTD. We tested the hypothesis that complement activation plays a role in cervical remodeling and PTD. We studied cervical remodeling at term.

We studied two mouse models of inflammation-induced PTD. The first model was induced by vaginal administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)and the second one by administration of progesterone antagonist RU486. Increased cervical C3 deposition and macrophage infiltration and increased serum C3adesArg and C5adesArg …

Adenosine A2b Receptor Effects On Post-Mi Remodeling And Cardiac Fibroblast Function, Enbo Zhan

Wayne State University Dissertations

Adenosine A_2B receptor (A_2BR) appear to contribute to chronic inflammation. This receptor is highly expressed in macrophages and cardiac fibroblasts, cells which play key roles in inflammation and healing following myocardial infarction (MI). A_2BR have been shown to induce collagen production and promote organ fibrosis, although the reports of A_2BR role on MI are limited and conflicting. The results of cardiac fibroblast (CF) studies however suggest that non-selective A_2BR stimulation inhibits collagen expression. The hypothesis of the present study was that deletion of A_2BR reduces adverse remodeling in post-MI, …