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Full-Text Articles in Physiology
Neuronal Connections From The Cervix To The Spinal Cord Before Parturition, Mary Medina Groves
Neuronal Connections From The Cervix To The Spinal Cord Before Parturition, Mary Medina Groves
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
By the day before birth, the density of nerve fibers in the cervix has increased compared to earlier in pregnancy or in nonpregnant mice. Similar findings are reported in parturient women. To test the hypothesis that connections between the cervix and spinal cord are enhanced by term, the cervix of nonpregnant and time-dated pregnant mice (day 15 or 18 post-breeding) was injected with pseudorabies virus (PRV), a trans-synaptic retrograde neural tract tracer. Mice were euthanized and perfused 5 days later. The spinal cord and cervix were removed and postfixed overnight, immersed in sucrose, and cryostat sections through the thoracic to …
Regulation Of Alpha-1-Adrenoceptor-Mediated Contractions Of The Uterine Artery By Pkc, Hongying Zhang
Regulation Of Alpha-1-Adrenoceptor-Mediated Contractions Of The Uterine Artery By Pkc, Hongying Zhang
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
Pregnancy is associated with a significant decrease in uterine vascular tone and a striking increase in uterine blood flow, which ensures normal fetal development. Multiple mechanisms are involved in the adaptation of uterine artery contractility during pregnancy. Both protein kinase C (PKC) and activation of ai-adrenoceptors play important roles in the regulation of uterine artery contractility. In addition, PKC mediates the pregnancyassociated decrease in myogenic tone of the uterine artery, and interacts with ajadrenoceptors leading to modulation of ai-adrenoceptor-mediated contractions of vascular smooth muscle. Yet, whether or to what extent PKC regulates ai-adrenoceptormediated contractions of the uterine artery and their …
The Immunology Of Parturition, Ari Mayer Mackler
The Immunology Of Parturition, Ari Mayer Mackler
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
Macrophage-derived factors have been implicated in the etiology of preterm labor but little is known about trafficking of this immune cell into the uterus or its regulation of uterine contractility in mice. Enhanced number and activation of macrophages was hypothesized to precede parturition. Studies characterized contractile activity and the distribution of macrophages in the uterus of C3/HeN mice before and after term (=day 19). Contractile activity by uterine strips on days 15 and 18 of pregnancy, the day of delivery, and 1 day postpartum indicate that an endogenous oscillator sustains high frequency contractions. Modest acceleration of the pacemaker occurred before …
Cortisol In The Ovine Fetus : Its Regulation And Role In Parturition, Ede Marie Apostolakis
Cortisol In The Ovine Fetus : Its Regulation And Role In Parturition, Ede Marie Apostolakis
Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects
In fetal sheep, circulating cortisol increase during late gestation to abruptly rise 72 hours preceding birth. Although the surge in cortisol is thought to initiate the endocrine cascade which triggers parturition, it is not known what drives the prepartum rise in fetal cortisol. The first study tested the hypothesis that basal cortisol secretion is regulated by adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) which in turn, is controlled by arginine vasopressin (AVP). The fetus challenged with AVP increased plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Pretreatment with an AVP V1 receptor antagonist blocked AVP-induced plasma ACTH cortisol but failed to alter basal ACTH or cortisol. To …