Vascular responses in term pregnant and non-pregnant human uterus

The effects of pregnancy and placental localization on vascular responses to endogenous vasoconstrictor agents were studied in intramyometrial arteries dissected from myometrial biopsies. The tissues were taken from the lower uterine segment in patients subjected to hysterectomy (n = 8), and in pregnant patients undergoing caesarean section without (n = 8) and with low anterior placental insertion/placenta previa (n = 8). Isometric tension was recorded in vascular ring preparations mounted in organ baths and the contractile effects of angiotensin II, noradrenaline, vasopressin and the TxA2-mimic U46619 were studied. No differences in contractile responses between vessels from the three patient groups were found. When comparing vessels from all the pregnant patients with those from non-pregnant patients, vasopressin showed lower Emax values in preparations from the pregnant women, but otherwise no differences were found. The pD2 values (= -log EC50) ranked the agonists vasopressin greater than U46619 greater than or equal to angiotensin II greater than or equal to noradrenaline (U46619 greater than noradrenaline), while no major differences emerged for the Emax values. The results do not provide evidence that pregnancy and placental localization produce major changes in intramyometrial vascular responses to endogenous vasoconstrictor agents of suggested importance for regulation of human maternal placental resistance.     

Lack of effect of arbaprostil on the human non-pregnant uterus

Arbaprostil ((15R)-15-methyl Prostaglandin E2) is being studied for the treatment of gastrointestinal illness. To determine its effect on the human uterus, eight sterilized pre-menopausal women were studied during the proliferative phase of their menstrual cycle. Using a microtransducer catheter, intra-uterine pressures were recorded for at least 30 minutes prior to and 2 hours after arbaprostil administration. Each subject was studied four times, at 48-hour intervals, receiving in a double-blind manner; 0, 10, 25, and 50 micrograms. Arbaprostil at does up to 50 micrograms was found not to have any clinically significant effects on the non-pregnant human uterus.     

Forces required for surgical dilatation of the pregnant and non-pregnant human cervix

Summary. The force required to dilate the uterine cervix to a diameter of 8 mm has been measured in 200 non-pregnant and 40 early pregnant patients. In general, the resistance offered by the cervix was lower in parous than in nulliparous subjects and in pregnant compared with nonpregnant subjects. The phase of the menstrual cycle did not appear to influence cervical resistance but the highest recordings were seen in postmenopausal subjects. Particularly low resistance was encountered in women receiving Depo-Provera for contraceptive purposes.     

Prostaglandins and cellular calcium transport in the pregnant human uterus

The attempt was made to shed some light on the cellular mechanism of prostaglandin action in the human myometrium. Focus was on calcium transport in the human pregnant uterus as affected by prostaglandins. A subcellular tissue fraction was isolated from human pregnant uteri by differential centrifugation and purified on a sucrose density gradient. This fraction bound calcium in the presence of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), splitting ATP in the process. The preparations were characterized both morphologically and chemically. The observed activity seemed to be similar to ATP-dependent calcium-binding activity in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) isolated from striated muscles. The smooth muscle stimulator prostaglandin E1 inhibited ATP-dependent calcium binding and enhanced calcium release from SR preparations. Physiologically inactive prostaglandin F1beta had no effect on SR calcium binding. With the demonstration of calcium-binding system in uterine smooth muscle, there is little question that the mechanism which starts uterine muscle contraction is the release of calcium from the membrane system associated in muscle cells with the SR. In sum, there is the temptation to suggest that the onset of contractions in the human uterus and possibly the activity which culminates in labor are regulated by endogenous or exogenous prostaglandins.     

Lack of effect of circulating prostacyclin on contractility of the non-pregnant human uterus

Summary. To study the effect of prostacyclin (PGI₂) on the contractility of the non-pregnant human uterus, the intrauterine pressures in the isthmus and fundus of the uterus were recorded before, during and after intravenous PGI₂ at different phases of two consecutive menstrual cycles in eight women. Infusions of 1–8 ng of PGI₂ mur⁻¹ kg⁻¹ for 20 min caused no changes in intrauterine pressure either during menstruation or any other phase of the cycle when compared with the contractility patterns in the same woman during the control infusion. Thus these data suggest that circulating PGI₂ is not involved in regulating the contractility of the non-pregnant human myometrium.     

妊娠期与非妊娠期人乳头瘤病毒的感染率比较

目的:探讨HPV在不同妊娠时期感染率及基因分型的差别。方法:利用DNA杂交导流技术检测180例妇女妊娠早、中、晚期宫颈分泌物中HPV的表达及基因分型,同时检测180例非妊娠期健康妇女的宫颈分泌物作为对照。结果:180例非妊娠期健康妇女的宫颈标本中,HPV感染率为13%(23/180)。检出高危基因型(HPV16/18/31/52/56型)16例;低危基因型(HPV6/11型)5例;常见亚型(HPV53)2例。在妊娠期妇女的标本中,早、中、晚孕期感染率分别为19%(34/180)、20%(36/180)及32%(58/180)。检出高危基因型(HPV16/18/31/33/52/58/68型)81例;低危基因型(HPV6/11/42型)43例;常见亚性(HPV53/66)4例。其中有多重型感染患者。结论:妊娠期HPV感染率明显高于非妊娠期健康妇女,且感染率随妊娠进展而逐渐上升,其中高危亚型尤为明显,需要引起临床重视。     

Determination of tonicity in the non pregnant human uterus in vivo

The method hysterometry has been designed for the study of the effect upon the uterine muscle of pharmacologically active agents. Hysterometry has earlier been used on the pregnant uterus and is now described for the non-pregnant situation. The capacity of the technique is exemplified with results achieved in a study of the effect of prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors and beta-receptor stimulating agents during dysmenorrhea.     

Adeno-associated virus and human papillomavirus types in cervical samples of pregnant and non-pregnant women

Objective

To investigate the prevalence of AAV and HPV DNA and their types in cervical secretion from pregnant and non-pregnant women.

Study design

The samples were obtained from 40 pregnant and 62 non-pregnant women who were attended at the outpatient clinic of the Federal University Hospital of Espírito Santo, Southeastern Brazil. AAV and HPV were investigated by PCR and typed by PCR and/or RFLP.

Results

The occurrence of AAV in all samples was 25.5% (26/102): 81% (21/26) and 19% (5/26) for AAV2/3 and AAV5 species, respectively. AAV were observed in 35% (14/40) and 19% (12/62) of pregnant and non-pregnant women, respectively. HPV occurred in 22% of all samples; 25% (10/40) in pregnant and 20% (12/60) in non-pregnant women. HPV types were determined for 72.7% of the strains, most of which classified as high-risk. AAV–HPV co-infection was observed in 15.4% (4/26), mostly in pregnant women.

Conclusions

There was a greater prevalence of AAV and HPV in pregnant than in non-pregnant women, which suggests that the gestational state may play a role in reactivating the viruses.     

Imaging the pregnant human uterus with nuclear magnetic resonance

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques have been used to produce images of the pregnant and nonpregnant human uterus. A series of pictures is presented showing the normal nonpregnant uterus and pelvic organs, the uterus and its contents in pregnancy at 17, 30, and 40 weeks' gestation, and the pelvic organs in the early puerperium. In early pregnancy the uterus and placenta are clearly seen and the dimensions and configuration of the pelvis can be readily assessed. Because of the relatively long scan time of 2 minutes, better images of the fetus were obtained in the third trimester when movement is more restricted. The potential value of this technique in obstetrics is discussed.