Objective To investigate the expression of large-conductance calcium-sensitive potassium channel (BKCa) in myometrium.Methods The expression levels of BKCa ? subunit protein in human myometrium tissues in term of non-labor(TNL) and term labor(TL)were measured by Western blot analysis. Results Relative abundance of BKCa channel ? subunit protein was 1.18+0.20 for TNL group(n=9),and 0.60+0.08 for TL group(n=11).The statistic difference was significant (P=0.009). Conclusion Expression of BKCa channel protein in lower segment myometrium of TNL group was higher than that of TL group. BKCa may play a certain role in modulating uterine function.

Urocortin,a novel peptide of the cortiotropin releasiong hormone(CRH)family,was discovered in 1995 in the rat brain and subsequently cloned and localized to human chromosome 2.It can bind to both CRH type 1 receptor and CRH type 2 receptor,as well as CRH binding protein.Especially to CRH type 2 receptor,urocortin binds to it with 40 times more potency than CRH does.Therefore,urocortin is thought to be an endogenous ligand for CRH type 2 receptor.Immunoreactive urocortin and urocortin mRNA were localized in many areas such as mammalian brain,cardiovascular system,placenta.It is believed that urocortinmay play important physiological roles as a neuropeptide not only in the central nervous system but also in peripheral tissues.

Objective:To study the inhibitory effect of tumor-selective replication-competent adenovirus-mediated human endostatin(CX-hE)on transplanted ovarian cancer(OV-90) in nude mice.Methods: BALB/c nude mice were inoculated subcutaneously with OV-90 cells to establish the animal model bearing human ovarian cancer.Eighteen nude mice bearing cancer were divided into 3 groups to receive intratumoral injection of PBS,CX-hE or Ad-hE,1/2 d,5 times.Then their livers were harvested for pathologic examination.Another 15 nude mice were divided into 3 groups to receive single intratumoral injection of CX-hE,Ad-hE or ONYX-015.Venous blood was collected on day 1,3 and 7 after injection for hEndo measurement by ELISA.The tumors were harvested for pathologic examination and immunohistochemical staining.Results: The tumors grew more slowly in CX-hE group and their sizes were markedly smaller than those of Ad-hE group(P

Objective: To study the diagnosis， treatm ent and outcome of infants in patients with hyperthyroidism in pregnancy. Methods: The levels of T3，T4，TSH，FT3，FT4 in 40 cases of hyperthyroid gravida and control group were measured before delivery, the r oute of delivery and the outcome of infants were studied, and the neonatal thyroid f unctions were evaluated by the levels of T3，T4，TSH in cord serum samples . Results: The levels of T3，T4，FT3，FT4 in non-treatm ent group were higher than that of treatment group and control(P<0.01); an i ncreased rate of forceps and cesarean in hyperthyroid gravida was seen compared with that in control group, about 90%(36/40); the body weights of infants in no n-treatment group were lower than that in treatment and control group. There wa s a case of neonatal hyperthyroidism in non-treatment group. Conclusion : Hyperthyroidism should be diagnosed and treated earlier and there is little side effects on the outcome of infants.

Objectives:To investigate the level of soluble intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM 1) concentrations in the serum and peritoneal fluid from the patients with or without endometriosis.To discuss the relationship within sICAM 1 and pelvic endometriosis. Methods:35 serum and 30 peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis (test group) and 26 serum and 4 peritoneal fluid without endometriosis (control group) were studied.Soluble intracellular adhesion molecule 1 levels were detected by an enzyme linked immunoassay(ELISA).The results were analysed by T test. Results: The serum concentration of sICAM 1 was significantly higher in test group than controll group. However,There was no significant difference in between two groups. Conclusions: These results suggest that sICAM 1 could play some role in the persistence of endometriotic lesions.

Objective: To identify corticotropin releasing hormone(CRH) positive cells from the human placenta. Methods: Using immunohistochemistry to show the cellular expression of placental CRH. Results: During human pregnancy, placental CRH level rose markedly from undetectable amounts prior to 20 weeks gestation to nearly the peak level. Conclusion: The presence of CRH in maternal plasma is attributed to the placental production and subsequent release of this hormone into the maternal circulation. [

Objective: To study the change of placental corticotropin releasing hormone level in pregnant women entering spontaneous labor at term and preterm or posterm,and to investigate the value of CRH as an indicator of preterm labor. Methods: Subjects( n =200) were recruited to the study at their antenatal visits,and plasma samples were obtained at their routine antental clinic visits from 28 weeks to parturition at 2 weeks intervals.CRH were measured by radioimmunoassay. Results: CRH concentrations rose significantly as pregnancy developed and reached the highest level at delivery. Plasma CRH levels were significantly higher in preterm labor and lower in postterm labor after gestational 28 weeks( P

The animal models for pharmacologic assessment of drugs against premature delivery arereviewed, which include the measure of spontaneous delivery time between the first and the second pups in term pregnancy rats, the delay in the onset of labor in rats and premature delivery artificially induced by lipopolysaccharide, interleukin 1 ? and prostaglandin F 2? in mice.

Objective　To examine whether urocortin is produced locally to regulate utero-placental vascular tone during pregnancy. Methods　We examined the distribution of urocortin in human placenta, fetal membranes and uterine tissue at term in the presence and absence of labor using a urocortin antibody produced in our laboratory and the immunoperoxidase staining method. Subsequently, we tested urocortin secretion from chorio-decidual cells in vitro using an immunoblot technique. Then， we tested whether urocortin is present in maternal plasma throughout gestation using a radioimmunoassay. A Sephadex G-50 column was used to examine whether immunoreactive urocortin (IR-urocortin) in maternal plasma is the same as synthetic urocortin. Results　IR-urocortin was observed in vascular smooth muscle of myometrium decidual stromal cells, syncytiotrophoblast and amnion epithelium. No differences in staining intensity for urocortin were detected between tissues obtained in the absence or presence of labor. Staining intensity for IR-urocortin was greatest in the decidua, suggesting this may be the main site of urocortin production. Positive staining for urocortin was observed in 40% of chorio-decidual cells with 34% of these cells secreting urocortin under basal conditions. Urocortin was detectable in maternal plasma from 16 weeks gestation and concentrations did not change as gestation progressed. IR-urocortin in the maternal plasma eluted from a Sephadex G-50 column at the same site as synthetic urocortin and had a calculated retention co-efficient of 0.44. Conclusion　This study indicates that urocortin is produced by the decidua during human pregnancy and is detectable in maternal plasma. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that urocortin is produced locally by the decidua and may act to regulate utero-placental blood flow.