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At birth, the F1 pups exposed to B were significantly growth suppressed compared with the controls, with correspondingly lower blood glucose, insulin, IGF-I, corticosterone, and leptin levels and delayed neurological outcomes. Catchup growth occurred at P21, surpassing that of the control group. By P70, growth was comparable, but glucose was higher, insulin was lower, and memory was retarded in the B group, and transmitted to the unexposed F2 offspring of B-exposed rats. Antenatal betamethasone has sustained metabolic and neurological effects that may impact the unexposed offspring. Whether these intergenerational effects reverse in future generations remain to be determined.Impaired placentation is implicated in poor perinatal outcomes associated with Trisomy 21. Earlier studies revealed abnormal cytotrophoblast differentiation along the invasive pathway as a contributing mechanism. To further elucidate the causes, we evaluated Caspase-2 expression at the protein level (immunolocalization and immunoblot) in samples from Trisomy 21 (n = 9) and euploid (n = 4) age-matched placentas. Apoptosis was investigated via the TUNEL assay. An immunolocalization approach was used to characterize Caspase-3, Fas (CD95), and Fas ligand in the same samples. Caspase-2 was significantly overexpressed in Trisomy 21 placentas, with the highest expression in villous cores and invasive cytotrophoblasts. Immunolocalization showed that Caspase-3 had a similar expression pattern as Caspase-2. Using the TUNEL approach, we observed high variability in the number of apoptotic cells in biopsies from different regions of the same placenta and among different placentas. However, Trisomy 21 placentas had more apoptotic cells, specifically in cell columns and basal plates. Furthermore, Caspase-2 co-immunolocalized with Fas (CD95) and FasL in TUNEL-positive extravillous cytotrophoblasts, but not in villous cores. These results help explain the higher levels of apoptosis among placental cells of Trisomy 21 pregnancies in molecular terms. Specifically, the co-expression of Caspase-2 and Caspase-3 with other regulators of the apoptotic process in TUNEL-positive cells suggests these molecules may cooperate in launching the observed apoptosis. Among trophoblasts, only the invasive subpopulation showed this pattern, which could help explain the higher rates of adverse outcomes in these pregnancies. In future experiments, this relationship will be further examined at a functional level in cultured human trophoblasts.Recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA) is a common health problem that affects 1-5% of women in reproductive age. Plenty of studies have indicated that microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in the occurrence of miscarriage. [https://www.selleckchem.com/products/pf-04929113.html SNX-5422 order] MiR-93 has a wide range of functions in mammalian tissues and plays an important role in many diseases especially for cancers. However, it remains unknown whether miR-93 is associated with human RSA. In this report, clinical samples revealed that miR-93 expression was significantly elevated in the villi tissues of RSA patients. Upregulation of miR-93 inhibited human trophoblast cells HTR-8/SVneo cell proliferation, migration, and invasiveness, but promoted cell apoptosis in vitro. Conversely, the downregulation of miR-93 reversed these effects. Bcl-2 like protein 2 (BCL2L2), a potential target gene of miR-93, was inversely correlated with miR-93 expression in the villi of clinical samples. Furthermore, the luciferase reporter system demonstrated that miR-93 directly downregulated the expression of BCL2L2 by binding a specific sequence of its 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR). Collectively, these data strongly suggest that miR-93 regulates trophoblast cell proliferation, migration, invasive, and apoptosis by targeting BCL2L2 expression and is involved in the pathogenesis of RSA.This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of the transplantation of autologous adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (AD-SVF) containing adipose stem cells (ASCs) in regenerating functional endometrium in patients with severe Asherman's syndrome (AS). This was a prospective clinical study involving six infertile women aged 20-44&nbsp;years who were diagnosed with severe AS by hysteroscopy. Autologous AD-SVF were isolated from patient's adipose tissue obtained by liposuction and then transplanted into uterus by transcervical instillation using an embryo transfer catheter followed by estrogen hormone therapy. Endometrial growth and pregnancy outcomes were assessed after fresh or frozen embryo transfer. Of the five patients who remained in the study, two women who had amenorrhea resumed their menstruation with irregular scant bleeding. Three women with oligomenorrhea had increased menstrual amount. Before therapy, the maximum EMT measured ultrasonographically was 3.0 ± 1.0&nbsp;mm (range 1.7 to 4.4&nbsp;mm), which significantly increased to 6.9 ± 2.9&nbsp;mm (range 5.2 to 12.0&nbsp;mm, p = 0.043) after cell transplantation and hormone therapy. Five women had embryo transfer after therapy one fresh and four frozen-thawed. One woman conceived but aborted spontaneously at 9-week gestation. AD-SVF is a safe and easily available cell product containing adipose-derived stem cells. Autologous transplantation of AD-SVF may regenerate damaged human endometrium and increase endometrial receptivity. Our study showed the feasibility of AD-SVF in restoring endometrial function and increasing endometrial thickness. This cell therapy may become a promising treatment for infertile women with endometrial dysfunction and needs further investigation.Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) induced by estrogen contributes to the development of adenomyosis. However, the exact underlying mechanism remains mostly obscure. We hypothesized that a transmembrane glycoprotein neuropilin 1 (NRP1) was critical in the EMT induced by estrogen, accelerating the development of adenomyosis. We firstly investigated the expression pattern of NRP1 in endometrium samples from women with adenomyosis. We found that NRP1 expression was significantly increased in the endometrium of uterine adenomyosis, especially in the ectopic endometrium. To determine the role of NRP1 in the EMT in endometrial cells, we used an NRP1 overexpression retrovirus to up-regulate the NPR1 expression in human endometrial cells (HEC-1-A). Endometrial cells infected with NRP1 retroviruses showed a high expression of NRP1 and exerted a mesenchymal phenotype, characterized by down-regulation of E-cadherin and Occludin, up-regulation of α-SMA and N-cadherin, and enhanced migration. Then, we found that 17β-estradiol (E2) up-regulated the expression of NRP1 in endometrial cells in a dose-dependent manner, which was eliminated by raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor inhibitor. Importantly, NRP1 shRNA significantly suppressed the EMT induced by E2 in endometrial cells. And NRP1 shRNA significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of Smad3 and restored the expressions of Slug and Snail1 mRNA. Collectively, these data highlight the possible role of NRP1 in the EMT in the development of adenomyosis and provide a potential therapeutic target for adenomyosis patients.Obstetric management to prevent hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) during labor is important to reduce the cerebral palsy incidence in neonates. A novel approach to monitor or predict fetal brain damage during labor is required. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy is a noninvasive method routinely used to assess the intrinsic characteristics of tissues. This study investigated the time course of diffuse reflectance signals during an early stage of cerebral cortical damage in a neonatal rat HIE model (Vannucci's model). In the model, an HIE lesion was induced by hypoxic exposure following ligation of the left common carotid artery. Using this model, we established an experimental system to detect diffuse light reflectance signals at time points of interest. Quantitative monitoring of total hemoglobin, oxygen saturation, and scattering amplitude was conducted to examine the basis of the diffused reflectance signals. During hypoxic exposure, which induced HIE damage in the left hemisphere after ligation, the oxygen saturation level decreased, but the difference between the two hemispheres was relatively small. During this period, total hemoglobin was increased in both hemispheres, but the change in the left hemisphere was significantly greater than that in the right, which is attributable to a vigorous compensation response. During hypoxia, scattering amplitude, which reflects cellular/subcellular morphology, revealed a remarkable difference between the two hemispheres. We confirmed that scattering amplitude levels negatively correlated with the extent of edema. These findings suggest that simultaneous monitoring of the scattering amplitude, in addition to hemodynamic parameters, is useful for detecting brain tissue alterations leading to HIE.Ganglioside GT1b is well-known for its role in cytokine production and in activating epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated signaling pathways in cancer cells. However, there are no reports that clearly elucidate the role of GT1b in EGFR-mediated signaling pathways in porcine oocytes during the process of in vitro maturation (IVM). In this study, we investigated the role of GT1b in EGFR-mediated activation of the ERK1/2 pathway in porcine cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) at 44 h of IVM. Our data show that expression of the ST3GAL2 protein significantly increased in porcine COCs at 44 h irrespective of treatment with EGF. Meiotic maturation and mRNA levels of factors (HAS2, TNFAIP6, and PTX3) related to cumulus cell expansion significantly increased in COCs treated with 2 μM GT1b during IVM in the absence of EGF. They also increased in COCs treated with EGF/GT1b as compared to that in the other groups. Interestingly, protein levels of EGFR, phospho-EGFR, ERK1/2, and phospho-ERK1/2 dramatically increased in COCs treated with EGF/GT1b. Moreover, the rate of fertilization and the developmental competence of blastocyst were significantly higher in EGF/GT1b-treated COCs. Taken together, these results suggest that exogenous GT1b improves meiotic maturation and cumulus cell expansion in porcine COCs via activation of EGFR-mediated ERK1/2 signaling.Cell-free fetal DNA in the maternal circulation has been associated with the onset of labor at term. Moreover, clinical studies have suggested that cell-free fetal DNA has value to predict pregnancy complications such as spontaneous preterm labor leading to preterm birth. However, a mechanistic link between cell-free fetal DNA and preterm labor and birth has not been established. Herein, using an allogeneic mouse model in which a paternal green fluorescent protein (GFP) can be tracked in the fetuses, we established that cell-free fetal DNA (Egfp) concentrations were higher in late gestation compared to mid-pregnancy and were maintained at increased levels during the onset of labor at term, followed by a rapid decrease after birth. A positive correlation between cell-free fetal DNA concentrations and the number of GFP-positive pups was also observed. The increase in cell-free fetal DNA concentrations prior to labor at term was not linked to a surge in any specific cytokine/chemokine; yet, specific chemokines (i.