Introduction: Proceedings of the First and Second European Workshops on Preterm Labour of the Special Non-Invasive Advances in Fetal and Neonatal Evaluation (SAFE) Network of Excellence

Authors: Jörg Strutwolf

Overview. Preterm labour: mechanisms and management

Preterm birth remains a major cause of perinatal mortality and long term handicap in surviving infants. This is one of the most important clinical problems in Europe and across the world. While some preterm bi...

Authors: Andrés López Bernal

Towards understanding the myometrial physiome: approaches for the construction of a virtual physiological uterus

Premature labour (PTL) is the single most significant factor contributing to neonatal morbidity in Europe with enormous attendant healthcare and social costs. Consequently, it remains a major challenge to alle...

Authors: Michael John Taggart, Andrew Blanks, Sanjay Kharche, Arun Holden, Bin Wang and Henggui Zhang

Functional genomics of the pregnant uterus: from expectations to reality, a compilation of studies in the myometrium

Studies on the human myometrium have reported on different microarrays containing different sets of genes or ESTs. However each study profiled only a small number of patients due to various constraints. More p...

Authors: Michèle Breuiller-Fouche, Gilles Charpigny and Guy Germain

Preterm labour detection by use of a biophysical marker: the uterine electrical activity

The electrical activity of the uterine muscle is representative of uterine contractility. Its characterization may be used to detect a potential risk of preterm delivery in women, even at an early gestational ...

Authors: Catherine K Marque, Jérémy Terrien, Sandy Rihana and Guy Germain

New research models and novel signal analysis in studies on preterm labor: a key to progress?

Preterm labor affects up to 20% of pregnancies, is considered a main cause of associated neonatal morbidity and mortality and is responsible for neonatal care costs of multimillion euros. In spite of that, the...

Authors: Piotr Pierzynski, Edward Oczeretko, Piotr Laudanski and Tadeusz Laudanski

Inflammatory pathways in the mechanism of parturition

Increasing evidence suggests that parturition is an inflammatory process. In this brief overview, inflammatory events occurring in association with parturition, and the mechanism by which they may contribute t...

Authors: Jane E Norman, Shrikant Bollapragada, Mei Yuan and Scott M Nelson

A translational approach to studying preterm labour

Preterm labour continues to be a major contributor to neonatal and infant morbidity. Recent data from the USA indicate that the number of preterm deliveries (including those associated with preterm labour) has...

Authors: Rachel Marie Tribe

Reductionist and system approaches to study the role of infection in preterm labor and delivery

A substantial number of patients with preterm labor and delivery do not show clinical signs of infection, however, it is the subclinical form which is the main causative factor and often results in premature d...

Authors: Piotr Laudanski, Piotr Pierzynski and Tadeusz Laudanski

Cyclic AMP signalling pathways in the regulation of uterine relaxation

Studying the mechanism(s) of uterine relaxation is important and will be helpful in the prevention of obstetric difficulties such as preterm labour, which remains a major cause of perinatal mortality and morbi...

Authors: Wei Yuan and Andrés López Bernal

Protein kinase C and human uterine contractility

Abnormalities in uterine contractility are thought to contribute to several clinical problems, including preterm labor. A better understanding of the mechanisms controlling uterine activity would make it possi...

Authors: Isabelle Eude-Le Parco, Emmanuelle Dallot and Michelle Breuiller-Fouché

PDE4 as a target in preterm labour

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDE) are the enzymes catalyzing the hydrolysis and inactivation of the second messengers, cAMP and cGMP. Eleven PDE families are described to date, and selective inhibitor...

Authors: Céline Méhats, Thomas Schmitz, Stéphanie Oger, Roxane Hervé, Dominique Cabrol and Marie-Josèphe Leroy

Alternative splicing: an important mechanism for myometrial gene regulation that can be manipulated to target specific genes associated with preterm labour

Considerable effort has been expended in attempting to distinguish genes that contribute to initiating the onset of term and preterm labour (PTL) from those that change in expression as a consequence of the pr...

Authors: Alison Jane Tyson-Capper

Is the beta3-adrenoceptor (ADRB3) a potential target for uterorelaxant drugs?

The management of premature birth still remains unsatisfactory. Since the relative lack of efficiency and/or safety of current tocolytic agents have been highlighted, it is necessary to develop new uterorelaxa...

Authors: Marc Bardou, Céline Rouget, Michèle Breuiller-Fouché, Catherine Loustalot, Emmanuel Naline, Paul Sagot, René Frydman, Esteban J Morcillo, Charles Advenier, Marie-Josèphe Leroy and John J Morrison

Barusiban suppresses oxytocin-induced preterm labour in non-human primates

Preterm labour (PTL) is a major cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity, and oxytocin (OT) antagonists are potential tocolytics. Atosiban (TRACTOCILE) is a mixed vasopressin V_1A/OT antagonist registered for acu...

Authors: Torsten M Reinheimer

Tocolytic effect of a selective FP receptor antagonist in rodent models reveals an innovative approach to the treatment of preterm labor

Management of preterm labor by tocolysis remains an unmet medical need. Prostaglandins play a major role in regulation of uterine activity and in molecular mechanisms of human labor and parturition. There is s...

Authors: André Chollet, Enrico Gillio Tos and Rocco Cirillo

Clinical aspects of cervical insufficiency

Fetal loss is a painful experience. A history of second or early third trimester fetal loss, after painless dilatation of the cervix, prolapse or rupture of the membranes, and expulsion of a live fetus despite...

Authors: Frederik K Lotgering