Role of mu-calpain in human decidua for recurrent miscarriage.

Problem: Earlier, we showed that calpain activated by increasing intracellular calcium ion concentration in endometrial cells, causes endometrial dysfunction for implantation and early pregnancy. In the present study, we investigated the existence and distribution of calpains, calpastatin, integrin beta3 and alpha-fodrin in decidua from patients with recurrent miscarriage.

Method Of Study: Deciduae were surgically collected from 29 patients with recurrent miscarriage and 20 healthy women with informed consent.

Cleavage of integrin by mu-calpain during hypoxia in human endometrial cells.

Problem: The distribution and activation of mu-calpain and possible cleavage of integrin in human endometrial cells under hypoxic condition were investigated.

Method Of Study: Human endometrial epithelial and stromal cells were subjected to hypoxia, and subsequently used for immunostaining and western blot analysis.

Results: The proform of mu-calpain was detected in the cytoplasm of normal cells, and displayed a substantial decrease after hypoxia.

Distributions of endometrial NK cells, B cells, T cells, and Th2/Tc2 cells fail to predict pregnancy outcome following recurrent abortion.

Problem: To evaluate the ability of immunophenotypes of endometrial leukocytes from patients with histories of recurrent abortion to predict outcome of subsequent pregnancy.

Methods Of Study: Seventeen women with two successive spontaneous abortions with normal karyotype in the conceptus and 15 women with male-factor infertility were studied. Subsequent pregnancy outcomes in 17 recurrent abortion patients were noted; 11 had live birth, while six aborted in the first trimester.