Spontaneous embryo resorption in the mouse is triggered by embryonic apoptosis followed by rapid removal via maternal sterile purulent inflammation.

Background: In normal mammalian development a high percentage of implantations is lost by spontaneous resorption. This is a major problem in assisted reproduction and blastocyst transfer. Which embryo will be resorbed is unpredictable.

Human melanoma cells in the rhombencephalon of the chick embryo: a novel model for brain metastasis.

Malignant melanoma has the highest propensity to metastasize to the brain of all primary neoplasms in adults. Here, we describe invasive growth and the development of melanoma metastases from suspensions of human melanoma cells in the brain of the chick embryo. Patient-derived melanoma cells and established melanoma cell lines were injected into the rhombencephalic brain vesicle of the two-day-chick embryo.

Ex vivo pharmacology of surgical samples of the uterosacral ligament. Part II: Effects of oxytocin and relaxin on arteries and vascular plexus.

Aims: The uterosacral ligament (USL) contains prominent vessels, the function of which is unknown. Here we study the relationship between smooth muscle of the USL and the vascular bundles.

Methods: Native samples of arteries and vascular bundles were mounted in a perfusion chamber under the stereomicroscope.

Ex vivo pharmacology of surgical samples of the uterosacral ligament. Part I: Effects of carbachol and oxytocin on smooth muscle.

Aims: In a previous study we observed impaired smooth muscle in the uterosacral ligament (USL) of patients with pelvic organ prolapse. The aims of the study were to describe the method of the novel microperfusion system and to determine normal function and pharmacology of smooth muscle in the USL.

Methods: Samples from the USL were obtained during hysterectomy for benign reasons.

Isolation of three stem cell lines from human sacrococcygeal teratomas.

Sacrococcygeal teratomas (SCTs) are benign tumours of the newborn with absolute indication for surgery directly after birth. We recently described the presence of stem cells positive for the stem cell markers nanog and Oct4 in SCTs. Here we report the isolation of three stem cell lines from three different SCTs.

Measurement of T1, T2, and magnetization transfer properties during embryonic development at 7 Tesla using the chicken model.

Purpose: To evaluate whether techniques of high field magnetic resonance imaging may be used to characterize embryonic tissue during proliferation and differentiation.

Materials And Methods: Thirteen chicken embryos with incubation times between 5 days and 16 days have been measured in a small animal magnetic resonance imager (ClinScan, Bruker) at 7 Tesla using the built-in resonator. T1, T2-, and magnetization transfer imaging was performed using fast spin-echo with inversion recovery, half acquisition single shot turbo spin-echo, and spoiled gradient-echo sequences with and without off-resonance pulse, respectively.

Distribution of muscarinic receptor subtype M3 in melanomas and their metastases.

Background: Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mR) are involved in the regulation of cancer cell motility and cancer progression. mR have been shown in melanoma cell lines and cryostat sections of melanomas. To substantiate the experimental data, here the correlation of mR-expression with invasive growth was studied on the cellular level by comparison with HMB-45 immunoreactivity.

Neural crest cell migration of mouse B16-F1 melanoma cells transplanted into the chick embryo is inhibited by the BMP-antagonist noggin.

Melanoma cells are derived from the neural crest and characterized by high migratory potential and invasive growth. To test the analogies between malignant and embryonic cell migration, in previous studies we transplanted melanoma cells and non-transformed mouse neural stem cells into the neural crest compartment of the chick embryo. Human and mouse melanoma cells spontaneously migrated along the neural crest pathways while emigration of neural stem cells was dependent on pre-treatment with BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein-2).

Noggin blocks invasive growth of murine B16-F1 melanoma cells in the optic cup of the chick embryo.

Melanoma cells originate from the neural crest and are characterized by high migratory potential and invasive growth. After transplantation into the neural tube of the chick embryo, melanoma cells spontaneously emigrate along the neural crest pathways without tumor formation or malignant growth. This emigration depends on the constitutive over-expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and can be ablated by the BMP-antagonist noggin.

The role of smooth muscle in the pathogenesis of pelvic organ prolapse--an immunohistochemical and morphometric analysis of the cervical third of the uterosacral ligament.

The uterosacral ligament (USL) is part of the pelvic floor connecting the uterus to the dorsal body wall and stabilizing it. In samples obtained from hysterectomy patients, the smooth muscle component of the cervical third of the USL was studied by smooth muscle actin (SMA) immunohistochemistry as indicator for structural abnormalities and by morphometric determination of nuclear size as measure for the functional state. From a total of 40 patients, 18 were matched according to age, parity, and premenopausal status.

Giant solitary tumor in the true pelvis: atypical prostatic adenomyomatosis.

We report about a 32-year-old patient presenting with a large pelvic mass. Sonographic and radiological findings were inconclusive. Open tumorectomy of the mass weighing 500 g was performed.

Non-malignant migration of B16 mouse melanoma cells in the neural crest and invasive growth in the eye cup of the chick embryo.

Melanocytes originate from the neural crest. In a previous study, we observed that human SK-Mel 28 human melanoma cells resumed neural crest cell migration after transplantation into the chick embryo neural tube. Here, we used transgenic mouse B16-F1 melanoma cells transfected with green fluorescent protein-vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein construct to extend these observations.

BMP-2-dependent integration of adult mouse subventricular stem cells into the neural crest of chick and quail embryos.

Central nervous system (CNS) stem cells isolated from the subventricular zone (SVZ) show a remarkable differentiation potential into neural derivatives. Surprisingly adult SVZ cells can also be induced in vitro to differentiate into neural crest cell fates. This fate switch is dependent on the combination of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs).

Anatomical conditions for pelvic floor reconstruction with polypropylene implant and its application for the treatment of vaginal prolapse.

Objective: The purpose of the surgical treatment of vaginal prolapse is not only the restoration of the anatomy but also of the visceral functioning. To maintain the quality of life for patients with recurrent vaginal prolapse, to reduce the failure rates of operations and to avoid a colpectomy or a colpocleisis at the same time, synthetic materials have been introduced in transvaginal reconstructive surgery of the pelvic floor. The TVM Group from France described the reconstruction of the pelvic floor with polypropylene implants in 2004.

Muscarinic acetylcholine receptors as effector sites for present and future therapeutic applications: focus on non-neural cholinergic systems.

This review summarises the expression and function of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) in the organism, and the therapeutic implications of recent patents on cholinergic agents. Aside from the well known therapeutic applications of parasympathomimetic and -lytic drugs for diseases of the heart, eye, circulation and airways, new possible fields for mAChR agonists and antagonists in clinical therapy have begun to emerge. In particular, the role of non-neural cholinergic mechanisms in tissue regeneration, development and even carcinogenesis has become increasingly studied by a number of research teams within the last decade.

Transobturator vaginal tape inside-out. A minimally invasive treatment of stress urinary incontinence: surgical procedure and anatomical conditions.

Objective: The aim of this study was to review the surgical transobturator vaginal tape inside-out (Gynecare TVT-O, Ethicon Inc., Somerville, NJ) technique as described by de Leval and to present the relevant anatomical conditions of the lower pelvis on the basis of corpse dissections after TVT-O placement.

Study Design: In order to visualize the anatomical structures through which the tape runs, anatomical dissections of five corpses after TVT-O placement were performed.

Identification and functional characterization of the muscarinic receptor M3 in the human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT.

In the epidermis muscarinic cholinergic receptors are expressed in keratinocytes during normal differentiation and in regeneration of the skin. The muscarinic receptors were implicated to regulate proliferation, migration and differentiation of keratinocytes. Therefore, we characterized the muscarinic receptor in the spontaneously immortalized human keratinocyte cell line HaCaT and studied its role in cell migration.

Human SK-Mel 28 melanoma cells resume neural crest cell migration after transplantation into the chick embryo.

Melanocytes are derived from the neural crest. We questioned whether the migratory mechanism during the invasive growth of melanoma cells is the same as that in neural crest cell migration. We transplanted human SK-Mel 28 melanoma cells into the neural tube of the chick embryo stage 11-13 and, after up to 6 days of total incubation, traced the cells by immunohistochemistry in serial paraffin sections.

Ca2+-mobilization and cell contraction after muscarinic cholinergic stimulation of the chick embryo lens.

Purpose: In the embryonic lens, cells of the anterior epithelium proliferate, migrate through the equatorial zone, and elongate to form primary lens fibers at the posterior pole. During this stage of development, cholinesterase (ChE) activity has been described as in other embryonic tissues implicated in morphogenesis. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate in addition to ChE the presence of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChR) and choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and to test whether the muscarinic cholinergic system is involved in the regulation of cellular movements.

Androgens and the development of the vagina.

Today it is generally held that the vagina develops from sinovaginal bulbs and that the lower third of the definitive vagina is derived from the urogenital sinus. Here we show that the entire vagina arises by downward growth of Wolffian and Müllerian ducts, that the sinovaginal bulbs are in fact the caudal ends of the Wolffian ducts, and that vaginal development is under negative control of androgens. We designed a genetic experiment in which the androgen receptor defect in the Tfm mouse was used to examine the effects of androgens.

20-OH-Ecdysone-induced morphogenetic movements in a Chironomus cell line are accompanied by expression of an embryonic muscarinic system.

The permanent epithelial insect cell line used was derived from Chironomus tentans embryos. Cells are maintained in suspension culture, where they grow as single-layered vesicles. On treatment with the moulting hormone 20-OH-ecdysone cell division ceases.

Increase in activity of acetylcholinesterase by 20-OH-ecdysone in a Chironomus tentans cell line.

An epithelial cell line from Chironomus tentans exhibits acetylcholinesterase activity (specific activity 0.05-0.2 nkat/mg protein), which rises 30- to 40-fold after addition of 10 M 20-OH-ecdysone.

Inhibition of muscarinic receptor-mediated Ca mobilization by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate in chick embryo cells.

A muscarinic cholinergic receptor is present on undifferentiated cells of the chick embryo. Stimulation of the muscarinic receptor with muscarinic agonists triggers intracellular Ca mobilization. Here, we investigate the effect of phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on the muscarinic receptor-mediated Ca mobilization, which is monitored in cell suspensions of chick embryos of stage 24 by chlorotetracycline fluorescence.

Intracellular calcium mobilization on stimulation of the muscarinic cholinergic receptor in chick limb bud cells.

Cell suspensions of chick limb buds (stage 23/24) were loaded with the fluorescent Ca chelator chlorotetracycline. Fluorescence was monitored in a spectrofluorometer. Stimulation with acetylcholine induced a fluorescence decrease, indicating intracellular Ca mobilization.