Does progesterone inhibit bacteria-stimulated interleukin-8 production by lower genital tract epithelial cells?

Objective: Progesterone (P(4)) has been clinically shown to prevent the recurrence of preterm birth. The mechanism(s) of action is unclear, but may involve modulation of the immunologic inflammatory response of the lower genital tract. We evaluated the effects of P(4) on interleukin-8 (IL-8) production by vaginal and cervical epithelial cells stimulated with bacterial species that are commonly associated with preterm birth.

Embryonic radial glia bridge spinal cord lesions and promote functional recovery following spinal cord injury.

Radial glial cells are neural stem cells (NSC) that are transiently found in the developing CNS. To study radial glia, we isolated clones following immortalization of E13.5 GFP rat neurospheres with v-myc.

Microtubules are critical for radial glial morphology: possible regulation by MAPs and MARKs.

Radial glia are a polarized cell type that in most neural regions appear only transiently during development. They have long been recognized as glia or glial progenitors that support neuronal migration. Recent evidence indicates that radial glia also give rise to neurons and appear to be a major population of dividing precursor cells in the embryonic cortical ventricular zone.