Objective: Thrombin generated during the active clotting of blood appears to be a potent uterotonic agonist; however, the mechanism underlying this effect on uterine smooth muscle is not well understood. We performed studies to confirm the uterotonic effects of thrombin and to determine whether prostaglandin production plays a role during the uterotonic effects of thrombin or clotting blood.
Methods: Uterine contraction studies were performed using adult nonpregnant and near-term pregnant rats. The in vitro isometric contraction studies used uterine strips pretreated with indomethacin or vehicle (ethanol), which were then stimulated with thrombin. For the in vivo contraction studies, rats were pretreated with intraperitoneal injections of indomethacin or vehicle (ethanol) then stimulated by intraluminal injection of fresh rat blood or thrombin into the uterus. The contraction data were acquired using isometric force transducers, were computer digitized, normalized for spontaneous activity, and statistically analyzed. Prostaglandin (PG) F2alpha was measured using an enzyme-linked immunoassay.
Results: The in vitro contraction studies demonstrated that both thrombin and actively clotting blood produce a significant increase in the frequency and intensity of uterine contractions. Thrombin stimulation was associated with a 54% increase in PGF2alpha concentration in vitro; indomethacin (1 microM) pretreatment completely inhibited that increase in PGF2alpha production. Despite the suppression of PGF2alpha production, pretreatment with indomethacin had no inhibitory effect on thrombin-stimulated contractile activity. In vivo contraction studies further confirmed that indomethacin (2 mg/kg) pretreatment had no effect on blood- or thrombin-stimulated contractile activity.
Conclusions: We confirmed that thrombin and thrombin produced by actively clotting blood had a robust uterotonic effect in the rat and that prostaglandin production did not play a significant role in thrombin-stimulated contractions.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1071-5576(01)00121-6 | DOI Listing |
Front Physiol
January 2025
Liberal Arts Department, American University of the Middle East, Egaila, Kuwait.
Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of eccentric phase tempo in squats on hypertrophy, strength, and contractile properties of the quadriceps femoris (QF) muscle.
Methods: Eighteen participants (10 males and 8 females, age 24.0 ± 1.
Front Physiol
January 2025
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Koper, Slovenia.
Introduction: Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) stretching is widely used to increase range of motion, but its underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This experimental, parallel group design study investigated the acute effects of PNF stretching on rectus femoris muscle stiffness and explored a potential dose-response relationship.
Methods: Thirty healthy young adults (23 females, 7 males) were randomly assigned to either a PNF stretching group (n = 15; 22.
Cureus
December 2024
Rehabilitation Medicine, Spine Center, Bologna, ITA.
In the past two decades, interest in the fascial system has exponentially increased, particularly manual treatment and stretching exercises. The fascia's fundamental role remains the transmission of tensions, although this function can be impaired due to excessive or reduced stiffness. This second part of the work outlines the basic principles concerning the importance of appropriate and balanced fascial stiffness for correct postural and functional maintenance of the human body.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Robot AI
January 2025
School of Engineering, Institute of Science Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Animal muscles have complex, three-dimensional structures with fibers oriented in various directions. The tongue, in particular, features a highly intricate muscular system composed of four intrinsic muscles and several types of extrinsic muscles, enabling flexible and diverse movements essential for feeding, swallowing, and speech production. Replicating these structures could lead to the development of multifunctional manipulators and advanced platforms for studying muscle-motion relationships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFReumatismo
January 2025
Rheumatology Unit, Department of Clinical Internal, Anesthesiologic and Cardiovascular Sciences, Sapienza University of Rome; Unicamillus, Saint Camillus International University of Health Sciences, Rome.
Objective: To assess the adherence to the vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 in patients with immunoglobulin-G4-related disease (IgG4-RD) and to evaluate the development of local and systemic adverse events (AEs) following vaccination. Additionally, to investigate the rate and outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection in IgG4-RD patients.
Methods: Patients with IgG4-RD in follow-up before the onset of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were contacted by telephone and asked to answer an ad hoc questionnaire regarding their vaccination status against SARS-CoV-2 and related AEs following vaccination.
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