PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Hormone may help predict tubal ectopic pregnancy

New study shows the hormone adrenomedullin plays significant role in tubal ectopic pregnancies

2012-05-04
(Press-News.org) Tubal ectopic pregnancy (TEP) is currently the leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths during the first trimester and a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) shows that the hormone adrenomedullin (ADM) may help predict this condition.

TEP is a condition where the fertilized egg implants in the fallopian tubes instead of in the uterus. In pregnant women, cilia (small protuberances) pulsate, or beat, to propel an embryo through the fallopian tubes towards the uterus. Defects in ciliary beats and muscle contractions may predispose a woman to TEP. With rare exceptions, ectopic pregnancies are not viable, and they are also dangerous for the mother and without proper treatment, can lead to death.

"This is the first report to address the effect of ADM on cilia beat frequency and muscular contraction in the oviduct," says the lead author of this study, Wai-Sum O, PhD, of the University of Hong Kong. "We found that low ADM expression may contribute to slower muscle contraction and ciliary beating, which hampers embryo transport and favors embryo retention in the oviduct. This finding is significant because plasma ADM levels may be useful in predicting TEP."

In this study, researchers examined women who were having their fallopian tubes removed or were having a hysterectomy for non-cancerous reasons. Each participant had tissue from their oviduct incubated in conditions to replicate the hormonal state of early pregnancy. In the oviducts of patients who had TEP, the ciliary beats were slower, the muscle contractions were less frequent, and there were lower levels of ADM than in the oviducts from a normal pregnancy. Administering ADM reversed the retardation of ciliary beating and muscle contraction and restored them to normal levels.

"We reported for the first time a significantly reduced expression of ADM in human oviduct tissue in TEP compared to control," said O. "ADM increases cilia motility, smooth muscle tone and contraction frequency, and the reduced ADM level in TEP may contribute to its pathogenesis by impairing embryo transport."

Other researchers working on the study include: Liao SB, Li HWR, Ho JC, Yeung WSB, Ng EHY, Cheung ANY, and Tang F, all of The University of Hong Kong.

###

The article, "Possible role of adrenomedullin in the pathogenesis of tubal ectopic pregnancy," appears in the June 2012 issue of JCEM.

Founded in 1916, The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society's membership consists of over 15,000 scientists, physicians, educators, nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology. The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site at www.endo-society.org. Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EndoMedia.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New data improve understanding of breast cancer's multiple varieties

2012-05-04
New findings presented at Europe's leading breast cancer translational research conference this year shed new light on the many biological differences between individual breast cancers. Focused on the biological features that make tumors more or less sensitive to important therapies, the new studies will help doctors make crucial choices about the most appropriate treatment for millions of patients. "Despite major advances in the treatment of breast cancer many patients continue to relapse and die from the disease," noted Prof Mitch Dowsett from the Royal Marsden Hospital, ...

Identifying patients who benefit most from immune suppressant

2012-05-04
A new analysis may help doctors identify breast cancer patients who will benefit from treatment with the immune suppressant drug everolimus, say French researchers at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Everolimus is currently used as an immunosuppressant to prevent patients rejecting transplanted organs and in the treatment of renal cell cancer. Research is also being conducted into the drug's use in other cancers, including breast cancer. Dr Thomas Bachelot, from Centre Leon Berard in Lyon and colleagues analyzed data from the TAMRAD study, ...

Immune-response genes affecting breast tumor eradication

2012-05-04
Breast cancer patients whose tumors express high levels of genes related to immune response are more likely to have their tumor completely eradicated by pre-operative chemotherapy compared to patients with low expression of these genes, Belgian researchers report at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Their research has identified a group of patients who might be good candidates for treatments with new immune-targeting therapies. Dr Michail Ignatiadis from Institut Jules Bordet, Brussels, and colleagues analyzed gene expression data from eight ...

Breast cancer in young women: A distinct disease

2012-05-04
Breast cancer in young women is a biologically unique disease that requires customized management strategies, researchers report at the 4th IMPAKT Breast Cancer Conference, in Brussels, Belgium. The reported findings have potentially important implications for treatment, because breast cancer in young women is often aggressive and diagnosed at an advanced stage, meaning the prognosis for these patients is often poor. Dr. Hatem A. Azim Jr., a medical oncologist from Institut Jules Bordet in Brussels, and colleagues showed that breast cancer in women forty-years or younger ...

Stem cells poised to self-destruct for the good of the embryo

Stem cells poised to self-destruct for the good of the embryo
2012-05-04
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Embryonic stem cells — those revered cells that give rise to every cell type in the body — just got another badge of honor. If they suffer damage that makes them a threat to the developing embryo, they swiftly fall on their swords for the greater good, according to a study published online May 3, 2012 in the journal Molecular Cell. The finding offers a new glimpse into the private lives of stem cells that could help scientists use them to grow new neurons or other cells to replace those that have been lost in patients with Parkinson's and other diseases. ...

US spends far more for health care than 12 industrialized nations, but quality varies

2012-05-04
May 3, 2012, New York, NY—The United States spends more on health care than 12 other industrialized countries yet does not provide "notably superior" care, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund. The U.S. spent nearly $8,000 per person in 2009 on health care services, while other countries in the study spent between one-third (Japan and New Zealand) and two-thirds (Norway and Switzerland) as much. While the U.S. performs well on breast and colorectal cancer survival rates, it has among the highest rates of potentially preventable deaths from asthma and amputations ...

Scripps Research Institute scientists show how a gene duplication helped our brains become 'human'

Scripps Research Institute scientists show how a gene duplication helped our brains become human
2012-05-04
LA JOLLA, CA – May 3, 2012 - What genetic changes account for the vast behavioral differences between humans and other primates? Researchers so far have catalogued only a few, but now it seems that they can add a big one to the list. A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute has shown that an extra copy of a brain-development gene, which appeared in our ancestors' genomes about 2.4 million years ago, allowed maturing neurons to migrate farther and develop more connections. Surprisingly, the added copy doesn't augment the function of the original gene, ...

Environmental toxicants causing ovarian disease across generations

2012-05-04
PULLMAN, Wash.—Washington State University researchers have found that ovarian disease can result from exposures to a wide range of environmental chemicals and be inherited by future generations. WSU reproductive biologist Michael Skinner and his laboratory colleagues looked at how a fungicide, pesticide, plastic, dioxin and hydrocarbon mixtures affected a gestating rat's progeny for multiple generations. They saw subsequent generations inherit ovarian disease by "epigenetic transgenerational inheritance." Epigenetics regulates how genes are turned on and off in tissues ...

How to get a good night's sleep: Earplugs in the intensive care unit ward off confusion

2012-05-04
Patients in an intensive care unit (ICU) often become confused or delirious soon after, or within a few days of, admittance to the ICU. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care shows that use of earplugs can result in better sleep (as reported by the patients), lower the incidence of confusion, and delay the onset of cognitive disturbances. Patients in the ICU are thought to suffer confusion and delirium due to sensory overload. Part of this is due to the physical injuries and sensations of the patients and part due to their environment. ...

Scientists discover key contribution to Melanesian blonde hair color

Scientists discover key contribution to Melanesian blonde hair color
2012-05-04
Researchers studying pigmentation in the South Pacific have uncovered a key genetic contribution to hair colour. The findings, published in Science, reveal a functional genetic variant which has led the islanders to have simultaneously the darkest skin pigmentation outside of Africa and the highest prevalence of blonde hair outside of Europe. Human skin and hair colour varies considerably both within and among populations. Previous studies have shown that pigmentation is largely heritable but also suggest it has evolved to adapt to the sun's ultraviolet rays — with populations ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Fat may play an important role in brain metabolism

New study finds no lasting impact of pandemic pet ownership on human well-being

New insights on genetic damage of some chemotherapies could guide future treatments with less harmful side effects

Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’

Novel modelling links sea ice loss to Antarctic ice shelf calving events

Scientists can tell how fast you're aging from a single brain scan

U.S. uterine cancer incidence and mortality rates expected to significantly increase by 2050

Public take the lead in discovery of new exploding star

What are they vaping? Study reveals alarming surge in adolescent vaping of THC, CBD, and synthetic cannabinoids

ECMWF - delivering forecasts over 10 times faster and cutting energy usage by 1000

Brazilian neuroscientist reveals how viral infections transform the brain through microscopic detective work

Turning social fragmentation into action through discovering relatedness

Cheese may really be giving you nightmares, scientists find

Study reveals most common medical emergencies in schools

Breathable yet protective: Next-gen medical textiles with micro/nano networks

Frequency-engineered MXene supercapacitors enable efficient pulse charging in TENG–SC hybrid systems

Developed an AI-based classification system for facial pigmented lesions

Achieving 20% efficiency in halogen-free organic solar cells via isomeric additive-mediated sequential processing

New book Terraglossia reclaims language, Country and culture

The most effective diabetes drugs don't reach enough patients yet

Breast cancer risk in younger women may be influenced by hormone therapy

Strategies for staying smoke-free after rehab

Commentary questions the potential benefit of levothyroxine treatment of mild hypothyroidism during pregnancy

Study projects over 14 million preventable deaths by 2030 if USAID defunding continues

New study reveals 33% gap in transplant access for UK’s poorest children

Dysregulated epigenetic memory in early embryos offers new clues to the inheritance of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

IVF and IUI pregnancy rates remain stable across Europe, despite an increasing uptake of single embryo transfer

It takes a village: Chimpanzee babies do better when their moms have social connections

From lab to market: how renewable polymers could transform medicine

Striking increase in obesity observed among youth between 2011 and 2023

[Press-News.org] Hormone may help predict tubal ectopic pregnancy
New study shows the hormone adrenomedullin plays significant role in tubal ectopic pregnancies