EVALUATION OF HORMONAL FUNCTION IN WOMEN WITH CERVICAL INSUFFICIENCY AND INFERTILITY IN THE HISTORY.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To assess the levels of hormones in women with cervical insufficiency and infertility in the history in the II trimester of gestation. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: 120 pregnant women with cervical insufficiency and anovulatory infertility in the history were examined in the II trimester of gestation: in the I group (60 persons) pregnancy occurred after hormonal treatment of infertility, in the II group (60 individuals) - after in vitro fertilization. 30 pregnant women without cervical insufficiency and a history of infertility were controls. The levels of estradiol, progesterone, placental lactogen, prolactin and cortisol were determined in the blood serum. RESULTS: Results: The concentration of maternal progesterone was lower in the persons in the I group on 12.36 %, in the II group - on the 15.37 % (p=0.03) compared to the healthy women. Cortisol and prolactin amounts were statistically higher in I and II groups (p<0.001) than in controls. While the levels of estradiol and placental lactogen were slightly less in the subjects with cervical insufficiency and a history of anovulatory infertility compared to the healthy women. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: In pregnant women with cervical insufficiency and a history of anovulatory infertility in the II trimester of gestation there are decrease progesterone level and high prolactin and cortisol concentrations in blood serum. The changes in estradiol and placental lactogen amounts are not significant compared to healthy women.

IAP genes partake weighty roles in the astogeny and whole body regeneration in the colonial urochordate Botryllus schlosseri.

Inhibitors of Apoptosis Protein (IAP) genes participate in processes like apoptosis, proliferation, innate immunity, inflammation, cell motility, differentiation and in malignancies. Here we reveal 25 IAP genes in the tunicate Botryllus schlosseri's genome and their functions in two developmental biology phenomena, a new mode of whole body regeneration (WBR) induced by budectomy, and blastogenesis, the four-staged cycles of botryllid ascidian astogeny. IAP genes that were specifically upregulated during these developmental phenomena were identified, and protein expression patterns of one of these genes, IAP28, were followed. Most of the IAP genes upregulation recorded at blastogenetic stages C/D was in concert with the upregulation at 100 µM H2O2 apoptotic-induced treatment and in parallel to expressions of AIF1, Bax, Mcl1, caspase 2 and two orthologues of caspase 7. Wnt agonist altered the takeover duration along with reduced IAP expressions, and displacement of IAP28+ phagocytes. WBR was initiated solely at blastogenetic stage D, where zooidal absorption was attenuated and regeneration centers were formed either from remains of partially absorbed zooids or from deformed ampullae. Subsequently, bud-bearing zooids developed, in concert with a massive IAP28-dependent phagocytic wave that eliminated the old zooids, then proceeded with the establishment of morphologically normal-looking colonies. IAP4, IAP14 and IAP28 were also involved in WBR, in conjunction with the expression of the pro-survival PI3K-Akt pathway. IAPs function deregulation by Smac mimetics resulted in severe morphological damages, attenuation in bud growth and differentiation, and in destabilization of colonial coordination. Longtime knockdown of IAP functions prior to the budectomy, resulted in colonial death.