Gap junction protein vital to successful pregnancy, researchers find

User rating: 4.7 / 5 after 3 vote(s)

Deleting the Cx43 gene in the uterus immediately after pregnancy in mice dramatically reduced blood vessel growth and in most cases prevented successful pregnancy. The image on the left shows normal blood vessel growth in the mouse uterus following p ...
Deleting the Cx43 gene in the uterus immediately after pregnancy in mice dramatically reduced blood vessel growth and in most cases prevented successful pregnancy. The image on the left shows normal blood vessel growth in the mouse uterus following pregnancy. On the right, a uterus lacking Cx43. Photo by Mary J. Laws
Click here to enlarge image

Researchers studying a critical stage of pregnancy – implantation of the embryo in the uterus – have found a protein that is vital to the growth of new blood vessels that sustain the embryo. Without this protein, which is produced in higher quantities in the presence of estrogen, the embryo is unlikely to survive.


Full story »
All News summaries from Medicine & Health news
All News summaries for September 10, 2008

Crafting your image for your 1,000 friends on Facebook or MySpace

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Students are creating idealized versions of themselves on social networking websites — Facebook and MySpace are the most popular — and using these sites to explore their emerging identities, UCLA psychologists report. Parents ...

Dutch state steps up fight against illegal smoking in bars

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
The Dutch health ministry announced plans Tuesday to impose tougher fines and heavier punishments on restaurants and pubs that continue infringing a new smoking ban.

Methamphetamine abuse linked to underage sex, smoking and drinking

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Teens who have never done drugs, but engage in other risky behaviours such as drinking, smoking and being sexually active, are more likely to use crystal meth, medical researchers at the University of Alberta have concluded. ...

Team identifies 13 new tumor-suppressor genes in liver cancer

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
Over the years, hunting for cancer-related genes and understanding how they work has been an important, although time-consuming, exercise. At Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), five different research groups have now combined ...

Study documents what may be first cases of certain tick-borne disease in China

Nov 18, 2008 | User rating: not rated yet
It appears that for the first time human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA), an emerging tick-borne infectious disease found in the U.S. and Europe, has been identified in China and apparently was transmitted from person to ...
Goto Archive PhysOrg Forum Goto Archive Video Goto Archive Editorials Goto Archive Free Magazines Goto Archive Newsletter

News Archive