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Problem The effectiveness of progesterone (P4) treatment for preventing preterm births is unclear. Its effects on the uterine cervix were tested using cultured human uterine cervical fibroblasts ( UCFs). Method of study UCFs were incubated with lipopolysaccharide ( LPS) in the presence or absence of P4 under various conditions. mRNA was subjected to PCR arrays and real-time RT- PCR to assess IL-6, IL-8, IL-1beta, PTGS2, MMP-1, and CXCL10 expression. Results When exposed to a high- LPS concentration (2.0 μg/ mL), expression of these genes was not suppressed by simultaneous P4 (1.0 μmol/L) treatment, but it was significantly inhibited when P4 was administered 1 hour prior to LPS, with the exception of the chemokines IL-8 and CXCL10. Expression of all genes was restricted by P4 under low-level LPS (0.2 μg/ mL) stimulation, especially when administered prior to LPS treatment. Conclusion These data suggest that early or prophylactic P4 administration is an effective and important measure for reducing preterm birth risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problem To characterize the amniotic fluid ( AF) inflammatory-related protein ( IRP) network in patients with a sonographic short cervix ( SCx) and to determine its relation to early preterm delivery ( ePTD). Method of study A retrospective cohort study included women with a SCx (≤25 mm; n=223) who had amniocentesis and were classified according to gestational age ( GA) at diagnosis and delivery ( ePTD <32 weeks of gestation). Results (i) In women with a SCx ≤ 22 1/7 weeks, the concentration of most IRPs increased as the cervix shortened; those with ePTD had a higher rate of increase in MIP-1α, MCP-1, and IL-6 concentrations than those delivering later; and (ii) the concentration of most IRPs and the correlation between several IRP pairs were higher in the ePTD group than for those delivering later. Conclusion Women with a SCx at 16-22 1/7 weeks have a unique AF cytokine network that correlates with cervical length at diagnosis and GA at delivery. This network may aid in predicting ePTD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]