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Aim: To examine the relationship between preterm birth and socioeconomic factors, past history, cervical length, cervical interleukin-8, bacterial vaginosis, underlying diseases, use of medication, employment status, sex of the fetus and multiple pregnancy., Methods: In a multicenter, prospective, observational study, 1810 Japanese women registering their future delivery were enrolled at 8⁺⁰ to 12⁺⁶ weeks of gestation. Data on cervical length and delivery were obtained from 1365 pregnant women. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed., Results: Short cervical length, steroid use, multiple pregnancy and male fetus were risk factors for preterm birth before 34 weeks of gestation. Multiple pregnancy, low educational level, short cervical length and part-timer were risk factors for preterm birth before 37 weeks of gestation., Conclusion: Multiple pregnancy and cervical shortening at 20-24 weeks of gestation was a stronger risk factor for preterm birth. Any pregnant woman being part-time employee or low educational level, having a male fetus and requiring steroid treatment should be watched for the development of preterm birth., (© 2013 The Authors. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research © 2013 Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.)

Background. The purpose of this study was to examine whether EP4 as prostaglandin (PG) E2 receptor is involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cervical ripening. Methods. New Zealand White non-pregnant rabbits were randomly allocated to 4 equal groups and treated with vaginal suppositories containing LPS with various concentrations of EP4-selective antagonist once daily for 3 days, and then sacrificed for analysis. Analysis was performed in order to examine the inhibitory effect of EP4 antagonist on LPS-induced cervical ripening. The expression of EP4 in a cervix treated with LPS was examined immunohistochemically. The percent of cervical extensibility in the segment of cervix as the tensile strength was determined with 5.8 g of constant perpendicular stretching. The ripening area of the cervix with edematous changes in H&E sections was calculated by a microscopic system with a computer-assisted digital analyser. Type-1 collagenase activity was determined in cervical tissue using FITC-labelled type-1 collagen. Results. Immunohistochemical study shows the positive staining of EP4 at the interstitial cells in the cervix treated with LPS. The extensibility, cervical edematous area and type-1 collagenase activity are significantly reduced in the cervix treated with LPS in the presence of EP4 antagonist compared with that treated with LPS alone. Conclusions. These data implicates the EP4 as the PGE2 receptor involved in LPS-induced cervical ripening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which investigated the mechanisms by which intrauterine balloons achieve the balloon tamponade effect of inducing uterine contraction. It relates how balloon tamponade was performed in six women with atonic bleeding after normal vaginal delivery. Using radiation force impulse elastography, the stiffness of the uterine corpus and cervix was estimated before and after balloon tamponade in one patient.