Ectopic Pregnancy as a Model to Identify Endometrial Genes and Signaling Pathways Important in Decidualization and Regulated by Local Trophoblast

The endometrium in early pregnancy undergoes decidualization and functional changes induced by local trophoblast, which are not fully understood. We hypothesized that endometrium from tubal ectopic pregnancy (EP) could be interrogated to identify novel genes and pathways involved in these processes. Gestation-matched endometrium was collected from women with EP (n = 11) and intrauterine pregnancies (IUP) (n = 13). RNA was extracted from the tissue. In addition, tissues were prepared for histological analysis for degree of decidualization. We compared a) the samples from EP that were decidualized (n = 6) with non-decidualized samples (n = 5), and b) the decidualized EP (n = 6) with decidualization-matched IUP (n = 6) samples using an Affymetrix gene array platform, with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, combined with quantitative RT-PCR. Expression of PRL and IGFBP1 was used to confirm the degree of decidualization in each group. There were no differences in PRL or IGFBP1 expression in the decidualization-matched samples but a marked reduction (P<0.001) in the non-decidualized samples. Decidualization was associated with increased expression of 428 genes including SCARA5 (181-fold), DKK1 (71-fold) and PROK1 (32-fold), and decreased expression of 230 genes including MMP-7 (35-fold) and SFRP4 (21-fold). The top canonical pathways associated with these differentially expressed genes were Natural Killer Cell and Wnt/b-Catenin signaling. Local trophoblast was associated with much less alteration of endometrial gene expression with an increase in 56 genes, including CSH1 (8-fold), and a reduction in 29 genes including CRISP3 (8-fold). The top associated canonical pathway was Antigen Presentation. The study of endometrium from tubal EP may promote novel insights into genes involved in decidualization and those influenced by factors from neighboring trophoblast. This has afforded unique information not highlighted by previous studies and adds to our understanding of the endometrium in early pregnancy

Cryoneurolysis for the treatment of cervical facet joint syndrome: a technical note

Tilman Wolter,1 Barbara Kleinmann,1 Stefan Knoeller2,3 1Interdisciplinary Pain Center, 2Department of Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Medical Center&ndash;University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany; 3Department of Spine Surgery, Helios Klinik Breisach, Breisach, Germany Objective: Neck pain has an annual prevalence of 30%. A frequent cause of neck pain is cervical facet joint pain. In cases of refractory cervical facet joint pain, radiofrequency can be employed, but the grade of evidence attested in systematic reviews is fair. Cryoneurolysis has been reported to induce favorable outcomes in lumbar facet joint pain. We sought to examine the feasibility of cervical facet joint cryoneurolysis. Setting: Tertiary academic pain center. Patients and methods: We report here the operative technique of cervical facet joint cryoneurolysis for patients with cervical facet joint pain. The procedure is performed under CT-guidance. The lesion points are defined with the help of sensory stimulation. Results: Six cervical facet joint denervations were carried out in five patients. All patients had an uneventful course with adequate pain relief. Apart from soreness of the paravertebral muscles no severe side effects were encountered. Conclusion: This is the first report of cryoneurolysis for the treatment of cervical facet joint pain. The technique is feasible and warrants further studies. Keywords: neck pain, facet joint pain, cervical spine, cryoneurolysi

Game of Crowns: Na+ Is Coming! Red NIR-Emissive Hybrid Liquid Crystals Containing Discotic Crown Ethers and Na2Mo6X8 Cl-i(6) (X-i = Cl or Br)

International audienceMolecular or supramolecular materials that can self-organizeintocolumns such as discotic liquid crystals are of interest for severalapplications in the field of optoelectronics. We show in this workthat red near-infrared (NIR)-emissive metal cluster compounds of generalformula Na2Mo6X8 Cl-i(6) (X-i = Cl or Br) can be readily complexed withdiscotic liquid crystals containing a crown ether. Three cavity sizeshave been tested with crown ethers bearing 4, 5, or 6 oxygen atoms.In all cases, 1:1 complexes were formed, thanks to the well-knownsupramolecular interactions existing between the Na+ cationsof the metal cluster salt and the crown ether derivatives. All obtainedhybrids are homogeneous, emit in the red NIR region, and show liquidcrystalline properties on a wider temperature range than their precursors.Charge transport properties have been investigated by using a spacecharge limited current device. Obtained results demonstrate that metalcluster compounds can enhance the charge carrier mobility by 5 ordersof magnitude compared to the native discotic organic ligands. Consideringthat the presented organic crown ether derivatives are not the bestcandidates to design optoelectronic devices because of their inherentlylow conductivity, but that similar compounds were developed to designproton conductive porous framework, our results open promising perspectivesfor the use of metal cluster compounds in devices dedicated to sucha field