During pregnancy, hyaluronic acid (HA) concentration in the human cervix is very low, but increases rapidly at the onset of labour. HA has a high affinity for water molecules and hence can maintain tissue hydration. HA can stimulate collagenase production in rabbit cervix, and also stimulates migration and function of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in the tissues. It is an endogenous regulator of interleukin-1 (IL-1). We hypothesized that HA plays an essential role during cervical ripening. The effect of exogenous application of HA (20 mg) on non-pregnant and pregnant (day 23) rabbit cervices was compared with controls. HA induced cervical ripening in both pregnant and non-pregnant animals, and cervical water content was significantly increased. Tissue collagen was markedly decreased. The localization and distribution of HA and HA receptor CD44 was determined in non-pregnant and pregnant human cervical connective tissue using biotinylated HA binding protein and CD44 monoclonal antibodies. Both were widely distributed in the connective tissues, especially around the blood vessels and cervical glands. The effect of IL-8 (50, 100, 150 and 200 ng/ml) on HA production and hyaluronidase (HAase) activity was investigated in cultures of lower uterine segment collected during elective Caesarean sections. HA production was stimulated in a dose-dependent manner; there was no effect on hyaluronidase activity. HA administration (0.5, 1 and 2 mg/ml) stimulated the activities of collagenase and gelatinase together with IL-8 production in the culture supernatants. Thus HA may play an important role in cervical ripening, being involved in the regulation of cervical tissue water content, collagenolytic enzymes and cytokines.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of conserved endogenous, small non-coding RNA molecules with a length of 18–25 nucleotides that regulate gene expression by RNA interference processes, including mRNA chopping, mRNA deadenylation, and translation inhibition. miRNAs maintain the physiological functions of the intestine and are instrumental in gut pathogenesis. miRNAs play an important role in intercellular communication and are present in all body fluids, including stools with different composition and concentrations. However, under diseased conditions, miRNAs are aberrantly expressed and act as negative regulators of gene expression. The stable and differentially expressed miRNAs in stool enables miRNAs to be used as potential biomarkers for screening of various intestinal diseases. In this review, we summarize the expressed miRNA profile in stool and highlight miRNAs as biomarkers with potential clinical and diagnostic applications, and we aim to address the prospects for recent advanced techniques for screening miRNA in diagnosis and prognosis of intestinal disorders.
In this prospective cohort study of Bangladeshi children, greater fecal immunoglobulin A, but not plasma immunoglobulin G, directed against the Cryptosporidium sporozoite-expressed antigen Cp23 at 12 months of age was associated with delayed time to subsequent cryptosporidiosis. This finding suggests a protective role for mucosal antibody-mediated immunity in naturally exposed children.
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