Background Uterine inflammatory processes trigger prolabor pathways and orchestrate on-
time labor onset. Although essential for successful labor, inflammation needs to be regulated …

Parturition results from the establishment of phasic regular uterine contractions. Contractility
in myometrial smooth muscle is stimulated by an increase in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+ i]) …

Sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is abundant in uterine smooth muscle cells. The functional role
of this organelle in the regulation of uterine myocytes is not fully understood. The data …

Uterine contractions during labor are discretely regulated by rhythmic action potentials (AP)
of varying duration and form that serve to determine calcium-dependent force production …

Force generation in smooth muscle is driven by phosphorylation of myosin light chains
(MYL), which is regulated by the equilibrium between the activities of myosin light chain …

Ion channels are effector proteins that mediate uterine excitability throughout gestation. This
review will focus primarily on the role of potassium channels in regulating myometrial tone in …

Over a third of women of childbearing age in the United States are obese, and during
pregnancy they are at increased risk for delayed labor onset and slow labor progress that …

For successful birth, contractions need to become progressively stronger. The underlying
mechanisms are unknown, however. We have found that a novel mechanism, hypoxia …

Although it is well known that progesterone alters uterine contractility and plays an important
role in maintenance of pregnancy, the biochemical mechanisms by which progesterone …

New Findings What is the central question of this study? In this study, we sought to survey
the total transcript repertoire of human myometrium, comparing samples taken from patients …