Editorial Board
(Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - January 17, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Source Type: research
Maternal microchimerism: Lessons learned from murine models
Maternal microchimerism (MMc) is defined as the presence of maternal cells in the organs of the fetus and offspring. MMc cells can be acquired during pregnancy and lactation and persist until adulthood. The variety of MMc cell phenotypes, its widespread location in the offspring's organism, and its detection in the context of human auto-immune diseases have raised interest in its short- and long-term functional role for the offspring. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - January 8, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Stelzer Ina Annelies, Thiele Kristin, Solano Maria Emilia Source Type: research
Maternal organism and embryo biosensoring: insights from ruminants
In mammals, the birth of a viable and healthy progeny involves a sequence of complex biological processes and several critical points that have to be successfully overcome. In terms of the contribution to pregnancy (onset, progress, and issue), the male differs from the female. Indeed, whereas the paternal contribution is represented by the sperm, the mother not only produces the gametes (oocyte), but also hosts the whole gestation in a reproductive tract until term. Nutrition, stress, infections or endocrine disruptors have been identified as factors that affect gamete quality and fertilisation, journey of the early embry...
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - January 7, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Olivier Sandra, Fabienne Constant, Anais Vitorino Carvalho, Caroline Eozénou, Damien Valour, Vincent Mauffré, Isabelle Hue, Gilles Charpigny Source Type: research
The immune system in the normal endometrium and implications for endometrial cancer development
Many risk factors involved in the etiology of endometrial cancer have been described. Obesity and physical inactivity are two significant risk factors for the development of uterine tumors, along with elevated blood pressure, high energy intake, high serum glucose levels and increased exposure to estrogens (Amant et al., 2005). For some of these risk factors, the effects on and interactions with the immune system have been reported. Hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle have been described to modulate immune functions, as reviewed by Wira et al. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - January 7, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: A. Vanderstraeten, S. Tuyaerts, F. Amant Source Type: research
Complement Factor B Activation in Patients with Preeclampsia
Preeclampsia is a leading cause of maternal and fetal morbidity and mortality. Its cause remains poorly understood and is likely multifactorial (reviewed in depth elsewhere) (Ahn et al., 2011, Robillard et al., 2014). Briefly, deficient trophoblastic invasion of the uterine spiral arteries results in inadequate placentation, leading to placental hypoxia and ischemia (Roberts and Bell, 2013, Saito and Nakashima, 2014). These events, in turn, alter the maternal immune system, including activation of immune cells (e.g., NK cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, B and T lymphocytes), releasing lipid peroxidation by-products, ant...
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - January 2, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Ivan Velickovic, Mudar Dalloul, Karen A. Wong, Olufunke Bakare, Franz Schweis, Maya Garala, Amit Alam, Giorgio Medranda, Jovana Lekovic, Waqas Shuaib, Andreas Tedjasukmana, Perry Little, Daniel Hanono, Ruvini Wijetilaka, Jeremy Weedon, Jun Lin, Roulhac d Source Type: research
Slit2 withdrawal could contribute to the common inflammatory pathway leading to labor
We would like to comment on the article published by Lim et al., in which the potential tissue-specific role of Slit2 in human labor was elegantly demonstrated (Lim et al., 2014). We think that some features of the article have been overlooked and deserve to be emphasized. Converging lines of evidence imply the major roles played by IL-1 and inflammation in the mechanism of labor onset, independently of infection. Nevertheless, what causes increased expression of IL-1 in uteroplacental tissue close to labor onset is a hitherto unsolved inquiry. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - January 2, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Mathieu Nadeau-Vallée, Xin Hou Source Type: research
Galectins in angiogenesis: consequences for gestation
During gestation, proper placental function is critically important for the normal development of the embryo and fetus. As the placenta develops, angiogenesis of maternal vessels and remodelling of the spiral arteries ensure a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen. Angiogenesis is an essential process that ensures not only proper fetal growth and development, but also maternal health during gestation (Reynolds and Redmer, 2001, Chen and Zheng, 2013). In this review we provide an overview of galectin involvement in placental angiogenesis during gestation, and discuss the consequences of dysregulated galectin expression in...
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - December 29, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Sandra M. Blois, Melanie L. Conrad, Nancy Freitag, Gabriela Barrientos Source Type: research
Distinct microRNA expression in endometrial lymphocytes, endometrium, and trophoblast during spontaneous porcine fetal loss
Immune cells that reside at the ever-changing maternal–fetal interface interact with fetally derived trophoblast cells in order to develop a tolerance toward the allogeneic fetus (Erlebacher, 2013). During early pregnancy in most mammals, including pigs, the maternal endometrium is enriched by extensive recruitment of immune cells, particularly natural killer (NK) cells, T cells, B cells, macrophages, and dendritic cells (Engelhardt et al., 2002a, Moffett-King, 2002, Peel, 1989, Kammerer et al., 2000). (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - December 24, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Mallikarjun Bidarimath, Andrew K. Edwards, Jocelyn M. Wessels, Kasra Khalaj, Rami T. Kridli, Chandrakant Tayade Source Type: research
Maternal–fetal interactions, predictive markers for preeclampsia, and programming
During pregnancy in the human, fetal cells come into direct contact with maternal cells and tissues. This close contact brings together cells of two genetically different individuals. While this type of contact is typically associated with rejection processes, during normal pregnancy there is neither harm to the mother nor rejection of the baby. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - December 4, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Berthold Huppertz Source Type: research
Are animal models useful or confusing in understanding the human feto-maternal relationship? a debate
At the June 1860 Evolution Debate at Oxford University, the proposition that Man and Woman were created as unique creatures by God, distinct from animals was set against the new idea proposed by Darwin that Man and Woman had evolved from animal species by a process of natural selection of mutants that had a survival advantage. The absence of many details of the steps in evolution notwithstanding, those favoring Darwin prevailed. Subsequently, much has been learned from the study of animals that appears relevant to understanding human anatomy and physiology. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - December 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Gérard Chaouat, David A. Clark Source Type: research
Does Exposure to Flame Retardants Increase the Risk for Preterm Birth?
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) have been in widespread use as flame retardants in home construction, furniture, clothing, and electronic appliances for decades. They save lives and reduce injury by giving occupants valuable time to extinguish or escape from a spreading fire. However, they are not covalently bound to materials that they are used in. With time, they leach into the environment and have become one of the most prevalent of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs). (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - December 1, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Morgan R. Peltier, Hschi-Chi Koo, Darios Getahun, Ramkumar Menon Source Type: research
Phagocytic index of neutrophil granulocytes and monocytes in healthy and preeclamptic pregnancy
For an ongoing healthy pregnancy it is essential that the maternal immune system tolerates the ‘hemiallograft’ fetus (half of its genetic material is of paternal origin) and at the same time, protect the mother against infections. This seemingly contradictory behavior of the immune system has been intensively studied. Failure of the adaptation of the maternal immune system may lead to pathological pregnancies such as preeclampsia. It is known that in healthy pregnancy the level of biomarkers of systemic inflammation is increased compared with non-pregnant status, and this elevation is more pronounced in pathological pr...
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - November 19, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Rudolf Lampé, Ágnes Kövér, Sándor Szűcs, László Pál, Ervin Árnyas, Róza Ádány, Robert Póka Source Type: research
Origins and Evolution of Reproductive Immunology: A Personal Perspective
Following the generous brief afforded me by the conference organisers, this is a short and personal assessment of the origins and evolution of the field that we now know as reproductive immunology, and that have been the mainstay of my professional academic career for over 40 years. Although everyone will likely have their own views on the origins of most specialist subjects, for me the landmark studies leading to the emergence of enquiries into the immunology of reproductive processes are those pursued by the Russian biologist Ilya Mechnikov (1845–1916) and later by the Austrian biologist and physician Karl Landsteiner ...
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - November 14, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: W. David Billington Source Type: research
Human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein 18 (hCAP18/LL-37) is increased in foetal membranes and myometrium after spontaneous labour and delivery
Despite medical advances in recent years, preterm birth remains one of the prevalent causes of neonatal death and long-term morbidities that extend to adulthood (Saigal and Doyle, 2008). Approximately 25% of all preterm births are indicated, and the remainder are spontaneous. Spontaneous preterm labour can occur with intact membranes (approximately 45%) or pre-labour rupture of the foetal membranes (PROM; 30% of cases) (Parry and Strauss, 1998). It is the traditional view that term and preterm labour undergo the same processes, but at different gestational ages. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - November 11, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Ratana Lim, Gillian Barker, Martha Lappas Source Type: research
Human cathelicidin antimicrobial protein 18 (hCAP18/LL-37) is increased in fetal membranes and myometrium after spontaneous labour and delivery
Despite medical advances in recent years, pre-term birth remains one of the prevalent causes of neonatal death and long-term morbidities that extend to adulthood (Saigal and Doyle, 2008). Approximately 25% of all pre-term births are indicated, and the remainder are spontaneous. Spontaneous pre-term labour can occur with intact membranes (approximately 45%) or pre-labour rupture of the fetal membranes (PROM; 30% of cases) (Parry and Strauss, 1998). It is the traditionally view that term and pre-term labour undergo the same processes, but at different gestational ages. (Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology)
Source: Journal of Reproductive Immunology - November 11, 2014 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Ratana Lim, Gillian Barker, Martha Lappas Source Type: research
