Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 6, 2026

Biaxial Basal Tone and Passive Testing of the Murine Reproductive System Using a Pressure Myograph
Published on: August 13, 2019
Cervical ripening: biochemical, molecular, and clinical considerations
Holger Maul1, Lynette Mackay, Robert E Garfield
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
The physiologic and pathologic changes of the uterine cervix during pregnancy leading to cervical ripening are not well understood though are related to the chief pathology and a commonly performed intervention in obstetrics: Preterm birth and labor induction. Normal cervical ripening is thought to be controlled by a variety of hormonal changes occurring during pregnancy leading to softening and dilation. Abnormal premature ripening, usually resulting in preterm labor, is thought to be associated with infection and inflammatory events. Despite many studies of the cervix, we still rely upon relatively crude methods for clinical evaluation of the cervix. In the past several years, we have developed and evaluated a method to measure cervical collagen noninvasively using an instrument called Collascope. Studies in animals and humans conducted in a variety of settings indicate that cervical function can be successfully monitored using the Collascope during pregnancy. We suggest that this technique might be useful to better define management in cases of spontaneous preterm and induced term cervical ripening.
Related Concept Videos
Degenerative Disc Disease ll: Pathophysiology
Transport Across the Golgi
Degenerative Disc Disease I: Introduction
Post-translational Translocation of Proteins to the RER
Targeting proteins to the ER
Hsp40 and Hsp70 chaperone molecules bind the translated proteins in the cytosol to prevent their folding. The chaperone binding helps to keep the signal...
Herniated Intervertebral Disc l: Introduction
Thermal Sigmatropic Reactions: Overview
Sigmatropic shifts are classified based on an order term [i, j ], where i and j indicate the number of atoms across which each end of the σ bond migrates. Below are examples of a [3,3] sigmatropic shift in 1,5-hexadiene, referred to as...
