* Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology, University of Liverpool, Crown Street, Liverpool L69 3BX, UK.
Exp Physiol. 2014 Mar;99(3):495-502. doi: 10.1113/expphysiol.2013.076216. Epub 2013 Dec 6.
In this short review, we discuss how recent insights into myometrial physiology may be taken forward and translated into much-needed novel therapies for problems associated with labour. We consider excitation-contraction coupling in the myometrium and how this relates to our understanding of the changes that occur to produce myometrial contractions and successful labour. We then discuss how this information has already been used in the development of drugs to either stimulate or relax the myometrium, to address the needs of women with either slow (dystocic) labours or threatened preterm labours, respectively. We next present the data showing how basic physiological findings pertaining to hypoxia and lactate production have been taken and translated into a tool for predicting and thus better managing difficult labours. We then highlight examples of where physiological research has started to provide mechanistic insight into clinical problems associated with labour and parturition (obesity, diabetes, advanced maternal age, postdate and twin pregnancies) and suggest how these findings could be translated into new therapies for difficult labours.
在这篇简短的综述中，我们讨论了如何进一步深入了解子宫肌生理学，以及如何将这些知识转化为治疗与分娩相关问题的新疗法。我们考虑了子宫肌的兴奋-收缩偶联，以及这与我们对产生子宫肌收缩和成功分娩的变化的理解有何关系。然后，我们讨论了如何将这些信息用于开发药物，以刺激或放松子宫肌，分别满足分娩缓慢（难产）或早产威胁的女性的需求。接下来，我们展示了数据，表明与缺氧和乳酸生成有关的基本生理发现如何被应用并转化为一种预测工具，从而更好地管理困难的分娩。然后，我们强调了一些例子，说明生理研究如何开始为与分娩和分娩相关的临床问题（肥胖、糖尿病、高龄产妇、过期妊娠和双胎妊娠）提供机制见解，并提出如何将这些发现转化为治疗困难分娩的新疗法。
