title: Induced cervical ripening with mifepristone (RU 486) and bioconversion of arachidonic acid in human pregnant uterine cervix in the first trimester. A double-blind, randomized, biomechanical and biochemical study.
abstract: The effect of mifepristone on the uterine cervix was studied in 55 nulliparae at 7 to 10 weeks gestation, wishing to undergo a vacuum aspiration. The patients were randomly assigned to three groups which received preoperative drug or placebo treatment starting 36 or 48 hours before surgery. Cervical biopsies from 12 of the subjects were used in a double-blind test to study the bioconversion of 14C-labeled arachidonic acid. By using an objective method to study the cervical resistance to dilatation, it was shown that the cervix was significantly less (p less than 0.05) resistant to dilatation after pretreatment with mifepristone compared to placebo. The longer treatment was significantly (p less than 0.05) more effective than the shorter. No significant difference of the 14C-arachidonic acid bioconversion was demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Karolinska Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rådestad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bygdeman
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Green
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001095:Arachidonic Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000187:drug effects*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D015735:Mifepristone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
chemical_list: D001095:Arachidonic Acids; D015735:Mifepristone