title: Psycho-neuro-cytokine/endocrine pathways in immunoregulation during pregnancy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Some mammalian pregnancy failure is thought to occur by immunological or immunologically modifiable mechanisms. The original model wherein spontaneous abortion was proposed to represent rejection of the conceptus as an allograft has been supplanted by a model of maternal paraimmunological natural effector cell toxicity to fetal trophoblast more closely related to tumor rejection. The problem is to integrate current information concerning the role of immunological, paraimmunological, endocrinological, and stress-triggered neural factors that determine whether or not abortion will occur.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review of existing data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  An integrated model is proposed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Immunological factors play an important role in abortion processes and prevention of abortions. The existence of abortogenic mechanisms and their regulation appears to be based upon optimizing survival of the species. Two new conceptual models provide a useful framework for further investigation of human pregnancy failure and its treatment.
authors: McMaster University, Department of Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Clark
authors: P C
authors: PC
authors: Arck
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Jalali
authors: F S
authors: FS
authors: Merali
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Manuel
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Chaouat
authors: J L
authors: JL
authors: Underwood
authors: J F
authors: JF
authors: Mowbray
mesh_terms: D000022:Abortion, Spontaneous / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009490:Neurosecretory Systems / Q000276:immunology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011598:Psychoneuroimmunology / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines