title: Dynamic collagen changes in cervix during the first trimester and decreased collagen content in cervical insufficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the changes in cervical collagen during the first trimester of pregnancy and to evaluate the collagen deficit in cases with a previous diagnosis of cervical insufficiency (CI).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cervical punch biopsies were obtained from 66 patients divided into three groups: patients with recurrent abortions due to CI (CI group; n = 8); first-trimester abortion group (study group; n = 37), subdivided into three groups according their gestational week (<7, 7-9 and 9-12 weeks), and patients with cervical biopsy due to gynecologic reasons (control group; n = 12). Collagen quantity was determined by a biochemical method that measured the levels of hydroxyproline (HOP) in dry cervix tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HOP concentrations were significantly higher at lower gestational ages (p = 0.001). Collagen quantity was lowest in the CI group compared with other groups (p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study shows collagen component of cervix decreases as pregnancy advances through the first trimester. Cervical collagen concentration is lower in women with a history of CI compared to controls who has not a history of CI.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biochemistry , Istanbul Bakirkoy Sadi Konuk Research and Training Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey .
authors.forename: Asuman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gedikbasi
authors.affiliation: b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Research and Training Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Burak
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yücel
authors.affiliation: b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Research and Training Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Oguz
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Arslan
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biochemistry , Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Murat
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Giris
authors.affiliation: b Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology , Kanuni Sultan Suleyman Research and Training Research Hospital , Istanbul , Turkey , and.
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gedikbasi
authors.affiliation: c Department of Biochemistry , Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University , Istanbul , Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra Dogru
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Abbasoglu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000473:pathology; D003094:Collagen / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D006909:Hydroxyproline / Q000032:analysis*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D002581:Uterine Cervical Incompetence / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D003094:Collagen; D006909:Hydroxyproline
keywords: Cervical insufficiency; collagen; hydroxyproline; uterine cervical incompetence