Investigators at Yale University, Medical Department have published new data on behavior.

"We hypothesized that the genetic makeup has an impact on the functional behavior of the uterine cervix. Therefore, we compared the biomechanical properties of uterine cervix in postpartum in 2 strains of mice that differ in their underlying regenerative collagen remodeling characteristics: MRL/MpJ +/+ (MRL: high regenerative repair) and C57BL/6 (C57: low regenerative high fibrotic repair)," scientists in the United States report (see also Behavior).

"Cervical tensile proprieties were assessed on day 3, 15, and 60 postpartum in MRL (n = 14) and C57 (n = 13) mice (4-5 animals at each time point). Stress-strain curves were generated using Shimadzu EZ-test instrumentation. Cervical tissue was stretched by 0.42 mm/min until rupture. Parameters of viscoelasticity including slope ( a measure of stiffness), yield point (YP; moment when tissue changes its proprieties from elastic to plastic), and break point (BP; measure of tissue strength) were recorded and analyzed blindly between strains. Data were normalized to the weight of the tissue and analyzed by 2-way analysis of variance. Histological and collagen birefringence evaluation of the uterine cervix (MRL: n = 4; C57: n = 4) was performed 5 days after delivery. At 3 and 15 days postpartum, cervices of MRL mice were significantly more compliant than those of C57 (P = .001). MRL mice displayed a significant increase in stiffness from day 3 to day 60 (slope, median +/- SEM: day 3:3.1 +/- 0.5 vs day 15:20.3 +/- 4.9 vs day 60:33.1 +/- 3.5 N/mm per gram; P

The researchers concluded: "There are significant differences in postpartum cervical stiffness and compliance that vary with the regenerative collagen remodeling phenotype."

Buhimschi and colleagues published their study in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (Genetic ...