Thesis (MA)--University of Montana, 2009. / Contents viewed on January 14, 2010. Title from author supplied metadata. Includes bibliographical references.

Although the pubic symphysis remains the most commonly utilized osteological feature to ascertain age-at-death estimations by forensic anthropologists (Garvin and Passalacqua, 2012), these aging methods do not accurately age elderly individuals. Through the re-examination of a Balkan sample, Berg (2008) noted a morphological variant, which may be correlated to osteoporosis expression by the increasing presence of macroporosity, present on female individuals that had previously been unexplained. This morphological variant can assist in the application of the Suchey-Brooks method to age elderly female individuals with the inclusion of a seventh phase (Berg, 2008). Hartnett (2010) also re-examined the pubic symphysis to better estimate age for modern populations and noted morphological variants similar to those described by Berg (2008). Hartnett (2010) attributed this variant to a decrease in bone quality associated with age-related morphological change. The present study examined the 330 female skeletons housed at Lisbon Collection, with the specific aim to provide a comparison of pubic symphysis age estimation methods, including Suchey-Brooks (1990), Berg (2008), Hartnett (2010), and Boldsen et al. (2002), on a known modern skeletal collection geographically dissimilar from the collections originally examined by Berg (2008) and Hartnett (2010). This dissimilar population was important because Berg's original study noted regional differences in the appearance and applicability of the seventh phase. The morphological variants present in female elderly individuals in the Lisbon Skeletal Collection support the introduction of a seventh phase to the standard Suchey-Brooks pubic symphysis method. Using the seventh phase, the Berg (2008) and Hartnett (2010) method improved their accuracy rates for aging older individuals. However, when the entire female population sample is considered the established age-at-death estimation methods do not perform well. The relationship between bone quality, aging method estimation assessment, and known age are discussed with considerations made for the influencing factors on bone preservation. A major difficulty in this analysis was parsing out information regarding bone density loss that occurred as natural degeneration and had a relationship to age-related change. The most significant confounding factor for the analysis of bone density loss and its importance to age-related change is the influence of bone preservation. While it is clear that the seventh phase provides more valuable information for the age estimation of the elderly, the poor correlation of bone quality suggests that this feature is not particularly important for the assessment of elderly phases in this population. This research supports the induction of a seventh phase to help provide more accurate age estimations for elderly populations, as it has been found in various populations, including the Portuguese population.

Estimating sex and age at death are two crucial processes during the creation of a biological profile for a set of skeletal remains. Whether the remains are archaeological or forensic, estimating the sex and age of the individual is necessary for further analysis and interpretation. Specifically, in a medicolegal context, knowing the biological sex and approximate age of the remains assists law enforcement or government agencies in identifying unknown individuals. Since the inception of the field of forensic anthropology, practitioners have been developing methods to perform the aforementioned tasks. It is crucial that these methods be consistent, repeatedly tested, validated, and improved for multiple reasons. Firstly, to conform to Daubert (1993) standards, and additionally, to make sure that they are accurate and applicable to modern forensic cases. The present study was performed to validate the efficacy of the method for estimating sex from the os pubis originally proposed in Klales et al. (2012), as well as the efficacy of the “transition analysis” method for estimating age, originally outlined in Boldsen et al. (2002). Considering the recent popularity of using these methods to create a biological profile for forensic cases, it is necessary to develop error rates on a large, modern, American autopsy sample. These two methods are not only being readily utilized, but are additionally being taught to students in training. The utilization of these models involves a “logistic regression model” created by Klales et. al (2012) to process ordinal scores, and the Bayesian statistics software program “ADBOU” that was created for processing data collected using the method in Boldsen et. al (2002). These statistical systems which produced age estimates are relatively young compared to methods developed for the same purpose. The new generation of forensic anthropologists is fully responsible for objectively critiquing and validating these methods that are being disseminated by their professors and senior practitioners. The goal of the present study is to do just that. A skeletal reference sample of 630 pubic bones, all removed from modern autopsy cases and housed at the Maricopa County Forensic Science Center in Phoenix, Arizona, was utilized for data collection in the present study. Each pubic bone was assessed and scored according to the exact instructions outlined in the materials for each method, which was the Klales et al. (2012) paper for sex estimation, and the UTK Data Collection Procedures for Forensic Skeletal Material 2.0 for age estimation (Langley et al. 2016). Additionally, the observers recorded their “gestalt” estimates for sex using the Phenice (1969) system, as well as Brooks and Suchey (1990) and Hartnett (2010a) phases for each pubis. Demographic information labels were hidden, and the collection demographic information was not viewed until the completion of data collection. The null hypothesis in the present study is that both methods (the Klales et al. method (2012) and “transition analysis” method (Boldsen et al. 2002) will perform as well as they did in the original studies. The alternate hypothesis is that they do not result in the same accuracy rates reported in the original studies. Statistical analysis of the data indicates that there is sufficient evidence to reject the null hypothesis as it applies to the Klales et al. (2012) method. The classification accuracies achieved applying the logistic regression equation to the sample of pubic bones was found to be significantly lower than reported in the original study (86.2%), averaging around 70% between observers. The level of both intraobserver and interobserver agreement was only moderate for this method. It was also found that asymmetry occurred in some individuals, producing differing estimates of sex when the left and right pubes were scored separately. When utilizing the Boldsen et al. (2012) method and the ADBOU software package on only pubic symphyseal components to estimate age, the method was found to perform reasonably well. The majority (about 82%) of individuals had actual ages at death that fell within the predicted range produced by the statistical analysis. The majority of the symphyseal component scores showed moderate to good levels of interobserver agreement, and the estimated maximum likelihood (point estimate) of age at death predicted by the software package correlated moderately well with the actual age of death of the individual. These methods did not perform as well as reported in the original studies, and they should be further validated and recalibrated to improve their accuracy and reliability.

Orientador: Paulo Pinto Joazeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-15T06:40:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Nascimento_MariaAmaliaCavinato_M.pdf: 2973013 bytes, checksum: eef160eabbd2d1426a9f2e0795702488 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: É reconhecido que a sínfise púbica de algumas espécies de mamíferos, incluindo camundongos, passa por transformações estruturais durante a prenhez e no período pós-parto. Estas transformações incluem o surgimento de um ligamento interpúbico e o amolecimento deste tecido nos dois últimos dias antes do parto. Este ligamento permite a separação dos ossos púbicos, garantindo a passagem segura do feto pelo canal de parto. Após o parto ocorre a involução deste ligamento. Ambos os períodos de remodelação tecidual envolvem grandes modificações da matriz extracelular e de seus componentes, bem como um balanço entre proliferação e morte celular programada. A galectina-3, uma lectina animal com especificidade de ligação por ß-galactosídeos, é uma proteína amplamente distribuída entre diferentes tipos de células e tecidos, podendo ser encontrada dentro das células tanto no núcleo quanto no citoplasma, ou ainda na superfície celular ou no espaço extracelular. Através de interações específicas com diversos ligantes intra e extracelulares, a galectina-3 participa de numerosos processos fisiológicos e patológicos, como por exemplo, desenvolvimento, reações imunes, controle do ciclo celular, apoptose e metástase. Este estudo teve como objetivo localizar a expressão de galectina-3 nas populações celulares que compõem esta articulação durante o período de prenhez, a fim de investigar seu possível envolvimento nos processos de remodelação da sínfise. Foi observado que a galectina-3 está presente em todas as populações celulares que compõem a sínfise púbica e o ligamento interpúbico de todos os grupos estudados. Além disso, a galectina-3 é co-localizada com a a-actina de músculo liso em alguns tipos celulares. A quantificação da detecção de galectina-3 nos permitiu observar que ela é expressa em diferentes concentrações durante o período estudado. Esses resultados nos permitiram concluir que a galectina-3 parece estar envolvida na remodelação da sínfise púbica, através de sua participação na ativação de células semelhantes a fibroblastos, no ciclo celular, na diferenciação e nos processos de morte celular programada. / Abstract: It is recognized that the pubic symphysis of some mammal species, including mice, undergoes structural transformations during pregnancy and post-partum. These transformations include the emerging of an interpubic ligament and softening of this tissue in the two last days of pregnancy. This ligament allows the pelvic bones separation, warranting fetus self passage through the birth channel. After delivery this ligament involutes. Both periods of tissue remodeling involve changes in extracellular matrix and its components, as so a balance between cell proliferation and death. Galectin-3, an animal lectin with specificity for ß-galactosídes, is widely spread among different types of cells and tissues, thus being found inside the cells in the cytoplasm and in the nucleus, on cell surface or in the extracellular space. Through specific interactions with a variety of intra and extracellular ligands galectin-3 participates of numerous physiological and pathological processes, like for example, development, immune reactions, cell cycle control, apoptosis and metastasis. This research had the objective to localize galectin-3's expression in mouse pubic symphysis cells during pregnancy, and to investigate its involvement in the pubic remodeling process. It was observed that galectin-3 is present in all pubic cells populations of all of the studied groups. Besides that, galectin-3 is colocalized with a-smooth muscle actin in some cell types. Quantifying of galectin-3 detection revealed that this protein is expressed in different concentrations during the studied period. These results allowed us to conclude that galectin-3 seems to be involved in mouse pubic symphysis remodeling, probably working in the activation of fibroblast like cells, on cell cycle, on differentiation and in the processes of programmed cell death. / Mestrado / Biologia Celular / Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

The application of 3D laser scanning to the analysis of human skeletal remains provides the opportunity for new methodological approaches, including for the assessment of age at death. The focus of this new perspective revolves around the question of whether morphological development of skeletal features can be captured with quantitative measurements taken from 3D scanned representations of physical specimens, with the aims of adding an increased level of accuracy and precision over currently employed age estimations methods that focus on visual, and often subjective, assessments based comparisons with plaster casts and written descriptions. The current research was conducted to determine if specific morphological features of the pubic symphysis could be isolated and quantified on 3D models, and whether these measurements captured the general age related trends of symphyseal development. Using CAD software, each symphyseal face was divided into half and quadrant specific sections in an attempt to better capture the development of symphyseal morphology. A sample of left male pubic symphyses (n = 40) scanned from a well-documented collection of known-age individuals (Coimbra Identified Skeletal Collection) was selected for this study. Seven symphyseal features were identified from the Suchey-Brooks method unisex age phase descriptions. Eight measurements were generated to quantify these features. The data for each feature was subjected to linear regression analyses to test for statistical correspondence to known chronological age at death. Rim completeness, billowing height and area, and depth of symphyseal face depression demonstrated the strongest relationships with chronological age, while curvature of the ventral rampart and the angle of the dorsal aspect, showed significant but weak relationships with known age. Degree of dorsal lipping and dorsal rampart curvature showed no relationship with age. The results of the study suggest that quantitative assessments of morphological changes at the pubic symphysis are possible and therefore can potentially add further insights into age at death estimations based on the pubic symphysis, as measurements taken within CAD software are far more precise than traditional measuring implements. This study illustrates the potential for 3D imaging to improve the methods of osteological analyses applied particularly in the fields of bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. / Graduate

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 160-170).

The Suchey-Brooks (1990) method for estimating adult age-at-death from the pubic symphysis is widely used and popular among forensic anthropologists. While this technique is quite accurate, it yields wide age interval estimates and is imprecise for individuals aged over fifty years at death. Berg (2008) and Hartnett (2010a) each altered Brooks and Suchey's phase descriptions and added a seventh phase with the goal of increasing precision while maintaining accuracy, especially for older individuals. The hypothesis for this validation study states that the new methods improve the existing Suchey-Brooks method. A total of 384 White Americans (n=213 males and 171 females) aged 26-97 years at death were analyzed at the William M. Bass Donated Skeletal Collection at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville using all three methods. Descriptive statistics, percentages of "correct" age estimates, inaccuracy and bias scores, and rates of inter- and intra-observer agreement were calculated and compared across the three methods. The Hartnett and Suchey-Brooks methods yielded similar percentages of correct estimates for males (85.0% and 84.5% correct, respectively, using ±2 standard deviations from the phase means), although the Hartnett method was significantly less inaccurate (p<0.001) and biased (p<0.001). The Suchey-Brooks method yielded the highest percentage of "correct" estimates for females aged less than sixty years (100.0% using ±2 standard deviations or 83.1% using ±1 standard deviation) and was significantly less inaccurate (p<0.001) and biased (p<0.001) than the Hartnett and Berg methods. The Hartnett and Berg methods were both significantly (p<0.001) less inaccurate and biased than the Suchey-Brooks method for females aged over sixty years, but Hartnett's and Berg's scores were not significantly different from each other (p=0.496 inaccuracy, p=0.066 bias). The Berg method yielded the highest percentage of "correct" estimates for females aged greater than sixty years (90.2% using ±2 standard deviations or 54.5% using ±1 standard deviation). The results of the present study were similar to those obtained by Merritt's (2014) validation study of Hartnett (2010a, b), although Merritt's rates of intra-observer agreement were substantially higher than those calculated for the present study. The hypothesis for the present study was supported.

Orientadores: Paulo Pinto Joazeiro, Cláudio Chrysostomo Werneck / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-18T04:27:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Consonni_SilvioRoberto_M.pdf: 3398352 bytes, checksum: 7a1238aba907982b903dec23fbc0470d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: A organização das fibras elásticas envolve a síntese e a deposição de moléculas em uma sequência altamente regulada para assegurar as características elásticas nos estágios iniciais do desenvolvimento. Durante e prenhez, os tecidos pélvicos ricos em fibras elásticas se alteram para permitir um parto seguro e essa remodelação é essencial para o parto normal. A sínfise púbica de camundongos também remodela em um processo controlado por hormônios. Este fenômeno compreende a "transformação" da fibrocartilagem em um ligamento interpúbico (LIp) seguido por seu relaxamento antes do parto. Após o primeiro parto, o processo de retorno ocorre e assegura a homeostase dos tecidos pélvicos. Ainda, alterações no suporte dos órgãos pélvicos foram descritas em animais geneticamente modificados para proteínas envolvidas na elastogênese como a lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL1), fibulina-3 e 5. Como ligamentos são as principais estruturas de suporte dos órgãos pélvicos, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a elastogênse no desenvolvimento do LIp durante a prenhez de camundongos. Assim, camundongos selvagens C57Bl/06 e deficientes em fibrilina-1 virgens, prênhes e no pós-parto foram estudados usando microscopia de luz convencional, microscopia confocal a laser, microscopia eletrônica de transmissão, western blotting e real-time PCR. Ambos os animais selvagens e deficientes em fibrilina-1 apresentaram classicamente a separação dos ossos púbicos, a formação e relaxamento do LIp e a involução deste no pós-parto. Esses processos sugeriram um padrão no qual as células controlam a remodelação da matriz extracelular sob sinalização hormonal e molecular. A ultra-estrutura dos tecidos fibrocartilaginosos apresentou delgadas microfibrilas aleatoriamente distribuídas entre os fibrocondrócitos. Na formação do LIp, foram observadas fibras elásticas com conglomerados de material amorfo distribuídos entre as microfibrilas. O LIp mostrou fibras elásticas e todos os componentes teciduais alinhados na direção da abertura da articulação interpúbica antes do parto. O estudo imuno-histoquímico e de expressão gênica relativa quantitativa indicou que durante o desenvolvimento do LIp em camundongos selvagens, elastina/tropoelastina, fibrilina-1 e 2, LOXL1, fibulina-5 e TGF-? foram regulados espacial e temporalmente, e estas moléculas poderiam contribuir para a síntese de novas fibras elásticas que asseguram a elasticidade necessária para a cintura pélvica durante o preparo para o parto e também no fechamento da articulação no pós-parto. Entretanto, se comparados com o animal selvagem, a análise indicou alteração na expressão gênica relativa da tropoelastina, fibrilina-1, LOXL1, fibulina-5 e TGF-?, diferentemente da morfologia muito similar observada em camundongos selvagens. Neste estudo, o camundongo deficiente em fibrilina-1 não apresentou prolapso de órgãos pélvicos após o primeiro parto como o deficiente em LOXL1 (Liu et al., 2004), nem modificações morfológicas que poderiam ser relacionadas ao enfraquecimento dos tecidos pélvicos. No entanto, este é o primeiro estudo que relata disfunções pélvicas nos camundongos deficientes em fibrilina-1 multíparos, usados como matrizes reprodutivas. Em conclusão, a formação das fibras elásticas que ocorreu na sínfise púbica de camundongos durante a vida adulta possui características únicas de um modelo que pode ser usado para compreensão dos processos normais e patológicos, principalmente aqueles relacionados aos animais geneticamente modificados para proteínas envolvidas na elastogênese. Assim, este trabalho traz à luz as evidências das profundas modificações que a sínfise púbica de camundongos passa durante a prenhez com a síntese de novas fibras elásticas, o que pode contribuir na compreensão dos mecanismos biológicos para formação das fibras elásticas / Abstract: The organization of elastic fibers involves the synthesis and the deposition of molecules in a high regulated sequence to ensure the elastic characteristics in the early stages of development. During pregnancy, elastic fibers-enriched pelvic tissues change to allow safe delivery and this remodeling is essential to the vaginal delivery. The mouse pubic symphysis articulation also remodels in a controlled hormonal process. This phenomenon comprises the "transformation" of the fibrocartilage into an interpubic ligament (IpL) followed by its relaxation before parturition. After the first parturition, recovery process occurs to ensure the pelvic tissue homeostasis. Adding to that, pelvic organ support impairment had been described in genetically modified mouse for the proteins involved in the elastogenesis such as lysyl oxidase-like 1 (LOXL-1), fibulin-3 and -5. Since, ligaments are the main supportive structures of pelvic organs, the aim of this study was to evaluate the elastogenesis in the IpL development during mouse pregnancy. Thus virgin, pregnant and postpartum C57Bl/06 wild-type and fibrillin-1mg?/+ female mice were studied using light, confocal, transmission electron microscopy, western blotting and real-time PCR. Both, wild-type and fibrillin-1mg?/+ female mice showed classically the separation of the pubic bones, the formation and relaxation of the IpL and the recovery at postpartum. These processes suggested a pattern which cells control the extracellular matrix remodeling under hormonal and molecular signaling. The ultra-structure of the fibrocartilaginous tissue had slender bundles of microfibrils randomly distributed among the fibrochondrocytes. By the time IpL is formed, there were seen elastic fibers, which consist of small conglomerates of amorphous material, distributed among the bundles of microfibrils. The IpL showed elastic fibers and all tissue compounds aligned to the opening axis of the articulation before parturition. The immunohistochemical study and quantitative gene expression indicated that during IpL development in wild-type mice, tropoelastin/elastin, fibrillin-1, fibrillin-2, LOXL-1, fibulin-5 and TGF-? were spatial and temporal regulated, and these molecules might contribute to the synthesis of new elastic fibers that assure the elasticity that is needed to the pelvic girdle during preparation for parturition and also the recovery at postpartum. However, compared to wild-type mice, alterations were found in the quantitative gene expression of elastin, fibrillin-1, LOXL-1, fibulin-5 and TGF- ?, different from the morphology that was very similar to the one that was observed in wild-type mice. In this study, the fibrillinmg?/+ mice did not show pelvic organ prolapse after the first parturition as LOXL1-/- did (Liu et al., 2004), neither morphological modifications that could be related to the weakness of pelvic tissue. However, this is the first work about pelvic dysfunctions in multiparous fibrillin-1mg?/+ mice used as reproductive matrices. In conclusion, the elastic fiber assembly that occurred in the mouse pubic symphysis during the adult life has characteristics of a model that could be used to understand normal and pathological processes, mainly those related to genetically modified mice for the proteins involved in the elastogenesis. Then, this work may bring readers up-to-date with accumulating evidence that the mouse pubic symphysis undergoes remarkable modifications during pregnancy with new synthesized elastic fibers and may contribute to our understanding of the biological mechanisms about elastic fiber assembly / Mestrado / Histologia / Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Orientador: Paulo Pinto Joazeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-05T05:28:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Veridiano_AdrianoMora_M.pdf: 13328877 bytes, checksum: 8cdd5c8e051145c4210f83e267962da1 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: Uma dramática mudança na sínfise púbica de camundongos é observada no final da prenhez. Recentemente demonstramos que estas mudanças na sínfise púbica durante a prenhez, parto e pós-parto estão diretamente associadas com componentes da matriz extracelular principalmente colágeno, fibras do sistema elástico, proteoglicanos e glicosaminoglicanos. A remodelação tecidual envolve um equilíbrio dinâmico entre proliferação celular e morte celular programada assim como as alterações nos componentes estruturais da matriz extracelular. Deste modo, é importante considerar estes dois comportamentos celulares quando investigamos os mecanismos que regulam a remodelação do tecido interpúbico; durante o seu crescimento ao final da prenhez, parto e subseqüente involução no período pós-parto. A proliferação e a morte celular programada foram identificadas por detecção imunohistoquímica, PCNA e TUNEL respectivamente os índices de proliferação e morte celular foram determinados por analises morfométricas. Os nossos resultados demonstraram que a proliferação celular foi intensa durante o período de formação do ligamento, entre os 015 e 018 de prenhez. Entretanto, no 019, dia do parto, ocorre uma queda abrupta dos índices de o 5dpp. As análises quantitativas de morte celular, mostraram resultados opostos quando comparados com os índices de proliferação celular. Por exemplo, no 019, inicia-se um declínio nos índices de proliferação celular. Realmente, neste dia são encontrados os mais altos índices de morte celular. Quando nós observamos simultaneamente proliferação e morte celular durante o início da prenhez a renovação do ciclo celular é claramente proliferativo, produzindo hiperplasia para no final da prenhez o ciclo ser dirigido para morte celular programada. Interessantemente, embora altos níveis de morte celular durante a involução pós-parto pode ser mostrada pelas células TUNEL positivas, não fomos capazes de observar núcleos picnóticos. Núcleos picnóticos com uma razoável freqüência deveriam ser observados nesta situação, aonde morte celular programada ocorre em altos níveis. O processo de autofagia, uma variação da morte celular programada denominada apoptose foi discutida como um mecanismo alternativo de eliminação celular na involução do ligamento interpúbico no período pós-parto / Abstract: Marked changes in mice pubic symphysis occurs by the end of pregnancy. Recently, we demonstrated that these changes in the pubic symphysis during the period under study are directly associated with extracellular matrix components remodeling mainly collagen, elastic fibers system, proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans. Tissue remodeling involves a dynamic balance between cell proliferation and programmed cell death as well as changes in the extracellular matrix components. Therefore, it is important to consider these both cellular behaviors when investigating the mechanism that regulates the interpubic tissue remodeling; growth during Iate pregnancy and partum ensuring involution during the postpartum period. Proliferating and programmed death cells were identified by immunohistochemistry, PCNA and TUNEL detection, respectively, and the rates at which these processes occurred were determined by morphometric analysis. Our results demonstrated that cellular proliferation was intense during the period of ligament formation, from 015 to 018, thereafter abruptly declining on 019. From parturition (019) onwards, an ever increasing decline in the cellular proliferation levels could be observed. The quantitative analyses of cellular death, showed opposite results when compared to cellular proliferation. For example, on 019, has initiated the decrease on the proliferative index. Likewise, on this day that occur one of the highest levei of cellular death. When we observed simultaneously proliferation and cellular death, during the early pregnancy the cycle of cellular renovation is clearly proliferative, producing hyperplasia for in the later pregnancy the cycle be directing by programmed cellular death. Interestingly, although the high levels of the cellular death during postpartum involution could be show by the TUNEL positive cells, we were unable to observed picnotic nucleus. We would expect to find picnotic nucleus with reasonable frequency in this situation, where programmed cellular death occurs in a great extension. The process of autophagy, a variation of classical apoptotic cellular death was discussed as an alternative mechanism of the cell elimination in the postpartum Iigament involution / Mestrado / Biologia Celular / Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural

Orientador: Paulo Pinto Joazeiro / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-08T07:41:05Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosa_RenataGiardini_M.pdf: 17497902 bytes, checksum: 703ffbe86316dbd66437c0d105646fed (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Durante a prenhez de alguns roedores ocorre um acentuado processo de remodelação da sínfise púbica (SP). No camundongo, esta articulação fibrocartilaginosa é gradativamente formada por um tecido conjuntivo fibroso, resultando no ligamento interpúbico (LI) entre os coxins de cartlagem na etapa final da prenhez. Logo após o parto, este ligamento é rapidamenteremodelado e o espaço entre os ossos púbicos se fecha por volta do quinto dia pós-parto. Sabe-se que o hormônio relaxina facilita o crescimento e remodelação dos órgãos do trato reprodutor feminino, alterando a regulação dos processos bioquímicos envolvidos na remodelação da matriz extracelular (MEC) do útero gravídico e da cérvice. Porém pouco se conhece sobre a sínfise em relação ao envolvimento de metaloproteinases (MMPs) nessa remodelação. Assim como, da participação de células inflamatórias, que poderiam estar envolvidas no processo de remodelaçãoda sínfise púbica do camundongodurantea prenhez. Neste estudo, foram utilizadas sínfises de camundongos virgens e ligamento interpúbico de animais prenhes para a detecção de MMPsin vivo e in vitro (explante de 24 horas). As MMPs da família das gelatinases (MMP-2 e MMP-9) foram caracterizadas pela zimografia e por meio de ensaios imunohistoquímicos,assim como a MMP-8 (colagenase2) associada,quase que exclusivamente, com o processo inflamatório. Também foram utilizadas microscopia eletrônica de transmissão e microspia de luz associada às colorações seletivas para evidenciar os tipos celulares que poderiam estar participandodo processo de remodelaçãoda sínfise púbica. A zimografia demonstrou a presença das gelatinases MMP-2 e MMP-9, ambas como pré e pró-enzimas, na SP e no LI. Imunohistoquímicadetectou a reação positivade gelatinasese também de MMP-8em células seme~hantesaos fibroblastos. A caracterização morfológica evidenciou que as células semelhantesa fibroblastos na sínfise de animais virgens estão próximasa matriz pericelular, ao passo que durante a prenhez, há um aumento deste subcompartimento, entre célula e matriz. As análises qualitativas e quantitativas, mostramum reduzido númerode granulócitosna sínfise de animaisvirgens e no ligamento intepúbico durante a prenhez. Dados obtidos neste trabalho suportam a hipótese de que as gelatinases estão envolvidas na remodelação da sínfise por processos intrínsecos, evidenciando que tanto as modificaçõesdo fenótipo de células semelhantes a fibroblastos, como as modificaçõesquímicas da MEC, são fundamentais para o rearranjo desta articulação durante a prenhez, parto e pós-parto no camundongo. A extensão da remodelação da MEC sugere o papel dos hormônios da prenhez na modulação da interação célula-matriz independentemente de uma reação do tipo inflamatória descrita em outros órgãos durante a prenhez / Abstract: During pregnancy of some rodents a deep remodeling occurs in the pubic symphysis (PS). In the mouse, these fibrocartilagenousarticulation are gradually replaced by a dense connective tissue, forming the interpubic ligament (IL) at the end of pregnancy. Right after birth, this ligament is rapidly remodeled and the space between the two bones is quickly closed, five days after birth. It is well known that hormones such as relaxin, facilitates the growth and remodeling of organs in female reproductive tract, changing the regulation of biochemical processes that are involved in the remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the uterus and cervix during pregnancy. However, little are known about pubic symphysis in when the subject is the involvement of metalloproteinases (MMPs) in this remodeling, as well as the participation of inflammatorycells that could be involved in the remodeling process of the mouse pubic symphysisduring pregnancy. In this study were used pubic symphysis of virgin mice and interpubic ligament in pregnant animais for the detection of MMPs in vivo and at in vitro (24h explants). MMPs from the gelatinase family (MMP-2 and MMP-9) were characterized by zymography and by immunohistochemistryessays, also MMP-8 (collagenase 2) that is believed to be associated almost exclusively with an inflammatory processoTransmission electron microscopy and light microscopy was also used associated with selectively staining, to evidence type of cells that could be involved in the pubic symphysis remodeling. Zymographydemonstratedthe presenceof gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP- 9 both in inactive and active forms, at the PS and IL. Immunohistochemistry,at the pubic symphysis and interpubic ligament, detected the expression of gelatinases and also MMP-8 in cells that were similar to fibroblasts. Morphological characterization evidenciated that cells that are similar to fibroblasts in the pubic symphysis of virgin animais are closely related to the pericellular region, being that during pregnancy,these spaces suffers an increase in this sub-compartment between cell and matrix. Qualitative and quantitative , analysis demonstratedlittle granulocytes in the pubic symphysis of virgin animais and in the interpubic ligament during pregnancy. Results that were obtained from this work support the hypothesis that the gelatinases could be involved in pubic symphysis remodeling through intrinsic processes, being evident that, both cellular phenotype modifications and also chemical modifications of the ECM, are fundamental to the rearrange of this articulation during mouse pregnancy, birth and pos-partum. The extensive remodeling of the ECM suggests hormonal role of the pregnancy in the modulation of the interaction between cell-matrix independently of an inflammatoryreaction in other organs during pregnancy / Mestrado / Histologia / Mestre em Biologia Celular e Estrutural