1.1 The uterus

1.2 Functional unit

1.3 Electrophysiological properties

1.4 Neuroendocrine modulators

1.5 Coupling phenomenon

1.6 Crosstalk phenomena

Exercises

2 Models of the Gravid Uterus

2.1 Biological changes in pregnant uterus

2.2 Mechanical models of the gravid uterus

2.3 Models of myoelectrical activity

Exercises

3.1 Formulation of the model

3.2 Effects of change in the ionic environment on myoelectrical activity

3.2.1 Physiological condition

3.2.2 Changes in

3.2.3 Changes in

3.2.4 Changes in

3.3 Effects of ion channel agonists/antagonists

3.3.1 T - type Ca²⁺ channels

3.3.2 L - type Ca²⁺ channels

3.3.3 BK_Ca channels

3.3.4 channels

3.3.5 channels

Exercises

4 General Theory of Thin Shells

4.1 Basic assumptions

4.2 Geometry of the surface

4.3 Tensor of affine deformation

4.4 Equations of continuity of deformations

4.5 Equations of equilibrium

Exercises

5 Essentials of the Theory of Soft Shells

5.1 Deformations of the shell

5.2 Principal deformations

5.3 Membrane forces

5.4 Principal membrane forces

5.5 Equations of motion in general curvilinear coordinates

5.6 Remarks

5.7 Nets

5.8 Corollaries of the fundamental assumptions

Exercises

6 Continual Model of the Myometrium

6.1 Basic assumptions

6.2 Model formulation

6.3 Biofactor

6.4 Special cases

Exercises

7 Models of Synaptic Transmission and Regulation

7.1 System compartmentalization

7.2 cAMP-dependent pathway

7.3 PLC pathway

7.4 Co-transmission in myometrium

7.4.1 Co-transmission by acetylcholine and oxytocin

7.4.2 Co-transmission by acetylcholine and adrenaline

7.4.3 Co-transmission by oxytocin and adrenaline

7.4.4 Co-transmission by oxytocin and prostaglandins

Exercises

8 Pharmacology of Myometrial Contractility

8.1 Classes of drugs

8.2 Current therapies of myometrial dysfunction

8.3 Model of competitive antagonist action

8.4 Model of allosteric interaction

8.5 Allosteric modulation of competitive agonist/antagonist action

8.6 Model of PDE-4 inhibitor

8.7 Myoelectrical activity

Exercises

9 Gravid Uterus as a Soft Biological Shell

9.1 Fundamental assumptions

9.2 Model of the gravid uterus

9.3 Numerical simulations

9.3.1 Uterus close to term

9.3.2 First stage of labor

9.3.3 Second stage of labor

9.3.4 Third stage of labor

9.3.5 Constriction ring

9.3.6 Uterine dystocia

9.3.7 Hyper- and hypotonic uterine inertia

Exercises

10 Biomechanics of the Gravid Uterus in Perspective

10.1 Ontology of models

10.2 Applications, pitfalls and problems

Exercises

References

Index