Home About us Contact
|
Home About us Contact | ||
|
|
||
Placental Insufficiency (placental + insufficiency)
Selected AbstractsThe Effect of Betamethasone Treatment on Neuroactive Steroid Synthesis in a Foetal Guinea Pig Model of Growth RestrictionJOURNAL OF NEUROENDOCRINOLOGY, Issue 3 2010A. A. McKendry There are ongoing concerns that antenatal corticosteroids, which are administered to women at high risk of delivering preterm to reduce the incidence of respiratory distress syndrome, have adverse effects on foetal brain development and subsequent effects on behaviour and learning, when administered as repeated courses. The present study aimed to examine whether repeated betamethasone treatment alters the expression of the key-rate limiting enzyme, 5,-reductase, in the synthetic pathway of the potent neuroactive steroid allopregnanolone in the brain and placenta and whether this effect is potentiated in growth restricted foetuses. To investigate this, pregnant guinea pigs carrying either control (sham surgery) or growth-restricted foetuses were treated with vehicle or betamethasone (1 mg/kg/day) for 4 days prior to sacrifice (65d). Placental insufficiency was induced by the ablation of uterine artery branches supplying each placenta at mid gestation, resulting in foetal growth restriction characterised by ,brain sparing'. Real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction was used to determine relative 5,-reductase type 1 and 2 mRNA expression in the placenta and brain. Immunohistochemistry was used to examine the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression in the subcortical white matter, CA1 and dentate regions of the hippocampus. 5,-reductase type 2 mRNA expression in the brain was markedly reduced by betamethasone treatment in male foetuses compared to vehicle-treated controls but not in female foetuses. In addition, 5,-reductase type 1 expression in the brain was increased by growth restriction and/or betamethasone treatment in female foetuses but expression in males foetuses did not increase. 5,-reductase type 2 expression in the placenta was markedly reduced by betamethasone treatment compared to vehicle-treated control. Intrauterine growth restriction and betamethasone treatment reduced GFAP expression in the CA1 region of the hippocampus in the brains of male but not female foetuses. These data indicate that betamethasone treatment suppresses placental expression and has sexually dimorphic effects on expression of neuroactive steroid synthetic enzymes in the brain. These actions may lead to adverse effects on the developing brain, particularly in male foetuses, such as the observed effects on GFAP expression. [source] Comparison of maternal and cord blood nucleated red blood cell count between pre-eclamptic and healthy womenJOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007Bibi Shahnaz Aali Abstract Aim:, The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of pre-eclampsia on the cord and maternal nucleated red blood cell (NRBC) count. Methods:, Immediately after delivery, 1 mL of maternal venous blood and 1 mL of cord blood from 50 pre-eclamptic and 150 healthy pregnant women were collected separately in tubes containing 1.5 mg ethylene diamine tetra-acetic acid. Blood smears were prepared and stained using the Giemsa method. The number of NRBC per 100 leukocytes in maternal and cord blood was counted and compared between the two groups using SPSS software package for Windows. Any correlation of the NRBC count in maternal and umbilical cord blood was also evaluated. P -values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results:, The mean (±SD) NRBC per 100 white blood cell (WBC) level in cord blood of newborns in the pre-eclamptic group (18.2 ± 31.8, range 0,142) was significantly greater than in the control group (6.2 ± 8.1, range 0,36). Low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction showed a statistically significant relationship with abnormal NRBC count in pre-eclamptic patients. A significant correlation was found between the maternal and cord blood NRBC count in the pre-eclamptic group. Conclusion:, Fetal response to utero,placental insufficiency in pre-eclampsia leads to elevated NRBC in the cord blood, particularly in the presence of low birth weight and intrauterine growth restriction. The positive correlation between maternal and cord blood NRBC counts in pre-eclamptic patients indicates that maybe the hypoperfused placenta plays a role in the correlated alteration of the maternal and fetal NRBC count. [source] Effects of fetal growth restriction on lung development before and after birth: A morphometric analysisPEDIATRIC PULMONOLOGY, Issue 3 2001G.S. Maritz PhD Abstract Our aim was to determine the effects of fetal growth restriction (FGR) during late gestation on the structure of the lungs in the fetus near term and at 8 weeks after birth. The studies were performed using two groups of pregnant sheep and their offspring. In both groups, FGR was induced by umbilico-placental embolisation (UPE); for fetal studies, UPE was performed from 120 days of gestation until 140 days (term, ,146 days), when fetuses were killed for tissue analysis. For postnatal studies, UPE continued from 120 days until delivery at term; postnatal lambs were killed at 8 weeks after birth for tissue analysis. UPE led to a thicker pulmonary blood-air barrier at 140 days of gestation and this difference, which was due to a thickened basement membrane, was still present at 8 weeks after birth. At 8 weeks, we also observed a smaller number of alveoli per respiratory unit, thicker interalveolar septa, and a greater volume density of lung tissue in FGR lambs compared to controls. These changes would be expected to impair gas exchange and alter the mechanical properties of the lungs. Our data show that structural alterations in the lungs induced by placental insufficiency were more evident at 8 weeks of postnatal age than near term, indicating that the effects of FGR on the lung may become more serious with age and may affect respiratory health later in life. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2001; 32:201,210. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Aortic isthmus Doppler velocimetry: role in assessment of preterm fetal growth restrictionPRENATAL DIAGNOSIS, Issue 5 2010M. M. Kennelly Abstract Intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR) is an important pregnancy complication associated with significant adverse clinical outcome, stillbirth, perinatal morbidity and cerebral palsy. To date, no uniformly accepted management protocol of Doppler surveillance that reduces mortality and cognitive morbidity has emerged. Aortic isthmus (AoI) evaluation has been proposed as a potential monitoring tool for IUGR fetuses. In this review, the current knowledge of the relationship between AoI Doppler velocimetry and preterm fetal growth restriction is reviewed. Relevant technical aspects and reproducibility data are reviewed as we discuss AoI Doppler and its place within the existing repertoire of Doppler assessments in placental insufficiency. The AoI is a link between the right and left ventricles which perfuse the lower and upper body, respectively. The clinical use of AoI waveforms for monitoring fetal deterioration in IUGR has been limited, but preliminary work suggests that abnormal AoI impedance indices are an intermediate step between placental insufficiency-hypoxemia and cardiac decompensation. Further prospective studies correlating AoI indices with arterial and venous Doppler indices and perinatal outcome are required before encorporating this index into clinical practice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Comparative proteomic analysis associated with term placental insufficiency in cloned pigPROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 8 2007So-Young Lee Abstract Somatic cell-derived nuclear transfer (scNT) is a method of animal cloning in which the oocyte reprograms a somatic cell nucleus to divide and execute developmental programs. Despite many successes in this field, cloning by scNT remains very inefficient. Unlike other cloned animals, pigs derived by scNT have placentas with severe villous hypoplasia. To obtain a better understanding of the protein networks involved in this phenomenon, we assessed global protein expression profiles in term placentas from scNT-derived and control animals. Proteomic analysis of term placentas from scNT-derived animals identified 43 proteins that were differentially expressed compared to control animals. Among them, 14-3-3 proteins and Annexin V, which are closely involved in the apoptotic signaling pathway, were significantly down- and up-regulated, respectively. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry indicated that down-regulation of 14-3-3 proteins in scNT-derived placentas induced apoptosis of cytotrophoblast cells via mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. Taken together, our results suggest that placental insufficiency in scNT-derived placentas may be due to apoptosis, induced in part by the down-regulation of 14-3-3 proteins and up-regulation of Annexin V. They also indicate that proteomic maps represent an important tool for future studies of placental insufficiency and pathology. [source] Reduced maternal serum concentrations of angiopoietin-2 in the first trimester precede intrauterine growth restriction associated with placental insufficiencyBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 11 2007Y Wang The aim of this study was to investigate whether maternal serum levels of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2) and pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) are associated with subsequent intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). Ang-2 was measured in 29 nonpregnant and 44 pregnant women at 10,13 weeks of gestation. The median concentration of Ang-2 was 26.61 ng/ml in normal pregnant women compared with 1.71 ng/ml in nonpregnant controls (P < 0.01). Women who subsequently developed severe IUGR had lower levels of Ang-2 compared with normal pregnant controls (P < 0.01). PAPP-A levels were similar in all pregnant groups. These findings suggest that Ang-2 should be evaluated for its ability to predict pregnancies that later are affected by IUGR. [source] Is an atherogenic lipoprotein profile in the fetus a prerequisite for placental vascular disease?BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 4 2000Jian Wang Senior Scientific Officer Objective To measure the blood apolipoprotein A-1 and apolipoprotein B in the fetal circulation in normal pregnancy and in pregnancy with evidence of vascular disease in the fetal umbilical placental circulation defined in the antenatal period by Doppler ultrasound study. Design An observational study to compare fetal plasma apolipoprotein levels in normal and complicated pregnancy. Setting A university hospital tertiary referral obstetric unit. Samples Umbilical vein blood was collected at delivery from 22 normal fetuses delivered by elective caesarean section for non fetal reasons and 30 fetuses with evidence of umbilical placental vascular disease identified antenatally by Doppler ultrasound study. Methods Plasma apolipoprotein A-1 and B were determined using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Main outcome measures Fetal plasma levels of apolipoprotein A-1 and B were measured. Results There was a significantly lower level of fetal plasma apolipoprotein A-1 in placental insufficiency [placental insufficiency vs normal pregnancy, median 0.30 g/L (interquartile range 0.24, 0.39 g/L) vs 0.35 g/L (0.31, 0.42 g/L), P= 0.045]. In contrast, the levels of fetal plasma apolipoprotein B in placental insufficiency [0.20 g/L (0.17, 0.26 g/L)] were significantly increased compared with normal pregnancy [0.16 g/L (0.14, 0.20 g/L), P= 0.03]. The ratio of fetal plasma apolipoprotein B to A-1 was also substantially higher in placental insufficiency [0.68 (0.55, 0.83)] than in normal pregnancy [0.45 (0.36, 0.60), P= 0.0003]. Conclusions Our study has demonstrated that levels of fetal plasma apolipoprotein A-1, apolipoprotein B and the ratio of apolipoprotein B to A-1 were altered in the fetuses who are victims of umbilical placental insufficiency in the same direction as in adults associated with a high risk of atherogenesis. [source] Mutations in the thrombomodulin and endothelial protein C receptor genes in women with late fetal lossBRITISH JOURNAL OF HAEMATOLOGY, Issue 3 2001Franca Franchi Late fetal loss can be associated with placental insufficiency and coagulation defects. Thrombomodulin (TM) and the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR) are glycoprotein receptors expressed mainly on the endothelial surface of blood vessels and also in the placenta; they both play a key physiological role in the protein C anticoagulant pathway. Defects in these proteins might play an important role in the pathogenesis of late fetal loss. We performed a case,control study in 95 women with unexplained late fetal loss (> 20 weeks), to elucidate whether TM or EPCR gene mutations were associated with an increased risk for this complication of pregnancy. The control group comprised 236 women who gave birth to at least one healthy baby and had no history of late fetal death or obstetrical complications. The entire TM and EPCR genes, including the promoter region, were screened. In total, five mutations were identified in the TM gene in 95 patients and three in 236 control subjects, and two mutations were identified in the EPCR gene in 95 patients and one in 236 control subjects. The relative risk for late fetal loss when having a mutation in the TM or EPCR gene was estimated by an odds ratio of 4·0 (95% CI 1·1,14·9). In conclusion, identified mutations in the TM and EPCR genes of women with unexplained fetal loss are more prevalent compared with women with no obstetrical complications. [source] | ||||||||||