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Fetal Response (fetal + response)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Medical Sciences	62%
Psychology	37%

Selected Abstracts

REVIEW ARTICLE: Maternal and Fetal Response to Fetal Persistent Infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus,

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF REPRODUCTIVE IMMUNOLOGY, Issue 4 2010
Thomas R. Hansen
Citation Hansen TR, Smirnova NP, Van Campen H, Shoemaker ML, Ptitsyn AA, Bielefeldt-Ohmann H. Maternal and fetal response to fetal persistent infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus. Am J Reprod Immunol 2010 Problem, Infection of naïve pregnant cows with non-cytopathic (ncp) bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) results in transplacental infection of the fetus. Infection of the pregnant cow with ncp BVDV late in gestation (after day 150) results in transient infection (TI), as both the dam and fetus can mount an immune response to the virus. In contrast, if the fetus is infected with ncp BVDV early in gestation (before day 150), the fetal immune system is undeveloped and unable to recognize the virus as foreign. This results in induction of immune tolerance to the infecting BVDV strain and persistent infection (PI). Methods, Infection of naïve pregnant heifers with ncp BVDV2 on day 75 was hypothesized to induce differential gene expression in white blood cells of the dams and their fetuses, adversely affecting development and antiviral immune responses in PI fetuses. Results, Gene expression differed in maternal blood cells in the presence of PI versus uninfected fetuses. PI adversely affected fetal development and antiviral responses, despite protective immune responses in the dam. Conclusion, Fetal PI with BVDV alters maternal immune function, compromises fetal growth and immune responses, and results in expression of maternal blood biomarkers that can be used to identify cows carrying PI fetuses. [source]

Comparison of maternal and cord blood nucleated red blood cell count between pre-eclamptic and healthy women

JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY RESEARCH (ELECTRONIC), Issue 3 2007
Bibi 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]

Maturation of fetal responses to music

DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 5 2004
B.S. Kisilevsky
Maturation of fetal response to music was characterized over the last trimester of pregnancy using a 5-minute piano recording of Brahms' Lullaby, played at an average of 95, 100, 105 or 110 dB (A). Within 30 seconds of the onset of the music, the youngest fetuses (28,32 weeks GA) showed a heart rate increase limited to the two highest dB levels; over gestation, the threshold level decreased and a response shift from acceleration to deceleration was observed for the lower dB levels, indicating attention to the stimulus. Over 5 minutes of music, fetuses older than 33 weeks GA showed a sustained increase in heart rate; body movement changes occurred at 35 weeks GA. These findings suggest a change in processing of complex sounds at around 33 weeks GA, with responding limited to the acoustic properties of the signal in younger fetuses but attention playing a role in older fetuses. [source]

Psychological and psychophysiological considerations regarding the maternal,fetal relationship

INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT, Issue 1 2010
Janet A. DiPietro
Abstract The earliest relationship does not begin with birth. Pregnant women construct mental representations of the fetus, and the feelings of affiliation or ,maternal,fetal attachment' generally increase over the course of gestation. While there is a fairly substantial literature on the development and moderation of psychological features of the maternal,fetal relationship, including the role of ultrasound imaging, relatively little is known about the manner in which maternal psychological functioning influences the fetus. Dispositional levels of maternal stress and anxiety are modestly associated with aspects of fetal heart rate and motor activity. Both induced maternal arousal and relaxation generate fairly immediate alterations to fetal neurobehaviors; the most consistently observed fetal response to changes in maternal psychological state involves suppression of motor activity. These effects may be mediated, in part, by an orienting response of the fetus to changes in the intrauterine environment. Conversely, there is evidence that fetal behaviors elicit maternal physiological responses. Integration of this finding into a more dynamic model of the maternal,fetal dyad, and implications for the postnatal relationship are discussed. Research on the period before birth affords tremendous opportunity for developmental scientists to advance understanding of the origins of the human attachment. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

REVIEW ARTICLE: Maternal and Fetal Response to Fetal Persistent Infection with Bovine Viral Diarrhea Virus,

Acute increase in femoral artery resistance in response to direct physical stimuli in the human fetus

BJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 10 2003
Richard P. Smith
Objective To determine whether fetal response to needling resembles the fetal ,brain sparing' response seen with hypoxaemia. Design Prospective observational study. Setting Centre for Fetal Care, Queen Charlotte's and Chelsea Hospital, London. Population Eighty-five pregnant women undergoing invasive procedures associated with fetal prenatal diagnosis and/or management. Methods The femoral artery and the middle cerebral artery pulsatility index were measured by Doppler ultrasonography before and after 89 invasive procedures (fetal blood sampling, transfusion, bladder or cyst aspiration, shunt insertion and amniocentesis, between 17 and 36 weeks). Cases in which the fetal body was transgressed were compared with ,control' fetuses undergoing invasive procedures which did not directly involve needling the fetus (amniocentesis and placental cord insertion procedures). Main outcome measures Femoral artery and middle cerebral artery pulsatility index. Results The femoral artery pulsatility index rose after transgression [median change (,) 0.73; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.51 to 0.98]. In contrast, there was no significant change in femoral artery pulsatility index after non-transgression procedures (mean , 0.28; 95% CI ,0.20 to 0.76). Analysis confirmed the fall in middle cerebral artery pulsatility index after transgression procedures (median ,,0.19; 95% CI ,0.07 to ,0.35), but there was also a significant fall in middle cerebral artery pulsatility index after non-transgression procedures (mean ,,0.47; 95% CI ,0.23 to ,0.71). Conclusions The human fetus mounts a peripheral haemodynamic response to invasive procedures involving transgression of the fetal body, which is consistent with the brain sparing effect. However, the change in middle cerebral artery pulsatility index in both transgression and control procedures suggests that the changes and mechanisms may be more complex than previously thought. [source]

Altered regional blood flow in the fetus: the origins of cardiovascular disease?

ACTA PAEDIATRICA, Issue 12 2004
DJP Barker
A fetal response to hypoxia and other adverse influences is to redistribute blood flow in order to "spare" the brain. This, however, is associated with reduced growth of the liver and kidneys. Conclusion: The long-term consequences of fetal redistribution of blood flow are unknown, but preliminary evidence suggests that there is an increased risk of coronary heart disease and hypertension in later life. [source]