We report a signaling mechanism in rats between mother and fetus aimed at preparing fetal neurons for delivery. In immature neurons, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter. We found that, shortly before delivery, there is a transient reduction in the intracellular chloride concentration and an excitatory-to-inhibitory switch of GABA actions. These events were ...

(Abstracted from JAMA Network Open 2021;4(4):e215071) Decreased fetal movement (DFM) has previously been associated with stillbirth and other adverse perinatal outcomes. Several guidelines highlight the importance of DFM as a sign risk stillbirth; however, there is limited national guidance to incorporate this monitoring into reduction strategies.

Right and left ventricular outputs were measured by a dye dilution technique in fetal lambs before and during graded reduction of umbilical blood flow by constriction of the abdominal portion of the umbilical vein. POo, PCO2 and pH were measured on blood samples taken from the carotid artery and the ductus arteriosus. Oxygen saturation values were estimated from oxygen dissociation curves for f...

To better understand the biology of leptin during prenatal life, the developmental and spatial regulation of leptin was studied in ovine fetuses. Fetal plasma leptin increased steadily between days 40 and 143 postcoitus (PC), but it was unrelated to fetal weight or placental weight at day 135 PC. Leptin gene expression was detected in fetal brain and liver during most of gestation and in fetal ...

Data from literature report that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism affects the recurrence of preeclampsia and that low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) prevents adverse outcomes in thrombophilic women. We investigated the effect of LMWH on the pregnancy outcome, on maternal blood pressure values, and on uteroplacental flow in ACE DD nonthrombophilic women ...

is widely accepted that for lung development to proceed normally, physical space in the fetal thorax must be adequate and amniotic fluid must be brought into the lung with fetal breathing movements. Thus, it follows that extrinsic compression of the fetal thorax causes hypoplasia, either by inhibiting respiratory movements or by forcing out fluid from the lungs. The latter hypothesis was suppor...

To create a comprehensive dataset of peripheral dose (PD) measurements from a new generation of linear accelerators with and without the presence of a newly designed fetal shield, PD measurements were performed to evaluate the effects of depth, field size, distance from the field edge, collimator angle, and beam modi-fiers for common treatment protocols and modalities. A custom fetal lead shiel...

Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (ICP) is characterized by troublesome maternal pruritus, elevated serum bile acids (> or =10 micromol/L) and increased fetal risk. Recently we determined a cutoff level of serum bile acids, > or =40 micromol/L, to be associated with impaired fetal outcome. We have now studied the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) and dexamethasone on pruritus, biochemi...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether a standardization exercise prior to commencing a fetal growth study involving multiple sonographers can reduce interobserver variation. METHODS In preparation for an international study assessing fetal growth, nine experienced sonographers from eight countries participated in a standardization exercise consisting of theoretical and practical sessions. Each performe...