Although vernix caseosa is known to be a natural biofilm at birth, human pulmonary surfactant commences to remove the vernix from fetal skin into the amniotic fluid at gestational week 34, i.e., well before delivery. To explain this paradox, we first produced two types of fluorescently labeled liposomes displaying morphology similar to that of pulmonary surfactant and vernix caseosa complexes. ...

Swallowing of amniotic fluid and lung fluid inflow were eliminated in 10 chronically instrumented fetuses. The urachus was ligated, and fetal was urine drained to the outside. At the beginning and the end of 21 experiments of 66 +/- 5 (SE) h duration, all amniotic fluid was temporarily drained to the outside for volume measurement and sampling. Amniotic fluid osmolalities and oncotic pressures ...

The chief obstetrical problems encountered today in the prenatal evaluation of the high-risk fetus are presented. Advantages and pitfalls or recent techniques utilized in the management of the high-risk pregnancy are discussed. They include: a prenatal scoring system for identifying the high-risk population; examination of the karyotype of cells in amniotic fluid, and quantitation of alpha-feto...

Gestational tissue such as the placenta, placental membranes, and amniotic fluid are usually discarded following birth. Recently, researchers have identified gestational tissue as an untapped source of stem cells that are highly multipotent and possess potent immunosuppressive properties. Placental mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs), and amniotic fluid-derived ...

Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), as an indirect measure of developmental instability (DI), has been intensively studied for associations with stress and fitness. Patterns, however, appear heterogeneous and the underlying causes remain largely unknown. One aspect that has received relatively little attention in the literature is the consequence of direct mechanical effects on asymmetries. The crucial...

Stem cells capable of long-term proliferation and differentiation into different cell types may be a promising source of cells for regenerative medicine. Recently, much attention has been paid to fetal stem cells, among which are cells from amniotic fluid (AF). We have isolated amniotic stem cells from 3 AF samples. Flow cytometry, RT -PCR and immunohistochemistry have shown that these cells ex...

Amniotic fluid is a dynamic and complex mixture that reflects the physiological status of the developing fetus. In this study, the human amniotic fluid (AF) proteome of a 16–18-week normal pregnancy was profiled and analyzed to investigate the composition and functions of this fluid. Due to the complexity of AF, we utilized three different fractionation strategies to provide greater coverage. T...

Proteomic analysis combining two-dimentional electrophoresis (2DE) and mass spectrometry (MS) has the potential for a wide range of applications in biological and medical sciences, as protein screening in tissues obtained from healthy and diseased conditions can determine drug targets and diagnostic markers. Conventionally, amniotic fluid (AF) samples are routinely used for prenatal diagnosis o...

to study changes in concentrations of some biochemical factors of amniotic fluid, 115 normal goat uteri at different stages of pregnancy were collected from slaughterhouse. after expelling of each fetus accompanied by fetal membranes, 10 ml amniotic fluid was taken from amniotic sac for biochemical analysis. then approximate ages of fetuses were calculated by using age estimation formula. at fi...

results mode of delivery, nicu admission neonatal death and induction of labor. oligohydramnious is associated with a high rate of pregnancy complications and increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. women with oligohydramnious usually have low-birth babies. conclusion however, we can expect a safe and good outcome for pregnant women with oligohydramnious, should proper fetal surveillance a...