Intestinal amino acid (AA) transport is critical for the supply of AA to other tissues. Few studies regarding AA intestinal transport systems during the period from postnatal intense development of piglets until weaning are available. In the present study, we measured the intestinal expression of b0,þAT according to developmental stage using the suckling Huanjiang piglet model, and documented t...

Fetal magnetocardiography allows the noninvasive registration of the prenatal cardiac electrophysiological signal. The good signal-to-noise characteristics of most biomagnetometers combined with adequate signal processing techniques generally permit the identification of the fetal deand repolarization onsets and offsets to an accuracy of 1 ms. The P wave, QRS complex and sometimes the T wave ca...

To establish physiological mechanisms for fetal growth restriction in pregnant adolescent ewes we studied uterine, fetal, and uteroplacental metabolism in ewes offered a high (n = 12) or moderate (n = 10) dietary intake. High intakes decreased placental (226 vs. 414 g, P < 0.001) and fetal weight (3,323 vs. 4,626 g, P < 0.01). Uterine blood flow was reduced absolutely (-36%) but proportional to...

Using a mid- to late-gestation ovine model of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), we examined uteroplacental blood flow and fetal growth during melatonin supplementation as a 2 × 2 factorial design. At day 50 of gestation, 32 ewes were supplemented with 5 mg of melatonin (MEL) or no melatonin (CON) and were allocated to receive 100% [adequate; (ADQ)] or 60% [restricted (RES)] of nutrient re...

AIM This review explores the molecular, neurological, and behavioural outcomes in animal models of uterine artery ligation. We analyse the relevance of this type of model to the pathological and functional phenotypes that are consistent with cerebral palsy and its developmental comorbidities in humans. METHOD A literature search of the PubMed database was conducted for research using the uter...

The zinc concentration of placental tissue and cord blood in sixteen mothers who gave birth to normal babies was measured. The blood volume of each placenta was estimated from measurements of haemoglobin concentration of placental homogenate and cord blood, and, by deduction, the Zn content of blood-free placental tissue was calculated. Results were compared with eleven mothers whose fetuses sh...

Decidual NK (dNK) cells, a distinct type of NK cell, are thought to regulate uterine spiral artery remodeling, a process that allows for increased blood delivery to the fetal-placental unit. Impairment of uterine spiral artery remodeling is associated with decreased placental perfusion, increased uterine artery resistance, and obstetric complications such as preeclampsia and intrauterine growth...