Successful implantation requires a functionally normal embryo at the blastocyst stage and a receptive endometrium as well as adequate communication between them throughout the implantation process. This cross-talk is highly regulated by a number of different kinds of molecules. Particularly, chemokines, small polypeptides that attract specific leukocyte subsets by binding to cell-surface recept...

Mechanical birth-related injuries to the neonate are declining in incidence with advances in prenatal diagnosis and care. These injuries, however, continue to represent an important source of morbidity and mortality in the affected patient population. In the United States, these injuries are estimated to occur among 2.6% of births. Although more usual in context of existing feto-maternal risk f...

Extravillous trophoblasts (EVTs) characterize the invasion of the maternal decidua under low oxygen and poor nutrition at the early feto-maternal interface to establish a successful pregnancy. We previously reported that autophagy in EVTs was activated under 2% O2 in vitro, and autophagy activation was also observed in EVTs at the early feto-maternal interface in vivo. Here, we show that autoph...

The information provided by Doppler ultrasound examination during labor permits the understanding of the mechanisms regarding the physiology and pathophysiology of feto-placental exchange and the fetal adaptive systems. There are certain technical difficulties related to intrapartum Doppler ultrasound examination. The investigated sites are the uterine arteries, umbilical arteries, fetal circul...

OBJECTIVES STo study the feto-maternal outcome in pregnancy with severe thrombocytopenia. MATERIALS AND METHODS It was an observational study involving 1150 pregnant women with term gestation in labour, who were screened for thrombocytopenia. Ninety-four subjects (8.17%) were found to have thrombocytopenia i.e. platelet count < 1,50,/000/mm3, out of which 47 subjects (group A) had platelet co...