BACKGROUND Epigenetic mechanisms play an important role in prenatal development, but fetal tissues are not readily accessible. Fetal DNA molecules are present in maternal plasma and can be analyzed noninvasively. METHODS We applied genomewide bisulfite sequencing via 2 approaches to analyze the methylation profile of maternal plasma DNA at single-nucleotide resolution. The first approach used...

BACKGROUND Environmental alternations leading to fetal programming of cardiovascular diseases in later life have been attributed to maternal factors. However, animal studies showed that paternal obesity may program cardio-metabolic diseases in the offspring. In the current study we tested the hypothesis that paternal BMI may be associated with fetal growth. METHODS AND RESULTS We analyzed the...

OBJECTIVE This study was undertaken to characterize the pharmacokinetics of zidovudine (ZDV) and ZDV-glucuronide (ZDVG) in the material and :fetal circulations of the rhesus monkey. METHODS Cannulas were placed in the maternal external jugular and the fetal internal jugular and carotid artery in 8 pregnant monkeys at .120-130 days gestation. ZDV (3.5 mg/kg) was administered to 5 monkeys and Z...

Based on the hypothesis that maternal-fetal genetic differences in membrane transport and signal transduction may influence intrauterine development, the recent acquisition on transport function of Rh protein prompted us to study the relationship between joint maternal-fetal Rh phenotype and birth weight. Considering that metabolic effect of maternal-fetal competition could be amplified by envi...

In normal pregnancy, cortisol increases; however, further pathological increases in cortisol are associated with maternal and fetal morbidities. These experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that increased maternal cortisol would increase maternal glucose concentrations, suppress fetal growth, and impair neonatal glucose homeostasis. Ewes were infused with cortisol (1 mg·kg(-1)·day(-1)...

The concentrations of plasma glucose, free fatty acids, insulin, growth hormone, and placental prolactin in subhuman primate fetal and maternal plasma were examined following intravascular administration of insulin and glucagon to the fetus and mother. The neonatal plasma responses to these same stimuli were also examined. Fetal plasma glucose concentrations were minimally altered by direct fet...

The immunologic interaction between the fetus and the mother is a paradoxical communication that is regulated by fetal antigen presentation and/or by recognition of and reaction to these antigens by the maternal immune system. There have been significant advances in understanding of abnormalities in the maternal-fetal immunologic relationship in the placental bed that can lead to pregnancy diso...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the feasibility of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) of maternal plasma samples collected from pregnant Chinese women in early gestation, between 8 + 0 and 12 + 6 weeks' gestation. METHODS In this pilot study, 212 women with high-risk pregnancies were recruited at a single Chinese Hospital. Fetal aneuploidies associated with chromosomes 21, 18, 13, X and Y were detec...

Inflammation during placental malaria (PM) is associated with low birth weight (LBW), especially during the first pregnancy, but the relative contribution of maternal or fetal factors that mediate this effect remains unclear and the role of gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) has been controversial. We examined the relationship of maternal and cord plasma levels of IFN-gamma, tumor necrosis factor alp...