background: lead toxicity has been reported to affect hematopoietic, nervous, reproductive, cardiovascular and urinary tract systems. many investigators have so far studied the effects of high blood lead levels on pregnancy outcomes. objective: to investigate the effects of elevated maternal blood lead during pregnancy on some trace elements and pregnancy outcomes. methods: blood lead and plasm...

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...

variations in detection sensitivity and quantification of fetal DNA concentrations were noted among laboratories very familiar with real-time PCR technology (21). Further studies will be needed to clarify this issue in addition to the continued exploration of other strategies for the investigation of complex fetal genetic traits by analysis of maternal plasma. These strategies may include the e...

OBJECTIVE To examine the possible relationship between maternal and fetal characteristics and pregnancy outcomes on fetal and maternal cell-free (cf) DNA in maternal plasma at 11-13 weeks' gestation. METHODS cfDNA was extracted from maternal plasma of 1,949 singleton pregnancies and chromosome-selective sequencing was used to determine the proportion of cfDNA and total cfDNA counts which was ...

background: free fetal dna (ffd) in maternal plasma/serum has increasingly become the source of fetal material for diagnostic purposes in recent years. this source of fetal material can be used for sex determination. rh typing paternally inherited sequences and compound heterozygosity. reports on the lack of consistent pcr amplification of y-chromosome sequences of ffd in maternal plasma/serum ...

OBJECTIVE We studied the relationship between maternal and cord plasma concentrations of carotenoids, retinol, and tocopherols in normal mother-baby pairs. METHODS Healthy pregnant women (n = 10) were recruited at a Montréal hospital. Venous blood samples were collected from the mothers at delivery and cord blood was obtained immediately post partum from the umbilical vein after clamping of t...

BACKGROUND The discovery of circulating fetal nucleic acids in maternal plasma has opened up new possibilities for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small RNAs, have been intensely investigated recently because of their important regulatory role in gene expression. Because nucleic acids of placental origin are released into maternal plasma, we hypothesized that miRN...

normal 0 false false false en-us x-none ar-sa objective: to compare the effect of betamethasonemethasone (betamethasone) and dexamethasonemethasone (dexamethasone) on maternal white blood cell (wbc) and differential count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (esr), apgar score, maternal and fetal plasma glucose and length of admission to delivery , gestational age at delivery in women at risk of pre...

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...

Background: It is well documented that fetal DNA can cross the placenta and is present in peripheral maternal blood during pregnancy in human. This fetal DNA also named circulating cell free fetal DNA, has emerged as a valuable source for genetic evaluation. Compared with humans, ovine species have a different structure of placental (synepitheliochorial) with no direct contact between the troph...