Background & Aims: Amniotic membrane persists for a long time after ocular transplantation (as corneal substitute) and can affect light transmission (transparency). The aim of this study was to evaluate the transparency of amniotic membrane after freeze-drying (lyophilization) and to compare the results with transparency of rabbit cornea. Methods: Transparency of rabbits’ corneas and fresh and ...

BACKGROUND AIMS Amniotic membrane (AM), the innermost layer of human placenta, is composed of a single layer of epithelial cells, a basement membrane and an avascular stroma. The AM has many functions and properties, among which angiogenic modulatory and immunoregulatory effects are applicable in cancer therapy. Because these functions belong to amniotic epithelial cells, in this study we compa...

The protective amniotic sac that is covering the foetus plays a very pivotal role in many aspects .The material which was once thought to be discarded during the delivery of the baby has now found immense applications for regeneration and revitalization of devitalized tissues. The amniotic membrane can be processed and the dehydrated amnion allograft can be used for ocular transplants, treatmen...

© Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press, Shanghai and Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015 R.C. Zhao (ed.), Stem Cells: Basics and Clinical Translation, Translational Medicine Research 1, DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-7273-0_2 Abstract Application of amnion membrane with multiple bioactive biomaterial has over 100 years of history. Amnion membraneand amniotic fluid-derived stem cells mainly in...

We hypothesized that prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) stimulates amniotic fluid transport across the amnion by upregulating vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in amnion cells and that amniotic PGE2 concentration correlates positively with intramembranous (IM) absorption rate in fetal sheep. The effects of PGE2 at a range of concentrations on VEGF 164 and caveolin-1 gene expressions wer...

BACKGROUND Myocardial dysfunction occurs in a variety of fetal disorders. Findings from adult cardiology, where n-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (nt-proBNP) is an established biomarker of left ventricular dysfunction have been extended to fetal life. Since fetal blood sampling is technically challenging we investigated amniotic fluid nt-proBNP for its suitability to diagnose fetal myoc...

BACKGROUND There is evidence of antibacterial properties of human chorioamniotic layer. However, the distinctive contribution of its individual parts, amniotic and chorionic membranes, to these effects is still unknown. The aim of present study was comparison of the antibacterial effects between amniotic and chorionic membranes. METHODS Chorioamniotic layer was removed from placenta belonging...

Chorioamnionitis is caused by intrauterine infection with microorganisms including Candida albicans (C.albicans). Chorioamnionitis is associated with postnatal intestinal pathologies including necrotizing enterocolitis. The underlying mechanisms by which intra-amniotic C.albicans infection adversely affects the fetal gut remain unknown. Therefore, we assessed whether intra-amniotic C.albicans i...

During the second and third trimesters increasing activities of the glycolytic enzyme pyruvate kinase are to be found in human amniotic fluid. At term (37 to 42 weeks), a very steep rise in amniotic fluid pyruvate kinase can be noticed, which may serve as an additional prenatal indicator of fetal maturity. The presumable main sources of the enzyme in amniotic fluid are the epithelium cells of t...