We investigated the relationship between fetal body weight at term (pregnancy day 21) and the extent of ossification of sternum, metacarpus, metatarsus, phalanges (proximal, medial and distal) of fore- and hindlimbs and cervical and coccygeal vertebrae in Wistar rats. The relationships between fetal body weight and sex, intrauterine position, uterine horn, horn size, and litter size were determ...

There is evidence that fetal exposure to maternal stress is associated with adverse birth outcomes. Less is known about the association between fetal responses to a stressor and indicators of fetal maturity and developmental outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether fetal heart rate (FHR) patterns in response to a startling stimulus at ∼30 weeks of gestation were assoc...

OBJECTIVES This study was undertaken to develop a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound method of measuring fetal brain volume. STUDY DESIGN Serial 3D sonographic measurements of fetal brain volume were made in 68 normal singleton pregnancies at 18 to 34 weeks of gestation. A comparison was made with fetal brain volume estimates from two-dimensional (2D) sonographic measurement of head circumfere...

Fetal measurements, especially fetal foot length, were correlated with fetal age--as measured by last menstrual dates--for 1800 tissue specimens obtained after dilatation and evacuation abortion. These observations were compared with Streeter's results from 1920. Fetal ages ranged from ten through 26 completed menstrual weeks. Fetal measurements including weight, knee-to-heel length, biparietal...

BACKGROUND Muscle development and lipid metabolism play important roles during fetal development stages. The commercial Texel sheep are more muscular than the indigenous Ujumqin sheep. RESULTS We performed serial transcriptomics assays and systems biology analyses to investigate the dynamics of gene expression changes associated with fetal longissimus muscles during different fetal stages in ...

BACKGROUND Previous research suggests, though not consistently, that maternal psychological distress during pregnancy leads to adverse birth outcomes. We investigated whether maternal psychological distress affects fetal growth during the period of mid-pregnancy until birth. METHOD Pregnant women (n=6313) reported levels of psychological distress using the Brief Symptom Inventory (anxious and...