During pregnancy the decline in blood [glucose] does not result from the increased distribution space of glucose. The absolute rate of glucose turnover increases in late pregnancy in parallel with the rise in the mass of the conceptus. Nevertheless, glucose turnover per kg body wt. is not increased in late pregnancy, since the lower blood [glucose] decreases glucose utilization by maternal tiss...

Women with multiple sclerosis have significantly diminished disease activity during pregnancy. The purpose of our study was to identify the underlying mechanism for the diminished disease activity. We found that during the period of late pregnancy there is protection against paralysis, during both the induction and effector phases of relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a mouse ...

The information about the occurrence of embryonic and fetal losses in dairy herds in Poland is limited. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the pregnancy loss between days 30 and 45 (late embryonic mortality) and between days 45 and 260 after artificial insemination (AI) (foetal loss). The study was carried out in 8 dairy herds in north-east Poland. In total 954 cows were examined f...

Historically, insulin resistance during pregnancy has been ascribed to increased production of placental hormones and cortisol. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis by correlating the longitudinal changes in insulin sensitivity during pregnancy with changes in placental hormones, cortisol, leptin, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Insulin resistance was assessed in 15 women (5 w...

Bisphenol A (BPA) is among the better-known endocrine disruptors. BPA is used in various food-contacting materials and is easily eluted into food; as a result, we are exposed to BPA on a daily basis. In adults, BPA is metabolized and eliminated rapidly from the body. However, numerous reports suggest that fetuses and young children are susceptible to BPA. One of the concerning adverse effects o...

OBJECTIVES To characterize maternal and fetal nitric oxide (NO) production in normal and abnormal pregnancy by measuring nitrate (NO3-) and nitrite (NO2-) metabolites in maternal venous blood, umbilical venous and arterial blood and amniotic fluid. METHODS This was a prospective cross-sectional study in 160 singleton pregnancies: 60 with one complication (infection, n = 37; gestational diabet...

Serum uric acid estimations were performed in 106 healthy pregnant women during early, middle, and late pregnancy, using an automated colorimetric method. The mean serum uric acid level was significantly lower during early and middle pregnancy than that of 64 age-matched female controls. The serum uric acid level was not significantly different in late pregnancy from the control group. Studies ...

Genetically altered mice may provide useful models for exploring cardiovascular regulation during pregnancy and postpartum if changes in mice mimic humans. We found in awake ICR (CD-1) mice at 17.5 days gestation that hematocrit was reduced 18%, and the pressor response to intravenous angiotensin II was reduced ~33%. Arterial pressure in awake mice was 12% lower in early pregnancy (3.5 days) th...

Using immunohistochemistry to reveal the Fos protein (a marker of neuronal activation), the present experiments examined whether there were differences in the responses of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), hippocampus, and amygdala of pregnant rats exposed to three types of stressors (restraint, immobilization, and communication-box stress), all having inherently different severities, at three...