A method of estimating the magnitude and distribution of umbilical blood flow by means of radioactive microspheres in sheep fetuses in utero is described. Simultaneous measurements of total umbilical flow by this method and the steady-state diffusion technique showed agreement within ± 11%. In 11 fetuses of 90 to 150 days gestational age, the distribution of umbilical flow to the intercotyledon...

BACKGROUND Infants in utero during the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 may have been negatively affected by maternal stress. Studies to date have produced contradictory results. METHODS Data for this retrospective cohort study were obtained from the Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Registry and included up to 164,743 infants born to active-duty military families. Infants ...

Increasing evidence suggest that epigenetic alterations can greatly impact human health, and that epigenetic mechanisms (DNA methylation, histone modifications, and microRNAs) may be particularly relevant in responding to environmental toxicant exposure early in life. The epigenome plays a vital role in embryonic development, tissue differentiation and disease development by controlling gene ex...

The competence of the immune system of the developing fetus to act as a barrier to in utero hematopoietic-cell transplantation (IUHCT) has been a source of debate. Until now, comparisons of allogeneic and congenic engraftment have been inconclusive due to methodologic limitations resulting in minimal and inefficient engraftment. In this study, E14 fetal mice received transplants of either allog...

The Fetal Origins Hypothesis (FOH), put forward in the epidemiological literature and later flourished in the economics literature, suggests that the time in utero is a critical period for human development. However, much attention has been paid to the consequences of fetal exposures to more extreme natural shocks, while less is known about fetal exposures to milder but more commonly experience...

Fetal movements in the uterus are a natural part of development and are known to play an important role in normal musculoskeletal development. However, very little is known about the biomechanical stimuli that arise during movements in utero, despite these stimuli being crucial to normal bone and joint formation. Therefore, the objective of this study was to create a series of computational ste...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Understanding the effects of in-utero exposures to environmental agents is of great importance as the resulting deregulation of biological processes can affect both fetal development and health outcomes that manifest later in life. Due to their established role in developmental processes and inherent stability ex vivo, microRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as attractive candidates t...

Bone mineral content of the mid forearm was measured by photon absorptiometry in 73 white singletons (36 boys, 37 girls) born between 18 and 43 weeks' gestation. Results obtained within two weeks of birth for liveborn infants were used to establish bone mineral deposition curves approximating normal in utero development. Results for stillborn infants indicated a retardation of bone mineralisati...

California has proposed limiting agricultural pesticide use within 0.4 km of schools and childcare facilities. However, the 0.4-km buffer may not be appropriate for all pesticides because of differing toxicities, fate, and application methods. Living near pesticide use has been associated with poorer birth outcomes, neurodevelopment, and respiratory function in children. More research about exp...

Lasiocarpine has been administered intragastrically to pregnant rats maintained on control and on lipotrope-deficient diets during gestation. Effects of the toxin on the maternal liver have been noted as well as the transplacental effects on the newborn rat at birth and at seven weeks postpartum. A schedule of treatment was achieved which resulted in no detectable morphologic alterations in the...