There is a significant body of evidence to suggest a physiological role for the CSF in both the developing and adult brain. Our recent studies suggest a critical role for this fluid in the developing brain of the hydrocephalic Texas (H-Tx) rat. A key feature of the foetal-onset hydrocephalus in this rat is obstruction in the flow and/or absorption of fluid that is associated with abnormal devel...

Vascularisation of an organ is an index of its metabolic activity. The suprarenal glands are of crucial importance in the development of pregnancy. No data were found by the authors to describe the volume of the human foetal suprarenal arteries throughout pregnancy. The study was designed to form a database of human foetal suprarenal arterial volume in relation to foetal age and sex. Digital im...

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study was the estimation of foetal femoral bone development, based on anthropometric, densitometric and histometric examination. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was done on 68 foetuses (31 female and 37 male) of various foetal ages (16-31 weeks of gestation). The specimens, ranging 16-31 weeks of gestation, were divided into 3 groups for better statistical anal...

Phthalates provide one of the most documented example evidencing how much we must be cautious when using the traditional paradigm based on extrapolation of experimental data from rodent studies for human health risk assessment of endocrine disruptors (EDs). Since foetal testis is known as one of the most sensitive targets of EDs, phthalate risk assessment is routinely based on the capacity of s...

Adult articular cartilage (AC) has a well described multizonal collagen structure. Knowledge of foetal AC organisation and development may provide a prototype for cartilage repair strategies, and improve understanding of structural changes in developmental diseases such as osteochondrosis (OC). The objective of this study was to describe normal development of the spatial architecture of the col...

OBJECTIVE A history of foetal death is a risk factor for complications and foetal death in subsequent pregnancies as most previous risk factors remain present and an underlying cause of death may recur. The purpose of this study was to evaluate subsequent pregnancy outcome after foetal death and to compare cases of recurrent foetal death. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective cohort study in a tertiar...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES Maternal undernutrition and hyperglycaemia during pregnancy, as well as foetal undernutrition affecting the development of foetal endocrine pancreas structure and function, especially that of β-cells is well known. This study was undertaken to look into the changes in pancreatic islets morphology of aborted normal human foetuses (16-20 wk old) of undernourished and adequ...

AIMS We hypothesized that the structure and function of the mature valves is largely dependent upon how these tissues are built during development, and defects in how the valves are built can lead to the pathological progression of a disease phenotype. Thus, we sought to uncover potential developmental origins and mechanistic underpinnings causal to myxomatous mitral valve disease. We focus on ...