Search results for "Fetal development"
showing 10 items of 65 documents
MicroRNA-30d deficiency during preconception affects endometrial receptivity by decreasing implantation rates and impairing fetal growth.
2019
Background Maternal–embryonic crosstalk between the endometrium and the preimplantation embryo is required for normal pregnancy. Our previous results demonstrated that maternal microRNAs secreted into the endometrial fluid, specifically miR-30d, act as a transcriptomic regulator of the preimplantation embryo by the maternal intrauterine environment. Objective To investigate the reproductive and fetal effects of murine miR-30d deficiency at the maternal–embryonic interface according to the origin of its maternal or embryonic default. Study Design A miR-30d knockout murine model was used as the animal model to investigate the impact of maternal and/or embryonic origin of miR-30d deficiency on…
Olfaction in the fetal and premature infant: functional status and clinical implications.
2004
This article considers olfaction as a functioning source of information for the fetus and the neonate, born on term or prematurely. It aims to present how odors are involved in the sensory continuity between the prenatal and postnatal environments and how they influence the earliest adaptive responses of newborns in the realms of self-regulation, emotional balance, feeding, and social interactions.Finally, it evaluates odors as sensory means to ameliorate the physiologic and behavioral responses of preterm infants to the adverse impacts of separation from mother, nonoral feeding, or iatrogenic distress.
Associations of Maternal Cell-Phone Use During Pregnancy With Pregnancy Duration and Fetal Growth in 4 Birth Cohorts
2019
Results from studies evaluating potential effects of prenatal exposure to radio-frequency electromagnetic fields from cell phones on birth outcomes have been inconsistent. Using data on 55,507 pregnant women and their children from Denmark (1996-2002), the Netherlands (2003-2004), Spain (2003-2008), and South Korea (2006-2011), we explored whether maternal cell-phone use was associated with pregnancy duration and fetal growth. On the basis of self-reported number of cell-phone calls per day, exposure was grouped as none, low (referent), intermediate, or high. We examined pregnancy duration (gestational age at birth, preterm/postterm birth), fetal growth (birth weight ratio, small/large size…
Dithiothreitol prevents age-associated decrease in oocyte/conceptus viability in vitro.
1998
The present study was designed to ascertain whether the negative effects on reproductive potential of post-ovulatory ageing in vitro of oocytes can be prevented by antioxidant therapy. Mouse metaphase II (MII) oocytes were aged in vitro for 12 h prior to insemination in the presence of varying concentrations of L-ascorbic acid, 6-methoxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox), L-cystine dihydrochloride, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), beta-mercaptoethanol and DL-dithiothreitol (DTT). In-vitro ageing of oocytes was associated with lower fertilization rate, higher proportion of concepti exhibiting cellular fragmentation at 24 h post-insemination and lower percentage of…
Do human concepti have the potential to enter into diapause?
1999
Although there is no direct evidence as to whether human concepti have the potential to enter into diapause before implantation, the possibility that human concepti may be capable of following this developmental pathway if exposed to an appropriate environment cannot be ruled out. Direct evidence remains elusive because of the ethical restraints associated with research activities within this area of knowledge. If conceptus diapause has evolved in primates and persists at the present time despite its apparent limited or no adaptive advantage, artificial induction of diapause in humans may have clinical implications for increasing: (i) the viability of concepti after biopsy, freezing-thawing…
Developmental programming of energy balance and its hypothalamic regulation.
2011
Developmental programming is an important physiological process that allows different phenotypes to originate from a single genotype. Through plasticity in early life, the developing organism can adopt a phenotype (within the limits of its genetic background) that is best suited to its expected environment. In humans, together with the relative irreversibility of the phenomenon, the low predictive value of the fetal environment for later conditions in affluent countries makes it a potential contributor to the obesity epidemic of recent decades. Here, we review the current evidence for developmental programming of energy balance. For a proper understanding of the subject, knowledge about ene…
Distribution of osteonectin mRNA and protein during human embryonic and fetal development.
1992
We investigated the temporal and spatial distribution of osteonectin during human embryonic and fetal development, using in situ hybridization and immunohistochemistry. Osteonectin gene expression was generally found in cells exhibiting high rates of matrix production/proliferation. In mineralized tissue, a strong signal was obtained in osteoblasts, odontoblasts, and chondrocytes of the upper hypertrophic and proliferative zones. Chondrocytes of the mineralized zone showed no expression throughout the different stages of development. Strong osteonectin expression was found in odontoblasts of developing teeth. In addition, osteonectin mRNA and protein were detected in several non-mineralize…
Vitrification of zona-free rabbit expanded or hatching blastocysts: a possible model for human blastocysts.
2003
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of one two-step (A) and two one-step (B1 and B2) vitrification procedures on denuded expanded or hatching rabbit blastocysts held in standard sealed plastic straws as a possible model for human blastocysts. The effect of blastocyst size was also studied on the basis of three size categories (I: diameter <200 μm; II: diameter 200-299 μm; III: diameter ≥300 μm). METHODS: Rabbit expanded or hatching blastocysts were vitrified at day 4 or 5. Before vitrification, the zona pellucida was removed using acidic phosphate buffered saline. For the two-step procedure, prior to vitrification, blastocysts were pre-equilibrated in a solut…
Transient expression of synaptogyrin in the ganglionic eminence of the human fetal brain
2000
Summary The ganglionic eminence (GE) representing a conspicuous bulb-like elevation of the telencephalic proliferative zone has recently been shown to be involved in the establishment of cortical connections. This study demonstrates the presence of synaptogyrin-immunoreactivity in a large number of cell bodies of the human GE between 12 and 20 weeks of gestation. From the 20 th week onwards synaptogyrin expression sharply declines. No immunoreactive structures are detectable in the 23 rd week or later. As the GE persists nearly throughout the entire fetal period these results show that its neurochemical features change distinctly in the course of development. The synaptogyrin-immunoreactive…
M-cadherin and its sisters in development of striated muscle
1999
Cadherins are calcium-dependent, transmembrane intercellular adhesion proteins with morphoregulatory functions in the development and maintenance of tissues. In the development of striated muscle, the expression and function of mainly M-, N-, and R-cadherin has been studied so far. While these three cadherins are expressed in skeletal muscle cells, of these only N-cadherin is expressed in cardiac muscle. In this review, M-, N-, and R-cadherin are discussed as important players in the terminal differentiation and possibly also in the commitment of skeletal muscle cells. Furthermore, reports are described which evaluate the essential role of N-cadherin in the formation of heart tissue.