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PubMed1995

Umbilical vein pulsations and acid-base status at cordocentesis in growth-retarded fetuses with absent end-diastolic velocity in umbilical artery.

The objective of this study was to examine the acid-base status in blood obtained at cordocentesis in growth-retarded fetuses with absent end-diastolic velocity in the umbilical artery and divided according to the presence or absence of pulsations in the umbilical vein. Twenty-six growth-retarded fetuses free from structural and chromosomal abnormalities were considered for this study. All the fetuses had absent end-diastolic velocity in the umbilical artery associated in 11 cases (42.3%) with pulsations in the umbilical vein. Gas analysis of fetal blood obtained by cordocentesis was performed immediately after the Doppler recordings. Hypoxemia, acidemia and hypercapnia were defined respectively as the presence of pH or pO2 values 2 standard deviations below the normal mean for gestation and of pCO2 values 2 standard deviations above the normal mean for gestation. Fetuses with umbilical vein pulsations had lower values of pH (p < or = 0.001) and pO2 (p < or = 0.05) and higher values of pCO2 (p < or = 0.001) when compared to those without pulsations. All fetuses with pulsations were hypoxemic and hypercapnic and the incidence of acidemia was 90.9%. Fetuses with continuous blood flow in the umbilical vein, although frequently hypoxemic (80%), have pCO2 and pH values within the normal range in 40 and 52.3% of the cases, respectively. In conclusion, in fetuses with absent end-diastolic velocity in the umbilical artery the presence of umbilical vein pulsations identifies a subgroup of fetuses with a more severe compromise of acid-base status. This may be useful in the selection of the timing of delivery of such fetuses.

Blood Flow Velocity↗
PubMed1996

Effects of cordocentesis on inferior vena cava velocity waveforms: differences between normally grown and growth-retarded fetuses.

The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of cordocentesis on velocity waveforms recorded from the inferior vena cava and to evaluate differences, if any, in the hemodynamic response between normally grown and growth-retarded fetuses. Twenty-five normally grown fetuses and 20 growth-retarded fetuses were considered for this study. This latter group was characterized by abnormal Doppler indices in the umbilical artery and the middle cerebral artery suggestive of uteroplacental insufficiency as the causative factor of the impaired growth. Flow velocity waveforms were measured from the inferior vena cava immediately before and after cordocentesis and the % reverse flow during atrial contraction calculated. In normally grown fetuses the % reverse flow values did not vary significantly after cordocentesis, while in growth-retarded fetuses this index increased significantly after the procedure (p < or = 0.001). Furthermore, the amplitude of this increase was inversely related to pH levels in umbilical vein (p = 0.004). In conclusion, in growth-retarded fetuses cordocentesis induces an increase of % reverse flow in the inferior vena cava, while no modifications occur in normally grown fetuses. This suggests the presence in growth-retarded fetuses of an impaired cardiac adaptive mechanism to cordocentesis that may explain the higher incidence of complications occurring in such fetuses.

Blood Flow Velocity↗
PubMed1979

Hormonal stimulation of erythropoietin production and erythropoiesis in anephric sheep fetuses.

The effect of testosterone (DT) and thyroxin (L-T4) on erythropoiesis and erythropoietin (Ep) production was studied in control and nephrectomized sheep fetuses beginning at about 100 d of gestation. Fetuses were given injections of either 1.2 mg/d x 13 of L-T4, 12 mg, once every 5 d x 3 of DT or the vehicle alone. Fetal plasma samples for Ep determinations were obtained before and at intervals after the start of the treatment. Reticulocyte and hematocrit levels, and the percent erythrocyte-59Fe uptake values were used to assess erythropoiesis in each fetus. No Ep was detected in plasmas of control fetuses, while significant amounts of Ep were present in plasma obtained from DT- and L-T4-treated intact fetuses. Bilateral nephrectomy did not diminish the Ep response to DT and L-T4. In both intact and nephrectomized fetuses, treatment with DT resulted in the production of significantly greater amounts of Ep than L-T4. The rise in Ep in all groups was accompanied by increases in reticulocytes (2.2 +/- 0.2% vs L-T4:8.1 +/- 0.4% and DT:7.6 +/- 0.7%), percent erythrocyte-59Fe uptake (20.5 +/- 2.9% vs. L-T4:36.7 +/- 3.8% and DT:39.1 +/- 4.0%) and hematocrit (31.2 +/- 2% vs. L-T4:41.8 +/- 3% and DT:48.6 +/- 4.2%). The enhanced erythropoiesis in all groups of nephrectomized fetuses was dependent upon the presence of Ep, because the administration of anti-Ep to these fetuses resulted in the suppression of erythropoiesis in all three groups. These data demonstrate that (a) DT and L-T4 are effective promoters of extrarenal Ep production, thereby enhancing erythropoiesis in intact and nephrectomized fetuses; (b) DT is a stronger stimulus of extrarenal Ep formation than L-T4; and (c) Ep is required for the expression of the erythropoietic effects of L-T4 and DT.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Immunohistochemical detection of Brucella abortus antigens in tissues from aborted bovine fetuses using a commercially available polyclonal antibody.

A commercially available polyclonal antibody and an avidin-biotin-peroxidase immunohistochemical technique were used to detect Brucella abortus antigens in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissues of lung and liver from 20 aborted bovine fetuses. Thirteen fetuses were obtained from farms with a previous history of brucellosis, and 7 were collected from farms without a history of brucellosis. Among the 13 aborted bovine fetuses obtained from farms with a history of brucellosis, immunoreactivity to B. abortus was detected in lung (9 fetuses) and in liver (1 fetus), whereas Brucella was cultured from abomasal contents in 9 fetuses (8 were immunohistochemically positive). In addition, 11 dams of these 13 aborted bovine fetuses had antibodies to Brucella. Brucella abortus was not detected by immunohistochemistry in the 7 aborted bovine fetuses collected from farms without a history of brucellosis. Bacteriologic culture and serologic tests were also negative for Brucella. The results of this study revealed that the immunohistochemical technique was sufficiently sensitive for detecting B. abortus antigens in formalin-fixed lung tissues from naturally aborted bovine fetuses. Although additional studies are necessary to rule out cross-reaction of the polyclonal antibody with other microorganisms that cause bovine abortion, this immunohistochemical technique could be a complementary tool to serology and bacteriology for the diagnosis of brucellosis.

Abortion, Veterinary↗
PubMed1988

Premature appearance of gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation in the liver of the postterm rabbit fetus.

The metabolic consequences of a prolonged gestation (35 vs 32 days) have been studied in the rabbit fetus. Gestation was prolonged by daily subcutaneous injections of progesterone (1.5 mg.kg-1) from day 28 to 34. In control animals, progesterone was injected from day 25 or 28 to day 31 of gestation. When the capacities for gluconeogenesis and fatty acid oxidation, measured on isolated hepatocytes, are normally low in the term control fetus and increase only within the first 24 h after birth, these capacities appear high in the postmature fetus. The rate of glucose production from lactate is 4-fold higher in the postmature fetus than in the normal term fetus. The rate of ketone body production from oleate is also 5-fold higher in the postmature fetus, which results from a switch on of the partition of oleate into esterification and oxidation: 8% of [1-14C]oleate is oxidized in term fetus hepatocytes, but 34% in postmature fetus hepatocytes. As a similar rate of lipogenesis takes place in both stages, this metabolic change could be explained by a 5-fold lower sensitivity of carnitine palmitoyltransferase I to the inhibition by malonyl-coenzyme A. Postmaturity decreases plasma insulin concentrations by 45% and increases plasma glucagon concentrations by 50% which, in turn, induces a 3-fold decrease in the plasma insulin:glucagon molar ratio. As previously shown in fasted or diabetic adult rat, this hormonal change might be a likely candidate for an enhancement of gluconeogenic and ketogenic capacity in the liver of the postterm rabbit fetus.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

Evidence that cortisol inhibits basal adrenocorticotropin secretion in the sheep fetus by 0.70 gestation.

To ascertain if reductions in fetal plasma cortisol cause increases in fetal plasma ACTH, we treated pregnant ewes or their fetuses with aminoglutethimide (10 mg/kg BW) and metyrapone (20 mg/kg BW) and measured the hormonal responses with RIAs. When given to fetuses (n = 9) at 0.90 +/- 0.01 gestation (term-145 days), the steroid synthesis inhibitors reduced fetal plasma cortisol from 35.1 +/- 11.9 to 18.5 +/- 6.2 ng/ml (P less than 0.01) and plasma ACTH increased from 37 +/- 7 to 189 +/- 74 pg/ml (P less than 0.02). Thus, late in gestation cortisol from the fetal adrenal suppresses basal fetal ACTH secretion. Blockade of steroid biosynthesis in pregnant ewes carrying intact fetuses at 0.76 +/- 0.02 gestation (n = 11) or adrenalectomized fetuses at 0.81 +/- 0.01 gestation (n = 6) also reduced cortisol and increased ACTH in fetal plasma. In intact fetuses cortisol declined from 9.4 +/- 2.0 to 3.6 +/- 0.9 ng/ml (P less than 0.05), and ACTH increased from 46 +/- 8 to 183 +/- 67 (P less than 0.01); cortisol declined in adrenalectomized fetuses from 2.1 +/- 0.4 to 1.1 +/- 0.3 ng/ml (P less than 0.01), and ACTH increased from 106 +/- 13 to 400 +/- 104 pg/ml (P less than 0.01). Cortisol infusions into intact and adrenalectomized fetuses prevented both the decline in steroid concentration caused by the biosynthesis inhibitors given to the ewe and the increase in fetal plasma ACTH concentration. These data indicate that reductions in plasma cortisol in adrenalectomized fetuses or intact fetuses at a time in development when the fetal adrenal produces little cortisol cause compensatory increases in fetal plasma ACTH concentration. The simplest explanation for these observations is that from approximately 0.70 gestation, basal fetal ACTH secretion is tonically inhibited by cortisol circulating in fetal plasma. This cortisol can originate from sources other than the fetal adrenal.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1991

Effect of fetal adrenalectomy on messenger ribonucleic acid for proopiomelanocortin in the anterior pituitary and for corticotropin-releasing hormone in the paraventricular nucleus of the ovine fetus.

In the ovine fetus, adrenalectomy at 90-120 days gestational age (dGA) results in a gradual increase in basal concentrations of fetal plasma ACTH beginning at approximately 122 dGA. Bilateral adrenalectomy at 116-119 dGA also results in an increase in POMC mRNA in the fetal pituitary. It is not known whether both the paraventricular nuclei (PVN) of the hypothalamus and the anterior pituitary of the ovine fetus are responsive in late gestation to the removal of cortisol negative feedback. The purpose of this study was to determine the subsequent effect of fetal adrenalectomy at 118-121 dGA on the CRH mRNA content in fetal PVN and on POMC mRNA in the fetal anterior pituitary at 134 dGA. Mature Rambouellet-Columbia cross-bred ewes (n = 10), bred on a single occasion only and carrying fetuses of known gestational ages, were used. Both fetal adrenal glands were exposed via a retroperitoneal approach and removed [adrenalectomized (ADX); n = 5]. In control fetuses (CONT; n = 5) adrenal glands were exposed and isolated, but not removed. At 134 dGA, fetal plasma cortisol concentrations were significantly greater in CONT fetuses (7.2 +/- 2.5 ng/ml) than in ADX fetuses (mean +/- SD, 1.97 +/- 0.9 ng/ml; P less than 0.025). At 134 dGA the fetal PVN was removed by micropunching, and the anterior pituitary was separated from neurointermediate and posterior lobes after necropsy. Total RNA was prepared by the guanidium isothiocyanate-cesium chloride method and subjected to Northern analysis using specific cDNA probes to CRH and POMC. After autoradiography, quantification of mRNA was performed by scanning densitometry. Quantities of specific hybridization signal for POMC and CRH were normalized to the content of actin mRNA in each individual sample. RNA prepared from PVN exhibited a single specifically hybridizing band for CRH of approximately 1300 nucleotides. RNA prepared from anterior pituitary exhibited a single specifically hybridizing band for POMC at approximately 1300 nucleotides. Anterior pituitary POMC mRNA was significantly increased (P less than 0.025) in ADX fetuses (236 +/- 32% of CONT). CRH mRNA in PVN was greater in ADX fetuses than in CONT fetuses (P less than 0.05; mean +/- SEM, 179 +/- 21% of CONT). Adrenalectomy in fetal sheep significantly increased expression of CRH and POMC. We conclude that the increased levels of mRNA for CRH and POMC indicate that both the fetal PVN (CRH) and the anterior pituitary (POMC) are responsive to removal of the primary source of circulating glucocorticoid at this gestational age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adrenalectomy↗
PubMed1992

Prolonged hypoxia induced by the reduction of maternal uterine blood flow alters insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and IGFBP-2 gene expression in the ovine fetus.

Insulin-like growth factors (IGF-I and IGF-II) are potent mitogenic and differentiating peptides which are synthesized by many fetal tissues. In the circulation and tissue fluids, IGFs are bound to binding proteins (BPs) which not only function as carrier proteins, but also inhibit or modulate the biological actions of IGFs. We have previously shown that prolonged hypoxia in the ovine fetus induced by the reduction of maternal uterine blood flow for 24 h causes a reduction in the DNA synthesis rate in selected fetal tissues. To determine if this effect is due to alterations in the local synthesis of tissue IGFs and their binding proteins or to changes in systemic concentrations of IGFs and IGFBPs, we have investigated the abundance of mRNAs encoding IGFs and IGFBPs in selected tissues and changes in plasma IGFs and IGFBPs. Ovine fetuses (115-120 days gestation; n = 6) underwent 24 h of hypoxia by the reduction of maternal uterine blood flow (RUBF). Controls (n = 6) underwent the same surgical procedure without RUBF. Serial plasma samples were collected before, during, and after the experiment, and tissues were collected at the end of 24 h. Mean plasma IGF-I and IGF-II concentrations tended to be lower in hypoxic fetuses than in controls during the course of hypoxia, but these differences were not statistically significant. Tissue mRNA levels for IGF-I and IGF-II in lung, muscle, thymus, and kidney were similar in control and hypoxic fetuses after 24 h of hypoxia. The relative abundance of liver IGF-I and IGF-II mRNAs was lower in hypoxic fetuses, but only IGF-I mRNA levels were significantly different from the control values (P < 0.05). Compared to control fetuses, IGFBP-1 mRNA levels in the liver of hypoxic fetuses were increased 3- to 7-fold, and IGFBP-1 mRNA expression was induced in kidneys of some hypoxic fetuses (two of six). In addition, IGFBP-2 mRNA levels were decreased in the liver (50%) and kidney (30%) of hypoxic fetuses. The increase in liver IGFBP-1 mRNA abundance and the decrease in liver and kidney IGFBP-2 mRNA abundance were accompanied by an increase in IGFBP-1 levels and a decrease in IGFBP-2 levels in fetal plasma. No changes were observed in either plasma levels or tissue mRNA abundance for IGFBP-3. Analysis of the time course of changes in plasma revealed that the changes in IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 occurred within 4 h of hypoxia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Plasma adrenocorticotropin and cortisol concentrations during acute hypoxemia after a reversible period of adverse intrauterine conditions in the ovine fetus during late gestation.

The present study determined the pituitary-adrenal responses to acute hypoxemia after a period of reversible adverse intrauterine conditions produced by partial compression of the umbilical cord for 3 days in the sheep fetus during late gestation. At 118 +/- 2 days gestation (term is approximately 145 days), 12 sheep fetuses were instrumented under halothane anesthesia with an occluder cuff around the umbilical cord, amniotic and vascular catheters, and a transit-time flow probe around an umbilical artery. In 6 of the fetuses at 125 days, umbilical blood flow was reduced by about 30% from baseline for 3 days (UCC), after which the occluder was deflated. The remaining 6 fetuses acted as sham-operated controls in which the occluder was not inflated. All fetuses were then subsequently subjected to 2 periods of acute hypoxemia, elicited by reducing the maternal inspired fraction of oxygen (FiO(2)) at 2 +/- 1 and 5 +/- 2 days after the end of cord compression or sham compression. In addition, 4 fetuses from each group were subjected to an ACTH challenge 1-2 days after the final episode of acute hypoxemia. Maternal and fetal arterial blood samples were taken at appropriate intervals during cord compression, acute hypoxemia, and ACTH challenge for analyses of blood gases, pH, and plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Partial compression of the umbilical cord produced reversible mild fetal asphyxia, a transient increase in fetal plasma ACTH, and a progressive increase in fetal plasma cortisol. At 5 +/- 2 days after the end of compression, despite similar blood gas status between the groups, basal plasma cortisol, but not ACTH, concentrations were significantly greater in compressed fetuses relative to sham controls. However, this dissociation did not affect a similar increment in fetal plasma ACTH and cortisol concentrations during acute hypoxemia or in the fetal plasma cortisol response to the ACTH challenge in either group. An increase in adrenocortical mass occurred in fetuses preexposed to partial compression of the umbilical cord relative to sham controls. The data suggest that fetal exposure to a reversible period of adverse intrauterine conditions produced by partial compression of the umbilical cord does not affect the magnitude of the fetal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis response to subsequent acute hypoxemia, but it leads to resetting of basal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in the fetus. The mechanism for this resetting may include an increase in adrenocortical steroidogenic synthetic capacity, but it is not due to a change in adrenocortical sensitivity to ACTH. Inappropriate fetal glucocorticoid exposure after reversible periods of adverse intrauterine conditions has important implications for fetal and postnatal development.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

The use of prostaglandins and oxytocin for transcervical recovery of bovine fetuses at days 33-58 of gestation.

The study of bovine germ cells of known developmental stage calls for alternatives to the recovery of fetuses by surgery or slaughter. Fetuses were therefore obtained during the second month of pregnancy by aborting 49 animals using a progressively modified treatment regimen of cloprostenol, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and oxytocin. The viability of fetuses was monitored by ultrasonography throughout treatment. Intracervical treatment with PGE2 led to cervical dilation in all treated animals. However, retrieval of the fetuses by subsequent flushing of the uterus was successful in only two of six animals. When i.m. injections of cloprostenol were given 20-40 h before PGE2 treatment, fetuses < or = 40 days of gestation were expelled spontaneously, while the majority of fetuses > or = 50 days of gestation were retained. When i.m. injections of oxytocin were given in relation to clinical signs of impending fetal expulsion after cloprostenol and PGE2 treatment, 20 of 22 fetuses were expelled 42-53 h after the cloprostenol injection. Of these 20 fetuses, 19 were expelled 0-7 h after the cessation of fetal heartbeat. The subsequent fertility of animals was not affected. Thus, the final protocol allowed bovine fetuses to be retrieved at predictable times, within a few hours of death, with little maternal trauma and without affecting subsequent fertility.

Abortion, Induced↗
PubMed2005

Human prenatal nasal bone lengths: normal standards and length values in fetuses with cleft lip and cleft palate.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to present prenatal autopsy standards for nasal bone length in normal fetuses, as well as to compare nasal bone lengths in human fetuses with cleft lip and palate with those standards. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The material consisted of human fetuses investigated in connection with diagnosed and legally approved abortions and spontaneous abortions; 40 were normal and 26 had cleft lip and palate (7 isolated cleft lip, 12 isolated cleft palate, and 7 combined cleft lip and palate). Menstrual ages (MA) ranged from 12 to 25 weeks, crown-rump length (CRL) from 55 to 210 mm and foot length (FL) from 7 to 44 mm. All fetuses were radiographed in lateral projection, and, using these images, the nasal bone lengths were measured with a digital caliper. Regression analyses were performed. RESULTS: Standards for normal nasal bone length at different ages are expressed as menstrual age, crown-rump length, or foot length. Comparisons with normal standards showed that the isolated cleft lip group had a significantly smaller nasal bone length than the normal fetuses had. Fetuses with isolated cleft palate and fetuses with combined cleft lip and palate showed no significant deviation from normal standards. CONCLUSION: Normal nasal bone standards can contribute to information on deviations in nasal bone length for aborted fetuses with known and unknown genotypes. The differences in nasal bone lengths in fetuses with different lip and palate clefting can contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of cleft lip and palate.

Aborted Fetus↗
PubMed1975

Ammonium nitrogen in fetuses of urea-treated sheep.

Eight pregnant Southdown ewes were treated (by drench) with 12.5 ml of 3.3 M urea solution per kilogram of body weight, and ammonium nitrogen concentrations of blood and tissues of these ewes and their fetuses were measured and compared with those of control ewes (given water by drench) and their fetuses. Blood ammonium nitrogen (BAN) and tissue ammonium nitrogen (TAN) concentrations for liver, kidney, spleen, and muscle of ewes and fetuses were determined by an ion-exchange procedure. Samples of blood were collected before treatment, at 30, 90 and 150 minutes after treatment, and at death of the dam. The principal ewes had increasing BAN concentrations with time after drench, and their fetuses had significantly greater (P less than 0.01) BAN concentrations than fetuses from control ewes. All fetuses were alive after death of the dams and had lower TAN values than their dams. The differences in ammonia concentrations between ewes and fetuses were larger in the principal group than in the control group. Except for ewe muscle and fetal liver, all tissues of principals had significantly greater (P less than 0.01) TAN concentrations than those of controls. Muscle of principal ewes and hepatic tissues of their fetuses had greater (P less than 0.05) TAN concentrations than those of control ewes and their fetuses.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2003

Identification of hepatitis B virus vertical transmission from father to fetus by direct sequencing.

To identify the possibility of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vertical transmission from father to fetus, eight male HBV carriers whose wives were negative for any HBV marker and their eight aborted fetuses who had been infected with HBV in utero, were studied. S gene 451 approximately 660 nucleotide sequence of HBV in 6 cases of father/fetus pairs and C gene 2022 approximately 2321 nucleotide sequence in the other 2 cases of father/fetus pairs were amplified by nested polymerase chain reaction (NPCR), and sequenced. HBV DNA was detected in the semen and spermatid of male HBV carriers. The homologies of HBV sequences between father and fetus were very high. Six father/fetus pairs had the same subtype adw. The sequences of the fragment were identical between father and fetus in 4 cases. Especially in case 3, both father and fetus had the same point mutation, which caused an amino acid substitution at codon 126. The other two cases had point mutations in the fetus at nucleotide positions 491, 494, 546, 581 resulting in amino acid substitution at codons 113, 114, 131, 143. The C gene 2022 approximately 2321 nucleotide sequences in two cases were identical. There were eleven common point mutations between father and fetus, but those mutations did not cause phenotypic changes. Our finding suggested that HBV vertical transmission from father to fetus was present. A HBV carrier father may transmit the virus to his fetus by spermatid.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Studies on experimental growth retardation in sheep. The effects of a small placenta in restricting transport to and growth of the fetus.

Fetal and placental growth rate in sheep has been manipulated by removal of endometrial caruncles prior to conception. This produced two groups of fetuses, one in which prenatal growth rate was similar to normal and a second group in which the fetuses were about half of the normal size. The mortality in the latter group was high, particularly after catheterisation, and there was evidence of early intra-uterine death and fetal reabsorption. Prior to 125 days the relationship between fetal and placental size was poor, but after 126 days a close correlation between the two was apparent. The small fetuses had comparably small placentas and in all cases there was a close relationship between fetal and placental weight. The experimental growth retardation was associated with hypoglycaemia, hypoxia and hypoinsulinaemia. Plasma T3, T4 and particularly prolactin were very low in the small fetuses whilst levels of cortisol and alanine were high. In contrast to the controls these fetuses showed little evidence of net glucose, alanine or lactate consumption. Infusion of 50% glucose into the pregnant ewe, sufficient to elevate maternal plasma glucose concentrations 2 to 3 fold, caused a comparable increase in the plasma concentrations of normal fetuses but only a 50% rise in the concentration in small fetuses. In contrast administration of 50% O2 to the ewes sufficient to cause a 2 to 3-fold increase in maternal PO2 caused only a small increase of arterial PO2 of normal fetuses but doubled that to normal levels in small fetuses. The results are discussed in relation to the effect of reduced placental size causing a fall in placental and transport and transport capacity and significance of this to the associated fetal growth retardation.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1971

Occurrence of blood cells and serum proteins in bovine fetuses and calves.

Hematological values of peripheral blood were determined for bovine fetuses and calves of various ages. Erythrocyte values increased through gestation. Fetuses 100 days or older had total values within the ranges of those reported for normal adult cattle. Mature erythrocytes were not observed in embryos and only a few were observed in fetuses 40 days of age. Fetuses 250 days or older had only a few rubricytes (<10/100 WBC). Leukocytes were first identified in the peripheral blood of a 45-day old fetus. Absolute leukocyte values increased through gestation and reached maximum values shortly before parturition. Granulocytes were first observed at 130 days of gestation and reached maximum values near parturition. Total serum protein and gamma-globulin concentrations of colostrum-deprived calves were similar to serum protein and gammaglobulin concentrations of fetuses older than 265 days and were lower than values for the colostrum-fed calves. The immunoelectrophoretic pattern of 59-day old fetuses, the earliest age at which serum samples were obtained, demonstrated albumin, an alpha1 globulin and a beta globulin, possibly transferrin. Additional alpha and beta globulins appeared in the older fetuses and by 175 days of gestation serum electophoretic patterns of the fetuses were similar to patterns normally found with adult bovine serum except for the absence of the gammaglobulins in fetal serum. Immunoglobulin M was detected in 39 of 95 fetal serum samples by radial diffusion and in 13 of 95 samples by immunoelectrophoresis. Immunoglobulin G was detected in ten of 95 fetal serum samples by radial diffusion and in six of 95 samples by immunoelectrophoresis.

Age Factors↗
PubMed1983

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 injections into rat fetuses : effects on fetal plasma calcium, plasma phosphate and mineral content.

The in vivo effects of 1,25-(OH)2D3 were assessed using fetuses from normal and thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX) pregnant rats. 21.5-day old decapitated fetuses from TPTX mothers exhibited lowered basal plasma calcium, elevated basal plasma phosphate and an increased percentage of total ash compared to intact littermates. In decapitated fetuses from normal mothers, neither plasma calcium nor plasma phosphate was changed. Subcutaneous injection of 1 micrograms of 1,25-(OH)2D3/kg of body weight to 19.5-day old fetuses (intact or deprived of their parathyroid glands by decapitation) from TPTX mothers induced a marked rise in plasma calcium levels (2.01 and 3.66 mg/dl, respectively) 48 h later. Little change occurred in fetuses from normal mothers (1.06 mg/dl in decapitated and no change in intacts). A decrease in plasma phosphate levels was observed with the same dose in both decapitated and intact fetuses from TPTX mothers (- 1.39 and - 0.65 mg/dl, respectively), while no modification was found in fetuses from normal females. Therefore, the hypersensitivity of fetuses from TPTX mothers to 1,25-(OH)2D3 was unrelated to the development of the fetal hyperparathyroidism secondary to maternal TPTX. The percentage of ash was unchanged in decapitated fetuses from TPTX mothers and was increased in intact littermates after 1,25-(OH)2D3 treatment. However, these values for total ash may represent alterations in bones and/or soft tissues.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Serology of Campylobacter fetus ss. jejuni )"related" campylobacters). Demonstration of strain-specific and interstrain-related antigens by immunoelectrophoresis and co-agglutination.

Rabbit antisera against two strains of Campylobacter fetus ss. fetus (serotype A), two strains of C. fetus ss. intestinalis (serotypes A and B respectively), and eight stains of C. fetus ss. jejuni were used in serological studies of these strains with the use of co-agglutination (COA), line-rocket immunoelectrophoresis (L-RIE) and rocket-line immunoelectrophoresis (R-LIE). Whole bacterial cells, either heated at 56 degrees C. boiled or atuoclaved, were used in COA tests. Unheated sonicates were used in L-RIE, and sonicates, unheated, boiled or autoclaved, in R-LIE. The antigenic properties of C. fetus ss. fetus and C. fetus ss. intestinalis were distinctly different from those of the thermophilic C. fetus ss. jejuni strains as shown both by COA and L-RIE. Serotypes A and B of the two former species were also differentiated. In COA tests the C. fetus ss. jejui=ni organisms gave the strongest reactions with homologous antibodies, but several interstrain cross-reactions were seen. By absorption strain specific COA reagents were obtained. Several reactions of identity indicating cross-reactive antigens were also seen with L-RIE within the ss. jejuni group. These results generally agreed with those obtained by COA. With the use of unheated, boiled or autoclaved organisms or sonicates heat labile antigens were differentiated from heat stable ones with the use of COA and R-LIE. The apparent antigenic heterogeneity of Campylobacteria indicates the importance of their serological grouping, e.g. for clinical and epidemiological investigations. COA and immunoelectrophoresis techniques can be effectively applied for such studies.

Agglutination Tests↗
PubMed2000

Aspects of skeletal development in fragile X syndrome fetuses.

The purpose of the present investigation was to describe the skeletal development in prenatal fragile X syndrome. We studied fetuses (4 males, 2 females), with gestational ages (GA) 12-14 weeks, from 5 unrelated, different, known carrier mothers. Because of trauma to the fetus during abortion, different parts of the 6 fetuses were available for investigation. The vertebral column and the facial skeleton of all the fetuses were examined, the feet and hands of 5 fetuses, and the cranial base of 3 fetuses. The tissue remnants were examined radiographically and histochemically, and the results compared with previously published normal findings. Radiographic findings included normal ossification sequence, except for 1 fetus where there was an abnormal sequence in the first finger; normal morphology of ossification centres; and nasal bones were absent in the 5 fetuses and present in 1 (14 weeks of gestation). The histological study suggests presence of an acid mucopolysaccharide malfunction in the supporting tissue, because the normal cartilage resorption and orthochromatic cartilage reactions do not appear during the initial enchondral ossification. In addition, the apoptosis of ectodermally derived cells (notochord and palatal epithelial layers) appears delayed or abnormal. The sella turcica was malformed in the 2 fetuses investigated for sella turcica morphology.

Abortion, Induced↗