Fetus

About: Fetus is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 21567 publications have been published within this topic receiving 646380 citations. The topic is also known as: foetus & fœtus.

ELABELA deficiency promotes preeclampsia and cardiovascular malformations in mice.

Abstract: Preeclampsia (PE) is a gestational hypertensive syndrome affecting between 5 and 8% of all pregnancies. Although PE is the leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality, its molecular etiology is still unclear. Here, we show that ELABELA (ELA), an endogenous ligand of the apelin receptor (APLNR, or APJ), is a circulating hormone secreted by the placenta. Elabela but not Apelin knockout pregnant mice exhibit PE-like symptoms, including proteinuria and elevated blood pressure due to defective placental angiogenesis. In mice, infusion of exogenous ELA normalizes hypertension, proteinuria, and birth weight. ELA, which is abundant in human placentas, increases the invasiveness of trophoblast-like cells, suggesting that it enhances placental development to prevent PE. The ELA-APLNR signaling axis may offer a new paradigm for the treatment of common pregnancy-related complications, including PE.

Abnormalities in Children Exposed to X-Radiation during Various Stages of Gestation: Tentative Timetable of Radiation Injury to the Human Fetus, Part I

Abstract: Severe and obvious abnormalities encountered in 26 children who received heavy x-radiation during various stages of gestation were compiled and evaluated. The following conditions occurred most frequently: stunted growth, microcephaly, mental retardation, microphthalmus, pigmentary degeneration of the retina, cataracts, genital and skeletal anomalies. A tentative timetable for man is presented which correlates specific types of abnormalities with irradiation during particular stages of gestation when the dose is in the range of therapeutic irradiation. On the basis of the patient material presently available and with some support of experimental data the following generalizations are made: (1) Moderately large dose of ionizing radiation (over 250 R but the upper limit cannot be stated) delivered to the human embryo before 2–3 weeks of gestation is not very likely to produce severe abnormality in most of the children born although experimental data indicate that considerable numbers of these embryos are resorbed or aborted (23,24). (2) Irradiation of the fetus with doses used in medical therapeutics between 4 and 11 weeks of gestation would lead to severe abnormalities (predominantly malformation) of many organs in most or all of the children. (3) Irradiation in a similar dose range between 11 and 16 weeks of gestation may produce little or no eye (late cataracts not considered), skeletal and genital organ abnormalities but stunted growth, microcephaly and mental retardation is frequently present. (4) Irradiation of the fetus between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation with a similar dose range may lead only to mild degrees of microcephaly, mental retardation and stunting of growth. (5) Irradiation of the fetus with a similar dose range after 20 weeks of gestation is not likely to produce overt abnormalities leading to a serious handicap in early life. However, a proportion of the infants may show evidence of irradiation exposure such as skin erythema, abnormal pigmentation, epilation, or deficiencies in the hematopoietic system.

Prenatal detection of a cystic fibrosis mutation in fetal DNA from maternal plasma

Abstract: Objectives Maternal plasma and serum are being used to detect fetal DNA by PCR in order to determine certain conditions such as fetal gender and RhD without invasive procedures. Because of the presence of maternal DNA in plasma, these approaches are limited to paternally inherited disorders or those de novo present in the fetus. We have assessed the possibility of performing the detection of a single-gene disorder such as a fetal paternally inherited Cystic Fibrosis mutation (Q890X) in maternal plasma. Methods The analysis was performed at 13 weeks of gestation using DNA extracted from maternal plasma. We used a PCR amplification of the Q890X mutation and a posterior restriction analysis of the PCR product. Results We were able to detect the presence of the mutation and thus the fetal condition of being a carrier of the paternal mutation. Conclusions We have made evident the possibility of detecting an inherited paternal mutation in a non-invasive way at the 13thr weeks of pregnancy. This methodology could be very useful in cases of paternally inherited dominant disorders. The technical improvements in fetal DNA detection and analysis might lead to the development of new applications in the non-invasive prenatal diagnosis field. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.