The present findings suggest the possible involvement of an active mechanism for transport of iron to the fetus. In all the 19 subjects studied, the cord serum iron levels tended to be higher (129.2 ± 56.8 ug/100ml) than the maternal serum iron levels (74.0 ± 35.9 ug/100ml) at parturition even in maternal iron deficiency. The significant difference (P< 0.001) between cord serum iron levels and the maternal iron levels shows that an active transport mechanism working against a gradient in favour of the fetus exists. The availability of iron to the fetus appears to be dependent on maternal serum iron levels but not on maternal iron stores. This finding serves to stress the importance of iron supplements in pregnancy. A hypothetical model for iron transfer from maternal circulation to fetal circulation is described.
Our aim was to determine the disposition of creatine in ovine pregnancy and whether creatine is transferred across the placenta from mother to fetus. Pregnant ewes received either1) a continuous intravenous infusion of creatine monohydrate or saline from 122 to 131 days gestation, with maternal and fetal arterial blood and amniotic fluid samples collected daily for creatine analysis and fetal tissues collected at necropsy at 133 days for analysis of creatine content, or2) a single systemic bolus injection of [13C]creatine monohydrate at 130 days of gestation, with maternal and fetal arterial blood, uterine vein blood, and amniotic fluid samples collected before and for 4 h after injection and analyzed for creatine, creatine isotopic enrichment, and guanidinoacetic acid (GAA; precursor of creatine) concentrations. Presence of the creatine transporter-1 (SLC6A8) and l-arginine:glycine amidinotransferase (AGAT; the enzyme synthesizing GAA) proteins were determined by Western blots of placental cotyledons. The 10-day creatine infusion increased maternal plasma creatine concentration three- to fourfold (P< 0.05) without significantly changing fetal arterial, amniotic fluid, fetal tissues, or placental creatine content. Maternal arterial13C enrichment was increased (P< 0.05) after bolus [13C]creatine injection without change of fetal arterial13C enrichment. SLC6A8 and AGAT proteins were identified in placental cotyledons, and GAA concentration was significantly higher in uterine vein than maternal artery plasma. Despite the presence of SLC6A8 protein in cotyledons, these results suggest that creatine is not transferred from mother to fetus in near-term sheep and that the ovine utero-placental unit releases GAA into the maternal circulation.
Injectable vitamin A was given to six pregnant beef cows in their last third of pregnancy to study the effect of this vitamin in their calves. Average birth weight and growth rate of calves from the treated cows were higher than that of calves from the nontreated cows. Prepartum vitamin A injections also resulted in a significant increase (P less than 0.05) in the mean corpuscular volume (MCV), total serum protein and globulin fraction of serum protein in calves of treated cows.
Neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopaenia (NAIT) generally results from platelet opsonisation by maternal antibodies against fetal platelet antigens inherited from the infant's father. Newborn monochorionic twins presented with petechial haemorrhages at 10 hours of life, along with severe thrombocytopaenia. Despite the initial treatment with platelet transfusions and intravenous immunoglobulin, they both had persistent thrombocytopaenia during their first 45 days of life. Class I human leucocyte antigen (HLA) antibodies with broad specificity against several HLA-B antigens were detected in the maternal serum. Weak antibodies against HLA-B57 and HLA-B58 in sera from both twins supported NAIT as the most likely diagnosis. Platelet transfusion requirements of the twins lasted for 7 weeks. Transfusion of HLA-matched platelet concentrates was more efficacious to manage thrombocytopaenia compared with platelet concentrates from random donors. Platelet genotyping and determination of HLA antibody specificity are needed to select compatible platelet units to expedite safe recovery from thrombocytopaenia in NAIT.
Maternal and fetal blood gas values were studied in 90 selected mothers of comparable age, weight, duration of pregnancy and hematocrit values undergoing cesarean section under balanced general anesthesia in four differing clinical situations: elective with and without placental dysfunction, and emergency with and without fetal distress in apparently normal mothers. Pre-induction (Fi O2 0.21) and pre-delivery (Fi O2 0.60) maternal blood gas analysis, along with umbilical cord blood gas analysis were performed in all cases. Apgar scoring was carried out at one minute and three minutes and correlated with the blood gas values. Out of the 90 cases studied, 36 neonates (40%) showed good apgar scores of greater than seven at one minute and three minutes and correlated well with maternal blood gas values which were within normal ranges. Of the remaining 54 cases (60%) with similar mean maternal gas values the neonates showed an apgar score of less than seven in the first minute. The score improved in three minutes in 35 of them (66%), and umbilical cord blood gas values showed a low pH (umbilical vein 7.22 +/- 0.02 units, umbilical arterial 7.21 +/- 0.01 units) but satisfactory pO2 (umbilical vein 39.4 +/- 1.9 torr, umbilical arterial 2.5 +/- 1.3 torr).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
A patient being treated for chronic myeloid leukaemia with hydroxyurea became pregnant. Despite an increase in the dose of hydroxyurea (to 3 g per day) during the pregnancy, her white blood cell count could only be controlled at about 150 x 10(9)/l. A healthy baby girl was born at 37 weeks with normal blood counts and no evidence of congenital abnormality. There are now five reports of the use of hydroxyurea in pregnancy, and where leukapheresis is not available it may be the treatment of choice.
This study is a result of an analysis of free and conjugated phytoestrogens daidzein, genistein, daidzin, genistin and coumesterol in human cord blood plasma using LCMS. Cord blood was collected from urban and rural populations of Malaysia (n=300) to establish a simple preliminary database on the levels of the analyzed compounds in the collected samples. The study also aimed to look at the levels of phytoestrogens in babies during birth as this may have a profound effect on the developmental process. The sample clean up was carried out by solid-phase extraction using C18 column and passed through DEAE sephadex gel before analysis by LCMS. The mean concentrations of total phytoestrogens were daidzein (1.4+/-2.9 ng/ml), genistein (3.7+/-2.8 ng/ml), daidzin (3.5+/-3.1 ng/ml), genistin (19.5+/-4.2 ng/ml) and coumesterol (3.3+/-3.3 ng/ml). Distribution of phytoestrogen was found to be higher in samples collected from rural areas compared to that of urban areas.
Cardiac dysfunction has an increased prevalence in diseases complicated by liver cirrhosis such as primary biliary cholangitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis. This observation has led to research into the association between abnormalities in bile acid metabolism and cardiac pathology. Approximately 50% of liver cirrhosis cases develop cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. Bile acids are directly implicated in this, causing QT interval prolongation, cardiac hypertrophy, cardiomyocyte apoptosis and abnormal haemodynamics of the heart. Elevated maternal serum bile acids in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy, a disorder which causes an impaired feto-maternal bile acid gradient, have been associated with fatal fetal arrhythmias. The hydrophobicity of individual bile acids in the serum bile acid pool is of relevance, with relatively lipophilic bile acids having a more harmful effect on the heart. Ursodeoxycholic acid can reverse or protect against these detrimental cardiac effects of elevated bile acids.