Browsing by Subject "Fetus"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    5-Fluorouracil-induced histopathological changes in the central nervous system of rat fetuses
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2009) Yamaguchi, Y.; Aoki, A.; Fukunaga, Y.; Matsushima, K.; Ebata, T.; Ikeya, M.; Tamura, K.
    5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), a thymidylate synthesis inhibitor, has been well known to induce developmental anomalies in the craniofacial tissues and limb buds. Recently it was reported that microencephaly was also induced in rat neonates after 5-Fu-treatement in late phase of pregnancy (Kumar et al., 2006). In this study, pregnant rats were treated with 5-Fu (15, 30 or 50 mg/kg) on day 13 of gestation, and their fetuses were examined for histopathological changes, especially in the fetal central nervous system (CNS) at 12, 24 and 48 hours after treatment (HAT). At 12 HAT, an enhancement of pyknosis of neuronal progenitor cells and subsequent loss of dead cells were detected in the CNS in a dose-dependent manner. The severity of such histopathological changes in the CNS was most prominent in the telencephalon (middle and dorsal layers of the ventricular zone) and spinal cord (dorsal area). Pyknotic cells decreased towards 48 HAT in the brain while they increased towards 48 HAT in the spinal cord. Almost all of the nuclei of pyknotic cells were positively stained by TUNEL method and showed characteristics of apoptotic cells under electron microscopy. Therefore, these pyknotic cells were considered to be apoptotic ones. Enhanced apoptosis and reduced mitosis in neuronal progenitor cells in the telencephalon seem to be responsible for the later induction of microencephaly reported by Kumar et al. (2006).
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    Hydroxyurea(HU)-induced apoptosis in the mouse fetal tissues
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2003) Woo, G.H.; Katayama, K.; Jung, J.Y.; Uetsuka, K.; Bak, E.J.; Nakayama, Hiroyuki
    Hydroxyurea (HU), a ribonucleotide reductase inhibitor, induces morphological anomalies in the central nervous system (CNS), craniofacial tissues and limb buds in animals, and neonatal respiratory distress in humans. In the present study, pregnant mice were treated with 400 mg/kg of HU at day 13 of gestation, and their fetuses were examined from 1 to 48 hours after treatment (HAT) to find a clue to clarify the mechanisms of HU-induced fetotoxicity and teratogenecity. At 6 and 12 HAT, a moderate to marked increase in the number of pyknotic cells was detected in the CNS and lung. A mild increase in the number of pyknotic cells was also found in the craniofacial mesenchymal tissues, limb buds and so on. These pyknotic cells had nuclei positively stained by the TUNEL method, which is widely used for the detection of apoptotic nuclei, and they also showed electron microscopic characteristics identical to those of apoptotic cells. The present results suggest that the HUinduced fetotoxicity is characterized by excess apoptotic cell death in the fetal tissues, and that such excess cell death in the fetal CNS, lung, craniofacial tissue and limb bud may have a certain relation to the later occurrence of morphological or functional anomalies reported in these tissues following HU-administration.
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    Immunohistochemical localization of truncated midkine in developing human bile ducts
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2003) Kato, Massuo J.; Shinozawa, T.; Kato, S.; Terada, T.
    Midkine (MK) is a heparin-binding growth factor whose gene has been identified in embryonal carcinoma cells in early stages of retinoic acid-induced differentiation. In the present study, we investigated the developmental localization of truncated MK protein in human bile ducts. Thirty specimens of the livers from 25 fetuses (from 9 to 40 gestational weeks) and from five neonates less than 4 weeks old were examined. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed using a mouse IgG2b monoclonal antibody against recombinanttruncated MK. Truncated MK was expressed moderately in the fetal liver from 9 to 15 gestational weeks. The immunoreactivities were found in the primitive hepatocytes, ductal plates, migrating biliary cells and immature bile ducts. The reaction products were localized in the cytoplasm heterogeneously. The intensity of immunostaining was weak from 15 gestational weeks to 26 gestational weeks. After 27 gestational weeks, truncated MK was not detected in the fetal livers. It was suggested that primitive hepatocytes, ductal plates and immature bile ducts produced truncated MK transiently during human bile ducts development
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    Impact of a program of aerobic exercises on physiological variables and the shape and size of the fetus in pregnant female basketball players
    (Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones, 2022) Mohsin, Aqeel Kadhim; Mashi, Mushtaq Abdulradha; Jaber Al-Khuzaie, Wissam Faleh
    The aim of this study was to identify the impactof a programaerobic exercises on the shape and size of the fetus, andthe percentage of the contribution of some of the studied physiological variables and their impact on the shape and size of the fetus among female basketball players. The researchersused the experimental method.The study population represented 10 pregnant married basketball players from the Al-Diwaniyah, Babil and Wasit Governorates. Their ages ranged from 25 to 26 years. The sample was randomly divided into two groups (experimental group = 5 members, control group = 5 members). The members of the experimental group receivedthe training units of the program proposed by the researchers, while the members of the control group received the traditional training units. The Statistical Packagefor the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The results of the study showed statistically significant differences between the two tests (the pre-and post-test) for the proposed aerobic exercises, in favor of the post-test for the experimental group (p < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05)of some studied physiological variables for the control group, but there were statistically significant differences between the responses of the research sample on a three-way estimate scale (less than normal, normal, above normal) (p < 0.05). There is a clear effect of the proposed aerobic exercises on the growth, shape, and size of the fetus in female basketball players.
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    Mother-fetus transference of lead and cadmium in rats, involvement of metallothionein
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 2009) Benitez, M.A.; Méndez Armenta, M.; Montes, S.; Rembao, D.; Sanin, L.H.; Rios, C.
    This study was designed to assess the effect of Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) exposure during pregnancy in rats and their correlation with metallothionein (MT). Rats were exposed to either 10 ppm Cd or 300 ppm Pb through drinking water during pregnancy. Both metals were measured in placenta, fetus brain and fetal and maternal blood. MT was quantified in placenta and fetus brain and it was also observed in placenta by immunohistochemical technique. Offspring weight was found to be significantly lower for the Cd exposure group than for the control group. A Cd increase in the placenta of the exposed group was accompanied by MT induction; these effects were related to a limited accumulation of Cd in fetus brain. In contrast, dam Pb exposure caused an accumulation of Pb in the fetus brain and induced damage to placenta. The results account for differences in the transference of these metals during pregnancy that could be related to their toxicity.