Browsing by Subject "Human fetal development"

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    Comparative stereological studies on zonation and cellular composition of adrenal glands of normal and anencephalic human fetuses. II. Cellular composition of the gland
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1997) Bocian-Sobkowska, J.; Malendowicz, L.K.; Woíniak, W.
    In our previous paper (Bocian-Sobkowska et al., 1997) we demonstrated a striking difference in development of zonation in adrenals of normal and anencephalic human fetuses. The purpose of the present study was to characterize, by means of stereology, the cellular composition of developing adrenals in the same case. Studies were performed on 11 pairs of adrenal glands from normal fetuses and 10 from anencephalic fetuses. In the studied period of development (24 to 39 weeks of intra-uterine life) the average volume of cells in normal glands increased as follows: zona glomerulosa (ZG) from 355 to 870 pm3; zona fasciculata (ZF) from 779 to 1200 pm3; fetal zone (FZ) from 2004 to 2380 pm3; and medulla (M) from 600 to 970 ym3. In anencephalic fetuses, the appropriate values were: ZG - 380-680 pn3; ZF - 460-680 pm3; FZ - 1820-1680 pm3; and M - 870-1400 pm3. At the end of the studied period the number of ZG cells in normal fetuses was two fold higher than in anencephalics, ZF cells - 6-fold and in FZ - 5-fold higher, while in the M the number of cells was nearly equal in both groups. During the whole investigated period of intra-uterine development the total number of adrenocortical cells in normal glands increased ca 2.5-fold, while in anencephalic glands only ca 0.5-fold, reaching at the end ca 40% of normal value. In both normal and anencephalic adrenals the number of ZG and M cells was highly correlated with ZG/M cell ratio, being slightly higher in normal glands. No such relation was demonstrated for cells of the remaining adrenocortical zones.
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    Comparative stereological study on zonation and cellular composition of adrenal glands of normal and anencephalic human fetuses. l. Zonation of the gland
    (Murcia : F. Hernández, 1997) Bocian-Sobkowska, J.; Malendowicz, L.K.; Woíniak, W.
    Comparative stereological studies were performed on zonation of adrenal glands in 10 anencephalic and 11 normal fetuses, aged between 24 and 39 postovulatory weeks. The development of adrenal fetal zone (FZ) is the main factor responsible for normal adrenal gland growth during the intra-uterine life. At the end of fetal '3e riod volume of this zone attains over 8200 mm and constitutes 69-70% of the total gland volume, while respective values for zona glomerulosa (ZG), zona fasciculata (ZF) and medulla IM' are 1665 mm3 (14%) 833 mm3 (7%) and 1071 mm (9%). These data were in striking contrast with those found in adrenals of anencephalic fetuses, in which volume of the gland attained only ca 35% of that in normal fetuses. In the oldest anencephalic fetus studied (39 weeks) the volume of the fetal zone was 962 mm3 (ca 8-folds lower than in normal fetus) comprising only 25% of the total gland volume. For the remaining zones the values were: ZG - 1501 mm3 (ca 90% of the normal value and 39% of the total gland volume); ZF - 770 mm3 (ca 92% and 20% respectively), and M - 539 mm3 (ca 50% and 14%, respective1 y). This stereological study provides the first systemic description of the development of adrenal gland of anencephalic fetuses in comparison with the normally developing gland. Moreover, evidence is given that the growth of adrenal medulla is also retarded in anencephaly while the growth of the zona glomerulosa remains rather unaffected.