Blood Of Pregnant Females Research Articles

Changes in total mercury, methylmercury, and selenium blood levels during different life history stages of the Baltic grey seal (Halichoerus grypus grypus)

Using the blood of grey seal pups, the blood and milk of female grey seals inhabiting the Hel Marine Station of Gdansk University's Institute of Oceanography (HMS), we monitored the transfer of total mercury (THg), methylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) with blood during foetal life and nursing. Changes in the concentration of mercury and selenium were characterised in the pups' blood during their first three months of life when they transition from suckling, to a post-weaning fast, to eating fish.In the blood of pregnant females, there was a significant decrease in THg and MeHg concentrations throughout the gestation, indicating the transfer of these toxins through the placenta into the foetus. At no other stage of the pup's development was there such a high level of THg and MeHg as on the day of birth, despite the incorporation of mercury into the lanugo during foetal growth. This suggests that the maternal transfer of mercury during gestation may be the time of greatest mercury exposure for a young seal pup. The consumption of milk caused a rapid increase in weight and a lowering of the mercury level in the blood in the subsequent days of the pups' life. The postweaning fast was the period of the lowest mercury concentration. The switch to a diet consisting of fish caused a systematic increase in the concentration of mercury in the blood of the pups.Milk was the significant source of selenium for pups and the selenium concentration in females' blood was reduced during lactation.The nursing period seemed to have the greatest impact on the mercury and selenium blood levels in examined seals. Natural development of the grey seal pup created an opportunity to decrease the levels of toxic substances obtained through the maternal transfer during foetal growth.

Change of the initiation time of blood coagulation in pregnancy from 10-months to postpartum

We measured the time of initiation of blood coagulation (Ti) from pregnancy 10-months (36~40 weeks) till 1-month after delivery, paying particular attention to the very early postpartum period, using a damped oscillation rheometer that is approximately 160 times more sensitive than the Thromboelastogram® to evaluate the risk of thrombus formation. Blood samples were obtained from healthy volunteers at pregnancy 10-month, 1-hour, 3-hours, 4-days, 7-days, 3-weeks and 1-month after delivery. Ti values at pregnancy 10-month, 1-hour, 3-hours, 4-days, 7-days, 3-weeks, 1-month after delivery and in non-pregnant females were 20.4 ± 2.2, 11.7 ± 1.6, 13.2 ± 3.1, 17.2 ± 2.0, 20.2 ± 1.6, 21.4 ± 4.0, 24.6 ± 3.6, and (25.0 ± 3.4) minutes, respectively. Ti was significantly shorter at pregnancy 10-month, 1-hour, 3-ours, 4-days, 7-days and 3-weeks after delivery than in non-pregnant females. These data show that the blood of pregnant females is more hypercoagulable than non-pregnant females from pregnancy 10-month until 3-weeks post delivery, suggesting that they are at high risk of VTE after discharge from hospital.

High frequency of fetal cells within a primitive stem cell population in maternal blood

During pregnancy, fetal cells enter the maternal bloodstream resulting in fetal cell microchimerism. The fetal cells persist in the mother for decades and colonize a variety of maternal organs. They are associated with maternal autoimmune diseases and may also participate in tissue repair. The identity of the microchimeric cells is not certain but they must be able to persist long-term and have potential for multitissue differentiation. Here we tested the hypothesis that the fetal microchimeric cells are primitive stem cells, represented by CD34+ adherent cells, which have a wide potential for differentiation. We isolated these stem cells from the blood of pregnant females (n = 25) and detected fetal cells of the correct gender, using fluorescence in situ hybridization, in a high proportion (71% male fetuses and 90% female fetuses; false positive rate 11%, false negative rate 29%) of cases. By RT-PCR, we demonstrated that the cells express Oct-4, Nanog and Rex-1. No fetal cells were detected in the mononuclear or total CD34+ cell populations but high frequencies (mean 11.8%) of fetal cells were detected in the adherent CD34+ cell population. These results identify adherent CD34+ stem cells as candidate fetal microchimeric cells, which are capable of sustaining the fetal cell population in the long term and have the ability to colonize multiple tissues and organs.

Effect of Antibodies to Nerve Growth Factor and Serum Albumin on the Development and Behavior of Mice

We studied physical development, behavioral characteristics, and learning capacity in the offspring of mice immunized with nerve growth factor and bovine serum albumin. High titer of antibodies to these factors in the blood of pregnant females determines high levels of these antibodies in the blood of their pups. These changes modulate physical development, behavior, and learning capacity of rat pups. The effects of these antibodies differed in the strength and directionality. Antibodies to nerve growth factor more markedly retarded physical development, reduced learning capacity, and considerably increased pain thresholds in animals.

Daidzein: bioavailability, potential for reproductive toxicity, and breast cancer chemoprevention in female rats.

Soy products containing phytoestrogens have received much attention as dietary components to promote better health. Daidzein, an isoflavone and phytoestrogen component of soy, was investigated for its potential to alter fertility and cause developmental toxicity to the reproductive tract in female rats, for chemoprevention to the mammary gland, and to study its bioavailability. Diets containing 0 mg, 250 mg (low dose), and 1000 mg (high dose) daidzein/kg feed were fed to virgin female rats, starting 2 weeks prior to breeding and continued until the offspring were 50 days postpartum. The serum daidzein concentrations in adult female rats fed the low and high daidzein-containing diets were determined to be 6- and 13-fold higher than serum daidzein concentrations of Asians eating a traditional diet high in soy. Both daidzein doses had no significant effect on fertility, numbers of male and female offspring, and anogenital distances. The high, but not the low, daidzein dose resulted in reduced body weight, a fact that may be explained by reduced feed consumption. Circulating progesterone, but not estrogen, levels were statistically reduced with the high, but not low daidzein-containing diet. Both daidzein doses resulted in slight, but not significant, decreases in ovarian and uterine weights, and mammary gland size. Histomorphological analysis of the reproductive tracts of female offspring 50 days of age exposed perinatally to daidzein did not reveal any pathology in the vaginal, uterine, ovarian, and mammary tissues. Perinatal exposure of female offspring to 250 mg daidzein/kg diet did not alter mammary gland development or ontogeny of chemically induced mammary tumors in rats treated with dimethylbenz(a)anthracene on day 50. With the low dietary daidzein dose, total equol (major metabolite) and daidzein concentrations in the blood of pregnant females, 7-day-old, 21-day-old, and 50-day-old female offspring were 529 and 303 nM, 163 and 982 nM, 1188 and 1359 nM, and 3826 and 630 nM, respectively. With the high daidzein diet, equol and daidzein concentrations in the blood of pregnant females, 7-day-old, 21-day-old, and 50-day-old female offspring were 4462 and 407 nM, 1013 and 3841 nM, 6472 and 3308 nM, and 7228 and 1430 nM, respectively. Eighty-nine to 99% of daidzein and equol were in the conjugated form. In the 21-day-old postconceptus exposed to the low and high daidzein diets, total equol and daidzein blood concentrations were 59 and 34 nM, and 358 and 132 nM, respectively. Virtually all of the daidzein in the milk of 7-day-old rats exposed to the low and high daidzein-containing diet were unconjugated, 2.6 microM and 7.3 microM, respectively. Total milk equol concentrations were 654 nM and 3.8 microM, of which 94% and 44% were unconjugated. In mammary glands of 7-day-old offspring exposed to 250 mg daidzein/kg diet, total daidzein concentrations were 407 nM (98% aglycone). We conclude that supraphysiological concentrations of daidzein administered via the diet did not cause significant toxicity to the female reproductive tract or provide a protective effect against chemically induced mammary cancer.

Pregnancy Protein-SP1: Identification Tool in Forensic Bloodstains

When encountering crime scenes where pregnant or recently post-partum women are involved it would be advantageous to identify a blood protein which indicates pregnancy or recent birth. A sandwich enzyme immunoassay for the detection of SP1, pregnancy specific B1 glycoprotein (detection range: 10–50 ng/mL) was evaluated and applied to 770 post-mortem dried stains from male, non-pregnant female and pregnant female blood. Circulatory SP1 was detected up to 8 days post-partum. The stability of SP1 in dried stains was monitored by exposing the stains to numerous environmental conditions where the presence of proteases were evaluated as a possible external parameter in the assay. Through validation, by demonstrating the specificity of the assay it was applied to homicide cases where SP1 in conjunction with genetic marker analysis proved a very effective identification method.

Physiology of the reproductive cycle in the cockroach Byrsotria fumigata (Guérin).

1. Four reproductive processes (vitellogenin secretion, yolk deposition, colleterial gland activity and pheromone production) are initiated on about the fifth day after adult ecdysis. There is no apparent sequence of initiation of these processes except that vitellogenin secretion either precedes or occurs concomitantly with the initiation of yolk deposition.2. Two blood proteins, which are female-specific yolk precursors (vitellogenins A and B), reach a concentration peak on day 16 and then decrease in response to rapid yolk deposition. A second peak on day 22 is thought to represent yolk precursors which were released to the blood as a result of the resorption of some basal oocytes. The vitellogenins are either absent or occur in trace quantities in the blood of pregnant females.3. Sex pheromone is detectable on the surface of the cuticle by day 10 in 94% of the females tested. Following mating pheromone production is drastically curtailed.4. Glucoside activity in colleterial glands increases almost linearly from day 8 to 24. After ootheca formation, which involves the utilization of colleterial gland secretion, there is a 78% reduction in glucoside activity.5. The sequence of events in the reproductive cycle of females of B. fumigata is compared with that of other cockroaches.