218 FETAL AND MATERNAL ARGININE VASOPRESSIN IN SPONTANEOUS OVINE PARTURITION

Fetal-to-maternal signaling to initiate parturition.

Multiple processes are capable of activating the onset of parturition; however, the specific contributions of the mother and the fetus to this process are not fully understood. In this issue of the JCI, Gao and colleagues present evidence that steroid receptor coactivators 1 and 2 (SRC-1 and SRC-2) regulate surfactant protein-A (SP-A) and platelet-activating factor (PAF) expression, which incre...

Fetal and maternal electrocardiograms during parturition in a mare.

Arginine vasotocin in ovine fetal blood, urine, and amniotic fluid.

Arginine vasotocin ([8-arginine]-oxytocin) (AVT), the primary antidiuretic principle in submammalian vertebrates, has been reported to be present in mammalian pituitary and pineal glands. Although the most phyletically ubiquitous of the known neurohypophysial peptides, AVT is still not recognized as a mammalian hormone. We examined plasma, urine, and amniotic fluid from fetal lambs by radioimmu...

The effect of maternal undernutrition on ovine fetal growth.

Modifications in maternal nutrition during pregnancy can significantly disrupt fetal growth and subsequent post-natal health and survival. This study investigated the effects of undernutrition on fetal growth and the potential mechanisms involved. Tissue from pregnant ewes (n=27) was investigated on days 45, 90 and 135 of gestation (term = approximately 150 days). The thoracic girth (P<0.05) wa...

Arginine vasopressin in heart failure.

Pathogenesis of AVP Release In several animal models of low-output and high-output cardiac failure and in congestive heart failure in humans, it has been demonstrated that plasma AVP, renin activity, aldosterone and norepinephrine are significantly increased.7 Renal excretion of sodium and water is predominantly regulated by the integrity of the arterial circulation, which is determined by card...