Bcl11a is a transcription factor known to regulate lymphoid and erythroid development. Recent bioinformatic analysis of global gene expression patterns has suggested a role for Bcl11a in the development of dendritic cell (DC) lineages. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing the development of DC and other lineages in Bcl11a (-/-) mice. We found that Bcl11a was required for expression of IL-7 re...

The maternal-fetal environment plays an important role in developmental programming of adult disease. Metabolic and hormonal dysfunction during human fetal development accompanies gestational diabetes as a common occurrence in mothers with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), while human fetal androgen excess from congenital adrenal hyperplasia or virilizing tumors precedes PCOS-like symptoms afte...

Fetal lung development progresses in a sex-specific manner with male fetuses exhibiting delayed maturation. Androgens, both exogenous and endogenous, inhibit while epidermal growth factor (EGF) enhances fetal lung development. We hypothesized that one mechanism responsible for the delay in male fetal lung development is an androgen-induced delay in EGF receptor binding activity. We measured EGF...

Intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR) and death (IUFD) are both serious problems in the perinatal medicine. Fetal vasculopathy is currently considered to account for a pathogenic mechanism of IUGR and IUFD. We previously demonstrated that an innate immune receptor, the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-1 (Nod1), contributed to the development of vascular inflammations in mice at ...

The "Barker hypothesis" postulates that a number of organ structures and associated functions undergo programming during embryonic and fetal life, which determines the set point of physiological and metabolic responses that carry into adulthood. Hence, any stimulus or insult at a critical period of embryonic and fetal development can result in developmental adaptations that produce permanent st...

The developing mammalian heart responds to a variety of conditions, including changes in nutrient availability, blood oxygenation, hemodynamics, or tissue homeostasis, with impressive growth plasticity. This ensures the formation of a functional and normal sized organ by birth. During embryonic and fetal development the heart is exposed to various physiological and potentially pathological chan...

objective: silybum marianum has been used for centuries in herbal medicine for treatment of liver diseases. currently, there is no data available on the possible effects of silymarin on fetal development. this study aimed to investigate the teratogenic effect of silymarin on balb/c mice fetuses. materials and methods: a total of 40 pregnant mice were divided into 4 groups of 10 mice each. three...

introduction: it is well know that fetal distress is one of the important causes of fetus perinatal morbidity and mortality. in this study, we sought to evaluate the association between umbilical coiling index and fetal distress.material and method:this was a case- control study conducted on 90 term pregnant women. study group had fetal distress (abnormal fetal heart rate, meconium staining, ap...

BACKGROUND The molecular regulation of heart development is regulated by cis- and trans-factors acting on the genome and epigenome. As a class of important regulatory RNAs, the role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in human heart development is still poorly understood. Furthermore, factors that interact with lncRNAs in this process are not well characterized. METHODS AND RESULTS Using RNA seq...