Adenosine and PGE2 are neuromodulators, both of which inhibit fetal breathing movements (FBM). Although circulating PGE2 has been implicated as a mediator of ethanol-induced inhibition of FBM in the late-gestation ovine fetus, a role for adenosine has not been examined. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of maternal ethanol infusion on ovine fetal cerebral extracellular flu...

In humans and other species, long-term hypoxia (LTH) during pregnancy can lead to intrauterine growth restriction with reduced body/brain weight, dysregulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF), and other problems. To identify the signal transduction pathways and critical molecules, which may be involved in acclimatization to high altitude LTH, we conducted microarray with advanced bioinformatic ana...

During late gestation, amino acids and insulin promote skeletal muscle protein synthesis. However, the independent effects of amino acids and insulin on the regulation of mRNA translation initiation in the fetus are relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine whether acute amino acid infusion in the late-gestation ovine fetus, with and without a simultaneous increase in fetal...

Our group has developed an ovine model of deep dermal, partial-thickness burn where the fetus heals scarlessly and the lamb heals with scar. The comparison of collagen structure between these two different mechanisms of healing may elucidate the process of scarless wound healing. Picrosirius staining followed by polarized light microscopy was used to visualize collagen fibers, with digital capt...

The widespread human exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a xenoestrogen interfering with developmental processes, raises the question of the mechanisms determining fetal exposure to BPA. A physiological model was developed in ewes to determine whether the pregnancy-associated physiological changes and the metabolic specificities of the fetal-placental unit can influence BPA toxicokinetics (TK) and f...

To test the hypothesis that coronary flow and coronary flow reserve are developmentally regulated, we used fluorescent microspheres to investigate the effects of acute (6 h) pulmonary artery banding (PAB) on baseline and adenosine-enhanced right (RV) and left ventricular (LV) blood flow in two groups of twin ovine fetuses (100 and 128 days of gestation, term 145 days, n = 6 fetuses/group). With...

This study examined the effects of dexamethasone treatment on basal hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function and HPA responses to subsequent acute hypoxemia in the ovine fetus during late gestation. Between 117 and 120 days (term: approximately 145 days), 12 fetal sheep and their mothers were catheterized under halothane anesthesia. From 124 days, 6 fetuses were continuously infused in...

To test the hypothesis that coronary flow and coronary flow reserve are developmentally regulated, we used fluorescent microspheres to investigate the effects of acute (6 hr) pulmonary artery banding on baseline and adenosine enhanced right (RV) and left ventricle (LV) blood flow in two groups of twin ovine fetuses (100 and 128 d gestation, term 145 d; n = 6 for each group). Within each group, ...