BACKGROUND The paca is a South American rodent with potential as a commercial food animal. We examined paca placenta as part of a wider effort to understand the reproductive biology of this species. METHODS Thirteen specimens between midgestation and term of pregnancy were studied by light and transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS The placenta is divided into several lobes separated by ...

Preeclampsia, particularly the severe cases that occur early in pregnancy, is associated with defects in the (placental) cytotrophoblast differentiation pathway that leads to uterine invasion. At a morphologic level, interstitial invasion often is shallow. Perhaps more significantly, endovascular invasion, particularly the arterial component, is rudimentary. The latter defect is thought to lead...

The mammalian placenta exhibits striking interspecific morphological variation, yet the implications of such diversity for reproductive strategies and fetal development remain obscure. More invasive hemochorial placentas, in which fetal tissues directly contact the maternal blood supply, are believed to facilitate nutrient transfer, resulting in higher fetal growth rates, and to be a state of r...

Successful implantation of embryo and placentation depend on proper trophoblast proliferation and differentiated into specialized invasive trophoblast. However, little is known about the regulatory factors and mechanisms in trophoblast proliferation and differentiation. Osteopontin (OPN) is a member of the small integrin-binding ligand N-linked glycoprotein family and participates in cell adhes...

OBJECTIVE To summarize the efficacy of postabortion uterine artery embolization in cases of refractory hemorrhage. METHODS Forty-two women were identified who had postabortion uterine artery embolization at San Francisco General Hospital between January 2000 and August 2007. Seven underwent embolization for hemorrhage caused by abnormal placentation. RESULTS Embolization was successful in 9...