Serum alphafetoprotein was estimated in fetuses with and without Down's syndrome or with other chromosome abnormalities from the 17th to the 28th week of pregnancy. In normal fetuses, the AFP level declines steadily during this period. Before 20 weeks, there was no difference in the serum AFP levels of the three groups of fetuses. After 20 weeks, the serum AFP level in cases of Down's syndrome ...

OBJECTIVE To analyse the anomalies seen at the three vessels and trachea (3VT) view in fetuses with antenatally diagnosed congenital heart disease (CHD), specifically in defects involving the upper mediastinum, including the outflow tracts and/or arteries. METHODS Seventy-four consecutive fetuses of singleton pregnancies with antenatally diagnosed structural heart defects were initially inclu...

reproduction in domestic animals, as a major source of food and other products for human, has greatimportance and study of related subjects including sex differentiation and gonadogenesis during fetal life can solve many questions on normal development and various disorders of urogenital system. since studies on sex differentiation in goat fetus are scarce, this study was performed. twenty-five...

background vegf gene has been reported to be related with many diseases and recurrent pregnancy loss in various studies. vegf polymorphisms are risk factors for pregnancy losses, and generally studies report only women’s genetic analyses. to evaluate the association between vegf a c405g, c460t, c936t and c2578a polymorphisms and spontaneous abortion, we studied the genotypes of spontaneously ab...

Background: Current prenatal diagnosis requires invasive testing which carries a 1-4% procedure-related-risk of miscarriage; hence, non-invasive techniques are desired. The recent demonstration of cell-free-fetal-DNA enriched from maternal plasma has opened new possibilities for non-invasive-prenatal-diagnosis of not only genetic-disorders such as β-thalassaemia and haemophilia but also chromos...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the frontomaxillary facial (FMF) angle in fetuses with trisomy 13 at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks of gestation. METHODS A three-dimensional (3D) volume of the fetal head was obtained before karyotyping at 11 + 0 to 13 + 6 weeks of gestation in 23 fetuses with trisomy 13. The FMF angle, defined as the angle between the upper surface of the maxilla and the frontal bone in a m...

Apolipoprotein B is elevated in growth-retarded compared with normally grown fetuses, demonstrating a link between low birth weight and risk of subsequent atherosclerosis. Increased apolipoprotein B levels and an elevated apolipoprotein B to A-I ratio are predictors of atherogenesis. Elevated apolipoprotein B levels in young adults have been linked to atherosclerosis in later life, whereas impa...

OBJECTIVE To measure changes in the posterior fossa of first-trimester fetuses with trisomy 18, trisomy 13 and triploidy. METHODS Brain stem (BS) diameter and BS to occipital bone (BSOB) diameter were measured in images of the midsagittal view of the face at 11(+0) to 13(+6) weeks from 45 trisomy 18, 21 trisomy 13 and 15 triploid fetuses and compared with values in 162 euploid fetuses. RESU...

BACKGROUND This study was designed to determine if vertically transmitted HIV infection and maternal infection with HIV are associated with altered cardiovascular structure and function in utero. METHODS Fetal echocardiography was performed in 173 fetuses of 169 HIV-infected mothers (mean gestational age, 33.0 weeks; SD = 3.7 weeks) at 5 centers. Biparietal diameter, femur length, cardiovascu...