Detailed fetal intracranial anatomy can be examined in utero using real-time sonography. The ability to demonstrate motion makes it possible to visualize important vascular landmarks which are helpful in identifying adjacent structures and in recognizing appropriate planes of section. The lateral ventricular system can be demonstrated and the lateral ventricular ratio can be determined in case...

Even though congenital heart disease is the most prevalent malformation, little is known about how mutations affect cardiovascular function during development. Akt1 is a crucial intracellular signaling molecule, affecting cell survival, proliferation, and metabolism. The aim of this study was to determine the role of Akt1 on prenatal cardiac development. In utero echocardiography was performed ...

Pregnant women are susceptible to severe pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) from influenza, which has been associated with increased fetal loss [1]. There is very little experience for the management of pregnant women with severe pneumonia and ARDS from avian influenza A (H7N9) virus, especially when complicated by intrauterine fetal death (IUFD). A 28-year-old pregnant wo...

Establishment of specific characteristics of each embryonic cardiac chamber is crucial for development of a fully functional adult heart. Despite the importance of defining and maintaining unique features in ventricular and atrial cardiomyocytes, the regulatory mechanisms guiding these processes are poorly understood. Here, we show that the homeodomain transcription factors Nkx2.5 and Nkx2.7 ar...

Cardiac hypertrophy develops in response to increased workload reduce ventricular wall stress and maintain function efficiency. Pathological can be adaptive at the beginning. However, if stimulus persists, it may progress chamber dilatation, contractile dysfunction, heart failure, resulting poorer outcome social burden. The main pathophysiological mechanisms of pathological are cell death, fibr...

Elastic blood vessels provide capacitance and pulse-wave dampening, which are critically important in a pulsatile circulatory system. By studying newborn mice with reduced (Eln(+/)(-)) or no (Eln(-)(/)(-)) elastin, we determined the effects of altered vessel elasticity on cardiovascular development and function. Eln(-)(/)(-) mice die within 72 hours of birth but are viable throughout fetal deve...

Objectives: To elucidate the prenatal and postnatal course of fetal congenital atrioventricular block (CAVB) during the past decade in the Japanese population. Design: Retrospective multicentre study. All fetuses with CAVB in 10 Japanese institutions in the period from January 1990 to August 2001 were included. Patients: Of the 48 fetuses with CAVB, 17 had a congenital heart defect (CHD) (14 wi...

OBJECTIVES To elucidate the prenatal and postnatal course of fetal congenital atrioventricular block (CAVB) during the past decade in the Japanese population. DESIGN Retrospective multicentre study. All fetuses with CAVB in 10 Japanese institutions in the period from January 1990 to August 2001 were included. PATIENTS Of the 48 fetuses with CAVB, 17 had a congenital heart defect (CHD) (14 w...

Intrafetal insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I promotes cardiac hypertrophy in the late-gestation fetal sheep; whether these effects are sustained is unknown. IGF-I was infused for 4 days at 80 microg/h from 121 to 125 days of gestation, and its effects at 128 days, 3 days after the infusion stopped, were determined by comparison with untreated fetal sheep. After IGF-I treatment, fetal weights w...