BACKGROUND The impact of prenatal lead exposure on neurodevelopment remains unclear in terms of consistency, the trimester of greatest vulnerability, and the best method for estimating fetal lead exposure. OBJECTIVE We studied prenatal lead exposure's impact on neurodevelopment using repeated measures of fetal dose as reflected by maternal whole blood and plasma lead levels. METHODS We meas...

BACKGROUND mRNA of placental origin (i.e., human placental lactogen and beta-human chorionic gonadotropin) has been demonstrated to be easily detectable in maternal plasma. We tested whether detection of chromosome 21-encoded mRNA of placental origin is possible in maternal plasma obtained during the first trimester. METHODS Plasma samples were obtained from pregnant women between weeks 9-13 ...

References 1. Lo YM, Corbetta N, Chamberlain PF, Rai V, Sargent IL, Redman CW, et al. Presence of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum. Lancet 1997;350: 485–7. 2. Lo YM, Tein MS, Lau TK, Haines CJ, Leung TN, Poon PM, et al. Quantitative analysis of fetal DNA in maternal plasma and serum: implications for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis. Am J Hum Genet 1998;62:768–75. 3. Lo YM, Zhang J, Leung T...

To begin to understand the contributions of maternal obesity and over-nutrition to human development and the early origins of obesity, we utilized a non-human primate model to investigate the effects of maternal high-fat feeding and obesity on breast milk, maternal and fetal plasma fatty acid composition and fetal hepatic development. While the high-fat diet (HFD) contained equivalent levels of...

The aim of this study was to determine human prenatal and postnatal exposures to polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hydroxylated metabolites of PCBs (polychlorobiphenylols; OH-PCBs), and pentachlorophenol (PCP). The median PBDE fresh-weight concentrations in maternal and cord blood plasma and in breast milk were 24, 4.3, and 75 pg/g, respectively. The PCB ...

In a group of 15 cases the cortisol concentrations were determined in fetal and maternal plasma during labour and after delivery. In maternal plasma the levels were about twice as high as in fetal plasma and rose up to more than 1000 mug/l during labour (x = 639 +/- 222). After delivery the concentrations decreased. In fetal plasma, cortisol increased during labour from x = 173 +/- to x = 276 +...

Recent research has raised the possibility that fetal lead exposure is not estimated adequately by measuring lead content in maternal whole blood lead because of the variable partitioning of lead in whole blood between plasma and red blood cells. Lead in maternal plasma may derive in large part from maternal bone lead stores. In this study we aimed to estimate the contribution of maternal whole...

Buprenorphine is used in the opioid maintenance treatment for dependent patients, including pregnant women. Despite wide use, limited data exists on buprenorphine pharmacokinetics and fetal exposure during pregnancy. The aim of our study was to determine transdermal patch dosing sheep and, extent transplacental transfer fetus. Pregnant late gestation (n=50) received 20, 25 or 40 µg/h as a 7-day...

Although the literature on the permeability of the placenta to many substances either of a metabolic or foreign origin is extensive, there is a paucity of data on comparisons of maternal and infant total base. In 1920 Stander and Tyler (1) reported identical values for the ash of maternal and fetal plasma, while Levy-Solal, Dalsace, and Gutman (2) in 1934 reported the maternal and fetal plasma ...

To determine the impact of socioeconomic status on plasma trace element status and pregnancy outcomes, 349 pregnant women, aged 15-40 years (mean 27.04 +/- 2.75 years), recruited at < or = 25 weeks (mean 21.76 +/- 3.12 weeks) gestational age, were followed up till delivery during which maternal and foetal outcomes were recorded. Plasma copper, iron, and zinc were determined using atomic absorpt...