Ferritin Synthesis in Human Embryonic and Fetal Tissues

Abstract

& Ob-Gyn & . ; *sear ch CenLe:. Moffett Field. Ca. The fetus appears t o be capable o f homeostatic regulation o f i t s f l u i d environment i n utero. Possible hormonal modulation mechanisms influencing cardiovascular homeostasis include AVP. which i n a d u l t animals i s released from the posterior p i t u i t a r y i n response t o hyperosmolar s t i m u l i o r volume depletion. Fetal AVP production was studied i n chronically prepared unstressed fetuses and i n acutely hemorrhaged fetuses from 0.4 o f gestation t o term. Serum l e v e l s o f AVP were measured by s p e c i f i c radioinunoassay. Assay cross r e a c t i v i t y w i t h f e t a l arginine vasotocin and angiotension 1 was n e g l i g i b l e . I n chronically catheterized fetuses. basal AVP levels rose from 0 pglml a t gestation age (GA) 112d t o 2.4 pg/ml (5mU/ml) a t GA 140d. Epidural anesthesia t o the ewe and acute catheterization o f the fetus was associated w i t h mean f e t a l levels o f 14.9 pglml. I n these fetuses, sequential hemorrhage of 5 t o 20% o f t o t a l blood volume resulted i n an increase o f serum AVP. Mean AVP levels f o r 4 fetuses 130-148 GA were 48.1 pglml a f t e r 5% bleeding. 200.1 pg/ml a f t e r 10%. 106 pglml a f t e r 15% and 151 pg/ml a f t e r 20%. A very e a r l y gestation fetus (GA 59) had a higher basal l e v e l a f t e r anesthesia and e x t e r i o r i z a t i o n : 56.8 W/ ml. This increased only t o 69.1 pg/ml a f t e r 10% hemorrhage. That such a large release o f t h i s membrane active hormone i s present e a r l y i n gestation when the kidneys are extremely imnature, suggests t h a t AVP may a c t t o control water metabolism a t membrane surfaces other than renal i n the f e t a l placental u n i t . Supported by USPHS Grant HL 06285. There was drooling and snorting" throughout childhood. Development was age-appropriate except f o r speech. She s a i d "maraa" a t age 16 mos. but never progressed further. A t age 4 a neurologist suggested an i s o l a t e d bulbar palsy a s t h e cause of the speech disorder. EEG was normal. Hearing is e n t i r e l y normal. She is i n an are-appropriate grade i n public school, cowunicating with the a i d of the sign language of t h e deaf, which has been taught t o her by volunteers. She is aphasic with severe w t o r involvement of the l i p 8 and tongue. Performance is good on non-verbal developmental t e s t s .I n the evaluation of language disorders i n children with CRS i s o l a t e d neuromuscular disease such a s shown by t h i s p a t i e n t should be considered. FERRITIN SYNTHESIS IN HwlAN EMBRYONIC AND FETAL201 TISSUES. Jonathan D. G i t l l n . Joan I. G l t l i n and David Gitl'ln.University of' P'lttsburgh School of nedicine, Chmdren's Hospital o f P i ttsburgh, Department of Pediatrics, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.F e r r l t i n synthesis by various tissues o f the human conceptus was examined i n the present study using tissue cultures. Normal embryonic and f e t a l tissues were obtained from 21 spontaneously o r therapeutically abort...

Maternofetal Transmission of IgG-Bound Hepatitis B e Antigen

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Sequence homology between RNAs encoding rat alpha-fetoprotein and rat serum albumin.

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