Progress toward understanding the regulation of amniotic fluid volume: Water and solute fluxes in and through the fetal membranes

Foetal gene delivery in mice by intra-amniotic administration of retroviral producer cells and adenovirus

“…Retroviral vectors would be presently Since the amniotic fluid (AF) is swallowed by the foebest suited to meet this requirement. They have been tus, re-absorbed by the gastro-intestinal tract and then extensively investigated and used in several ex vivo excreted through the kidneys, 2 it should be possible to human gene therapy trials. [12][13][14] Because of their capability reach the intestinal tract by this route of administration.…”

Influence of thyroid hormones and temperature on adipose tissue development and lung maturation

“…To ensure effective adaptation to the cold stimulus of the extra-uterine environment at birth it is essential that both continuous breathing and endogenous mechanisms for increasing heat production are rapidly activated. This necessitates dramatic changes in function of the lungs, which adapt from being fluid filled (see Brace, 1995) to become fully aerated. In addition, internal adipose tissue deposits laid down by lipogenesis (see Hay, 1995), that undergo a process of maturation resulting in expression and synthesis of the brown adipose tissue (BAT)-specific uncoupling protein (Casteilla et al 1989), rapidly acquire the capacity to produce very large amounts of heat (Symonds, 1995b).…”

Management of severe oligohydramnios with antepartum transabdominal amnioinfusion

“…As compared with other factors in the AF regulation (e.g. fetal urine, lung secretion and fetal swallowing), there is little support for a significant contribution of transmembranous fluxes to the AFV and composition in the second half of gestation 32 .…”

“…This occurs through a microscopic network of fetal blood vessels on the fetal surface of the placenta 39,40 . Based on a mathematical model, the basal intramembranous absorption in the late-gestation ovine fetus is 200-400 ml/day 32 , and a similar extent can be assumed in the human fetus 41 . Under experimental conditions, in the event of AFV loading, the intramembranous absorption increases dramatically as a compensatory mechanism 32,42 .…”

“…This exchange involves diffusion and the filtration of water 31 and it occurs across the fetal membranes between the AF and the maternal blood within the wall of the uterus 32 . The expression "transmembranous pathway" is used to describe this phenomenon.…”