PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

C T Jones

Publications and source records attributed to C T Jones.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Studies on experimental growth retardation in sheep. Plasma catecholamines in fetuses with small placenta.

Fetal growth rate in sheep has been reduced by removal of endometrial caruncles prior to conception. Fetuses were studied between 120-140 days. When small they had much higher plasma catecholamine concentrations than normal which was closely related to plasma pH and PaO2. The increase was predominantly of noradrenaline. During hypoxia, caused by giving ewes 9% O2 and 3% CO2 in N2 to breathe, plasma catecholamine concentrations in small fetuses rose further to levels approximately three times those in normal-sized fetal sheep. Again the increase was predominantly of plasma noradrenaline. During hypoxia the cardiovascular and metabolic responses of the small fetuses were correlated closely with the changes in plasma noradrenaline.

Animals↗
PubMed1982

Ultrastructural and enzymatic development of fetal guinea pig heart.

The activities of some enzymes of glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and amino acid metabolism have been measured in the fetal guinea pig heart over the last third of gestation and correlated with heart ultrastructural development. There is little change in glycolytic enzyme activity except for a two- to threefold increase in phosphofructokinase activity. Mitochondrial content and enzyme activities are low in the early fetal heart, and, although content is similar in the late fetus and adult, enzyme activities increase twofold postnatally, indicating fetal heart mitochondria are incompletely developed. The activities of aspartate and particularly alanine aminotransferase are low in the fetal heart. Over the last third of gestation the myofibrillar content of the fetal myocyte increases twofold to the adult value by term. Associated with this is a fourfold rise in myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase activity. Na+-K+-ATPase activity is similar in the late fetal and adult heart but one-third lower in the early fetal heart.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗
PubMed1981

Metabolic events associated with the preparation of the fetus for independent life.

The metabolic changes late in fetal development that are essential for neonatal survival are discussed. In many species gluconeogenesis develops before birth but provides substrate for intracellular biosynthesis and not for glucose production because of low activities of glucose 6-phosphate translocase. At the time of glycogen deposition in species with a relatively mature brain at birth the translocase develops and glucagon and adrenaline can stimulate glucose production and synthesis to elevate blood glucose concentrations both pre- and postnatally. The other metabolic fuel accumulated before birth, fat, can also be mobilized prenatally and in fetuses that are relatively mature at birth it may be used as an alternative fuel. The fetal rat brain can oxidize fatty acids and the brain of fetuses such as that of the guinea-pig and man can oxidize ketone bodies before birth. The timing and degree of oxidation of ketone bodies relates to the timing of myelination and protects the brain against hypoglycaemia. These late changes in development are associated with a sharp increase in plasma cortisol and adrenaline concentrations and a high fetal insulin concentration.

Adipose Tissue↗
PubMed1980

In vitro effects of high molecular weight forms of ACTH on the fetal sheep adrenal.

The direct involvement of the pituitary-adrenal axis in birth has been well established, at least in sheep, and its removal prolongs pregnancy. As part of the process the fetal sheep adrenal grows rapidly during the 10-15 d prepartum and is associated with a large rise in the plasma corticosteroid concentration. This does not seem to result from an increased ACTH secretion. The fetal adrenal in vivo seems refractory to circulating ACTH and shows poor response to elevation of plasma concentration. Thus the signal for the adrenal hypertrophy and the initiation of parturition remains unclear. The responsiveness of the fetal adrenal to ACTH has been re-examined using isolated adrenal cells. The study shows that in the fetal sheep these are not inherently unresponsive to ACTH, but that high-molecular-weight forms of ACTH block the action of ACTH. These peptides may be responsible for controlling the activity of the adrenal in situ.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1980

The development of the pituitary-adrenal axis in the guinea pig.

The concentration of cortisol and ACTH in the umbilical vein plasma of the foetal guinea pig has been measured over the later half of gestation. Between 55--60 days there is a large increase in the concentration of both. Injection of ACTH1-24 into the foetal guinea pig elicits a relatively small increase in plasma cortisol at 46--55 days, a somewhat greater response at 56--60 days and a large response at 61--66 days. Between 47--55 days and 58--63 days cells prepared from the foetal adrenal show a large increase in their responsiveness to ACTH stimulation as measured by cortisol and androstenedione output. However, there was no clear difference in responsiveness between 58--60 days and 61--63 days. Thus between 56--60 days the foetal adrenal appears less responsive to ACTH stimulation in vivo than in vitro. ACTH in the circulation of the guinea pig is present in high-molecular-weight and low-molecular-weight forms and the ratio of concentration of ACTH1-39 to that of the high-molecular-weight forms rises after 60 days. It is proposed that this is an important factor in inducing an increased steroid response from the foetal adrenal.

Adrenal Glands↗
PubMed1980

Studies on the growth of the fetal sheep. The effects of reduction of placental size on hormone concentration in fetal plasma.

Intrauterine growth retardation was induced in sheep by removal of endometrial caruncles before pregnancy. At a second operation catheters were implanted into the ewe and fetus at 105-135 days of pregnancy. Three groups of fetuses: low birthweight-for-dates (small caruncle) normal birthweight-for dates (normal sized caruncle) and controls have been compared. The concentration of ACTH (60 +/- 6.9 pg/ml) in the normal-sized caruncle fetuses were lower in the controls (144 +/- 4.7 pg/ml) or small caruncle fetuses (142 +/- 53 pg/ml). Basal cortisol concentrations were similar in the controls (7.3 +/- 1.2 ng/ml) and normal-sized caruncle fetuses (6.5 +/- 0.5 ng/ml) but those in the small caruncle fetuses were significantly higher (12.7 +/- 1.0 ng/ml, P less than 0.001). The concentration of insulin correlated with plasma glucose and the mean concentrations were 19.2 +/- 1.6 mu units/ml (controls), 8.4 +/- 2.6 mu units/ml (normal-sized caruncle) and 3.9 +/- 1.6 mu units/ml (controls), 8.4 +/- 2.6 mu units/ml (normal-sized caruncle) and 3.9 +/- 1.6 mu units/ml (small caruncle). Prolactin was significantly lower in the small caruncle fetuses (2.1 +/- 0.3 ng/ml) compared to the controls (66.6 19.4 ng/ml) or normal-sized caruncles (76.1 +/- 38 ng/ml) but growth hormone concentrations in the small caruncle.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1979

The distribution of enzyme and isoenzyme activities between parenchymal and haematopoietic cells in the liver of the foetal guinea pig.

The hepatocyte and haematopoietic cell contents of the liver of the foetal guinea pig were measured over the latter half of gestation. Hepatocytes represented about 30% of liver volume at mid-gestation and this increased to 70-80% by term; cell volume remained fairly constant until 5-7 days before term, then more than doubled. Haematopoietic cells represented about 5% of liver volume at mid-gestation and this progressively fell to <1% by term. At 75% of gestation hepatocytes and haematopoietic cells were prepared from perfused foetal livers by collagenase digestion. Enzyme activity of the hepatocyte was, without exception, similar to that of the whole liver. In general, enzyme activity in the haematopoietic cells was similar to that in erythrocytes, with relatively low values for aldolase, glycerol 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, phosphoglycerate mutase, enolase, lactate dehydrogenase, phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase, isocitrate dehydrogenase, ;malic' enzyme, glutamate dehydrogenase and aspartate aminotransferase. The haematopoietic cell contribution to total enzyme activity in the foetal liver was usually much less than 10% and could thus not account for the major changes in hepatic enzyme activity over the latter half of gestation. Hepatocytes contained hexokinase isoenzymes I and III, aldolase isoenzymes A and B and pyruvate kinase isoenzymes 1, 2 and 4. The haematopoietic cells contained hexokinase isoenzyme I and two additional bands of activity with slightly greater mobility, aldolase isoenzyme A and pyruvate kinase isoenzymes 2 and 4.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Normal fluctuations in the concentration of corticosteroid and adrenocorticotrophin in the plasma of foetal and pregnant sheep.

Changes in the concentration of adrenocorticotrophin and corticosteroid in the plasma of pregnant and foetal sheep have been followed at different times of day. Wide fluctuations were seen in the concentrations of both in the foetus and ewe, although no evidence for a diurnal rhythm in the ewe was obtained. The foetal plasma adrenocorticotrophin was higher at 07.00-11.00 h than at 21.00-01.00 h, but no corticosteroid rhythm was observed. A consistently close relationship between maternal and foetal hormone concentrations was not observed. The diurnal rhythm in adrenocorticotrophin concentration in the foetus is discussed in relation to rhythms in indicators of central nervous activity.

Adrenal Cortex Hormones↗