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Biomedical subjects

E A Reece

Publications and source records attributed to E A Reece.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Fatty acid content of yolk sac and embryo in hyperglycemia-induced embryopathy and effect of arachidonic acid supplementation.

Using the postimplantation rat conceptus model, we analyzed with gas-liquid chromatography, the fatty acid composition in major lipid groups (phospholipids, triglycerides, nonesterified fatty acids, and cholesterol esters) of yolk sacs and embryos cultured for 48 hours under control, hyperglycemic, and arachidonic acid-supplemented hyperglycemic conditions. In all experimental conditions the yolk sacs had greater fatty acid content than the embryos in all lipid groups except in nonesterified fatty acids. The fatty acid level in embryonic nonesterified fatty acids was significantly higher (p less than 0.05) in hyperglycemia-exposed embryos than found with arachidonic acid supplementation. Total yolk sac triglycerides were greater with added glucose (p less than 0.05) than with the addition of arachidonic acid to the same medium. Oleic acid, a fatty acid associated with essential fatty acid deficiency, was increased in the embryonic phospholipids and nonesterified fatty acids of conceptuses exposed to excess glucose, as well as in the culture media of this group, compared with the control or arachidonic acid-supplemented, hyperglycemic group (p less than 0.05). The results of this study demonstrate that diabetes-related embryopathy is associated with quantitative and qualitative abnormalities in major lipid groups. Furthermore, the elevation in embryonic oleic acid level suggests that the teratogenic mechanism could be related to a deficiency in essential fatty acids. The pattern of essential fatty acid deficiency and embryopathy was preventable with arachidonic acid supplementation in this experimental model.

Animals↗
PubMed1988

A reassessment of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein in diabetic pregnancy.

We assessed maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) concentrations in 227 diabetic women who belonged to different groups of White's classification but found no difference either between the insulin-dependent and the normative population or between the former and diabetics who were not insulin-dependent. By contrast, we found in maternal blood a marked, statistically significant inverse correlation between maternal serum AFP and the concentration of glycosylated hemoglobin in maternal blood assayed within 6 weeks of each other in mid-gestation (r = -0.4, p less than 0.05), but not when glycosylated hemoglobin was determined in the first two months of pregnancy (r = 0.05). These data indicate that the decrease in maternal serum AFP found in pregnant diabetic women is related to the efficacy of diabetic control but not to the diabetic status. A correction in maternal serum AFP should therefore be applied only to values obtained for women with poor glycemic control. Decreased maternal serum AFP in poorly controlled diabetics may indicate reduced synthesis of other fetal proteins which, in turn, may correlate with fetal growth retardation and the occurrence of malformation.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Sonographic appearance of the fetal heel ossification centers and foot length measurements provide independent markers for gestational age estimation.

The sonographic measurement of fetal foot length and the assessment of fetal heel ossification centers were conducted as an additional method for the estimation of gestational age. Such an approach is particularly desirable in cases where measurements of other biometric parameters are precluded, for example, in diseases such as anencephaly, hydrocephalus, and short limb dysplasia. A significant correlation was found between fetal foot length and gestational age (r = 0.9, p less than 0.0001) and between fetal foot length and femur length (r = 0.9, p less than 0.0001). Ossification centers of the calcaneus and talus were all present by the twenty-second week of gestation. However, their measurements discriminated between gestational ages of 18 to 22 weeks. The utilization of fetal foot length and heel ossification centers will serve as a useful adjunct in the estimation of gestational age and possibly in the diagnosis of diseases affecting the fetal foot.

Calcaneus↗
PubMed1988

Reassessment of the utility of fetal umbilical vein diameter in the management of isoimmunization.

High-resolution ultrasound has been recently introduced in the management of many conditions in which the fetus is at risk. In the detection of severe erythroblastosis fetalis, sonographic evaluation of fetal anatomic changes is being used in association with amniotic fluid spectral analysis to assess the degree of the hemolytic process. In 1981 it was reported that sonographically detected umbilical vein dilatation, resulting from hepatic congestion, could be used as a sign of impending fetal compromise. We analyzed data obtained from 47 patients in a total of 76 examinations, including sonographic measurement of umbilical vein diameter, associated ultrasound findings, results of amniotic fluid spectral analyses, and neonatal outcome. The collected data, divided in two groups according to the results of amniotic fluid spectral analyses (less than high zone II and greater than or equal to high zone II), showed that the sonographic measurement of umbilical vein diameter does not differ significantly between the two groups (p greater than 0.05). Therefore, the present and relatively large series demonstrates that dimensions of the umbilical vein cannot be used as a reliable predictor of worsening fetal disease.

Erythroblastosis, Fetal↗
PubMed1988

Sonographic evaluation of the normal developmental anatomy of fetal cerebral ventricles: I. The frontal horn.

A prospective ultrasound study was conducted in 179 normal pregnant women with gestational ages ranging from 15-40 weeks. Several biometric measurements were obtained throughout pregnancy, including the cerebrofrontal horn distance of the lateral ventricle, the frontal hemispheric width, and the calculated ratio of cerebrofrontal horn distance/hemispheric width. Curvilinear relationships were found between cerebrofrontal horn distance and gestational age (R2 = 0.597; P less than .0001) and between cerebrofrontal horn distance and the biparietal diameter (R2 = 0.618; P less than .0001). In addition, a curvilinear relationship existed between cerebrofrontal horn distance/hemispheric width ratio and gestational age (R2 = 0.492; P less than .0001) and biparietal diameter (R2 = 0.930; P less than .0001). These data represent a comprehensive characterization of normal growth of the fetal frontal horns. They provide a method by which variations from the norm can be assessed and early prenatal diagnosis of developmental anomalies of the fetal ventricular system can be made.

Cerebral Ventricles↗
PubMed1988

The prevention of diabetes-associated birth defects.

Birth defects among infants of diabetic mothers convey a major financial and sociologic burden to society notwithstanding the psychologic impact to the patients and families. Epidemiologic, clinical, and experimental studies indicate that these malformations occur in early pregnancy, are influenced by the abnormal maternal metabolic milieu, and seem to result from a combination of more than one factor. Clinical and experimental studies, however, have demonstrated that optimal metabolic control achieved in the periconceptual period and maintained throughout the first trimester of pregnancy results in a significant reduction in the malformation rate among offspring of diabetic mothers. In this light, diabetic women contemplating pregnancy should be encouraged to delay conception until satisfactory metabolic control is achieved so that embryogenesis may occur in an optimal metabolic milieu. The experimental use of arachidonic acid in the prevention of diabetes-related embryopathy is a new and potentially valuable tool. It extends the spectrum of available methods for prevention and deserves further study as a potential agent for pharmacologic prophylaxis.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1988

Lactation outcome in insulin-dependent diabetic women.

To document the incidence and management of breast feeding among women with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), 30 IDDM mothers and 30 controls were followed from birth of their infants to 6 weeks postpartum. The researchers interviewed the mothers in the hospital and by telephone at 1, 2, and 6 weeks postpartum. Fifty-three percent of the IDDM women and 57% of the general hospital population intended to breast feed. Because of the need for neonatal observation for hypoglycemia, most IDDM mothers were separated from their infants for the first 2 days. After 1 week, as many IDDM mothers as controls nursed. Initially, no differences in breast-feeding problems were found between the groups, but between 2 and 6 weeks postpartum, two IDDM nursing mothers but none of the controls experienced clinically diagnosed mastitis. A daily diet prescription of 31 kcal per kilogram of maternal body weight was associated with IDDM mothers' ability to sustain lactation, in contrast with 25 kcal per kilogram of maternal weight for IDDM mothers who stopped nursing. Six-week postpartum fasting plasma glucose levels of IDDM mothers who exclusively breast fed were significantly lower (4.6 +/- 2.2 mmol/L [82 +/- 40 mg/dl]) than the glucose levels of the women who stopped nursing (8.1 +/- 2.1 mmol/L [145 +/- 37 mg/dl]) or the glucose levels of the IDDM mothers who chose to bottle feed (6.7 +/- 1.7 mmol/L [120 +/- 30 mg/dl]). It appears that adequate maternal calories, blood sugar control, early breast stimulation, and mastitis monitoring are necessary for optimal lactation outcome in insulin-dependent diabetic women.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1988

Sonographic assessment of the fetal frontal lobe: a potential tool for prenatal diagnosis of microcephaly.

A prospective ultrasound evaluation of 150 normal pregnant women was conducted between 15 and 40 weeks' gestation. A variety of biometric measurements were obtained that included measurements of the frontal lobe distance (the anterior edge of the frontal horns of the lateral ventricles to the frontal bone) and the thalamic frontal lobe distance (measured from the posterior edge of the thalami to the frontal bone). Analysis of these data revealed a high degree of correlation between the gestational age and the frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.89, p less than 0.0001), and between the gestational age and thalamic frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.93, p less than 0.0001). Similarly, a high degree of correlation was also found between the biparietal diameter and the frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.95; p less than 0.0001), between the biparietal diameter and the thalamic frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.90, p less than 0.0001), and between the frontal lobe distance and the thalamic frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.92, p less than 0.0001). The relationships between femur length and frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.89, p less than 0.0001) and between the femur length and the thalamic frontal lobe distance (R2 = 0.945, p less than 0.0001) were also evaluated. Nomograms for the relationships between gestational age and frontal lobe distance and thalamic frontal lobe distance were generated and included the mean +/- SD and the percentile distributions. Growth of the frontal lobe was best described by a first-degree linear equation. The results of this study demonstrate the pattern of growth of the frontal lobe and the high rate of correlation between growth of the frontal lobe and the gestational age and the biparietal diameter. These findings offer a potential method by which the decreasing size of the frontal lobe, as shown in three cases described herein, can be evaluated prenatally and thus serve as a useful tool in the prenatal diagnosis of microcephaly.

Female↗
PubMed1987

Can ultrasonography replace amniocentesis in fetal gender determination during the early second trimester?

Fetal gender was prospectively determined by ultrasonography in 115 patients with singleton pregnancies between 16 and 20 weeks of gestation. Gender determination was performed as a part of the sonographic examination preceding genetic amniocentesis, and the results were compared to the amniotic fluid fetal karyotype results. Our rate of visualization of the fetal external genitalia was 83.5%. The accuracy rate for gender determination was 90% in male infants and 100% in female infants, with an overall rate of prediction of 92.7%.

Amniocentesis↗
PubMed1987

Embryonic trunk circumference: a new biometric parameter for estimation of gestational age.

One hundred thirty-one uncomplicated, singleton pregnancies between 7 and 12 weeks of gestation were ultrasonically examined. Evaluation included confirmation of cardiac activity and measurements of fetal crown-rump length and trunk circumference. Both crown-rump length and trunk circumference were curvilinearly correlated with gestational age. A second- and third-degree polynomial equation best described this curvilinear relationship between trunk circumference and gestational age and between crown-rump length and gestational age. The crown-rump length and trunk circumference were similar in their prediction of gestational age, but the combination of the two parameters did not improve the prediction of gestational age. A nomogram of gestational age as predicted by trunk circumference was generated. These data provide an additional measurement for the estimation of gestational age in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Biometry↗
PubMed1987

Cerebellar measurements with ultrasonography in the evaluation of fetal growth and development.

A prospective study of ultrasonography was conducted in 371 normal pregnant women, with gestational ages ranging from 13 weeks to 40 weeks. Several biometric measurements were obtained including the transverse cerebellar diameter, the biparietal diameter, the occipitofrontal diameter, and the calculated head circumference. Curvilinear relationships were found between the transverse diameter of the cerebellum (measured in millimeters), and the gestational age (R2 = 0.948; P = 0.001), the biparietal diameter (R2 = 0.956; P = 0.0001), and the head circumference (R2 = 0.969; P = 0.0001). A nomogram of cerebellar measurements estimating gestational age and predicting the biparietal diameter and head circumference was generated. Throughout pregnancy the establishment of normative cerebellar measurements allows for the estimation of gestational age that is independent of the shape of the fetal head and offers potential for evaluation of abnormal fetal growth and anomalous development of the central nervous system.

Anthropometry↗
PubMed1987

Screening for gestational diabetes: one-hour carbohydrate tolerance test performed by a virtually tasteless polymer of glucose.

Although the 1-hour 50 gm blood glucose screening test is an effective way of detecting diabetes in pregnancy, the taste of available glucose drinks often creates gastrointestinal symptoms and leads to refusal of the patient to be tested. The efficacy of a virtually tasteless glucose polymer in testing carbohydrate tolerance in pregnancy was determined. Sixty-one pregnant patients undergoing screening for gestational diabetes underwent a 1-hour carbohydrate tolerance test of both glucose and a glucose polymer within 3 days of each other. Analysis of the data revealed a high degree of agreement between the results of the 1-hour carbohydrate tolerance test (kappa = 0.62, p less than 0.0001). These data suggest that glucose polymer can be used effectively in screening for gestational diabetes.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1987

Fetal cerebellar growth unaffected by intrauterine growth retardation: a new parameter for prenatal diagnosis.

Nineteen pregnant women with a clinical suspicion of intrauterine growth retardation and with gestational age confirmed by early ultrasound examination were referred to our departments for sonographic evaluations. Multiple biometric parameters were obtained, including the transverse cerebellar diameter by use of the electronic calipers of the machine. A prenatal diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation was made in all cases based on: (1) the transverse cerebellar diameter being consistently correlated with gestational age as predicted by the last menstrual period, whereas most of the other measurements were consistently discrepant with the transverse cerebellar diameter by more than 2.5 weeks (i.e., more than 2 SD above the mean), and (2) the estimated fetal weight of all fetuses being equal to or less than the tenth percentile for gestational age. Neonatal examination confirmed all fetuses to be growth retarded with birth weights at or below the tenth percentile for gestational age. These findings indicate that growth of the transverse cerebellar diameter is unaffected by intrauterine growth retardation; thus this sonographic measurement may serve as an independent and reliable correlate of gestational age against which potential deviations of growth may be compared.

Cerebellum↗
PubMed1987

A hypothesis concerning the general basis of organogenetic congenital anomalies.

Evidence supports the idea that it is the degree of metabolic imbalance present in diabetic gravid women during the period of organogenesis that accounts for organogenetic congenital defects. In light of the proved and inferred metabolic instability occurring during early pregnancy, we propose that metabolic imbalances may occur that result in organogenetic congenital defects in offspring of apparently normal gravid women.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1987

Effect of diabetic nephropathy on pregnancy.

Because the metabolic changes in normal pregnancy are diabetogenic, pregnancy imposes a severe stress on the metabolic milieu of diabetic patients. Moreover, some patients with long-standing diabetes have vascular complications, including renal insufficiency and hypertension, that represent separate risk factors for optimal fetal development. During the past two to three decades, maternal mortality has been eliminated and perinatal deaths have been reduced in all classes of diabetic patients, including those with diabetic nephropathy, to a level approaching that of normal pregnant women. Fetal and neonatal morbidity have also been reduced, although rates of congenital abnormalities and respiratory disease syndrome remain high. In patients with significant vascular complications, such as nephropathy and retinopathy, pregnancy evidently does not alter the natural course of these complications. With meticulous metabolic control and fetal surveillance, however, women with diabetic nephropathy without severe renal insufficiency or severe hypertension can anticipate a pregnancy outcome similar to that of other insulin-dependent diabetic patients.

Diabetic Nephropathies↗
PubMed1987

Managing diabetic patients with nephropathy and other vascular complications.

Since the metabolic changes in normal pregnancy are diabetogenic, pregnancy imposes a severe stress on the metabolic milieu of diabetic patients. Moreover, many patients with long-standing diabetes have vascular complications, including retinopathy, renal insufficiency, nephrotic syndrome and hypertension, that represent separate risk factors for optimal fetal development. Recent experience has suggested that maternal hyperglycaemia, and associated fetal hyperinsulinaemia, may represent an important factor in the development of fetal complications. During the past two to three decades the incidence of perinatal deaths has been reduced in all cases of diabetics to a level that approaches the rate in healthy gravidas when severe congenital anomalies are excluded. Fetal and neonatal morbidity have also been reduced, although rates of congenital anomalies, polyhydramnios and respiratory distress syndrome remain high. In patients with significant vascular complications, especially nephropathy and retinopathy, there is no evidence that pregnancy alters the natural course of these complications. Although the morbidity associated with oedema formation and hypertension is elevated, with meticulous management of patients with diabetic nephropathy, especially in the absence of severe renal insufficiency and/or severe hypertension, pregnancy performance and outcome can be similar to other insulin-dependent diabetics.

Diabetic Nephropathies↗