We investigated the influence of the maternal heart rate on the uterine artery pulsatility index in pregnant ewes. We used an external pacemaker to alter the heart rate of 5 pregnant ewes at 16–17 weeks of pregnancy and examined the effect of changes in the maternal heart rate on the uterine artery flow velocity waveforms and the pulsatility index, as determined by Doppler velocimetry. The uterine artery pulsatility index showed a significant negative correlation with the maternal heart rate. There were no significant changes in other hemodynamic parameters. The maternal heart rate had a significant influence on the uterine artery pulsatility index.

Few cases have been reported in which the aspiration of a single follicle led to the recovery of two conjoined oocytes surrounded by a single zona pellucida. This report describes a successful embryo transfer with subsequent live birth derived from conjoined oocytes, and a later pair of conjoined oocytes in the same patient. After oocyte retrieval from a patient with polycystic ovary syndrome, two pairs of conjoined oocytes were collected. One oocyte was fertilized using in vitro fertilization (IVF) and developed to the blastocyst stage. This blastocyst was cryopreserved and later transferred to the uterus after separating the unfertilized conjoined oocyte. A successful pregnancy and healthy live birth was achieved. Two years later, the patient returned for a second IVF; one pair of conjoined oocytes was detected. One of the pair was fertilized and developed to a blastocyst, but was not transferred. We demonstrate that selective fertilization of a mature oocyte from conjoined oocytes by IVF can lead to the development of a blastocyst and subsequent pregnancy and live birth. To our knowledge, this is the second case report of successful live birth from conjoined oocytes. It may be the first case of repeated fertile conjoined oocytes from the same patient.

The purpose of this study was to determine the change of venous flow patterns in the inferior vena cava of fetuses in pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). We studied 80 normal pregnant women and 46 pregnant women with PIH and their fetuses. We determined the pulsatility index (PI) for arterial vessels, the ratio of peak flow velocities in early diastole and late diastole (E/A) in atrioventricular valves, and the preload index for the inferior vena cava. Twelve of the 46 PIH women showed an umbilical artery PI higher than the 95th percentile in normal pregnant women. Five of them demonstrated a decreased middle cerebral artery PI. Three of the 5 had an increased mitral E/A. Two of them had a decreased tricuspid E/A, an increased preload index, and a poor prognosis. An increased preload index suggests severe compromise in fetuses with a redistribution of arterial and intracardiac blood flow.

Our objective was to study the urinary levels of orotic acid in normal pregnancy and in pregnancy-induced hypertension. Such levels were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography with column-switching. The levels of urinary orotic acid (μmol/g creatinine) in normal pregnancy (n = 14) were 6.9 ± 2.3 (first trimester), 10.1 ± 2.4 (20 weeks) and 12.0 ± 3.7 (30 weeks). In pregnancy-induced hypertension (n = 14), the corresponding levels were 6.5 ± 1.7, 7.8 ± 2.7 and 7.6 ± 2.3, respectively. Normal pregnant subjects individually showed a significant elevation at 20 and 30 weeks of gestation as compared with those in the first trimester (p < 0.01). A high consumption of arginine in nitric oxide production during normal pregnancy may cause a physiological elevation of urinary orotic acid. The absence of an elevation in pregnancy-induced hypertension may be associated with a decrease in nitric oxide production.

Abstract:We investigated the effect of processing conditions on the structure and physical properties of the polycrystalline samples of Ca 0.8 Fe 2 Se 2 prepared via solid state reaction. X-ray diffraction showed that the main phase became FeSe when the sintering temperature increased above 350 °C. The temperature dependence of magnetization (M-T curves) recorded in zero-field-cooled mode by SQUID magnetometer showed some bumps at around 120 K to 140 K. These bumps moved to lower temperatures when the processing temperature increased above 550 °C. On the other hand, pure FeSe materials produced at 900 °C for 24 h showed a sharp superconducting transition T c,onset = 8.16 K and the critical current density of 6,252 A/cm 2 at 5 K, self-field. SEM results indicated an enhanced grain connectivity.