The specific aims of this project involve clinical studies in normal pregnancies and pregnancies complicated by fetal growth restriction. The studies cover two aspects: 1) improvements in the classification of clinical severity using new fetal surveillance techniques and 2) studies of amino acid transport and metabolism using stable isotope methodology. The role of direct measurements of umbilical venous blood flow compared to arterial velocimetry measurements and fetal blood chemistry is examined around the framework of the classification of clinical severity. Similarly, the additional information acquired from single fetal organ velocimetry studies of the ductus venosus, fetal hepatic veins, fetal femoral artery, fetal middle cerebral artery are also compared to fetal umbilical arterial velocimetry and fetal chemistries. The studies of in vivo amino acid placental transport and metabolism is a follow up on our observations that fetal amino acid concentrations are significantly reduced in fetal growth restricted pregnancies. A non steady state study utilizing stable isoptomers of essential and non essential amino acids in pregnant women scheduled for cordocentesis examines in vivo transport for different groups of amino acids: a) to define differences in their relative rates of transport in vivo and b) to test whether amino acid transport is reduced in FGR pregnancies compared to normal pregnancies for all amino acids or a specific subset. Steady state stable isotope methodology is also used to test whether the fetal/maternal enrichment ratios for stable isoptomers of amino acids infused in the maternal circulation is lower in FGR pregnancies reflecting decreased transport and increased protein turnover. The relationship of maternal concentration to umbilical uptake for normal and FGR pregnancies is also investigated utilizing data on umbilical arteriovenous concentration differences at the time of cesarean section. All metabolic data are compared to the classification of clinical severity in FGR pregnancies using criteria we have previously published.
| Jó?wik, Maciej; Jó?wik, Marcin; Teng, Cecilia et al. (2013) Human breast milk sugars and polyols over the first 10 puerperium days. Am J Hum Biol 25:198-204 |
| Staat, Barton C; Galan, Henry L; Harwood, Jeri E F et al. (2012) Transplacental supply of mannose and inositol in uncomplicated pregnancies using stable isotopes. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 97:2497-502 |
| Marconi, Anna Maria; Mariotti, Valentina; Teng, Cecilia et al. (2010) Effect of antenatal betamethasone on maternal and fetal amino acid concentration. Am J Obstet Gynecol 202:166.e1-6 |
| Galan, Henry L; Marconi, Anna Maria; Paolini, Cinzia L et al. (2009) The transplacental transport of essential amino acids in uncomplicated human pregnancies. Am J Obstet Gynecol 200:91.e1-7 |
| Arroyo, Juan A; Teng, Cecilia; Battaglia, Frederick C et al. (2009) Determination of the NFAT5/TonEBP transcription factor in the human and ovine placenta. Syst Biol Reprod Med 55:164-70 |
| Marconi, Anna Maria; Ronzoni, Stefania; Vailati, Simona et al. (2009) Neonatal morbidity and mortality in intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) pregnancies is predicated upon prenatal diagnosis of clinical severity. Reprod Sci 16:373-9 |
| Marconi, Anna Maria; Ronzoni, Stefania; Bozzetti, Patrizia et al. (2008) Comparison of fetal and neonatal growth curves in detecting growth restriction. Obstet Gynecol 112:1227-34 |
| Brown, Laura D; Cavalli, Claudio; Harwood, Jeri E F et al. (2008) Plasma concentrations of carbohydrates and sugar alcohols in term newborns after milk feeding. Pediatr Res 64:189-93 |
| Pennati, Giancarlo; Socci, Laura; Rigano, Serena et al. (2008) Computational patient-specific models based on 3-D ultrasound data to quantify uterine arterial flow during pregnancy. IEEE Trans Med Imaging 27:1715-22 |
| Rigano, Serena; Bozzo, Maddalena; Padoan, Alessandra et al. (2008) Small size-specific umbilical vein diameter in severe growth restricted fetuses that die in utero. Prenat Diagn 28:908-13 |
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