Non-invasive fetal therapy using histotripsy: Safety and local impact on fetal development

Abstract Zika virus (ZIKV) has emerged as one of the most medically relevant viral infections of the past decades; the devastating effects of this virus over the developing brain are a major matter of concern during pregnancy. Although the connection with congenital malformations are well documented, the mechanisms by which ZIKV reach the central nervous system (CNS) and the causes of impaired cortical growth in affected fetuses need to be better addressed. We performed a non-invasive, metabolomics-based screening of saliva from infants with congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), born from mothers that were infected with ZIKV during pregnancy. We were able to identify three biomarkers that suggest that this population suffered from an important inflammatory process; with the detection of mediators associated with glial activation, we propose that microcephaly is a product of immune response to the virus, as well as excitotoxicity mechanisms, which remain ongoing even after birth.

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Factors influencing placental and fetal development in the mare: important considerations for the selection of embryo recipients

BSAP Occasional Publication ◽

10.1017/s0263967x00041276 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 32 ◽

pp. 87-89

Author(s):

S Wilsher ◽

W R Allen

Keyword(s):

Fetal Development ◽

Limited Area ◽

Gaseous Exchange ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Factors Influencing ◽

Age Related ◽

Close Relationship ◽

Uterine Environment ◽

Delayed Maturation ◽

Selection Of

In mammals the placenta is the vehicle for nutritional and gaseous exchange between the maternal and fetal circulations during pregnancy. The allantochorionic placenta of equids is classified as non–deciduate, non–invasive, epitheliochorial and diffuse and, as such, equine placentation demands fetomaternal interdigitation over the entire endometrial surface to optimise fetal development in utero. Any shortcomings are reflected by slower growth and delayed maturation of the fetus.This requirement for an unabbreviated area of placental attachment is emphasised by the inability of mares to carry twin conceptuses to term due to simple competition between the two placentae for the limited area of endometrium which results in progressive starvation of one or both fetuses (Jeffcott and Whitwell, 1973). In addition, age–related chronic degenerative changes in the mare's endometrium (endometrosis) may compromise the uterine environment during pregnancy and Bracher et al. (1996) showed a close relationship between the health of the endometrium, the normality of structure and the density of the microcotyledons on the surface of the allantochorion, and fetal weight.

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Comparative study of the efficacy of oral and intravenous maternal hydration in the management of third trimester oligohydramnios and it’s effect on maternal and foetal outcome

International Journal of Reproduction Contraception Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.18203/2320-1770.ijrcog20201808 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 2077

Author(s):

Santosh Khajotia ◽

Deepak Naraniya ◽

Shubha Meena

Keyword(s):

Fetal Development ◽

Maternal Plasma ◽

Third Trimester ◽

Amniotic Cavity ◽

Oral Hydration ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Group I ◽

Foetal Outcome ◽

The Impact ◽

Hydration Therapy

Background: Amniotic fluid is derived from maternal plasma in very early pregnancy by the 10th week of pregnancy. It forms an aquatic pond inside the amniotic cavity surrounding the fetus. It helps in fetal development. Aim of this study was to determine the impact of hydration therapy in patients complicated by oligohydramnios.Methods: This was a prospective randomized clinical trial conducted on 200 women.Results: Mean AFI in Group I was 4.47±0.90 cm before hydration therapy and 7.16±1.57 cm after hydration therapy with elevation by 60.18%, similarly mean AFI in Group II was 4.52±0.83 cm before hydration therapy and 7.48±1.56 cm after hydration therapy with elevation by 65.48%. However, on comparing the two groups elevations in mean AFI was found statistically insignificant (p >0.05).Conclusions: Oral hydration is non-invasive, low costing, does not exhaust the resource, convenient to the women with minimum side effects and can be done at home.

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From non-invasive to invasive fetal therapy: A comprehensive review and current update

Taiwanese Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology ◽

10.1016/j.tjog.2021.05.004 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

pp. 595-601

Author(s):

Tzu-Yi Lin ◽

Tuangsit Wataganara ◽

Steven W. Shaw

Keyword(s):

Fetal Therapy ◽

Comprehensive Review ◽

Non Invasive

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X-ray microtomography

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100107058 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 46 ◽

pp. 998-999

Author(s):

H.W. Deckman ◽

B.F. Flannery ◽

J.H. Dunsmuir ◽

K.D' Amico

Keyword(s):

Computed Tomography ◽

Internal Structure ◽

Imaging Technique ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Tissue Structure ◽

Individual Element ◽

X Ray ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Panoramic Imaging ◽

Three Dimensional Images

We have developed a new X-ray microscope which produces complete three dimensional images of samples. The microscope operates by performing X-ray tomography with unprecedented resolution. Tomography is a non-invasive imaging technique that creates maps of the internal structure of samples from measurement of the attenuation of penetrating radiation. As conventionally practiced in medical Computed Tomography (CT), radiologists produce maps of bone and tissue structure in several planar sections that reveal features with 1mm resolution and 1% contrast. Microtomography extends the capability of CT in several ways. First, the resolution which approaches one micron, is one thousand times higher than that of the medical CT. Second, our approach acquires and analyses the data in a panoramic imaging format that directly produces three-dimensional maps in a series of contiguous stacked planes. Typical maps available today consist of three hundred planar sections each containing 512x512 pixels. Finally, and perhaps of most import scientifically, microtomography using a synchrotron X-ray source, allows us to generate maps of individual element.

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