The NICHD Fetal 3D Study: A Pregnancy Cohort Study of Fetal Body Composition and Volumes.

There's a paucity of robust normal fractional limb and organ volume standards from a large and diverse ethnic population. The Fetal 3D Study was designed to develop research and clinical applications for fetal soft tissue and organ volume assessment. The NICHD Fetal Growth Studies (2009-2013) collected 2D and 3D fetal volumes.

Impact of Pelvic Rest Recommendations on Follow-Up and Resolution of Placenta Previa and Low-Lying Placenta.

Objective: To determine the rate of resolution of placenta previa and low-lying placenta (LLP) and the effect of pelvic rest recommendations on the timing of follow-up imaging.

Methods: Retrospective review of pregnancies with previa/LLP detected on mid-trimester exam at our ultrasound unit from 2019 to 2021. LLP was defined as the lower edge of placenta located within 2 cm of the internal cervical os.

Cardiac Size, Shape, and Ventricular Contractility in Fetuses at Sea Level With an Estimated Weight Less-than 10th Centile.

Objectives: To investigate cardiac size, shape, and ventricular contractility in fetuses with estimated fetal weight (EFW) <10th centile at sea level (Houston).

Methods: A prospective ultrasound study examined 37 fetuses with EFW <10th centile at sea level. High-frequency cine clips were used to evaluate the 4-chamber view including end-diastolic measurements and global sphericity index.

Prenatal Ultrasound Measurement of Fetal Stomach Size Is Predictive of Postnatal Development of GERD in Isolated Cleft Lip and/or Palate.

Objective: To determine whether prenatal ultrasound measurement of fetal stomach size, as a surrogate marker of fetal swallowing, is predictive of postnatal development of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in cases of isolated cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P).

Design: This is a retrospective case-control study. The outcome of interest is postnatal diagnosis of GERD in isolated CL/P.

Fetal Weight Estimation Using Automated Fractional Limb Volume With 2-Dimensional Size Parameters in Diabetic Pregnancies.

Objectives: To examine the effect of adding automated fetal fractional limb volume (FLV) with conventional 2-dimensional (2D) fetal weight estimation procedures in a cohort of diabetic pregnancies.

Methods: A pilot study of diabetic pregnancies measured standard fetal biometry within 7 days of delivery. Fractional arm volume (AVol) and fractional thigh volume (TVol) soft tissue parameters were measured with a commercially available automated software utility (5D Limb Vol; Samsung Medison Co, Ltd, Seoul, Korea).

Fetal Weight Estimation Using Automated Fractional Limb Volume With 2-Dimensional Size Parameters: A Multicenter Study.

Objectives: To develop new fetal weight prediction models using automated fractional limb volume (FLV).

Methods: A prospective multicenter study measured fetal biometry within 4 to 7 days of delivery. Three-dimensional data acquisition included the automated FLV that was based on 50% of the humerus diaphysis (fractional arm volume [AVol]) or 50% of the femur diaphysis (fractional thigh volume [TVol]) length.

Characterization of Placental Microvasculature Using Superb Microvascular Imaging.

Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI; Canon Medical Systems, Tustin, CA) uses clutter suppression to extract flow signals at rapid frame rates, which provides high-resolution vessel-branching details without the need for contrast agents. The potential diagnostic benefits of SMI, as described in other areas of medicine, requires further exploration during pregnancy. In this pictorial essay, we demonstrate the complementary use of SMI compared to conventional Doppler ultrasound and how it may improve our ability to characterize placental microvascular patterns without the need for ultrasound contrast agents.

Estimated energy requirements increase across pregnancy in healthy women with dichorionic twins.

Background: Estimated energy requirement (EER) has not been defined for twin pregnancy. This study was designed to determine the EER of healthy women with dichorionic-diamniotic (DCDA) twin pregnancies.

Objectives: We aimed to estimate energy deposition from changes in maternal body protein and fat; to measure resting energy expenditure (REE), physical activity level (PAL), and total energy expenditure (TEE) throughout pregnancy and postpartum; and to define the EER based on the sum of TEE and energy deposition for twin gestation.

Impact of changes in maternal body composition on birth weight and neonatal fat mass in dichorionic twin pregnancies.

Background: Although the impact of gestational weight gain (GWG) on birth weight in twin pregnancies has been demonstrated, the specific components of GWG have not been delineated for twin gestations. Fetal body composition has been shown to be modifiable in singleton gestations based on nutritional intervention strategies and may prove to have similar modifications in twin gestations.

Objective: We aimed to determine the relation of maternal body composition changes to birth weight, birth length, and neonatal fat mass (FM) in dichorionic-diamniotic twin pregnancies.

Significance and Outcomes of Fetal Growth Restriction Below the 5th Percentile Compared to the 5th to 10th Percentiles on Midgestation Growth Ultrasonography.

Objective: To determine whether there are differences in neonatal and pregnancy outcomes in pregnancies complicated by severe fetal growth restriction, defined as estimated fetal weight below the 5th percentile, compared with estimated fetal weight in the 5th to 10th percentiles at midgestation.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of singleton nonanomalous gestations with estimated fetal weight at or below the 10th percentile (Hadlock et al. Radiology 1991; 181:129-133) at 18 to 24 weeks' gestation.

Prospective evaluation of the safety and feasibility of a pelvic floor dilator during active labor.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The objective was to assess the safety and feasibility of using a pelvic floor dilator during active labor to prevent injuries to the levator ani muscle (LAM) and perineum.

Methods: In a prospective pilot study, a pelvic floor dilator using soft pads was introduced into the vaginal canal to gradually expand the vagina, in 30 nulliparous women and in 10 controls. The primary outcomes were adverse events related to the device.

Circadian clock cryptochrome proteins regulate autoimmunity.

The circadian system regulates numerous physiological processes including immune responses. Here, we show that mice deficient of the circadian clock genes and [ double knockout (DKO)] develop an autoimmune phenotype including high serum IgG concentrations, serum antinuclear antibodies, and precipitation of IgG, IgM, and complement 3 in glomeruli and massive infiltration of leukocytes into the lungs and kidneys. Flow cytometry of lymphoid organs revealed decreased pre-B cell numbers and a higher percentage of mature recirculating B cells in the bone marrow, as well as increased numbers of B2 B cells in the peritoneal cavity of DKO mice.

Talin Plays a Critical Role in the Maintenance of the Regulatory T Cell Pool.

Talin, a cytoskeletal protein essential in mediating integrin activation, has been previously shown to be involved in the regulation of T cell proliferation and function. In this study, we describe a role for talin in maintaining the homeostasis and survival of the regulatory T (Treg) cell pool. T cell-specific deletion of talin in mice resulted in spontaneous lymphocyte activation, primarily due to numerical and functional deficiencies of Treg cells in the periphery.

Automated Fractional Limb Volume Measurements Improve the Precision of Birth Weight Predictions in Late Third-Trimester Fetuses.

Objectives: Fetal soft tissue can be assessed by using fractional limb volume as a proxy for in utero nutritional status. We investigated automated fractional limb volume for rapid estimate fetal weight assessment.

Methods: Pregnant women were prospectively scanned for 2- and 3-dimensional fetal biometric measurements within 4 days of delivery.

Are First Trimester Nuchal Septations Independent Risk Factors for Chromosomal Anomalies?

Objectives: There is conflicting information regarding the role of nuchal septations during first-trimester genetic screening. This study was designed to determine whether nuchal septations are risk factors for chromosomal anomalies, independent of increased nuchal translucency (NT), in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study included all women who underwent first-trimester genetic screening between November 2011 and December 2014.

A Novel Semiautomated Fractional Limb Volume Tool for Rapid and Reproducible Fetal Soft Tissue Assessment.

The purpose of this study was to document the reproducibility and efficiency of a semiautomated image analysis tool that rapidly provides fetal fractional limb volume measurements. Fifty pregnant women underwent 3-dimensional sonographic examinations for fractional arm and thigh volumes at a mean menstrual age of 31.3 weeks.

Vitamin C Transporters, Recycling and the Bystander Effect in the Nervous System: SVCT2 versus Gluts.

Vitamin C is an essential micronutrient in the human diet; its deficiency leads to a number of symptoms and ultimately death. After entry into cells within the central nervous system (CNS) through sodium vitamin C transporters (SVCTs) and facilitative glucose transporters (GLUTs), vitamin C functions as a neuromodulator, enzymatic cofactor, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger; it also stimulates differentiation. In this review, we will compare the molecular and structural aspects of vitamin C and glucose transporters and their expression in endothelial or choroid plexus cells, which form part of the blood-brain barrier and blood-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barrier, respectively.

Glucose transporter 1 and monocarboxylate transporters 1, 2, and 4 localization within the glial cells of shark blood-brain-barriers.

Although previous studies showed that glucose is used to support the metabolic activity of the cartilaginous fish brain, the distribution and expression levels of glucose transporter (GLUT) isoforms remained undetermined. Optic/ultrastructural immunohistochemistry approaches were used to determine the expression of GLUT1 in the glial blood-brain barrier (gBBB). GLUT1 was observed solely in glial cells; it was primarily located in end-feet processes of the gBBB.

Late interleukin-6 escalates T follicular helper cell responses and controls a chronic viral infection.

Multiple inhibitory molecules create a profoundly immunuosuppressive environment during chronic viral infections in humans and mice. Therefore, eliciting effective immunity in this context represents a challenge. Here, we report that during a murine chronic viral infection, interleukin-6 (IL-6) was produced by irradiation-resistant cells in a biphasic manner, with late IL-6 being absolutely essential for viral control.

Persistent virus infection inhibits type I interferon production by plasmacytoid dendritic cells to facilitate opportunistic infections.

Emerging studies indicate an association between virus-induced impairment in type I interferon (IFN-I) production and enhanced susceptibility to opportunistic infections, which represent a major health problem. Here, we provide in vivo evidence that lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV) infection of its natural murine host dramatically diminishes the unique capacity of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) to secrete high levels of systemic IFN-I. While both acute and persistent LCMV infections suppress pDC IFN-I response, only the persistent virus induces a long-lasting diversion of this innate immune pathway.