Coccidioidomycosis in pregnancy: Case report and literature review of associated placental lesions.

Background: Coccidioidomycosis is an endemic fungal infection found most commonly in the Southwestern United States, Northwestern Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. Although infection is relatively uncommon during pregnancy, it is imperative to have an index of suspicion in order to diagnose and begin timely treatment to prevent dissemination and dire consequences.

Case Report: A 33-year-old Hispanic female was evaluated after she was involved in an automobile accident.

The endocannabinoid system in the baboon (Papio spp.) as a complex framework for developmental pharmacology.

Introduction: The consumption of marijuana (exogenous cannabinoid) almost doubled in adults during last decade. Consumption of exogenous cannabinoids interferes with the endogenous cannabinoid (or "endocannabinoid" (eCB)) system (ECS), which comprises N-arachidonylethanolamide (anandamide, AEA), 2-arachidonoyl glycerol (2-AG), endocannabinoid receptors (cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1R and CB2R), encoded by CNR1 and CNR2, respectively), and synthesizing/degrading enzymes (FAAH, fatty-acid amide hydrolase; MAGL, monoacylglycerol lipase; DAGL-α, diacylglycerol lipase-alpha). Reports regarding the toxic and therapeutic effects of pharmacological compounds targeting the ECS are sometimes contradictory.

Serum Vitamin D Concentrations in Baboons (Papio spp.) during Pregnancy and Obesity.

Obesity is associated with vitamin D deficiency, which can lead to serious problems during pregnancy. However, the mechanisms of the deficiency and guidelines for vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy are not established yet, and variations in environmental exposures combined with the difficulties of performing research in pregnant women are obstacles in the evaluation of vitamin D metabolism. Baboons (Papio spp.

Molecular evolution and expression profile of the chemerine encoding gene RARRES2 in baboon and chimpanzee.

Background: Chemerin, encoded by the retinoic acid receptor responder 2 (RARRES2) gene is an adipocytesecreted protein with autocrine/paracrine functions in adipose tissue, metabolism and inflammation with a recently described function in vascular tone regulation, liver, steatosis, etc. This molecule is believed to represent a critical endocrine signal linking obesity to diabetes. There are no data available regarding evolution of RARRES2 in non-human primates and great apes.

Brucella papionis sp. nov., isolated from baboons (Papio spp.).

Two Gram-negative, non-motile, non-spore-forming coccoid bacteria (strains F8/08-60(T) and F8/08-61) isolated from clinical specimens obtained from baboons (Papio spp.) that had delivered stillborn offspring were subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities, both strains, which possessed identical sequences, were assigned to the genus Brucella.

Polymerase chain reaction detection of Trypanosoma cruzi in Macaca fascicularis using archived tissues.

This study describes conventional and real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods developed to detect and quantify Trypanosoma cruzi DNA in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) using formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded blocks archived for periods of up to 6 years. The highest concentration of T. cruzi DNA was found in the myocardium, urinary bladder, stomach, lymph node, adrenal gland, and colon.

Effects of maternal global nutrient restriction on fetal baboon hepatic insulin-like growth factor system genes and gene products.

Knowledge of altered maternal nutrition effects on growth-regulating systems is critical to understanding normal and abnormal fetal development. There are many reports of hepatic fetal IGF system responses to maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) during pregnancy in rodents and sheep but none in nonhuman primates. We determined effects of MNR on the fetal baboon hepatic IGF system.

The columnar-lined mucosa at the gastroesophageal junction in non-human primates.

Despite that anatomists consider the cardia as a portion of the stomach, there is disagreement in the literature over whether the cardia mucosa, described as columnar-lined with mucus-producing glands (CLMMG) with or without occasional interspersed oxyntic cells, is part of the stomach, part of the esophagus or a distinct entity. For some authors this mucosa phenotype is a metaplastic glandular change of the distal esophagus caused by protracted gastro-esophageal reflux (GER). In this survey, the presence of CLMMG mucosa was searched for at the esophagus-gastric junction in 50 non-human primates (NHP).

Endometrial and cervical polyps in 22 baboons (Papio sp.), 5 cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) and one marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

Background: Endometrial and cervical polyps are masses of endometrium or cervical epithelium that bulge into the uterine or cervical lumen. The physiopathology and contributing factors of endometrial polyps development are still unknown.

Methods: Clinical and pathology records of 28 non-human primates with histologically confirmed endometrial and cervical polyps were reviewed.

A novel Brucella isolate in association with two cases of stillbirth in non-human primates - first report.

Background: Brucellosis is veterinary and human health problem.

Methods: A 13-year-old wild caught multiparous and an 8-year-old colony-born nulliparous baboon had stillbirths in the second trimester of pregnancy. Culture isolates from both postpartum uteruses were characterized using traditional biochemical analysis, PCR, and multilocus sequencing.

The prolonged effect of repeated maternal glucocorticoid exposure on the maternal and fetal leptin/insulin-like growth factor axis in Papio species.

Background: Maternal obesity represents a risk factor for pregnancy-related complications. Glucocorticoids are known to promote obesity in adults.

Methods: We evaluated maternal and fetal metabolic changes during and after 3 weekly courses of betamethasone administered to pregnant baboons (Papio subspecies) at doses equivalent to those given to pregnant women.

The baboon model (Papio hamadryas) of fetal loss: maternal weight, age, reproductive history and pregnancy outcome.

Background: Several risk factors are associated with the incidence of human stillbirths. The prevention of stillbirths in women is a pressing clinical problem.

Methods: We reviewed 402 pathology records of fetal loss occurring in a large baboon (Papio spp.

Myxomatous neoplasms in the perineal region of baboons.

Background: In baboons, Papio sp. neoplasms tend to affect the hematopoietic system most commonly, with rare documentation of myxomatous neoplasms. In contrast, women can develop myxomatous masses within deep peripelvic tissues with some frequency during their reproductive years.

Trypanosoma cruzi in non-human primates with a history of stillbirths: a retrospective study (Papio hamadryas spp.) and case report (Macaca fascicularis).

Background: Congenital transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi has been described in humans and experimental work has been conducted with mice, but not with non-human primates (NHPs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of female baboons (Papio hamadryas spp.) naturally seropositive or seronegative for T.

Stillbirths in Macaca fascicularis.

Background: Stillbirths in non-human primates are a major problem and represent failure of the maternal-fetal-placental unit to maintain normal relationships because of various endogenous, undetermined or environmental factors.

Methods: Records of 236 stillborns and their dams in a Macaca fascicularis colony during a 7-year period were reviewed retrospectively.

Results: The 7-year stillbirth incidence was 11.

Metabolic adjustments to moderate maternal nutrient restriction.

Reduced food availability in pregnancy influences fetal growth, obstetric outcomes and offspring health in both developing and developed countries. The objective of the present study was to determine responses to moderate global maternal nutrient restriction (MNR) during pregnancy in baboons (Papio hamadryas) - an established non-human primate model for pregnancy-related research. Starting at 30 d gestation (dG), twelve pregnant baboons received 70 % of food (MNR group) consumed by twenty ad libitum-fed pregnant controls.

Trisomy 17 in a baboon (Papio hamadryas) with polydactyly, patent foramen ovale and pyelectasis.

Trisomy 13 in humans is the third most common autosomal abnormality at birth, after trisomy 21 and trisomy 18. It has a reported incidence of between 1:5,000 and 1:30,000 live births. It is associated with multiple abnormalities, many of which shorten lifespan.

Non-human primate fetal kidney transcriptome analysis indicates mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a central nutrient-responsive pathway.

Developmental programming is defined as the process by which gene-environment interaction in the developing organism leads to permanent changes in phenotype and function. Numerous reports of maternal nutrient restriction during pregnancy demonstrate altered renal development. Typically this alteration manifests as a reduction in the total number of glomeruli in the mature kidney of the offspring, and suggests that predisposition to develop chronic renal disease may include an in utero origin.

Primary amenorrhea associated with ovarian leiomyoma in a baboon (Papio hamadryas).

A 6-y-old female baboon was examined due to absence of menstrual cycling and secondary sex characteristics and failure to reproduce. The mammary glands and vaginal introitus were hypoplastic, the clitoris was prominent, and the perineal skin was immature with lack of cyclic color alterations and sexual swelling. Evaluation of the reproductive tract revealed a hypoplastic uterus and rudimentary ovaries with the presence of an ovarian leiomyoma within the right ovary.

The ductus venosus and intrahepatic venous system in Callithrix jacchus jacchus and Macaca fascicularis fetuses.

Background: The ductus venosus (DV) and the intrahepatic branches of the portal vein are arranged as parallel vessels. Blood shunting through the DV ensures fetal survival during periods of stress. The availability of a suitable animal model with similar structure and function to the human fetus would greatly improve the understanding of DV function.

Three weekly courses of betamethasone administered to pregnant baboons at 0.6, 0.65, and 0.7 of gestation alter fetal and maternal lymphocyte populations at 0.95 of gestation.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a major role in the communication between the immune and neuroendocrine systems. Glucocorticoids are potent immunomodulatory hormones. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of three weekly courses of betamethasone, administered to pregnant baboons at 0.

Ontogeny of hematological cell and biochemical profiles in maternal and fetal baboons (Papio species).

The normal ranges of hematological cell profiles and biochemistry are documented in adult non-pregnant, pregnant, juvenile, and neonatal baboons. Despite the extensive use of the baboon as a model for the study of various aspects of pregnancy, there is no data from paired mothers and their fetuses at different stages of gestation. Hematologic and biochemical profile data were obtained from eight non-pregnant female baboons, 37 mothers and 38 fetal baboons at 30 +/- 2, 90 +/- 2, 125 +/- 2, and 175 +/- 2 days of gestation (mean +/- range; dGA; term, 180 dGA).

Structural evidence for mechanisms to redistribute hepatic and ductus venosus blood flows in nonhuman primate fetuses.

Objective: The ductus venosus (DV) and the intrahepatic branches of the portal vein (BPV) play an important role in umbilical blood distribution to the fetal liver and the rest of the fetal circulation. Increased DV shunting is a major fetal survival mechanism during stress situations. The availability of a nonpregnant primate animal model with similar structure and function would greatly improve our understanding of DV function.