Allometric scaling relationships in mouse placenta.

Fetal growth and maturation are highly intertwined with placental development during pregnancy. Here we used placental vascular morphology measurements (depth and span) as well as the umbilical artery (UA) diameter of previously published studies on three different mouse strains (C57BL6/J, CD-1 and BALB/c), which were exposed to different conditions (combination antiretroviral therapy, chronic maternal hypoxia and malaria infection) at different embryonic days, to test the hypothesis that placental vascularization and specifically the UA size affect conceptus weight. Interaction of each study parameter with embryonic day, strain and exposure to treatments are studied to investigate the stability of the scaling relationships across and/or within strains and conditions.

A mouse model of hypoplastic left heart syndrome demonstrating left heart hypoplasia and retrograde aortic arch flow.

In hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS), the mechanisms leading to left heart hypoplasia and their associated fetal abnormalities are largely unknown. Current animal models have limited utility in resolving these questions as they either do not fully reproduce the cardiac phenotype, do not survive to term and/or have very low disease penetrance. Here, we report the development of a surgically induced mouse model of HLHS that overcomes these limitations.

Wharton's jelly area and its association with placental morphometry and pathology.

Introduction: Wharton's jelly (WJ) is the mucoid connective tissue that surrounds the vessels in the human umbilical cord and provides protection from compression and torsion in response to fetal movement. WJ is known to be altered in the presence of pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia. The present study examined associations between the cross-sectional area of WJ measured by ultrasound and postpartum placental pathology and morphometry.