Radiological diagnosis of gas gangrene in a fetus at term.

Objective: To report a case of gas gangrene in a fetus at term, which was diagnosed by antenatal computed tomography (CT) imaging.

Case Report: A 23-year-old primiparous woman, who did not undergo any prenatal health checks until term, developed hypertension, proteinuria, and clouding of consciousness, and experienced intrauterine fetal death. A single, mature fetus with voluminous gas bubbles was observed on CT, which was consistent with a diagnosis of fetal gas gangrene.

Midtrimester termination of pregnancy using gemeprost in combination with laminaria in women who have previously undergone cesarean section.

Aim: We aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of midtrimester termination of pregnancy using gemeprost in combination with laminaria in women who had previously undergone cesarean section and in women who had not.

Methods: Between January 1999 and December 2006, we carried out a retrospective study of termination of pregnancy at 12-21 weeks of gestation at the University of Tsukuba Hospital. Termination of pregnancy was carried out by three-step uterine cervical dilation using laminaria followed by vaginal administration of 1 mg gemeprost every 3 h for up to four doses over 24 h.

Fetal cells in the pregnant mouse are diverse and express a variety of progenitor and differentiated cell markers.

To better understand fetomaternal cell trafficking during pregnancy, we used a mouse model to determine the cell surface markers expressed on fetal cells, based on the hypothesis that fetal progenitor cells have the capacity to repair maternal organs, whereas more differentiated cells might initiate graft versus host disease. Wild-type females were mated to either homozygous or hemizygous transgenic males and euthanized in the peripartum period. Using dual color flow cytometry, we analyzed fetal transgene positive cells for the presence of nine markers (ITGAM, ITGB1, PECAM, CD34, CD44, PTPRC, ENG, SLAMF1, and CXCR4) to begin to identify the phenotype and degree of differentiation of fetal cells in nine maternal organs (lung, liver, spleen, blood, bone marrow, kidney, heart, thymus, and brain).

Fetomaternal trafficking in the mouse increases as delivery approaches and is highest in the maternal lung.

The purpose of the study was to understand in more detail the natural history of fetomaternal cell trafficking in healthy pregnant mice. Our goal was to identify the best target organs and days during pregnancy for further mechanistic studies of the role of fetal cells in maternal disease and injury. C57BL/6J wild-type virgin females (n = 54) were mated with congenic enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) transgenic males.

Quantification of green fluorescent protein by in vivo imaging, PCR, and flow cytometry: comparison of transgenic strains and relevance for fetal cell microchimerism.

Animal models are increasingly being used for the assessment of fetal cell microchimerism in maternal tissue. We wished to determine the optimal transgenic mouse strain and analytic technique to facilitate the detection of rare transgenic microchimeric fetal cells amongst a large number of maternal wild-type cells. We evaluated two strains of mice transgenic for the enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP): a commercially available, commonly used strain (C57BL/6-Tg(ACTB-EGFP)10sb/J) (CAG) and a newly created strain (ROSA26-EGFP) using three different techniques: in vivo and ex vivo fluorescent imaging (for whole body and dissected organs, respectively), PCR amplification of gfp, and flow cytometry (FCM).

Third nerve palsy and serous retinal detachment with preeclampsia.

Visual disturbances occur more frequently during preeclampsia than during pregnancy in general, but visual disturbances due to cranial nerve palsy are rare. We present the case of a 35-year-old preeclamptic woman with left third nerve palsy and left serous retinal detachment. The patient complained of visual disturbance and double vision soon after cesarean section.

Evaluating performance of a pixel array semiconductor SPECT system for small animal imaging.

Objectives: Small animal imaging has recently been focused on basic nuclear medicine. We have designed and built a small animal SPECT imaging system using a semiconductor camera and a newly designed collimator. We assess the performance of this system for small object imaging.

Successful management of supraventricular tachycardia in a fetus using fetal magnetocardiography.

We report a fetus at 33 weeks of gestation with supraventricular tachycardia, which was successfully managed by transplacental administration of an antiarrhythmic agent. Fetal magnetocardiography (fMCG) revealed supraventricular tachycardia of the long RP' tachycardia type. Transplacental administration of sotalol, instead of digoxin, was selected as the first-line drug, and it successfully converted supraventricular tachycardia to sinus rhythm.

Successful multilineage engraftment of human cord blood cells in pigs after in utero transplantation.

Background: Successful engraftment of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in a large animal may serve not only as a model to study human hematopoiesis but also as a bioreactor to expand human HSPCs in vivo. The aim of this study was to accomplish xenotransplantation of human HSPCs into pig.

Methods: Total mononuclear or CD34-positive HSPCs obtained from human cord blood were xenotransplanted percutaneously under an ultrasonographic guidance into preimmune pig fetuses.

Antepartum assessment of fetal cystic lymphangioma by magnetic resonance imaging.

Few reports of fetal cystic lymphangioma have described assessment in utero by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We evaluated a fetus with cystic lymphangioma by this method. Complementing the characteristic features of cystic lymphangioma in ultrasonographic images, prenatal MRI provided a detailed view of anatomic relationships of cysts to surrounding tissues in this case.

Second-trimester maternal pregnancy-associated plasma protein a and inhibin a levels in fetal trisomies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine whether fetal trisomy is associated with altered levels of second-trimester maternal pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) and inhibin A.

Methods: Maternal serum PAPP-A and inhibin A concentrations were measured at 15-17 weeks of gestation in 14 singleton pregnancies with fetal trisomy and in 56 matched pregnant controls.

Results: PAPP-A levels in the trisomy group were significantly lower than in controls.