Background: Leptin is a growth factor for the fetus. The sources for maternal and fetal leptin plasma levels are the adipose tissue and the placenta. Placental leptin release elevates maternal leptin ...

Aims: We have previously shown that fetal lung hypoplasia (LH) has more influence on the pulmonary circulation than on ventilation in newborn lambs (Suzuki K et al: Pediatr Res 57: 530–6, 2005). The ...

When a fetus is smaller than expected for the number of weeks of pregnancy, due to associated problems like a poorly developed heart, health concerns as severe as brain damage can result. The ...