pituitrin and Birth-Weight

Topics: Birth Weight; Body Fluids; Edema; Estrogens; Humans; Hypoproteinemia; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature, Diseases; Sclerema Neonatorum; Syndrome; Vasopressins; Water-Electrolyte Balance

Excessive fetal growth is associated with increased adiposity and reduced insulin sensitivity at birth. Copeptin, a surrogate marker of arginine vasopressin (AVP) secretion, is upregulated in states of hyperinsulinemia and is considered one of the mediators of insulin resistance. We aimed to investigate cord blood concentrations of copeptin (C-terminal fragment of AVP pro-hormone) in healthy large-for-gestational-age (LGA) infants at term.. This prospective study was conducted on 30 LGA (n=30) and 20 appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA, n=20) singleton full-term healthy infants. Cord blood copeptin and insulin concentrations were determined by ELISA and IRMA, respectively. Infants were classified as LGA or AGA, based on customized birth-weight standards adjusted for significant determinants of fetal growth.. Cord blood copeptin concentrations were similar in LGA cases, compared to AGA controls, after adjusting for delivery mode. However, in the LGA group, cord blood copeptin concentrations positively correlated with birth-weight (r=0.422, p=0.020). In the AGA group, cord blood copeptin concentrations were elevated in cases of vaginal delivery vs elective cesarean section (p=0.003). Cord blood insulin concentrations were higher in LGA cases, compared to AGA controls (p=0.036). No association was recorded between cord blood copeptin concentrations and maternal age, parity, gestational age or fetal gender in both groups.. Cord blood copeptin concentrations may not be up-regulated in non-distressed LGA infants. However, the positive correlation between cord blood copeptin concentrations and birth-weight in the LGA group may point to the documented association between AVP release and increased fat deposition. Vaginal delivery vs elective cesarean section is accompanied by a marked stress-related increase of cord blood copeptin concentrations.

Topics: Adult; Birth Weight; Female; Fetal Blood; Fetal Development; Fetal Macrosomia; Glycopeptides; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Insulin; Male; Neurophysins; Pregnancy; Prospective Studies; Protein Precursors; Vasopressins

Previous experiments in rats revealed increased amniotic oxytocin (OXT) levels in the course of normal development and increased vasopressin (AVP) levels in retarded fetal growth. In order to see whether similar changes would also occur in human, OXT and AVP levels were determined in amniotic fluid, maternal and fetal plasma before or during labour. Positive correlations were found between umbilical AVP levels on the one hand and gestation length, birth weight, placental weight and brain size on the other. This suggests a maturation process taking place in the AVP-producing system. A marked increase in maternal plasma OXT and umbilical AVP was found during labour. Increased amniotic fluid AVP levels were found in conditions indicative of fetal stress (viz., lower pH, higher PCO2) without any correlation to fetal growth parameters, while increased amniotic OXT levels were correlated with higher PO2. Furthermore, fetal brain size correlated positively with amniotic OXT levels. In conclusion, a rise in amniotic OXT levels seems to reflect normal development of the human fetus, similarly to what has been found in the rat. Increased amniotic AVP levels seem indicative of fetal acidosis.

Topics: Acid-Base Equilibrium; Amniotic Fluid; Birth Weight; Body Height; Brain; Embryonic and Fetal Development; Female; Fetal Blood; Humans; Labor, Obstetric; Organ Size; Oxytocin; Placenta; Pregnancy; Vasopressins

Topics: Animals; Animals, Newborn; Birth Weight; Diabetes Insipidus; Female; Fertility; Gestational Age; Labor, Obstetric; Litter Size; Male; Pregnancy; Rats; Rats, Brattleboro; Rats, Mutant Strains; Reproduction; Vasopressins

Topics: Anencephaly; Animals; Birth Weight; Cell Differentiation; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Hypothalamus; Labor, Obstetric; Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormones; Oxytocin; Pituitary Gland; Pituitary Gland, Posterior; Pregnancy; Radioimmunoassay; Rats; Species Specificity; Vasopressins; Vasotocin

Topics: Age Factors; Arginine; Asphyxia Neonatorum; Birth Weight; Female; Humans; Infant Food; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Kidney; Kidney Concentrating Ability; Male; Osmolar Concentration; Urine; Vasopressins