Bücher von Rahimah Zakaria

It was hypothesized that diabetic alterations in the expression of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors may create an abnormal intrauterine environment thus affect early embryo development. This book, therefore, presents studies that were conducted to determine the effects of diabetes on in vitro development of mouse preimplantation embryos as well as mRNA and protein expression of IGF-1, IGF-2, IGF-1R and IGF-2R in the fallopian tube and uterine tissue. The findings showed that the percentage of the two-cell stage embryos which developed to blastocysts was similar in control and diabetic groups but whether the quality of these embryos were the same remains to be investigated. Both the mRNA and protein expression of IGFs and their receptors were significantly altered by maternal diabetes, which suggest the role of IGFs in the pathogenesis of diabetic embryopathy. This book is a good reference for students and professionals doing research in early embryo development.

Although diabetes alters hormonal profiles at the hypothalamic, pituitary and gonadal levels, yet the mechanism of diabetes-associated impaired expression of endometrial differentiation to deciduoma or pregnancy failure in rats is not well clarified. This book, therefore, presents studies to clarify the mechanism that leads to impaired endometrial decidualization in diabetic pseudopregnant rats or the fetoplacental changes including overall pregnancy outcome in the diabetic pregnant rats. The findings showed that diabetes-associated estrogen deficiency in pseudopregnant rats is possibly caused by ACTH-activated high levels of testosterone of adrenal origin. Diabetes-associated fetal growth retardation in the first or final half of pregnancy is primarily caused by progesterone deficiency. This book provides good reference for undergraduate and postgraduate students doing research in reproductive physiology.