Experimental and toxicologic pathology : official journal of the Gesellschaft für Toxikologische Pathologie
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Exp. Toxicol. Pathol. · Mar 1998
Body weight distribution and organ size in newborn swine (sus scrofa domestica) -- a study describing an animal model for asymmetrical intrauterine growth retardation.
Normal growth is the expression of the genetic potential to growth which is neither abnormally constrained nor promoted by internal or external factors. Restricted fetal growth is common in human pregnancy and is associated with increased perinatal morbidity and mortality. Because of ethical restrictions, pathogenetical studies are necessarily dependent on appropriate animal models. ⋯ Gravimetrical estimation showed clearly that body weight variety is most probably caused by alterations of placental functioning. Severe alterations resulted in asymmetrical growth retardation, which was proved by a significantly increased brain to liver ratio in animals with a body weight < 10th centile. Thus, evidence is provided that naturally occurring asymmetrical intrauterine growth restricted newborn piglets can be identified simply by body weight measurement, so that convenient conditions are given for pathogenetically motivated studies on intrauterine compromised newborns.