ESPE Abstracts

Background: Delta-Like Homologue 1 (DLK1) is a gene encoding a transmembrane protein, which may also be secreted into the circulation. DLK1 levels are known to rise in maternal serum during late gestation and our genetic studies in the mouse have shown that this DLK1 arises from the conceptus. However, the cell population that secretes DLK1 into the maternal circulation has not been identified. Since DLK1 has been shown to be differentially expressed in intrauterine growth res...

Background: The human foetal adrenal (FA) undergoes vast physiological changes as pregnancy progresses. Original descriptions of FA development emerged following morphometric studies from spontaneous/medical terminations. These revealed the greatest increase in FA size was during the first trimester. Recently, sonographic evaluation of human FA volume and length has led to the creation of normal FA growth centiles and correlations between FA size and estimated foetal weight (E...