THE EFFECTS OF EXPERIMENTAL CHANGES IN THE MINERAL AND WATER BALANCE IN PREGNANT RATS ON THE FETUSES AND THE AMNIOTIC FLUID(DIE AUSWIRKUNGEN EXPERIMENTELLER VERANDERUNGEN DES MINERAL UND WASSERHAUSHALTS TRACHTIGER RATTEN AUF FOTEN UND FRUCHTWASSER).
Abstract
Over the past twenty years observations of the water and electrolyte transport between mother and fetus have changed considerably. The experimental investigations of the working groups influenced by Flexner and by Plentl studied the water transport by means of deuterium and tritium, and by means of marked sodium to trace the transport of a physiologically important electrolyte through the placenta. Marked potassium was also used in the testing procedures. The transport rates between mother and fetus that were determined by various methods were calculated for various mammals and human beings. From these investigations it is concluded that a fetal potassium increase counteracts the fast renal potassium elimination and the intracellular potassium level through the mother animal. On the other side, potassium which was at one time in the fetuses, is maintained very rigidly. Accordingly, the experiments by Stewart and Welt show that it is possible by means of a potassium poor diet, and intraperitoneal dialysis to considerably lower the potassium concentration in the maternal serum and in the muscles with the use of NaHCO3 in the mother but not, on the other hand, in all the fetuses. Consequently, it appears that the placenta has a protective function against fetal potassium loss, whereas the protection of the fetuses against potassium excesses does not appear to be in the placenta but rather in the regulation mechanism of the maternal organism.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 15, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0823685
Entities
People
- Horst Winkler
Organizations
- National Air and Space Intelligence Center