During pregnancy, diminished carbohydrate utilization by maternal tissue shunts glucose to the fetoplacental unit, to support rapid fetal growth. Nonetheless, glucose intolerance , characteristic of diabetes mellitus does not occur, and glucose and insulin levels return to normal following parturition. Using a rat model and cell cultures, we are testing the hypothesis that maternal estrogens and relaxin modulate gestational IR by enhancing insulin receptor binding and action, and preventing insulin receptor down regulation by high insulin concentrations. This study could suggest new approaches to diabetes therapy. Infants with CHD exhibit a joint laxity that permits subluxation of the femoral head.
Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths among women.
Early pregnancy and childbirth stands out as a major negative risk factor for breast cancer. The protective action of pregnancy against breast cancer has been duplicated experimentally in carcinogen-treated rats. Rlx secreted during a first pregnancy confers lasting protection against carcinogen-induced breast cancer. Pregnant rats are made Rlx-deficient by injection of a monoclonal antibody specific for rat Rlx. The subsequent tumorigenic response of such rats to an injected carcinogen is then compared with that of age matched virgin and normal parous rats.