[Health service needs of migrant women from a basic health area: A qualitative study]. / Necesidades sentidas de salud en mujeres migrantes de una zona básica de salud: estudio cualitativo.

OBJECTIVES: To know the needs and lack of information on health issues of Maghrebi women. SUBJECTS, MATERIAL AND METHOD: Design: Qualitative study technique nominal group (TGN). SUBJECTS: 14 North African women from Association for Solidarity and Rapprochement of Cultures (ASAC) from the rural clinic of La Aljorra who knew and understood Spanish, older age, and lived in the town for more than 3 years. Material and method TGN asks: «What daily health issues for you and your family worry you the most and do you need answers?¼ Individual reflection and list that were discussed among them, joining the group consensus. Subsequently, they were prioritized individually and a definitive list of their prioritized health needs was made. RESULTS: Thirty-six percent of the ASAC associates attended. At first, 17 topics were written on health needs for which they wanted a response. The final topics chosen and grouped by them were 6: 1) Contraceptive methods; 2) Relationship problems; 3) Thyroid; 4) How to cure the sciatic nerve?; 5) Anemia and 6) Stress. 70% related to the area of sexuality. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Qualitative research is an adequate consensus method to obtain information on little-known topics and directly from the person involved; 2) The Moroccan migrant woman considers information about sexuality and couple relationships very important; 3) Another pathology unknown to them and emerging in the area is thyroid; 4) Stress and its repercussions; 5) Sciatica and its consequences are also important when being agricultural workers.

The impact of water vapor on the OH reactivity toward CH3CHO at ultra-low temperatures (21.7-135.0 K): Experiments and theory.

The role of water vapor (H2O) and its hydrogen-bonded complexes in the gas-phase reactivity of organic compounds with hydroxyl (OH) radicals has been the subject of many recent studies. Contradictory effects have been reported at temperatures between 200 and 400 K. For the OH + acetaldehyde reaction, a slight catalytic effect of H2O was previously reported at temperatures between 60 and 118 K. In this work, we used Laval nozzle expansions to reinvestigate the impact of H2O on the OH-reactivity with acetaldehyde between 21.7 and 135.0 K. The results of this comprehensive study demonstrate that water, instead, slows down the reaction by factors of ∼3 (21.7 K) and ∼2 (36.2-89.5 K), and almost no effect of added H2O was observed at 135.0 K.

Patología pulmonar intersticial / Interstitial lung disease

No disponible

Differential properties and effects of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles towards intestinal theranostics.

Given the potential applications of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles in biomedicine, the relationship between their chemical structure, optical properties and biocompatibility has to be investigated in detail. In this work, different types of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles are synthesized by acid treatment, sonochemical treatment, electrochemical cleavage and polycondensation. The particle size ranges from 1 to 6 nm, depending on the synthesis method. Nanoparticles that were prepared by acid or sonochemical treatments from graphite keep a crystalline core and can be classified as graphene quantum dots. The electrochemically produced nanoparticles do not clearly show the graphene core, but it is made of heterogeneous aromatic structures with limited size. The polycondensation nanoparticles do not have CC double bonds. The type of functional groups on the carbon backbone and the optical properties, both absorbance and photoluminescence, strongly depend on the nanoparticle origin. The selected types of nanoparticles are compatible with human intestinal cells, while three of them also show activity against colon cancer cells. The widely different properties of the nanoparticle types need to be considered for their use as diagnosis markers and therapeutic vehicles, specifically in the digestive system.

Comment on "Methanol dimer formation drastically enhances hydrogen abstraction from methanol by OH at low temperature" by W. Siebrand, Z. Smedarchina, E. Martínez-Núñez and A. Fernández-Ramos, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2016, 18, 22712.

The article "Methanol dimer formation drastically enhances hydrogen abstraction from methanol by OH at low temperature" proposes a dimer mediated mechanism in order to explain the large low temperature rate coefficients for the OH + methanol reaction measured by several groups. It is demonstrated here theoretically that under the conditions of these low temperature experiments, there are insufficient dimers formed for the proposed new mechanism to apply. Experimental evidence is also presented to show that dimerization of the methanol reagent does not influence the rate coefficients reported under the conditions of methanol concentration used for the kinetics studies. It is also emphasised that the low temperature experiments have been performed using both the Laval nozzle expansion and flow-tube methods, with good agreement found for the rate coefficients measured using these two distinct techniques.

Kinetic and mechanistic study of the gas-phase reaction of CxF2x+1CHCH2 (x=1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) with O3 under atmospheric conditions.

The relative-rate technique has been used to determine the rate coefficient for the reaction of CxF2x+1CHCH2 (x = 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6) with ozone at (298 ±â€¯2) K and (720 ±â€¯5) Torr of air by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) and by GC-MS/SPME (Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectroscopy with Solid Phase Micro Extraction) in two different atmospheric simulation chambers. The following rate coefficients, in units of 10-19 cm3 molecule-1 s-1, were obtained: (3.01 ±â€¯0.10) for CF3CHCH2, (2.11 ±â€¯0.35) for C2F5CHCH2, (2.34 ±â€¯0.42) for C3F7CHCH2, (2.05 ±â€¯0.31) for C4F9CHCH2 and (2.07 ±â€¯0.39) for C6F13CHCH2, where uncertainties represent ±2σ statistical error. The atmospheric lifetime of CxF2x+1CHCH2 due to reaction with ozone was estimated from the reported rate coefficients. Additionally, the gaseous products formed in these reactions were investigated in the presence of synthetic air simulating a clean atmosphere. Perfluoroaldehydes, CxF2x+1C(O)H (PFALs), formaldehyde, formic acid and CF2O were identified as reaction products in the investigated reactions. The identified products made possible to propose a reaction mechanism that justifies the observed products. The atmospheric implications of these results are discussed in terms of the potential contribution of the atmospheric degradation of these species to PFAL and PFCA burden.

Gas phase kinetics of the OH + CH3CH2OH reaction at temperatures of the interstellar medium (T = 21-107 K).

Ethanol, CH3CH2OH, has been unveiled in the interstellar medium (ISM) by radioastronomy and it is thought to be released into the gas phase after the warm-up phase of the grain surface, where it is formed. Once in the gas phase, it can be destroyed by different reactions with atomic and radical species, such as hydroxyl (OH) radicals. The knowledge of the rate coefficients of all these processes at temperatures of the ISM is essential in the accurate interpretation of the observed abundances. In this work, we have determined the rate coefficient for the reaction of OH with CH3CH2OH (k(T)) between 21 and 107 K by employing the pulsed and continuous CRESU (Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme, which means Reaction Kinetics in a Uniform Supersonic Flow) technique. The pulsed laser photolysis technique was used for generating OH radicals, whose time evolution was monitored by laser induced fluorescence. An increase of approximately 4 times was observed for k(21 K) with respect to k(107 K). With respect to k(300 K), the OH-reactivity at 21 K is enhanced by two orders of magnitude. The obtained T-expression in the investigated temperature range is k(T) = (2.1 ± 0.5) × 10-11 (T/300 K)-(0.71±0.10) cm3 molecule-1 s-1. In addition, the pressure dependence of k(T) has been investigated at several temperatures between 21 K and 90 K. No pressure dependence of k(T) was observed in the investigated ranges. This may imply that this reaction is purely bimolecular or that the high-pressure limit is reached at the lowest total pressure experimentally accessible in our system. From our results, k(T) at usual IS temperatures (∼10-100 K) is confirmed to be very fast. Typical rate coefficients can be considered to range within about 4 × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 100 K and around 1 × 10-10 cm3 molecule-1 s-1 at 20 K. The extrapolation of k at the lowest temperatures of the dense molecular clouds of ISM is also discussed in this paper.

Consequences of exposure of embryos produced in vitro in a serum-containing medium to dickkopf-related protein 1 and colony stimulating factor 2 on blastocyst yield, pregnancy rate, and birth weight.

Embryokines are molecules secreted by the mother that regulate embryonic development. Among these molecules in cattle are colony stimulating factor 2 (CSF2) and dickkopf-related protein 1 (DKK1). Here, we evaluated actions of CSF2 and DKK1 alone or in combination on characteristics of embryos produced in vitro in the presence of serum. A total of 70 beef cows from 4 farms were subjected to oocyte retrieval on 1 to 4 occasions. Within each farm, donors were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatment groups (vehicle, CSF2, DKK1, CSF2 + DKK1). Embryos from a given donor were always exposed to the same treatment. Treatments were added to the culture medium on d 5 after insemination, and blastocyst stage embryos were transferred to recipient females 2 d later. Treatment did not affect the percent of oocytes or cleaved embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage or the percent of recipients that became pregnant after embryo transfer. However, calves derived from embryos treated with DKK1 were smaller at birth, regardless of CSF2 treatment. Results indicate no effects of addition of CSF2 or DKK1 to culture of embryos produced in vitro with serum-containing medium on development to the blastocyst stage or competence to establish pregnancy after transfer to recipients. The fact that embryos cultured with DKK1 resulted in calves with reduced birth weight illustrates the potential ability of this embryokine to program postnatal phenotype. Results support the concept that properties of the offspring can be programmed as early as the preimplantation period.

Is the gas-phase OH+H2CO reaction a source of HCO in interstellar cold dark clouds? A kinetic, dynamic and modelling study.

Chemical kinetics of neutral-neutral gas-phase reactions at ultralow temperatures is a fascinating research subject with important implications on the chemistry of complex organic molecules in the interstellar medium (T∼10-100K). Scarce kinetic information is currently available for this kind of reactions at T<200 K. In this work we use the CRESU (Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme, which means Reaction Kinetics in a Uniform Supersonic Flow) technique to measure for the first time the rate coefficients (k) of the gas-phase OH+H2CO reaction between 22 and 107 K. k values greatly increase from 2.1×10-11 cm3 s-1 at 107 K to 1.2×10-10 cm3 s-1 at 22 K. This is also confirmed by quasi-classical trajectories (QCT) at collision energies down to 0.1 meV performed using a new full dimension and ab initio potential energy surface, recently developed which generates highly accurate potential and includes long range dipole-dipole interactions. QCT calculations indicate that at low temperatures HCO is the exclusive product for the OH+H2CO reaction. In order to revisit the chemistry of HCO in cold dense clouds, k is reasonably extrapolated from the experimental results at 10K (2.6×10-10 cm3 s-1). The modeled abundances of HCO are in agreement with the observations in cold dark clouds for an evolving time of 105-106 yrs. The different sources of production of HCO are presented and the uncertainties in the chemical networks discussed. This reaction can be expected to be a competitive process in the chemistry of prestellar cores. The present reaction is shown to account for a few percent of the total HCO production rate. Extensions to photodissociation regions and diffuse clouds environments are also commented.

Reactivity of OH and CH3OH Between 22 and 64 K: Modelling the Gas Phase Production of CH3O in Barnard 1B.

In the last years, ultra-low temperature chemical kinetic experiments have demonstrated that some gas-phase reactions are much faster than previously thought. One example is the reaction between OH and CH3OH, which has been recently found to be accelerated at low temperatures yielding CH3O as main product. This finding opened the question of whether the CH3O observed in the dense core Barnard 1b could be formed by the gas-phase reaction of CH3OH and OH. Several chemical models including this reaction and grain-surface processes have been developed to explain the observed abundance of CH3O with little success. Here we report for the first time rate coefficients for the gas-phase reaction of OH and CH3OH down to a temperature of 22 K, very close to those in cold interstellar clouds. Two independent experimental set-ups based on the supersonic gas expansion technique coupled to the pulsed laser photolysis-laser induced fluorescence technique were used to determine rate coefficients in the temperature range 22-64 K. The temperature dependence obtained in this work can be expressed as k(22-64 K) = (3.6 ± 0.1) × 10-12(T/300 K)-(1.0±0.2) cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Implementing this expression in a chemical model of a cold dense cloud results in CH3O/CH3OH abundance ratios similar or slightly lower than the value of ∼ 3 × 10-3 observed in Barnard 1b. This finding confirms that the gas-phase reaction between OH and CH3OH is an important contributor to the formation of interstellar CH3O. The role of grain-surface processes in the formation of CH3O, although it cannot be fully neglected, remains controversial.

First evidence of the dramatic enhancement of the reactivity of methyl formate (HC(O)OCH3) with OH at temperatures of the interstellar medium: a gas-phase kinetic study between 22 K and 64 K.

The gas phase chemistry of neutral-neutral reactions of interest in the interstellar medium (ISM) is poorly understood. The rate coefficients (kOH) for the majority of the reactions of hydroxyl (OH) radicals with interstellar oxygenated species are unknown at the temperatures of the ISM. In this study, we present the first determination of kOH for HC(O)OCH3 between 22.4 ± 1.4 and 64.2 ± 1.7 K. The CRESU (French acronym for Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme or Reaction Kinetics in a Uniform Supersonic Flow) technique was used to create a chemical reactor with a uniform temperature and gas density and the pulsed laser photolysis/laser induced fluorescence technique was used to generate OH radicals and to monitor their temporal profile. It was observed that kOH(T) increases by one order of magnitude in only ∼40 K (kOH(T = 22 K) = (1.19 ± 0.36) × 10(-10) cm(3) s(-1) and kOH(T = 64 K) = (1.16 ± 0.12) × 10(-11) cm(3) s(-1)) and ∼3 orders of magnitude with respect to kOH(T = 298 K). This reaction is a very efficient route for the loss of HC(O)OCH3 in the gas phase and may have a great impact on the interpretation of astrophysical models of HC(O)OCH3 abundance in the cold regions of the ISM.

Development of a pulsed uniform supersonic gas expansion system based on an aerodynamic chopper for gas phase reaction kinetic studies at ultra-low temperatures.

A detailed description of a new pulsed supersonic uniform gas expansion system is presented together with the experimental validation of the setup by applying the CRESU (French acronym for Cinétique de Réaction en Ecoulement Supersonique Uniforme or Reaction Kinetics in a Uniform Supersonic Flow) technique to the gas-phase reaction of OH radicals with 1-butene at ca. 23 K and 0.63 millibars of helium (carrier gas). The carrier gas flow, containing negligible mixing ratios of OH-precursor and 1-butene, is expanded from a high pressure reservoir (337 millibars) to a low pressure region (0.63 millibars) through a convergent-divergent nozzle (Laval type). The novelty of this experimental setup is that the uniform supersonic flow is pulsed by means of a Teflon-coated aerodynamic chopper provided with two symmetrical apertures. Under these operational conditions, the designed Laval nozzle achieves a temperature of (22.4 ± 1.4) K in the gas jet. The spatial characterization of the temperature and the total gas density within the pulsed uniform supersonic flow has also been performed by both aerodynamical and spectroscopic methods. The gas consumption with this technique is considerably reduced with respect to a continuous CRESU system. The kinetics of the OH+1-butene reaction was investigated by the pulsed laser photolysis/laser induced fluorescence technique. The rotation speed of the disk is temporally synchronized with the exit of the photolysis and the probe lasers. The rate coefficient (k(OH)) for the reaction under investigation was then obtained and compared with the only available data at this temperature.

Kinetics and mechanism of the tropospheric reaction of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone with Cl atoms.

The relative rate coefficient for the gas-phase reaction of 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-2-butanone (3H3M2B) with Cl atoms was determined under atmospheric conditions (298 ± 2 K, 720 ± 2 Torr). The products of the reaction were identified and quantified. This work provides the first kinetic and mechanistic determinations of the gas-phase reaction of Cl atoms with 3H3M2B. The rate measurements and the products studies were performed in two simulation chambers coupled to the gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) techniques, respectively. The obtained average rate coefficient was (1.13 ± 0.17) × 10(-10) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) using propene and 1,3-butadiene as reference compounds. The major primary reaction products observed in this study were (with % molar yields): acetic acid (42.6 ± 4.8) and 2,3-butanedione (17.2 ± 2.3). Results and mechanism are discussed in terms of the structure-reactivity relationship and compared with the reported reactivity with the other atmospheric oxidants. The atmospheric implications derived from this study are discussed as well.

Magnetic properties of planar nanowire arrays of Co fabricated on oxidized step-bunched silicon templates.

Planar nanowire (NW) arrays of Co grown on oxidized step-bunched Si(111) templates exhibit room temperature ferromagnetic behaviour for wire widths down to 25 nm. Temperature and thickness dependent magnetization studies on these polycrystalline NW arrays show that the magnetic anisotropy of the NW array is dominated by shape anisotropy, which keeps the magnetization in-plane with easy axis parallel to the wires. This shape related uniaxial anisotropy is preserved even at low temperatures (10 K). Thickness dependent studies reveal that the magnetization reversal is governed by the curling mode reversal for thick wires whereas thinner wires exhibit a more complex behaviour which is related to thermal effects and size distribution of the crystal grains that constitute the NWs.

Feto-placental adaptations to maternal obesity in the baboon.

Maternal obesity is present in 20-34% of pregnant women and has been associated with both intrauterine growth restriction and large-for-gestational age fetuses. While fetal and placental functions have been extensively studied in the baboon, no data are available on the effect of maternal obesity on placental structure and function in this species. We hypothesize that maternal obesity in the baboon is associated with a maternal inflammatory state and induces structural and functional changes in the placenta. The major findings of this study were: 1) decreased placental syncytiotrophoblast amplification factor, intact syncytiotrophoblast endoplasmic reticulum structure and decreased system A placental amino acid transport in obese animals; 2) fetal serum amino acid composition and mononuclear cells (PBMC) transcriptome were different in fetuses from obese compared with non-obese animals; and 3) maternal obesity in humans and baboons is similar in regard to increased placental and adipose tissue macrophage infiltration, increased CD14 expression in maternal PBMC and maternal hyperleptinemia. In summary, these data demonstrate that in obese baboons in the absence of increased fetal weight, placental and fetal phenotype are consistent with those described for large-for-gestational age human fetuses.

Impact of COPD severity on physical disability and daily living activities: EDIP-EPOC I and EDIP-EPOC II studies.

AIMS: The severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is associated to patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL). Physical impairment increasingly affects daily activities creating economic, social and personal burden for patients and their families. This burden should be considered in the management of COPD patients; therefore, we intended to assess the impact of the disease severity on physical disability and daily activities. METHODS: Two epidemiological observational cross-sectional descriptive studies were carried out in 1596 patients with moderate COPD and 2012 patients with severe or very severe COPD in the routine clinical practice. Demographic and basic clinical-epidemiological data were collected and patients completed questionnaires to assess their physical disability because of COPD [Medical Research Council (MRC)], COPD repercussion on daily activities [London Chest Activity of Daily Living (LCADL)], job, economy and family habits and their health status [EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS)]. RESULTS: In all, 37% of severe/very severe COPD patients and 10% of moderate (p < 0.0001) had MRC grades 4 and 5. Mean global LCADL was significantly higher in severe/very severe than in moderate patients [29.6 (CI 95%: 28.91-30.25) vs. 21.4 (CI 95%: 20.8-21.9); p < 0.0001]. COPD job impact and economic and family habits repercussions were significantly higher and health status significantly worse in severe/very severe cases than in patients with moderate COPD. CONCLUSIONS: COPD severity is highly associated with physical disability by MRC grading, with functionality on daily activities and with impairment of other social and clinical activities. Moderate COPD patients show already a significant degree of impairment in all these parameters.

Factores de riesgo de rehospitalización en pacientes ingresados por exacerbación de EPOC / No disponible

Objetivo: Identificar los factores predisponentes de futuros reingresas hospitalarios en los pacientes con EPOC, tras el alta hospitalaria por una agudización de su enfermedad. Material y métodos: Se trata de un estudio descriptivo y observacional. Se incluyeron pacientes que ingresaron con el diagnóstico de EPOC reagudizada. Se recogieron los antecedentes personales, las características clínicas, los resultados de las pruebas complementarias y el tratamiento pautado. Al alta se les siguió durante un periodo de 6 meses, evaluando el número de reingresos hospitalarios durante dicho periodo. Resultados: Se evaluaron 41 pacientes, 39 varones (95,1 %) y 2 mujeres (4,9%), con una edad media de 65,8+- 14,6 años y un valor medio de FEVI de 38,2+- 15,6%. De ellos, 12 eran fumadores activos (29,3%) y 29 exfumadores (70,7%). El número medio de hospitalizaciones en el año previo fue de 2,3 +- 2.3. Las patologías acompañantes más frecuentes fueron la cardiopatía isquémica (24,4%) y la diabetes mellitus (22%). Los tratamientos más comúnmente usados antes del ingreso fueron los agonistas beta~2 adrenérgicos de larga duración (87,8%) y los anticolinérgicos de acción prolongada (65,9%). Además, 18 enfermos (43,9%) seguían tratamiento con oxigenoterapia domiciliaria antes de ingresar. Respecto al tratamiento farmacológico pautado al alta, cabe destacar que al 85,4% de los enfermos se les pautó corticoides inhalados y al 56,1% corticoides orales. En relación con los reingresas hospitalarios, 14 enfermos (34,1 %) fueron nuevamente ingresados en los 6 meses posteriores al alta. En el análisis univariante se comprobó que los factores relacionados con el reingreso hospitalario fueron el número de hospitalizaciones en el año previo, la existencia de al menos una patología asociada, el tratamiento previo con oxigenoterapia, el grado de disnea al finalizar el ingreso y el tratamiento con corticoides orales al alta (p>0,05). Sin embargo en el análisis multivariante se observó que, de todos ellos, sólo la prescripción de corticoides orales al alta constituía un factor determinante independiente de rehospitalización en estos pacientes (p<0,05). Conclusiones: La prescripción de corticoides orales al alta es un factor predictivo independiente de la probabilidad de ingreso en los 6 meses siguientes al alta. Se necesitan nuevos estudios, con mayor número de pacientes y un tiempo de seguimiento más largo, para establecer la verdadera influencia de otros factores (AU)

Objective: Identify the predisposing factors of future hospital re-admissions in patients with COPD after hospital discharge due lo worsening of their disease. Material and methods: This is a descriptive and observational study. Patients admitted with the diagnosis of worsened COPD were included. Personal backgrounds, clinical characteristics, results of the complementary tests and treatment prescribed were collected. They were followed-up after discharge for a 6-month period, evaluating the number of re-admissions during that period. Results: A total of 41 patients, 39 men (95.1%) and 2 women (4.9%), with a mean age of65.8+- 14.6 years and mean value of FEVI of 38.2+- 15.6% were evaluated. Twelve of them were active smokers (29.3%) and 29 ex-smoker (70.7%). Mean number of hospitalizations during the previous year was 2.3 +- 2.3. The most frequent accompanying diseases were ischemic heart disease (24.4%) and diabetes mellitus (22%). The most commonly used treatments prior to admission were long-acting beta-2 adrenergic agonists (87.8%) and long-acting anticholinergics (65.9%). In addition, 18 patients (43.9%) were treated with home oxygen therapy before admission. Regarding drug treatment prescribed on discharge, it stands out that 85.4% of the patients were prescribed inhaled corticosteroids and 56.1% oral corticosteroids. Regarding hospital readmissions, 14 patients (34.1%) were readmitted during the six months following discharge. In the univariate analysis, it was verified that the factors related with hospital readmission were the number of hospitalizations in the previous year, existence of at least one associated disease, previous treatment with oxygen therapy, degree of dyspnea at the end of the hospitalization and treatment with oral corticosteroids on discharge (p>0.05). However, the multivariate analysis showed that out of all of these, only the prescription of oral corticosteroids on discharge was a determining independent factor in rehospitalization in these patients (p<0.05). Conclusions: Prescription of oral corticosteroids on discharge is an independent predictive factor of the like-lihood of admission during the six months following discharge. New studies are needed with a larger number of patients and longer follow-up time to establish the true influence of other factors (AU)

Fístula traqueoesofágica / Tracheoesophageal fistula

No disponible

Moderate maternal nutrient restriction, but not glucocorticoid administration, leads to placental morphological changes in the baboon (Papio sp.).

The aims of the present study were to describe the ontogeny of spatial relationships between placental components in baboons and to investigate alterations in these indices following (1) moderate maternal nutrient restriction and (2) administration of glucocorticoids to pregnant baboons. We investigated the effects of glucocorticoids since they have been shown to play a role in the altered fetal growth that accompanies maternal nutrient restriction. Glucocorticoids are also given to pregnant women who threaten premature labor to accelerate fetal lung maturation. A third aim was to compare our findings to those in similar conditions in human pregnancy. Volumetric placental development in the baboon was similar to that in the human, although growth of fetal capillaries was slower over the second half of gestation in baboon than in human placentas. Intervillous space (IVS) and villous star volumes were halved at the end of gestation compared to the middle of gestation, as described in the human placenta. When mothers were fed 70% of feed eaten by controls fed ad libitum, placental volumetric structure was unchanged at mid-gestation but was altered by the end of gestation when placental weight, but not fetal weight or length, was decreased. At the end of gestation villous volume and surface area, capillary surface area, and the villous isomorphic coefficient were all decreased, In contrast, IVS hydraulic diameter was increased. All parameters were similar in pregnancies with male and female fetuses, with the exception of fetal capillary volume, which was unchanged in pooled samples and those from male fetuses, but decreased in pregnancies with female fetuses. Glucocorticoid administration during the second half of gestation did not produce any changes in the measured indices of placental composition. In summary, these changes in placental structure, associated with maternal nutrient restriction, would all act to decrease placental transport of nutrients. The influence of MNR on villous capillarization depends on fetal gender.