Table 2.
Morphometric measurements and cardiomyocyte proliferation and measurements in control and PR fetuses
| Control fetuses | PR fetuses | |
|---|---|---|
| Males:females | 10:6 | 5:6 |
| Age at post mortem (days) | 139.2 ± 0.7 (16) | 139.3 ± 0.5 (11) |
| Body weight at post mortem (kg) | 4.8 ± 0.2 (16) | 2.3 ± 0.2 * (11) |
| Crown rump length (cm) | 56.9 ± 0.7 (16) | 44.1 ± 1.3 * (11) |
| Abdominal circumference (cm) | 38.5 ± 0.8 (16) | 29.1 ± 1.3 * (9) |
| Heart weight (g) | 36.0 ± 1.3 (16) | 18.0 ± 1.2 * (11) |
| Relative heart weight (g kg−1) | 7.6 ± 0.3 (16) | 8.2 ± 0.5 (11) |
| Per cent mononucleated cardiomyocytes (%) | 43.4 ± 1.5 (15) | 57.9 ± 3.5 * (10) |
| Per cent Ki67+ mononucleated cardiomyocytes (%) | 1.7 ± 0.8 (7) | 2.0 ± 0.7 (9) |
| Relative binucleated cardiomyocyte size | ||
| Length/heart weight (μm g−1) | 2.4 ± 0.1 (12) | 4.7 ± 0.3 * (10) |
| Width/heart weight (μm g−1) | 0.3 ± 0.01(12) | 0.6 ± 0.04 * (10) |
| Area/heart weight (μm2 g−1) | 19.2 ± 0.6 (12) | 37.0 ± 3.0 * (10) |
Values are means ± SEM (n).
*
Significant difference between fetal groups (P < 0.05).