Publications

Book Review - Scholarly Journals--Published

  •     Ducsay,C.A., Mlynarczyk M., Kaushal K.M., Hyatt, K., Hanson K., Myers,D.A. Long term hypoxia enhances ACTH response to arginine vasopressin but not corticotropin releasing hormone in the near term ovine fetus. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2009 297, R892-9.   (09/2009)
  •    Monau, T., V. Vargas, N. King, S.M. Yellon, D.A. Myers and C. A. Ducsay. Long-term hypoxia increases endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression in the ovine fetal adrenal. 2009, Reproductive Sciences 16, 865-74.   (04/2009)
  •    Root, B., Abrassart, J., Myers, D.A., Monau, T., and Ducsay, C.A. Expression and distribution of glucocorticoid receptors in the ovine fetal adrenal cortex: Effect of long term hypoxia. Reproductive Sciences 2008, 15-517-28.   (06/2008)
  •  Myers,D.A., Hanson K., Mlynarczyk M., Kaushal K.M. and Ducsay C.A. Long term hypoxia modulates expression of key genes regulating white adipose tissue function in the late gestation ovine fetus. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2008 Apr;294(4):R1312-8)   (04/2008)
  •        Ducsay, C.A., Hyatt, K., Mlynarczyk, M., Root, B.K., Kaushal, K.M. and Myers, D.A. Long term hypoxia modulates expression of key genes regulating adrenomedullary function in the late gestation ovine fetus. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 2007 Nov;293(5):R1997-2005.   (11/2007)

Scholarly Journals--Published

  •      Ducsay CA, K Hyatt, M Mlynarczyk, KM Kaushal and DA Myers. Long term hypoxia increases leptin receptors and plasma leptin concentrations in the late gestation ovine fetus. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2006 Nov;291(5):R1406-13.    (11/2006)
  • 1. Myers D, I. Bird, M. Mlynarczyk and C.A. Ducsay. "Long term hypoxia represses the expression of key genes regulating cortisol biosynthesis in the near term ovine fetus." Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 289. (2005): R1707-R1714. (12/2005)
  • Bae S, Gilbert RD, Ducsay CA, Zhang L. "Prenatal cocaine exposure increases heart susceptibility to ischaemia-reperfusion injury in adult male but not female rats." J Physiol 565.1 (2005): 149-158. The present study tested the hypothesis that prenatal cocaine exposure differentially regulates heart susceptibility to ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury in adult offspring male and female rats. Pregnant rats were administered intraperitoneally either saline or cocaine (15 mg kg(-1)) twice daily from day 15 to day 21 of gestational age. There were no differences in maternal weight gain and birth weight between the two groups. Hearts were isolated from 2-month-old male and female offspring and were subjected to I/R (25 min/60 min) in a Langendorff preparation. Preischaemic values of left ventricular (LV) function were the same between the saline control and cocaine-treated hearts for both male and female rats. Prenatal cocaine exposure significantly increased I/R-induced myocardial apoptosis and infarct size, and significantly attenuated the postischaemic recovery of LV function in adult male offspring. In contrast, cocaine did not affect I/R-induced injury and postischaemic recovery of LV function in the female hearts. There was a significant decrease in PKCepsilon and phospho-PKCepsilon levels in LV in the male, but not female, offspring exposed to cocaine before birth. These results suggest that prenatal cocaine exposure causes a sex-specific increase in heart susceptibility to I/R injury in adult male offspring, and the decreased PKCepsilon gene expression in the male heart may play an important role. (05/2005)
  • Myers DA, Bell PA, Hyatt K, Mlynarczyk M, Ducsay CA. "Long-term hypoxia enhances proopiomelanocortin processing in the near-term ovine fetus." Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 288.5 (2005): R1178-R1184. Secondary stressors in long-term hypoxic (LTH) fetal sheep lead to altered function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Although ACTH is considered the primary mediator of glucocorticoid production in fetal sheep, proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and 22-kDa pro-ACTH (22-kDa ACTH) have been implicated in the regulation of cortisol production in the ovine fetus. This study was designed to determine whether POMC expression and processing are altered after LTH. Pregnant ewes were maintained at high altitude (3,820 m) from day 30 of gestation to near term, when the animals were transported to the laboratory. Reduced Po2 was maintained by nitrogen infusion through a maternal tracheal catheter. On days 139-141, fetal anterior pituitaries were collected from normoxic control and LTH fetuses. We measured POMC and corticotrophin-releasing factor type 1 receptor (CRF1-R) mRNA using quantitative real-time PCR, and we used Western blot analysis for quantitation of ACTH, ACTH precursor, and CRF1-R proteins. We measured plasma ACTH1-39 using a two-site immunoradiometric assay specific for ACTH1-39. Plasma ACTH precursors were measured by ELISA. Anterior pituitary POMC mRNA levels were not different between groups, whereas CRF1-R levels were significantly higher in the LTH anterior pituitaries compared with control (P (05/2005)
  • Adachi K, Umezaki H, Kaushal KM, Ducsay, CA. . "Long-term hypoxia alters ovine fetal endocrine and physiological responses to hypotension." Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 287.1 (2004): R209-R217. Exposure to long-term hypoxia (LTH) results in altered cortisol responses in the ovine fetus. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that LTH alters adrenal responsiveness to fetal hypotension. Pregnant ewes were maintained at high altitude (3,820 meters) from day 30 of gestation. Normoxic control and LTH fetuses were catheterized on day 132 of gestation. In the LTH group, maternal Po(2) was maintained comparable to that observed at altitude ( approximately 60 mmHg) by nitrogen infusion through a tracheal catheter. On day 137, fetuses received a 5-h saline infusion followed by infusion of sodium nitroprusside to reduce fetal arterial pressure by 30-35% for 10 min. The study was repeated on day 139 of gestation with a continuous cortisol infusion (10 microg/min). Hypothalamic and pituitary tissues were collected from additional fetuses for assessment of glucocorticoid receptors. During the saline infusion in response to hypotension, plasma ACTH increased over preinfusion mean values in both groups (P < 0.05). Plasma cortisol concentrations increased in both groups concomitant with increased ACTH secretion. However, peak values in the LTH fetuses were significantly higher compared with controls (P < 0.05). During the cortisol infusion, the ACTH response was eliminated in both groups, with ACTH levels significantly lower in the LTH group (P < 0.05). Glucocorticoid receptor binding was not different between groups. These results demonstrate an enhanced cortisol response to hypotension in LTH fetuses that does not appear to be the result of an increase in negative feedback sensitivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. (07/2004)

Abstract

  • (PEER REVIEWED) T Arakawa and CA Ducsay. "Long term hypoxia during pregnancy enhances BK channel activity in sheep myometrium." J Soc Gynecol Invest 13. (2006): 248A-248-A. (02/2006)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) 2. DA Myers, K Hyatt, M Mlynarczyk and CA Ducsay. "Long term hypoxia alters expression of nicotinic and muscarinic receptors in the adrenal medulla in the late gestation ovine fetus." J. Soc Gynecol Invest 13. (2006): 73A-. (02/2006)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Vargas V, TR Monau, K Kaushal and CA Ducsay. ". Long term hypoxia enhances ACTH-induced cortisol secretion in the near term ovine fetal adrenal in vitro." Biology of Reproduction .51 (2006): -51. (01/2006)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) 4. CA Ducsay, K Hyatt, M Mlynarczyk, RD Gilbert and DA Myers. "Effect of a selective Type 1 corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) receptor antagonist (antalarmin) on the ACTH precursor response to hypotension in control and long term hypoxic sheep fetuses." J Soc Gynecol Invest 13. (2006): 302A-302A. (01/2006)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) 1. CA Ducsay, M Mlynarczyk, L Bellmore, V Vargas and K M Kaushal. "Maternal dietary protein restriction during pregnancy and Myometrial OT and AVP receptor protein expression in the near term mouse." Society for Gynecologic Investigation 1st International Congress on Preterm Labor . (2005): -. (09/2005)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Vargas, V., L.R. Bellmore, M. Mlynarczyk, C. Gheorge, L.D. Longo, C.A. Ducsay. "Maternal protein deprivation during pregnancy enhances myometrial contractile responses in near term pregnant mice.." Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation-Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting,Los Angeles, CA 12.2 (2005): 140A-140A. (02/2005)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Myers, D.A., K. Hyatt, M. Mlynarczyk, K. M. Kaushal, C.A. Ducsay. "Ducsay. Long term hypoxia increases plasma leptin concentrations in the late gestation ovine fetus." Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation-Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting,Los Angeles, CA 12.2(Supplement) (2005): 125A-125A. (02/2005)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Myers, D.A., K. Hyatt, M. Mlynarczyk, C.A. Ducsay. "Hypothalamic and adrenal leptin receptor isoforms in the ovine fetus: Effects of long term hypoxia." Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation-Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting,Los Angeles, CA 12.2(Supplement) (2005): 124A-124A. (02/2005)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Myers, D.A., K. Hyatt, C.A. Ducsay. "Transcription factors SF-1, DAX-1 and COUPR-TF 1&2 do not appear to regulate long term hypoxia-induced changes in fetal adrenal steroidogenesis." Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation-Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting,Los Angeles, CA 12.2(Supplement) (2005): 124A-124A. (02/2005)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Ducsay, C.A., K. Hyatt, K. M. Kaushal, M. Mlynarczyk, D.A. Myers. "Long term hypoxia suppresses expression of adrenomedullary catecholamine biosynthetic enzymes in the late gestation ovine fetus." Journal of the Society for Gynecologic Investigation-Proceedings of the 52nd Annual Meeting,Los Angeles, CA 12.2(Supplement) (2005): 123A-123A. (02/2005)
  • (PEER REVIEWED) Ducsay, C.A., P. Bell, M. Mlynarczyk, D.A. Myers. ". Long term hypoxia (LTH) enhances proopiomelanocortin processing in the near term ovine fetus." Proceedings of the 31st Annual Meeting of the Fetal and Neonatal Physiologic Society, Siena, Italy . (2004): 56-56. (09/2004)