Textbook of Fetal Physiology

1. Fetal physiology: historical perspectives; 2. Transport functions of the placenta and fetal membranes; 3. Endocrine function of the placenta; 4. Metabolic activity of the placenta; 5. Growth factors in fetal growth; 6. Fetal metabolism and energy balance; 7. Fetal growth and fetal growth retardation; 8. Development of the cardiovascular system; 9. Fetal oxygenation, carbon dioxide homeostasis, an -base balance; 10 d acid . Development of the respiratory system; 11. Fetal lung maturation; 12. Assessment of fetal health; 13. Renal function in the fetus; 14. Fetal fluid balance; 15. Development of the gastrointestinal tract; 16. Ontogeny of gastrointestinal regulatory peptides and their function; 17. The development of the immune system in the fetus; 18. The structural development of the nervous system; 19. Development of somatosensory systems in the fetus; 20. Development of auditory and visual systems in the fetus; 21 Development of the autonomic nervous system including adreno-chromaffin tissue; 22. Development of motor functions in the fetus; 23 Development of skeletal muscle and its innervation; 24. Ontogeny of behavioural states in the fetus; 25. Ontogenesis of biological rhythms; 26. Neuroendocrinology of the fetus; 27. The ontogeny of the pituitary-gonadal axis and sexual differentiation in the human fetus; 28. The function of the fetal pituitary adrenal system; 29. Development of the fetal thyroid system; 30. Calcium and mineral metabolism in the fetus; 31. Development of thermogenisis in the fetus; 32. Maternal adaptation to pregnancy; 33. Myometrial activity during pregnancy and parturition; 34. Regulation of of contraction in uterine smooth muscle; 35. Eicosanoid biosynthesis and its regulation during human pregancy and parturition; 36. The maternal endocrine system during pregnancy and parturition.