The placenta never fails to amaze. The conventions that we take for granted as required for the normal formation and function of other organs are often flouted by placental trophoblasts, the ...

In the human placenta, there are placental villi, and the surface of the villi consists of syncytiotrophoblast, also called barrier cells, that serve as the main barrier against foreign substances.

Using the very latest wide-bore magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning equipment at the University of Nottingham experts found differences in blood flow to the placenta in healthy and pre-eclampsia ...