If ACTH independent, it is due to the autonomous function of one or both adrenal glands, including adrenal adenomas, adrenocortical carcinomas, and micronodular or macronodular hyperplasia. The clinical manifestations of Cushing's syndrome are protean and reflect the catabolic actions of cortisol on skin, muscle, bone, liver, and fat.
Prior to pregnancy and into much of the third trimester your cervix is long and thick. As labor nears it begins to shorten and thin out. This action is referred to as effacement. Effacement is generally measured in percentages by doctors and midwives.
Esophageal atresia is an abnormality, or birth defect, of the esophagus that occurs early in pregnancy, as the baby is developing. The esophagus forms in the first few months of fetal life as a long, hollow, continuous tube joining the mouth to the stomach.