Does tissue oxygen during a critical developmental period control the death and survival of photoreceptors?
During a critical period extending approximately from P15 to P22, tissue oxygen levels strongly influence photoreceptor death and survival in dystrophic and normally developing strains of rat. This period is evident in normal development as a period of naturally occurring photoreceptor death and is evident experimentally as a period during which hyperoxia is effective in rescuing dying photoreceptors and during which hypoxia is effective in inducing death of otherwise viable photoreceptors.
Occurring in 17% of infants born with gastroschisis, complex gastroschisis is associated with a significantly increased morbidity and mortality. More research should be focused on this special subgroup of patients, not only on postnatal management, but additionally directing efforts to improve diagnosing and predicting complex gastroschisis prenatally as well as implement any probable fetal intervention to alleviate its disastrous outcome.