title: Earthquake distresses reproductive function but not fetal development in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is well known that earthquake severely threatens life-safety and physical damage. However, the empirical literature on the effects of nature disasters such as earthquake on the reproductive outcomes is limited.
  
  
  METHODS
  On May 12th, 2008, a massive 8.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Wenchuan, a city 92 km away from our animal facility [National Chengdu Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs (NCCSED)]. To investigate whether this tremendous earthquake exerted adverse effects on the reproductive and developmental functions in Sprague-Dawley rats, we collected some relevant data from reproductive toxicity studies around the earthquake, and compared them with the background data, which were gathered before and after the earthquake. Copulation ratio, gestation ratio, and fertility of female rats, as well as uterine and fetal morphology, were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our data demonstrated that the Wenchuan earthquake significantly decreased the copulation and gestation ratio, although it did not exhibit obvious side effects on some other reproductive and developmental parameters.
authors.affiliation: National Chengdu Center for Safety Evaluation of Drugs, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Haidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Zike
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Hanrong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Hongxia
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002681:China; D003307:Copulation; D055866:Earthquakes; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009928:Organ Specificity; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012098:Reproduction / Q000502:physiology