Support for Barker hypothesis upheld in rat model of maternal undernutrition during the preimplantation period: application of integrated 'random effects' statistical model.

In response to a recent paper published in Reproductive BioMedicine Online by Walters and Edwards (2003), this study reports the application of a random effects regression analysis for evaluation of integrated data involving maternal and embryo/offspring components. Using this method, it is possible to confirm the conclusions of an earlier study that rat maternal undernutrition during the preimplantation period results in blastocyst cell number reduction and post-natal outcomes, including altered growth rates and elevated blood pressure.