Evaluation of maternal serum dimeric inhibin a as a first-trimester marker of down's syndrome

While second-trimester prenatal screening programmes for Down's syndrome have become established in prenatal care, it would be advantageous to be able to offer screening in earlier preganancy. To this end, we have evaluated a new potential maternal serum marker, dimeric inhibin A, as a possible first-trimester marker. Dimeric inhibin A was measured in propsectively collected maternal serum from 23 cases of Down's syndrome and matched chromosomally normal controls, at 11–13 weeks' gestation. Levels of this protein were significantly elevated in the Down's pregnancies compared with the control pregnancies. The median multiple of the normal median (MOM) for the Down's samples was 2.46 (95 per cent confidence interval: 2.11–3.26, P<0.0001 vs. controls). These results suggest that dimeric inhibin A is a useful discriminator of Down's-affected pregnancies from normal pregnancies in the first trimester and that sensitive screening in combination with maternal age and other possible markers may be practicable in the first trimester.     

Determining short chain fatty acids in sewage sludge hydrolysate：A comparison of three analytical methods and investigation of sample storage effects

In anaerobic digestion, the production of short-chain fatty acids （SCFAs） can be beneficial or harmful to the overall process, depending on the concentration of accumulated acids. Therefore, the accurate determination of the SCFA concentration in both fresh and stored sludge hydrolysates is important. To select a suitable method for monitoring SCFAs during the anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge, the accuracy of three available analytical methods, including 5 pH point acid titration （TITRA5）, gas chromatography （GC）, and spectrophotometry, were compared in the present study. The results revealed that TITRA5 and GC displayed better agreement in the achieved measurements and higher precision and accuracy than the spectrophotometric assay, as supported by the application of different statistical models. TITRA5 excelled in titrating unfiltered hydrolysate while simultaneously measuring the alkalinity, whereas the GC method provided detailed information on the contribution of different fatty acids to the total acidity. In contrast, the spectrophotometric assay suffered from many forms of interference, depending on the sample＇s matrix. SCFA production followed the pattern of enzymatic reactions and fitted the Michaelis-Menten model. In addition to promoting TITRA5 as an accurate and robust analytical tool for routine SCFA analyses, this comparative study also demonstrated the possibility of storing hydrolysate samples at different temperatures and durations without altering the SCFA measurements.     

Maternal serum levels of dimeric inhibin A in pregnancies affected by trisomy 21 in the first trimester

Dimeric inhibin A was measured in maternal serum samples from 45 pregnancies affected by trisomy 21 and 493 samples from unaffected pregnancies at 10–14 weeks of gestation. Inhibin A levels in affected pregnancies were compared with levels of free β-hCG and PAPP-A in the same series. In the trisomy 21 group, the median multiple of the median (MoM) inhibin A was not significantly elevated (1.28 vs 1.00) with only 15.5% being above the 95th centile. In contrast, the median MoM free β-hCG was significantly increased (2.05 vs 1.00) with 36% above the 95th centile and PAPP-A was significantly reduced (0.49 vs 1.00) with 42% below the 5th centile. Inhibin A levels in the trisomy 21 group were significantly correlated with gestational age such that median levels rose from 1.04 at 11 weeks to 1.30 at 12 weeks and 1.67 at 13 weeks. These findings suggest that first trimester biochemical screening for trisomy 21, which is currently optimised using maternal serum free β-hCG and PAPP-A and fetal nuchal translucency, will not benefit from the inclusion of inhibin A. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

水环境中微囊藻毒素研究进展

随着水体污染和富营养化进程的加剧,淡水水华暴发的频率和强度亦趋严重,笔者综述了有毒水华发生过程中释放的主要次级代谢物——微囊藻毒素的研究现状。该毒素是一类具有多种异构体的环状多肽物质。由于其毒性大、分布广、结构稳定,从而成为水环境中的潜在危害物质。对微囊藻毒素的产生、迁移及转化途径的研究已成为关注热点。微囊藻毒素作为安全性评价的风险因子,其分析方法主要有液相色谱和酶联免疫法等。为改善水源水质,逐步发展了包括物理、化学、生物等手段的控制方法。在总结国内外研究的基础上,根据我国实情,提出了微囊藻毒素在大型富营养化湖泊治理中的研究内容和方向。      

Prenatal interphase FISH diagnosis of PLP1 duplication associated with Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease

A submicroscopic genomic duplication in Xq22.2 that contains the entire proteolipid protein 1 gene (PLP1) is responsible for the majority of Pelizaeus–Merzbacher disease (PMD) patients. We previously developed an interphase FISH assay to screen for PLP1 duplications in PMD patients using peripheral blood and lymphoblastoid cell lines. This assay has been utilized as a clinical diagnostic test in our cytogenetics laboratory. To expand usage of the interphase FISH assay to prenatal diagnosis of PLP1 duplications, we examined three PMD families with PLP1 duplications utilizing aminiotic fluid samples. In two families the FISH assay revealed fetuses with PLP1 duplications, whereas the other fetus showed a normal copy number of PLP1. Haplotype analyses, as well as an additional FISH analysis using postnatal blood samples, confirmed the results of the prenatal analyses. Our study demonstrates utility of the interphase FISH assay in the prenatal diagnosis of PLP1 duplications in PMD. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dechloranes exhibit binding potency and activity to thyroid hormone receptors

Dechloranes are a group of halogenated flame retardants with a basic bicyclo[2.2.1]heptene, including Dechlorane Plus(DP), Dechlorane 602(Dec 602), Dechlorane 603(Dec 603) and Dechlorane 604(Dec 604). A few epidemiological investigations and animal experiments have shown that DP exhibited thyroid-interfering effects. In the present study, we investigated whether DP and three other dechloranes could interfere the thyroid function through thyroid hormone receptors(TRs, TR α and TR β) signaling pat...     

Maternal serum inhibin levels in second-trimester down's syndrome pregnancies

Maternal serum inhibin levels were measured in 19 second-trimester pregnancies affected by fetal Down's syndrome and 95 unaffected control pregnancies matched for gestational age. A statistically significant elevation was found in the affected pregnancies compared with the controls (Wilcoxon rank sum test: one-tail P=0·02). The median level in the cases was 1·3 times that in the controls, with 95 per cent confidence limits of 0·9–1·9. Although the inhibin levels were unrelated to those of alpha-fetoprotein and unconjugated oestriol in the same samples, there was a statistically significant correlation with human chorionic gonadotropin. This together with the relatively small elevation in cases suggests that inhibin would be of limited value in maternal serum screening for Down's syndrome.     

基于脱氧核酶的水中铀酰离子荧光检测方法研究

为了实现对于水中铀酰离子的快速灵敏检测,本研究基于脱氧核酶(DNAzyme)对铀酰离子的高特异识别能力及荧光共振能量转移(FRET)的信号产生原理,建立了铀酰离子的荧光检测方法.结果发现,在铀酰离子存在的条件下,两端分别标记荧光基团和淬灭基团的底物链被标记淬灭基团的酶链特异性切断,释放标记荧光基团的底物链片段,使得体系的荧光信号强度得到提高.通过底物链与酶链的比例、浓度及反应时间的优化,提高了检测方法的灵敏性,结果显示,本方法对于铀酰离子的检测限可达到0.7 nmol·L~(-1)(3S/N),并在4~20 nmol·L~(-1)之间保持良好的线性检测范围,整个检测过程仅需6 min即可完成.本检测方法具有良好的选择性,常见的金属离子铜、铅、汞、砷、镁、钙等对于检测结果无明显干扰作用.对清华大学饮用水及自来水的加标回收率实验结果显示,加标回收率分别为98.0%~107.8%和90.0%~108.0%.本研究为今后铀酰离子在实际环境水体中的检测奠定了基础.     

粉煤灰对污泥堆肥过程和土地施用后交换态重金属（Cu，Zn，Pb）的影响

以粉煤灰作为污泥的重金属稳定剂,通过研究污泥堆肥过程及堆肥产物施入土壤后的交换态Cu、Zn、Pb含量的变化情况,全过程分析钝化重金属在好氧堆肥过程中及土地施用后的吸附-解吸动态变化.结果表明,堆肥过程本身对污泥中Cu具有一定活化效应,而对Zn、Pb则产生钝化作用;粉煤灰对Zn和Pb的钝化效果较为显著,与堆肥原料相比降幅分别为62.47％和92.61％,而Cu的含量基本无变化.尽管不同重金属在不同土壤类型中的钝化-活化行为各异,但总体上土壤中累计施加污泥堆肥产物所导致的重金属富集效应较为明显.     

Genotoxicity evaluation and a primary risk assessment of organic pollutants in the drinking water sources of Nanjing, China

An increasing number of industrial, agricultural, and commercial chemicals in the aquatic environment leads to various deleterious effects on organisms, which is becoming an increasingly serious problem in China. In this study, the comet assay was conducted to investigate the genotoxicity to human body caused by organic concentrates in the drinking water sources of Nanjing City from Yangtze River of China, and health and ecology risk due to expose to these organic pollutants were evaluated with the multimedia environmental assessment system （MEAS）. For all the water samples, they were collected from four different locations in the drinking water sourcr samples, es of Nanjing City. The results of the comet assay showed that all the organic concentrates from the water samples could induce different levels DNA damages on human peripheral blood lymphocytes, and a statistically significant difference （p〈0.01） was observed compared with the solvent control, which demonstrated the genotoxicity was in existence. According to the ambient severity （AS） of individual compound, we had sorted out the main organic pollutants in the drinking water source of the four waterworks, and the results showed that there was some potential hazard to human body for all the source water, namely the total ambient severity （TAS） of health for each water source was more than 1. However, the TAS of ecology for each water source was less than 1, which indicated that it was safe to ecology. The results of this investigation demonstrate the application of the comet assay and the MEAS in aquatic environmental monitoring studies, and the comet assay found to be fast, sensitive, and suitable for genotoxicity monitoring programs of drinking water source.     

Response of soil catalase activity to chromium contamination

The impact of chromium(III) and (VI) forms on soil catalase activity was presented. The Orthic Podzol, Haplic Phaeozem and Mollic Gleysol from di erent depths were used in the experiment. The soil samples were amended with solution of Cr(III) using CrCl3, and with Cr(VI) using K2Cr2O7 in the concentration range from 0 to 20 mg/kg, whereas the samples without the addition of chromium served as control. Catalase activity was assayed by one of the commonly used spectrophotometric methods. As it was demonstrated in the experiment, both Cr(III) and Cr(VI) have an ability to reduce soil catalase activity. A chromium dosage of 20 mg/kg caused the inhibition of catalase activity and the corresponding contamination levels ranged from 75% to 92% for Cr(III) and 68% to 76% for Cr(VI), with relation to the control. Catalase activity reached maximum in the soil material from surface layers (0–25 cm), typically characterized by the highest content of organic matter creating favorable conditions for microorganisms.     

S-100 protein and neuron-specific enolase in amniotic fluid as markers of abdominal wall and neural tube defects in the fetus

The aim of this study was to determine whether there is increased leakage of neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and S-100 protein into amniotic fluid in pregnancies with neural tube defects, since both these proteins are produced by neural tissue, and to compare the value of these substances for detecting such defects with that of the more conventional techniques of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) gel electrophoresis. Amniotic samples from 25 mid-pregnancies (15–17 weeks' gestation) with neural tube defects (14 with open spina bifida and 11 with anencephaly) and from seven mid-pregnancies with abdominal wall defects were compared with a control material consisting of 80 amniotic fluid samples from 80 consecutive mid-pregnancy amniocenteses, with normal karyotypes and AFP concentrations. All of the above cases of abnormalities were primarily detected through increased AFP levels in the amniotic fluid. Amniotic fluid samples from 13 pregnancies with fetuses with autosomal chromosomal abnormalities and seven amniotic fluid samples contaminated with blood were also included in the investigation. It is concluded from the results that the conventional AFP assay combined with AChE gel electrophoresis is the best method for screening amniotic fluid for neural tube defects and defects of the abdominal wall. Neither NSE nor S-100 assay alone proved to be superior for the detection of these cases in mid-trimester amniotic fluid. The S-100 assay, however, could give additional information in cases where AChE gel electrophoresis is not decisive; for example, in samples contaminated with blood.     

The effect of thermal instability of intact human chorionic gonadotropin (ihcg) on the application of its free β-subunit (free βhcg) as a serum marker in down syndrome screening

The kinetics of free βhCG concentrations were measured in 30 maternal whole blood samples from second-trimester pregnancies during 72 h incubation at 3, 20, and 30°C. Dissociation of intact hCG (ihCG) was undetectable at 3°C and produced a more than 20 per cent increase of free βhCG at 20°C and a more than 100 per cent increase at 30°C. hCG dissociation at 30°C was not reduced by a protease inhibitor (sodium iodoacetate) and also occurred in purified hCG dissolved in a protease-free incubation medium. These results were reproduced under conditions of sample transport by post at different environmental temperatures. In conclusion, reliable free βhCG assessment requires that the specimen be kept cool from vene puncture until assay or completely other transport strategies have to be considered. Evaluation of free βhCG as an effective marker in prenatal Down syndrome screening must be reconsidered from this aspect.     

云南省环境库兹涅茨特征研究

根据云南省1985~2003年历年环境污染指标的统计数据和历年人均GDP统计数据,对人均GDP与环境污染(工业"三废"排放量)作相关分析,建立两者之间的计量模型,并在此基础上分析工业"三废"排放量与人均GDP增长的关系。经研究发现,云南省经济增长与环境污染基本符合环境库兹涅茨曲线,人均GDP与工业废水排放量曲线和人均GDP与工业固体废弃物排放量曲线均已处于倒U型曲线的右半段,并随人均GDP的增长而呈下降趋势,曲线走势良好;人均GDP与工业废气排放量曲线则处于倒U型曲线的左半段,且尚未达到转折点,随着经济的增长,工业废气排放量将呈上升趋势。但从总体而言,云南省工业环境状况总体上呈逐步好转趋势。     

A preliminary study on the characteristics of fogwater in the masson pine forest in Chongqing, China

The masson pine (Pinns massoniana Lamb.) forest of 2000 ha situated on Nanshan, the south bank of the Yangtze River near Chongqing, China. From 1982, some trees began to die. Since then, half of the trees have died and the whole forest is in danger. Prom November 1986 to January 1987, a study dealt with the characteristics of fogwater in that area was carried out, in order to explain the relationship between acid fog and masson pine decline. The results of our study showed that the acid fog might be responsible in part for the decline of the masson pine forest.     

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Gemycircularvirus from Environmental Samples in Brazil

Gemycircularvirus (GemyCV) is a group of viruses which has been recently proposed as a new viral genus detected in fecal and environmental samples around the world. GemyCVs have been detected in human blood, brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, and stool sample. In the present study, we demonstrate for the first time, through molecular detection and characterization, the presence of GemyCVs in environmental samples from Brazil. Our results show a percentage of positivity ranging from 69 (25/36) to 97 % (35/36) in river water samples collected in Manaus, Amazon region, and wastewater from a wastewater treatment plant located in Rio de Janeiro, respectively, revealing GemyCVs as an important environmental contaminant.     

产业结构变化及其生态环境效应——以新疆喀什地区为例

摘要：产业结构是人类作用于生态环境系统的主要环节,产业结构是否合理很大程度上决定了经济效益、资源利用效率和对环境的胁迫。以喀什地区为例,通过计算产业结构的生态环境影响指数,定量评价了20年来喀什地区产业结构变化的生态环境效应。研究结果表明：研究时段内全区的第一产业产值比重持续下降,区域工业化、城市化进程缓慢。20余年来,产业结构变化对生态环境的影响属于中等,且有所降低,产业结构的调整限制了人类活动对自然生态环境的干扰。研究结果对喀什地区经济的发展具有一定的指导意义。     

高浓度铬对凤眼莲的伤害及膜脂过氧化作用的影响

为了初步探讨在高浓度重金属胁迫下凤眼莲(Eichhornia crassipes)的生理变化,通过急性实验法从活性氧伤害角度探讨铬伤害凤眼莲的机理.结果表明,在高浓度(50ppm)铬污染下,凤眼莲叶片中SOD和CAT活性以及叶绿索α的含量明显下降,组织电解质外渗率和MDA含量明显升高,与对照值之间的差异达显著水平(P<0.05);叶片中H_2O_2含量无明显变化.     

Assessment of source water contamination by estrogenic disrupting compounds in China

Detection of estrogenic disrupting compounds (EDCs) in drinking waters around China has led to rising concerns about health risks associated with these compounds. There is, however, a paucity of studies on the occurrence and identification of the main compounds responsible for this pollution in the source waters. To fill this void, we screened estrogenic activities of 23 source water samples from six main river systems in China, using a recombinant two-hybrid yeast assay. All sample extracts induced significant estrogenic activity, with E2 equivalents (EEQ) of raw water ranging from 0.08 to 2.40 ng/L. Additionally, 16 samples were selected for chemical analysis by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The EDCs of most concern, including estrone (E1), 17βup-estradiol (E2), 17αup-ethinylestradiol (EE2), estriol (E3), diethylstilbestrol (DES), estradiol valerate (EV), 4-t-octylphenol (4-t-OP), 4-nonylphenols (4-NP) and bisphenol A (BPA), were determined at concentrations of up to 2.98, 1.07, 2.67, 4.37, 2.52, 1.96, 89.52, 280.19 and 710.65 ng/L, respectively. Causality analysis, involving comparison of EEQ values from yeast assay and chemical analysis identified E2, EE2 and 4-NP as the main responsible compounds, accounting for the whole estrogenic activities (39.74% to 96.68%). The proposed approach using both chemical analysis and yeast assay could be used for the identification and evaluation of EDCs in source waters of China.