Rapid prenatal diagnosis of Patau's syndrome in a fetus with an abdominal wall defect by 72 hour culture of cells from amniotic fluid

A woman in the 32nd week of pregnancy was referred for investigation because of fetal abnormalities, including an abdominal wall defect, detected by ultrasonography. In view of the increased risk of chromosome abnormality, amniocentesis was performed to enable informed decisions about the management of the pregnancy and delivery to be taken. Cells from the liquor were inoculated into standard lymphocyte culture medium and incubated for 72 h. Slides with a high mitotic index and good quality metaphases, comparable to those from a blood culture, were obtained after harvesting. Cytogenetic analysis showed the karyotype to be 46,XY,—14,+t(13ql4q), which is consistent with Patau's syndrome. This technique appears to be an option for rapid karyotyping in cases of abdominal wall defect, where a chromosomal abnormality is suspected.     

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.     

Iniencephaly is not uniformly fatal

Iniencephaly is an uncommon, but not rare, lesion involving a fusion between the posterior occipital bone and the cervical spine. Many cases are associated with other cranio-cervical abnormalities and anencephaly, and most are associated with other structural abnormalities. The prognosis is thought to be dismal. We describe a male infant, one of twins, who was diagnosed prenatally as having iniencephaly. The child was born without complication and has grown and thrived. This is the fourth patient with long-term survival with iniencephaly. We recommend that non-directive counselling be applied when presenting the findings of iniencephaly to parents.     

我国证券市场体制性缺陷与投资风险分析

与国民经济长期高增长相背离,证券市场出现了深幅下跌,投资者承受了巨大的投资风险,究其原因,体制性缺陷是重要因素之一。笔者认为,我国证券市场的体制性缺陷主要表现在市场经济环境不够完备、法律法规体系不十分健全、监管体制不力、证券市场的功能定位扭曲、股权分置问题久拖难决等方面。目前该体制性缺陷是导致我国证券市场长期下跌的重要原因,也给证券投资者带来了巨大的投资风险。只有加快改革、完善法律和监管体制,我国证券市场才能具有投资价值并健康发展。     

Proposing of new building scheme and composite towards global warming mitigation for Malaysia

The building sector has been regarded as a potential sector where there is large capacity to reduce the climate change effect. This study has proposed solutions to mitigate environmental impacts and achieve low CO₂ emission from residential sector. Therefore, full life cycle assessment (LCA) has been run to assess the CO₂ emission and its effect on the atmosphere and climate change. Based on the result, timber scheme is the best choice due to releasing less CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere. However, house builders in Malaysia have almost completely neglected timber as a building material, with timber use as building components reduced to 5%. In this study, LCA Software was used to assess CO₂ emissions from different wall construction. The alternative building scheme has been made by reinforce steel stud, wooden beam and timber wall (S8) to improve the scheme deficiency while releasing less CO₂ emissions compared to other schemes. Therefore, S8 has a decreased CO₂ effect by 85% less than precast concrete frame and 90% less than brick over their lifetime. (S8) increased the load bearing compared to conventional timber beam. Thus, new scheme S8 could be replaced by current scheme and promote more adjustable scheme for Malaysian housing.     

含疏松缺陷的ZL205A合金力学性能研究

目的获取含疏松缺陷ZL205A材料主要力学性能参数的变化规律及力学行为。方法通过单轴拉伸实验测试,采用割线法估算含不同等级疏松ZL205A试样的力学性能参数;基于试样断面及载荷-位移曲线分析,归纳ZL205A材料的力学行为,并通过有限元模拟对假设的力学模型进行验证。结果发现ZL205A材料的抗拉强度、伸长率、弹性模量及屈服强度指标呈现随疏松等级增加而降低的趋势,材料变形塑性屈服阶段不明显且具有脆性断裂特征。结论 Ramberg-Osgood方程适合于描述ZL205A材料的弹塑性本构关系。     

容检规中非圆形缺陷可接受准则的安全裕度

文章以国内典型压力容器用材245R为例，采用GB／T19624~断裂力学评价方法对于《压力容器定期检验规程》表5、表6中的超标非圆形缺陷可接受准则的安全裕度进行评价，评价结果表明其中可接受准则的部分规定不够保守，就此作者给出相关的修改建议。     

1.5t、3t电弧炉烟尘治理

针对1.5 t、3 t电弧炉在烟尘治理时场地狭小的特点,采用可折叠式收尘罩与低压长袋脉冲袋式除尘器技术进行治理.测试表明,系统运行可靠,烟尘治理效果良好,工厂车间环境取得显著改善,岗位粉尘浓度、烟尘排放浓度均达到国家规定的标准.     

Left-sided gastroschisis and bilateral multicystic dysplastic kidneys: a rare combination of anomalies

Left-sided gastroschisis is very rare. We report a case of left-sided gastroschisis associated with bilateral multicystic dysplastic kidneys. This combination of anomalies is unknown. The pathogenesis of gastroschisis is not well understood. It is now viewed as a malformation rather than disruption. The findings in this case support this view. The combination of dysplastic kidneys with ventral body wall defect suggests an early developmental defect. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.