Prenatal diagnosis of inborn errors in peroxisomal β-oxidation

In recent years, an increasing number of inherited diseases in man have been recognized in which there is an impairment in the peroxisomal β-oxidation of very-long-chain fatty acids. In general, these disorders are associated with severe neurological and physical abnormalities and death within the first years of life. In this paper we describe our experience with regard to the prenatal diagnosis of a number of different inborn errors of peroxisomal β-oxidation. Eleven pregnancies at risk were monitored by measuring very-long-chain fatty acid levels as well as very-long-chain fatty acid β-oxidation in cultured chorionic villous fibroblasts and/or amniotic fluid cells. Five affected fetuses were identified. It is concluded that prenatal diagnosis in this group of diseases can be done reliably using cultured chorionic villous fibroblasts or amniotic fluid cells.     

Online-Patentrecherchen — schnelle Antworten auf kritische Fragen

Online searching in publically available patent files opens up interesting possibilities to provide a rapid response to critical questions. A computerized analysis of all patents of leading German pharmaceutical companies over the last decade in important indication areas is described. Supported by subsequent manual processing of individual patents it is shown that duplicate experiments on animals practically never occur.     

Assessing the impact of pesticides on the environment

Pesticide use in agriculture can cause undesirable effects on humans and the natural environment. One of the objectives of integrated agriculture is the elimination or reduction of possible sources of environmental pollution such as pesticides. To achieve this objective, farmers need a method to assist them in estimating the environmental impact of pesticide use. This paper addresses a two-part question: what factors should be taken into consideration to assess pesticide environmental impact, and how can impact be quantified? As the environmental impact of a pesticide depends on its dispersion in the environment and on its toxicological properties, the literature on these topics is reviewed to address the first part of the question. To address the second part of the question, six recent approaches to assess the impact of pesticides on the environment are compared regarding choice, transformation and aggregation of input parameters. The use of simulation models to assess environmental impact is discussed.