Zur Erfassung von Forschungs- und Entwicklungstätigkeit durch Patente

Although there exists a close causal relationship between R&D and patents the attempt to establish a real connection suffers from certain difficulties. By means of specific methods a correlation between patent applications and R&D expenditure could be achieved at the national economic level. A previously developed concordance between the International Patent Classification and the systematics of sectors of the economy opens the possibility for a more differentiated analysis of the relationship between R&D and patents.     

Atelosteogenesis type II: Sonographic and radiological correlation

Atelosteogenesis type II is a lethal chondrodysplasia characterized by severe micromelia, spinal abnormalities, talipes equinovarus, and abducted thumbs and toes. We present a case diagnosed at 21 weeks of gestation in which antenatal sonographic and post-mortem radiological findings were correlated. The patient had a recurrence of this disorder in a subsequent pregnancy which was terminated at 15 weeks, supporting previous reports of an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. The feasibility of diagnosing the following morphological features by prenatal ultrasonography is demonstrated: coronal clefts of the vertebral bodies, metaphyseal and epiphyseal abnormalities, spinal deviations such as cervical kyphosis and a horizontal sacrum, additional ossification centres in the pelvis, and preaxial deviation of the thumbs and toes. The differential diagnosis of this disorder from other skeletal dysplasias with similar features is discussed.