The predictive value of cytogenetic diagnosis after CVS based on 4860 cases with both direct and culture methods

Cytogenetic analysis was performed in 4860 chorionic villus samples by means of both direct preparation and long-term culture. The results of the analysis were compared with a classification including all theoretical types of combinations between the chromosomal constitution of the cytotrophoblast, extraembryonal mesoderm, and fetus, with the aim of evaluating the cytogenetic variability along the trophoblast—embryo axis. Eighteen of 29 possible combinations were found demonstrating a considerable heterogeneity. A mosaic conceptus was found in 1·5 per cent of cases, with generalized mosaicisms and confined mosaicisms in 0·2 and 1·3 per cent, respectively. Cytogenetic variability along the trophoblast—embryo axis was found in 1·42 per cent of cases. Results possibly leading to diagnostic errors (false-positive and false-negative results) were found in only 1·38 per cent. False-positive results of direct preparation were the most commonly observed discrepancy (0·8 per cent), while the incidence of false-positive results of the culture method and of both methods was 0·31 and 0·16 per cent respectively. The incidence of false-negative results was 0·1 per cent, with false-negative results of direct preparation 0·08 per cent and false-negative results of both methods 0·02 per cent. False-negative results of the culture method were not found. Our data confirm the high diagnostic accuracy of chorionic villus sampling and the utility of the combined use of the two methods in minimizing diagnostic errors and in reducing the need for follow-up amniocentesis.     

Prenatal diagnosis and management of fetal ovarian cysts

Congenital ovarian cysts are a pathological condition which can be diagnosed in utero by ultrasound. We report 14 consecutive diagnoses of fetal ovarian cysts, obtained in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Congenital ovarian cysts have almost invariably a good prognosis, and no change in the standard obstetrical management is required. However, the evolution of the disease in utero is extremely variable. The cyst may increase in size, decrease or even disappear, or undergo complications such as torsion and rupture, which may carry some risks to the fetus. When a fetal ovarian cyst is detected, serial ultrasound examinations should be performed. If one of the above complications is suspected, the option of prompt caesarean section should be considered.     

Cardiac flow after fetal blood sampling in normally grown and growth-retarded fetuses

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of fetal blood sampling on cardiac flow velocity waveforms. Flow velocity waveforms were measured from the ascending aorta and pulmonary artery immediately before and after fetal blood sampling in 29 normally grown and 12 growth-retarded fetuses. The latter group was characterized by abnormal Doppler indices in the umbilical artery and middle cerebral artery suggestive of uteroplacental insufficiency as the causative factor of the impaired growth. The flow velocity parameters studied were the peak velocity, the time to peak velocity, and the left and right cardiac output and their ratio. In normally grown fetuses, the peak velocity and right and left cardiac output values increased significantly after fetal blood sampling, while no significant changes were observed in the other indices considered. The gestational age at the time of the procedure was positively related to the amplitude of these changes. In growth-retarded fetuses, fetal blood sampling did not induce any significant increase in cardiac output or peak velocities, while in more than 50 per cent of the fetuses these Doppler indices decreased. The amplitude of the decrease was significantly related to the severity of acidosis in the umbilical vein. In conclusion, the cardiac haemodynamic response to fetal blood sampling differs between normally grown and growth-retarded fetuses. This difference may explain the higher rate of complications occurring in the latter group of fetuses after blood sampling.     

Defining the photochemical contribution to particulate matter in urban areas using time-series analysis

The objective of this project is to demonstrate how the ambient air measurement record can be used to define the relationship between O3 (as a surrogate for photochemistry) and secondary particulate matter (PM) in urban air. The approach used is to develop a time-series transfer-function model describing the daily PM10 (PM with less than 10 microm aerodynamic diameter) concentration as a function of lagged PM and current and lagged O3, NO or NO2, CO, and SO2. Approximately 3 years of daily average PM10, daily maximum 8-hr average O3 and CO, daily 24-hr average SO2 and NO2, and daily 6:00 a.m.-9:00 a.m. average NO from the Aerometric Information Retrieval System (AIRS) air quality subsystem are used for this analysis. Urban areas modeled are Chicago, IL; Los Angeles, CA; Phoenix, AZ; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; and Detroit, MI. Time-series analysis identified significant autocorrelation in the O3, PM10, NO, NO2, CO, and SO2 series. Cross correlations between PM10 (dependent variable) and gaseous pollutants (independent variables) show that all of the gases are significantly correlated with PM10 and that O3 is also significantly correlated lagged up to two previous days. Once a transfer-function model of current PM10 is defined for an urban location, the effect of an O3-control strategy on PM concentrations is estimated by calculating daily PM10 concentrations with reduced O3 concentrations. Forecasted summertime PM10 reductions resulting from a 5 percent decrease in ambient O3 range from 1.2 microg/m3 (3.03%) in Chicago to 3.9 microg/m3 (7.65%) in Phoenix.     

Bestimmung von Spurenstoffen in Niederschlagsproben

A precipitation network consisting of 15 sites as part of the national project SANA was established to document and characterize the spatial and temporal changes of pollutants in the precipitation of East Germany. Long-term data records show a significant decrease of sulfate and calcium in the precipitation. The acidity and the nitrogen-containing ions have been remained unchanged up to now.     

Efficiency in hydrocarbon degradation and biosurfactant production by Joostella sp. A8 when grown in pure culture and consortia

Joostella strains are emerging candidates for biosurfactant production. Here such ability was analyzed for Joostella strain A8 in comparison with Alcanivorax strain A53 and Pseudomonas strain A6, all previously isolated from hydrocarbon enrichment cultures made of polychaete homogenates. In pure cultures Joostella sp. A8 showed the highest stable emulsion percentage(78.33%), hydrophobicity rate(62.67%), and an optimal surface tension reduction during growth in mineral medium supplemented with diesel oil(reduction of about 12 mN/m), thus proving to be highly competitive with Alcanivorax and Pseudomonas strains. During growth in pure culture different level of biodegradation were detected for Alcanivorax strain A53(52.7%),Pseudomonas strain A6(38.2%) and Joostella strain A8(26.8%). When growing in consortia,isolates achieved similar abundance values, with the best efficiency that was observed for the Joostella-Pseudomonas co-culture. Gas-chromatographic analysis revealed an increase in the biodegradation efficiency in co-cultures(about 90%), suggesting that the contemporary action of different bacterial species could improve the process. Results were useful to compare the efficiencies of well-known biosurfactant producers(i.e. Pseudomonas and Alcanivorax representatives) with a still unknown biosurfactant producer, i.e. Joostella, and to confirm them as optimal biosurfactant-producing candidates.     

Extending the Kolmogorov-Zurbenko filter: application to ozone, particulate matter, and meteorological trends

Tropospheric ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM) are pollutants of great concern to air quality managers. Federal standards for these pollutants have been promulgated in recent years because of the known adverse effects of the pollutants on human health, the environment, and visibility. Local meteorological conditions exert a strong influence over day-to-day variations in pollutant concentrations; therefore, the meteorological signal must be removed in order for air quality planners and managers to examine underlying emissions-related trends and make better air quality management decisions for the future. Although the Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filter has been widely used for this type of trend separation in O3 studies in the eastern United States, this article aims to extend the method in three key ways. First, whereas the KZ filter is known as a useful tool for O3 analysis, this study also evaluates its effectiveness when applied to PM. Second, the method was applied to Tucson, AZ, a city in the semi-arid southwestern United States (Southwest), to evaluate the appropriateness of the method in a region with weaker synoptic weather controls on air quality than the eastern United States. Third, additional forms of output were developed and tailored to be more applicable to decision-makers' needs through a partnership between academic researchers and air quality planners and managers. Results of the study indicate that the KZ filter is a useful method for examining emissions-related PM trends, resulting in small, but potentially significant, differences after adjustment. For the Tucson situation with weaker synoptic controls, the KZ method identified mixing height as a more important variable than has been found in other cities.     

Correlation of PCDD/F and PCB concentrations in soil samples from the Swiss soil monitoring network (NABO) to specific parameters of the observation sites

Concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) were determined in 23 soil samples collected at reference sites of the Swiss national soil monitoring network (NABO). Total PCDD/F and PCB concentrations are well correlated and proportional (R2=0.720). The total PCDD/F levels were between 72 and 703 ng/kg corresponding to 1.1-11 ng I-TEQ/kg, total PCB concentrations (sum of seven congeners IUPAC no. 28, 52, 101, 118, 138, 153, and 180) were from 1.1 to 12 microg/kg. In all samples, the PCDD/F and PCB concentrations were in the range of background levels for these contaminants in Central Europe. Ninteen samples revealed PCDD/F levels below the guide value of 5 ng I-TEQ/kg set by the Swiss ordinance relating to impacts on the soil (OIS); concentrations for the remaining four samples were below the trigger value (20 ng I-TEQ/kg). All PCB concentrations were below the guide value of 100 microg/kg. The elevated PCDD/F and PCB levels in some of the samples originating from forested sites could be attributed to the scavenging effect of forest canopies for semivolatile organic compounds. This interpretation could be substantiated by the observed distortion of the congener and homolog patterns of PCDD/F and PCB which is characteristic for forested sites.     

Diurnal variations of abiotic parameters in a stream,recipient for drainage water in Ranstad,southwest Sweden

During 24 h, water samples were taken for determination of a number of key parameters in a water system containing high concentrations of FeII at circumneutral pH. None of the major constituents (Ca, Mg, Na, K and sulfate) showed diurnal variations, while dissolved oxygen and pH increased during the night. This increase could entirely be explained by the decrease in water temperature. However, the concentration of FeII slightly increased at constant concentration of total Fe during the night, opposite to earlier observations in other systems where the presence of FeII was shown to be controlled by photoreduction. Nocturnal peaks of FeII have also been observed in other systems with high iron concentrations, however, at acidic pH, but without obvious explanation. The mechanisms for this process therefore need further investigation.     

Scaling up site disputes: strategies to redefine ‘local’ in the fight against fracking

Plans to replace an aging diesel backup energy plant with liquid natural gas (LNG) generators in Whitehorse, Yukon, resulted in a public outcry, involving community meetings, massive petitions, and demonstrations. Are these civil society protests just a case of a local siting dispute – a response to an unwanted industrial site in an urban neighborhood? Here, it is argued that siting debates are not the driver of these campaigns, but instead are harnessed by activists to advance a broader environmental movement. By linking the LNG project to more distant extraction, involving hydraulic fracturing (‘fracking’), movement leaders portray the entire territory as part of the ‘local’ for Whitehorse residents. Movement leaders rely upon two key mechanisms: claiming insider status, and identifying visible symbols. This case reveals the strategic use by environmental movements of local concerns to recruit support for broader campaigns, and the value of local, place-based activism for broader environmental movements.