Egyptian blue — Cuprorivaite a window to ancient Egyptian technology

Egyptian Blue, a multicomponent synthetic blue pigment has been recorded in ancient Egypt since the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom (2600–2480 B.C.). The pigment consisting of cuprorivaite (CaCuSi₄O₁₀) with variable amounts of wollastonite (CaSiO₃), Cu-rich glass and cuprite (Cu₃O) or tenorite (CuO) was prepared by melting the copper-rich ingredient with lime and desert sand. Low melting temperatures (below 742 °C) were achieved by addition of flux-like plant ashes. The high quality of the pigments collected from monuments of the Fifth Dynasty (2480–2320 B.C.) may indicate that the first manufacture was in early dynastic or perhaps predynastic eras. During the reign of Thutmosis III (18th Dynasty, 1490–1436 B.C.) probably bronze filings were first applied as starting material, thus indicating a technological innovation. This new method was employed till the Roman times.     

Genetic amniocentesis in biamniotic twin pregnancies by a single transabdominal insertion of the needle

We present a technique to aspirate amniotic fluid from both sacs in biamniotic twin pregnancies using a single abdominal insertion with a spinal needle. It was successful in 48 out of 55 cases of biamniotic twin pregnancies referred to our perinatal unit between 1985 and 1994. The single insertion technique was used when the inter-amniotic membrane was clearly evident and two separate free amniotic fluid pools could be reached by the operator with a single puncture. An adequate amount of amniotic fluid was sampled from both sacs to make a cytogenetic diagnosis in all cases. There were four fetuses with trisomy 21 in three twin pregnancies. In two cases, only one twin was affected whilst the co-twin was normal, so that a selective feticide was performed. No miscarriages due to genetic amniocentesis were reported. After 1990, all genetic amniocenteses in biamniotic twin pregnancies (except for one case due to late booking) were performed between 14 and 15 weeks of gestation and with all cases except one, it was possible to sample both twins by a single puncture. We suggest that early amniocentesis (14–15 weeks) by a single abdominal puncture could be a reliable and safe alternative to first-trimester chorionic villus sampling in twin pregnancies.     

Transabdominal chorionic villus sampling in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy: Chromosome quality,reporting time,and feto-maternal bleeding

Transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA-CVS) was performed in 210 pregnancies from 13 to 38 weeks using a double-needle technique. The sampling success was comparable to first-trimester TA-CVS and the diagnostic success rate was 98.2 per cent for the short-term technique and 99.3 per cent for cultured villi. Two fetuses could not be karyotyped. We found the chromosome quality to be similar to that in the first trimester, comparing the number of G-bands and other chromosome attributes. There were no unintended losses in a group (n = 142) with no sonographic abnormality, except for one death in utero at 38 weeks, 20 weeks after sampling. Chromosomal aberrations were seen in 19 per cent of cases with abnormal sonograms (n = 58). One case of a discordant karyotype was found (false-negative prediction of Down's syndrome by the short-term preparation). There were no cases of fetal demise due to feto-maternal bleeding. It is suggested that double-needle TA-CVS in advanced pregnancies combines the advantages of rapid karyotyping of chromosomes of good quality and low risk for the fetus, and seems to be easier to practise and is probably safer than cordocentesis.     

Prenatal diagnosis of a fetus with terminal deletion of chromosome 1 (q41)

Many authors have suggested that individuals affected by a terminal 1q deletion display a phenotypically definable and recognizable syndrome. In all of the 27 cases reported to date, the breakpoints were at band q42 or distally to it. To our knowledge, we report the first case of a terminal 1q41 deletion. Diagnosis was made prenatally by amniocentesis, following ultrasonographic diagnosis of omphalocele, cerebral ventriculomegaly, and increased nuchal fold thickness in a 19-week female fetus. Multiple facial and extremity features were consistent with the proposed distal 1q deletion syndrome; omphalocele, however, has not been reported previously. The absence of liver herniation into the omphalocele sac in this case supports the previously reported association of this finding with chromosomal anomalies.     

Selective survival of only the healthy fetus following prenatal diagnosis of thalassaemia major in binovular twin gestation

Selective feticide is the procedure of choice when, in twin binovular pregnancy, only one of the fetuses is shown to be affected. As the probabilities for this condition are almost 1:2 when the genetic disease is due to homozygosity for two autosomal recessive genes, the problem is expected to occur frequently among the ever increasing number of couples seeking prenatal diagnosis of thalassaemia and the haemoglobinopathies. The present report is the first case of this condition and the ninth in the overall medical literature.