Trendumkehr in der Arzneimittelforschung

The author gives a breakdown of costs for industrial drug research and development of seven German drug companies. Trends of development and fields of interdisciplinary pharmaceutical research are described. Increasing expenditures and requirements for safety and efficacy reduce the chances of innovation.     

First-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein as a marker for fetal chromosomal disorders

We evaluated first-trimester maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MS-AFP) as a marker for fetal chromosomal disorders. The multicentre study was performed under the auspices of the Dutch Working Party on Prenatal Diagnosis. MS-AFP was measured in 2404 normal pregnancies and 72 chromosomally abnormal pregnancies. The median multiple of the normal median (MOM) in 32 Down's syndrome pregnancies was 0·83 with a 95 per cent confidence interval ranging from 0·60 to 1·04. The difference between the distributions of first-trimester MS-AFP in normal and Down's syndrome pregnancies was statistically significant (t-test: t = 2·34, P<0·05). Thirty-one per cent of the Down's syndrome pregnancies were found below the tenth percentile. We found no difference between normal pregnancies and pregnancies with other chromosomal disorders (eight cases with trisomy 18, MOM = 1·26; seven cases with sex chromosome abnormalities, MOM = 1·07; 22 cases with a chromosomal mosaic pattern in chorionic villi, MOM = 1·08). We conclude that first-trimester MS-AFP can discriminate between normal and Down's syndrome pregnancies, but is not an effective marker. First-trimester MS-AFP has no value as a marker for other fetal chromosomal disorders.     

Symmetry is in the eye of the ‘beeholder’: innate preference for bilateral symmetry in flower-naïve bumblebees

Bilateral symmetry has been considered as an indicator of phenotypic and genotypic quality supporting innate preferences for highly symmetric partners. Insect pollinators preferentially visit flowers of a particular symmetry type, thus leading to the suggestion that they have innate preferences for symmetrical flowers or flower models. Here we show that flower-naïve bumblebees (Bombus terrestris), with no experience of symmetric or asymmetric patterns and whose visual experience was accurately controlled, have innate preferences for bilateral symmetry. The presence of color cues did not influence the bees original preference. Our results thus show that bilateral symmetry is innately preferred in the context of food search, a fact that supports the selection of symmetry in flower displays. Furthermore, such innate preferences indicate that the nervous system of naïve animals may be primed to respond to relevant sensory cues in the environment.     

螯合树脂富集——原子荧光法测定地面水中的痕量汞

经对数种不同功能团螯合树脂的研究，优选出了对尔吸附效率高，解脱速度快的Ｈ－１Ｓ８型螯合树脂，并对树脂装填柱的形态及体积大小进行了研究。经脂交换与洗脱条件及原子荧光谱测试条件进行了优化实验。实验结果，方法的检出限为０．００２μｇ／Ｌ，测定地面水水样汞的平均浓度为０．００９μｇ／Ｌ；精密度实验的相对标准偏差为５．５％，回收率为９６－１０１％     

Elevated mid-trimester hCG and maternal lupus anticoagulant

An association is described between women with lupus anticoagulant and abnormal prenatal serum screening results. Three cases of positive second-trimester serum screening for Down syndrome, with karyotypically normal fetuses, in women demonstrated to have lupus anticoagulant are presented. Serum screening positivity was principally due to a disproportionately elevated maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) level. In each case, early, severe intrauterine growth restriction was documented, with only one fetus surviving the neonatal period. As maternal lupus anticoagulant may have a profoundly adverse effect on the course of pregnancy, we suggest that an elevated hCG level on prenatal screening prompt consideration of maternal lupus anticoagulant testing if ultrasonography demonstrates an otherwise normal singleton gestation and the fetal karyotype is normal.     

等重下料技术及其工程化应用

简要介绍了应用于大直径棒料下料的等重下料技术 ,该项技术系现代光电传感技术及计算机控制技术在传统技术领域的应用。在弹体毛坯生产线上 ,首次实现了实时、快速、准确的全自动在线下料检测和控制 ,取代了原有人工下料过程。该项技术在其它制造加工领域也具有广阔的应用前景 ,对提高劳动生产率 ,节约原材料具有重要的经济意义。     

The enantiomeric composition of monoterpene hydrocarbons in the defensive secretions ofNasutitermes termites (Isoptera): Inter- and intraspecific variations

Summary Frontal gland secretions of termite soldiers of the speciesNasutitermes costalis, N. ephratae, N. nigriceps, N. rippertii, andN. hubbardii were analyzed. The chiral compositions of the monoterpene hydrocarbons were investigated by means of two-dimensional gas chromatography. Two of them, 3-carene and-pinene were present in the form of (–)-enantiomers of high purity in the majority of the samples. The other monoterpenes,-pinene, camphene, sabinene, limonene, and-phellandrene, exhibited a great variation in the enantiopurity between different species.-Pinene and limonene varied significantly even between different colonies within the species.N. costalis was the only species with an invariable composition of the secretion, independent of the locality or origin.     

Maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein levels and fetal outcome in early second-trimester oligohydramnios

Early second-trimester oligohydramnios was associated with normal maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein (MSAFP) levels in nine out of 26 cases (35 per cent). Congenital malformations of the fetal urinary tract resulting in fetal anuria were present in nine cases; in seven of them, normal MSAFP levels were measured. In contrast, normal MSAFP levels were established in only 2 out of the 17 cases without fetal malformations. These data suggest that fetal urine is the major source of elevated AFP in the maternal compartment in early second-trimester oligohydramnios. This is further supported by the lack of any relationship between concentrations of MSAFP non-reactive with Concanavalin A, originating mainly from the yolk sacderived amniotic fluid AFP pool, and the presence of fetal diuresis. Three out of 26 women had experienced early second-trimester oligohydramnios in a previous pregnancy, suggesting the existence of a recurrence risk for this condition.