Prevalence and clinical significance of anticardiolipin antibodies in pregnancies complicated by parvovirus B19 infection

Anticardiolipin antibodies were measured in 60 pregnant women with acute parvovirus B19 infection. Test results for eight (13.3 per cent) women were positive for anticardiolipin antibody. Six of these eight women became negative later, yielding a prevalence of anticardiolipin antibodies of 3.3 per cent (2/60) 6 months after acute parvovirus B19 infection. Anticardiolipin antibody positivity was not associated with an increased risk of abortion, fetal death, or maternal complications. This study suggests that there is an elevated frequency of anticardiolipin antibodies in pregnant women with acute parvovirus B19, probably representing an epiphenomenon. However, this is not associated with an adverse maternal or perinatal outcome.     

A fetus with a parvovirus B19 infection and congenital anomalies

A fetus with multiple structural defects was seen at prenatal ultrasound examination. After termination of the pregnancy a bilateral cleft lip, alveolus, and palate; micrognathia; and webbed joints were seen. Fetal tissues showed indications of infection, intranuclear inclusion bodies, chronic stress, haemolysis, arterial wall damage, and profuse haemorrhage. Parvovirus B19 DNA was detected in fetal tissues by dot hybridization after polymerase chain reaction. The possibility of parvovirus B19 infection leading to congenital malformations is discussed.     

Congenital nephrosis in low-risk pregnancies

Congenital nephrosis is an autosomal recessive disorder requiring neonatal renal transplant for survival. The postnatal diagnosis rests upon the electron microscopic evaluation of the epithelial foot processes and basal membrane of the glomeruli. The prenatal diagnosis can be suspected in the presence of a positive family history with an amniotic fluid (AF) alpha-fetoprotein level greater than 5 standard deviations (SD) above the population mean accompanied by a negative AF acetylcholinesterase, absent haemoglobin F, and an unremarkable fetal sonographic examination. We reviewed our series of seven cases of congenital nephrosis fulfilling the above criteria; four cases had negative family histories, and in two cases the diagnosis of congenital nephrosis was further supported by the presence of elevated AF albumin concentrations. We conclude that (1) the prenatal diagnosis of congenital nephrosis is feasible in a low-risk population, and (2) an elevated AF albumin concentration may represent an additional marker for the diagnosis of congenital nephrosis, even though false-negative results have been reported.     

Effects of atmospheric gases on terrestrial plants and critical levels of air pollution

An integrated approach was developed to determine the critical levels of air pollution for ecological standard setting based on the unified index of biological response, by taking into account the effects of all pollution components simultaneously. An empirical model of plant productivity was taken as the dose response model for gaseous pollutant effect on the productivity of trees and the annual productivity of plants was used as the above mentioned index. The CO2 increase in the lower atmosphere was considered to potentially increase plant productivity and NO2 was estimated as neutral while being dangerous for plants as a chemical precursor of ozone or as a source of acidification. The maximum permissible chronic O3 and SO2 levels for trees were estimated and it was found that O3 is much more phytotoxic, as compared to SO2 , with a rather narrow range of permissible levels (27-33 ppb) which complicates its monitoring and control.     

Influence of Methodology and Assumptions on Reported National Carbon Flux Inventories: An Illustration from the Canadian Forest Sector

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has developed guidelines to standardize the international reporting of greenhouse gas emissions and removals by signatory nations of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. With regard to forest sector carbon fluxes, the IPCC guidelines require only that those fluxes directly associated with human activities (i.e., harvesting and land-use change) be reported. In Canada, the Carbon Budget Model of the Canadian Forest Sector (CBM-CFS2) has been used to assess carbon fluxes from the entire forest sector. This model accounts for carbon fluxes associated with both anthropogenic and natural disturbances, such as wild fires and insects. We combined model results for the period 1985 to 1989 with additional data to compile seven different national carbon flux inventories for the forest sector. These inventories incorporate different system components under a variety of seemingly plausible assumptions, some of which are encouraged refinements to the default flux inventory described in the IPCC guidelines. The resulting estimated net carbon fluxes varied from a net removal of 185,000 kt carbon per year of the inventory period to a netemission of 89,000 kt carbon per year. Following the default procedures in the IPCC guidelines, while using the best available national data, produced an inventory with a net removal of atmospheric carbon. Adding the effect of natural disturbances to that inventory reversed the sign of the net flux resulting in a substantial emission. Including the carbon fluxes associated with root biomass in the first inventory increased the magnitude of the estimated net removal. The variability of these results emphasizes the need for a systems approach in constructing a flux inventory. We argue that the choice of which fluxes to include in the inventory should be based on the importance of these fluxes to the overall carbon budget and not on the perceived ease with which flux estimates can be obtained. The results of this analysis also illustrate two specific points. Even those Canadian forests which are most free from direct human interactions—forests in which no commercial harvesting occurs—are not in equilibrium, and their contribution to national carbon fluxes should be included in the reported flux inventory. Moreover, those forest areas that are subject to direct management are still substantially impacted by natural disturbances. The critical effect of inventory methodology and assumptions on inventory results has important ramifications for efforts to “monitor” and “verify” programs aimed at mitigating global carbon emissions.