Immediate prenatal diagnosis of Zellweger syndrome by direct measurement of very long chain fatty acids in chorionic villus cells

We report a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method which allows the very long chain fatty acids content of trophoblastic tissue to be directly measured in samples collected by biopsy between 8 and 11 weeks of gestation. This method has been successfully applied to the detection of fetal Zellweger syndrome in two pregnant women who had previously delivered affected infants. In one of them, increased concentrations of C26:0 (0.254 versus 0.108±0.035 μ/mg proteins) and C24:0 (1.32 versus 0.815±0.325 μ/mg proteins) in trophoblast indicated that the fetus had Zellweger syndrome, a diagnosis confirmed by pathological findings after abortion. In the second case, the pregnancy was allowed to proceed, on the basis of normal concentrations of very long chain fatty acids in trophoblastic tissue, and its outcome was actually a healthy newborn.     

厌氧升流式污泥层反应器内污泥颗粒化对固液分离效果的影响

厌氧升流式污泥层反应器在较高的COD容积负荷和水力负荷下稳定运行的关键是要有良好的固液分离,而固液分离的必要条件是污泥的沉降速度大于混合液在三相分离器的沉降区的最小断面上的向上流速。通过小型装置的试验表明,污泥的沉降速度与污泥的性状和浓度有关,使反应器内的污泥颗粒化能改善污泥沉降性、提高固液分离效果,使反应器能在相当高的COD容积负荷(20—30kgCOD/m~3·d)和水力负荷(0.8m~3/m~2·h)下稳定运行。本文叙述了厌氧升流式污泥层反应器内的污泥颗粒化过程,并简要地讨论了培养颗粒污泥的基本条件。     

Citrulline in amniotic fluid and the prenatal diagnosis of citrullinemia

We report relatively high citrulline concentration in amniotic fluid of a citrullinemic fetus suggesting that prenatal detection of this condition could be done on this basis in conjunction with a direct or an indirect determination of argininosuccinate synthetase activity in amniotic fluid cells.     

Impairment of male reproduction in adult rats exposed to hydroxyprogesterone caproate in utero

Hydroxyprogesterone caproate is one of the most effective and widely used drugs for the treatment of uterine bleeding and threatened miscarriage in women. Hydroxyprogesterone caproate was administered to pregnant rats in order to assess the effect of intraperitoneal exposure to supranormal levels of hydroxyprogesterone caproate on the male reproductive potential in the first generation. The cauda epididymal sperm count and motility decreased significantly in rats exposed to hydroxyprogesterone caproate during embryonic development, when compared with control rats. The levels of serum testosterone decreased with an increase in follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone in adult rats exposed to hydroxyprogesterone caproate during the embryonic stage. It was suggested that the impairment of male reproductive performance could be mediated through the inhibition of testosterone production.