Amniotic fluid calcium concentration in the prenatal diagnosis of cystic fibrosis

Calcium concentrations were measured in supernatant amniotic fluid in order to establish whether they may be used as a marker for cystic fibrosis. No difference in values were found, whether the sample was derived from a normal pregnancy or from a pregnancy which resulted in a baby affected with cystic fibrosis.     

Short communications prenatal detection of the autosomal recessive type of polycystic kidney disease by trehalase assay in amniotic fluid

We report relatively high trehalase activity in amniotic fluid of a fetus affected with the autosomal recessive type of polycystic kidney disease (type II), suggesting that prenatal detection of this condition could be done on this basis in conjunction with ultrasonography.     

Prenatal morphology in meckel's syndrome (with special reference to polycystic kidneys and double encephalocele)

Prenatal morphology of Meckel's syndrome was studied in five fetuses of different gestational age, that had been aborted because ultrasonography and elevated amniotic AFP-levels indicated neural tube defect. Histologically, the enlarged polycystic kidneys were completely alike with respect to the type of involvement and differed only in the severity of changes. They could be identified as type III cystic kidneys according to the classification of Potter. Proliferation of hepatic bile ducts and slight cystic dilatation of pancreatic ducts is already evident in the youngest fetus. Additional cyst formation in the epididymis was found in one of the cases. Occipital encephalocele, located within an apical occipital bone defect was always associated with a second mostly occult encephalocele protruding through a separate defect of the basal occipital squame and of the first and second vertebral arch. It is assumed that double encephalocele represents a constant finding in Meckel's syndrome, indicating a specific pattern within the disturbance of neural tube closure.     

关于成矿流体地球化学研究的几个问题

成矿流体地球化学是当前正蓬勃发展的流体地质学研究的一个重要分支。本文对八十年代以来国际上关于成矿流体地球化学研究的几个问题做了阐述，涉及到元素在熔体－溶液平衡体系中的分配、热水溶液系统中成矿元素的配合物形式及其主要影响因素，金属从成矿流体中沉淀机理研究等。提出了在成矿流体地球化学研究方面应重视的问题。     

A simple procedure for obtaining fetal chromosome preparations from bloodstained amniotic fluid

Two patients undergoing amniocentesis are described in which the resulting amniotic fluid was unavoidably bloodstained. The results suggest that it may be beneficial in such cases to reserve a small volume of bloodstained liquor for culture with phytohaemagglutinin since the presence of a few fetal lymphocytes can lead to a prenatal diagnosis within 72 h.     

A culture vessel for amniotic fluid cells allowing faster preparation of chromosome slides

A new culture vessel for amniotic fluid culture is presented (flaskette). It consists of a microscope slide, on top of which a culture chamber is mounted. Amniotic fluid cell cultures using in situ technique in the flaskette were compared to subcultured samples in ordinary (Falcon) tissue culture bottles. Working time was reduced by using this new culture vessel because of a very simple harvest procedure allowing simultaneous harvest of 15 samples. The interval between amniocentesis and harvest was shorter for the in situ technique than for the subcultivation technique. The frequency of aneuploidy in individual metaphases was higher with the subcultivation technique. while there was no difference in the frequency of structural anomalies.     

Prenatal diagnosis of trisomy 18 mosaicism

Trisorny 18 mosaicism was found in multiple primary cultures of amniotic fluid cells and subsequently confirmed by chromosome analysis of several tissues derived from the aborted fetus. The overall frequency of the minority cell line was 25 per cent in the amniotic fluid cultures and 28 per cent in the fetal tissues although much intertissue variations were noted.     

Amniotic fluid digestive enzymes: Diagnostic value in fetal gastrointestinal obstructions

The diagnostic value of amniotic fluid gamma-glutamyl-transpeptidase (GGTP) and intestinal alkaline phos-phatase (iALP) was evaluated in 55 patients who underwent amniocentesis for karyotyping because fetal gastric or small bowel dilatation had been detected by ultrasound. Gastrointestinal malformation was confirmed in 46 cases and there was no gastrointestinal anomaly in nine cases. Prenatal ultrasound was suggestive of gastroduodenal dilatation in 34 cases (group I) and small bowel dilatation in 21 cases (group II). In group I, amniotic fluid GGTP above the 99th percentile was 71 per cent sensitive and 100 per cent specific for a true anatomical defect of the digestive tract (mainly duodenal atresia). In group II, high levels of GGTP and/or iALP were 69 per cent sensitive and 83 per cent specific for a fetal digestive tract anomaly. In other words, when digestive tract dilatations were diagnosed by prenatal sonography, abnormal amniotic fluid enzyme activities were strongly suggestive of such an anomaly, the possibility of which was not precluded by normal amniotic fluid iALP and GGTP activities. But amniotic fluid digestive enzyme activities do not help in defining the prognosis.     

油藏地球化学研究的理论基础与发展趋势

油藏地球化学是一个新兴的地球化学分支学科,是传统的有机和无机地球化学与油藏工程紧密结合的产物。其产生对油气勘探和开发起着重要的作用。本文从油藏非均质性、充注史和流体-岩石相互作用三个方面论述了油藏地球化学研究的理论基础,并简要总结了油藏地球化学近年来的长足发展以及产生的一些新兴研究内容。     

Amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase measurements: Comparing immunochemical and polyacrylamide gel techniques

In the present study, a recently reported immunochemical technique for measuring acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in amniotic fluid utilizing the 4F19 antibody was compared with the widely utilized polyacrylamide gel technique to determine whether the immunochemical assay provided an advantage in separating unaffected pregnancies from those associated with open spina bifida (OSB) and open ventral wall defects (OVWD). The study included (1) 73 amniotic fluid samples from unaffected pregnancies [alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) < 2 MoM] with no visible gel AChE band, (2) nine bloodstained samples from unaffected pregnancies (AFP 2·2–4·0 MoM) with visible gel AChE bands, (3) 18 samples associated with OSB (AFP 2·2–7·0 MoM) with visible gel AChE bands, and (4) 20 samples associated with OVWD (AFP 3·2–53·5 MoM) with visible gel AChE bands. The immunochemical assay produced ranges of measurements in the four respective categories as follows: (1) 2–60 arbitrary units (AU): (2) 14–69 AU, (3) 61–593 AU, and (4)22–476 AU. Eight of the nine unaffected pregnancies with visible gel AChE bands had immunochemical measurements below the highest measurement for the samples with no visible AChE band (60 AU), as did five out of 20 OVWD pregnancies. Two of the OSB cases had values of 61 and 62 AU. These data indicate that the 4F19 specific monoclonal antibody to AChE is capable of distinguishing unaffected from affected pregnancies with reasonable reliability but that more work needs to be done to establish the extent of overlap between the unaffected and affected populations.