Immunoreactive trypsin level in fetoscopically-obtained cord sera of second trimester fetuses

Immunoreactive trypsin (IRT) has been assayed in cord blood collection by fetoscopy from fetuses with estimated gestational ages of between 16–24 weeks. Eighty per cent of the specimens contained more than 5 ng/ml of IRT indicating pancreatic synthesis of trypsin by mid-term. A prenatal test for cystic fibrosis based on IRT estimation might be valid if the onset of pancreatic dysfunction associated with the disease also occurs at midtrimester.     

新疆干旱地区城镇居民硒水平

本文使用新极谱法对我国乌鲁木齐市和奎屯市的居民全血样品分别为９８例和５８例进行硒含量的测定，分别为７５．０１．４４２μｇ／１和１５８．７４１．６μｇ／１．乌鲁木齐市心血管疾病患者２０例，血硒含量为７２．３１．３８２μｇ／ｌ．乌鲁木齐市和奎屯市的水样中硒含量分别为１．７１μｇ／ｌ和３．０２μｇ／ｌ．乌鲁木齐市母乳２０例，硒含量为１１．８３．７７μｇ／ｌ．     

镉致鸡血管氧化应激与金属硫蛋白含量的变化

为探讨镉(Cd)对血管抗氧化功能及金属硫蛋白(MT)的影响,将180只50日龄健康雌性海兰鸡随机分为3组(对照组、低剂量组和高剂量组),分别饲喂含0、140、210mg·kg-1(BW)CdCl2的基础日粮,在饲养20、40、60d后采集主动脉和前腔静脉,测定其MT含量,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GSH-Px)活性及丙二醛(MDA)含量.结果表明:1)Cd暴露后,与对照组相比,低剂量组血管MT含量显著升高(p<0.01),并随暴露时间的延长而逐渐增加;高剂量组血管MT含量显著降低(p<0.01),并随暴露时间的延长先升高后降低.2)随着Cd暴露剂量的加大,血管SOD、GSH-Px活性逐渐降低,而MDA含量逐渐升高,具有明显的剂量-效应关系.3)随着暴露时间的延长,血管SOD、GSH-Px活性逐渐降低,MDA含量逐渐升高,具有明显的时间-效应关系.4)Cd暴露下,主动脉与前腔静脉各指标具有相同的变化趋势.以上结果表明,Cd具有血管毒性,其毒作用机理可能与MT含量变化以及抗氧化功能失衡有关.     

液相色谱法测定血中巴比妥类药物

本文建立了血样中巴比妥类药物的液相色谱定性定量分析方法，该法采用Ｃ１８反相色谱柱分离，二极管矩检测器检测，能一次性将４种药物分析和鉴定，通过色谱峰的保留时间和紫外吸收光谱定性，以色谱的峰面积定量，标准曲线的直线范围在０－１０μｇ．ｍ１＾－１，相关系数在０．９９以上。血中药物经溶浏萃取，回收率在９５％以上，血中的杂质不影响药物检测。方法的最小检出浓度为１０ｎｇ．ｍ１＾－１，本法可用于临床中毒样品的分     

The risks of early cordocentesis (12–21 weeks): Analysis of 500 procedures

Five hundred cordocenteses were performed between 12 and 21 weeks. The indications were thalassaemia (386), rapid karyotyping (97), feto-maternal allo-immunization (10), rubella (6), and toxoplasmosis (1). One hundred and ten pregnancies underwent termination on the basis of the result, while 20 of the 370 pregnancies intended to continue were lost to follow-up. Amongst these were 16 fetal losses (4·3 per cent) and 22 premature deliveries (5·9 per cent); no other complications were reported. Four adverse prognostic factors were identified: (a) cord bleeding; (b) fetal bradycardia; (c) prolonged procedure time; and (d) anterior insertion of the placenta. There was no‘obvious’ difference in fetal loss rate with advancing gestation until 19–21 weeks, when the risk of fetal loss decreased to 2·5 per cent.     

Fetal liver alanine: Glyoxylate aminotransferase and the prenatal diagnosis of primary hyperoxaluria type 1

Primary hyperoxaluria type 1 (PH1) is caused by a deficiency of the hepatic peroxisomal enzyme alanine: glyoxylate aminotransferase (AGT, EC 2.6.1.44) (Danpure and Jennings, FEBS Lett., 201 , 20–24, 1986). The activity of AGT has been measured in fetal livers of gestational age 14–21 weeks. Activity increases up to 17 weeks and then levels off between 17 and 21 weeks. At this time, the mean AGT activity is about 30 per cent of the mean normal postnatal level. As in adult liver, the AGT enzyme activity and the AGT immunoreactive protein are peroxisomal. Prenatal diagnosis has been performed by measuring AGT enzyme activity and immunoreactive AGT protein on liver biopsies from two fetuses at risk for primary hyperoxaluria type 1. One was unaffected and one was affected.     

Incidence of fetal chromosome abnormalities in 2264 low-risk women

Among a population of 6305 pregnant women, aged 25 to 34 years and estimated to be at no increased risk of genetic disease in the fetus, 4606 women participated in a randomized controlled trial of genetic amniocentesis between 1980 and 1984. In the study group having amniocentesis (2264 women), 23 fetal chromosome abnormalities (1.0 per cent) were found: eight autosomal aneuploidies, seven sex chromosome aneuploidies, seven balanced structural rearrangements and one case of a marker some. The structural rearrangements and the marker chromosome were all shown to be inherited. The study group seemed representative for the whole population of younger women at low genetic risk. Therefore, a 1.0 per cent total rate of fetal chromosome abnormalities, consisting of one-third autosomal aneuploidies, one-third sex chromosome aneuploidies and one-third structural rearrangements, may be expected in the second trimester in younger low-risk women. In the same period of time, 562 women in the same age group were offered amniocentesis because of an estimated increased risk of fetal genetic disease. The total rate of fetal chromosome abnormality in this ‘high-risk’ group was 0.9 per cent and thus no different from the rate in the low-risk group.     

Prenatal diagnosis of gall bladder anomalies—report of 17 cases

We describe here 17 cases of fetal gall bladder anomalies, detected as early as the 14th week of gestation, out of 10 016 fetal systemic examinations performed by us in the last 6 years (015 per cent). In seven cases, agenesis of the fetal gall bladder was detected. The diagnosis was confirmed by post-abortal examination in five cases and in two post-partum. In six other cases, a left-sided gall bladder and in one case, a ‘floating’ gall bladder were detected at 15 weeks' gestation. In two cases, a septated or bilobed gall bladder was visualized. None of these 15 cases was dyskaryotic, but in five cases, two with agenesis and three left-sided gall bladders were associated with other fetal malformations. In two other cases, the gall bladder appeared dysmorphic on sonographic examination and in both of them intrauterine growth retardation and other anomalies were detected. Trisomy 18 was diagnosed by amniocentesis in one of them. According to our experience, failure to visualize the fetal gall bladder by the 15th gestational week is diagnostic of its absence and should raise the differential diagnosis between gall bladder atresia, which has a good prognosis, and external biliary atresia, which has a poor prognosis. Further experience is needed to characterize the various gall bladder malformations and their prognosis.     

Central nervous system damage and other anomalies in surviving fetus following second trimester antenatal death of co-twin. Report of four cases and literature review

Four cases of multiple gestation with second trimester death of one fetus and subsequent damage to a survivor are reported. Monochorionic placentation was documented in three of the cases. Central nervous system lesions occurred in all cases, and bowel injury was noted in two of the damaged fetuses. Although rare maternal clotting problems have been reported in similar situations, none was noted in any of these four cases. Prior reports have indicated that losses in the first half of gestation were of no consequence to the surviving fetuses. These four cases contradict this suggestion, and indicate that close sonographic observation of the survivors is important in any multiple gestation where one fetus has died.