Severe bilateral renal disease: Correlation of antenatal and autopsy findings

We report 20 infants with severe bilateral renal disease examined by prenatal ultrasound and by autopsy. In 17, the prenatal and pathologic diagnoses correlated well. Although the prenatal and autopsy findings differed in the three remaining cases, the autopsy confirmed the presence of severe bilateral renal abnormalities. All 20 pregnancies were complicated by oligohydramnios, which was severe in 60 per cent. Most of these fetuses had malformation of other organ systems. This series supports the utility of prenatal ultrasound examinations, but emphasizes the need for postnatal evaluation of congenital renal disease including pathologic examination of tissue when possible for correct classification and genetic counselling.     

The role of DNA microarrays in the evaluation of fetal death

Fetal death occurs in 15% of clinically recognized pregnancies. Cytogenetic abnormalities are present in 50% of spontaneous abortions (fetal deaths < 20 weeks) whereas the rate is 6% to 13% for stillbirths (fetal deaths ≥ 20 weeks). Microarray has been demonstrated to increase the diagnosis of genetic abnormalities by providing coverage of the entire genome at a higher density, detecting as small as 50 to 100 kb deletions or duplications, known as copy number changes. Microarray is particularly suited for evaluation of fetal death because DNA can still be analyzed in macerated fetuses and nonviable tissue, two situations where culturing and karyotyping is known to have low yield. Microarray has already proven successful in providing additional genetic information beyond karyotype in spontaneous abortion. The few studies on the use of microarray in stillbirth evaluation have been promising, demonstrating an increase in the diagnosis of clinically relevant genetic abnormalities when compared with karyotype. As the cost and technology improve, microarray may ultimately become the first line screen for genetic abnormalities in stillbirth. The accurate diagnosis of a genetic abnormality as the cause for fetal death may provide closure for families, prevent unnecessary treatments, and enable clinicians to more accurately counsel and manage subsequent pregnancies. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

码头油品蒸气云爆炸事故危害评价

运用“蒸气云爆炸”模型,对某码头油品蒸气云爆炸事故危害程度进行分析评价,得出油品爆炸事故危害程度分布的规律,为码头安全运行提供参考。     

微囊藻毒素对束丝藻细胞生长和抗氧化系统的影响

为从活性氧(ROS)角度探讨微囊藻毒素(MC)导致藻类细胞死亡的机理及揭示藻细胞对MC诱发的氧化胁迫的响应机制,采用50和500μg·L-1的微囊藻毒素LR(MC-LR)处理束丝藻(Aphanizomenon sp. DC01)细胞,测定了细胞生长、细胞内活性氧(ROS)含量及抗氧化系统的变化.结果表明,50μg·L-1的MC-LR处理对藻细胞的生长无显著影响,而500μg·L-1的MC-LR处理可诱导藻细胞死亡.50μg·L-1的MC-LR处理的藻细胞ROS含量在处理第2d显著高于对照;但藻细胞能通过还原型谷胱甘肽(GSH)含量,超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶(GPX)活性改变修复氧化损伤,使ROS水平在处理第3d恢复到对照水平.500μg·L-1的MC-LR处理可显著降低藻细胞GSH含量和SOD与GPX活性,刺激藻细胞生成过量的ROS;ROS在毒素处理4d后突然暴发,过量的ROS引起膜质过氧化,并最终导致藻细胞死亡。     

Invasive species distribution modeling (iSDM): Are absence data and dispersal constraints needed to predict actual distributions?

Species distribution models (SDMs) based on statistical relationships between occurrence data and underlying environmental conditions are increasingly used to predict spatial patterns of biological invasions and prioritize locations for early detection and control of invasion outbreaks. However, invasive species distribution models (iSDMs) face special challenges because (i) they typically violate SDM's assumption that the organism is in equilibrium with its environment, and (ii) species absence data are often unavailable or believed to be too difficult to interpret. This often leads researchers to generate pseudo-absences for model training or utilize presence-only methods, and to confuse the distinction between predictions of potential vs. actual distribution. We examined the hypothesis that true-absence data, when accompanied by dispersal constraints, improve prediction accuracy and ecological understanding of iSDMs that aim to predict the actual distribution of biological invasions. We evaluated the impact of presence-only, true-absence and pseudo-absence data on model accuracy using an extensive dataset on the distribution of the invasive forest pathogen Phytophthora ramorum in California. Two traditional presence/absence models (generalized linear model and classification trees) and two alternative presence-only models (ecological niche factor analysis and maximum entropy) were developed based on 890 field plots of pathogen occurrence and several climatic, topographic, host vegetation and dispersal variables. The effects of all three possible types of occurrence data on model performance were evaluated with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and omission/commission error rates. Results show that prediction of actual distribution was less accurate when we ignored true-absences and dispersal constraints. Presence-only models and models without dispersal information tended to over-predict the actual range of invasions. Models based on pseudo-absence data exhibited similar accuracies as presence-only models but produced spatially less feasible predictions. We suggest that true-absence data are a critical ingredient not only for accurate calibration but also for ecologically meaningful assessment of iSDMs that focus on predictions of actual distributions.     

北京市大气颗粒物与温度对人群非意外死亡影响的交互作用

使用Poisson回归和广义相加模型(GAM)相结合,通过比较不同温度下大气颗粒物质量浓度〔包括ρ(TSP)和ρ(PM₁₀₎〕与人群非意外死亡的关系,分析了北京市1998年1月—2000年6月ρ(TSP)和ρ(PM₁₀₎与温度对人群非意外死亡影响的交互作用. 结果表明:温度越高,ρ(TSP)和ρ(PM₁₀₎与温度对人群非意外死亡影响的联合作用就越大. 采用温度的P₅和P₉₅分位数将温度分为低、中、高温度层后,ρ(TSP)每增加10 μg/m3,每日非意外死亡人数分别增加0.177%,0.052%和0.311%;ρ(PM₁₀₎每增加10 μg/m3,每日非意外死亡人数分别增加0.090%,0.185%和0.568%. 高温度层ρ(TSP)和ρ(PM10)对人群非意外死亡的影响高于中温度层,表明大气颗粒物质量浓度和高温对人群非意外死亡的影响有交互作用.      

Intrauterine rescue transfusion in monochorionic multiple pregnancies with recent single intrauterine death

To assess the role of fetal blood sampling and intrauterine transfusion in monochorionic (MC) multiple pregnancy complicated by single intrauterine death (IUD), we reviewed ten cases over a 4-year period in a tertiary referral centre which underwent fetal blood sampling within 24 h of death of its MC co-twin. Intrauterine rescue transfusion was performed in all seven anaemic fetuses (hematocrit; Hct<30%) to raise the fetal Hct to ≥40%. The rationale was to prevent death and/or brain injury. Two fetuses, which were severely acidaemic at blood sampling, died in utero within 24 h of the procedure. In two cases, the surviving twins manifested abnormal sonographic findings of the fetal brain 2–5 weeks later and underwent late termination. In two cases, the pregnancies continued uneventfully until delivery at 35 and 40 weeks' gestation with good neonatal outcome. In one case the co-twin delivered 1 week later at 29 weeks but died within 12 h. Fetuses without anaemia were not transfused and had normal clinical outcomes. We suggest that intrauterine rescue transfusion before the development of severe acidaemia in anaemic surviving MC co-twins may prevent fetal death, but does not necessarily prevent brain injury. Until its role becomes clearer, we recommend that its use be restricted to situations in which the parents and the local jurisdiction allow late termination as an option if brain injury subsequently manifests on ultrasound. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

BLEVE火球热辐射及其影响评价模型介绍

高压液化易燃、易爆化学品储罐易发生BLEVE,引起热辐射,会造成周围人员伤亡和设备损坏.介绍了BLEVE火球热辐射及其影响模型,通过该模型可以计算BLEVE火球的尺寸、持续时间、升空高度、热辐射通量及预测暴露在BLEVE火球热辐射通量下人的致死概率.     

活性氧和钙离子参与镉诱导的酵母细胞死亡过程调节

以酵母为实验材料,研究了镉(以CdCl2形式添加)对细胞的毒性作用机制.结果显示,浓度为0.25~5 mmol·L-1的镉可降低酵母细胞活性,诱导细胞死亡;随着镉浓度的提高和处理时间的延长,细胞死亡率增高.凋亡抑制剂Z-Asp-CH2-DCB与镉共同作用后,细胞死亡率明显低于镉单独处理组.经镉处理后,酵母细胞内的活性氧(ROS)水平显著升高;外源抗氧化剂抗坏血酸和过氧化氢酶能降低镉引发的细胞死亡,特异性Ca2+螯合剂EGTA或Ca2+通道特异性抑制剂LaCl3亦可明显降低镉诱发的细胞死亡率.研究表明,镉诱发的酵母细胞死亡过程存在依赖于caspase途径的细胞凋亡途径;镉诱发的死亡与镉处理组胞内ROS和Ca2+水平升高有关,ROS可能通过增加胞内Ca2+水平,继而激活相关下游信号导致细胞死亡.