Amniotic fluid acetylcholinesterase in the prenatal diagnosis of open neural tube defects and abdominal wall defects: A comparison of gel electrophoresis and a monoclonal antibody immunoassay

Stored amniotic fluid samples collected in Oxford and East Birmingham as part of the Collaborative Acetylcholinesterase Study were assayed for the presence of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) using a monoclonal antibody (4F19) enzyme antigen immunoassay. These results were compared with the results of a gel AChE which had been performed earlier. A total of 5689 samples from singleton pregnancies were analysed (including 36 with anencephaly, 77 with open spina bifida and 17 with anterior abdominal wall defects). The gel test yielded detection rates of 97% for anencephaly, 99% for open spina bifida and 94% for abdominal wall defects; the false positive rate (excluding pregnancies associated with serious abnormalities, miscarriages and intrauterine deaths) was 0·24%. The monoclonal test yielded similar results; using appropriate cut-off values to allow for differences in acetylcholinesterase levels in blood stained and clear samples, a similar false-positive rate of 0·22% was associated with detection rates of 97%, 95 % and 71 % respectively for the three types of defect. Although the detection rates and the false positive rate were slightly higher for the gel test, a result that might be explained by a decrease in AChE activity caused by storage of the samples, the monoclonal test has the advantages of requiring less interpretative expertise, it can be performed on a larger number of samples a day and it is not affected by contamination with fetal calf serum.     

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.     

运用资源动态调控体系内化环境成本

生产、消费的环境成本外部性是全球性生态环境问题产生的重要根源之一。在体现资源生态价值的基础上，建立、运用资源动态调控体系(DRSR)、减少资源消耗、减轻环境负荷是绿化传统产业、实现可持续发展的重要经济手段之一。本文就运用资源动态调控体系，内化环境成本、改善环境状况的问题提出个人观点，以供商榷。     

Inefficient environmental instruments and the gains from trade

The primary result from the trade and environment literature is that countries never lose from trade liberalization as long as they implement optimal pollution targets or if they hold emissions constant. These results are derived in models where the regulators use efficient instruments such as tradable permits or emission taxes. Regulators, however, continue to prefer command and control instruments. I show that regulation under these inefficient instruments (such as design standards or concentration standards) can lead to net losses under trade liberalization even if emissions are optimally adjusted for trade. Furthermore, holding the line on emissions need not guarantee welfare improvements either. The problem is that institutional distortions, the excess costs of inefficient instruments, can rise with trade and offset the material gains from trade. Hence the presumption that we can achieve gains from trade by considering only the level of emissions fails to recognize that the mode of regulation also matters.     

Cd2+、Cu2+ 和Zn2+ 对5种单细胞藻酯酶基因表达调控的影响

在Cu^2 ,Cd^2 和Zn^2 的作用下，三角褐指藻（Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin)，湛江叉鞭藻（Dicrateria Zhanjiangensis Hu)，绿色巴夫藻（Pavlova viridis Tseng,Chen et Zhang sp.nov.)青岛大扁藻（Platymonas helgolandica var.Tsingtaoensis Tseng et T.J.Chang) ,小球藻（Chlorella sp.) 等单细胞藻酯酶安生明显的变化，受高浓度的Cu^2 胁迫时三角褐指藻的Est-3座位的a基因，受中等浓度Cd^2 胁迫时的湛江叉鞭藻的Est-3座位的b基因，受低等浓度Cd^2 胁迫时的绿色巴夫藻的Est-1座位的a,b,两个,高浓度Zn^2 胁迫时绿色巴夫藻Est-1座位的b基因，受高浓度Cd^2 胁迫时青岛大扁藻的Est-2座位的c基因，受Cu^2 胁迫时小球藻的Est-1座位的b基因，受中低浓度的Cd^2 ,Zn^2 和低浓度的Cu^2 胁迫时小球藻的Est-2座位的b基因等基因的表达明显增强，而绝大部分位点的基因表达受3种离子的抑制。图5表5参9     

Cardiac defects in chromosomally abnormal human embryos of 10–14 weeks' gestation

Cardiac defects were studied in five chromosomally abnormal embryos of 10–14 weeks' gestation by free-hand microdissection of hearts measuring 2·5–6 mm in diameter. The type of cardiac malformation alone or in association with other anomalies helped to confirm the chromosome diagnosis established prenatally by chorionic villus sampling or after spontaneous abortion. It was suggestive of a chromosomal disorder in one case in which cytogenetic investigation had failed.     

我国排污收费制度评析

我国排污收费制度大体经历了4个发展阶段，形成了由国家法律、行政法规、地方法规等5个层次组成的政策体系。针对其存在的问题，建议明确“排污收费，超标处罚”为基本原则．扩大征收范围，加强税费改革，加强环境执法队伍建设。     

First-trimester biochemical screening for fetal chromosome abnormalities and neural tube defects

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), unconjugated oestriol (UE3), intact human chorionic gonado-trophin (intHCG), and the free β subunit of chorionic gonadotrophin (FβHCG) were investigated in a series of 21 chromosomally abnormal and 14 open neural tube defect pregnancies ascertained from a series of 14 000 prospectively collected maternal serum samples at 6–14 weeks' gestation. In 16 cases of Down's syndrome, significant reductions were found for AFP (0.65 multiples of the normal median) and UE3 (0.67 MOM). IntHCG levels were unaltered (0.97 MOM) but a significant increase was found for FβHCG (1.96 MOM). Significant correlations were found for AFP and UE3 in the controls and for int HCG and FβHCG in both the control and the Down's syndrome pregnancies. In a group of five trisomy 18 pregnancies, median MOMs were for AFP 0. 71 , for UE3 0. 34 , for intHCG 0. 27 , and for FβHCG 0.15. None of 13 pregnancies with open neural tube defects at 8-13 weeks gestation had elevated maternal serum AFP levels, whereas matched second-trimester samples from the same pregnancies at 16-18 weeks gestation all had significantly elevated AFP levels. Thus, biochemical screening for chromosome abnormalities may be practicable in the first trimester using free β human chorionic gonadotrophin in combination with AFP and maternal age. However, a separate screening protocol using AFP at 15-18 weeks gestation would still be required for effective detection of neural tube defects.     

Catecholamine metabolites in amniotic fluid from fetuses with neural tube defects

Catecholamine metabolites were analysed in amniotic fluid from fetuses with neural tube defects and controls. HMPG (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl-glycol) assumed to originate mainly from the central nervous system and VMA (4-hydroxy-3-methoxymandelic acid) formed in the peripheral nervous system were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The HMPG/VMA ratio was increased (more than 2 SD) compared with controls in ten out of fifteen cases of neural tube defects.