Prenatal diagnosis of harlequin ichthyosis by fetal skin biopsy; Report of two cases

Two cases of harlequin ichthyosis were successfully diagnosed prenatally by fetal skin biopsy. The aborted fetuses were later confirmed to be afflicted with this very unusual skin disease. Both families had a previous history of harlequin ichthyosis. In performing the biopsy, it was found that amniotic fluid cytology can also be very helpful in the diagnosis of this kind of severe ichthyosis. With regard to these families, the disease may have been transmitted in an autosomal dominant fashion, and not in a recessive manner as is commonly believed.     

FISH EMBRYOS: PRACTICAL INDICATORS OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY OF SIGNWICANCE TO FISHERIES1

ABSTRACT: Cyto-embryological analyses of fish eggs collected in nature can be a more sensitive indicator of environmental pollution than more typical assays conducted on artificially-spawned eggs. This is because uncertainties associated with artificial spawning and rearing are dispensed with, as well as because of the sensitivity of some cellular and subcellular analyses. At the same time, such measures can provide information on interannual differences in egg viability of importance in elucidating great, unexplained variability in fisheries recruitment. Extensive experience with fish embryos from ocean plankton has led to the choice of a particularly useful, practical suite of observations for different developmental stages. This includes measures of embryo mortality, mutagenicity, teratogenicity, abnormal cell differentiation, and development rate. Atlantic mackerel egg mortality has been determined to be greater in the surface waters of the New York Bight apex and along the New Jersey coast than in less polluted portions of the Bight. Chromosome abnormality of mid-stage embryos was also greater in more impacted areas of the same water mass, as well as in the somatic cells of adult mackerel and winter flounder, and in juvenile and adult windowpane flounder caught in more impacted areas. Mortality and abnormality of the mackerel embryos showed statistical associations with toxic hydrocarbons as measured in plankton, and with heavy metals as measured in sea surface waters. The sensitivity, practicality, and relevance of the cytoembryological studies to population dynamics of resource species make this an important means of monitoring environmental quality.     

湖北海棠实生树童区与成年区形态学和细胞学比较研究

通过将湖北海棠（Ｍａｌｕｓｈｕｐｅｈｅｎｓｉｓ）实生树不同发育区接穗嫁接到一年生本砧上,建立一个遗传背景一致、所处发育阶段不同的童期研究实验系统,并采用显微图像形态定量分析系统对湖北海棠实生树童区和成年区及其嫁接植株形态学和细胞学进行比较研究．结果表明,实生树从童区向成年区转变后,其叶片细胞核ＤＮＡ相对含量增加,细胞ＲＮＡ合成增强,细胞核增大,但细胞变小,叶片叶肉组织分化程度提高,叶面积增大,叶片增厚;取实生树童区和成年区枝条嫁接到一年生本砧上,成年区嫁接苗当年就具有开花能力,而童区嫁接苗仍保持童年特征,不具备开花能力,ＰＰ３３３不能诱导童区嫁接苗开花,童区嫁接苗分枝能力较强,叶形与实生树童区和同龄实生苗相似．成年区嫁接植株叶片细胞ＲＮＡ含量依然显著高于童区嫁接植株,尽管叶片细胞核ＤＮＡ含量和细胞核大小仍有增加趋势,但增加幅度显著减少,两者叶片叶肉组织均表现为阳性结构．对实生树童区向成年区转变过程中ＤＮＡ和ＲＮＡ含量变化及其作用进行了讨论     

Ovarian activity of Drosophila melanogaster meigen (diptera), during a chronic intoxication with four fungicides: Anatomical and cytological study

Abstract

Two types of reactions were observed on the alteration of Drosophila vitellogenesis by the four fungicides used in this study. Dithane®M45 resulted in stimulation associated with egg retention. However, the other three fungicides (Benlate®, Bouillie bordelaise® and Euparène®) resulted in inhibition to a varying degree. Although the inhibition was comparatively limited due to Benlate® it induced an egg retention. The inhibition was very high due to Bouillie bordelaise® and Euparène®. With Bouillie bordelaise® an egg retention occured together with the reduction of vitellogenesis and caused an increase in the rate of the follicle resorption. The latter depended on the duration of treatment. With Euparène®, no egg retention was observed and the toxicity was only noticed on vitellogenesis.