Randomized clinical trial of transabdominal versus transcervical chorionic villus sampling methods

The relative advantages and disadvantages of transabdominal (TA) and transcervical (TC) chorionic villus sampling (CVS) in terms of fetal risks and efficacy were evaluated in a clinical trial conducted on 1194 women randomized at 7–12 weeks' gestation. The results of the study indicate that, if any, the relative risk of fetal loss following either procedure is less than double that of the alternative technique when performed by a skilled operator. Overall, the fetal loss rate (spontaneous abortions following randomization, terminations of pregnancy, and perinatal deaths) is 16.5 and 15.5 per cent, respectively, among women allocated to TA- and TC-CVS. The two procedures are equally effective, although TA-CVS is associated with a significantly lower rate of repeat device insertions; on the other hand, a higher weight of chorionic tissue is obtained, on average, with TC-CVS. Bleeding is more common following TC-CVS, while peritoneal reaction developed only after TA-CVS. No diagnostic problems specifically related to one sampling technique were identified.     

Prenatal diagnosis in advanced maternal age. Amniocentesis or CVS,a patient's choice or lack of information?

Ninety-six women of advanced maternal age were interviewed about the way they obtained information on prenatal diagnosis and about how the decision was made as to what procedure was to be performed (transabdominal chorionic villus sampling (TA-CVS) or amnio-centesis). In the CVS group, women visited their physician or midwife earlier in pregnancy (mean 7.1 weeks) than those in the amniocentesis group (mean 10.7 weeks). The availability of prenatal diagnosis was not mentioned during the first antenatal visit in 55 per cent of women from the amniocentesis group as opposed to 25 per cent from the TA-CVS group. Approximately 40 per cent of women eligible for prenatal diagnosis did not receive any information from the referring body prior to counselling at our centre. Only 29 per cent of women who underwent amniocentesis had actually chosen this procedure; 71 per cent were too late to undergo TA-CVS at 12 weeks. It is concluded that information to the patient must be improved in order to ensure early referral for prenatal diagnosis.     

First trimester chorionic villus sampling versus mid-trimester genetic amniocentesis-preliminary results of a controlled prospective trial

This controlled prospective study assesses the relative risks of first trimester chorionic villus sampling (CVS) versus mid-trimester gentic amniocentesis (GA). CVS subjects and amnio-centesis controls were comparable with regard to several confounding variables which might influence the risk of pregnancy loss including maternal age, smoking, alcohol consumption, gestational age at study entry, and history of vaginal bleeding or poor prior reproductive outcome. The most common indication for prenatal diagnosis was advanced maternal age (n = 511). In this subgroup, spontaneous abortion (<24 weeks) occurred in 2·9 per cent of CVS subjects versus 4−3 per cent of amniocentesis controls. The sum of spontaneous and therapeutic abortions (<24 weeks) was identical (5·3 per cent) in both groups. Therefore, intervention in the CVS group (i.e., therapeutic abortion for cytogenetic abnormalities) did not influence the observed risk of pregnancy loss. Overall perinatal mortality rates were also similar in both groups. No significant differences were identified for a number of pregnancy outcome parameters including 5 min Apgar score, birth weight, body length, head circumference, gestational age at delivery, preterm delivery, fetal growth retardation, congenital malformations, and neonatal complications. Preliminary results of this controlled prospective study suggest that chorionic villus sampling carries a low and acceptable risk.     

Passive water sampling for polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons using lipidcontaining semipermeable membrane devices (SPMDs): Application to contaminant residence times

Lipid-containing semipermeable membrane devices are applied to the quantitative determination of the persistence of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in an irrigation water canal, a representative waterway. The uniform and reproducible sampling of the USGS design of lipid-containing SPMDs is exploited to measure PAH half-lives without requiring calculation of water concentrations. The trend in calculated PAH half-lives agrees with that expected if volatilization is a significant mechanism for loss from the canal with more volatile PAHs having shorter half-lives. The higher persistence of phenanthrene compared to anthracene is consistent with the greater stability of phenanthrene and suggests, with other physicochemical evidence, that other (reactive) mechanisms may be involved. The results of this study demonstrate the feasibility of the SPMD method for the measurement of residence times in aquatic and other compartments. Such information is essential for quantifying contaminant behavior in the environment and providing insights into contaminant fate.     

北京市家具生产企业职业危害抽样调查

本文从北京市家具生产企业最多的区县中,有针对性地选择其中的18家企业进行现场抽样调查,并对其中的11家进行现场检测,研究北京市家具生产企业职业危害现状,通过现场调查和检测结果表明:北京市家具生产企业的管理者对职业危害的重视程度有所提高,但是从业者的自我保护意识仍然淡漠;生产环境不令人满意,作业场所粉尘超标严重;毒物浓度得到较好控制,主要毒物为苯及苯的同系物。该研究可为有关管理部门制定管理政策提供依据。     

SO2采样方式改变后的质量分析

环境空气SO2采样由每天采样3次,每次采样30分钟的瞬时采样变成24小时的连续采样,其测定浓度都降低了。其原因主要有,监测点位重新布设后,有些采样点位向郊区转移、进气管接胶管采样、进气管有水、采样流量变小及延迟化验分析等,都影响采样结果。     

中国表层土壤有机质空间分布模拟分析方法研究

气候变化背景下,对土壤有机碳的研究是目前大尺度上土壤性质研究的热点。基于第二次全国土壤普查5 374个典型土壤剖面数据,分析表层土壤有机质(20 cm)与环境因素的相关关系,利用多元回归模型和HASM模型结合的方法模拟中国国家尺度上表层土壤有机质含量的空间分布格局,探讨该方法的模拟误差,为国家尺度上有机碳的估算提供方法参考。研究结果表明,对350个检验点模拟结果的平均绝对误差和平均相对误差为15.61 g.kg-1和56.59%,与普通克里格法相比分别降低了1.61 g.kg-1和20.84%;对样点分布较少以及无样点的西北地区和台湾省的模拟结果也更符合实际情况。建模样点减少一半的情况下,模拟结果的平均绝对误差和平均相对误差仅分别增加了0.14 g.kg-1和1.07%。因此,论文方法可作为模拟国家尺度上有机质空间分布相对有效的方法,同时如何使模型解释更多的土壤有机质空间变异将是进一步提高模拟精度的关键。     

Investigation of speed and trajectory of motorcycle riders at curved road sections of two-lane rural roads under diverse lighting conditions

Introduction: Vehicular accidents at horizontal curves are over-represented compared to accidents that occur at tangent sections. Investigations have been conducted aimed at identifying the major causes that result in higher accident risk, both in terms of severity and rate, at curved road sections. Excessive or abrupt changes in speeding and improper vertical position are cited as major factors of lane departure, whereas other factors (either human or environmental) have also been documented. However, most research involves 4-wheel vehicles rather than other modes of transport that behave differently. More specifically, while motorcyclist fatalities occur more frequently than passenger vehicles, when accounting for vehicle distance traveled only a limited number of research studies address their behavior at curved road sections. Method: This paper presents the findings of field operational tests carried out by motorcyclists along two-lane rural roads with a wide range of horizontal curves using an instrumented motorcycle. Key objectives of the research included the conditions under which the motorcyclists differentiate their trajectory in regards to the direction of the horizontal curves, the correlation between the trajectory and the geometry of the road, and the impact of the lighting conditions on riders’ behavior. Results: The research showed that motorcyclists tend to ride closer to the centerline of the road, neglect the hazards associated with dim lighting conditions, and maintain constant speed in the left hand and the right-hand horizontal curves.     

实用环境监测气体采集器设计与应用

手持式电动气体采集器解决了传统双联球气体采集时繁琐、计量不准等诸多问题,为快速、准确地获得监测数据提供保障。     

A Comparison of Precipitation Sensors Used on the Wet-Only Collectors

The variability in performance of three precipitation sensor types, mounted on three identical wet-only collectors, has been compared for eight months at a single site. The catch efficiencies, determined from the sample volumes, are relatively high for these three apparatuses, since they exceed 89% on average. The recorded data of openings and closings of collector lids reveal that the highest losses of collection efficiency, observed for rainfalls of low intensity and low amount, are largely imputable to design and running characteristics of each sensor. Ionic compositions between the samples of these three collectors are relatively close, although significant differences are especially found for H⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and K⁺, suggesting that these apparatuses are differently exposed to the dry deposition of soil particles. The RS 85 sensor seems to be the most suitable one of the three, since it ensures a high catch efficiency for all rain types and tends to limit the exposures of funnel to the dry deposition.