Fetal toxoplasmosis and negative amniocentesis: necessity of an ultrasound follow-up

Prenatal diagnosis of congenital toxoplasmosis relies on the PCR test on amniotic fluid and ultrasound follow-up of the fetus. We report two cases of toxoplasma infection during the first trimester of gestation with a discrepant diagnosis of fetal infection. PCR performed more than four weeks after the estimated date of contamination was negative. Ultrasound follow-up was normal up to the third trimester when major hydrocephalus was detected, leading to pregnancy termination. In both cases, post-mortem examination revealed a diffuse infection with severe brain lesions. These observations confirm the necessity to continue a monthly ultrasound follow-up, even if amniocentesis is negative, in case of fetal toxoplasma infection in pregnancy. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

江苏省可持续发展分析、评价与战略对策

江苏正处在经济快速增长的过程中，协调经济、社会、资源、环境保护之间的关系，保证区域可持续发展，是该地区需迫切解决的根本问题之一。对江苏省可持续发展态势进行了分析，建立了可持续发展评价指标体系和长江沿江、东南沿海各省市的数据库，对江苏省可持续发展状况进行了定量评价，并与沿江、沿海省市进行了横向比较，对江苏省可持续发展类型进行了分析和判断。通过分析，认为江苏省可持续发展主要存在经济发展动力和效益低、就业和人口老龄化压力大、资源制约、环境污染等问题。针对这些问题，提出了加快科技成果转化，加强人力资源管理，完善社会保障体系，确保资源安全，实施减灾、防灾与治污工程和建立多元环境监管体系等可持续发展战略对策。     

青藏高原人口分布与环境关系的定量研究

本文利用GIS工具定量地分析了青藏高原地区人口分布与海拔高度、土地利用、道路网、河流水系等环境因素的关系以及人口密度与居民点密度之间的关系，这些客观存在的关系是进行人口统计数据空间化的基础。在此基础上，文章进一步分析和探讨了青藏高原人口分布与其它地区人口分布的差异性及其原因。     

RISK ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY FOR KARST AQUIFERS: (1) ESTIMATING KARST CONDUIT-FLOW PARAMETERS

Quantitative ground-water tracing of conduit-dominated karst aquifers allows for reliable and practical interpretation of karst ground-water flow. Insights into the hydraulic geometry of the karst aquifer may be acquired that otherwise could not be obtained by such conventional methods as potentiometric-surface mapping and aquifer testing. Contamination of karst aquifers requires that a comprehensive tracer budget be performed so that karst conduit hydraulic-flow and geometric parameters be obtained. Acquisition of these parameters is necessary for estimating contaminant fate-and-transport. A FORTRAN computer program for estimating total tracer recovery from tracer-breakthrough curves is proposed as a standard method. Estimated hydraulic-flow parameters include mean residence time, mean flow velocity, longitudinal dispersivity, Peclet number, Reynolds number, and Froude number. Estimated geometric parameters include karst conduit sinuous distance, conduit volume, cross-sectional area, diameter, and hydraulic depth. These parameters may be used to (1) develop structural models of the aquifer, (2) improve aquifer resource management, (3) improve ground-water monitoring systems design, (4) improve aquifer remediation, and (5) assess contaminant fate-and-transport. A companion paper demonstrates the use of these hydraulic-flow and geometric parameters in a surface-water model for estimating contaminant fate-and-transport in a karst conduit. Two ground-water tracing studies demonstrate the utility of this program for reliable estimation of necessary karst conduit hydraulic-flow and geometric parameters.     

Detection of Y chromosome-specific DNA in the plasma and urine of pregnant women using nested polymerase chain reaction

The present study was undertaken to evaluate a nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for detection of Y chromosome-specific fetal DNA in maternal plasma and urine of pregnant women during different gestational stages. DNA isolated from plasma and urine samples of 80 pregnant women (between 7 and 40 weeks' gestation) underwent amplification for Y chromosome-specific 198 bp DNA by nested PCR. The postpartum analysis of fetal gender showed that 55 women carried male and 25 female fetuses. Among the 55 women bearing male fetuses, Y chromosome-specific signals were detected in 53 (96%) plasma and 21 (38%) urine samples. Moreover, out of 25 women bearing female fetuses, 3 (12%) and 1 (4%) women had Y chromosome-specific signal in plasma and urine, respectively. Analysis of results with respect to gestational age revealed that there was no significant difference in the detection of Y chromosome-specific DNA between different trimesters in maternal plasma of women bearing male fetuses. These results showed that fetus-specific DNA was detected with high sensitivity (96%) and specificity (88%) in the maternal plasma by nested PCR, and therefore the method could be useful as a non-invasive procedure for fetal sex determination and prenatal diagnosis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.