Increased fetal nuchal fold leading to prenatal diagnosis of ring chromosome 15

We report on the prenatal diagnosis of ring chromosome 15 in a fetus with increased nuchal fold and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR). A 27-year-old woman gravida 2, para 1 had normal maternal serum screen tests in the early second trimester of the index pregnancy. Fetal nuchal fold thickening up to 8 mm was incidentally found during the routine obstetric ultrasound scan at 20 weeks' gestation. Amniocentesis was undertaken and the fetal karyotype was found to be 46,XY,r(15) on cytogenetic study. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using a telomeric probe of chromosome 15 demonstrated a terminal deletion on the q arm of the ring-shaped chromosome 15. This is the first report of a prenatally diagnosed case of ring chromosome 15. Moreover, nuchal fold thickness in the second trimester may have a role in its prenatal diagnosis. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

交通环境的法律治理与道德约束

通过分析交通环境所面临的严重问题后认为，首先必须运用法律治理手段纠正由市场失灵导致的交通环境问题，但这种强制性手段有其缺陷，因为交通环境的治理也存在道德问题，只有配合以道德约束，德法兼备，才能进行卓有成效的交通环境治理。     

资源环境约束下的西北农业结构调整与产业化发展对策

西北地区农业资源有5个优势和水资源短缺、生态环境脆弱、区位偏僻、社会资源贫瘠四大制约因素。在资源约束下,农业结构调整与优化的3个主导方向是强化农牧结合,大力发展食草性畜牧业;发展高附加值、创汇型园艺植物;扩大农业空间,稳步发展沙漠农业。同时强调农业产业化,一要扩大产业化门路,二要延长产业链,三要提高档次。并提出改善、保护生态环境,发展生态经济型农业等5个方面的对策。     

交通限行对大气颗粒物及PM2.5中二NFDA1英的影响

为了研究北京大气颗粒物和二NFDA1英(PCDD/Fs)的污染状况以及评估交通限行对大气颗粒物和PCDD/Fs的影响。利用同位素稀释高分辨率气相色谱/高分辨率质谱(HRGC/HRMS)联用法和USEPA 1613B 标准方法,以中国地质大学(北京)东门为采样点,采集大气PM_2.5、PM₁₀、TSP样品,对北京市交通限行期间以及交通限行前后等不同交通状况下颗粒物浓度及大气PM_2.5中17种2,3,7,8-PCDD/Fs污染特征进行了监测。结果表明,PM_2.5、PM₁₀、TSP的日均质量浓度在交通限行前分别为126、202、304 μg/m³,限行期间分别为39、78、93 μg/m³,限行结束后分别为79、126 μg/m³。PM_2.5中17种PCDD/Fs的质量浓度(毒性浓度)3个时段分别为1 804 fg/m³(70 fg I-TEQ/m³)、252 fg/m³ (9 fg I-TEQ/m³)和1 196 fg/m³ (48 fg I-TEQ/m³)。北京市交通限行期间颗粒物浓度和二 NFDA1 英浓度显著低于交通限行前后,交通源减排措施的实施是大气颗粒物和二 NFDA1英污染水平降低的主要原因,从减排效果看,交通源减排措施对大气细颗粒物(PM_2.5)的控制效果明显好于大气粗颗粒物。     

Effects of methamidophos on the community structure,antagonism towards Rhizoctonia solani,and phlD diversity of soil Pseudomonas

A microcosm incubation study using an aquic brown soil from northeast China (a Cambisol in the UN Food and Agriculture Organization FAO Soil Taxonomy) was conducted to examine the effects of different concentrations (0, 50, 150, and 250 mg kg^?1) of methamidophos (O,S-dimethyl phosphoramidothioato) on Pseudomonas, one of the most important gram-negative bacteria in soil. Amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) was performed to study the Pseudomonas community structure, an in vitro assay was made to test the antagonistic activity of isolated Pseudomonas strains against soil-borne Rhizoctonia solani, a major member of the pathogens highly related to soil-borne plant diseases, and special primer amplification and sequencing were performed to investigate the diversity of phlD, an essential gene in the biosynthesis of 2, 4-diacetylphloroglucinol (2, 4-DAPG), which has biocontrol activity in phlD ⁺isolates. With exposure to increasing methamidophos concentrations, the total number of soil Pseudomonas ARDRA patterns decreased significantly, but with less change in the same treatments over 1, 3, and 5 weeks of incubation. The number of isolated Pseudomonas strains with antagonistic activity against R. solani as well as the diversity and appearance frequency of the strains' phlD gene also decreased with increasing concentrations of methamidophos, especially at high methamidophos concentrations. Applying methamidophos could increase the risk of soil-borne plant diseases by decreasing the diversity of the soil Pseudomonas community and the amount of R. solani antagonists, particularly those with the phlD gene.     

Evaluation of California's graduated driver licensing program

Problem: California's graduated driver licensing (GDL) program was implemented to reduce the high crash risk of teenage drivers. The program enhancements made in 1998 were evaluated in this study using methods that rule out the noticeable downward trend in California teen's fatal/injury crash rates as a possible explanation for any observed crash reductions that could otherwise be mistaken for program effects. Method: Monthly per capita fatal/injury crash rates for 15-to-17-year-olds and proportional representations of 16–17-year-olds' nighttime and passenger crashes were analyzed using intervention time series analysis. Results: After removing trend, seasonality, and transition effects in the data, no overall reductions in fatal/injury crashes for 15–17-year-olds or 16-year-olds (separately) were found to be associated with the 1998 program enhancements, suggesting no overall exposure reduction effect of the longer instruction permit period nor increased competency associated with the higher number of required practice hours. However, the 12-month nighttime and 6-month passenger restrictions were found to be associated with annual savings of 55 and 816 fatal/injury crashes, respectively. Discussion: Finding no overall impact of the 1998 GDL enhancements was not surprising given findings of an earlier survey suggesting that California teens and parents were largely already practicing program requirements prior to implementation and were not fully complying with the program requirements afterwards. Though the observed crash savings associated with the restrictions were of modest size, this is the first study to evidence a direct positive impact of the passenger restriction component of GDL programs. Larger reductions could be realized if the nighttime restriction started earlier and parents/law enforcement could be motivated to better enforce these restrictions. Impact on Industry: The findings provide support for passenger and nighttime restriction components of GDL programs.     

Aortic isthmus Doppler velocimetry: role in assessment of preterm fetal growth restriction

Intrauterine fetal growth restriction (IUGR) is an important pregnancy complication associated with significant adverse clinical outcome, stillbirth, perinatal morbidity and cerebral palsy. To date, no uniformly accepted management protocol of Doppler surveillance that reduces mortality and cognitive morbidity has emerged. Aortic isthmus (AoI) evaluation has been proposed as a potential monitoring tool for IUGR fetuses. In this review, the current knowledge of the relationship between AoI Doppler velocimetry and preterm fetal growth restriction is reviewed. Relevant technical aspects and reproducibility data are reviewed as we discuss AoI Doppler and its place within the existing repertoire of Doppler assessments in placental insufficiency. The AoI is a link between the right and left ventricles which perfuse the lower and upper body, respectively. The clinical use of AoI waveforms for monitoring fetal deterioration in IUGR has been limited, but preliminary work suggests that abnormal AoI impedance indices are an intermediate step between placental insufficiency-hypoxemia and cardiac decompensation. Further prospective studies correlating AoI indices with arterial and venous Doppler indices and perinatal outcome are required before encorporating this index into clinical practice. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.