The effect of controlled drugs on the unborn child and fetus

Illicit substance abuse is more prevalent than thought in women of a child bearing age and its incidence is increasing. Although maternal factors, such as poor socioeconomic status, diet, smoking, alcohol and infection, have detrimental effects on the fetuses of drug-abusing mothers, harm is increased due to the pharmacological activity of the drugs themselves. This article reviews the pharmacophysiological interactions between mother and fetus, describes the general effects of substance abuse during each trimester and details the deleterious effects on the fetus of the more commonly abused controlled drugs.     

Assisted human reproduction--legal rights of the unborn in respect of avoidable damage

The author describes various risks to the foetus arising from assisted reproduction technology (ART). These risks are examined from the legal viewpoint, especially considering the rights of the foetus as interpreted in a number of jurisdictions. He distinguishes between the avoidable and inherent risks to the foetus resulting from ART and the potential hazards of ART relevant to criminal law. The basic internationally accepted conventions on foetal rights are compared relative to decisions in a number of cases heard and decided.     

The locus standi of an unborn child threatened with abortion

The abortion law of England is set out and the recent case of C v S, which was an unsuccessful attempt to restrain an abortion by the unmarried father of the unborn child. Neither the father nor the unborn child has the locus standi to bring such an action. Legal personality and rights and duties with reference to the unborn child are investigated.     

Estimation of dose to the unborn child at diagnostic X-ray examinations based on data registered in RIS/PACS

The aim of this work was to determine mean absorbed doses to the unborn child in common conventional X-ray and computed tomography (CT) examinations and to find an approach for estimating foetal dose based on data registered in the Radiological Information System/Picture Archive and Communication System (RIS/PACS). The kerma-area product (KAP) and CT dose index (CTDI_vol) in common examinations were registered using a human-shaped female dosimetry phantom. Foetal doses, D_f, were measured using thermoluminescent dosimeters placed inside the phantom and compared with calculated values. Measured foetal doses were given in relation to the KAP and the CTDI_vol values, respectively. Conversion factor D_f/KAP varies between 0.01 and 3.8 mGy/Gycm², depending on primary beam position, foetus age and beam quality (tube voltage and filtration). Conversion factors D_f/CTDI_vol are in the range 0.02 – 1.2 mGy/mGy, in which the foetus is outside or within the primary beam. We conclude that dose conversion factors based on KAP or CTDI_vol values automatically generated by the RIS/PACS system can be used for rapid estimations of foetal dose for common examination techniques. Ethical Committee: No patients were involved in this study.     

用FSH和PMSG超排不同品种山羊的对比试验

对南江黄羊和雷州山羊进行PSH和PMSG超排效果对比试验。a、采用减量注射法肌肉注射FSH，每天两次，连续3d，总计量为7．5rag。b、一次性肌注PMSG1OOOIU；母羊发情后注射hCG400IU，随即配种，间隔8～10h复配一次。配种后24～30h后，手术从供试羊输卵管取胚。结果表明：1、使用FSH和PMSG进行山羊超排均有较好的效果，平均有效率达80％以上。两者相比，FSH处理组排卵整齐，且胚胎合格率高，效果要优于PMSG。2、品种本身繁殖性能的高低对超排效果有明显的影响。     

Ethics in human experimentation: the two military physicians who helped develop the Nuremberg Code

The Nuremberg Code is generally considered the beginning of modern ethics in human experimentation. The Code is a list of 10 principles that Judge Walter Beals included in the judgment he delivered at the close of the Nuremberg Medical Trial on 19 August 1947. Recently, scholars have studied the origin of the Code, who wrote it, and why. This is important to military medicine and the Aerospace Medical Association in particular because many of the defendants claimed their crimes were experiments in aviation and environmental physiology conducted under wartime conditions. The chief prosecutor of the Nuremberg Medical Trial, General Telford Taylor, relied on the guidance of an advisor provided by the American Medical Association, Andrew C. Ivy, one of the foremost physiologists of his time. The neurologist, Leo Alexander, then a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves, was another medical advisor. Both men were crucial to the development of Taylor's courtroom strategy. The material Alexander and Ivy provided was incorporated verbatim in the section of the judgment that became the Code. Although both men contributed to the Code, Ivy provided what seems to be the first formulation of many of these principles during a meeting of Allied medical investigators at the Pasteur Institute in July 1946. Naval researchers should note that Ivy had been the Director of the Research Division of the Naval Medical Research Institute when it was commissioned on October 27, 1942.     

Future thrusts in life sciences experimentation in space (USA)

The major physiological problem areas confronting man in space are reviewed and major research questions that remain to be answered are identified. The need for thorough ground-based studies prior to the acquisition of inflight data is emphasized. Future experiments are seen to focus on mechanistic questions and on the development of preventive measures to disturbances in neurophysiology, cardiovascular physiology, skeletal physiology and radiobiology since these areas have highest priority in future manned spacecraft operations.     

Inflatable and released balloon technique experimentation in dog — Application in man

Experimental carotid jugular fistulas have been created in dogs and at a later time obstructed with an inflatable and released balloon. Experimental carotid aneurysms in dogs have also been obstructed with the same procedure. This new technique allows the inflation and release of a balloon in an arteriovenous fistula or in an aneurysm. The present case concerns a human vertebral fistula treated by this technique.     

Examination of PET image evaluation experimentation method aiming at improved accuracy of data acquisition

Multiple data evaluation is desirable for data obtained by positron emission tomography (PET), as the data follow the Poisson distribution. Such evaluation, however, tends to be very complicated, since the count- rates change with nuclide decay. To solve this problem, we propose a new data scan protocol in this communication. With this method, the true+scatter coincidence counts were computed during the initial one-minute scanning, which was fixed as the standard. A dynamic scan was then performed with the fixed counts from the high count-rate region. Regions with +/-2.5% of the image noise of the standard image was chosen to provide the data for evaluation. These were found to be the regions of 16.5-25.5 kcps (2D) and 81.1-138.5 kcps. Image quality was found to be affected by noise (2D) and random coincidence. Using this method, multiple data could be obtained by a single experiment, and very reliable image evaluation could be done.     

实验兔VX2肝肿瘤模型制作及动脉插管技术探讨

目的介绍应用VX2细胞株制作兔移植性肝癌模型,并探讨插管技术的应用。方法实验对象为新西兰大白兔(n=80),VX2瘤块组织接种于肝脏,接种后2~3周实验组(n=51)行剖腹直视下肝动脉直接楔入插管,并作DSA造影。对照组1和2(各10只)分别采取经股动脉-肝动脉插管和开腹经胃十二指肠动脉逆行插管方法对比研究。结果实验组插管成功率为98%(50/51),其中88%(45/51)完成超选择栓塞;对照组1和2的插管成功率分别为30%和40%,只有0/10和4/10完成超选择栓塞。结论移植性兔VX2肝癌是介入治疗实验研究较为理想的动物模型,综合影像评价有利于实验动物的筛选。采用肝动脉细针直接穿刺楔入法插管成功率高,可完成超选择栓塞,是值得推广的实验方法。