Validated LC-MS-MS Method for Multiresidual Analysis of 13 Illicit Phenethylamines in Amniotic Fluid.

A multi-residue analytical method was developed for the determination in amniotic fluid (AF) of 13 illicit phenethylamines, including 12 compounds never investigated in this matrix before. Samples were subject to solid-phase extraction using; hydrophilic-lipophilic balance cartridges which gave good recoveries and low matrix effects on analysis of the extracts. The quantification was performed by liquid chromatography electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. The water-acetonitrile mobile phase containing 0.1% formic acid, used with a C18 reversed phase column, provided adequate separation, resolution and signal-to-noise ratio for the analytes and the internal standard. The final optimized method was validated according to international guidelines. A monitoring campaign to assess fetal exposure to these 13 substances of abuse has been performed on AF test samples obtained from pregnant women. All mothers (n = 194) reported no use of drugs of abuse during pregnancy, and this was confirmed by the analytical data.

Amniotic fluid stem cells morph into a cardiovascular lineage: analysis of a chemically induced cardiac and vascular commitment.

Mouse embryonic stem cells were previously observed along with mesenchymal stem cells from different sources, after being treated with a mixed ester of hyaluronan with butyric and retinoic acids, to show a significant increase in the yield of cardiogenic and vascular differentiated elements. The aim of the present study was to determine if stem cells derived from primitive fetal cells present in human amniotic fluid (hAFSCs) and cultured in the presence of a mixture of hyaluronic (HA), butyric (BU), and retinoic (RA) acids show a higher yield of differentiation toward the cardiovascular phenotype as compared with untreated cells. During the differentiation process elicited by exposure to HA + BU + RA, genes controlling pluripotency and plasticity of stem cells, such as Sox2, Nanog, and Oct4, were significantly downregulated at the transcriptional level. At this point, a significant increase in expression of genes controlling the appearance of cardiogenic and vascular lineages in HA + BU + RA-treated cells was observed. The protein expression levels typical of cardiac and vascular phenotypes, evaluated by Western blotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry, were higher in hAFSCs cultured in the presence of HA + BU + RA, as compared with untreated control cells. Appearance of the cardiac phenotype was further inferred by ultrastructural analysis using transmission and scanning electron microscopy. These results demonstrate that a mixture of HA + BU + RA significantly increased the yield of elements committed toward cardiac and vascular phenotypes, confirming what we have previously observed in other cellular types.

Partial trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 1: prenatal diagnosis, clinical evaluation and cytogenetic findings. Case report and review of the literature.

Partial trisomy of the long arm of chromosome 1 is a relatively rare cytogenetic anomaly. Its phenotype has still not been completely defined, because of the cytogenetic heterogeneity of the cases so far described. We report a prenatal case of partial 1q trisomy associated with partial monosomy 4q, secondary to balanced maternal translocation t(1;4). The trisomic segment extended from 1q31.1 to qter and the monosomy 4q was from 4q35.2 to qter. The phenotypic anomalies found by post-mortem and autopsy examinations were compared with those of similar cases reported in the literature. We performed standard cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Cerebral ventriculomegaly, present in our case, seemed to be a constant feature in partial 1q trisomies, so this cerebral malformation could be considered as the main echographic marker for this chromosomal imbalance and trisomy 1q should be added to the list of chromosomal abnormalities associated with ventriculomegaly.

Identification of a mutant allele of the androgen receptor gene in a family with androgen insensitivity syndrome: detection of carriers and prenatal diagnosis.

We report the results of a molecular study of a large family segregating the complete form of the Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome (CAIS) in several members from three generations. We identified the mutant allele by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) amplification of the short tandem repeat (CAG)n, highly polymorphic in the population, present in the first exon of the androgen receptor (AR) gene. In this family four different alleles were detected and one of these showed a perfect segregation with the disease. This study enabled us to identify the heterozygous females in this family. We think that this simple, indirect test, is also suitable for prenatal diagnosis of Morris' syndrome when the mother is heterozygous for the size of the short tandem repeat and one affected subject in the family may be studied.