Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome: Is There a Role for Fetal Therapy?

During fetal life some cardiac defects may lead to diminished left heart growth and to the evolution of a form of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). In fetuses with an established HLHS, severe restriction or premature closure of the atrial septum leads to left atrial hypertension and remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature, severely worsening an already poor prognosis. Fetal therapy, including invasive fetal cardiac interventions and non-invasive maternal hyperoxygenation, have been introduced to prevent a possible progression of left heart hypoplasia, improve postnatal outcome, or secure fetal survival.

Isotope fractionation of micropollutants during large-volume extraction: heads-up from a critical method evaluation for atrazine, desethylatrazine and 2,6-dichlorobenzamide at low ng/L concentrations in groundwater.

Micropollutants are frequently detected in groundwater. Thus, the question arises whether they are eliminated by natural attenuation so that pesticide degradation would be observed with increasing residence time in groundwater. Conventional analytical approaches rely on parent compound/metabolite ratios.