Characterisation of riverine particulate organic matter by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Particulate matter samples were collected in the mountainous section and river mouth at the Tech River basin, south France, during flood (December 1996) and summer (September 1997) periods. Suspended material was analysed by pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (Py-GC-MS) and 23 identified pyrolysis products were divided into five main fractions: aminosugars, aromatic hydrocarbons, polysaccharides, phenols and nitrogenous compounds. Analysis of relative amounts of these fractions revealed neither significant spatial nor temporal changes in the particulate organic matter composition.

[A case of bullous dermatosis at the end of pregnancy transmitted to the newborn: herpes gestationis].

The authors report a case of bullous dermatosis developing at 38 weeks of amenorrhoea in a para II. The newborn infant developed a skin rash 3 days after birth. Direct immunofluorescent study of skin biopsies showed the presence of a very small amount of IgG and a very large amount of complement fixed to the basal membrane.