Infant mortality, ethnicity, and genetically determined disorders in The Netherlands.

Background: Infant mortality of ethnic minorities in The Netherlands (10% of the population) is twice as high as in the indigenous Dutch population. Causes of death are different for the diverse migrant groups.

Methods: Hospital records of nearly 600 infants who died in the four major cities between 1995 and 1998 were analysed according to the cause of death, ethnicity, and possible heredity.

TRA-1-60: a new serum marker in patients with germ-cell tumors.

TRA-1-60 is a monoclonal antibody (MAb) that recognizes a mucin-like antigenic determinant expressed on the surface of embryonal carcinoma (EC) progenitor cells. In order to determine whether this antigen is released into the serum of patients with a non-seminomatous germ-cell tumor (NSGCT), we developed a sensitive 2-step immunoenzymometric assay. Of 42 EC-positive NSGCT patients tested, 32 (76%) were found to release TRA-1-60-reactive antigen into their serum, in contrast to 1 positive finding in 10 EC-negative NSGCT patients.