[Some indicators of lineal and craniofacial proportionality in newborn infants].

Looking for intersexual differences in size and lineal and craniofacial proportionality, assumed to be secondary to genetic induction, non-distorted by environmental factors, we studied 200 newborns from families who were residents in proletarian zones, parents with very similar education and employment (qualified workers). We chose 15 size measurements from which we derived 23 ratios and 15 craniofacial measurements with four key indices. Significant but discrete intersexual differences were found in height and in cranial circumference, and larger differences in leg, foot, forearm and arm length; there were no differences in the proportionality indices.

Immunoglobulin levels in maternal and neonatal sera from normal and abnormal pregnancies.

IgG, IgM and albumin levels in sera from neonates with open neural tube defects (NTD), other congenital malformations, and matched controls were measured, as were levels in sera from their mothers. Neonates with NTD had significantly lower serum IgG levels than 22 control neonatal sera. On the other hand, the mothers of these neonates with NTD had elevated serum IgG levels resulting in a striking imbalance in the mother/neonate IgG ratio.

Hormone release by primary amniotic fluid cell cultures.

Amniotic fluid cells have been widely used in prenatal diagnosis; however, there is great heterogeneity of the cells and their origin. In this study we analyze the karyotype and release of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), human chorionic somatomammotropin (hCS), free estriol (E 3), prolactin (PRL) and progesterone (P) of amniotic fluid cells from primary cultures of six normal and two anencephalic fetuses. In all the amniotic fluid samples there was release of hCG; in one amniotic fluid, in which several tetraploid colonies were found.