BackgroundIn up to 5% of pregnancies, ultrasound screening detects a “soft marker” (SM) that places the foetus at risk for a severe abnormality. In most cases, prenatal diagnostic work-up rules out a severe defect. We aimed to study the effects of false positive SM on maternal emotional status, maternal representations of the infant, and mother-infant interaction.Methodology and Principal FindingsUtilizing an extreme-case prospective case control design, we selected from a group of 244 women undergoing ultrasound, 19 pregnant women whose foetus had a positive SM screening and a reassuring diagnostic work up, and 19 controls without SM matched for age and education. In the third trimester of pregnancy, within one week after delivery, and 2 months postpartum, we assessed anxiety, depression, and maternal representations. Mother-infant interactions were videotaped during feeding within one week after delivery and again at 2 months postpartum and coded blindly using the Coding Interactive Behavior (CIB) scales. Anxiety and depression scores were significantly higher at all assessment points in the SM group. Maternal representations were also different between SM and control groups at all study time. Perturbations to early mother-infant interactions were observed in the SM group. These dyads showed greater dysregulation, lower maternal sensitivity, higher maternal intrusive behaviour and higher infant avoidance. Multivariate analysis showed that maternal representation and depression at third trimester predicted mother-infant interaction.ConclusionFalse positive ultrasound screenings for SM are not benign and negatively affect the developing maternal-infant attachment. Medical efforts should be directed to minimize as much as possible such false diagnoses, and to limit their psychological adverse consequences.

Prenatal detection of asymmetric shortening and bowing of the long bones and cartilage stippling should raise the possibility of CPDX2 in female fetuses, especially because the majority of such cases involve de novo mutations.

Intracranial teratoma, although a rare disease, is nonetheless the most common of the congenital tumors of the central nervous system in the neonatal period. It can be diagnosed antenatally by ultrasound. The prognosis for fetal forms of teratoma is very grim. We report here the case of an immature teratoma identified at 26 weeks’ gestation and discuss its obstetric consequences, in particular, the technical procedures for a medically-indicated termination of pregnancy in view of the massive increase in head circumference associated with this tumor.

Les technologies de dorures des céramiques et verres et leurs évolutions historiques sont très mal documentées. Des échantillons d'époques et de technologies différentes (tesselles d'époque omeyyade, début VIII e s., Qusayr 'Amra, Jordanie ; porcelaine de type « Kinran-de », épave de Cu Lao Cham, XV e s. Vietnam ; porcelaine phosphatique de Rockingham, début XIX e s., Angleterre) ont été analysés par PIXE et RBS sur l'accélérateur AGLAE et par micro-spectrométrie Raman. Dans tous ces cas, l'or est un alliage Au-Ag dont la teneur en argent va de ~5 % en poids pour les deux céramiques à ~ 15 % pour les tesselles. Les épaisseurs des «dorures» sont de 3-5 µm pour la céramique vietnamienne et de 1 µm pour les autres. Une couche d'argent, bien accrochée, est observée à l'interface alliage Au-Ag/céramique et il est probable qu'elle résulte de la diffusion à la cuisson. De ce travail on peut conclure que la dorure des tesselles du VIII e s. a été réalisée à partir d'une feuille d'or alliée recouverte de verre fondu, que celle de la céramique du XV s. a été cuite avec les émaux et brunie à la pierre dure, alors que la porcelaine du XIX e s. a été décorée à l'or «liquide».