How Many Markers or How Many Alleles per System are Appropriate in Zygosity Testing?

Due to the development in DNA-PCR-technique more and more systems with a high number of alleles have been established in twin diagnosis. Because of their high effectiveness in resolving of genetic questions it is not amazing that some authors have postulated the thesis that typing of 5 to 10 DNA-PCR systems can prove monozygosity. For this paper the use of different systems (conventional and PCR systems) has been tested for twin diagnosis and the observed effects are discussed

Allele Frequencies of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin (PI) in the Balkans

The phenotype and allele frequencies of alpha-1-antitrypsin has been studied by an IEF technique (pH 4.2–4.9) in ten population samples from the Balkans. The allele frequencies varied from 0.6667 to 0.7361 (*M1), 0.1100 to 0.1793 (*M2), 0.0992 to 0.1700 (*M3), 0 to 0.0105 (* S), 0 to 0.0078 (*Z) and 0 to 0.0172 (others). The results were compared with data from South and Middle European populations from the literature. Most of the populations form a cluster with small genetic distances, and a weak relationship to geographical distributions. In contrast, the samples from Southern France, the Iberian Peninsula and Madeira form a clearly separated cluster. The differences are mainly based on high frequencies of PI*S in the latter populations

Unrecorded alcohol consumption in Russia: toxic denaturants and disinfectants pose additional risks

In 2005, 30% of all alcohol consumption in Russia was unrecorded. This paper describes the chemical composition of unrecorded and low cost alcohol, including a toxicological evaluation. Alcohol products (n=22) from both recorded and unrecorded sources were obtained from three Russian cities (Saratov, Lipetsk and Irkutsk) and were chemically analyzed. Unrecorded alcohols included homemade samogons, medicinal alcohols and surrogate alcohols. Analysis included alcoholic strength, levels of volatile compounds (methanol, acetaldehyde, higher alcohols), ethyl carbamate, diethyl phthalate (DEP) and polyhexamethyleneguanidine hydrochloride (PHMG). Single samples showed contamination with DEP (275–1269 mg/l) and PHMG (515 mg/l) above levels of toxicological concern. Our detailed chemical analysis of Russian alcohols showed that the composition of vodka, samogon and medicinal alcohols generally did not raise major public health concerns other than for ethanol. It was shown, however, that concentration levels of DEP and PHMG in some surrogate alcohols make these samples unfit for human consumption as even moderate drinking would exceed acceptable daily intakes