Procedures that involve cell cultures require careful quality control to avoid inter- and intraspecies contamination. We have developed an electrophoresis technique that can be used routinely in cell culture laboratories to monitor cell line integrity. The method involves the isoenzymatic separation of nine polymorphic enzymes, three of which can be used for cell line species determinations and seven of which can be used for human cell line characterizations. Examples of how the system has been applied to both inter- and intraspecies identifications are described. The routine application of this protocol would be a valuable asset for laboratories concerned with establishing effective cell culture quality control.

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Sixty case reports of carbon monoxide exposures involving pregnant women are reviewed. The circumstances under which carbon monoxide exposures adversely affected pregnancy and the types of effects seen are summarized. Severe acute exposures to carbon monoxide caused foetal death or toxic effects, including anatomical malformations and functional alterations. Foetal outcome was related to two major indices of carbon monoxide exposure: maternal blood carboxyhaemoglobin levels and maternal toxicity.