"Baby Doe" regs thrown out by court

On April 14, 1983, federal district court judge Gerhard Gesell overturned, as "arbitrary and capricious," a Department of Health and Human Services regulation that required hospitals to post notices concerning the illegality of denying life-saving care to handicapped infants and encouraged anyone with knowledge of such a case to report it to HHS via a telephone hotline. This article reviews the evolution and implementation of the HHS regulation, the legal challenge to it, and the judge's ruling.     

Immobilized enzymes and cells as practical catalysts

Performance of enzymes and whole cells in commercial applications can often be dramatically improved by immobilization of the biocatalysts, for instance, by their covalent attachment to or adsorption on solid supports, entrapment in polymeric gels, encapsulation, and cross-linking. The effect of immobilization on enzymatic properties and stability of biocatalysts is considered. Applications of immobilized enzymes and cells in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and food industries, in clinical and chemical analyses, and in medicine, as well as probable future trends in enzyme technology are discussed.