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The long term behavioural and biochemical effects of chronic chlordiazepoxide treatment during the period of neuronal maturation in the rat have been investigated. The administration to lactating mothers of chlordiazepoxide at very low doses (0.22 and 2.6 mg/kg) in their drinking water affects both behavioural and biochemical parameters in offspring at 60 days of age and undrugged since weaning. A deficit in the acquisition of the conditioned avoidance response in treated rats was observed, although no significant difference in spontaneous locomotor activity between control and treated rats was found. 3H-Flunitrazepam binding sites in cerebral cortex and hippocampus were decreased by the treatment, whereas no change was detected in cerebellum. Moreover, 3H-muscimol binding sites increased in hippocampus with no changes in cerebral cortex and cerebellum. According to the different regional distribution of benzodiazepine type 1 and type 2 receptors, we suggest that type 2 receptors are selectively affected by the treatment, and that the GABA ergic receptor system is also permanently altered by administration of chlordiazepoxide during early postnatal life.

We have studied a group of 349 institutionalized propositi with mental retardation, and found 12 fra(X)-positive cases among 155 males (7.7%) and 8 fra(X)-positive cases among 194 females (4.1%). The males had characteristic manifestations of the Martin-Bell syndrome. Another 7 males, who were initially considered "borderline", having expression of fra(X) less than 4% and a non-characteristic phenotype, were eventually considered negative. Among 5,624 patients (2,764 males and 2,860 females) that were admitted to the Pediatric Department of the University of Catania during the period July 1986 - June 1987, 210 (120 males and 90 females) had mental retardation. Of these, 75 were analyzed for the presence of fra(X) (q27.3); 5 males (0.18% of all males) and 2 females (0.07% of all females) were fra(X)-positive. The males had the Martin Bell syndrome phenotype. The presence of fra(X) (q27) was confirmed in another 4 male propositi that were referred to our outpatient services with a clinical diagnosis of Martin-Bell syndrome.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the agent of the most common sexually transmitted diseases causing a variety of clinical manifestations ranging from warts to cancer. Oncogenic HPV infection is the major cause of cervical cancer and less frequently of penile cancers. Its presence in semen is widely known, but the effects on fertility are still controversial. We developed a new approach to evaluate virus localisation in the different semen components. We analysed also the specific genotype localisation and viral DNA quantity by qPCR. Results show that HPV DNA can be identified in every fraction of semen: spermatozoa, somatic cells and seminal plasma. Different samples can contain the HPV DNA in different fractions and several HPV genotypes can be found in the same fraction. Additionally, different fractions may contain multiple HPV genotypes in different relative quantity. We analysed the wholeness of HPV DNA in sperm cells by qPCR. In one sample more than half of viral genomes were defective, suggesting a possible recombination event. The new method allows to easily distinguish different sperm infections and to observe the possible effects on semen. The data support the proposed role of HPV in decreased fertility and prompt new possible consequences of the infection in semen.