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Comparative mapping of Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) involved in domestication of adaptative syndrome traits of pearl millet was realized at the intra-specific level using two F(2) populations derived from domesticated ( Pennisetum glaucum ssp. glaucum) x wild ( Pennisetum glaucum ssp. monodii) crosses. The two domesticated parents analyzed differ in their geographical origins, agronomic characteristics and life cycles. In both populations, two regions of the genome were identified on linkage groups 6 and 7, that controlled most of the key morphological differences. The importance of these two linkage groups reveals their central role both in the developmental control of spikelet structure and in the domestication process of this crop. In contrast, QTLs involved in traits that are components of yield and measure differences in resource allocation (such as the shape of the spike, the number of spikes per plant and plant height) show a low level of correspondence among our two crosses. The results of the comparative mapping between cereals, although preliminary, reveal that genes involved in seed-shattering could correspond in maize, rice and sorghum. The evolutionary significance of our results, and especially the relationships between genome organization and cereal domestication, are discussed. The potential use of these results in pearl millet genetic-resources enhancement are presented.

Purpose: To evaluate the influence on examination time and test quality of the recently introduced SITA strategies of the Humphrey Field Analyzer., Methods: The sample consisted of 41 subjects (19 normal subjects and 22 glaucoma patients), all experienced in automated perimetry, ranging in age from 24 to 83 years. One eye of each patient was examined with the HC30-2 program using the FASTPAC (FP) and SITA Standard (SS) or SITA Fast (SF) strategy on the same day, in random order. Examination time was evaluated as a function of the strategy. To evaluate the test quality both regional and global visual field parameters were analyzed. Global parameters included mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD). Regional parameters (mean and maximum loss) were calculated to estimate the extent and the depth of localized visual field defects. For this purpose each visual field was divided in 4 quadrants and in 10 clusters as defined in the glaucoma hemifield test., Results: 1. There is a considerable test time reduction from FASTPAC over SITA Standard to SITA Fast for comparable MD and PSD values. On average, the SITA Fast test duration is half that of the FASTPAC procedure. For each strategy, the test duration increases for increasing visual field loss. 2. Between all three strategies, there is a good correlation for the global indices (MD, PSD) 3. For the regional indices (mean loss, maximum loss) the same high correlation exists., Conclusion: The SITA strategy causes a significant test time reduction without decreasing the test quality.

Background and Aims: It is not known whether lymphocytic colitis and collagenous colitis represent different clinical entities or constitute part of a spectrum of disease., Methods: Detailed clinical features and histological findings were compared in a large series of patients with confirmed lymphocytic and collagenous colitis., Results: Histological diagnosis was confirmed in 96 patients with collagenous colitis and 80 with lymphocytic colitis. Twenty eight per cent of patients with collagenous colitis and 26% of patients with lymphocytic colitis had overlapping but less pronounced histological features. Both groups were equal in terms of age, use of aspirin and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, associated autoimmune conditions, arthritis, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain. The male:female ratio was 27:73 for collagenous colitis and 45:55 for lymphocytic colitis (p=0.013). Twenty five per cent of patients with collagenous colitis compared with 14% of patients with lymphocytic colitis were active smokers; only 8.3% of patients with collagenous colitis had stopped smoking compared with 23% of patients with lymphocytic colitis (p=0.013). Drug induced disease was suspected for ticlopidine (two collagenous colitis, four lymphocytic colitis) and flutamide (four lymphocytic colitis). Mean duration of symptoms before diagnosis was two months for lymphocytic colitis and four months for collagenous colitis. Overall prognosis was generally mild; 84% of patients with lymphocytic colitis and 74% of patients with collagenous colitis reported resolution or significant improvement (p=0.033)., Conclusions: Collagenous and lymphocytic colitis are similar but not identical. Patients with lymphocytic colitis present somewhat earlier and are less likely to be active smokers. Symptoms are milder and more likely to disappear in lymphocytic colitis. Ticlopidine and flutamide should be added to the list of drugs inducing colitis.

Background: Activated lymphocytes are considered to play a pathogenic role in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), although only a limited fraction of the gut-residing lymphocytes in these diseases may be pathogenetically involved, due to active recruitment from the peripheral circulation. Our aim was to characterize in situ preactivated lymphocytes in inflammatory bowel disease mucosa by expansion with interleukin-2., Methods: Flow cytometry was performed on T cells expanded from the colon of patients with CD (7), UC (16), and controls (20), with special reference to T-cell activation markers and adhesion molecules., Results: In CD a decrease in alpha4beta7 integrin expression was associated with an increase in alphaEbeta7. In UC a similar increase in alphaEbeta7 was observed. Moreover, L-selectin and CD30 were overexpressed on T helper cells in UC versus CD., Conclusion: These findings indicate different immunopathogenic pathways for CD and UC.

The influence of congenital colour defects on a clinical computer test for equiluminous colour discrimination is studied. Differences in relative spectral sensitivity and changes in colour contrast discrimination are two distinct manifestations of the abnormal genes responsible for congenital red-green defects. The very simple and rapid method of the heterochromatic flicker brightness test acts like an anomaloscope and can be used to distinguish protan and deuteran defectives. The depth of the congenital colour defect can be quantified by the colour contrast threshold measured in equiluminous conditions along a single red-green axis identical for all types of red-green colour defectives. Colour contrast thresholds in tritan colour axes are not influenced by congenital red-green defects and therefore they are of extreme clinical interest to detect and quantify acquired colour defects, even in the presence of a previously unknown congenital red-green defect.

For this sensitive RIA for 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, we used antibodies to 1 alpha,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol-3-hemisuccinate conjugated to bovine serum albumin, raised in eggs by immunization of chickens. We describe an efficient method for purification of IgG from egg yolk. We characterized these antibodies with immunoelectrophoresis and by radioimmunoassay. These antibodies show a high affinity for 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 but cross react with other vitamin D metabolites as well. Extraction and liquid chromatography are necessary to isolate the 1 alpha,25-dihydroxyvitamin D from human serum or plasma before determination by RIA. The sensitivity of the assay is estimated at 5 pg/tube.

The acute effects of electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus on energy expenditure as measured by indirect calorimetry were investigated in 20 unanaesthetized rats. Thirty sec of stimulation increased both O2 consumption and respiratory quotient (R.Q.). The largest magnitude hypermetabolic response (39% mean peak increase in O2 consumption) was produced by stimulation of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus. Stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus produced hypermetabolic effects similar to but smaller than those produced by medial stimulation. A number of considerations suggest that the hypermetabolism is not secondary to changes in motor activity, carbohydrate utilization or blood glucose levels. Consequently, these data suggest that the hypothalamus modulates energy expenditure through changes in non-shivering thermogenesis. These metabolic changes may modulate the effects of various hypothalamic manipulations on body weight.

The authors are comparing anorexia nervosa and addiction, from the points of view of the evolution and of family features. They propose the denomination of "toxicorexia" for these intricate pathologies where an anorexic or bulimic problem is associated to a drug, alcohol or medication abuse. Finally, a few guide-lines for the treatment are established.

The aim of the present study was to examine the balance between caloric intake and expenditures in successive 12 and 24 hour periods, for several consecutive days in rats. The simultaneous and continuous measurements of respiratory exchanges and of the spontaneous feeding pattern were performed in 6 rats during 38 days, in periods of 2 to 4 successive days. At night, caloric intake exceeded caloric expenditures by 32% on the average. In individual rats, the excess was positively correlated to meal size but not to meal number. During the daytime, caloric intake was 24% lower on the average than the concomitant energy expenditures. In individual subjects, these deficits were correlated to meal number but not to meal size. A nocturnal excess and the subsequent daytime deficit, and the diurnal deficit and the excess during the subsequent night were highly positively correlated. In fact, the 24 hour energy balance was either slightly positive (12% excess) or negative (4% deficit). The daily weight gain or loss was highly correlated to the residual excess and/or deficit with a mean caloric cost of 4.8 kcal per g of body weight. The absence of correlation between balances on successive days indicates that the body energy balance is regulated within 24 hr through 12/12 hr compensations and that no compensatory mechanisms are involved beyond 24 hr.