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Batoid fishes possess unique body and pectoral fin morphologies that directly affect swimming performance. Two main swimming modes are distinguished within the order Batoidea: oscillatory (mobuliform) and undulatory (rajiform) locomotion. Morphological differences between rays using these two modes were examined by comparing the two- and three-dimensional geometries of the pectoral fins. Two-dimensional planforms and sectional geometry of the pectoral fins of various batoid species were measured photometrically and using computed tomography (CT) scans, respectively. The two-dimensional data showed that mobuliform rays have high aspect ratio pectoral fins (> 2.60) with a wing-like planform and an anteriorly placed center of mass. Rays that swim in the rajiform mode had a circular or diamond-shaped planform with a low aspect ratio (< 2.60) and center of mass at the position of maximum fin span. From CT scans, undulatory rays exhibited an increased thickness ratio (TR = maximum sectional thickness/fin chord), indicating a body form for reduced drag, whereas oscillatory rays had fin sections with an increased shoulder position (SP = distance from rostrum to maximum thickness/fin chord). Undulatory rays showed greater cambering of their body and pectoral fins compared to the more symmetrical foil shape of oscillatory rays. The distinct morphology of oscillatory and undulatory rays is associated with the locomotory modes and the concomitant restraints of lifestyle and habitat.

A multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay was applied to feedstuff analysis for the identification of the most used species in rendering plants (ruminant, poultry, fish and pork materials). Primers were designed in different regions of mitochondrial DNA (12S rRNA, tRNA Val and 16S rRNA) after alignment of the available sequences in the GenBank database. The primers generated specific fragments of 104-106, 183, 220-230 and 290 bp length for ruminants, poultry, fish and pork, respectively. The detection limit was 0.004% for fish primers and 0.002% for ruminants, poultry and pork primers. The multiplex PCR proposed in this study can be considered a valid alternative to the microscopic method for the detection of animal derived materials banned by a European Union Regulation as a preventive measure against the spread of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy.

The role played by the solvation water molecules on the macroscopically observed sol-gel transition in lecithin/cyclohexane/water reverse micelles is investigated by quasielastic neutron scattering, dielectric relaxation arid conductivity measurements. The experimental results are juxtaposed to those from spherical Aerosol OT reverse micelles. It is shown how the results from lecithin-based system can be interpreted only assuming that, in contrast to Aerosol OT systems, the water molecules are entrapped at the interfaces without coalescing into an inner water pool. It is suggested that, in the case of lecithin, the solvation water can induce a change in the surface curvature, in such a way promoting the formation of branch points. Such a hypothesis is supported by the temperature dependence of the conductivity which agrees with the hypothesis of an intermicellar bond percolation. The investigation of the structures imposed by an external electric field is also studied. The observed electro-rheological behaviour seems to confirm the existence of a. percolated transient network in the gel phase.

The enthalpies of dilution of water/lecithin/cyclohexane microemulsion-gels at variousR values (R=[water]/[lecithin]) and molar enthalpies of solution of water in lecithin/cyclohexane at a fixed lecithin concentration were determined calorimetrically at 25°C. Through a description of the process of dilution of water/lecithin/cyclohexane microemulsion-gels as one involving mainly the scission of lecithin reversed micelles in to smaller ones, the concentration dependence of the enthalpy was rationalized. Surprisingly, in order to account for the dilution enthalpies, it was not necessary to hypothesize a thermal effect arising from the breakage of the micellar network present in the micremulsion-gels. This result indicates that the building-up of the micellar network mainly arises from topological entanglements and steric hindrances among the lecithin reversed micelles. Attribution of the molar enthalpy of solution of water essentially to the thermal effect arising from the intermicellar aggregation process induced by the water addition allowed a rough estimation of the scission energy (the energy necessary to break an Avogadro's number of micelles) and of the micellar aggregation number.

This study evaluates the effects of different MAP methods (active and passive) on the postharvest life of raspberry fruits using different plastic packaging films. In particular the comparison between biodegradable and conventional plastic films represent an important objective since not many studies are available on the effect of biodegradable films used for food packaging. Raspberry fruits were packaged using three different plastic films and were stored with different gas conditions for 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours. The gas concentration values of the boxes were monitored daily with a PBI Dansensor gas analyzer and expressed as percentages. Weight losses, skin color and qualitative and nutraceutical characteristics were monitored during the storage period to identify the best film-atmosphere combination for raspberry shelf life. Fruit volatile components were investigated. The results show that the evolution of the O2 and CO2 concentrations in the packed box was more influenced by the film characteristics rather than by the initial gas concentrations. The best maintenance of qualitative characteristics and the lowest weight decrease over 96 hours was obtained by storing fruits under a biodegradable film.

FT-IR spectra of water/lecithin/deuterated cyclohexane microemulsions as a function of water/lecithin molar ratio R ( R = [water]/[lecithin]) at various volume fractions ( O ) of the micellar phase have been recorded at 25°C. After elimination of the small spectral contributions due to deuterated cyclohexane and normalization, the shape of the C–H stretching band due to lecithin has been found dependent upon R and O whereas that of the O–H stretching band has been found dependent only upon R . The change in shape of the C–H band was interpreted in terms of a modification of the lecithin alkyl chain packing order. The analysis of the O–H band provides evidence that the hydroxylic groups of lecithin form strong hydrogen bonds whereas the added water is confined in bulk-like water domains.

Dielectric relaxation measurements in the frequency range 0.1–15 GHz have been carried out on water/lecithin/cyclohexane gels using a time domain reflectometry method (TDR). Dielectric dispersions describable in terms of a power law typical of percolated systems, but with exponents significantly different from those characterizing statically or dynamically percolated systems are observed. The dielectric dispersions, attributed to water and/or lecithin head group rotational motions, indicate that these motions are characterized by a wide spectrum of relaxation times.

In this paper we present some results from Brillouin scattering measurements on lecithin-based gels. The normalized hypersound absorption data give clear evidence of the establishement of an extended network at temperatures lower than 25 o C, when the micelle size reaches a threshold value. The transition between the two regions is interpreted as originated by a delicate balance between the breading and re-forming mechanisms of the micelles and the system polydispersivity on which the collisional effects play the main role

Freshly cultured vascular endothelial cells express the CD34 antigen in a diffuse cell surface pattern with some concentration on microvilli. Expression is downregulated with proliferation in continuous culture and undetectable after nine population doublings but can be maintained by restraining cell proliferation and promoting cell contact. Expression of CD34 at the antigen and mRNA levels on early passage cells is rapidly downregulated by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), interferon-gamma (INF-gamma), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF- alpha) under conditions in which these ligands upregulate the adhesion molecules: endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule 1 (ELAM-1) and intracellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1). This reciprocal pattern of expression and the topographic distribution of CD34 molecules on the lumenal interdigitated microprocesses of adjacent endothelial cells in vivo suggest that CD34 might have a negative modulating role on adhesion functions of endothelia.

International audience; It was observed that, when polarized by an intense electric field, water is able to self-arrange into macroscopic cylindrical wires that can hang up and remain floating against gravity. This phenomenon is now known as " water-bridge ". Several attempts have been made to give an explanation of this apparently unusual behavior of water. A number of experiments have been performed with the aim of probing any possible structural change of bulk water, after application of the electric field. None of the available findings looks at the moment conclusive. Here we report the results of the first Raman scattering experiment on floating water-bridges. The intermolecular OH-stretching band has been investigated and the results have been compared with those from bulk water. Some changes in the scattering profiles after application of the electric field are shown to have a structural origin. The bridges have been obtained, for the first time, in a vertical geometry and under application of an alternating field. The adopted geometry has allowed to reveal a clear asymmetry between opposite d.c. biasing, that can be related with the nature of the charge carriers.

Mandelstam—Brillouin measurements on lysozyme 10% by weight aqueous solutions as a function of the exchanged wavevector k are presented. The hypersonic velocity values, that result greater than those relative to “bulk” water, indicate a greater rigidity of the system for the k values corresponding to the maxima of the structure factor. Such vibrational thermal excitations are hypothesized to be originated by the existence of a long ranged thyxotropic structure, that can exhibit a solid-like behaviour, provided that the strains do not exceed some limiting values.

Lecithin/isooctane/water gel is investigated by means of different experimental techniques, namely, depolarized light scattering, ultrasonic and dielectric measurements. Pure isooctane and lecithin/isooctane solution are also tested for comparison. A relaxation process, taking place in the 10−13 s time scale was revealed from the light-scattering experiment, both in the gel and in the solution. This is attributed to the reorientational relaxation of the solvent that keeps its bulk properties. The comparison between the activation enthalpies for the detected process in the gel and in the solution, together with the behavior of the relaxation times vs frequency showed the existence of some influence of the entangled network on the isooctane dynamics. Data from ultrasonic measurements show the existence of the same relaxation process, both in the gel and in the solution, with a relaxed value very near to the one obtained for pure isooctane. The observed dynamics were interpreted as due to the existence of the same elementary microspheres of lecithin in the bulk of the solvent in both systems. The relaxation phenomenon revealed by the dielectric data was analyzed in the frame of a Cole-Cole phenomenological law and associated to the role played by water molecules on lecithin reorientation. The temperature dependence of the observed phenomenon is in agreement with the existence of an entangled polymeric-network.

We present some results from the spectroscopic investigation of the hydrodynamic triplet in lecithin/cyclohexane/water reverse micelles. The investigation at high lecithin volume fraction clearly shows the dependence of the gel-formation process on the water content and the temperature. The observed phenomena are interpreted as originated by the competition between interfacial exchange processes and collisional effects whose balance is strongly temperature dependent. The investigation at low volume fraction, at fixed water content, allows us to determine the influence of the micelle population on the establishment of the entangled network. The data are compared with other results from literature and from rheological measurements.

Polarized Maandelstam-Brillouin scattering data in lysozyme 10% by weight aqueous solutions are presented. The hypersound velocity νhs is measured as a function of the exchanged wavevector k. — The experimental results indicate that the hypersonic velocity values, greater than the ones of “bulk” water, behave like the structure factor S(k), giving evidence of a greater rigidity of the system for the k values that correspond to the long-lived Fourier components of the structure factor.

Dalmasso, A., Fontanella, E., Piatti, P., Civera, T., Secchi, C. and Bottero, M.T., 2007. Identification of four tuna species by means of Real-Time PCR and melting curve analysis. Veterinary Research Communications, 31(Suppl. 1), 355–357

The aggregative phenomena taking place in gel-forming and not gel-forming reverse micelles are investigated and compared. In particular, the different growth processes of the micelles (spherical in Aerosol OT based systems and cylindrical in lecithin-based systems) are monitored by the different diffusional properties of the inner-core water molecules, as seen by the neutronic probe in a quasielastic neutron scattering experiment. The different intermicellar aggregation processes taking place in the two kinds of systems have been evidenced through the study of the concentration dependence of the electric conductivity. The results seem to support the proposed idea that the structure of the lecithin gel consists of a percolated network of branched cylinders instead of (as previously proposed) a random entangled network of (not interconnected) polymer-like micelles.

Degradation of several intracellular proteins involved in cell cycle control and tumour growth is regulated by the ubiquitin-dependent multicatalytic protease complex (proteasome). We report that proteasome inhibitor Z-Ile-Glu(OtBu)-Ala-Leucinal (PSI) was cytotoxic on most human myeloid leukaemia cell lines at IC50 doses ranging from 5 to 25 nmol/l. Additionally, PSI pre-treatment enhanced cytotoxicity by taxol and cisplatinum. PSI was more active on leukaemic than on normal CD34(+) bone marrow progenitors because the 50% growth inhibition of colony-forming unit granulocyte macrophage (CFU-GM) from cases of chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML) and normal subjects was achieved by 15 nmol/l and 50 nmol/l PSI respectively. PSI killed cells by apoptosis as revealed by ultrastructural changes, nuclear DNA fragmentation, cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and of beta-catenin, and was antagonized by ectopic expression of Bcl-2 but not by inactivating mutations of p53. This event was associated with a slight accumulation of Bcl-2, a decrease of Bax but no changes in Bcl-X(L) protein expression at any time point. In Ph(+) cell lines BCR-ABL protein was only down-regulated after 48 h of treatment with 10 nmol/l PSI. Altogether, these results indicate that PSI, alone or in association with other cytotoxic agents, has anti-tumour activity against myeloid malignancies and is more effective on leukaemic than on normal haematopoietic progenitor cells.

We present experimental measurements, obtained by a quasielastic neutron scattering experiment, of the self-diffusion coefficient of water confined in the dense structure of lecithin-based gels. The inelastic neutron scattering (INS) technique was also used to monitor the dynamic state of water molecules involved in the gel structure. It is shown that, at least in highly concentrated systems, the diffusional properties of water can be related with the growth process of wormlike aggregates. However, an interpretation of our data consistent with a number of experimental results in the literature and with INS indications requires the adoption of a model in which the gel structure is better described in terms of percolating aggregates rather than the usually described polymerlike entangled (not interconnected) network. In such a way, we are pointing out the existence of an interpretative controversy calling for further investigation to be disentangled. The source of the inconsistencies is found in the commonly accepted basic assumption of the existence of a simple scaling law, relating the average micellar length to the concentration. [S1063-651X(99)04312-3].

The investigation of the structural relaxation properties of poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylates are of practical interest, due to their ability to work as the inert backbone to which poly(ethylene oxide) oligomers can be attached to obtain highly amorphous polymeric matrices. Two poly(ethylene glycol) methacrylate, PEGMA, macromonomers, with different side chain lengths, are investigated by the dielectric technique, in the frequency range 0.3-300 kHz, and by Brillouin scattering. The analysis of the Brillouin spectra gives evidence for the existence of a relaxation process in both the systems. Furthermore, a comparison of the normalized absorption data with their corresponding classical values (deduced from the shear viscosity data) suggests that what the Brillouin scattering experiment detects is a dissipative relaxational process in which the shear viscosity plays the main role. The comparison of the Brillouin scattering results with the dielectric data shows that what we are observing, in both the systems, is a single relaxation process. The temperature dependences of the relaxation times, observed on more than 10 decades, fail to follow simple Arrhenian behaviours. Both the systems can be interpreted as intermediate between strong and fragile liquids, following the Angell classification, and appear characterized by the existence of a wide variety of local structural environments, triggered by some relaxation process. Such a situation is more clearly evidenced by the macromonomer with longer chain. From the whole body of experimental data, it can be deduced that shorter-side-chain PEGMA macromonomers are better candidates for the formation of highly amorphous comb-branched polymers.

In this work, we present the results from dielectric measurements on soybean lecithin/isooctane/water gel. The pure solvent and the solution of lecithin in isooctane are also investigated for comparison. A low-frequency dielectric dispersion of the complex permittivity epsilon* is evidenced in the gel and analyzed within the framework of the phenomenological Cole-Cole model. The frequency of the maximum in the dielectric loss shows an Arrhenian behavior as a function of the temperature; this behavior is interpreted in terms of a strong influence of H20 diffusive motion, inside micelles, on the lecithin dipole reorientations.

The phenotypic features of 44 cases of sporadic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) were investigated by monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs). The majority of cases were positive for HLA-DR (97 per cent), CD19 (100 per cent), CD20 (92 per cent) and CD37 (83 per cent) pan-B markers, in accordance with the B-cell derivation of the tumour; the B-cell restricted markers CD21, CD22 and FMC7 reacted with 28 per cent, 66 per cent and 75 per cent of cases, respectively. Of the mantle zone B-cell specific MoAbs, CD1c was always negative, whereas CD23 and 2.7 were positive with one and two cases, respectively. CD39 was weakly reactive on two specimens, one of which was CD23+. The germinal centre specific MoAbs CD10 and CD77 (Burkitt's lymphoma antigen) displayed a heterogeneous pattern of reactivity and allowed to identify 4 subgroups: CD10+/CD77+ (44 per cent), CD10+/CD77- (15 per cent), CD10-/CD77+ (36 per cent) and CD10-/CD77- (5 per cent). Of 15 cases tested for the expression of CD11a and CD18 lymphocyte-function-associated (LFA-1) antigens and their ligand ICAM-1 (CD54), seven were positive and six negative for the three markers, while the other two cases expressed alternatively the two molecules. Analysis of the putative normal BL cell counterpart, identified with the CD77 marker in normal lymphoid tissues, showed that all CD77+ B-cells were constitutively CD11a+/CD18+, suggesting that BLs are likely to arise from a LFA-1 positive B-cell and may down-regulate these molecules during neoplastic transformation.

The macroscopic diffusive behaviour of a solution of LiCI is investigated by an optical technique. The time evolution of a macroscopic concentration gradient is detected. The main goal of the present work is to compare the obtained results with the microscopic values of diffusion coefficients of both salt and water, previously found in an NMR measurement. It is shown that, even in the case of large gradients, a linear relationship between flux and forces exists, provided that a new phenomenon, macroscopic in character, is properly taken into account. In such a case the, diffusion coefficients found in the NMR measurements also describe the macroscopic behaviour.

A new technique is described, that allows the direct observation of relaxation processes. The technique consists in monitoring the intensity of selected bands in the Raman spectra, in a synchronized way with respect to an external perturbing field. The reliability of the technique is tested in the case of the monomer-dimer reaction in acetic acid.

The diffusion coefficients of both the proton and the cation are measured by means of a spin-echo technique in a solution of LiCI at various temperatures and concentrations. The aim of the present work is to obtain experimental values for the diffusion coefficients defined from a microscopic point of view. In a next paper the diffusive behaviour of the same system will be investigated from a macroscopic behaviour. However the NMR results, reported here, show some interesting peculiarities in itself, that can be discussed from a rather general point of view, in the frame of structural properties of electrolytic solutions.

A large number of experimental results have shown that macromolelcules in solution give rise to ordered (thyxotropic) structures, a noticeable role being played by a dynamic correlation. In the present paper we develop a semi-phenomenological model that can be solved analytically. The model is able to describe in a quantitative way both structural and dynamical properties of a thyxotropic solution. A careful experimental investigation is also carried out and the experimental results are compared to the theoretical prediction. In such a way the relevant parameters implied in the structure can be evaluated. Some implications concerning energy exchanges between proteins and the thermal bath are discussed.

Specimens from 19 patients with NHL were also phenotyped at the onset of the disease; among them, 9 were studied in the relapse phase. The analysis was carried out with monoclonal antibodies directed against T and myeloid cells; at diagnosis, all cases presented an immature thymic phenotype. When analyzed at relapse, phenotypic changes were observed: intra-lineage dedifferentiations (6 cases); mixed-lineage lymphoid and myeloid (2 cases), and pure myeloid relapses (1 case). The molecular analysis of the TCR-genes configuration showed a germ-line pattern at onset and relapse in Case 9 and a modification of the rearrangement patterns during the evolution of the disease in Case 6. These data point out that the relapse is often accompanied by intra-lineage modifications resembling dedifferentiation and, more rarely by a myeloid switch. The phenotypic follow-up of these patients may be important to the implementation of chemotherapeutic protocols that are more adequate for the biological evolution of the disease.

The CD1 cluster of monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) CD1a, CD1b, and CD1c, identifies molecules that are differentially expressed on hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic tissues. Our earlier finding that the mantle zone (MZ) but not the germinal center (GC) of normal lymph nodes (LN) is CD1c+, CD1a-, and CD1b- prompted us to further investigate the expression of these molecules on normal, activated, and malignant B cells. We report that blood and spleen contain CD1c+ B cells that account for 49% +/- 20.4% (mean +/- SD) and 50.9% +/- 4.4% of the total B cell population, respectively. CD1a- and CD1b-specific MoAbs are unreactive with both B and T cells; these latter are CD1c- as well. When CD1c+ and CD1c- B cells are activated in vitro, the CD1c molecule is upregulated in the former subset and induced de novo in the latter. Conversely, activated blood T cells remain CD1c-. Neither CD1a nor CD1b molecules are detected on activated T and B lymphocytes. At ultrastructural level, the CD1c+ B cells exhibit distinctive features, namely, condensed chromatin with or without a nucleolus and a unique cluster of cytoplasmic vesicles and organelles; the number of nucleolated cells is higher in the spleen (95%) than in the tonsil (40%) or blood (5%). These findings further confirm the similarity between blood and MZ B cells. The CD1c expression assessed on 27 B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemias (B-CLL) and 46 B non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHL) was detected on 41% and 32% of cases, respectively; the latter comprised four follicular and 11 diffuse histotypes. The Burkitt's lymphomas were CD1c-negative. The B-cell neoplasms were all CD1a- and, except for four with a weak cytoplasmic staining, all CD1b- as well. The clear-cut CD1c distribution in normal LN (MZ+, GC-) contrasted with the evidence that some B-NHL cells of GC origin (eg, follicular with predominantly small cleaved cells) were CD1c+. Overall, the finding that CD1c expression is restricted to a fraction of B cells present in lymphoid organs and in peripheral blood indicates that CD1c is a powerful marker for the identification and dissection of B-cell subsets whose functional properties can now be evaluated.

The MLR-3 monoclonal antibody reacts with activated but not with resting lymphocytes. We report that MLR-3 identifies an early activation molecule since its binding is detectable on T cells 1.5-2 hr after in vitro activation. Its expression, therefore, does not require DNA synthesis and precedes, by many hours, that of the receptors for interleukin-2 (IL-2R) and transferrin (TF-R). The MLR-3 antigen is also found on activated thymocytes (including the large early thymic CD3- subset) and B cells. The majority of T- and B-lymphoblastoid cell lines, as well as the myeloid and erythroid cell lines HL60, GM1 and K562, are MLR-3+; conversely, non-haemopoietic cell lines are MLR-3 negative. Seventy percent of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and 15% of B non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHL) are MLR-3+. On tissue sections MLR-3 is reactive with epithelia, sweat glands, hair follicles and Henle's loop but not with vessels, connective, endothelium and many other tissues. In vitro studies show that MLR-3 (1-100 micrograms/ml) significantly alters the thymidine uptake of mitogen-treated lymphocytes:augmentation is found when T and B cells are induced with TPA-Ionomycin and reduction when induced with phytohaemoagglutinin (PHA) or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain 1 (SAC), respectively. On SDS-PAGE, MLR-3 immunoprecipitates a disulphide-linked heterodimer of MW 29,000-35,000: both subunits are glycosylated, phosphorylated and exhibit a pI of 4.1 and 5.0, respectively. Our data, particularly the in vitro results, suggest that the MRL-3 molecule could have an important role in the early hours of activation for the progression of resting lymphocytes into mitosis.

The diffusional properties in the cyclohexane/lecithin/water gel are investigated by means of quasielastic neutron scattering and depolarized light scattering. Also the pure organic solvent and sol phases of different compositions are investigated for a comparison. It is found that both translational and rotational diffusion of water and lecithin are strongly correlated, and become faster in the gel phase. This does not fit the current point of view, where the rheological properties of the system are supposed to result from the entanglement of giant linear micelles which grow up under addition of water. As a further investigation, the aggregative phenomena occurring in the system at the sol-gel transition are observed by means of a calorimeter tao. Also in this case, the interpretation of the experimental data in terms of the growth of linear giant aggregates leads to some inconsistencies. It is suggested that the macroscopic shear viscosity behavior can be thought of as originated by a transient network determined by cooperative intermicellar interactions, where the role played by water is not as simple as assumed up to now. [S1063-651X(99)03401-7].

The present study provides immunobiochemical and molecular data on the differentiation-linked expression of the bcl-2 proto-oncogene in normal and neoplastic myeloid cells. Using a recently developed monoclonal antibody (MoAb) to the bcl-2 molecule, staining of normal bone marrow myeloblasts, promyelocytes, and myelocytes, but neither monocytes nor most polymorphonuclear cells, was demonstrated. By two-color flow cytometric analysis, bcl-2 was evidenced in CD33+ and CD33+/CD34+ myeloid cells as well as in the more primitive CD33-/CD34+ population. The leukemic cell lines HL-60, KG1, GM-1, and K562 were bcl-2 positive together with 11 of 14 acute myeloid leukemias (AML) and three of three chronic myeloid leukemias (CML) in blast crises; six of seven CML were negative. Among myelodysplastic cases, augmentation of the bcl-2 positive myeloblastic compartment was found in refractory anemia with excess of blasts (RAEB) and in transformation (RAEB-t). Western blots of myeloid leukemias and control lymphocytes extracts evidenced an anti- bcl-2 immunoreactive band of the expected size (26 Kd). Moreover, the HL-60 and KG1 cell lines, both positive for the bcl-2 protein, exhibited the appropriate size bcl-2 mRNA (7.5 Kb). These findings clearly indicate that the bcl-2 gene is operative in myeloid cells and that the anti-bcl-2 MoAb identifies its product and not a cross- reactive epitope. Induction of HL-60 differentiation toward the monocytic and granulocytic pathways was accompanied by a marked decrease in bcl-2 mRNA and protein levels; bivariate flow cytometric analysis showed that the fraction becoming bcl-2 negative was in the G1 phase of the cell cycle. These data establish that the bcl-2 proto- oncogene is expressed on myeloid cells and their progenitors and is regulated in a differentiation-linked manner.

Entro un volume che raccoglie saggi dei massimi esperti della favola di Apuleio (fra gli altri Giovanni Reale, Claudio Moreschini, Gianfranco Ravasi), il saggio riflette sulla sua ricezione nei periodi di più evidente fortuna, in Italia e in Europa: la prima metà del Cinquecento e il passaggio fra XVIII e XIX secolo. Affronta il tema dall’angolazione del neoplatonismo, dato che Apuleio stesso si dichiara “philosophus platonicus” e viene percepito come tale fin dalla editio princeps del suo testo in età umanistica, e che i contenuti della favola di Psiche si prestano a una lettura in questa luce. Il saggio prende dunque in esame alcune opere chiave che permettano una lettura della fortuna sotto lo specifico, e necessario, punto di vista della visione di Psiche come figura dell’anima e della sua esperienza come sintesi dell’avventura amorosa. Lo studio si concentra prima di tutto sulla loggia della villa di Agostino Chigi a Roma, nota come Farnesina, e sulla camera di Psiche nel palazzo Te di Federico II Gonzaga a Mantova. Le due imprese decorative vengono indagate mettendone in luce la continuità dal punto di vista del progetto e dell’interpretazione data della storia illustrata, oltre che alcune rilevanti singolarità iconografiche; e osservandone il legame profondo con gli ambienti in cui nascono, in stretta relazione fra loro. Il ruolo rilevante dell’artista in questo ambiente, sintetizzato dal celebre passo di una lettera di Raffaello a Castiglione in cui dichiara di essere guidato nella creazione da “una certa Iddea” della bellezza femminile, avvicina idealmente e dal punto di vista culturale l’artista cinquecentesco a Canova. Dopo una ricognizione del complesso panorama delle posizioni filosofiche settecentesche sulla favola, il saggio mostra come Canova abbia dato forma concreta all’arte di idee prospettata da Winckelmann, e di come proprio nei gruppi scultorei dedicati a Psiche egli riesca a rivelare il senso della favola antica e del suo valore universale, guidato – come scrive Missirini – dal “voler trattare questo Mito stando alla sentenza di Platone”.

Il saggio si focalizza sugli aspetti politico-istituzionali dell’unificazione italiana e sulle fonti di legittimazione politica delle nuove istituzioni nazionali. In particolare il saggio si sofferma sulla figura di Vittorio Emanuele II e sulla sua scelta (unico tra i sovrani dell’Italia preunitaria) di mantenere in vigore lo Statuto Albertino dopo la fase di “restaurazione” del 1849. Il saggio prende in esame anche i contenuti dello Statuto e il rapporto tra i poteri che si venne ad instaurare nella “costituzione materiale” del paese dopo l’unificazione. Attraverso la biografia politica di Vittorio Emanuele II, si offre un affresco della storia italiana postunitaria fino alla fine degli anni Settanta.

Inquadramento dell’ampia sezione della mostra (Torino, Palazzo Reale) dedicata agli affreschi e ai mosaici provenienti dagli edifici privati. Si sintetizzano gli aspetti culturali, sociali ed economici della decorazione parietale e pavimentale, con particolare attenzione agli aspetti comunicativi e con valutazione critica dei più recenti contributi e dei risultati di analisi archeometriche sulla decorazione marmorea e sulle pitture su marmo.