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Study question: To investigate whether idiopathic male infertility may be due to the presence of histones in motile spermatozoa using a modified AB staining protocol. Summary answer: No correlation between CMI in live motile spermatozoa, DNA Fragmentation Index (DFI) and other conventional seminal parameters were found in male infertile patients. What is known already: The AB stain discriminates between lysine-rich histones and arginine/cysteine-rich protamines. Transition from histones to protamines during spermatogenesis remodels chromatin packaging and abnormalities in the substitution of those proteins maybe interfere with seminal parameters and affect male infertility. The correlation between CMI and seminal parameters is known, but little is knowledge about live and motile spermatozoa associated to CMI because literature report only spermatozoa fixation before staining. Sperm chromatin carries half of the genomic material to offspring. Spermatozoa nuclear status is crucial for balanced transmission to future generations, and histones modifications are directly involved in epigenetic mutations. Study design, size, duration: Retrospective observational study of 77 men underwent to standard semen analysis, including the evaluation of CMI and DFI, enrolled from January to December 2020. Mean age of the men was 36.63±8.26 years old, sperm concentration 46.69±37.23 mill/mL, linear progressive motility 39.35±15.31%, normal morphology 6.42±3.40%, DFI 25.91±10.29%. 200 spermatozoa for evaluation of CMI and 300 for DFI were analyzed respectively. Participants/materials, setting, methods: Semen samples of 77 patients were collected and analyzed according to 5th edition of WHO guidelines (2010) for examination of human semen. For the evaluation of CMI we performed a new modified protocol for AB stain directly in live spermatozoa. Dilution 1:1 fresh semen and Aniline Blue colorant were mixed and placed on a slide and examined in bright field microscopy x1000 magnification. DFI was evaluated using Sperm Chromatin Dispersion (SCD) test. Main results and the role of chance: Of all spermatozoa analyzed, 82.58±29.98% were white, 17.17±17.21% were pale blue, and 28.53±21.09% were dark blue. By our modified protocol, directly in live spermatozoa, we correlated AB staining with motility and , surprisingly, all motile spermatozoa observed were not stained (white), while pale or dark blue spermatozoa resulted always immotile. For this reason, we have considered pale blue spermatozoa as AB positive, in disagreement with some authors. So, maybe, we should reconsider pale blue stained spermatozoa as abnormal. We also observed AB negative spermatozoa with morphological head, neck and tail defects, underlining the independence of these two parameters: nuclear status and morphology. We have observed no statistically significant differences between conventional semen parameters, DFI and CMI, so nuclear analysis seems to be independent parameters. The statistical analysis was performed by Matlab statistical toolbox version 2008 (MathWorks, Natick, MA, USA) for Windows at 32 bit; finally all tests with p-value (p) < 0.05 were considered significant. Attention should be paid to the evaluation of CMI not only in astenozoospermic patients, where a lower CMI is known, but also in normozoospermic infertile patients. Limitations, reasons for caution: This is a preliminary observational study on a small number of normozoospermic or mild asthenozoospermic patients. The study should be considered as a pilot study. Future studies with higher number of samples are necessary in order to confirm the results obtained. Wider implications of the findings: This is the first study that reports AB staining on unfixed live spermatozoa with a modified protocol. Our study underlines the necessity of classify pale blue spermatozoa as AB positive. Further investigations are necessary. This is a starting point for future analysis to be carried out under the project EcoFoodFertility. Trial registration number: not applicable

This study aims to optimise the cross-sectional shape of singly-symmetric, open-section and simply-supported cold-formed steel (CFS) beams and beam-columns. No manufacturing or assembly constraints are considered. The previously developed augmented Lagrangian Genetic Algorithm (GA), referred to as the “self-shape” optimisation algorithm, is used herein. Fully restrained and unrestrained beams against lateral deflection and twist, as well as unrestrained beam-columns are optimised. Various combinations of axial compressive load and bending moment are analysed for the beam-columns. The Direct Strength Method (DSM) is used to evaluate the nominal member compressive and bending capacities. The accuracy of the automated rules, developed in the literature to determine the elastic local and distortional axial buckling stresses from Finite Strip signature curves, is verified herein to estimate the elastic bending buckling stresses. The optimised cross-sectional shapes are presented for all cases and the evolution of the unrestrained shapes from pure axial compression to pure bending is discussed.

Recent literature on peacekeeping recognizes the importance of local conditions as determinants of the ‘space for peace’ and, at the same time, treats ‘bottom-up’ peacekeeping as a central criterion for its effectiveness. Accordingly, we have collected event data to analyze the impact of peacekeeping at a highly disaggregate, or local/subnational, level. Peacekeeping events are defined as data points where peacekeepers are either actors or targets of an action at a specific location and time point. Ideally time and place are recorded at the highest precision – indicating exact longitude and latitude as well as exact time of day – but often such precision remains elusive. Regardless, peacekeeping event data help to identify where peacekeepers are deployed, what they do, with whom they interact, as well as the quality of the interaction.

The James L. Waters Symposium 2012 had five invited speakers to describe the development and commercialization of portable, hand-held X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometers. Lee Grodzins described the birth and the maturation of hand-held XRF (HHXRF) spectrometers. Andrew Ellis described how the stainless-steel industry in Finland led to the development of X-MET HHXRF analyzers. Charles Jensen reviewed the performance improvements in miniature X-ray sources made by his company, Moxtek. Alan Huber explained how his company, Amptek, led the development of detectors for HHXRF. Stanislaw Piorek detailed the evolution of analytical capabilities of field-portable, HHXRF analyzers.

This report of the 2011 James L. Waters Symposium at Pittcon 2011 highlights the powerful imaging technologies of electron microscopy (EM) and ion microscopy (IM). The four speakers each provided a window into a specific subset of the field: • David Bell described the history, development, application, and commercialization of transmission EM (TEM) and scanning TEM (STEM); • David Martin presented the challenges and methodologies of imaging ordered polymers and biomaterials with TEM; • Joseph Michael explained the history of the commercialization of scanning EM (SEM) and its modern applications; and, • David Joy, who submitted his talk in absentia , provided a history of EM and a summary of the advantages of IM versus EM.

This is a report on the James L. Waters Symposium at PittCon 2010, which featured four speakers responsible for the development and the commercialization of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). • An early pioneer, William McFadden described the development of the moving belt system in the 1970s. • Marvin Vestal, CEO & CSO of Virgin Instruments, described how he and his team designed and perfected thermospray technology in the 1980s. • Jack Henion, Chairman and CSO of Advion BioSciences, Inc., discussed direct liquid introduction (DLI), atmospheric pressure ionization (API), the development of electrospray and new developments (e.g., bench-top LC-MS systems, nanospray, ion traps and microfluidics). • Tom Covey, a principal scientist at AB SCIEX, used the metaphor of the world histomap to document the history of LC-MS and compare his fellow speakers to famous historical figures.

This is a report on the Pittcon 2009 Waters Symposium, which featured five speakers on the history and fast-growing applications of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Often called the “Father of NIRS”, Karl Norris described the development and the initial refinement of the first NIR instruments for use in whole-sample grain measurements. Peter Flinn provided an explanation of the science behind this technology and explained the need for and use of chemometrics in interpreting NIRS data. Franklin “Woody” Barton explained how the first official, standardized methods were developed and described the development of compact, dedicated NIR spectrometers for rapid, non-destructive, at-line and in-line analysis of material. Phil Williams detailed the introduction of NIRS to the world of commerce and the spread of NIR worldwide. Finally, Robert Lodder explained some out-of-the-box modern applications of NIRS in the fields of aging, artificial intelligence and astrobiology.

The zinc-specific fluorophore, Zinpyr-1, is used in competition assays to determine the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of Zn2+ binding to engineered bi-histidine sites located in ubiquitin and the B domain of protein A (BdpA). These binding sites are used in psi analysis studies to investigate structure formation in the folding transition state identified by the change in folding rate upon addition of metal ions. For ubiquitin, the on-rate binding constant and binding affinity for a site located along an alpha-helix are measured to be approximately 10(7) M-1 s-1 and 3 microM, respectively. For a site located across two beta-strands, the metal binding affinity was too weak to measure in the dye competition assays (Kd55 microM). The equilibrium-determined values for the Zn2+-induced stabilization of ubiquitin and BdpA match the values derived from changes in the global folding and unfolding rates. Therefore, metal ion binding is in fast equilibrium during the transit over the free energy barrier. Accordingly, the folding rate must be slower than the product of the fractional population of a high-energy intermediate with the metal site formed and the metal binding on-rate constant. The known folding rate of 20 s-1 at 1.5 M guanidinium chloride in 400 microM Zn2+ provides an upper bound for the stability of such intermediates (DeltaG(U-I)4 kcal/mol). These results support a view of the apparent two-state protein folding reaction surface as a fast pre-equilibrium between the denatured state and a series of high-energy species. The net folding rate is a product of the equilibrium constant of the highest-energy species and a transmission rate. For ubiquitin, we estimate the transmission rate to be approximately 10(4) s-1. Implications for the role of unfolded chain diffusion on folding rates and barrier heights are discussed.

To address the lack of studies examining the convergent and discriminant validity of cross-informant ratings, several statistical approaches were used in this study to evaluate the convergent and discriminant validity for ratings of interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence. A total of 272 adolescent-motherfather triads completed measures assessing interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence. The validity of these measures appeared questionnable when relationships were examined using Campbell and Fiske’s criteria and confirmatory factor analysis, respectively. In contrast, analyses demonstrated adequate fit of cross-informant ratings in a correlated uniqueness model, supporting convergent and discriminant validity. Overall, results suggested that informant effects should be analyzed when examining interparental conflict and adolescent adjustment. These findings emphasize the importance of considering the measurement issues of cross-informant ratings when examining interparental conflict, adolescent behavioral problems, and adolescent competence.

A total of 150 biological mother–father–adolescent triads were interviewed to investigate adolescents' perceptions of parents with and without high levels of psychological symptoms in relation to adolescents' emotional/behavioral functioning. There was a more consistent pattern for sons to show greater externalizing emotional/behavioral problems in relation to levels of adolescents' perceptions of maternal behaviors (i.e., lower acceptance and higher negative affect toward mother). Daughters, however, appeared to show greater internalizing emotional/behavioral problems in relation to higher levels of paternal depression and anxiety and lower levels of maternal control. Furthermore, both sons and daughters showed evidence of higher emotional/behavioral problems (especially internalizing problems) in relation to triangulation and interparental conflict. The complex patterns of the findings relating to the mother–father–adolescent triads emphasize the importance of including both mothers and fathers in future research of adolescents' perceptions of parents.

This paper describes the dramatic changes taking place in the architecture and capabilities of the wide area network as it evolves from a collection of several service-specific networks, each typically supporting only one transport protocol, to a single multiprotocol network supporting a variety of services. The paper also discusses the technological forces driving this evolution and considers its practical implications.

In response to an increase in public awareness and interest in the problem of child sexual abuse, programs have been developed to promote the awareness, prevention, and treatment of sexual abuse. These programs have been varied in scope, focus, and effectiveness. This article reviews the child sexual abuse literature, with particular emphasis on efforts aimed at the prevention of child sexual abuse. Prevention efforts targeting potential victims as well as parents, teachers, and offenders, are reviewed and evaluated. Overall, there is not enough adequate work being done to prevent child sexual abuse. More efforts need to address child sexual abuse prevention by targeting adults who can help children avoid such an experience and adults who may perpetrate against children. Suggestions about future preventive endeavors, based on this review, are offered.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of epiluminescence microscopy (ELM) in the differential diagnosis of cutaneous pigmented lesions in order to improve the detection of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) at earlier stages of the disease. In total, 3865 pigmented lesions from 2121 selected patients were evaluated using ELM with a hand-held video microscope imaging system (MS 500B Micro-Scopeman, Moritex). Comparison with histology was performed on the 476 surgically excised lesions. ELM sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values as well as agreement for the different risk levels of the lesions were determined. Of the 476 cutaneous pigmented lesions removed and histologically examined, 101 (21.2%) were non-melanocytic lesions and 375 (78.8%) were melanocytic lesions. Overall agreement was 83.4% (93.1% and 80.8% for non-melanocytic and melanocytic lesions, respectively). Sensitivity and specificity of ELM in the analysis of melanocytic lesions with a pigment network were both very high (92.3% and 91.2%, respectively). Sixty new cases of CMM were identified. A high proportion of melanoma at stage AJCC IA (23 out of 32; 71.8%) was diagnosed exclusively by ELM (four of these were in situ CCM lesions). ELM is therefore a powerful tool to discriminate between melanocytic and non-melanocytic lesions in order to avoid inopportune surgical treatments for low risk lesions. Unfortunately, ELM did not show 100% sensitivity in diagnosing CMM and therefore ELM features should be integrated with data from both the history and clinical evaluation. However, ELM is much more accurate than clinical examination in detecting thin CMM.

It has been shown that lens regeneration from outer cornea of larval Xenopus laevisis dependent on neural retina both in vivo and in tissue culture. The isolated outer cornea cultured in the presence of bovine brain-derived acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor (aFGF) is able to reprogram the differentiation into lens fibers, although this transdifferentiative process is not coupled with the formation of a normally organized lens. The capacity of aFGF to promote lens differentiation from cornea is not linked to its mitogenic activity. The cultured corneal cells can transdifferentiate into lens fibers in the presence of aFGF when DNA replication and cell proliferation are prevented by addition of aphidicolin, a specific inhibitor of DNA polymerase in eukaryotes, to the culture medium.

The formation of a nano-porous structure in amorphous Ge thin film (sputter-deposited on SiO2) during ion irradiation at room temperature with 300 keV Ge+ has been observed. The porous film showed a sponge-like structure substantially different from the columnar structure reported for ion implanted bulk Ge. The voids size and structure resulted to be strongly affected by the material preparation, while the volume expansion turned out to be determined only by the nuclear deposition energy. In SiGe alloys, the swelling occurs only if the Ge concentration is above 90%. These findings rely on peculiar characteristics related to the mechanism of voids nucleation and growth, but they are crucial for future applications of active nanostructured layers such as low cost chemical and biochemical sensing devices or electrodes in batteries. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics.

Background The aim of this study was to assess the distribution of key SNARE proteins in glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses of the adult rat cerebellar cortex using light microscopy immunohistochemical techniques. Analysis was made of co-localizations of vGluT-1 and vGluT-2, vesicular transporters of glutamate and markers of glutamatergic synapses, or GAD, the GABA synthetic enzyme and marker of GABAergic synapses, with VAMP-2, SNAP-25A/B and syntaxin-1. Results The examined SNARE proteins were found to be diffusely expressed in glutamatergic synapses, whereas they were rarely observed in GABAergic synapses. However, among glutamatergic synapses, subpopulations which did not contain VAMP-2, SNAP-25A/B and syntaxin-1 were detected. They included virtually all the synapses established by terminals of climbing fibres (immunoreactive for vGluT-2) and some synapses established by terminals of parallel and mossy fibres (immunoreactive for vGluT-1, and for vGluT-1 and 2, respectively). The only GABA synapses expressing the SNARE proteins studied were the synapses established by axon terminals of basket neurons. Conclusion The present study supplies a detailed morphological description of VAMP-2, SNAP-25A/B and syntaxin-1 in the different types of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses of the rat cerebellar cortex. The examined SNARE proteins characterize most of glutamatergic synapses and only one type of GABAergic synapses. In the subpopulations of glutamatergic and GABAergic synapses lacking the SNARE protein isoforms examined, alternative mechanisms for regulating trafficking of synaptic vesicles may be hypothesized, possibly mediated by different isoforms or homologous proteins.

This issue of the AT&T Technical Journal is dedicated to the architecture known as the broadband integrated services digital network, or BISDN — the standards recommendations that define it, the technologies that enable it, and trends in business and society that are intensifying market demand for the emerging applications it will support. BISDN has the potential to be the next-generation infrastructure not only for the telecommunications carriers' public networks, but also — in the context of increasing demands for sophisticated high-bandwidth, or broadband, services — for customers' private networks, including local-area, metropolitan-area, and wide-area networks. This remarkable new synergy between premises networks and public networks offers customers dramatic new possibilities of seamless end-to-end information networking. Together with new techniques for transporting voice, data, and video, BISDN makes it possible to deploy multimedia services with powerful signaling and control capabilities. The papers in this issue capture a broad, representative view of this dynamic subject and provide a snapshot of AT&T's rapidly expanding activities in implementing BISDN.

The ultimate goal of AT&Ts strategy for broadband products and services — an integrated communications infrastructure that will make multimedia communications as ubiquitous and easy to use as traditional telephone service — may be revolutionary in its effects on commerce, education, health care, entertainment, and many aspects of everyday life. But evolution, not revolution, is the path to that goal. Together with its leadership in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) technology, the cornerstone of multimedia networking, AT&T offers realistic, flexible options for the evolution of today's heterogeneous networks — whether private or public, optimized for data, voice, or video — toward a future technology infrastructure of broadband integrated services digital networks (BISDNs) based on ATM. In surveying some of the major product and service plans of AT&T Network Systems Group (NSG) and AT&T Communications Services Group (CSG), this paper presents a broad evolutionary path for migration to BISDN.

Although autoradiographic, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemical studies have demonstrated receptors for vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the cerebellum of various species, immunohistochemistry has never shown immunoreactivity for VIP within cerebellar neuronal bodies and processes. The present study aimed to ascertain whether VIP immunoreactivity really does exist in the human cerebellum by making a systematic analysis of samples removed post-mortem from all of the cerebellar lobes. The study was carried out using light microscopy immunohistochemical techniques based on a set of four different antibodies (three polyclonal and one monoclonal) against VIP, carefully selected on the basis of control tests performed on human colon. All of the antibodies used showed VIP-immunoreactive neuronal bodies and processes distributed in the cerebellar cortex and subjacent white matter of all of the cerebellum lobes, having similar qualitative patterns of distribution. Immunoreactive neurons included subpopulations of the main neuron types of the cortex. Statistical analysis of the quantitative data on the VIP immunoreactivity revealed by the different antibodies in the different cerebellar lobes did not demonstrate any significant differences. In conclusion, using four different anti-VIP antibodies, the first evidence of VIP immunoreactivity is herein supplied in the human post-mortem cerebellum, with similar qualitative/quantitative patterns of distribution among the different cerebellum lobes. Owing to the function performed by VIP as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator, it is a candidate for a role in intrinsic and extrinsic (projective) circuits of the cerebellum, in agreement with previous demonstrations of receptors for VIP in the cerebellar cortex and nuclei. As VIP signalling pathways are implicated in the regulation of cognitive and psychic functions, cerebral blood flow and metabolism, processes of histomorphogenesis, differentiation and outgrowth of nervous tissues, the results of this study could be applied to clinical neurology and psychiatry, opening new perspectives for the interpretation of neurodevelopment disorders and development of new therapeutic strategies in cerebellar diseases.

The granular layer of the cerebellar cortex is composed of two groups of neurons, the granule neurons and the so-called large neurons. These latter include the neuron of Golgi and a number of other, lesser known neuron types, generically indicated as non-traditional large neurons. In the last few years, owing to the development of improved histological and histochemical techniques for studying morphological and chemical features of these neurons, some non-traditional large neurons have been morphologically well characterized, namely the neuron of Lugaro, the synarmotic neuron, the unipolar brush neuron, the candelabrum neuron and the perivascular neuron. Some types of non-traditional large neurons may be involved in the modulation of cortical intrinsic circuits, establishing connections among neurons distributed throughout the cortex, and acting as inhibitory interneurons (i.e., Lugaro and candelabrum neurons) or as excitatory ones (i.e., unipolar brush neuron). On the other hand, the synarmotic neuron could be involved in extrinsic circuits, projecting to deep cerebellar nuclei or to another cortex regions in the same or in a different folium. Finally, the perivascular neuron may intervene in the intrinsic regulation of the cortex microcirculation.

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of prenatal exposures to cannabinoids or carbon monoxide (CO) in an animal experimental model reproducing the environmental conditions in which a fetus develops whose mother, during pregnancy, ingests by smoking low doses of cannabinoids or CO. Particular attention was devoted to analyses of the long-term effects of the exposures at the level of the cerebellar cortex, where already during prenatal development the GABAergic neuronal systems may be modulated by both cannabinoids and CO. Three groups of rats were subjected to the following experimental conditions: exposure to cannabinoids by maternal treatment during pregnancy with the cannabinoid CB-1 receptor agonist WIN 55212-2 (WIN) (0.5 mg/kg/day, s.c.); exposure to CO by maternal exposure during pregnancy to CO (75 parts per million, by inhalation); and exposure to WIN+CO at the above doses and means of administration; a fourth group was used as control. The body weight of dams, length of pregnancy, litter size at birth, body weight and postnatal mortality of pups were monitored in order to evaluate possible effects of the exposures on reproduction and on prenatal and postnatal development. In the different groups, the long-term effects of the exposures were studied in adult rats (120-150 days) by light microscopy analyses of the structure of the cerebellar cortex and of the distribution in the cortex of markers of GABAergic neurons, such as GAD and GABA itself. Results. Exposures to WIN or CO did not affect reproduction or prenatal/postnatal development. Moreover, the exposed rats showed no structural alterations of the cerebellar cortex and displayed qualitative distribution patterns of GAD and GABA immunoreactivities similar to those of the controls. However, quantitative analyses indicated significant changes of both of these immunoreactivities: in comparison with the controls, they were significantly increased in WIN-exposed rats and reduced in CO-exposed rats, but not significantly different in WIN+CO-exposed rats. The changes were detected in the molecular and Purkinje neuron layers, but not in the granular layer. Prenatal exposures of rats to WIN or CO, at doses that do not affect reproduction, general processes of development and histomorphogenesis of the cerebellar cortex, cause significant changes of GAD and GABA immunoreactivities in some GABAergic neuronal systems of the adult rat cerebellar cortex, indicating selective up-regulation of GABA-mediated neurotransmission as a long-term consequence of chronic prenatal exposures to cannabinoids or CO. Because the changes consist of overexpression or, vice versa, underexpression of these immunoreactivities, functional alterations of opposite types in the GABAergic systems of the cerebellum following exposure to WIN or CO can be postulated, in agreement with the results of behavioral and clinical studies. No changes in immunoreactivities were detected after prenatal exposure to WIN and CO in association.

Glutamic acid decarboxylase and GABA immunoreactivities were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated in the cerebellar cortex of adult rats prenatally exposed to a low concentration of carbon monoxide (75 parts per million). Carbon monoxide-exposed and control rats were perfused with modified Bouin’s fluid and their cerebella were embedded in paraffin. Sections from the vermis of each cerebellum were stained with Toluidine Blue or assayed with anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase 65/67 or with anti-GABA antisera. In the Toluidine Blue-stained sections, no differences were observed in the microscopic structure of the cerebellar cortex between carbon monoxide-exposed rats and controls. The distribution patterns of glutamic acid decarboxylase and GABA immunoreactivities in the cerebellar cortex of the treated animals were qualitatively comparable to those of the controls, and in accordance with previous descriptions of glutamic acid decarboxylase and GABA immunoreactivities in the rat cerebellar cortex. However, quantitative analyses demonstrated a significant reduction of immunoreactivities to both substances in the exposed rats in comparison with the controls. The reduction regarded: in the molecular layer, the number of glutamic acid decarboxylase/GABA-immunoreactive neuronal bodies and of axon terminals and the area they covered; in the Purkinje neuron layer, the number and the area covered by glutamic acid decarboxylase/GABA immunoreactive axon terminals. The differences detected in the prenatally exposed adult rats could be due to carbon monoxide-induced impairment of the differentiation of cerebellar GABA synthesizing neurons. A consequently diminished synthesis of GABA might account for some behavioral disorders detected in adult rats submitted to the same experimental procedure.

Substance P is the preferred ligand for the neurokinin 1 (NK1) receptor. In vertebrate retinas, substance P is expressed by amacrine, interplexiform and ganglion cells. Substance P influences the activity of amacrine and ganglion cells and it is reported to evoke dopamine release. We investigated NK1 receptor expression in the rabbit retina using affinity-purified NK1 receptor antibodies. NK1 receptors were expressed by two distinct populations of retinal neurons. One is a population of ON-type bipolar cells characterized by axonal arborizations that ramified in the inner plexiform layer near the ganglion cell layer. Double-label studies showed that NK1 receptor-expressing bipolar cells were distinct from rod bipolar cells and from other immunocytochemically identified types of cone bipolar cells. Their density was about 2250 cells/mm2 in the visual streak and 1115 cells/mm2 in ventral mid-periphery. They were distributed in a non-random pattern. In the outer plexiform layer, the dendrites of these bipolar cells converged into heavily immunostained clusters having a punctate appearance. The density of these clusters in mid-peripheral ventral regions (about 13000 clusters/mm2) was similar to the reported cone density [Famiglietti and Sharpe (1995) Vis. Neurosci. 12, 1151-1175], suggesting these dendrites contact all cone photoreceptors. The second NK1 receptor expressing cell population corresponds to the tyrosine hydroxylase-containing amacrine cell population. NK1 receptor immunostaining was localized to the cell body and processes, but not to the processes that form the 'rings' that are known to encircle somata of AII amacrine cells. These findings show that NK1 receptor immunoreactivity is localized to a population of ON-type cone bipolar cells and to dopaminergic amacrine cells, suggesting that substance P acting on NK1 receptors influences multiple retinal circuits in the rabbit retina.

Tachykinin (TK) peptides act on retinal neurons through neurokinin (NK) receptors. We examined the expression of neurokinin-1 (NK1; the substance P receptor), NK3 [the neurokinin B (NKB) receptor], and TK peptides in developing rat retinas. NK1 immunolabeling was found in newborn retinas in rare amacrine cells and in putative ganglion cells. At postnatal day 2 (PND 2), NK1 immunostaining was reduced greatly among ganglion cells, and it appeared in many amacrine cells and in fibers in the inner plexiform layer (IPL), with the highest density in laminae 1, 3, and 5. A similar pattern was found at PND 7. At PND 12, interplexiform NK1-immunoreactive (-IR) cells were detected, and NK1-IR fibers in the IPL were concentrated in lamina 2, similar to what was seen in adults. NK3 was expressed mainly by OFF-cone bipolar cells, and the developmental pattern of NK3 was compared with that of cone bipolar cells that were labeled with antibodies to recoverin. Immature recoverin-IR cone bipolar cells were seen at PND 2. NK3 immunolabeling was detected first in the outer plexiform layer and in sparse bipolar cell somata at PND 10, when recoverin-IR cone bipolar cells are nearly mature. By PND 15, both the NK3 immunostaining pattern and the recoverin immunostaining pattern were similar to the patterns seen in adults. TK immunoreactivity was present at PND 0 in amacrine cells and displaced amacrine cells. By PND 10, the morphologic maturation of TK-IR cells was complete. These findings indicate that, in early postnatal retinas, substance P may act on NK1 receptors, whereas NKB/NK3 interactions are unlikely, suggesting that there are different levels of importance for different TK peptides in the developing retina.

Virtual reality is a relatively new application for rehabilitative neurology, and achieve many successes in assessment and treatment of CNS damages. The Authors describe a prototype computer simulation for virtual environment reconstruction to assess the fundamental living skills of every day dedicated to persons in which CNS injury was occurred.

The authors reports a case of a young woman suffering from mesenteric cyst. The incidence of these lesions is 1 to 100,000 admissions in adult patients and 1 to 20,000 admissions in pediatric age. These cysts, with retroperitoneal and omental cysts, have a similar etiopathogenesis as lymphatic ectopic tissue. In the majority of cases these cysts are asymptomatic and often the diagnosis is intraoperative. In this case the cyst was removed successfully with laparoscopic approach. This mini-invasive method allows a complete and radical excision of the cyst and reduces postoperative hospital stay and morbidity.

The resurgence of tuberculosis (TB) and the increase in multidrug-resistant TB prompted this study, which estimates direct expenditures for TB treatment and public health activities in the United States.This retrospective cost of illness study estimated 1991 direct expenditures for TB-related outpatient and inpatient diagnosis and treatment, screening, preventive therapy, contact investigations, surveillance, and outbreak investigations. Existing databases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Atlanta, Ga) and the Codman Research Group, Lebanon, NH, were supplemented by surveys of state and local TB programs and interviews of organizations that conduct large-scale screening. No estimates of indirect costs were made.The direct medical expenditures for TB in 1991 were estimated at $703.1 million. This cost includes $423.8 million for inpatient care, $182.3 million for outpatient care, $72.1 million for screening, $3.4 million for contact investigations, $17.9 for preventive therapy, and $3.6 million for surveillance and outbreak investigations. Sensitivity analyses yielded a range of expenditures between $515.7 million and $934.5 million.Treatment accounted for more than 86% of all TB-related expenditures; inpatient treatment accounted for 60% of the total. Prevention activities made up only 14% of all costs. Direct medical expenditures may be underestimated because of limitations in the database on hospital expenditures and health department cost-accounting systems and because of the lack of a national database on screening activities. Greater emphasis should be placed on outpatient treatment and prevention in high-risk populations, and improved cost-accounting systems should be developed in state and local health department TB control programs to facilitate economic evaluation and improve the allocation of health dollars.

Some considerations on the use of staplers, use currently classified as "elective" and "of convenience", are shown. The Author wishes a change in this classification especially for what elective subtotal gastrectomy is concerned. In fact, the use of staplers in subtotal gastrectomy for tumors of the pyloric antrum and for complicated ulcer assures considerable advantages in terms of quickness, safety and sterility. Finally, the Author describes in detail a Billroth II subtotal gastrectomy performed with staplers.

The Authors report histochemical findings about rabbit's duodenal mucosa. The present study has been carried out using five different lectins (Peanut Agglutinin (PNA), Dolichos Biflorus Agglutinin (DBA), Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA), Soybean Agglutinin (SBA), Ulex Europaeus Agglutinin I (UEA-I). These lectins have been labelled with Horseradish Peroxidase and binding sites have been stained with 3-3' Diaminobenzidine, according to Farragiana et al. The PNA reacted with the glandular cells, while the reaction was negative in the superficial cells. The DBA reacted exclusively with the glandular cells. The superficial and the glandular cells showed strong positive binding sites to the WGA and slight positive binding sites to the SBA. The UEA-I did not react with the epithelial cells. The presence of binding sites for the lectins we have used in the present study, shows a different glycoprotein composition of the cellular secretion, in comparison with the other animals we have already studied. In addition, these lectins can not be used as cellular differentiation markers in the epithelial cells of the rabbit's duodenal mucosa.

By means of India ink injections in chicken embryos from the 3rd to the 14th incubation day, the development of the vascular pattern in the thoracic and lumbar spinal ganglia has been studied. A rather precise correlation has been observed between the successive steps in the formation of the endoganglionic vessel network and the ordered sequence of the proliferation and differentiation processes of the ganglionic neuroblasts: in fact, the developing vascular pattern seems to conform to the morphogenetic changes gradually undergone by the nervous substratum.

The 3B20D Processor and the Duplex Multienvironment Real-Time (DMERT) Operating System provide a versatile processing base to fulfill the varied processing needs of telecommunications systems. To illustrate the versatility of the 3B20D/DMERT system, this article describes the structuring of four diverse telecommunication system applications.

Cdc42 and WASP are critical regulators of actin polymerization whose function during T cell signaling is poorly understood. Using a novel reagent that specifically detects Cdc42-GTP in fixed cells, we found that activated Cdc42 localizes to the T cell:APC contact site in an antigen-dependent manner. TCR signaling alone was sufficient to induce localization of Cdc42-GTP, and functional Lck and Zap-70 kinases were required. WASP also localized to the T cell:APC contact site in an antigen-dependent manner. Surprisingly, WASP localization was independent of the Cdc42 binding domain but required the proline-rich domain. Our results indicate that localized WASP activation requires the integration of multiple signals: WASP is recruited via interaction with SH3 domain-containing proteins and is activated by Cdc42-GTP concentrated at the same site.