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In order to describe the isonymic structure of Paraguay, the distribution of 4,843,868 surnames of 2,882,163 persons was studied in the 18 departments and 237 districts of the nation. The correlations between isonymic and geographic distances for departments were r = 0.713 ± 0.052 for Euclidean distance, 0.597 ± 0.074 for Nei's and 0.582 ± 0.076 for Lasker's, and for districts r = 0.320 ± 0.007, 0.235 ± 0.009 and 0.422 ± 0.008, respectively. Average α was 151 for the entire country, 140.6 ± 6.5 for departments and 108.2 ± 2.7 for districts. The geographical distribution of districts'α is compatible with the settlement of subsequent groups of migrants moving from South towards the Centre and North of Paraguay. The geographical analysis of the first three components of Lasker's isonymy distance matrix is in agreement with such a process. The prevalence of Spanish-Amerindian ethnic groups and the relative absence of indigenous surnames (absence due mainly to the forced surname change of 1848) is in agreement with the diffusion of Spanish speaking males over a low-density area populated by indigenous groups. The present distribution of Y-markers and mt-markers in the available studies in most Latin American populations is compatible with this process., (© 2011 The Authors Annals of Human Genetics © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/University College London.)

Objective: The purpose of the present research was to compare the residual microbial load in Solo System microfiber mops with silver and in normal microfiber mops without silver to see whether those with the silver prevent bacterial proliferation and spread more effectively during normal cleaning operations., Methods: Mops with and without silver were experimentally contaminated with suspension of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538. The bioburden was evaluated by a filtering procedure according to UNI EN 1174 after contamination, after washing and after different times of impregnation in an alcohol-base detergent., Results and Discussion: The results obtained lead to the conclusion that silver microfiber mop was significantly more effective in reducing bacterial load despite initial high level contamination (10⁶-10⁷ CFU/50 cm²). Indeed, after low temperature washing, the bacterial load was already completely eliminated while the mop without silver still presented relatively high levels of the microorganism (approximately 10² CFU/50 cm²) even after being soaked for 8 hours in a detergent/disinfectant.

In Bolivia, the Hispanic dual surname system is used. To describe the isonymic structure of Bolivia, the surname distribution of 12,139,448 persons registered in the 2006 census data was studied in 9 districts and 112 provinces of the nation, for a total of 23,244,064 surnames. The number of different surnames found was 174,922. Matrices of isonymic distances between the administrative units (districts and provinces) were constructed and tested for correlation with geographic distance. In the 112 provinces, isonymic distances were correlated with geographic distance (r = 0.545 ± 0.011 for Euclidean, 0.501 ± 0.012 for Nei's, and 0.556 ± 0.010 for Lasker's distance). The multiple regression of the surname effective number (α), equivalent to the allele effective number in a genetic system, was nonsignificant on latitude and longitude; however, it was highly significant and negative on altitude (r = -0.72). Because the Andes extend from north to south in west-central Bolivia, random inbreeding was lowest in the eastern districts, and highest in mountainous western Bolivia. Average α for the provinces was 122 ± 2; for the districts, it was 216 ± 29, and for the whole of Bolivia it was 213. The geographical distribution of α in the provinces is compatible with the settlement of subsequent groups of migrants moving from east and north toward the center and south of Bolivia. The relative frequency of indigenous surnames is correlated positively with altitude. This suggests that the country was populated by recent low-density demic diffusion over a low-density indigenous population. This may have been a common phenomenon in the immigration to tropical South America., (2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Data obtained in our experiments indicate that the microwave sterilization system utilized may be considered as a practical and rapid method for decontaminating steel surgical instruments. For the tested organisms (7 Gram- and 2 Gram+ genera) a 3' exposure time to microwaves provides successful sterilization. Microwave irradiation also had a killing action against Bacillus subtilis spores. A study by SEM of microwave treated spores shows typical morphological alterations of spore surfaces.

Microwave exposure (90 s) provides an effective, rapid sterilization for surgical scalpel blades which have been contaminated with Candida albicans. SEM analysis showed that microwave irradiation induced a morphological modification of the cells. The longer the exposure time the greater such alterations and this micro-organism in effect fractures after 9 min. No evidence was found of morphological alteration of the fungus after being submerged in boiling water for the same amount of time even though cell death was actually achieved.

Some chemical agents induce kidney cystic changes in vivo comparable to human multicystic kidney disease. The biochemical aspects of human tubular cells were analysed by in vitro culture in the presence of nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). The uptake of 3H-thymidine in cultured cells in the presence of NDGA was comparable with control cultures, while 3H-hydroxyproline incorporation produced elevated values. The results suggest that NDGA in vitro induces modifications which may be related only to the synthesis of basement membrane components.

The present work studies the possibility of inducing an alteration in the erythropoietic switchover from primitive to definitive red cells in the chicken embryo by means of Cytoarabine (Ara C). To this purpose two different concentrations of Ara C were injected into fertilized chicken eggs after 94 hours of incubation. Optical microscopy was used in the morphological analysis of the blood smears taken from treated and control embryos on the 7th and 8th day of incubation (state 30 and 33 in the Lillie Table). 1) Injection of Ara C 4.1 x 10(-5) M did not induce any significant differences in the hematological picture between treated embryos and the controls. 2) Injection of Ara C 4.1 x 10(-4) M revealed a delay in the erythropoietic switchover both at the 7th and 8th day of incubation. In fact, the peripheral blood of the treated embryos showed that in the treated embryos there was a more than 24 hour delay in erythropoietic maturation. This is indicated by an unusually high number of 1st generation erythrocytes in the peripheral blood. Moreover, the 2nd generation red cells are at a lower stage of cell differentiation than the controls.

The present work studies the ability of cytoarabine (Ara C) to modify temporal regulation of hemoglobin synthesis in chicken embryos. Thus different concentrations of Ara C were injected into fertilized chicken eggs after 94 hours of incubation. Blood samples were taken from both treated and control embryos on the 7th and 8th day of incubation. 1) Ara C 4.1 x 10(-3) M: embryo mortality is total and takes place upon injection. 2) Ara C 4.1 x 10(-5) M: no significant difference was seen between hemoglobin patterns in the treated and control embryos. 3) Ara C 4.1 x 10(-4) M: a delay of at least 24 hours in hemoglobin switch-over is seen in the treated embryos. In fact, at the 7th day adult hemoglobin fractions A and D have not yet appeared while, on the 8th day, embryonic fraction P is still present.

Microwave irradiation provides a rapid and effective method for sterilization of stainless steel scalpel blades or cover glasses contaminated by B. stearothermophilus. A study by SEM of vegetative forms showed that microwave irradiation induce a progressive series of alterations and finally the complete destruction of the microorganism. On the contrary there were no significant morphological variations of the spores after lethal irradiation by microwaves.

An immunoenzymatic assay (Epo-Eia) has been used in order to evaluate the seric Epo level in beta-thalassemic heterozygous subjects. The present results lead one to conclude that serum Epo levels in thalassemic subjects are higher than in normal subjects and that the differences between thalassemic and normal females are highly significant statistically (p < 0.01). The Epo levels in thalassemic females are also higher than those in thalassemic males (0.01 < p < 0.05). Differences in Epo levels may be observed between thalassemic and normal males although they are not highly significant statistically. No correlations seem to exist between Epo and Hb values.

A new method is described which makes it possible to treat metal materials with microwaves. In consequence scalpel blades as well as cover glasses contaminated with four species of bacteria (Salmonella typhi, Proteus mirabilis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) were sterilized. With this method sterilization can be achieved quite rapidly (1.5-2 min). Scanning electron microscopy revealed a progressive alteration in the morphology of micro-organisms and this proved proportional to the microwave exposure time. Only in Proteus mirabilis were no modifications found, even after long periods of microwave exposure.

31 patients with successful kidney grafts were studied. Ep, Ht, Hb and T lymphocytes were determined. Native and grafted kidneys were studied by ultrasonography. After KT, 45% of patients had PTE and in 71% of these a spontaneous regression was observed. Mean serum Ep activity in patients with and without PTE was significantly higher than in healthy controls. Different erythroid colony growth sensibility and responsiveness to higher serum Ep (PTE and non-PTE patients) may be due to T3 cell interaction with BFU-E.

The morphology of differentiated and differentiating cells of the red and white series in Lutjanus herenbergi and in Lutjanus flaviflammus is described. Early stages of red and white blood cells may be found only in smears of hemopoietic organs. Polychromatic erythroblasts, myelocytes and lymphoblasts may also occasionally be found in blood smears. Mature blood cells may be found both in blood smears and in hemopoietic organs. Differential white cell counts seem to demonstrate that the granulocytic series elements are the most common leukocytes in blood smears. Almost all granulocytes may be classified in the first three Arneth classes. An analysis of hemopoietic organs in these species was also performed. It was found that the only organs carrying on a hemopoietic function are the kidney and the spleen. The kidney is essentially a site of granulocytic differentiation while the spleen is a lymphopoietic organ. An erythropoietic activity may generally be observed in the kidney although weak erythropoietic activity may at times be found in the spleen.

Alpha-L-fucosidase activity was found to be increased in organ cultured normal endometrium and in endometrial adenocarcinoma compared with non cultured tissue. The enzyme activity was lowered with addition of progesterone to the medium. Non cultured adenocarcinoma showed a higher activity compared with non cultured normal endometrium.

Vitamin A can transform, in vitro, keratinized, multilayered, non secretory epithelium of carcinoma of portio cervicis into a simple mucous-secreting epithelium in the 40% of explants. The different response of Vit. A action on carcinoma may be associated with a different sensibility to this substance.

It is known that a medium conditioned by erythrocytes (ECM) reduces 59Fe uptake into haem in hemopoietic cell cultures. In order to evaluate if the release of this factor in conditioned media is correlated with the whole erythrocyte surface, the same volume of packed erythrocytes of Mammals characterized by different MCV were incubated according to the method of Cole and Regan (1977). The influence of these conditioned media upon 59Fe uptake into haem in cultures of Guinea pig bone marrow cells was studied. Our results demonstrate that ECM of lamb erythrocytes (MCV = 28) caused a more marked depression of haem synthesis in vitro than ECM of calf (MCV = 34) and Guinea pig (MCV = 69) erythrocytes, and that this inhibitory effect is correlated to the MCV of considered erythrocytes.

It is known that a medium conditioned by erythrocytes (ECM) reduces 59Fe uptake into haem in haemopoietic cell cultures. In order to evaluate whether the release of this factor in conditioned media is correlated with the whole erythrocyte surface, the same volume of packed erythrocytes of beta-thalassemic and normal subjects were incubated according to the method of Cole and Regan (1977). The influence of these conditioned media upon 59Fe uptake into haem in cultures of guinea pig bone marrow cells was studied. The results demonstrate that ECM of beta-thalassemic erythrocytes caused a more marked depression than ECM of normal erythrocytes, and that this inhibitory effect was correlated with the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) of the erythrocytes investigated.