An optical recording system based on a fast CCD sensor for biological imaging.

This paper presents technical details, hardware and software of a complete imaging system which uses a fast CCD sensor and a 41 Msample/s A/D converter to acquire full-frame 12 bit/pixel digitized images with a time resolution of 1.25 ms/image. This apparatus permits to resolve intracellular Ca2+ gradients in individual cells as well as the spatio-temporal pattern of neural activity of cell assemblies in neural tissue.

[Otomycosis: etiology and analysis of predisposing factors]. / Otomicosi: etiologia ed analisi di alcuni fattori predisponenti.

An otomycosis was found in 80 cases of external otitis on a total of 132. Itching was the characteristic beginning, rapidly followed by pain, conductive hearing loss, tympanic perforation. Aspergillus was isolated in 81.7% of cases: in particular, A. niger in 67.1% of cases. A. flavus in 13.4% A. fumigatus in 1.2%. Candida albicans was isolated in 11% of cases. A statistical analysis based on chi 2 test was performed to evaluate the role of possible predisposing factors. Highly significant factors resulted to be working in gardens (P less than 0.005) or using mechanical removing devices. Not significant resulted to be swimming, water irrigations or antibiotic therapies: however infirmities were often not reliable. The above mentioned highly significant factors seem to be able to determinate the overlaying of otomycosis.