[Vincenzo Cuomo, health officer and general practitioner on the Isle of Capri]. / Vincenzo cuomo medico condotto ed ufficiale sanitario a Capri.

We provide a broad review of the scientific output of Vincenzo Cuomo, general practitioner and health officer on the Isle of Capri. As well as his work as a doctor he was a close observer of the environment and in particular of the island's splendid climate and its benefits not only for the local population in general but also for visitors from northern Europe's colder climes. These mainly included tuberculosis sufferers in search of the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean climate, as well as those suffering from asthma and chronic bronchitis. Vincenzo Cuomo understood the beneficial effects of the island's climate and campaigned successfully to have the island formally recognized as a major health resort. To add scientific rigour to his observations, he installed a fully operational meteorological station at the top of his villa, supplying data as part of Italy's network of meteorological and climatological stations over some 50 years. Given his contribution to science and medicine, we believe it appropriate to consider Vincenzo Cuomo a precursor of modern clinical climatology.

[The registry for asbesto-related tumors]. / Il registro dei tumori asbesto-correlati.

The author stresses the importance of DPCM 10 December 2002 no.308, which determines the format and the rules to fill the registry for the cases of asbestos-related mesothelioma, according to art 36, comma 3, DLgs 277/91. The Author admits the usefulness of such a registry, but comments that its official approval came very late, because it actually was started in 1993 by ISPESL (The Higher Institute for Prevention and Safety of Labor), after the approval of DLgs 277/91. According to ISPESL initiative, all cases of mesothelioma and related circumstances were (and are) collected through a periferal information net operated by COR's.

[The Pharaohs: slave merchants or organizers of an efficient welfare system? Re-writing history through new documentation and research]. / I Faraoni: schiavisti o inventori di una innovativa organizzazione del lavoro? Riscrittura della storia con l'ausilio di nuovi documenti, studi e interpretazioni.

The Authors have studied documents dating from the era of the Pharaohs, that is to say: the papyruses of Ebers and Smith, and have come to the conclusion that the recent claims by some archaeologists that the Egyptian workmen who built the Pyramids, were protected by health regulations and not treated as slaves, is true. This is a new interpretation of Egyptian history, because up to now, it has always been thought that the workmen were slaves. The construction of the Pharaoh's tomb was a team work including members of the upper classes (architects, physicians) and the lower classes (masons, workmen) and was the demonstration of a contribution and a symbol of recognition from all members of the team to the head of the society (the Pharaoh), who was their employer and took their interests into consideration e.g. health regulations. The Authors have also deduced from other sources of information that a public health system and welfare organization, comparable to our present day Legislative Decree 626/94, did in fact exist in the ancient world.

[Within the foundation of the Rome Institute of Experimental Hygiene in the year 1885: the climate of Rome]. / In margine all'inaugurazione dell'Istituto d'Igiene Sperimentale di Roma nel 1885: il clima di Roma.

To celebrate Prof.rs Vittorio Del Vecchio and Salvatore Ugo D'Arca, respectively the sixth and the seventh director of the Institute of Hygiene of the University of Rome, the Authors present and discuss the conferences on The climate of Rome given by Prof. Corrado Tommasi-Crudeli, founder and first director of such an Institute back in 1885. Particularly, the Authors illustrate the six tables shown by the speaker, which represent the scientific basis for the reclamation of Roman "Agro", affected by malaria at that time.

[The century of work]. / Il secolo del lavoro.

The new Series of papers on Occupational Hygiene, now that the hygienists have been qualified also as "competent physicians", intends to make a comparison between the present and the past conditions of the human work. The present work is characterized by high specialization, more sophisticated technologies and continuous evolution, although in Italy we have consider a drop of the general occupational rate. According to such a situation, Italy must make alliance with the other countries, because, due to the globalization, the occupational problem has overcome the domestic borders.

[The flu syndrome: update and therapeutic and prophylactic approach]. / La sindrome influenzale: aggiornamento ed approccio terapeutico e profilattico.

Authors in the present work analyse the history of the flu from V century A.C. until our days. We can know the different flu epidemic the structure of the virus and to take note of the different preventing device; of these the core is the vaccine. Thanks the vaccine is possible to weaken the big epidemics. Authors attract the importance on the mass vaccine and conclude to mention the new antivirus drugs per os.

Activin, inhibin, and follistatin in zebrafish ovary: expression and role in oocyte maturation.

Activins, inhibins, and follistatins are important regulators of mammalian reproduction. However, their roles in lower vertebrates are poorly understood. In this study, we examined the expression of activin A, inhibin A, and follistatins in the zebrafish ovary and determined their role in final oocyte maturation. Using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction with primers specific for activin/inhibin beta(A) subunit and for follistatins, we detected DNA fragments of the expected size, which, upon sequencing, conformed to activin/inhibin beta(A) and follistatin. Western blot analysis using an antibody against activin/inhibin beta(A) subunit revealed two bands with sizes similar to those of activin A and inhibin A. The expression of follistatins was also confirmed by Western blot analysis. These results suggest that activin A, an inhibin A-like molecule, and follistatins are expressed in the zebrafish ovary. In cultured zebrafish follicles, activin A and inhibin A both induced final oocyte maturation in a dose-dependent manner. The effects of activin A and inhibin A were blocked by their binding protein, follistatin-288. Interestingly, follistatin-288 also inhibited final oocyte maturation induced by gonadotropin and by maturation-inducing hormone (MIH), suggesting that activin A and/or inhibin A may be local regulators mediating gonadotropin- and MIH-induced final oocyte maturation. Taken together, these findings suggest that activin A and inhibin A are paracrine regulators of ovarian functions in fish.

[Corrado Tommasi-Crudeli, hygienist]. / Corrado Tommasi-Crudeli, Igienista.

To celebrate the centennary of the death of Prof. Corrado Tommasi-Crudeli, the founder and first director of the "Istituto di Igiene Sperimentale" in Rome (1885), the authors remember this eminent scientist who spent his life not only working in scientific experimental research but also was a member of the Parliament and promotor of important laws regarding social and health problems. It should be remembered that, prior to 1870, Hygiene was not a discipline in itself, but was part of Medicine and taught in theoretical courses such as Public Health Inspection and Legal Medicine. On the basis of the discoveries by Pettenkofer in Munich (1883) and Koch in Berlin (1885), the Prof. Tommasi-Crudeli created the foundations of Hygiene in Rome as an independent subject, strictly linked to experiments thus realizing a theoretic/practical discipline. From that time on words, Hygiene has evolved and grown, to become a specialised subject whose objectives are epidemiological studies, prevention of diseases and promotion of health, and whose important contributions to other branches such as Microbiology, Parasitology and Medical Statistics have helped them to become independent disciplines.

[Pertussis]. / La pertosse.

A synthesis concerning whooping cough is presented with the object of taking stock of the situation regarding the pediatric disease which, in spite of developments in antibiotic therapy and vaccine prophylaxis is still a cause for series concern in view of its all but rare complications, especially in infants of less than one year, and of the uncertainties surrounding the validity of specific vaccines. An up-date on this is certainly not superfluous, especially now when we are at a true turning point in prophylaxis with the use of acellular vaccines obtained by genetic enegenering. This is particularly interesting for the practitioner who is in direct contact with the actual situation.

[Sterilization with ethylene oxide]. / La sterilizzazione con ossido di etilene.

In the above brief note, the authors discuss the validity of sterilization with ethylene oxide in hospital. The use of this agent requires most accurate attention by the operator and precise specific indication in view of the many negative factors which limit its widespread use, above all its marked toxicity and the fact that it is not easy to handle.