Divergent minute virus of canines strains identified in illegally imported puppies in Italy.

Minute virus of canines (MVC) belongs to the family Parvoviridae, genus Bocaparvovirus, and has been mainly described during enteritis episodes in young dogs. This study reports the characterization of four divergent MVC strains detected between 2012 and 2018, three of which were from dogs illegally imported into Italy, most probably from Eastern Europe, that cluster together phylogenetically but share low genetic similarity with the fourth MVC from an autochthonous dog and other available MVC sequences. Our data indicate that the introduction of genetically distinct MVC strains occurred through the illegal movement of dogs from a geographic area where a distinct MVC lineage was most likely circulating. Enforced surveillance of MVC in the dog population of Eastern Europe and its neighboring countries may shed light on, and eventually trace back to, illegal animal movements.

Different distribution of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence profiles of Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from clinical mastitis in six countries.

Staphylococcus aureus is recognized worldwide as one of the main contagious mastitis agents in cattle and can express a set of antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence-associated genes that explain the wide range of outcomes of intramammary infections. Staphylococcus aureus strains are heterogeneous: their different resistance and virulence patterns, associated with host-level factors and treatment factors, are related to the severity of infection. The aim of this study was to determine phenotypic antibiotic susceptibility, occurrence of selected antimicrobial resistance genes and other virulence genes in 93 S. aureus strains isolated from clinical mastitis in 6 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, the United States (New York State), and South Africa. These isolates were tested against a total of 16 drugs (amoxicillin-clavulanate, ampicillin, cefazolin, cefoperazone, cefquinome, enrofloxacin, erythromycin, gentamicin, kanamycin, lincomycin, oxacillin, penicillin, rifampin, spiramycin, sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim, tylosin) by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay, and examined for the presence of 6 antibiotic-resistance genes (blaZ, mecA, mecC, ermA, ermB, ermC) and 6 virulence-associated genes (scn, chp, sak, hla, hlb, sea) via PCR analysis. The phenotypic results of this study revealed the presence of 19.4% penicillin-resistant strains, whereas 22.6% of the strains were classified as having resistance (5.4%) or intermediate resistance (17.2%) to erythromycin. Most (96.8%) of the isolates were inhibited by cephalosporins, and all were susceptible to amoxicillin-clavulanate. Two strains (1 from Germany, 1 from Italy) were resistant to oxacillin and were positive for mecA. Among the other antimicrobial resistance genes, the most frequently detected was blaZ (46.2%), and 32.3% of the isolates were positive for erm genes: ermC (21.5%) and ermB (10.8%). The most prevalent virulence gene was hla (100%), followed by hlb (84.9%) and sea (65.6%). These results show a low prevalence of antibiotic multidrug resistance in S. aureus isolates, even if the detection of selected antimicrobial resistance genes did not always correspond with the occurrence of phenotypic antibiotic resistance; the immune evasion cluster gene prevalence was quite low in the samples analyzed.

Did you know that your animals have consciousness?

Consciousness is the greatest enigma in human history. For centuries scientists and researchers have tried to describe it without coming to conclusions. In the last years with the neurosciences development, consciousness has become the common goal of numerous studies. But consciousness has always been studied only in humans, but after "Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness" in 2012, even non-human animalsthey feel possessed of the consciousness. According to "theory Orch-OR" of Hameroff and Penrose we have conducted a study on Alaskan malamute and German shepherd to analysed a triplet of platelet fatty acids (linoleic acid; palmitic acid; arachidonic acid). Through these analysis and the relative mapping of subjects within a SOM it was possible to make an assessment of the possible onset of mood disorders in the dogs. A critical analysis of the results obtained shows that animals have molecular analogies with humans compared to mood disorders. The German shepherd and Alaskan malamute, indeed, have, in the case of major depression, a bio-chemical profile, the most similar to man.

The myloglossus in a human cadaver study: common or uncommon anatomical structure?

BACKGROUND: Additional extrinsic muscles of the tongue are reported in literature and one of them is the myloglossus muscle (MGM). Since MGM is nowadays considered as anatomical variant, the aim of this study is to clarify some open questions by evaluating and describing the myloglossal anatomy (including both MGM and its ligamentous counterpart) during human cadaver dissections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty-one regions (including masticator space, sublingual space and adjacent areas) were dissected and the presence and appearance of myloglossus were considered, together with its proximal and distal insertions, vascularisation and innervation. RESULTS: The myloglossus was present in 61.9% of cases with muscular, ligamentous or mixed appearance and either bony or muscular insertion. Facial artery provided myloglossal vascularisation in the 84.62% and lingual artery in the 15.38%; innervation was granted by the trigeminal system (buccal nerve and mylohyoid nerve), sometimes (46.15%) with hypoglossal component. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest us to not consider myloglossus as a rare anatomical variant.

Lactobacillus casei and bifidobacterium lactis supplementation reduces tissue damage of intestinal mucosa and liver after 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid treatment in mice.

Probiotics (PB) are living microorganisms that act as a commensal population in normal intestines and confer numerous beneficial effects on the host. The introduction of probiotics in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) prolongs remission. The aim of this study was to investigate the intestinal and hepatic effects of PB supplementation in an experimental IBD model in mice induced by 2,4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS). In the first step of the experimental procedure, CD-1 male mice, 5 to 6 weeks old, were randomly divided into 3 groups and inoculated intrarectally with, respectively, saline, alcohol, or TNBS to assess the experimental IBD model. In the second step, mice treated, or not, with TNBS inoculation, were treated with PB (Lactobacillus Casei, Bifidobacterum Lactis) for 1, 2 or 3 weeks, on a daily basis. Large bowel (colon and rectum) and liver were processed for histological alterations, according to a scoring system. Large bowel was also assessed for apoptosis by TUNEL assay. TNBS induced, as expected, severe damage and inflammation in the large bowel, including nuclear alterations and apoptosis, and, to a lesser extent, to the liver. Administration of PB determined significant reduction of both histological alterations and apoptosis. PB administration in advance protects from inflammation. In conclusion, supplementation with Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterum lactis PB is able to ameliorate the colitis by reversing the histological changes caused by TNBS in mice. Experimentation in human subjects in needed to prove their efficacy in reducing histological alterations that may be present in subjects with IBD.

Probiotics, prebiotics and symbiotics in inflammatory bowel diseases: state-of-the-art and new insights.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) consists of two distinct clinical forms, ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD), with unknown aetiology, which nevertheless are considered to share almost identical pathophysiological backgrounds. Up to date, a full coherent mechanistic explanation for IBD is still lacking, but people start to realize that the pathogenesis of IBD involves four fundamental components: the environment, gut microbiota, the immune system and the genome. As a consequence, IBD development might be due to an altered immune response and a disrupted mechanism of host tolerance to the non-pathogenic resident microbiota, leading to an elevated inflammatory response. Considering the available data arising from the scientific literature, here reviewed, in CD, a benefit of probiotics remains unproven; in UC, a benefit of probiotics remains unproven, even if E. coli Nissle 1917 seems promising in maintaining remission and it could be considered an alternative in patients intolerant or resistant to 5-ASA preparations; in pouchitis, small controlled trials suggest a benefit from VSL no. 3 in the primary and secondary prevention of pouchitis; in IBD-associated conditions, a benefit of probiotics remains unproven. However, well-designed randomized control clinical trials are necessary to understand the undoubted role of these agents in the management of gut physiology in health and disease.

Tracing the identity of Parmigiano Reggiano "Prodotto di Montagna - Progetto Territorio" cheese using NMR spectroscopy and multivariate data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is one of the well-established tools for food metabolomic analysis, as it proved to be very effective in authenticity and quality control of dairy products, as well as to follow product evolution during processing and storage. The analytical assessment of the EU mountain denomination label, specifically for Parmigiano Reggiano "Prodotto di Montagna - Progetto Territorio" (Mountain-CQ) cheese, has received limited attention. Although it was established in 2012 the EU mountain denomination label has not been much studied from an analytical point of view. Nonetheless, tracing a specific profile for the mountain products is essential to support the value chain of this specialty. RESULTS: The aim of the study was to produce an identity profile for Parmigiano Reggiano "Prodotto di Montagna - Progetto Territorio" (Mountain-CQ) cheese, and to differentiate it from Parmigiano Reggiano PDO samples (conventional-PDO) using 1H NMR spectroscopy coupled with multivariate data analysis. Three different approaches were applied and compared. First, the spectra-as-such were analysed after proper preprocessing. For the other two approaches, Multivariate Curve Resolution-Alternating Least Squares (MCR-ALS) was used for signals resolution and features extraction, either individually on manually-defined spectral intervals or by reapplying MCR-ALS on the whole spectra with selectivity constraints using the reconstructed "pure profiles" as initial estimates and targets. All approaches provided comparable information regarding the samples' distribution, as in all three cases the separation between the two product categories conventional-PDO and Mountain-CQ could be highlighted. Moreover, a novel MATLAB toolbox for features extraction via MCR-ALS was developed and used in synergy with the Chenomx library, allowing for a putative identification of the selected features. SIGNIFICANCE: A first identity profile for Parmigiano Reggiano "Prodotto di Montagna - Progetto Territorio" obtained by interpreting the metabolites signals in NMR spectroscopy was obtained. Our workflow and toolbox for generating the features dataset allows a more straightforward interpretation of the results, to overcome the limitations due to dimensionality and to peaks overlapping, but also to include the signals assignment and matching since the early stages of the data processing and analysis.

Impact of environmental changes and human-related factors on the potential malaria vector, Anopheles labranchiae (Diptera: Culicidae), in Maremma, Central Italy.

The Maremma Plain (central Italy) was hyper-endemic for malaria until the mid-20th century, when a national campaign for malaria elimination drastically reduced the presence of the main vector Anopheles labranchiae Falleroni. However, the introduction of rice cultivation over 30 yr ago has led to an increase in the An. labranchiae population and concern over possible malaria reemergence. We studied the impact of anthropogenic environmental changes on the abundance and distribution of An. labranchiae in Maremma, focusing on rice fields, the main breeding sites. Adults and larvae were collected in three main areas with diverse ecological characteristics. Data were collected on human activity, land use, and seasonal climatic and demographic variations. We also interviewed residents and tourists regarding their knowledge of malaria. Our findings showed that the most important environmental changes have occurred along the coast; An. labranchiae foci are present throughout the area, with massive reproduction strictly related to rice cultivation in coastal areas. Although the abundance of this species has drastically decreased over the past 30 yr, it remains high and, together with climatic conditions and the potential introduction of gametocyte carriers, it may represent a threat for the occurrence of autochthonous malaria cases. Our findings suggest the need for the continuous monitoring of An. labranchiae in the study area. In addition to entomological surveillance, more detailed knowledge of human-induced environmental changes is needed, so as to have a more complete database that can be used for vector-control plans and for properly managing emergencies related to autochthonous introduced cases.

[Milk and butter. From the Neolithic to the current nutritional aspects]. / Il latte e il burro. Dal Neolitico agli attuali aspetti nutrizionali.

The evolution in the history of nutrition knowledge towards dairy products, is strictly related to the socio-cultural development of humans. In fact, milk and butter have accompanied humans since ancient times, which traces of the consumption of such products are dated back about the earliest times after the last (glaciation) ice age, while the application for extra nutritional uses, such as cosmetics and ceremonial rites, are reported in the writings of the Old Testament. Even in Italy, before the Roman Empire, were known rudimentary techniques of production and storage of dairy products. But only with the advent of the Etruscans, and the Romans later, that the use of milk and dairy products reach a wide diffusion in several applications. Since the advent of Christ until today, milk and its derivatives have maintained a privileged place in the human diet, but it is only with the advent of modern medicine and new findings in lipidic chemistry that emerged multiple biological and nutritional properties, very important for human health. After a short summary of the ancient history of the milk and butter, the role of dairy products in cancer, in hypercholesterolemia, and cardiovascular disease are reported. Moreover, the current opinions on saturated fatty acids, the role of polyunsaturated fatty acids and their lipid mediators obtained by the action of cyclooxygenase, lipoxygenase and the cytochrome P450 enzymes, are treated. Even if sometimes mistreated, the milk, but most of all its high fat content derivatives such as butter, is a rich source of biologically active compounds that foster a controversial action against neolplastic and cardiovascular disease. These compounds, mainly contained in the lipid fraction, for the more obvious relationships that exist between nutrition and health status, have been the subject in the last decades of intense scientific investigation in which there were expressed lights and shadows, but recognizing that not all fats are harmful and further thorough studies are necessary, in particular, on the derived lipid mediators. This will allow a significant progress based on new scientific evidences, further orienting researchers and clinicians on evidence-based nutritional science.

Results preliminary attempts to control the larvae of Leptoconops (Holoconops) kerteszi Kieffer, 1908 (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae) in the coastal wetlands of Tuscany, Italy.

Leptoconops spp. are small midges, members of the family Ceratopogonidae, that are relatively widespread in wetlands with sandy or silty-clay soils, including many tourist sites. Although very few of the species are proven vectors of pathogens, the blood-feeding females attack mammals, including humans, in large swarms and their painful bites may cause severe reactions, especially in children. Although Leptoconops spp. may limit the socio-economic development of an area, there are currently no effective methods for the control of their natural populations, and the repellents and netting used against mosquitoes are ineffective against these midges. The diurnal control of the adults with pesticides may have unacceptable impacts on non-target species, including humans, and be ineffective because the adult females can easily be carried, from untreated areas to treated, on the wind. In the present study, the use of a diflubenzuron-based insecticide against the larvae of Leptoconops (Holoconops) kerteszi Kieffer, 1908 - a sand-reproducing species that is widespread in certain coastal areas of the Italian province of Grosseto - was explored. In Grosseto, in summer, attacks by swarms of adult L. kerteszi create problems for the local people and the many tourists. The encouraging results of preliminary tests are discussed in relation to the potential use of diflubenzuron for the integrated control of L. kerteszi populations.

Gut microbiome structure and adrenocortical activity in dogs with aggressive and phobic behavioral disorders.

Accompanying human beings since the Paleolithic period, dogs has been recently regarded as a reliable model for the study of the gut microbiome connections with health and disease. In order to provide some glimpses on the connections between the gut microbiome layout and host behavior, we profiled the phylogenetic composition and structure of the canine gut microbiome of dogs with aggressive (n = 11), phobic (n = 13) and normal behavior (n = 18). Hormones' determination was made through Radio Immuno-Assay (RIA), and next generation sequencing of the V3-V4 gene region of the bacterial 16S rRNA was employed to determine gut microbiome composition. Our results did not evidence any significant differences of hormonal levels between the three groups. According to our findings, aggressive behavioral disorder was found to be characterized by a peculiar gut microbiome structure, with high biodiversity and enrichment in generally subdominant bacterial genera (i.e. Catenibacterium and Megamonas). On the other hand, phobic dogs were enriched in Lactobacillus, a bacterial genus with known probiotic and psychobiotic properties. Although further studies are needed to validate our findings, our work supports the intriguing opportunity that different behavioral phenotypes in dogs may be associated with peculiar gut microbiome layouts, suggesting possible connections between the gut microbiome and the central nervous system and indicating the possible adoption of probiotic interventions aimed at restoring a balanced host-symbiont interplay for mitigating behavioral disorders.

[Childhood obesity: recent advances and an experimental contribution]. / Il bambino obeso: attualità e contributo sperimentale.

This work, in addition to the peculiar medical aspects of the children obesity, synthesize the experimental findings about the main plasmatic antioxidants (uric acid, ascorbic acid, retinol, coenzyme Q10, lycopene) and the platelet fatty acids profile in groups of children according to the following BMI criteria: 43 with a BMI ranging between 25 and 29; 43 with a BMI ranging between 21.7 e 22.9 and 20 with a BMI ranging between 18.5 e 20; average age 10.49 +/- 2.66. The antioxidants show a particular behaviour: in fact they decrease according to the BMI recorded within the groups. About this issue the international literature is not consistent. Probably different results can be found in more severe condition of obesity. Another important result is for the platelet fatty acid, independently from the BMI, weight etc. compared to the other subjects. The difference found is for the stearic acid, from 15 to 21 point of percentage, compared to all the other groups investigated. In agreement with the international literature, stearic acid seems to have an important role in the control of the platelet activation. This finding, could offer a better possibility to understand the progression of the atherosclerosis towards the ischemic condition, according to the age. The utilisation of particular mathematic models, the Artificial Neural Network, beyond the normal advanced statistic methods, has open to the understanding of phenomena, otherwise, inexplicable. With the Artificial Neural Network (ANN) it has been possible to classify the children using the ANN map built for the depressive condition (platelet fatty acids markers: palmitic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid) and the ANN map built for the ischemic condition (platelet fatty acids markers: oleic acid, linoleic acid, arachidonic acid). Examining the maps, a certain percentage of children seems to be at high risk for several psychiatric conditions with respect to the major depression, while for the ischemic pathology the children are in the same position of the ischemic subjects. Because we know that the children are not ischemic, probably they have the same biochemical characteristics but are protected by the high level of stearic acid and by the high degree of saturation of the platelets. For this reason, children cannot belong to the map area of the major depression, which, in turn, is characterized by a very high degree of unsaturation of the fatty acids. Further studies are needed to better understand the complex situation of the children from the biochemical and psychiatric point of view.

[Membrane platelet fatty acids: biochemical characterisation of the ischemic cardiovascular disease, characteristics of the paediatric age, through an artificial neural network interpretation]. / Acidi grassi di membrana delle piastrine: tipizzazione biochimica della cardiopatia vascolare ischemica e caratteristiche dell'età pediatrica nell'interpretazione di una Rete Neurale Artificiale.

During the last 30 years, a huge research has been performed about the markers involved in the atherogenetic process and in the fatty acid thrombogenetic effect. More recently many studies have been made on the biochemical aspects of the saturated fatty acids with respect to the cardiovascular risk, in particular, the Stearic Acid (SA). Because of the peculiar characteristic of the platelets in the control of the thrombogenetic risk, we have investigated the platelet fatty acid profile in three groups of subjects: supposed healthy (n = 60), ischemic (n = 50), young children (n = 118). The aim of the study was to understand wich of the fatty acids could be evaluated as markers of the ischemic cardiovascular pathology and to have the possibility to classifie the subjects using the artificial neural network (ANN) system. The results highlight the peculiar position of the Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid and Arachidonic Acid. According to the ANN results of the ischemic subjects, the young children were in the same position. Because this result is not commonly accepted, as children are healty, we have looked for a reason. There are well strong reasons to believe that all this is due to the stearic acid wich is extremely higher than the stearic acid of all the other subjects investigated. Particularly it has been underlined the possibility to modify the platelet stearic and oleic acid to obtain a better saturation index (Stearic/Oleic ratio). This could bring to a better control of the cardiovascular risk. It is possible, according with the results obtained, to open a new field of research on the lipid metabolism of the young children in relation to the atherogenesis. It is the first time that an observation on the platelet membrane phospholipid stearic acid is made in comparison to other adult subjects and a plausible explanation is given about the protection of the young children against the cardiovascular disease.

The transfer of docosahexaenoic acid from the yolk to the tissues of the chick embryo.

Changes in the amounts of the major fatty acids present in the lipids of the yolk complex and the embryo were delineated during embryogenesis of the chicken. The rates of transfer of palmitic, oleic, linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids from the lipids of the yolk complex were essentially identical. In contrast, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) was preferentially transferred from the yolk complex at a rate which was significantly higher than that exhibited by the other major fatty acids. The rates of accumulation of both arachidonic acid and DHA in the lipids of the whole embryo were significantly greater than the rates observed for the C16 and C18 fatty acids, particularly between days 12 and 16 of the 21-day embryonic period. Analysis of the fatty acid composition of plasma lipid throughout development indicated that the triacylglycerol fraction contained relatively high proportions (up to approx. 14% w/w of total fatty acids) of DHA, but much lower proportions (approx. 3%) of arachidonic acid. In contrast, plasma phospholipid was enriched in arachidonic acid (up to approx. 18%), but contained much lower proportions (generally less than 3%) of DHA. A considerable amount of DHA was incorporated into adipose tissue triacylglycerol, so that by the time of hatching, the tissue represented a major store of this fatty acid. Over the hatching period, the amount of DHA in adipose triacylglycerol decreased dramatically, by up to 85%, whereas there was little or no change in the amounts of the other major fatty acyl components in this tissue. The amount of DHA as a component of brain phospholipid increased continuously throughout the developmental period studied. However, by the time of hatching, the amount of DHA in brain phospholipid represented less than 10% of the amount of this fatty acid originally present in the lipids of the yolk.

Effect of soya and cellulose fibers on postprandial glycemic response in type II diabetic patients.

OBJECTIVE: We studied the effect on serum glucose and insulin of a preprandial ingestion of 7 g of soya fibers or of an equal amount of purified cellulose on eight non-insulin-dependent (type II) diabetic patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Four tests were conducted in each patient in random order. In the first study, soya or cellulose was ingested before a standard breakfast, and postprandial glucose and insulin curves were determined. In the second study, intestinal absorption was investigated by means of a standard D-xylose absorption excretion test after the ingestion of soya or cellulose. RESULTS: Insulin profiles did not differ between the two treatments. The glycemic profiles after soya ingestion were lower than those after cellulose ingestion. The area under the glucose curve and glucose peaks were significantly higher after cellulose ingestion (area under the curve 20.2 +/- 3.88 vs. 15.57 +/- 4.42 mM x min, P = .05; glucose peaks 4.97 +/- 0.76 vs. 3.77 +/- 0.77 mM, P less than 0.02). The xylose tests were in the normal range, indicating that there was no interference with exose absorption, and no statistical difference was found between cellulose and soya treatment. CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that soya fiber compared with purified cellulose has a favorable effect on the rise of postprandial glycemia in type II diabetic patients; moreover, the use of soya fibers did not carry any untoward side effect.

Influence of dietary fatty acids on phospholipid composition and prostaglandin E synthesis in rat kidneys.

The effects of oils with different amounts of n6 and n3 fatty acid precursors and derivatives were evaluated on phospholipid composition and PGE2 synthesis of rat kidneys. Dietary lipids were: olive oil, an olive-blackcurrant-fish oil mixture and a blackcurrant-fish oil mixture. We observed in the kidneys of rats fed the blackcurrant-fish oil mixture a significant decrease in PGE2 synthesis, while arachidonate values did not show significant variations. A decrease of PGE2 synthesis could be due to competitive and inhibitory effects of fatty acids other than arachidonate, observed in the kidney phospholipid composition in our dietary conditions.

Effect of diets containing different amounts of precursor and derivative fatty acids on serum TXB2.

Dietary precursor and derivative polyunsaturated fatty acids influence metabolic parameters, such as eicosanoid synthesis. We have studied the effect of dietary intakes of lipids containing different amounts of precursor and derivative fatty acids (olive oil, olive-blackcurrant-fish oil mixture, blackcurrant-fish oil mixture, MCT (medium chain triglycerides)-soyabean oil mixture) on serum thromboxane B2 (TXB2) in four groups of rats. Plasma fatty acid composition showed differences related to dietary intakes. TXB2 levels were similar in all conditions except in the group receiving the mixture of olive-blackcurrant-fish oils which showed lower values.

Status of malaria vectors in Italy.

About 30 yr after malaria eradication, surveys to assess the presence and abundance of anopheline vectors were carried out in central and southern Italy and in the islands of Sardinia and Sicily from 1992 to 1994. Anopheles labranchiae Falleroni was present in scattered foci in all regions, except for Tuscany, where it breeds almost exclusively in rice fields (Grosseto Province). Most common breeding sites were rivers and streams, followed by ponds and ground pools. The highest adult density was found in Tuscany near rice fields and along the west coast of Calabria. Anophelines in Grosseto were abundant at human bait, with peaks of > 200 landings per human per night and vectorial capacity between 7.3 and 26 for Plasmodium falciparum and between 8.3 and 32.5 for Plasmodium vivax. Anopheles sacharovi Favre, a former malaria vector in Puglia and Sardinia, was not found in these regions. The other vector in southern Italy, Anopheles superpictus Grassi, was found at low densities on the western and eastern coasts of Calabria. All anopheline populations were fully susceptible to deltamethrin, malathion, and DDT but showed reduced susceptibility to permethrin and propoxur. These data are discussed in the light of a possible reintroduction of malaria into Italy.

Effect of chemically defined formula diets on pancreatic mass in the rat.

To establish the effect of chemically defined formula diets on pancreatic mass, 58 male Wistar rats, weighing approximately 200 g, were fed orally one of the following diets for 20 days: standard diet; partially hydrolyzed diet; elemental diet. The diets were isocaloric and provided 73 cal/day per rat. At the end of the experiment, the rats were killed and pancreas removed to assess wet weight and DNA and RNA content. Compared to the controls, the elemental diet caused a reduction in pancreatic wet weight (p less than 0.005), pancreatic DNA (p less than 0.001), and RNA content (p less than 0.001). In the group fed partially hydrolyzed diet, only pancreatic DNA content showed an highly significant reduction when compared with the reference group (p less than 0.001), whereas the value of RNA failed to reach the statistical significance. We found an increase of the ratio mg RNA/mg DNA in the partially hydrolyzed and elemental diet groups. These results suggest that long-term nutrition with the partially hydrolyzed diet, and more strongly with the elemental diet, may induce pancreatic hypoplasia.

Effect of different intravenous nutrients on metabolic changes in short-term fasted man.

It is well documented (1-3) that a balanced use of nutritive solutions is important to maintain metabolic homeostasis and a better control of nutrient flux in fasting patients. In this trial, 10 healthy males, aged 30-50 years, fasted for 12 h, were subjected to intravenous nutrient loads in three separate trials. In the first trial they received only a fat emulsion, in the second fat emulsion and L-amino acid solution, and in the third fat emulsion, L-amino acid solution and glucose solution, 240 and 480 min after intravenous infusion plasma triglycerides, serum cholesterol, free fatty acids, lactate, glucose and plasma amino acids were determined. Significant biochemical changes were detected with regard to triglycerides, lactic acid, free fatty acids, alanine, glutamine, lysine and proline concentrations, depending on the different mixtures utilized.