Short communication: Seroprevalence of paratuberculosis in Italian water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) in the region of Campania.

Paratuberculosis is a chronic enteric disease affecting virtually all ruminants, but only anecdotal information is currently available about the occurrence of this disease in water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). We carried out a survey study aimed at determining the prevalence of paratuberculosis in 2 provinces in the region of Campania, Italy, where about half of all Italian buffaloes are reared. From May 2017 to December 2018, we collected 201,175 individual serum samples from 995 buffalo herds. The sera were collected from animals over 24 mo old and were tested using a commercial ELISA test. The herd-level apparent prevalence result was 54.7%, and the animal-level apparent prevalence was 1.8%. The herd-level true prevalence was estimated using a Bayesian approach, demonstrating a high herd-level prevalence of paratuberculosis in water buffaloes from the Campania area. These findings suggest that the urgent adoption of paratuberculosis herd-control programs for water buffaloes in this area would be beneficial.

The looped domain organization of the nucleoid in histone-like protein defective Escherichia coli strains.

We have investigated the major Escherichia coli histone-like proteins (H-NS, HU, FIS, and IHF) as putative factors involved in the maintenance of the overall DNA looped arrangement of the bacterial nucleoid. The long-range architecture of the chromosome has been studied by means of an assay based on in vivo genomic fragmentation mediated by endogenous DNA gyrase in the presence of oxolinic acid. The fragmentation products were analysed by CHEF electrophoresis. The results indicate that in vivo a large fraction of the bacterial chromatin constitutes an adequate substrate for the enzyme. DNA fragments released upon oxo-treatment span a size range from about 1000 kb to a limit-size of about 50 kb. The latter value is in excellent agreement with the average size reported for bacterial chromosomal domains. The DNA gyrase-mediated fragmentation does not appear to be significantly altered in strains depleted in histone-like proteins as compared to an E. coli wild type strain. This suggests that these proteins may not represent critical determinants for the maintenance of the supercoiled loop organisation of the E. coli chromosome.

Frequencies of micronuclei detected on Mytilus galloprovincialis by different staining techniques after treatment with zinc chloride.

The frequencies of micronuclei induced by ZnCl2 and detected on the gill tissue of the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis with different staining techniques (acridine orange, gallocyanin chromallum, Feulgen, Giemsa) were compared. At least in the used system, the Feulgen and gallocyanin chromallum methods gave a frequency of micronuclei significantly lower than that obtained with the acridine orange and Giemsa techniques. No significant difference between the frequencies obtained with acridine orange and Giemsa was shown. So, though the acridine orange is surely the method which provides the more reliable data, in environmental screening works the Giemsa technique may be more suitable for its simplicity.

Persistence of micronuclei in the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, after treatment with mitomycin C.

The frequency of micronuclei induced by mitomycin C (MMC) in cells of the gill tissue of the marine mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk., was determined over a long period (up to 40-52 days) following treatment. Two doses of MMC (0.5 X 10(-7) and 10(-7) M) were tested at 13 degrees C and 23 degrees C, temperatures representative of the winter and summer thermic conditions of the Mediterranean Sea. In all cases, the frequency of micronuclei was significantly increased by MMC and declined after treatment until it reached a plateau level, significantly higher than the control value. This persisted for a very long time. The frequency of micronuclei induced by a second treatment with MMC performed on the 28th day, did not differ significantly from that produced by the first treatment at the same dose. Temperature did not influence the pattern of the described phenomena to a significant extent. The reason for the persistence of an increased frequency of micronuclei is discussed, and a system is proposed for evaluating the genotoxicity of water pollutants present long before sampling.

Induction of micronuclei by mitomycin C and colchicine in the marine mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis.

The frequencies of micronuclei (MNi) in the gill cells of the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis were determined over a long period (up to 28 days) following a 48-h treatment with colchicine. The frequency of MNi at the end of treatment was significantly higher than in controls and 24 h later it had increased even more. After this period, the frequency of MNi rapidly declined until a plateau level was reached on day 2-3, which was significantly higher than the control baseline level, and persisted until the end of the experiment (28th day). In the same cell system we previously reported a persistence of an increased frequency of MNi after treatment with mitomycin C (MMC) (Majone et al., 1987). In order to establish the origin of MNi, the difference between their size distribution in MMC- and colchicine-treated animals was determined at the end of treatment as well as during the plateau phase. The difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.001) at the end of treatment, the MNi induced by MMC being smaller than those induced by colchicine. However, the difference during the plateau phase was not statistically significant. Human CREST antikinetochore fluorescent antibodies reacted with chromosome centromeres of Mytilus and were applied to gill cells at the end of a 48-h treatment with MMC or colchicine. About 60% of the MNi induced by colchicine but only 30% of those produced by MMC reacted positively with the fluorescent antibodies. This result indicates that the majority of MNi observed at the end of a 48-h treatment with MMC or colchicine originate, respectively, from acentric chromosome fragments and from whole lagging chromosomes.

Relevance of postprandial glycosuria in survey for diabetes mellitus.

Since the oral glucose tolerance test is not applicable in large surveys for diabetes mellitus, economic tests or clinical criteria are required to select subjects needing a complete glycometabolic assessment. This study evaluated, in a selected high risk population (110 subjects; 71 males; median age: 53 years, range 30-70), the utility of glycosuria after a meal rich in carbohydrates in the detecting of diabetes, compared to other tests for glycosuria (fasting glycosuria, glycosuria after a glucose load) and clinical criteria (diabetic family history, overweight and their combination). For each test and, retrospectively, for clinical criteria, sensitivity, sensibility, predictive value positive (PVP) and predictive value negative (PVN) were calculated. Postprandial glycosuria resulted to be an effective approach (sensitivity: 100%; specificity: 44%; PVP: 23%, PVN: 100%) in people over 50 years old, in which both clinical criteria (sensitivity: 22-78%; PVN: 81-90%) and fasting glycosuria (sensitivity 11%; PVN: 86%) proved defective. In younger subjects both the presence of fasting glycosuria (sensitivity: 100%; specificity: 96%; PVP: 33%; PVN: 100%) and of relevant diabetic family history (sensitivity: 100%; specificity: 85%; PVN: 100%) proved more adequate as screening procedures.

[Syphilitic gastritis with secondary malabsorption syndrome (exudative hypoproteinemia). A clinical case and review of syphilitic gastropathies]. / Gastrite luetica con secondaria sindrome da malassorbimento (ipoproteinemia essudativa). Caso clinico e rassegna sintetica delle gastropatie luetiche.

The case is described of a 39 year old man referred for clinical treatment of widespread oedema in the lower half of the body, especially the lower extremities. He was suffering from a gastroenteric protein malabsorption syndrome caused by syphilitic hypertrophic gastritis (tertiary syphilis). The syphilitic origin of the gastropathy was confirmed ex iuvantibus by penicillin treatment which cured the condition completely. The various forms of gastric lues, gastrointestinal malabsorption syndromes and ex iuvantibus criteria are discussed.

Differential effects of cordycepin on the induction of sister-chromatid exchange and chromatid breaks in BALB/Mo mouse lymphocytes treated with mitomycin C.

BALB/Mo mice lymphocytes, carrying endogenous Moloney murine leukaemia virus (M-MuLV), show significantly higher in vitro baseline frequencies of sister chromatid exchange (SCE) than lymphocytes from control (M-MuLV free) BALB/c mice. In vitro treatment of lymphocytes with cordycepin (10 micrograms/ml), an antiviral substance, lowers the level of SCE in BALB/Mo cells to the same value of BALB/c cells. The drug also reduces the higher sensitivity of BALB/Mo compared to BALB/c lymphocytes to the induction of SCE by mitomycin C (MMC) administered either in vitro (3 x 10(-8), 10(-7) M) or in vivo (0.3, 3 mg/kg). BALB/Mo lymphocytes treated in vivo with a high dose of MMC (10 mg/kg) show reduced susceptibility to the induction of SCE but increased frequencies of chromatid breaks and micronuclei. In this situation, cordycepin increases the level of SCE in BALB/Mo lymphocytes to exactly the level seen in BALB/c cells, but it does not affect the frequency of chromosomal aberrations. Since cordycepin is known to inhibit poly(A) synthesis, thus blocking RNA maturation, it is suggested that M-MuLV proviral integration is not the sole factor responsible for the altered susceptibility of BALB/Mo lymphocytes to SCE induction, but that it is most likely viral gene expression that is needed for this effect to occur. On the contrary, the high susceptibility of BALB/Mo lymphocytes to the induction of chromatid aberrations by a high dose of MMC administered in vivo seems to be independent of viral maturation.

Quantum logic gates based on coherent electron transport in quantum wires.

It is shown that the universal set of quantum logic gates can be realized using solid-state quantum bits based on coherent electron transport in quantum wires. The elementary quantum bits are realized with a proper design of two quantum wires coupled through a potential barrier. Numerical simulations show that (a) a proper design of the coupling barrier allows one to realize any one-qbit rotation and (b) Coulomb interaction between two qbits of this kind allows the implementation of the CNOT gate. These systems are based on a mature technology and seem to be integrable with conventional electronics.

Sex pheromone of European corn borer. : Ostrinia nubilalis: Polymorphism in various laboratory and field strains.

Sex gland extracts ofOstrinia nubilalis females collected in the wild or laboratory-reared from Switzerland, Italy, and Hungary were analyzed. Individuals collected in the north of Switzerland contained (Z)- and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetate at the approximate ratio of 97∶3 (Z type), in accordance with field responses of males and previous findings. On the other hand, females from a laboratory culture derived from field collections made in the same area and reared for four to five generations contained theZ andE isomers at ratios of ca. 3∶97 and 35∶65, respectively. In the south, one of the eight wild females analyzed was of theZ type and the rest intermediate, whereas males were predominantly trapped with blends of the two isomers containing 60 to 97E. In a laboratory culture reared for one to two generations from corn borers collected in Hungary, three of nine females were of the intermediate type and the restZ. Small amounts of (Z)-11-hexadecenyl acetate were detected in female glands of theE strain; however, no effect of this compound could be observed in the field.