Genome data from a sixteenth century pig illuminate modern breed relationships.

Ancient DNA (aDNA) provides direct evidence of historical events that have modeled the genome of modern individuals. In livestock, resolving the differences between the effects of initial domestication and of subsequent modern breeding is not straight forward without aDNA data. Here, we have obtained shotgun genome sequence data from a sixteenth century pig from Northeastern Spain (Montsoriu castle), the ancient pig was obtained from an extremely well-preserved and diverse assemblage. In addition, we provide the sequence of three new modern genomes from an Iberian pig, Spanish wild boar and a Guatemalan Creole pig. Comparison with both mitochondrial and autosomal genome data shows that the ancient pig is closely related to extant Iberian pigs and to European wild boar. Although the ancient sample was clearly domestic, admixture with wild boar also occurred, according to the D-statistics. The close relationship between Iberian, European wild boar and the ancient pig confirms that Asian introgression in modern Iberian pigs has not existed or has been negligible. In contrast, the Guatemalan Creole pig clusters apart from the Iberian pig genome, likely due to introgression from international breeds.

[Radiotherapy of non-neoplastic diseases: the situation in Piedmont]. / La radioterapia delle affezioni non neoplastiche: la situazione in Piemonte.

The authors report the results of a census among the Piedmont region radiation therapy departments during the period 1980-1991 concerning non antineoplastic radiotherapy. Eight out of eleven centers respond to the questionnaire. During the period considered 36,480 patients were treated, with an annual mean of 4056; the number of treated patients varies from 1.2% to over 71.3% in the different centers when compared to the number of neoplastic patients. Arthrosis, osseous angioma, cheloides and verruca were the most treated diseases. Plesioroentgentherapy and roentgentherapy were normally employed; telecesium and telecobalt therapy were also used; only two centers used electron beams or brachytherapy. The doses of radiotherapy were not uniform; also patients' information and follow-up criteria were quite different in the various centers. The authors conclude with a guidelines for future radiotherapy in benign diseases.

[Treatment of prostatic carcinoma in clinical stage C. Comparison between radiotherapy plus hormonal therapy after progression and immediate hormonal therapy]. / Terapia del carcinoma prostatico allo stadio clinico C. Confronto tra radioterapia più ormonoterapia dopo progressione e ormonoterapia immediata.

The optimal treatment of prostate cancer in clinical stage C is controversial. On the one hand a disease still confined by definition, as stage C is, should require a curative therapy such as surgery or radiotheratherapy. On the other hand the known fact that 50% of stages C are pathological stages D1, should propose a palliative, even thou effective, medical treatment. In fact both choices are questionable. A radical treatment risks being insufficient, whereas a palliative does not allow for giving a chance of a theoretically possible cure. In an attempt to resolve this difficulty, a sort of compromise is proposed. The patients should be initially treated with radical radiotherapy, and only in the case of progression will standard hormonotherapy be given. Thanks to this behaviour a possibility of cure is maintained, and, in addition, when suffering a progression the patients are likely to benefit from hormonotherapy owing to the fact that they are not pretreated. From 1985 to 1991 forty-eight clinical stage C patients were observed. They were given the choice between two treatments after explaining the theoretical benefits and disadvantages of both. Treatment A consisted of cobalt-60 therapy followed by hormonotherapy after progression, treatment B in primary ormonotherapy with LH-RH analogue +/- Flutamide. Twenty patients opted for treatment A and 21 for B.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Trends in the combined use of radiotherapy and chemotherapy in oncology]. / Orientamenti nell'associazione radio-chemioterapica in oncologia.

The use of combined radiation and chemotherapy in oncology is designed to improve the long-term results in cancer cases whether subjected to surgical treatment or not. The benefits and risks of this approach are examined and the forms for which such treatment is beneficial are indicated.

[Radiotherapy after plastic surgery of the breast]. / Radioterapia dopo ricostruzione plastica del seno.

Recent progress in both the surgical techniques and the prosthetic materials employed in plastic and reconstructive surgery of the breast after mastectomy has led to an increase in the number of patients requesting the treatment. As a result postoperative radiotherapy may often be indicated for such patients. The series treated in Alessandria Hospital's Radiotherapy Division in 1979-86 is examined with particular emphasis on the long-term cosmetic results.

[Radiotherapy and integrated treatment in carcinoma of the lung]. / Radioterapia e terapie integrate del carcinoma del polmone.

The results of lung cancer treatment are often disappointing. In order to optimise the use of the therapeutic means at our disposal each clinical case should be assessed on a multidisciplinary basis with regard to the stage and type of the tumour. The fundamentals of radiotherapy technique are presented as are the concepts of integrated radiation, chemical and surgical treatment for the two basic groups of microcytomas and non microcytomas.

[Carcinoma of the male breast and hormone receptors]. / Carcinoma della mammella maschile e recettori ormonali.

The series of cancers of the male breast encountered in Alessandria Hospital in 1981-85 is reported. Estrogen-progestin receptor assays were performed on all patients with results in line with reports in the literature and were used as the basis for the selection of adjuvant post-operative treatment. The good early results appear to confirm the validity of this approach.