Integrative characterization of genetic and phenotypic differentiation in an ant species complex with strong hierarchical population structure and low dispersal abilities.

Low dispersal, occurrence of asexual reproduction and geographic discontinuity increase genetic differentiation between populations, which ultimately can lead to speciation. In this work, we used a multidisciplinary framework to characterize the genetic and phenotypic differentiation between and within two cryptic ant species with restricted dispersal, Cataglyphis cursor and C. piliscapa and used behavioral experiments to test for reproductive isolation. Their distribution is segregated by the Rhône River and they have been traditionally distinguished only by hair numbers, although a statistical assessment is still lacking. We found strong genetic (microsatellites, nuclear and mitochondrial sequences), morphological (number of hairs, tibia length, male genitalia) and chemical (cuticular hydrocarbons) differentiation not only between species but also among localities within species. However, inter-specific differentiation was slightly higher than intra-specific differentiation for most markers. Overall, this pattern could either reflect reproductive isolation or could result from a longer period of geographic isolation between species than among localities within species without necessarily involving reproductive isolation. Interestingly, our behavioral experiments showed an absence of mating between species associated to a higher aggressiveness of workers towards heterospecific males. This suggests that sexual selection may, at least partially, fuel reproductive isolation. We also showed that cuticular hydrocarbons, mtDNA sequences and number of hairs provide reliable criteria allowing species discrimination. Overall, this species complex offers a case study to further investigate varying stages of a speciation continuum by estimating reproductive isolation between pairs of localities varying by their level of genetic differentiation.

Facultative use of thelytokous parthenogenesis for queen production in the polyandrous ant Cataglyphis cursor.

The evolutionary paradox of sex remains one of the major debates in evolutionary biology. The study of species capable of both sexual and asexual reproduction can elucidate factors important in the evolution of sex. One such species is the ant Cataglyphis cursor, where the queen maximizes the transmission of her genes by producing new queens (gynes) asexually while simultaneously maintaining a genetically diverse workforce via the sexual production of workers. We show that the queen can also produce gynes sexually and may do so to offset the costs of asexual reproduction. We genotyped 235 gynes from 18 colonies and found that half were sexually produced. A few colonies contained both sexually and asexually produced gynes. Although workers in this species can also use thelytoky, we found no evidence of worker production of gynes based on genotypes of 471 workers from the six colonies producing sexual gynes. Gynes are thus mainly, and potentially exclusively, produced by the queen. Simulations of gynes inbreeding level following one to ten generations of automictic thelytoky suggest that the queen switches between or combines thelytoky and sex, which may reduce the costs of inbreeding. This is supported by the relatively small size of inbred gynes in one colony, although we found no relationship between the level of inbreeding and immune parameters. Such facultative use of sex and thelytoky by individual queens contrasts with other known forms of parthenogenesis in ants, which are typically characterized by distinct lineages specializing in one strategy or the other.

Pulmonary ultrasonography in the follow-up of respiratory distress syndrome on preterm newborns. Reduction of X-ray exposure.

PURPOSE: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is the most common cause of respiratory failure in preterm neonates, whose lungs are often immature. The diagnosis and follow-up are based on clinical and radiographic findings. Due to the problem of air artifacts, ultrasonography (US) is not used routinely in the diagnosis of lung diseases. However, when the alveolar air content decreases, as it does in RDS, characteristic patterns appear that can be observed during US lung examinations. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of chest radiographs in neonates with RDS could be reduced by the routine use of chest US for follow-up examinations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April through September 2008, were enrolled all preterm newborns, with very low birth weight (VLBW), consecutive admitted in NICU with clinically and radiologically diagnosed RDS. We performed lung ultrasound examination in this patients. Video-taped US examinations were done every 8-12 h until clinical resolution of the disease was observed. Chest X-rays were performed only in unclear cases. We compared the number of chest radiographs obtained in the NICU during this period and during the preceding six months. RESULTS: 105 serial US lung examinations were performed in 21 preterm infant with clinically and radiologically diagnosed RDS. US lung examinations revealed "comet-tail" artifacts that were compact, diffuse, and symmetrically distributed throughout both lung fields. In 8 cases, the pleural line was also extensively thickened and irregular, and in 7 cases multiple subpleural hypoechoic areas indicative of lung consolidation were observed (mainly on posterior and lateral scans). The mean number of chest radiographs per infant performed in the NICU during the study period was significantly lower than that of the preceding six months (2.6 ± 1 versus 3.8 ± 1.5; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Chest ultrasound is a valid alternative for the follow-up of VLBW infants with RDS, which can decrease the need for chest X-rays and reduce patient exposure to ionizing radiation.

Targeted expression of a dominant-negative EGF-R in the kidney reduces tubulo-interstitial lesions after renal injury.

The role of EGF in the evolution of renal lesions after injury is still controversial. To determine whether the EGF expression is beneficial or detrimental, we generated transgenic mice expressing a COOH-terminal-truncated EGF-R under the control of the kidney-specific type 1 gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase promoter. As expected, the transgene was expressed exclusively at the basolateral membrane of proximal tubular cells. Under basal conditions, transgenic mice showed normal renal morphology and function. Infusion of EGF to transgenic animals revealed that the mutant receptor behaved in a dominant-negative manner and prevented EGF-signaled EGF-R autophosphorylation. We next evaluated the impact of transgene expression on the development of renal lesions in two models of renal injury. After 75% reduction of renal mass, tubular dilations were less severe in transgenic mice than in wild-type animals. After prolonged renal ischemia, tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis were reduced in transgenic mice as compared with wild-type mice. The beneficial effect of the transgene included a reduction of tubular cell proliferation, interstitial collagen accumulation, and mononuclear cell infiltration. In conclusion, functional inactivation of the EGF-R in renal proximal tubular cells reduced tubulo-interstitial lesions after renal injury. These data suggest that blocking the EGF pathway may be a therapeutic strategy to reduce the progression of chronic renal failure.

Reduction of renal mass is lethal in mice lacking vimentin. Role of endothelin-nitric oxide imbalance.

Modulation of vascular tone by chemical and mechanical stimuli is a crucial adaptive phenomenon which involves cytoskeleton elements. Disruption, by homologous recombination, of the gene encoding vimentin, a class III intermediate filament protein mainly expressed in vascular cells, was reported to result in apparently normal phenotype under physiological conditions. In this study, we evaluated whether the lack of vimentin affects vascular adaptation to pathological situations, such as reduction of renal mass, a pathological condition which usually results in immediate and sustained vasodilation of the renal vascular bed. Ablation of 3/4 of renal mass was constantly lethal within 72 h in mice lacking vimentin (Vim-/-), whereas no lethality was observed in wild-type littermates. Death in Vim-/- mice resulted from end-stage renal failure. Kidneys from Vim-/- mice synthesized more endothelin, but less nitric oxide (NO), than kidneys from normal animals. In vitro, renal resistance arteries from Vim-/- mice were selectively more sensitive to endothelin, less responsive to NO-dependent vasodilators, and exhibited an impaired flow (shear stress)- induced vasodilation, which is NO dependent, as compared with those from normal littermates. Finally, in vivo administration of bosentan, an endothelin receptor antagonist, totally prevented lethality in Vim-/- mice. These results suggest that vimentin plays a key role in the modulation of vascular tone, possibly via the tuning of endothelin-nitric oxide balance.

Normal tubular regeneration and differentiation of the post-ischemic kidney in mice lacking vimentin.

Proliferation and dedifferentiation of tubular cells are the hallmark of early regeneration after renal ischemic injury. Vimentin, a class III intermediate filament expressed only in mesenchymal cells of mature mammals, was shown to be transiently expressed in post-ischemic renal tubular epithelial cells. Vimentin re-expression was interpreted as a marker of cellular dedifferentiation, but its role in tubular regeneration after renal ischemia has also been hypothesized. This role was evaluated in mice bearing a null mutation of the vimentin gene. Expression of vimentin, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (a marker of cellular proliferation), and villin (a marker of differentiated brush-border membranes) was studied in wild-type (Vim+/+), heterozygous (Vim+/-), and homozygous (Vim-/-) mice subjected to transient ischemia of the left kidney. As expected, vimentin was detected by immunohistochemistry at the basal pole of proximal tubular cells from post-ischemic kidney in Vim+/+ and Vim+/- mice from day 2 to day 28. The expression of the reporter gene beta-galactosidase in Vim+/- and Vim-/- mice confirmed the tubular origin of vimentin. No compensatory expression of keratin could be demonstrated in Vim-/- mice. The intensity of proliferating cell nuclear antigen labeling and the pattern of villin expression were comparable in Vim-/-, Vim+/- and Vim+/+ mice at any time of the study. After 60 days, the structure of post-ischemic kidneys in Vim-/- mice was indistinguishable from that of normal non-operated kidneys in Vim+/+ mice. In conclusion, 1) the pattern of post-ischemic proximal tubular cell proliferation, differentiation, and tubular organization was not impaired in mice lacking vimentin and 2) these results suggest that the transient tubular expression of vimentin is not instrumental in tubular regeneration after renal ischemic injury.

[Echographic findings in a case of gastric leiomyoblastoma]. / Rilievi ecografici su un caso di leiomioblastoma gastrico.

Gastric leiomyoblastoma is a rare stomach tumour arising in the muscular tunica. Its prevalently oesophytic development makes diagnostic techniques that mainly concentrate on the intestinal lumen (digestive X-ray and endoscopy) of little use. A case is reported in which echography pointed diagnosis in the right direction by analysing a number of typical symptomatological signs.

[Hemobilia. The echographic findings in a dialyzed patient]. / Emobilia. Rilevamento ecografico in un paziente dializzato.

A case of gall bladder haematoma observed echographically in a dialysed patient is reported. The observation was probably related to the administration of anticoagulants during dialysis.

[Water loading diuresis test in albino rats. Critical study of approximately 12,000 tests. 3. Loading tests using several mineral waters bottled under various experimental conditions]. / Prove di diuresi da carico idrico nel ratto albino. Esame critico di circa 12,000 prove. Nota III: Prove da carico con alcune acque mineralizzate confezionate in bottiglia in varie condizioni sperimentali.

The authors studied a series of more than 12,000 complex diuresis exams after water loading, in the albino rat, which permitted them to draw the following conclusions: 1). The temperature of water definitively and, probably the environmental temperature, influence the diuretic response. 2). The most favourable water loading preparations are not fasting and solid fasting during the 24 hrs. prior to loading. 3). Pretreatment with diuretic water 15 days prior to loading, favours the diuretic response to the same or the any other water: activated kidney. 4). The addition of CO2 to water, by itself, does not seem to favour diuresis. 5). Aging or conservation in bottles, always reduces, more or less sensitively, the diuretic properties of the water itself, especially during the first 2-3 months. This confirms that the diuretic properties do not only and exclusively depend on the chemical or physical composition or on the structure, but on everything together, that is modified after the moment of it's natural emergence. This loss of activity, in any case, is favourable to the indiscriminate use of these waters as both dietetic and drinking water. 6). It is probable that the different pH's of water influence it's diuretic activity. 7). Even if the more active waters, in this study, seem to be bicarbonate, sulfate bicarbonate, or bicarbonate-sulfate-alkaline-terrose, this can be attributed to the prevalence of these classes of water in this study. Instead, what emerges with certainty, from the point of view of the molar concentration, is that while there are which are minimally mineralized and oligominerals with scarce or no diuretic activity, there are mediomineral and hypotonic mineral waters with up to 100 mmol/liter, and with conspicuous diuretic activity, even after more or less long periods of conservation in bottles. 8). For all of the above-mentioned reasons, we feel that a useful orientation can also be gained for the use of the discussed water for human needs.

[Echographic study in evaluating gastrointestinal pathology]. / L'indagine ecografica nella valutazione della patologia del tratto gastrointestinale.

The echographic study of the gastrointestinal tract is hampered by the presence of gas that prevents the long-range penetration of the ultrasound beam. However the presence of a mass with a central echogenic region surrounded by a sonolucent wall of over 1.5 cm is characteristic of intestinal pathologies. A study of 23 patients with gastrointestinal disorders in whom echography revealed specific pictures is presented.

[Echography in prenatal diagnosis of chorioangioma of the placenta]. / L'ecografia nella diagnosi prenatale del corionangioma della placenta.

Ultrasound during pregnancy is a valid method to determine foetal growth. Occasionally abnormalities are detected. We report a case in which an echographic study showed a placental chorioangioma. We underline ultrasound patterns and examine clinical features.

[Weight increase and chronic experimental poisoning by tobacco smoke in the albino rat. Effect of protection with mineral waters]. / Incremento ponderale e intossicazione cronica sperimentale da fumo di tabacco nel ratto albino. Effetti della protezione con acque minerali.

The Authors refer to the results of an experiment conducted on albino rats chronically intoxicated with tobacco smoke. Several groups of animals were contemporaneously protected, by drinking or by inhaling or by both methods, by a beneficial sulphureous water with a varying sulphydrometric degree, and in one experiment, by inhaling a hypertonic salso-bromo-iodic water. In all cases, it was possible to observe that in the adopted experimental conditions, the chronic intoxication from tobacco smoke slowed the weight increase of albino rats subjected to intoxication and not protected, both as regards non-intoxicated animals and as regards intoxicated animals protected by one of the studied waters. There were no statistically significant differences between the weight increase of the animals protected by the drinking or inhaling methods while protection via both methods resulted statistically more efficacious than protection by one single method.

[First pharmacological studies of the properties of bottled Tesorino water]. / Prime ricerche farmacologiche sulle proprietà dell'acqua Tesorino conservata in bottiglia.

The Authors carried out a series of researches aiming to control, over time, the state of preservation and the biological properties of a magnesic-calcic-sulfate-bicarbonate medium-mineral water, also available on the market for dietetic purposes. The investigations allowed to demonstrate that when the bottles are opened the pH is stable on the starting values even for bottles opened after more than 400 days from bottling them. It was observed, however, that with bottles which had been left opened for many days, the pH of the older bottles was more stable, while the one of bottles only 50 days old tended to move towards alkaline values and to remain unchanged during the following days. The control of the zymosthenic properties in vitro, with amylase and trypsin on the relative substrates, made possible to demonstrate that the presence of the water under study considerably favours these enzymic processes, which need considerably smaller amounts of enzyme, in comparison with the tests performed on control solutions. Such effect is constantly present even after the water has been bottled for a long time. Tests on loading diuresis on albinic rats showed that the water under study favours a lot the kidney emuntory activity also in not previously treated animals. Animals previously watered with the medium-mineral water, however, in the loading tests with the various waters display a greater functional activity from the kidney "trained kidney". Moreover, the Authors point out that, with such water, the diuretic response seems to be improved of water is drunk after eating.

[Echotomography in polycystic renal disease]. / Ecotomografia allargata nella malattia policistica renale.

Sonography is a safe and suitable diagnostic tool; to date it appears to be the most valuable method for detecting renal cystic lesions. In particular ultrasound examination, if a wider district is screened, can demonstrate the coexistence of the cystic disease in different organs. The Authors report a case of renal polycyctic disease in which the sonographic examination was extended to the entire abdomen disclosing simultaneous involvement of the kidneys and the liver.

[Antiphlogistic effects of extracts of a marine ooze in rats, guinea-pigs and rabbits (author's transl)]. / Azione antinfiammatoria di estratto di limo della costa Adriatica.

Acetonic extracts of a marine ooze from the Adriatic coast inhibited in rats, and to a lesser extent in guinea-pigs and rabbits, the oedema-forming activity of histamine, but not of 5HT, bradykinin, formalin and carrageenin.