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In this work the Photoacoustic Infrared Spectroscopy from 4000 to 400 cm-1was applied, by the first time to our knowledge, to diagnostic the soy bean rust or Asian rust contamination on soy leafs caused by the fungi Phakopsora pachyrhizi. The obtained results shown that a premature, fast and precise diagnosis can be achieved using this technique before it can be detect by the conventional visual method. The early identification of the fungi infection avoid massive lost in the soy production and decrease the intense use of fungicide whose is necessary when the infection is in advanced stagy.

Summary. The rate of mitochondrial DNA evolution and the speciation pattern in relation to glacial periods are tested in the European taxa of the eusocial genus Reticulitermes. The linearized tree obtained from cytochrome oxidase II sequences and a geological event calibration shows a substitution rate 100-fold higher than that usually applied for insect mitochondrial DNA. An accelerated rate of evolution has also been observed in social Vespidae (Hymenoptera); we therefore suggest the involvement of eusociality in mediating gene pool drift. The role of the last ice age in speciation pattern of Reticulitermes taxa is supported by molecular data, but a four refugia model better explains genetic diversity, phyletic relationships and present-day distribution of these termites.

A new species of the genus Tunga, T. trimamillatahas recently been described on the basis of several morphological traits. To explore the taxonomic status of this flea with respect to T. penetrans, we undertook a molecular analysis of cytochrome oxydase II and 16S rDNA mitochondrial genes and of the internal transcribed spacer 2 nuclear marker on samples of both species. Maximum Parsimony evaluations of the three data set indicate a differentiation compatible with a specific rank between the two fleas with very high levels of divergence. Both mitochondrial and nuclear data are in line with a recent bottleneck in the Malagasy population of T. penetrans, possibly due to the recent colonisation of Africa viahuman transportation. Further, significantly lower mitochondrial variability in the Ecuadorian populations of T. penetranswith respect to the T. trimamillataones is also evidenced.

Summary The molecular characterisation of 18 new populations of Reticulitermes is here presented for COII and 16S genes; results are elaborated and compared to all available ones, at distances and gene trees (Maximum Parsimony, Maximum likelihood, Bayesian analysis) levels. Within the R. lucifugus complex, a subspecific rank of differentiation appears tenable for Italian ( R. lucifugus lucifugus, R. lucifugus corsicus) and European ( R. lucifugus banyulensis, R. lucifugus grassei) taxa; a subspecific differentiation emerges also for the Sicilian samples. The existence of two different entities in the area formerly defined as inhabited by R. balkanensis is demonstrated; The north-eastern Italian Reticulitermes sp. is found to be more widely distributed in northern and south-eastern Italy and shows a close relationship to the sample from Peloponnese; the GenBank sample from continental Greece, on the contrary, appears more related to other eastern taxa such as R. lucifugus from Turkey and R. clypeatus from Israel; the distribution and differentiation of eastern Reticulitermes taxa are explained through the role that southern Balkans should have played as glacial refuge. Present data also evidences instances of anthropic involvement in taxa distribution; for one of these, the importation of at least a family group is taken into account.

An open randomised crossover study (20 patients) was performed to compare the efficacy in stable effort angina of atenolol 100mg once a day, and pindolol 5mg thrice daily. After a placebo run- in period the 2 treatments were given for 6 weeks each. The number of anginal attacks and consumption of glyceryl trinitrate tablets were noted and side effects recorded. During a multistage treadmill test, measurements were made of exercise tolerance, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, HR × systolic BP product and S- T segment displacement. Both drugs substantially reduced the number of anginal attacks[from a mean of 7.6 ± 1.2 per week in the placebo period to 1.8 ± 0.6 (atenolol) and 2.9 ± 0.5 (pindolol) at the sixth week of treatment] and glyceryl trinitrate consumption. Atenolol was significantly more effective than pindolol in reducing the number of anginal attacks at 3 and 6 weeks and glyceryl trinitrate tablets taken at 3 weeks. The mean walking time on atenolol (13.38) ± 0.98 min) was significantly (p < 0.01) longer than with pindolol (11.88 ± 0.91 min). Both drugs tended to lower the heart rate after 3 weeks of treatment; after 6 weeks atenolol further lowered heart rate, but with pindolol heart rate increased to almost run- in values. Treatment length also influenced the effect of the 2 drugs in a similar manner when other measurements were made and this could be due to the different properties[partial agonist activity (PAA) and cardioselectivity] of pindolol and atenolol. In terms of global clinical assessment, atenolol (100 mg/day) proved to be more effective.

The allozymic characterization of newly discovered populations of B. atticus and B. rossius is given. Most Sardinian B. rossius demes belong to the subspecies B. r. rossius, Southeastern populations are B. r. redtenbacheri, while the central ones appear to be intermediate. Like all Italian B. atticus, also Sardinian demes belong to B. a. caprai. The presence of B. atticus alleles in syntopic B. rossius populations is explained through gene introgression due to past hybridization events between the two taxa.

Sheep red cells (E) sensitized with IgG antibody (EA) or with antibody and complement (EAC) interact in vitro with mouse peritoneal macrophage monolayers. The role of IgG and of C3 in the attachment and ingestion of the erythrocytes was examined by means of quantitative technique utilizing 51Cr-labeled E. Controlled osmotic lysis permitted the separate measurement of the radioactivity associated with bound or with ingested E. IgG-125I was used to estimate the number of IgG molecules bound per E as a function of the IgG concentration. Control experiments showed that iodination did not influence the extent of binding of IgG to E and that the binding of IgG prepared from immune serum could be essentially ascribed to its anti-E antibody content. Only between 103 and 104 rabbit anti-E IgG molecules per erythrocyte were needed for detectable attachment and ingestion of EA (a maximum number of 6 x 105 IgG antibody molecules could be accomodated on one erythrocyte). Evidence was obtained that C3 is primarily involved in particle attachment, whereas only IgG is able to markedly promote the ingestion of particles attached to macrophages: (a) Addition of complement to the EA substantially increased the binding to the macrophages, whereas ingestion was increased to a smaller extent. Both binding and ingestion of EAC were markedly inhibited by papain fragments of IgG obtained from a rabbit antiserum to mouse C3. (b) Low doses (2 µg/ml) of papain fragments of IgG from a rabbit antiserum to mouse IgG markedly reduced the ingestion of EAC, whereas attachment of EAC to macrophages was inhibited to a much smaller degree. The possible relevance of these findings for the in vivo fate of particulate immune complexes as they interact with macrophages is discussed. It is suggested that in the primary immune response, when the complexes are predominantly in the form of EA (IgM) or EA (IgM) C3, they would tend to remain on the surface of the macrophages and thus be in a position to stimulate immunocompetent cells. In the secondary response, when EA (IgG) or EA (IgG) C3 predominate, the complexes would tend to be more rapidly interiorized and degraded by the mononuclear phagocytes,

Abstract.: In this work the Photoacoustic Infrared Spectroscopy from 4000 to 400 cm-1 was applied, by the first time to our knowledge, to diagnostic the soy bean rust or Asian rust contamination on soy leafs caused by the fungi Phakopsora pachyrhizi. The obtained results shown that a premature, fast and precise diagnosis can be achieved using this technique before it can be detect by the conventional visual method. The early identification of the fungi infection avoid massive lost in the soy production and decrease the intense use of fungicide whose is necessary when the infection is in advanced stagy.