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This study investigates the impact of the degree of financial distress on the earnings management activities of Italian non-listed firms using a linear regression model proxied by the Altman Z-Score which controls the heteroscedasticity and autocorrelation using the Petersen method. The extant literature provides mixed evidence on this relationship for listed firms. In this study we find a positive (negative) relationship between financial distress risk and income-decreasing (income-increasing) earnings management, suggesting that firms tend to manage earnings downward as financial distress risk increases. In two robustness tests, we test the power of the Kothari model and we also analyse a reduced firm sample representing over 80% of the population, though the results are qualitatively the same. Our research has several implications for academics, practitioners, lenders, and national standard setters, showing that, in contrast to the extant literature, non-listed firms are more likely to manage earnings downward as their financial situation deteriorates. Furthermore, our findings are of interest to national standard setters and professional accountants who are concerned with advanced warning indicators of firm financial problems such as Altman’s Z-score, especially in recent years in which countries are focused on developing robust empirical models to detect firm financial difficulties. Key words: Financial distress, Altman’s Z-score, accrual-based earnings management, non-listed firms, Italian context.

Mummy 527 B* belongs to the “Giovanni Marro” Egyptian Collection of the Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the University of Turin. This mummy of a oneyear- old pre-dynastic child was found in Gebelein in 1935 in a small necropolis discovered during excavations of the “Missione Archeologica Italiana” led by G. Farina, the new Director of the Egyptian Museum of Turin, with the participation of Prof. G. Marro as anthropologist. A whole body spiral CT scan with thin slices (1,00 mm thickness, 0,5 mm reconstruction interval) was followed by multiplanar and 3D reconstruction. The aim was to evaluate the child’s age at death and the presence of lethal pathologies. This study confirms the fundamental role of non-invasive techniques in the study of such rare pre-dynastic specimens.

The work, in fact, starting from the study conducted by some scholars, aims to understand how the strategic decisions of the company management affect the company’s performance and, ultimately, the motivation of the employees. More specifically, the paper seeks to measure, if and how, sustainable management, the prospectors’ strategy and the reactors affect organizational and sustainable performance, ultimately impacting on the motivation of the employees of the Municipalities that make up the sample of the analysis. The methodology used to measure the link between the variables considered is represented by structural equation models, which allow measuring simultaneously the relationships existing between two and more variables. The sample analysis is composed of the employees of some municipalities of the Amalfi Coast (Amalfi, Ravello, Positano and Maiori...) to whom questions have been asked to measure their perception regarding the variables of the proposed theoretical model. The results of the paper confirm the validity and reliability of the measurement scales adopted, since both the Bartlett test and the Kayser-Meyer-Olkin sample adequacy test (KMO) indicate that the factor analysis it is adequate to the sample used. Furthermore, the paper also allows confirming the theoretical hypotheses proposed, showing how work is a useful tool for both practioners and scholars.

PurposeThe paper proposes a conceptual integration between two variables, both considered as capable of affecting public firm performance: technology and intellectual capital.Design/methodology/approachThe analysis is performed by testing a structural equation model (SEM) which allows to measure simultaneously a plurality of variables, highlighting all the possible connections. Data is collected by administering more than 500 paper questionnaires to accountants working within Local Health Firms of Naples and Salerno.FindingsThe study seems to align with the considerations according to which intellectual capital expressed through its three dimensions – relational capital, human capital and organizational capital – exert a positive influence on perceived performance of healthcare firms, ultimately impacting on the Employees' Satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThe study acts as a useful guide from a managerial point of view, because it may support firm decision-making. In fact, public sector managers can leverage an instrument capable of activating functional mechanisms to improve firm performance.Originality/valueThe work allows overcoming the literature gap due to the fact that, although there is a wide recognition of the potential of technology and intellectual capital, there are no studies that synergistically integrate both the aspects in the attempt to understand their value in terms of influence on the performance of public firms, on the one hand, and on employees' satisfaction, on the other. In this vein, the work, in an attempt to provide further scientific support to the link between technology and intellectual capital, is a tool capable of highlighting how this link positively impacts on company performance and employee satisfaction.

Colonoscopic perforation is a serious and potentially life-threatening complication of colonoscopy. Its incidence varies in frequency from 0.016% to 0.21% for diagnostic procedures, but may be seen in up to 5% of therapeutic colonoscopies. In case of extraperitoneal perforation, atypical signs and symptoms may develop. The aim of this report is to raise the awareness on the likelihood of rare clinical features of colonoscopic perforation. A 72-year-old male patient with a past medical history of myocardial infarction presented to the emergency department four hours after a screening colonoscopy with polypectomy, complaining of neck pain, retrosternal oppressive chest pain, dyspnea, and rhinolalia. Right chest wall and cervical subcutaneous emphysema, pneumomediastinum, pneumoretroperitoneum, and bilateral subdiaphragmatic free air were reported on the chest and abdominal X-rays. The patient was treated conservatively, with absolute bowel rest, total parental nutrition, and broad-spectrum intravenous antibiotics. Awareness of the potentially unusual clinical manifestations of retroperitoneal perforation following colonoscopy is crucial for the correct diagnosis and prompt management of colonoscopic perforation. Conservative treatment may be appropriate in patients with a properly prepared bowel, hemodynamic stability, and no evidence of peritonitis. Surgical treatment should be considered when abdominal or chest pain worsens, and when a systemic inflammatory response arises during the conservative treatment period.

A 15-18 months old child mummy, presently housed in Turin's Museum of Anthropology, was discovered in Gebelein (Upper Egypt) during excavations carried out by the Missione Archeologica Italiana, most likely in 1914. Atomic Mass Spectrometry radiocarbon dating indicated that the mummy belongs to the end of the Early Dynastic Period - beginning of the Old Kingdom. Whole body spiral CT scan and 3D reconstructions did not show evidence of congenital malformations or fractures. Immunochromatographic and immunohistochemical analyses on skin and muscle samples were positive for Plasmodium falciparum malaria and for Plasmodium spp. malaria. Our data provide clear evidence for the presence of P. falciparum infection in the sample we examined and show the usefulness of the immunological investigations for the detection of malaria in ancient human remains.

The current environmental context, highly competitive and turbulent, has shifted the focus of scholars and managers on forms of cooperation and participation able to ensure a timely and effective response to needs of who participate in value creation processes. The paper aims to open the way to new perspectives of analysis of educational context, enabling to understand how Value Co-creation is moving emergence of a new phenomenon, Smart Value Co-education, which integrates the main and distinctive towards a markedly smart education. This suggests the elements of three different but related approaches: Value Co-creation, Co-education and Smart Education. The work also offers some insights for future researches on Smart Value Co-education, suggesting to investigate, on one hand, users’ role and their active involvement for a better use of educational experience and, on the other, the factors unpredictably and rapidly influencing the emergence and development of new technologies for the dissemination of education.

Twenty-one X-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci, including the six clusters of linked markers DXS10148–DXS10135–DXS8378 (Xp22), DXS7132–DXS10079–DXS10074 (Xq12), DXS6801–DXS6809–DXS6789 (Xq21), DXS7424–DXS101 (Xq22), DXS10103–HPRTB–DXS10101 (Xq26), DXS8377–DXS10146–DXS10134–DXS7423 (Xq28) and the loci DXS6800, GATA172D05 and DXS10011 were typed in a popula3tion sample from Ivory Coast (n = 125; 51 men and 74 women). Allele and haplotype frequencies as well as linkage disequilibrium data for kinship calculations are provided. On the whole, no significant differences in the genetic variability of X-STR markers were observed between Ivorians and other sub-Saharan African populations belonging to the Niger–Kordofanian linguistic group.

STR profiling of animal species has a wide range of applications, including forensic identification, wildlife preservation, veterinary public health protection and food safety. We tested the efficacy of a multiplex PCR-based assay including 11 porcine-specific tetrameric STRs in a population sample of wild boars ( n =142) originating from Piedmont (North West Italy). Multiple deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectations were observed, mostly due to a reduction in observed heterozygosity indicative of a high degree of inbreeding. A value of θ of 0.046 and an inbreeding coefficient of 0.089 were estimated. Combined power of discrimination and probability of exclusion values for the STR panel were 0.9999999999996 and 0.99989. In order to test the suitability of the method for meat traceability purposes, a domestic pig reference sample ( n =412), consisting of commercial lines commonly used in the meat production process, was also typed. A Bayesian cluster analysis carried out using the observed genotypes, showed a percentage of correct subspecies assignment of individual samples of 0.974 for wild boars and 0.991 for pigs, thus demonstrating the usefulness of the multiplex STR-typing system for discrimination purposes.

Many age-related changes are described in the nervous system of different species, but detailed studies of brain lesions in ageing horses are lacking. The aim of the present study was to systematically characterize lesions in the brains of 60 horses aged from 7 to 23 years. No gross changes were present in any brain. Microscopically, spongiform changes, lipofuscin storage, corpora amylacea, gliosis and satellitosis were common, together with axonal and neuronal swellings. The most important findings were the presence of pseudocalcium-calcium (pCa-Ca) deposits and arterial wall degeneration. Scanning electron microscopical examination of two cases with vascular mineralization revealed marked deposition of an amorphous substance in the vessel walls that was probably formed by a polyanionic protein matrix and a mineral component. Immunohistochemically, numerous axonal spheroids were positively labelled for ubiquitin. No PrPsc was detected in sections with neuronal vacuolation. Neuronal swelling, corpora amylacea, hippocampal Tau-positive neurons and methenamine-positive diffuse (preamyloid) plaques were also detected. Congo red staining failed to detect amyloid deposition. The characterization of age-related lesions in the brains of these horses will allow these changes to be discriminated from pathological processes in future studies. Some lesions described here, including some vascular changes, the presence of diffuse plaques and tau accumulation in hippocampal neurons, have not been described previously in the horse.

In recent years, the general reform of public sector has also interested accounting policies, techniques, and tools in order to make them as clear and understandable as possible. Thus, citizens and private organizations are even more demanding for a new and deeper disclosure of public accounting policies, fundamental to make them properly understood. This seems to be particularly important also because understanding public accounting policies is quite complex, because they highly vary not only among different countries, but also within a single country. It is also to be noted that in modern society, financial issues play a pivotal role in terms of public organizations’ efficiencies and competitiveness. This paper aims to investigate the spread and the application of emerging accounting policies and practices designed for public organizations. The analysis of a specific case study, settled in Italian context, points to better understand how public managers perceive the introduction and the results achieved through emerging accounting tools. The analysis offers some interesting insights in terms of new management accounting policies appliance to public organizations, in order to better respond to the emergent need for a much more open and transparent public management.

The use of social networks is a valuable tool to support enterprises to increase the chances of survival through the activation of a favorable word of mouth among the internal and external members of the virtual community. The diffusion of network innovations, at the environmental level, which includes institutional and regulatory entities, is highly complex and has been relatively neglected in the literature. Therefore, this paper aims, through a general overview of the literature on the subject, to understand how the spread of social networks impact on the economy of enterprise.

Five chemicals that are known to induce in rats thyroid follicular-cell adenomas and carcinomas were assayed for their ability to induce DNA damage and DNA repair synthesis in primary cultures of human thyroid cells. Significant dose-dependent increases in the frequency of DNA single-strand breaks and alkali-labile sites, as measured by the same Comet assay, were obtained after a 20-h exposure to the following subtoxic concentrations of the five test compounds: methimazole from 2.5 to 10 mM; nitrobenzene, potassium bromate, N , N ′-diethylthiourea and ethylenethiourea from 1.25 to 5 mM. Under the same experimental conditions, DNA repair synthesis, as evaluated by quantitative autoradiography, was present in potassium bromate-exposed thyroid cells from all the three donors and in those from two of three donors with either nitrobenzene or ethylenethiourea, but did not match the criteria for a positive response in thyroid cells from any of the donors with methimazole and N , N ′-diethylthiourea. Consistently with their ability to induce thyroid tumors, all the five test compounds, administered p.o. in rats in a single dose corresponding to 1/2 LD50, induced a statistically significant degree of DNA fragmentation in the thyroid. These findings suggest that the five test compounds might be carcinogenic to thyroid in humans.

Two multiplex polymerase chain reaction systems for the automated profiling of 12 X-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers were developed. Multiplex A consisted of DXS6789, DXS6809, GATA172D05, DXS101, DXS8378, and DXS8377. Multiplex B consisted of DXS7132, DXS6800, DXS6801, DXS7424, HPRTB, and DXS10011. The set of amplified X-STRs was designed to include groups of closely linked markers (DXS101-DXS7424 and DXS6789-DXS6801-DXS6809) to generate highly informative haplotypes for kinship testing. A population genetics study of the 12 X-STRs was conducted in a northwestern Italian population sample (n=160, 80 women and 80 men). A diallelic pattern at locus DXS6789 was observed in one man.

Twenty X-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci were typed in 80 families of Italian descent, composed by mother and two or more sons, for a total of 93 meiosis. The analyzed X-STR panel included six clusters of closely linked markers (each spanning3cM): DXS10135-DXS10148-DXS8378 (Xp22); DXS7132-DXS10074-DXS10079 (Xq12); DXS6801-DXS6809-DXS6789 (Xq21); DXS7424-DXS101 (Xq22); DXS10103-HPRTB-DXS10101 (Xq26); DXS8377-DXS10134-DXS7423-DXS10146 (Xq28). Recombination fractions between pairs of markers calculated by pedigree analysis were compared with those obtained from the second-generation Rutgers combined linkage-physical map of the human genome. The observed differences confirm that recombination is not homogeneous along the X chromosome and that the conventional subdivision of X-STRs in four groups of completely unlinked markers cannot be regarded as true. Significant linkage disequilibrium was found between markers DXS6801 and DXS6809 (p=0.017). The effect on likelihood calculations of inferring haplotype frequencies from allele distributions rather than haplotype count in the relevant population was evaluated.

The turbulence of the current competitive environment emphasizes the importance of the role played by performance measurement systems in generating an improvement of business results. Starting from this consideration, the work pursues a twofold goal: firstly, it tries to verify the existence and the degree of a research interest about this topic; secondly, it seeks to identify, in measurement and evaluation systems, which factors are capable of producing an effect on performances of public organizations. In order to well respond to the research purposes, the work begins with a systematic literature review, which highlights a growing attention of scholars on all those variables considered critical in conducting and managing public organizations. The study, highlighting the existence of six variables to be advantageously taken into account in managing public organizations, especially in light of the potential influence that they seem to exert on different types of business performances, could be considered as a useful tool for both practitioners (managers of public organizations) and scholars (professors, researchers, students, etc.) aimed at helping to become aware about the advantages arising from an adequate management of performances measures. The main research limitation is the lack of an empirical analysis of public companies performance plans, which should be thoroughly examined to allow a possible further generalization of the theoretical findings achieved.

Twelve X-chromosomal short tandem repeat (STR) markers were typed by means of two multiplex PCR systems. Multiplex I included DXS6789, HumARA, GATA172D05, DXS101, DXS8378, and DXS8377; multiplex II comprised DXS7132, DXS6800, DXS6803, DXS7424, HPRTB, and DXS10011. Allelic frequencies for these loci were determined in a North-West Italian population sample (n = 140; 70 females and 70 males).

Analysis of mixed stains from forensic casework by means of standard PCR-based typing of autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) becomes difficult when the minor component is present at less than one tenth of the concentration of the major component. The human androgen receptor (HUMARA) X-chromosome inactivation assay allows to detect even a small number of female cells in the presence of a high background of male cells in male/female mixed bloodstains. DNA cleavage by means of methyl-sensitive restriction enzyme (HhaI) is followed by typing of the HUMARA locus with the nested PCR technique: methylation of restriction sites on inactivated female X chromosomes allows the efficient amplification of low amounts of endonuclease-resistant female-derived target sequences. In this study, the method attained a 10−3 level of sensitivity in the detection of the female minor component.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of patient age on the number of lymph nodes dissected during surgery for colorectal cancer. Clinical and histopathological data of 231 consecutive patients who underwent elective surgery for colorectal cancer were reviewed retrospectively. Patients were divided into those aged ≤70 years and >70 years. Our findings suggest that patient's age influences the number of lymph nodes detected in surgical specimens; this number was lower in patients aged >70 years and decreased with further aging.

Seven Y-STR polymorphisms (DYS19, DYS385, DYS389I/II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392 and DYS393) were analyzed by means of two multiplex PCR reactions and capillary electrophoresis in a population sample of 72 unrelated Albanian males residing in Piedmont (northwest Italy) and 47 different haplotypes were observed. The combination of all seven STR systems revealed a haplotype diversity of 0.952.

The utility of prophylactic drainage in colorectal surgery is controversial. The aim of the present article is to study the role of drainage tubes on the management of minor anastomotic dehiscences.We retrospectively review clinical reports of 18 consecutive patients with anastomotic dehiscence after open elective colorectal surgery. The mean age was 63 years and the male - female ratio was 5:1. Nine (50%) patients underwent re-operation for fecal peritonitis (group A) while the remaining nine (50%) were managed conservatively (group B). The parameters evaluated in both groups were: time of the anastomotic breakdown, clinical findings, amount of fluid drained the day of the dehiscence, diagnostic means used, length of stay and mortality.Anastomotic leakages were observed medially after 3, 6 days from surgery in group A and after 5.6 days in group B. The most frequent clinical manifestations were: fecal material through the tubes (88.9%), pelvic pain (88.9%) and fever (77.8%). Patients in group A had a median faecal fluid flow of 235cc the day of the dehiscence and 130cc those in group B. Imaging was employed only in three cases in group A and in all cases in group B. The length of hospital stay was longer in patients treated surgically: 37 days versus 29 in those treated conservatively.Minor anastomotic leakages generally occur later than greater ones, they have a milder clinical presentation and can be managed conservatively with the use of drain tubes.

Eight Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs), DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393 and DYS385, were typed in a population sample (n=101) of first-generation Albanian immigrants living in Italy.

Hypocalcemia is the most frequent complication after total thyroidectomy (TT) and represents the main cause of prolonged hospital stay because of the need to monitor the calcemic status of the patients. The aim of this study is to evaluate the role of serum iPTH as a predictor of post-thyroidectomy hypocalcemia in order to allow patients' early and safe discharge.Fifty patients who underwent TT without autotransplantation of parathyroid tissue were prospectively included in the study The mean age was 52 years and the male/female ratio was 1/6. The iPTH serum level were determined 1 hour after the operation and the calcium serum values after 24 and 48 hours. The cut-off value assumed for testing the sensitivity, specificity, PPV and NPV was 16 pg/ml.Nineteen patients (38%) presented hypocalcemia within 48 hours after TT and 16 of them (84.2%) had iPTH serum levels lower than 16 pg/ml. The normocalcemic patients were 31 (62%) and only 4 of them had iPTH serum levels inferior to the cut-off value. Postoperative iPTH serum level determined 1 hour after the operation had a sensibility of 84.2%, specificity of 87.1%, PPV and NPV of 90% and 80% respectively.The dosage of iPTH serum levels after total thyroidectomy reliably predicts patients who are likely to develop hypocalcaemia. It may be useful in clinical practice in order to reduce the number of postoperative blood tests and the hospital length of stay for the patients who are not at risk of postoperative hypocalcemia.

To evaluate and compare the immediate and long-term outcomes of videothoracoscopic T2–T4 sympathectomy and T3–T4 sympathicotomy for the treatment of palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. Between October 1993 and September 2007, we treated a total of 88 patients affected by palmar and axillary hyperhidrosis. Twenty-four patients underwent T2–T4 sympathectomy with 5–10 mm trocars (Group A), 43 T2–T4 sympathectomy with 2–5 mm trocars (Group B), 15 T3–T4 sympathicotomy with 5–10 mm trocars and 6 T3–T4 ganglion block with 2–5 mm trocars (Group C). The mean operative time, for each side, was 15 min for sympathicotomy and 28 min for sympathectomy. In September 2008, we recontacted 98% of patients (total 86), by telephone, to establish long-term results (follow-up range 1–15 years). In this series, we did not find any significant difference between T2–T4 sympathectomy and T3–T4 sympathicotomy in terms of postsurgical palmar anhidrosis or onset of compensatory hyperhidrosis, while both methods show high efficacy for remission of palmar hyperhidrosis. The slightly higher recurrence rate in our early experience (Group A) can be attributed to the learning curve. Using smaller trocars (2–5 mm), we reduced postsurgical intercostal pain and obtained better aesthetic results and a higher grade of patient’s satisfaction. Thoracoscopic approach to hyperhidrosis has evolved in the last few decades with a consequent decrease in side effects. In this series, all patients experienced an improvement in quality of life even in case of recurrence or onset of compensatory hyperhidrosis. Due to these results, the shorter operative time and easier performance of sympathicotomy, we prefer this method.

Twenty-one X-chromosomal short tandem repeat loci, including the six clusters of linked markers DXS10148-DXS10135-DXS8378 (Xp22), DXS7132-DXS10074-DXS10079 (Xq12), DXS6801-DXS6809-DXS6789 (Xq21), DXS7424-DXS101 (Xq22), DXS10103-HPRTB-DXS10101 (Xq26), DXS8377-DXS10146-DXS10134-DXS7423-DXS10011 (Xq28), and the loci DXS6800 and GATA172D05 were typed in a northwestern Algerian population sample (n = 210; 104 men and 106 women). Allele and haplotype frequencies were calculated. No evidence of linkage disequilibrium was observed between pairs of loci within clusters of linked markers. At locus DXS10148, sequence analysis of a subset of alleles displaying unusual amplicon length (/= 36 repeat units) and anomalous electrophoretic mobility showed that this marker has a complex molecular structure with different repeat variants within alleles of identical amplicon size.

The continual discovery of new single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has led to an increased resolution of the Y chromosome phylogeny. Some of these Y-SNPs have shown to be restricted to small geographical regions and therefore may prove useful in the forensic field as tools for the prediction of population of origin of unknown casework samples. Here, we describe a system for the molecular dissection of haplogroup E-M78 (E1b1b1a), consisting of multiplex polymerase chain reaction and minisequencing of M78 and nine population-informative Y-SNPs (M148, M224, V12, V13, V19, V22, V27, V32, V65) in a single reaction. Sensitivity and admixture studies demonstrated that the SNP protocol allows robust genotyping from as little as 50 pg of male DNA, even in the presence of 500-fold amounts of female DNA. In order to evaluate the suitability of E1b1b1a, subhaplogrouping for population-of-origin prediction, the distribution of E-M78 and its derived variants was determined in an Italian population sample (n = 326).

Dropout of the amelogenin Y-specific allele due to an interstitial deletion of the Yp involving the amelogenin Y locus (AMELY) can cause misidentification of sex genotype with potentially serious consequences in personal identification processes and criminal investigations. Inclusion of additional sex-defining markers in forensic DNA typing kits is therefore advisable. In this study, the co-amplification of the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene and 16 STR loci included in the AmpFlSTR Identifiler PCR Amplification Kit was evaluated. Combination of SRY and Identifiler primers did not compromise the amplification outcome and generated a 90bp male-specific SRY fragment, showing a reproducible peak height ratio in comparison with the AMELY peak. The SRY peak was detectable in presence of amounts of template DNA as low as 125pg, and in mixed samples with a male/female DNA ratio of 1:100.

The presence or absence of genetic heterogeneity in Sicily has long been debated. Through the analysis of the variation of Y-chromosome lineages, using the combination of haplogroups and short tandem repeats from several areas of Sicily, we show that traces of genetic flows occurred in the island, due to ancient Greek colonization and to northern African contributions, are still visible on the basis of the distribution of some lineages. The genetic contribution of Greek chromosomes to the Sicilian gene pool is estimated to be about 37% whereas the contribution of North African populations is estimated to be around 6%. In particular, the presence of a modal haplotype coming from the southern Balkan Peninsula and of its one-step derivates associated to E3b1a2-V13, supports a common genetic heritage between Sicilians and Greeks. The estimate of Time to Most Recent Common Ancestor is about 2380 years before present, which broadly agrees with the archaeological traces of the Greek classic era. The Eastern and Western part of Sicily appear to be significantly different by the χ2-analysis, although the extent of such differentiation is not very high according to an analysis of molecular variance. The presence of a high number of different haplogroups in the island makes its gene diversity to reach about 0.9. The general heterogeneous composition of haplogroups in our Sicilian data is similar to the patterns observed in other major islands of the Mediterranean, reflecting the complex histories of settlements in Sicily.

Two pyriform formations were identified within a bundle of linen bandages wrapping a 15–18 months old Early Dynastic mummy. The upper one was taken out of the bandages and examined to ascertain its nature. This formation showed to be a small bag closed by a knot containing an emerald-green mineral. For identification and with the aim of identifying the compound kept inside it, several different green minerals used for adornment in Ancient Egypt (from the Pre-dynastic period up to the Ptolemaic one) were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX) followed by microanalysis. The pyriform formation's content is consistent, based on morphological and micro-analytical data, with the natural cryptocrystalline hydrated copper silicate identified as a bead of chrysocolla. The use of chrysocolla was less common than that of malachite as chrysocolla ores were rarer. To present days, only one other example of chrysocolla as a funerary equipment from an Ancient Egypt child burial can be traced. Since our archaeological finding indicates the presence of a chrysocolla bead in one other infant burial, it is possible that the use of this particular mineral was limited, in the Early Dynastic Period as a protective amulet for children.

Hypervariable regions HV1 and HV2 of the mitochondrial DNA control region were sequenced in pre-therapy (serum) and post-therapy (saliva, hair) biological samples collected from HIV-infected patients ( n =13) treated with nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs). Occurrence of length/point heteroplasmic mutations as a consequence of treatment with NRTIs was evaluated. The observed rate of length heteroplasmy in the analyzed samples was consistent with values previously reported in untreated subjects, whereas no evidence of point heteroplasmy in post-treatment tissue samples was seen.

The Animal Type Pig PCR Amplification kit (Biotype AG, Dresden, Germany), a multiplex PCR system that allows the simultaneous amplification of 11 tetrameric short tandem repeats (STRs) and an Amelogenin-like locus for individual identification and sexing of pig (sus scrofa), was employed in the investigation of an alleged case of veterinary malpractice. A veterinarian responsible for collecting random blood samples as part of the program for the serological surveillance of swine vesicular disease (SVD) was accused of having drawn multiple samples from a single sow. STR typing of serum left overs from SVD testing strongly supported the conclusion that all the questioned samples included DNA from the same animal.

The distribution of Y-chromosomal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) haplogroups and short tandem repeat (STR) haplotypes was determined in a sample of 102 unrelated men of Arab origin from northwestern Algeria (Oran area). A total of nine different haplogroups were identified by a panel of 22 binary markers. The most common haplogroups observed in the Algerian population were E3b2 (45.1%) and J1 (22.5%). Y-STR typing by a 17-loci multiplex system allowed 93 haplotypes to be defined (88 were unique). Striking differences in the allele distribution and gene diversity of Y-STR markers between haplogroups could be found. In particular, intermediate alleles at locus DYS458 specifically characterized the haplotypes of individuals carrying haplogroup J1. All the intermediate alleles shared a common repeat sequence structure, supporting the hypothesis that the variant originated from a single mutational event.

Microscopic examination of a blood clot expelled by a physically and mentally disabled woman taken to the emergency room because of genital bleeding revealed the presence of chorionic villi encircled by decidua, hemorrhage, and necrosis. In order to identify the father of the product of conception, sections of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded abortion material were subjected to laser microdissection: DNA extraction from chorionic villi selectively isolated from the surrounding tissues allowed successful STR-typing of fetal cells, which was otherwise prevented by excess maternal DNA. The large number of homozygous genotypes in the fetal profile suggested incestuous paternity. Analysis of reference DNA samples from male relatives excluded the woman's father, paternal grandfather, and maternal grandfather, whereas the obligate paternal alleles of the fetus were constantly present in the genotypes of the woman's brother, clearly demonstrating brother-sister incest (probability of paternity > 99.99999%).

Eight Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (STRs)-DYS19, DYS389-I, DYS389-II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393 and DYS385 - were typed in a population sample (n = 255) of unrelated Sicilian males from nine different towns on the main island and from the island of Pantelleria. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.