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At the end of December 1990, a vaccination campaign with attenuated measles virus strain Edmoston Zagreb was started at USL 23, Arezzo. Subjects to be vaccinated as identified by assessment of individual susceptibility represented 45% of 9609 children aged between 13 month and 10 years. At the end of January 1991, with the vaccination campaign in full swing, two cases of measles were reported. Subsequently, the number of cases reported grew steadily with differences in number of cases and age of sick children between the various districts of USL 23. Variability of susceptibility to measles had in fact been observed between these districts associated with the different degree of compliance with the vaccination campaign. Therefore, by active motivation of the population, the vaccination campaign was stepped up, and after June 1991 no further cases of measles were recorded.

Seminal plasma, Zinc, Magnesium and Calcium concentrations were evaluated in 15 infertile men with chronic prostatitis and in 10 controls. Highly significant difference (p less than 0,01) was observed in Calcium concentration only in the group of bacterial prostatitis with respect to the controls. The possible significance of these data is suggested.

The AA. performed a study on the Bravais-Galton's correlation coefficient. They applied this coefficient to the HCAB/HCAC ratio and to the fetal haemoglobin often groups of twenty children (one month four years old) values. The result support the assumption that there is a strong biochemical relationship between zinc-carbonic anhydrase and haemoglobin in erithrocytes.

The AA. describe a technique for chromatographic fractionation of the isoenzymes of carbonic anhydrase. They utilized a hydroxylapatite column, soaking the isoenzymes suspension at its top. As eluting solutions they utilized a series of phosphate buffers, pH 6,8, at increasing ionic strength. The elution, allowed the separation of three fractions which the AA. identified by spectrophotometric, electrophoretic and immunologic analysis and by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. -- Electrophoretic analysis showed that the "first fraction" eluted from the chromatographic column corresponding to the first peak, contained 8,5% of total protein, the "second chromatographic fraction", corresponding to the second electrophoretic peak contained 82,5%, whereas the "third" contained 9%. -- Nitrogen contents in the three eluted fractions showed the following values: 6,6% in the first fraction, 85,5% in the second, 8% in the third. These values are very near the ones obtained from ferogram. -- Spectrophotometric analysis revealed similar structure for the three fraction, in the range 230-300 nm of spectrum and a second peak at 400 nm for the third eluted fraction. -- The atomic spectrophotometric absorption revealed the presence of zinc in the three fractions, the amount of the element resulted almost constantly related to the nitrogen concentration in each of them.

Differences have been observed in both quantitative and qualitative zinc content in human as well as cow milk and colostrum compared to the milk powder preparations which are commonly used as baby's food. It is noteworth that in unprocessed milk and colostrum zinc was present mainly as casein-dependent element, whereas the remaining part of it consisted of immunoglobulin fraction, and only traces were found in the free state. In milk powders zinc showed concentrations lower than in the natural food, and was present mainly as free or protein-independent element. The immunoglobulin fraction of zinc was practically absent from these preparations, while it was found to be a specific component of the natural food (that is, colostrum and milk from all the species examined in the present study).

Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was employed in an evaluation of zinc, copper and iron as trace elements in serum and erythrocytes from 56 children with protein-calorie malnutrition at different stages (early kwashiorkor, kwashiorkor and marasma). Iron and zinc concentrations showed a decreasing pattern through the various stages of the P.C.M. Significant changes are present in zinc values. The role of these trace elements in the P.C.M. is shortly discussed.

Atomic absorption spectrophotometry was employed in an evaluation of zinc, copper and iron of 57 Tanzanian women during the various phases of pregnancy, till the delivery. The result are compared with those found in a group of Italian women of same age during the same periods of pregnancy. No significant statistic differences seem to exist between the two groups.