Sex reversal due to duplication of the Xp21 dosage-sensitive sex reversal locus results in XY females with gonadal dysgenesis. Pure Xp disomy (without a concurrent loss of genetic material) can occur by translocation or interstitial duplication. The case reported here is the rare form with a t(Xp;Yp). The combination of conventional clinical cytogenetic techniques, microsatellite analysis and h...

The difficulty of obtaining pedigrees for wild populations has hampered the possibility of demonstrating inbreeding depression in nature. In a small, naturally restored, wild population of grey wolves in Scandinavia, founded in 1983, we constructed a pedigree for 24 of the 28 breeding pairs established in the period 1983-2002. Ancestry for the breeding animals was determined through a combinati...

A method for fluorescent labeling of PCR products has been developed. This method consists in a two-step procedure in which a first exponential classical PCR is followed by a "linear amplification". This second step relies on incorporation of fluorescent dNTP (dUTP or dCTP) in order to label the product on only one strand. The products can be applied without prior purification directly to a gel...

The Chinese crocodile lizard Shinisaurus crocodilurus is a critically endangered species, listed in Appendix II of CITES. Its populations and habitat in China have undergone significant changes in recent years. Understanding the genetic variability and phylogeography of this species is very important for successful conservation. In this study, samples were taken from 11 wild ponds and two capti...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES The literature on the involvement of microsatellite instability in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma shows great variability, probably due to differences in the testing methods. Using a consensus detection system, we aimed to reach a reliable estimate of microsatellite instability prevalence in a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cases. METHODS Th...

This study uses PCR-derived marker systems to investigate the extent and distribution of genetic variability of 53 Garnacha accessions coming from Italy, France and Spain. The samples studied include 28 Italian accessions (named Tocai rosso in Vicenza area; Alicante in Sicily and Elba island; Gamay perugino in Perugia province; Cannonau in Sardinia), 19 Spanish accessions of different types (na...

Y-chromosomal short tandem repeats (Y-STRs) are useful forensic DNA markers in investigation of sexual assault cases when a mixture of male and female DNA (e.g., in vaginal swabs) is present in a sample, especially when DNA of the male contributor is present only in very small amount compared to the DNA of the female victim. With autosomal STR analysis of male and female DNA, male DNA in mixtur...

The raccoon dog Nyctereutes procyonoides experienced an active introduction and acclimatization in the European part of Russia followed by its migration to and colonization in the neighboring countries. Eventually, it has spread rapidly into many European countries. N. procyonoides probably invaded Lithuania from the neighboring countries of Belarus and Latvia where the species was introduced. ...

Coccidioidomycosis (CM) is a mycotic disease that affects mammals, including humans. Official data relative to CM in Mexico has not been collected since 1995, thus its prevalence remains unknown. The objectives of this study were to identify the predominant Coccidioides species in Mexico, infer their current geographical distribution and explore the correlation between species and clinical pres...

Studies on the vector-host interactions of Culex pipiens complex mosquitoes by sequencing portions of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene indicate that Cx. p. pipiens f. pipiens predominantly feed on avian hosts (93.1%), and focus feeding activity on several key bird species, in particular the American robin, the gray catbird, and the house sparrow in Connecticut. However, Cx. p. quinquefasciatus i...