Present status of genetic and anthropological knowledge concerning haptoglobins, and report on the results of a survey carried-out on 141 subjects from Campania: Hp 1-1, 15 (10.6%); Hp 2-2, 60 (42.6%); Hp 2-1, 66 (46.8%); gene Hp1, 34.1%, gene Hp2, 69.1%.

Furthermore, a geographical peculiarity of haptoglobins is stressed, i.e. a rise in the frequency of the Hp2 gene from Westward to Eastward.

The frequency of the developmental dysfunction and specific learning disabilities were assessed in the retrospective study in the group of 56 school-aged twins. The relationships between genetic, perinatal and social factors and learning disability were also determined. It was found that 12.5% of twins had learning disabilities. The most common neurodevelopmental dysfunction were language disorders, poor graphomotor fluency and poor fine motor dexterity. It was also found that educational difficulty were associated with prematurity, low Apgar scores, neonatal complications and familial predisposition.

Data on the middle-phalangeal hair among the different groups of Newars of Nepal Valley are presented.

Sexual differences for this trait are non-significant in Groups 1, 2 and 4.

The inter-group differences of Groups 1, 2 and 4 give non-significant results, suggesting a similarity for this trait among these groups in Newars.

The variability ranges between 22.1 to 100% in males, and 26.4 to 100% in females, in the frequencies of mid-phalangeal hair absence, among various populations.

The Mongoloid population is found to be in the range of 44.9 to 98.10%, with regard to the absence of this trait.

The Newars, as a total group, show frequencies of 75.43% in males, 76.63% in females and 76.04% in both sexes, combined, with respect to the absence of this trait.

The Newars fall nearer to the tribal groups of Assam (Khasi, Lushai and Mikir) and Japanese as far as this character is concerned.

A BASIC computer program designed to facilitate analysis of twin data is presented. The program estimates genetic parameters and tests their statistical significance based on the genetic and environmental hypothesis.

Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in dermatoglyphics: an increasing number of associations between dermatoglyphic alterations and different diseases (especially chromosomal aberrations) are actually being reported, which is of particular concern to human and medical geneticists, as well as to clinicians and pediatricians.

Having been shown to undergo practically complete genetic conditioning, fingerprints are also being applied, by different authors, to the diagnosis of zygosity in twins.

On the other hand, although, on account of available data, a large impact of heredity may be assumed in their determination, dermatoglyphics as a whole still fail to find a clear genetic definition.

Furthermore, with respect to clinical aspects and applications, a clear quantitative definition of dermatoglyphic alterations, and therefore of dermatoglyphic normality and its variability, is still needed.

Last, but not least, a wider and generalized application of dermatoglyphics to the diagnosis of zygosity in twins would require a clear, morphological and genetic, quantitative definition of each trait, as well as the introduction of simple and standardized statistical methods for calculating the probabilities of monozygosity and dizygosity.

The Authors report a case of translocation 21/21 in a woman who, after two miscarriages, gave birth to a mongoloid daughter — dead a few days after birth. The chromosomal aberration was present in 100% of the plates examined.

Occasional chromosomal alterations, found in the patient's karyotype, might be held responsible of small phenotypic alterations. No alteration was found in the husband's karyotype.

The authors describe a case of « situs viscerum inversus totalis » in two DZ twin-sisters.

They debate, on the basis of the elements in their possession, whether they have to do with DZ or MZ twin-sisters, and declare in favour of the former hypothesis. Accordingly, this is the fifth case described of such anomaly in twins, after the cases of Reinhardt, Pezzi and Carugati, Boccia and Maglione, Kean, and it is the first case in DZ twins.

The authors think the case described will contribute in winning for DZ twinship an acknowledgement of real twinship, according to Gedda's statements.

To search for evidence of genetic variation among the aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, a semi-automated assay procedure employing a Technicon Auto Analyzer was used to measure erythrocyte arginine-tRNA synthetase activity in samples obtained from normal human twins of various ages. Variation in enzyme activity within the older DZ twins was five times that of the MZ twins suggesting the existence of genetically determined variation in enzyme activity. Higher enzyme activity was observed in newborn DZ unlike-sexed twins than in like-sexed twins of either zygosity. Possible explanations for this observation are discussed.

Almost one century after Galton's first scientific formulation of the Twin Method, based on the comparison of MZ and DZ twin series, not only twin studies play a fundamental role and the Interzygotic Test is widely applied in human and especially medical genetic research, but new methods have also been worked out, such as the Azygotic Test and the Twin Clinical Method.

Moreover, the study of twins has more recently led to new insights into the study of biological times, with the development of the modern branch of Chronogenetics.

Nutritional status of 19 pairs of twins and 17 singleton controls was assessed by measuring dietary intake and selected anthropometric and biochemical parameters. The results indicated no significant variations between first and second twins and singleton controls and between all twins and controls for all parameters studied. Significant variations were found in serum α-globulin and protein and energy intake when male and female twins were compared with male and female controls.

Following a suggestion of Gedda and Bérard-Magistretti, intra-pair differences between MZ twins in fusional reserves were compared with differences in psychological variables. While the strong relationship between twin leadership and FR which these workers found in twin children was not confirmed in the present small sample of 14 adult pairs, the twin with the higher FR tended to be the more introverted, the more intelligent and the one who volunteered for the investigation. He also tended to be the taller and the first born.

Further studies, including the temporal reliability of scores of fusional convergence, are required before the value of this characteristic as a psychological criterion can be established.

1. Lists have been made of the more frequently occurring malignant diseases and of those commonly available oncolytic drugs which, in the author's opinion, are most appropriate for their treatment.

2. Those tumors which do not usually respond to oncolytic drugs have also been listed.

3. For several malignant diseases it has been found that small doses of oncolytic drugs have proved just as effective for inducing remission and even more effective in prolonging remission than have larger doses of these drugs. The explanation for this may be that smaller doses do less harm to the body's immune defense mechanism than do larger doses.

A method for the preliminary analysis of a maximal number of urinary amino acids has been devised, which is based on preliminary ‘purification’ and desalting of each specimen prior to its subjection to two-dimensional paper chromatography. Aliquots of processed and concentrated specimens are standardized to quantities of alpha-amino acid nitrogen as determined colorimetrically.

Densitometric index values were analyzed for sex differences and for intrapair differences comparing genetically related and unrelated pairs. Significant sex differences were observed for five substances. Significant deviations between intrapair differences of genetically-related and control pairs were observed for ten substances. The results are compatible with the hypothesis that quantitative differences in the respective excretions involve genetic factors.

There are a lot of publications about fetal arrhythmia in singletons, but up to now there are no published data about fetal arrhythmia in multiple pregnancies. In the present study a case history of fetal and neonatal arrhythmia in one of twins from two mothers treated with betamimetic agents due to imminent preterm labor is reported and discussed. A first case with fetal bradycardia due to complete A-V block had congenital cordis abnormalities (VSD and PFO). The second case with prenatal detected extrasystoles had normal heart anatomy. Digoxin was administered to the mother, in the aim to treat fetal arrhythmia without success, because the baby had postnatal bradycardia. After hospitalisation in Cardiology Department the described cases were successfully treated. In both cases the second twins were without neonatal arrhythmia and with no structural heart abnormalities. We summarise that in situation of detection fetal arrhythmia the complexity of the problems experienced may warrant early referral to a tertiary centre where the overall management of the mother, fetus and neonate, may be undertaken.

To determine the small population as a specific group, several quantitative indexes have to be taken into consideration. The author, making use of these indexes, differentiates three types of small populations: the isolate, the « dem » and the « large dem ». The central type — the dem — is a group including 1,500 to 4,000 individuals with an increase of more than 20-25 per cent in 25 years (one generation); a high proportion, about 80 per cent, of the marriages is concluded inside the group and an insignificant part of the members have descended from allogenous ancestors. The inhabitants of a rural locality constitute in most cases a « dem ». Theoretical calculations as well as genealogical studies have shown that the preponderant part of adult members of a « dem » appear to be related to each other in the eighth degree (according to Tab. 2 - cousins thrice removed).

Les résultats statistiques sont exacts dans la mesure où nous disposons de séries gémellaires MZ et DZ non sélectionnées. Il est nécessaire que cette condition soit réalisée, si l'on veut déterminer la probabilité de manifestation d'une tare.

D'autre part, pour les maladies dont l'âge d'apparition est très variable (diabète sucré, schizophrénie, folie circulaire), un certain nombre de jumeaux sont considérés comme normaux, alors qu'ils n'ont peut-être pas encore atteint l'âge de manifestation. Pour ces cas, nous devons utiliser une méthode correctrice, tenant compte de l'âge. Certaines séries gémellaires de nos statistiques n'ont pas subi cette correction, et de ce fait les valeurs peuvent être plus ou moins faussées.

Il est en outre souvent difficile de différencier l'hérédité polygénique de l'hérédité monofactorielle à pénétrance très incomplète du gène responsable. Penrose (1953) a démontré qu'il est illusoire de vouloir, sur la base des données familiales, trancher en faveur de l'un ou l'autre de ces modes d'hérédité, lorsque la fréquence du trait ou de l'anomalie chez les parents et leurs enfants est moins de dix fois supérieure à la fréquence observée dans l'ensemble de la population.

The experimental cotwin control method by means of 34 MZ pairs, of which only one cotwin of each pair suffered from typhoid disease, offered excellent opportunities to study the after effects of typhoid incidence on the anthropometric, mental and physical traits of individuals. Comparison among 56 MZ pairs reveals that typhoid brings out certain significant changes in these traits.

Increase of intelligence has already been shown, due to increased quantity of RNA. Whether or not typhoid incidence after a period of approximately 7 months influences the rapid synthesis of RNA would be a good field of biochemical investigation of immunogenetical interest.

M, N, S and P factors have been studied in a selected sample of the Rome population. A comparison of the findings with the sofar available data shows that the distribution of the examined factors is not influenced by the variations of the geographic position in Italy. The frequency of the « s » factor also appears to be greatly higher than that of « S ».