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In order to evaluate the cytogenetic findings previously obtained on induced abortions in women exposed to 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxim (TCDD) after the Seveso accident, chromosome analyses were carried out on a comparable control sample. The frequencies of aberrant cells, the relative proportions of individual types of chromosome aberration, the average number of lesions per damaged cell, and the frequencies of polyploids do not differ significantly in maternal blood and placenta in the two samples. A highly significant increase in the frequencies of aberrant cells and in the average number of aberrations per damaged cell was found in the fetal tissues in the group of exposed pregnancies. A noticeable feature of the data on the frequencies of cells with aberrations is the marked variability among individuals within tissues and within samples. On the basis of these results, the authors point to the need to continue cytogenetic investigations on interrupted pregnancies in TCDD-exposed and nonexposed women.

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The repertoire of behaviour of chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra rupicapra) includes two patterns (horning and marking) related to interactions of the horns with a substratum. To determine the role of supraoccipital glands in such interactions, a histological analysis of 173 glands from chamois culled in October-December in the central Alps was carried out. For each gland, the degrees of development and secretory activity were evaluated and correlated with sex, age and date of collection, to obtain a clear description of the functional nature of these organs during the breeding season. It was found that the amount of secretion depends on the development of the glands, which is greater in males than in females and is maximal in adult males (4 years old or more) and in subadult females (2-3 years old). That there is a trend in the development to non-linear dependence on the time dimension within the breeding period was indicated by finding highest degrees of development concentrated in adult males at the end of October.