IS1245-based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis has beenproposed recently for molecular typing of Mycobacteriurn avium isolates. As there is no standardised method with respect to the optimal restriction enzyme, three restriction endonucleases were tested for analysis of 17 human isolates. The restriction endonucleases, sekcted on the basis of the physical maps of IS1245 and of the highly homologous IS1311, were BsaAI, that cleaves IS1245, PvuII, that cleaves IS1311, and NruI, that cleaves both IS1245 and IS1311. All the restriction endonucleases yielded polymorphic and complex RFLP patterns. However, BsaAI-and NruI-generated bands were more evenly distributed and easier to detect than PvuII-generated bands, most of which clustered in a narrow zone of the fingerprint. In some cases, DNA digestion with BsaAI or NruI yielded probe-specific restriction fragments of molecular size lower than expected. Moreover, digestion with NruI, which was expected to generate the highest numbers of bands in all the isolates, yielded fewer bands than were obtained with BsaAI or PvuII in 14 and 5 isolates, respectively. These findings might suggest the existence of unidentified IS1245-related insertion element(s) in M. avium isolates. Computer analysis of the IS1245-based RFLP patterns of M. avium isolates showed that the restriction endonucleases were capable, although with minor differences, of defining distinct banding patterns and clusters of identical or highly related isolates, thus confirming IS1245-based RFLP analysis as a useful technique for epidemiological studies.

All but 2 of 63 Mycobacterium avium isolates from distinct geographic areas of Italy exhibited markedly polymorphic, multibanded IS1245 restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns; 2 isolates showed the low-number banding pattern typical of bird isolates. By computer analysis, 41 distinct IS1245 patterns and 10 clusters of essentially identical strains were detected; 40% of the 63 isolates showed genetic relatedness, suggesting the existence of a predominant AIDS-associated IS1245 RFLP pattern.

This article examines the first European Works Council (EWC) to be established in the Italian banking sector, at UniCredit. It focuses on the interaction between Italian, German and Austrian delegations of employee representatives and on the perspectives and practices that reflect their different cultural and institutional backgrounds in industrial relations. Much of the literature suggests that employee representatives from the home country of a multinational company are likely to mould EWC structures in accordance with their own national backgrounds and have greater confidence in dealing with central management in EWC meetings. Our findings partly substantiate this argument, but also suggest that minority delegations, when they have the benefit of strong national institutional arrangements and less fragmented union patterns, are more likely

O reconhecimento da sa�de e seguran�a dos trabalhadores como direito humano � essencial para assegurar a prote��o universal. O tema �, portanto, examinado em rela��o ao direito internacional dos direitos humanos, em rela��o as pol�ticas mais recentes de Organiza��o Internacional do Trabalho e segundo a perspectiva da Carta Social Europeia. Levando em conta tamb�m uma s�rie de quest�o do direito do trabalho italiano, � necess�rio ter em conta o quadro jur�dico e promover a coopera��o entre os diferentes atores envolvidos, para verificar a validade e garantir a efic�cia das pol�ticas de Corporate Social Responsibility.