A new classification of the Turkish terranes and sutures and its implication for the paleotectonic history of the region

The Turkish part of the Tethyan realm is represented by a series of terranes juxtaposed through Alpine convergent movements and separated by complex suture zones. Different terranes can be defined and characterized by their dominant geological background. The Pontides domain represents a segment of the former active margin of Eurasia, where back-arc basins opened in the Triassic and separated the Sakarya terrane from neighbouring regions. Sakarya was re-accreted to Laurasia through the Balkanic mid-Cretaceous orogenic event that also affected the Rhodope and Strandja zones. The whole region from the Balkans to the Caucasus was then affected by a reversal of subduction and creation of a Late Cretaceous arc before collision with the Anatolian domain in the Eocene. If the Anatolian terrane underwent an evolution similar to Sakarya during the Late Paleozoic and Early Triassic times, both terranes had a diverging history during and after the Eo-Cimmerian collision. North of Sakarya, the Küre back-arc was closed during the Jurassic, whereas north of the Anatolian domain, the back-arc type oceans did not close before the Late Cretaceous. During the Cretaceous, both domains were affected by ophiolite obduction, but in very different ways: north directed diachronous Middle to Late Cretaceous mélange obduction on the Jurassic Sakarya passive margin; Senonian synchronous southward obduction on the Triassic passive margin of Anatolia. From this, it appears that the Izmir-Ankara suture, currently separating both terranes, is composite, and that the passive margin of Sakarya is not the conjugate margin of Anatolia. To the south, the Cimmerian Taurus domain together with the Beydağları domain (part of the larger Greater Apulian terrane), were detached from north Gondwana in the Permian during the opening of the Neotethys (East-Mediterranean basin). The drifting Cimmerian blocks entered into a soft collision with the Anatolian and related terranes in the Eo-Cimmerian orogenic phase (Late Triassic), thus suturing the Paleotethys. At that time, the Taurus plate developed foreland-type basins, filled with flysch-molasse deposits that locally overstepped the lower plate Taurus terrane and were deposited in the opening Neotethys to the south. These olistostromal deposits are characterized by pelagic Carboniferous and Permian material from the Paleotethys suture zone found in the Mersin mélange. The latter, as well as the Antalya and Mamonia domains are represented by a series of exotic units now found south of the main Taurus range. Part of the Mersin exotic material was clearly derived from the former north Anatolian passive margin (Huğlu-type series) and re-displaced during the Paleogene. This led us to propose a plate tectonic model where the Anatolian ophiolitic front is linked up with the Samail/Baër-Bassit obduction front found along the Arabian margin. The obduction front was indented by the Anatolian promontory whose eastern end was partially subducted. Continued slab roll-back of the Neotethys allowed Anatolian exotics to continue their course southwestward until their emplacement along the Taurus southern margin (Mersin) and up to the Beydağları promontory (Antaya-Mamonia) in the latest Cretaceous-Paleocene. The supra-subduction ocean opening at the back of the obduction front (Troodos-type Ocean) was finally closed by Eocene north-south shortening between Africa and Eurasia. This brought close to each other Cretaceous ophiolites derived from the north of Anatolia and those obducted on the Arabian promontory. The latter were sealed by a Maastrichtian platform, and locally never affected by Alpine tectonism, whereas those located on the eastern Anatolian plate are strongly deformed and metamorphosed, and affected by Eocene arc magmatism. These observations help to reconstruct the larger frame of the central Tethyan realm geodynamic evolution.

New record of Crocidura zarudnyi from Zabol, Iran

The Zarudny's rock shrew, Crocidura zarudnyi Ognev, 1928, is found in very few localities in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran. Therefore, a record of the occurrence of additional populations of this species is very interesting. During surveys in Zabol (Iran), we caught three adult males of Crocidura sp. Based on external, dental and cranial measurements as well as genetic analyses, the individuals were identified as C. zarudnyi, which represents the first record of this species in this area.

Activation/division of lymphocytes results in increased levels of cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein-1: prototype of a new family of proteins.

We purified from activated T lymphocytes a novel, highly conserved, 116-kDa, intracellular protein that occurred at high levels in the large, dividing cells of the thymus, was up-regulated when resting T or B lymphocytes or hemopoietic progenitors were activated, and was down-regulated when a monocytic leukemia, M1, was induced to differentiate. Expression of the protein was highest in the thymus and spleen and lowest in tissues with a low proportion of dividing cells such as kidney or muscle, although expression was high in the brain. The protein was localized to the cytosol and was phosphorylated, which is consistent with a previous report that the Xenopus laevis ortholog was phosphorylated by a mitotically activated kinase (1 ). The cDNA was previously mischaracterized as encoding p137, a 137-kDa GPI-linked membrane protein (2 ). We propose that the authentic protein encoded by this cDNA be called cytoplasmic activation/proliferation-associated protein-1 (caprin-1), and show that it is the prototype of a novel family of proteins characterized by two novel protein domains, termed homology regions-1 and -2 (HR-1, HR-2). Although we have found evidence for caprins only in urochordates and vertebrates, two insect proteins exhibit well-conserved HR-1 domains. The HR-1 and HR-2 domains have no known function, although the HR-1 of caprin-1 appeared necessary for formation of multimeric complexes of caprin-1. Overexpression of a fusion protein of enhanced green fluorescent protein and caprin-1 induced a specific, dose-dependent suppression of the proliferation of NIH-3T3 cells, consistent with the notion that caprin-1 plays a role in cellular activation or proliferation.

Dextramers: new generation of fluorescent MHC class I/peptide multimers for visualization of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells.

Direct identification as well as isolation of antigen-specific T cells became possible since the development of "tetramers" based on avidin-fluorochrome conjugates associated with mono-biotinylated class I MHC-peptide monomeric complexes. In principle, a series of distinct class I MHC-peptide tetramers, each labelled with a different fluorochrome, would allow to simultaneously enumerate as many unique antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells. Practically, however, only phycoerythrin and allophycocyanin conjugated tetramers have been generally available, imposing serious constraints for multiple labeling. To overcome this limitation, we have developed dextramers which are multimers based on a dextran backbone bearing multiple fluorescein and streptavidin moieties. Here we demonstrate the functionality and optimization of these new probes on human CD8(+) T cell clones with four independent antigen specificities. Their applications to the analysis of relatively low frequency antigen-specific T cells in peripheral blood, as well as their use in fluorescence microscopy, are demonstrated. The data show that dextramers produce a stronger signal than their fluoresceinated tetramer counterparts. Thus, these could become the reagents of choice as the antigen-specific T cell labeling transitions from basic research to clinical application.

High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry applied to the identification of transformation products of quinolones from stability studies and new metabolites of enrofloxacin in chicken muscle tissues

The aim of this work was the identification of new metabolites and transformation products (TPs) in chicken muscle from Enrofloxacin (ENR), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Difloxacin (DIF) and Sarafloxacin (SAR), which are antibiotics that belong to the fluoroquinolones family. The stability of ENR, CIP, DIF and SAR standard solutions versus pH degradation process (from pH 1.5 to 8.0, simulating the pH since the drug is administered until its excretion) and freeze-thawing (F/T) cycles was tested. In addition, chicken muscle samples from medicated animals with ENR were analyzed in order to identify new metabolites and TPs. The identification of the different metabolites and TPs was accomplished by comparison of mass spectral data from samples and blanks, using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight (LC-QqToF) and Multiple Mass Defect Filter (MMDF) technique as a pre-filter to remove most of the background noise and endogenous components. Confirmation and structure elucidation was performed by liquid chromatography coupled to linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap (LC-LTQ-Orbitrap), due to its mass accuracy and MS/MS capacity for elemental composition determination. As a result, 21 TPs from ENR, 6 TPs from CIP, 14 TPs from DIF and 12 TPs from SAR were identified due to the pH shock and F/T cycles. On the other hand, 14 metabolites were identified from the medicated chicken muscle samples. Formation of CIP and SAR, from ENR and DIF, respectively, and the formation of desethylene-quinolone were the most remarkable identified compounds.

New diagnoses of dementia among older patients admitted to postacute care.

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of dementia and the proportion of undiagnosed dementia in elderly patients admitted to postacute care, and to identify patients' characteristics associated with undiagnosed dementia. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Academic postacute rehabilitation facility in Lausanne, Switzerland. Participants: Patients (N = 1764) aged 70 years and older. Measurements: Data on socio-demographic, medical, functional, and affective status were collected upon admission. Data on cognitive performance (Mini-Mental State Exam [MMSE]), and cognition-related discharge diagnoses were abstracted through a structured review of discharge summaries. Results: Overall, 24.1% (425/1764) patients had a diagnosis of dementia, most frequently secondary to Alzheimer's disease (260/425, 61.2%). Among dementia cases, 70.8% (301/425) were newly diagnosed during postacute stay. This proportion was lower among patients referred from internal medicine than from orthopedic/surgery services (65.8% versus 74.8%, P = .042). Compared to patients with already diagnosed dementia, those newly diagnosed were older, lived alone more frequently, and had better functional status and MMSE score at admission (all P < .05). In multivariate analysis, previously undetected dementia remained associated with older age (OR = 2.4 for age 85 years and older, 95% CI 1.5-4.0, P = .001) and normal MMSE at admission (OR = 5.9, 95% CI 2.7-12.7, P < .001). Conclusion: Dementia was present in almost a fourth of elderly patients referred to postacute care, but was diagnosed in less than a third before admission. Oldest old patients appear especially at risk for underrecognition. These results emphasize the high diagnostic yield of systematic cognitive assessment in the postacute care setting to improve these patients' management and quality of life.

New isolates of ectomycorrhizal fungi and the growth of eucalypt

The objective of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of ectomycorrhizal isolates on root colonization, phosphorus uptake and growth of Eucalyptus dunnii seedlings. Inocula of ten ectomycorrhizal isolates of Chondrogaster angustisporus, Hysterangium gardneri, Pisolithus spp., and Scleroderma spp. were aseptically produced in a peat-vermiculite mixture supplemented with liquid culture medium. Plants grew in a similar substrate supplemented with macro-and micro-nutrients; treatments were randomly distributed in a greenhouse. After three months, seedlings inoculated with three isolates - UFSC-Sc68 (Scleroderma sp.), UFSC-Ch163 (Chondrogaster angustisporus), and UFSC-Pt188 (Pisolithus microcarpus) - had a phosphorus shoot content and a shoot dry matter higher or equivalent to those of noninoculated controls which had been fertilized with a 16-fold phosphorus amount. These isolates were selected for new studies for establishing inoculum production techniques, in order to be applied in reforestation programmes under nursery and field conditions.

High-resolution mass spectrometry applied to theidentification of transformation products of quinolones from stability studies and new metabolites of enrofloxacin in chicken muscle tissues

The aim of this work was the identification of new metabolites and transformation products (TPs) in chicken muscle from Enrofloxacin (ENR), Ciprofloxacin (CIP), Difloxacin (DIF) and Sarafloxacin (SAR), which are antibiotics that belong to the fluoroquinolones family. The stability of ENR, CIP, DIF and SAR standard solutions versus pH degradation process (from pH 1.5 to 8.0, simulating the pH since the drug is administered until its excretion) and freeze-thawing (F/T) cycles was tested. In addition, chicken muscle samples from medicated animals with ENR were analyzed in order to identify new metabolites and TPs. The identification of the different metabolites and TPs was accomplished by comparison of mass spectral data from samples and blanks, using liquid chromatography coupled to quadrupole time-of-flight (LC-QqToF) and Multiple Mass Defect Filter (MMDF) technique as a pre-filter to remove most of the background noise and endogenous components. Confirmation and structure elucidation was performed by liquid chromatography coupled to linear ion trap quadrupole Orbitrap (LC-LTQ-Orbitrap), due to its mass accuracy and MS/MS capacity for elemental composition determination. As a result, 21 TPs from ENR, 6 TPs from CIP, 14 TPs from DIF and 12 TPs from SAR were identified due to the pH shock and F/T cycles. On the other hand, 14 metabolites were identified from the medicated chicken muscle samples. Formation of CIP and SAR, from ENR and DIF, respectively, and the formation of desethylene-quinolone were the most remarkable identified compounds.

New species of Rhinoleucophenga, a potential predator of pineapple mealybugs

The objective of this work was to describe a new species of Rhinoleucophenga (Diptera: Drosophilidae). Rhinoleucophenga capixabensis sp. nov. is described based on specimens collected from pineapple (Ananas comosus var. comosus) infested with Dysmicoccus brevipes (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in the state of Espírito Santo, Brazil. Distinguishing characters of R. capixabensis sp. nov. include hyaline wings, a strong seta on the second antennal segment, body length of about 2-3 mm, uniformly dark brown scutellum, one pair of strong prescutellar setae, ventral epandrial lobes with about 17-18 teeth, and female cerci with approximately 20 long setae.