Gas and seismicity within the Istanbul seismic gap.

Understanding micro-seismicity is a critical question for earthquake hazard assessment. Since the devastating earthquakes of Izmit and Duzce in 1999, the seismicity along the submerged section of North Anatolian Fault within the Sea of Marmara (comprising the "Istanbul seismic gap") has been extensively studied in order to infer its mechanical behaviour (creeping vs locked). So far, the seismicity has been interpreted only in terms of being tectonic-driven, although the Main Marmara Fault (MMF) is known to strike across multiple hydrocarbon gas sources. Here, we show that a large number of the aftershocks that followed the M 5.1 earthquake of July, 25th 2011 in the western Sea of Marmara, occurred within a zone of gas overpressuring in the 1.5-5 km depth range, from where pressurized gas is expected to migrate along the MMF, up to the surface sediment layers. Hence, gas-related processes should also be considered for a complete interpretation of the micro-seismicity (~M < 3) within the Istanbul offshore domain.

Molecular genetics of rust resistance in poplars (Melampsora larici-populina Kleb/Populus sp.) by bulked segregant analysis in a 2 x 2 factorial mating design.

With random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers, we have tagged a genomic region in Populus sp. involved in qualitative resistance to Melampsora larici-populina. Our approach was based on three steps: use of RAPD markers that can be quickly and efficiently researched: application of "bulked segregant analysis" technique on individuals of one interspecific family P. trichocarpa x P. deltoides to search for RAPD markers linked to resistance; and validation of these markers in two other families linked with the first one in a 2 x 2 factorial mating design. Of five detected markers, only one marker M03/04_480 was polymorphic in the three segregating families, involving 89 individuals and four different parents. We have estimated the recombination value of 1 cM with 1 cM sampling error.

Degenerate adaptor sequences for detecting PCR duplicates in reduced representation sequencing data improve genotype calling accuracy.

RAD-tag is a powerful tool for high-throughput genotyping. It relies on PCR amplification of the starting material, following enzymatic digestion and sequencing adaptor ligation. Amplification introduces duplicate reads into the data, which arise from the same template molecule and are statistically nonindependent, potentially introducing errors into genotype calling. In shotgun sequencing, data duplicates are removed by filtering reads starting at the same position in the alignment. However, restriction enzymes target specific locations within the genome, causing reads to start in the same place, and making it difficult to estimate the extent of PCR duplication. Here, we introduce a slight change to the Illumina sequencing adaptor chemistry, appending a unique four-base tag to the first index read, which allows duplicate discrimination in aligned data. This approach was validated on the Illumina MiSeq platform, using double-digest libraries of ants (Wasmannia auropunctata) and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with known genotypes, producing modest though statistically significant gains in the odds of calling a genotype accurately. More importantly, removing duplicates also corrected for strong sample-to-sample variability of genotype calling accuracy seen in the ant samples. For libraries prepared from low-input degraded museum bird samples (Mixornis gularis), which had low complexity, having been generated from relatively few starting molecules, adaptor tags show that virtually all of the genotypes were called with inflated confidence as a result of PCR duplicates. Quantification of library complexity by adaptor tagging does not significantly increase the difficulty of the overall workflow or its cost, but corrects for differences in quality between samples and permits analysis of low-input material.

[During the treatment or after... drug-induced convulsive accidents. Apropos of 70 cases]. / En cours de traitement ou à l'arrêt ... les accidents convulsifs liés aux médicaments. A propos de 70 observations.

During a five year period (1988-1992) 70 cases of seizures were collected by the Adverse Drug Reaction Monitoring Center of Clermont-Ferrand (3.58% of total collected cases). 31 cases (22 M and 9 F) occurred after a drug withdrawal. Benzodiazepines--either alone or in association--were the most often involved. Mean age was 48.8 +/- 2.6 years in this group and additional factors (alcohol abuse and/or association of drugs that lower the seizure threshold) were associated in 26 cases. 39 cases (14 M and 25 F) occurred on the course of various treatments. The most frequently involved drugs were neuropsychiatric, antiinfectious (especially beta-lactam antibiotics, fluorquinolones and isoniazid) and theophylline. Mean age was 56.5 +/- 3.8 years and additional different factors (high dosages, antecedents of epilepsy, underlying diseases) were present in 22 observations.

Epileptic status refractory to conventional treatment caused by vitamin B6 deficiency.

Epileptic seizures due to pyridoxine deficiency, although rare, are known to occur. They are characterized by untreatable convulsions during childhood. We present the case of an epileptic status resistant to conventional treatment in a 29-year-old woman, with no previous history of epileptic seizures, in the 29th week of pregnancy, who responded to the intravenous administration of pyridoxine.

Identification of frankia strains by direct DNA hybridization of crushed nodules.

A hybridization procedure was developed to identify Frankia strains inside actinorhizae by direct probing of crushed root nodules. The probe consisted of an indigenous cryptic plasmid. This well-conserved, 8-kilobase plasmid was detected in Frankia isolates that were very close taxonomically (they possessed a very high DNA sequence homology). The probe did not hybridize to the DNA of Frankia isolates which did not carry the plasmid. Endophyte DNA was extracted by a modification of a technique originally developed for the detection of plasmids in Frankia isolates. The hybridization procedure applied to nodules collected in a stand of alder permitted determination of a distribution map of the plasmid-bearing Frankia strains.

Expression of high Km 5'-nucleotidase in leukemic blasts is an independent prognostic factor in adults with acute myeloid leukemia.

Cytarabine (ara-C) requires activation into its triphosphorylated form, ara-CTP, to exert cytotoxic activity. Cytoplasmic 5'-nucleotidase (5NT) dephosphorylates ara-CMP, a key intermediate, preventing accumulation of ara-CTP and may reduce cellular sensitivity to the cytotoxic activity of ara-C. To determine whether the level of expression of 5NT is correlated with clinical outcome in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treated with ara-C, this study analyzed the levels of messenger RNA expression of high Km 5NT by real-time polymerase chain reaction at diagnosis in blast cells of 108 patients with AML. High Km 5NT was expressed at diagnosis in the blast cells of 54% of patients. In univariate analysis, (1) patients whose blast cells contained high levels (values greater than the median value for total population) of high Km 5NT at diagnosis had significantly shorter disease-free survival (DFS) than patients with low levels of high Km 5NT (11 months versus 17.5 months, P =.02) and (2) high levels of high Km 5NT also predicted significantly shorter overall survival (15.7 months versus 39 months, P = .01) in young patients (< or = 57 years; median value for the entire population). In a multivariate analysis taking into account age, karyotype risk, and other factors found to have prognostic significance in univariate analysis, (1) high Km 5NT expression was an independent prognostic factor for DFS and (2) high levels of high Km 5NT also predicted significantly shorter overall survival in young patients. These results demonstrate that the expression of high levels of high Km 5NT in blast cells is correlated with outcome in patients with AML.

Metaplasia ósea de endometrio. Diagnóstico y abordaje terapéutico / Osseus metaplasia of the endometrium. Diagnosis and management

La metaplasia ósea de endometrio es una causa extremadamente rara de esterilidad. Presentamos el caso de una paciente que quedó gestante en un corto espacio de tiempo tras tratamiento histeroscópico (AU)