Spasmodic tremor and possible magma injection in long valley caldera, eastern california.

Intensive microearthquake swarms with the appearance of volcanic tremor have been observed in the southwest part of Long Valley caldera, southeastern California. This activity, possibly associated with magma injection, began 6 weeks after several strong (magnitude 6+) earthquakes in an area south of the caldera and has continued sporadically to the present time. The earthquake sequence and magmatic activity are part of a broad increase in tectonic activity in a 15,000-square-kilometer region surrounding the "White Mountains seismic gap," an area with high potential for the next major earthquake in the western Great Basin.

A 10 year audit of antenatal ultrasound detection of renal disease.

During a 10 year period, a renal tract anomaly was suspected on antenatal ultrasound in 125 fetuses, an incidence of five per 1000 births. 107 live births resulted. Three of six babies with renal failure were stented antenatally. A chromosome anomaly was present in three fetuses (2.4%). No live birth resulted in 14 pregnancies associated with oligohydramnios and no visible fetal bladder. Of those with renal agenesis or bilateral cystic dysplasia, one had a chromosome defect and a further four had extrarenal anomalies. Nine fetuses demonstrated isolated parenchymal hyperechogenicity and trisomy occurred in two of four with bilateral change in enlarged kidneys. All 14 babies with unilateral renal cysts had normal renal function postnatally, but only three of the cystic kidneys showed function. Antenatally, typical multicystic change was seen in 10, and smaller unevenly distributed cysts in four kidneys. Contralateral parenchymal echogenicity and/or pelvicalyceal distension indicating dysplasia was identified in four fetuses. Of 78 fetuses with isolated pelvic with or without calyceal distension the outcome was completely normal in 59% with unilateral, and in 48% with bilateral changes. One baby with unilateral and three with bilateral changes required dialysis or renal transplantation. One of four babies with antenatal ureteric distension had renal failure. Only one of six fetuses with bladder distension is alive in renal failure after in utero stenting.