Valbro : un nouveau site à vertébrés de l’Oligocène inférieur (MP22) de France (Quercy). I – Contexte géologique ; Mammalia : Rodentia,Hyaenodontida, Carnivora

The locality Valbro (Quercy, France) has yielded a rich fossil vertebrate fauna. Here are presented the geological context, a preliminary faunal list and the systematics of the Rodentia and carnivores, the most abundant taxa of the fauna. The Rodentia are known from 11 taxa: the Theridomyidae Blainvillimys gregarius Schlosser, 1884, Blainvillimys ?gemellus Vianey-Liaud, 1989, Issiodoromys medius (Vianey-Liaud, 1976) and S. cayluxi Schlosser, 1884, the Aplodontidae Plesispermophilus angustidens Filhol, 1882, the Gliridae Butseloglis tenuis (Bahlo, 1975), Butseloglis micio (Misonne, 1957) and Bransatoglis planus (Bahlo, 1975), the Sciuridae Palaeosciurus goti Vianey-Liaud, 1974 and cf. Oligopetes sp., and the Cricetidae Atavocricetodon sp. aff. A. nanus (Pelaez-Campomanes, 1995). Thirteen taxa of carnivores are present at Valbro; among the Hyaenodontida: Hyaenodon leptorhynchus Laizer et Parieu, 1838 and cf. Apterodon sp.; among the Carnivora: a Feliformia gen. et sp. indet., the Nimravidae Nimravus intermedius (Filhol, 1872), Dinailurictis bonali Helbing, 1922 and Nimravidae gen. et sp. indet. (Certainly belonging to one the two already identified species), the Ursida Pachycynodon crassirostris Schlosser, 1888, Pachycynodon sp., Amphicynodon sp. 1 cf. A. typicus (Schlosser, 1888), Amphicynodon ? sp. 2 and Ursida gen. et sp. indet. cf. Pachycynodon boriei (Filhol, 1876), the Mustelida M. olivieri Bonis, 1997, the Carnivora incertae sedis Palaeogale sectoria (Gervais, 1848–1852), the Arctoidea gen. et sp. indet. and Carnivora gen. et sp. indet. (probably representing taxa already identified at lower taxonomic levels). The evolutionary grade of B. gregarius of Valbro compares to that of the species from Mas de Got, La Plante 2 and Cavalé, which supports an MP22 age for Valbro. This datation is further supported by the association of Theridomyinae yielded by the locality (B. gregarius, B. gemellus, I. medius and S. cayluxi), and by the presence of a N. intermedius that well compares the material of the species from Villebramar, La Plante et Mas de Got, of D. bonali, P. sectoria, M. olivieri (species known only from Mas de Got), and by additional evidence from the remaining vertebrates from Valbro, especially the squamates. Despite a limited amount of specimens (341 specimens have been studied), the faunas of rodents and carnivores from Valbro are the most speciose and diverse known for the MP22 level and, for the Carnivora fauna in particular, for the Oligocene of the Old World.     

Études stratigraphique,sédimentologique et paléomagnétique des travertins de Kocabaş, Bassin de Denizli,Anatolie, Turquie,contenant des restes fossiles quaternaires

Stratigraphic, sedimentological and paleomagnetic studies were conducted on the travertine from Denizli Basin, near Kocabas village, in the Denizli region in Turkey, following the paleontological discovery in 2002. The stratigraphic and sedimentological studies show at least two main cycles of mass travertine, separated by a fluvial deposit and overlain by a fluvio-lacustrine deposit. These travertines must have formed in environments with strong hydrodynamics (streams or waterfalls) and are preferentially located at breaks of slopes. The paleomagnetic study shows that all the quarry travertine presents reverse magnetic polarity. On the other hand, the detrital fluvio-lacustrine deposit above the travertine presents normal geomagnetic polarity, except at the top, where it is reversed. Given the presence of an archaic Homo erectus skull and Villafranchian paleontological remains in the upper travertine unit, the whole travertine dates from the upper Matuyama, and is more recent than the Olduvai event (1.78 Ma). The normal polarity recorded in the upper fluvio-lacustrine deposit could correspond to the Cobb Mountain excursion, dated to 1.22 Ma.     

Conclusion. Bilan des recherches interdisciplinaires effectuées sur le site de l’Homo erectus de Denizli,Kocabaş, Bassin de Denizli,Anatolie, Turquie. L’Homo erectus aux portes de l’Europe

The study of the site of Kocaba?, which yielded an archaic Homo erectus skullcap, was undertaken in 2011 and 2012, at the request of Professor Mehmet Cihat Alçiçek. This interdisciplinary French–Turkish research programme comprised the geochronological, magnetostratigraphic, biochronological and paleoenvironmental study of the site and the paleoanthropological study of the skullcap itself. The association of large mammals enabled us to attribute the travertine formations bearing the skullcap to the second part of the Upper Pleistocene, and more specifically to between 1.5 and 1.2 million years, because of the disappearance or appearance of certain species. This biochronological age is confirmed by the paleomagnetism study, which places the travertines bearing the skullcap in a period of reversed polarity, underlying a normal polarity formation, which could be attributed to the Cobb Mountain paleomagnetic excursion, dated to 1,194,000 years. The dating of these fauna by the ²⁶Al/¹⁰Be cosmogenic nuclide method by Anne-Elisabeth Lebatard yielded an age older than 1.22 Ma and more recent than 1.5 Ma. The Hominid skullcap from this formation can be attributed to a Homo erectus, slightly more evolved than those of Homo ergaster KNM-ER 3733 (1.78 Ma) and KNM-ER 15,000 (1.5 Ma), similar to that of Daka (Bouri), which is about a million years old and older than the Bodo fossil (estimated at 600,000 years) and Kabwe (between 300,000 and120,000 years). The archaic Homo erectus skullcap from Kocaba?, referred to as Denizli Man, proves that Homo erectus was already present in Anatolia, at the crossroads of Africa, Asia and Europe, a little more than 1.2 million years ago.     

Scolécodontes,assemblage et appareil de vers annelidespolychetes errantes de l'aptien de la région d'Agadir,Maroc

From the Aptian scolecodonts inventory of the Agadir area one jaw apparatus and one joining of polychetes are reconstructed. One is the elementary species Schistomeringos expectatusSzaniawski & Gazdzicki, 1978, the oldest representative of the multielementary family Dorvilleidae Chamberlin 1919. The other is a representative of either the multielementary families Atraktoprionidae Kielan Jaworowska 1966 emend. Kozur, 1970 or Arabellidae Hartman 1944. This joining is considered as an hypothesis since all the necessary criteria, defined by H. Szaniawski & A. Gazdzicki 1978, are not all present.     

Les cabanes de type « Anosovka-Mézine » du site de Yudinovo : éléments de construction,architecture, classification

The study is focused on comparative analysis of the five dwellings of the Anosov-Mezin type from the East-Epigravettian site of Yudinovo (Bryansk region, Russia). The analysis is based on data on previously unknown structural elements and methods of installation of mammoth skulls in the basement of dwelling N^o 5, which were revealed during excavations in 2015–2018. Apart of this the non-utilitarian actions that accompanied the process of dwellings construction was considered. Based on the revealed differences in structural elements and features, it was suggested that the currently used concept Anosovka-Mezin type of dwellings includes two types of the circular structures made of skulls and large mammoth bones.     

Le cancer différencié de la thyroïde chez les patients de moins de 20 ans : à propos de 20 cas

Papillary thyroid cancer is rare in patients under 20 years and has a good prognosis, although it is often found at the stage of lung metastases. Our multicenter study included 20 patients aged between 5 and 18 years, female predominance, followed for differentiated thyroid cancer with lung metastases. All these patients underwent a whole body scan with I-131, serum thyroglobulin, chest radiography in 4 cases and cervico-thoracic (CT) in 5 cases. Only scintigraphic imaging has shown miliary pulmonary among all patients. The therapeutic efficacy was observed in all patients after treatment with iodine-131, which proves the high sensitivity of these metastases to irathérapie. The differentiated thyroid cancer in child and adolescent is characterized by local aggressiveness and a higher frequency of distant metastases than in the adult. Prognosis does not seem to be influenced by histology alone, but by its association with other prognostic factors: age, metastases and surgery.     

Structure d'adhérencedes grains de pollen en tétrade du genre Classopollis PFLUG, 1953, de l'Hettangien de Saint-Fromont,Manche (France)

Palynological inventory of Saint-Fromont pit 0815 (Manche, France) related to Hettangian seems to show the conspecificity of Classopollis chateaunoviReyre, 1970, Classopollis kieseriReyre, 1970 and Classopollis harisiiMuir & Van Konijnenburg-Van Cittert, 1970. SEM pictures exibit some sculptural elements interpreted as structural attachments of grains in tetrad and compared to those of genus DicheiropollisTrevisan, 1971.     

Una nueva especie de <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomiltemia</Emphasis> (Rubiaceae) de Chiapas,México

Pseudomiltemia davidsonii is described and illustrated as a new endemic species from the Sierra Madre of Chiapas, Mexico. It is a shrub or small tree characterized by having flowers axillary and solitary or in monochasia and with large yellow corollas. Pseudomiltemia davidsonii differs from P. filisepala, the only other species in this genus, by its opposite leaves with longer petioles, inflorescences with shorter peduncles 5–13 mm long, smaller bracts, longer pedicels 6–15 mm long, and narrower fruits 3.5–4.5 mm in diameter.     

Action de l'antimycine a sur l'activité succinoxydase des mitochondries du tubercule de Pomme de Terre,et comportement des cytochromes de type b

A kinetic study of the effect of antimycin A on succinate oxidase from plant mitochondria produced sigmoidal curves for the reduction of cytochromes b₅₆₀ and b₅₈₅ and for the inhibition of succinate oxidase. In the stationary state the interaction of the various components of the respiratory chain (flavins, ubiquinone, cytochromes…) occurs in a sequential mode which allows the application of simple equations utilizing rate constants and cytochrome concentrations. In these equations, it is assumed that there exists an excess of ubiquinone relative to other components of the respiratory chain as suggested by Kröger & Klingenberg (1970) and that the reoxidation of b cytochromes is fast. The inhibition by antimycin A, characterized by non-linear inhibition curves for succin-oxidase and inhibitor fixation in complex III on a component other than cytochrome c₁, is interpreted in terms of this model. This hypothesis presupposes the existence of an F factor between cytochrome b₅₆₀ and cytochrome c₁ as suggested by other authors. Utilizing these equations, theoretical curves for the inhibition of the reduction of cytochrome b₅₆₀ have been constructed and the results agree with the experimental data. The kinetic behavior of cytochrome b₅₆₆ during the induction of anaerobiosis suggests that it is not directly involved in the electron transfer chain but rather is either in thermodynamic equilibrium with cytochrome b₅₆₀ or in a shunt between cytochrome b₅₆₀ and factor F. From the experimental data, an equation is derived for the inhibition of the reduction of cytochrome b₅₆₆ by antimycin A. The actual effects of ATP and mClCCP on succinoxidase agree well with those predicted by the model.     

La TEP-TDM à la F-Dopa aurait-elle un rôle dans le suivi postopératoire des patients atteints de carcinome médullaire de la thyroïde ? Résultats préliminaires de l’expérience strasbourgeoise et revue de la littérature

Aim

Retrospective study to assess the value of fluorine-18 dihydroxyphenylalanine (¹⁸F-Dopa) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) in the post-surgical follow-up of patients with history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) and biological suspicion of disease relapse. A review of the literature was also performed.

Patients and methods

Ten patients (23-71 years) with MTC previously treated by surgery were examined by at least one ¹⁸F-Dopa PET/CT. All patients presented with elevated serum calcitonin (130-9076 ng/l) and/or CEA (1.2-518 ng/ml) levels. 3D whole body PET/CT was performed 45 and 120 minutes after intravenous injection of 4 MBq/kg of ¹⁸F-Dopa. Scintigraphic images were visually interpreted. For quantitative analysis, maximum standardized uptake value (SUV_max) per focus was employed. PET results were compared with histological findings and/or with the results of all other imaging procedures.

Results

Seven patients (70%) had a positive ¹⁸F-Dopa PET/CT. Twenty-five focal tracer accumulations were described. Histopathological confirmation of metastatic disease was obtained in four of the seven patients with pathologic ¹⁸F-Dopa PET/CT. No scintigraphic abnormalities were evidenced in the three other patients, whose conventional morphological imaging procedures were also negatives. Delayed PET/CT examinations didn’t increase sensitivity. No correlation between ¹⁸F-Dopa PET/CT results and both serum calcitonin and CEA levels was achieved.

Conclusion

Our results are in accordance with the existing literature, showing the potential role of ¹⁸F-Dopa PET/CT in the clinical management of patients with history of MTC and biological suspicion of relapse during post-surgical follow-up. Prospective studies including larger patient series are necessary to confirm the future place of ¹⁸F-Dopa PET/CT in follow-up of MTC.     

Una nueva especie de <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miconia</Emphasis> (Melastomataceae) de la Sierra Madre del Sur de Guerrero y Oaxaca,México

Miconia rzedowskii, which is characterized by its sharply tetragonal distal branches and its mainly sessile trichotomous inflorescences with many flowers, is described from the Sierra Madre del Sur in Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico. The new species is illustrated and compared with M. glaberrima, another Mexican species of section Cremanium.     

¿Carcinoma de mama o carcinoma de glándula sudorípara? Presentación de dos casos y análisis de la literatura

Primary apocrine carcinoma of the sweat gland is a neoplasm with a very low incidence that may represent a clinical and histological diagnostic challenge, as well as for adequate local, adjuvant, and advanced disease management. The average age of patients is around 67 years with no gender preference. This cancer develops primarily at the axillary and scalp levels and is clinically characterized by slow growth, but can progress aggressively with local, nodal, and metastatic involvement (primarily lung, liver, and bone). The recommended management, once the histology is established, consists of a wide local resection with a clear margin of 1 to 2 cm and regional lymphadenectomy if clinically positive nodes are detected. The adjuvant treatment (radiotherapy or chemotherapy) and for the advanced disease is not established.We report here the cases of two female patients initially diagnosed with breast cancer who were finally diagnosed with apocrine carcinoma of the sweat gland.     

Cuatro especies nuevas de <Emphasis Type="Italic">Indigofera</Emphasis> (Leguminosae,Papilionoideae) para la Flora de México

Four new species of Indigofera (Leguminosae, Papilionoideae) for the flora of Mexico are described and illustrated: Indigofera floresii, I. hirsutissima, I. magallanesii and I. sinaloensis. Among the new species, I. sinaloensis, is the second species of the series Platycarpae. Including these four new species, we estimate the existence in Mexico of about 31 wild species of the genus.     

¿Qué pacientes se benefician más de la atención geriátrica hospitalaria en opinión de los especialistas en Geriatría?

Objective

To assess the most appropriate criteria considered by geriatricians to select patients who might benefit the most from geriatric hospital care.

Material and methods

We carried out a survey that consisted of various socio-demographic, clinical, functional and mental criteria included in the definition of the geriatric and frail elderly patient. The survey was sent to all specialists in geriatrics in the different hospitals of the Madrid Health Service. They were asked to answer to each criterion indicating whether they considered it as high priority, priority, low priority or no priority. The responses were clustered by type of hospital: acute hospitals with or without a post-graduate geriatric program for medical residents, and medium and long stay hospitals.

Results

A total of 83 questionnaires were completed (70% of the study population): 42 teaching hospitals a post-graduate geriatric program (74% of possible), 20 of those with an emergency department but without a post-graduate geriatric program (56% of possible), and 21 medium and long stay hospitals (84% of potential). All proposed criteria were considered individually as priority or high-priority by more than 50% of respondents. An age 85 years and over, admission for hip fracture, the presence of severe cognitive or functional impairment, frailty, and unexplained deterioration of health status, were considered individually as criteria for selecting high-priority target population by more than 85% of respondents.

Conclusions

Certain criteria, such as advanced age, or the presence of geriatrics-specific conditions, such as hip fracture or severe functional or cognitive impairment, are identified by geriatricians as useful to select patients to receive geriatric specialist hospital care.     

¿Está la miastenia gravis infradiagnosticada en los mayores de 80 años? A propósito de 2 casos

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is diagnosed more often today than previously. The increase is mainly found in patients over the age of 60 years. Recent data indicate that MG may still be substantially underdiagnosed in very old people. We report two cases of MG in elderly women, in whom the initial diagnosis was uncertain. When faced with new onset of weakness in an elderly patient, particularly of cranial musculature, clinicians should consider MG as a diagnostic possibility.     

Les terrasses fluviatiles quaternaires de la Somme à Abbeville : 150 ans de recherches mêlant géologie et archéologie,de Boucher de Perthes à aujourd’hui

Paleolithic localities associated with fossil fluvial formations of the Somme River at Abbeville have played a significant role in the recognition of human antiquity. From the end of the 18th century, the work carried out in particular by the “Société d’émulation d’Abbeville” led to the emergence of studies in the Somme valley on both Quaternary Geology and Prehistory. It was within this scholarly society that Jacques Boucher de Perthes initiated his research on the famous localities of Menchecourt, Hospital and Moulin Quignon in 1837. These observations were quickly confirmed by geologists such as Albert Gaudry, Charles-Joseph Buteux or Joseph Prestwich. It was the latter who introduced the Abbeville deposits into the United-Kingdom scientist community and his observations were used as early as 1859 by Charles Lyell to demonstrate the antiquity of the archaeological remains collected from these localities. However, the controversy surrounding by the discovery of the human jaw of Moulin Quignon (1863–1864), which undermined the credibility of this locality for a long time, led to the decrease of the archaeological researches in the Somme valley, and in particular in Abbeville, but it then resumed quite quickly. However, if the work carried out by Geoffroy d’Ault du Mesnil from 1875 to 1898 had the merit to reaffirm the archaeological importance of the Abbeville deposits and to reveal the complexity of their Quaternary records, the geographical and stratigraphic imprecision resulting from these rare publications, coupled with the gradual abandonment of the various gravel pits whose exploitation he followed, cast a significant discredit on these discoveries and on the stratigraphical observations he made there. The researches carried out then by Victor Commont at Carpentier Quarry between 1904 and 1918 were characterized by the excellence of the stratigraphic and iconographic data he produced for each of the studied sites. However the absence of archaeological discoveries in the fluvial deposits he studied lead the prehistorians who succeeded him increasingly doubted of the veracity of Ault's observations, despite the efforts made by Abbé Henri Breuil to reconcile these with Commont's observations. Between the two world wars, Breuil and Léon Aufrère resumed the study of the Abbeville deposits then still accessible, tried to ensure their preservation, through the purchase and protection of the Carpentier and Léon quarries, a decisive intervention in the archaeological rehabilitation of these deposits. These works were at the origin of the chronostratigraphic studies carried out on these major localities of the ancient European prehistory until today. Over the past ten years, some of these localities have been studied again, thus largely confirming the observations made by the elders (Boucher de Perthes, d’Ault du Mesnil, Commont) and validating the major place of Abbeville in the understanding of ancient prehistory settlement of northwestern Europe.