Spread of a SARS-CoV-2 variant through Europe in the summer of 2020.

Following its emergence in late 2019, the spread of SARS-CoV-21,2 has been tracked by phylogenetic analysis of viral genome sequences in unprecedented detail3–5. Although the virus spread globally in early 2020 before borders closed, intercontinental travel has since been greatly reduced. However, travel within Europe resumed in the summer of 2020. Here we report on a SARS-CoV-2 variant, 20E (EU1), that was identified in Spain in early summer 2020 and subsequently spread across Europe. We find no evidence that this variant has increased transmissibility, but instead demonstrate how rising incidence in Spain, resumption of travel, and lack of effective screening and containment may explain the variant’s success. Despite travel restrictions, we estimate that 20E (EU1) was introduced hundreds of times to European countries by summertime travellers, which is likely to have undermined local efforts to minimize infection with SARS-CoV-2. Our results illustrate how a variant can rapidly become dominant even in the absence of a substantial transmission advantage in favourable epidemiological settings. Genomic surveillance is critical for understanding how travel can affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and thus for informing future containment strategies as travel resumes. © 2021, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited

CO2-DISSOLVED: a Novel Concept Coupling Geological Storage of Dissolved CO2 and Geothermal Heat Recovery Part 3: Design of the MIRAGES-2 Experimental Device Dedicated to the Study of the Geochemical Water-Rock Interactions Triggered by CO2 Laden Brine Injection.

International audienceThe CO2-DISSOLVED project aims at assessing the feasibility of the coupling between dissolved CO2 storage in aquifer and geothermal heat recovery. The MIRAGES-2 experimental setup has been designed to study, at the centimeter scale and under relevant conditions of pressure and temperature, the chemical interactions in the near-injection well area between the reservoir rock, the cement phases, and the corrosive CO2-rich solution. This original experimental setup allows performing flow-through experiments with continuous in-situ data acquisition of pressure, temperature, flow rate, pH, and dissolved CO2 concentration. The datasets acquired will be further interpreted with the help of geochemical models, in order to better understand the effects of the key physical-chemical processes involved

Phéochromocytome et paragangliome

International audiencePhaeochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) are rare neuroendocrine tumors that arise from the adrenal medulla or sympathetic and parasympathetic ganglia. These tumors produce most often catecholamines in excess, causing hypertension and sometimes severe acute cardiovascular complications. The diagnosis is based on plasma or urines metanephrines measurements and on conventional and nuclear medicine imaging. Catecholamines-producing PPGL is very unlikely if levels are normal. The diagnosis of PPGL cannot be made without visualization of a tumor. Therapeutic management consists mostly of surgical excision, after drug preparation, and should be done in referral centers. About 40% of pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas occur in the context of an autosomal inherited syndrome, making genetic testing essential. The follow-up must be prolonged because a metastatic evolution or a recurrence can be observed in about 15% of the cases

From geology to economics: Technico-economic feasibility of a biofuel-CCS system

International audienceThis paper presents a method to estimate the technical and economic feasibility of capturing and geologically storing CO 2 resulting from biomass fermentation. The methodology is applied to the case of bio-refineries in the Paris Basin, France. The first step is to build a 3D geological model of the area studied and to choose the optimal injection location from geological and environmental constraints. Then, based on this information, the design of the CCS system (pipeline length, number and type of wellbores, surface equipment ...) and the estimation of the technical feasibility (sufficient storage capacity, risk analysis and management ...) can be performed. The last step is the estimation of the environmental benefits of this system (through a carbon and energy footprint) and its economic long term feasibility thanks to a discounted cash flow analysis. The impact of geological constraints on the economic feasibility of the system is estimated through a sensitivity assessment on the number of required injection wellbore

[PP. 27.24] DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY AND DIAGNOSTIC GAIN OF CRITERIA TO INTERPRET UNILATERALLY SELECTIVE ADRENAL VEIN SAMPLING (AVS) RESULTS

Objective: 10–20% of AVS performed in Excellence centers for primary aldosteronism (PA) are not bilaterally selective. The ratio of cortisol-corrected aldosterone concentration between adrenal vein and inferior vena cava (unilateral ratio, UR) has been proposed to interpret unilaterally selective AVS [1]:UR<0.5could suggest unilateral PA on the opposite side; UR >5.5 could suggest unilateral PA on the same side, and UR 0.5–5.5 would be inconclusive. Design and method: This retrospective study evaluates the diagnostic value of the UR on AVS data collected over10 years in a referral centre. French AVS-consensus criteria (selectivity index >2, lateralisation ratio >4) were used for AVS interpretation. We first assessed the numbers of cases with left and right UR both <0.5 or both >5.5, because in these cases the interpretation of unilaterally selective AVS will depend only on the side of successful adrenal vein cannulation, not on the side of the disease. We then assessed the sensitivity, specificity and PPV of these criteria for the diagnosis of unilateral PA. Cases with left and right UR both <0.5 or both >5.5 were counted as false positives for these calculations. We finally assessed the diagnostic impact of using the unilateral criteria in case of unilaterally selective AVS. Results: -537AVS were performed from 2001–2010, 64(12%) were not bilaterally selective using the reference criteria (28unilaterally selective and 36 bilaterally non-selective), 287 (53%) were diagnostic of bilateral PA, 99 (18%) of left PA and 87 (16%) of right PA [Table 1]. -Among 473 bilaterally selective AVS, 7 (1.5%) had left and right UR both <0.5 and 32 (7%) had left and right UR both >5.5 [Table 2]. -Sensitivity of UR <0.5 to detect unilateral PA was 55%, specificity 91%, PPV79%. -Sensitivity of UR >5.5 was 51%, specificity71%, PPV53% [Table3]. -Using these criteria to interpret 28 unilaterally selective AVS led to diagnose 2right PA but 0left PA with a contralateral UR <0.5, 10 right PA and 6left PA with an ipsilateral UR >5.5, the remaining 10 cases staying inconclusive. However, among the 16 unilateral PA diagnosed with an ipsilateral UR >5.5, we must expect 8 false positives