Sequence Stratigraphy and Evolution of a Progradational, Foreland Carbonate Ramp, Lower Mississippian Mission Canyon Formation and Stratigraphic Equivalents, Montana and Idaho

The Lower Mississippian Mission Canyon Formation and stratigraphic equivalents in Montana and Idaho were deposited on a progradational carbonate ramp that developed on the foreland side of the Antler foredeep. Shallow subtidal and peritidal lithofacies were deposited in ramp-interior settings across most of Montana. The ramp to basin transition in westernmost Montana was a relatively narrow belt of stacked skeletal grainstone banks. Farther west, skeletal grainstone banks prograded over and interfingered with outer ramp/slope cherty limestones. In east-central Idaho, coeval lower slope and basinal strata consisted of silty to argillaceous, spicular limestones, spiculites, and spicular calcareous siltstones/fine-grained sandstones

Subsidence across the Antler foreland of Montana and Idaho: Tectonic versus eustatic effects

Devonian and Mississippian sedimentary rocks of western Montana and east-central Idaho were deposited on a cratonic platform that faced a deep basin to the west. The deep basin in Idaho was a northern extension of the Antler foredeep and formed as a flexural response to loading of the ancient North American continental margin by an inferred arc and thrust belt complex. Subsidence analyses of the Devonian-Mississippian strata indicate episodic subsidence events in the proximal foredeep and adjacent cratonic platform, an area approximately 800 km (500 mi) wide (palinspastic). Isopach maps for this sequence illustrate that many depocenters and paleohighs were geographically coincident across the foreland through time. The Devonian-Mississippian foreland structures had cross-sectional wavelengths of 50-200 km (30-120 mi) and amplitudes of about 50-350 m (160-1,150 ft). Some of these structures were tectonically inverted (i.e., paleohighs became depocenters and vice versa) several times during the 50-60 m.y. represented by this stratigraphic sequence. Many of these generally east-west-trending paleostructures were oriented at high angles to the north-south-trending axis of the Antler foredeep and the inferred strike of the Antler orogenic belt. These foreland structures coincide geographically with structural trends produced during Proterozoic extension, suggesting that the Proterozoic faults were reactivated during Antler convergence. The isopach maps also show progressive southeastward migration of Antler foredeep depocenters from Late Devonian to Early Pennsylvanian time. The southeastward migration of the foredeep depocenter suggests that the maximum thrust load moved progressively southeastward from Late Devonian to Early Pennsylvanian time. The complex patterns of subsidence across the Montana-Idaho foreland do not fit into simple flexural models for vertical loading of unbroken elastic plates. Instead, differential subsidence of the foreland may be related to several mechanisms: (1) flexure of mechanically independent, fault-bounded segments of the foreland produced by areally limited thrust loads (subregional vertical loading); (2) transmission of compressive in-plane stresses through the foreland lithosphere (regional horizontal loading) that may have reactivated Proterozoic fault systems; and (3) waxing and waning of in-plane compressive stresses resulting from the episodic nature of Antler convergence. Results from this study suggest that, in settings where the foreland lithosphere is broken by ancient fault systems, the foreland may exhibit complex patterns of differential subsidence that probably reflect a composite response to both vertical and horizontal loads. Also, the simultaneous pulses of subsidence documented across large parts of the Antler foreland suggest that it may be possible to date episodes of convergence along ancient continental margins, even when the ancient thrust belt complex is poorly preserved

Subsidence across the Antler foreland of Montana and Idaho: Tectonic versus eustatic effects

Devonian and Mississippian sedimentary rocks of western Montana and east-central Idaho were deposited on a cratonic platform that faced a deep basin to the west. The deep basin in Idaho was a northern extension of the Antler foredeep and formed as a flexural response to loading of the ancient North American continental margin by an inferred arc and thrust belt complex. Subsidence analyses of the Devonian-Mississippian strata indicate episodic subsidence events in the proximal foredeep and adjacent cratonic platform, an area approximately 800 km (500 mi) wide (palinspastic). Isopach maps for this sequence illustrate that many depocenters and paleohighs were geographically coincident across the foreland through time. The Devonian-Mississippian foreland structures had cross-sectional wavelengths of 50-200 km (30-120 mi) and amplitudes of about 50-350 m (160-1,150 ft). Some of these structures were tectonically inverted (i.e., paleohighs became depocenters and vice versa) several times during the 50-60 m.y. represented by this stratigraphic sequence. Many of these generally east-west-trending paleostructures were oriented at high angles to the north-south-trending axis of the Antler foredeep and the inferred strike of the Antler orogenic belt. These foreland structures coincide geographically with structural trends produced during Proterozoic extension, suggesting that the Proterozoic faults were reactivated during Antler convergence. The isopach maps also show progressive southeastward migration of Antler foredeep depocenters from Late Devonian to Early Pennsylvanian time. The southeastward migration of the foredeep depocenter suggests that the maximum thrust load moved progressively southeastward from Late Devonian to Early Pennsylvanian time. The complex patterns of subsidence across the Montana-Idaho foreland do not fit into simple flexural models for vertical loading of unbroken elastic plates. Instead, differential subsidence of the foreland may be related to several mechanisms: (1) flexure of mechanically independent, fault-bounded segments of the foreland produced by areally limited thrust loads (subregional vertical loading); (2) transmission of compressive in-plane stresses through the foreland lithosphere (regional horizontal loading) that may have reactivated Proterozoic fault systems; and (3) waxing and waning of in-plane compressive stresses resulting from the episodic nature of Antler convergence. Results from this study suggest that, in settings where the foreland lithosphere is broken by ancient fault systems, the foreland may exhibit complex patterns of differential subsidence that probably reflect a composite response to both vertical and horizontal loads. Also, the simultaneous pulses of subsidence documented across large parts of the Antler foreland suggest that it may be possible to date episodes of convergence along ancient continental margins, even when the ancient thrust belt complex is poorly preserved

Early onset facioscapulohumeral dystrophy - a systematic review using individual patient data

Infantile or early onset is estimated to occur in around 10% of all facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) patients. Although small series of early onset FSHD patients have been reported, comprehensive data on the clinical phenotype is missing. We performed a systematic literature search on the clinical features of early onset FSHD comprising a total of 43 articles with individual data on 227 patients. Additional data from four cohorts was provided by the authors. Mean age at reporting was 18.8 years, and 40% of patients were wheelchair-dependent at that age. Half of the patients had systemic features, including hearing loss (40%), retinal abnormalities (37%) and developmental delay (8%). We found an inverse correlation between repeat size and disease severity, similar to adult-onset FSHD. De novo FSHD1 mutations were more prevalent than in adult-onset FSHD. Compared to adult FSHD, our findings indicate that early onset FSHD is overall characterized by a more severe muscle phenotype and a higher prevalence of systemic features. However, similar as in adults, a significant clinical heterogeneity was observed. Based on this, we consider early onset FSHD to be on the severe end of the FSHD disease spectrum. We found natural history studies and treatment studies to be very scarce in early onset FSHD, therefore longitudinal studies are needed to improve prognostication, clinical management and trial-readiness

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Mortality

Background and purpose: Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). Results: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. Conclusions: During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT

Global Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Cerebral Venous Thrombosis and Mortality.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Recent studies suggested an increased incidence of cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. We evaluated the volume of CVT hospitalization and in-hospital mortality during the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the preceding year. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective study of 171 stroke centers from 49 countries. We recorded COVID-19 admission volumes, CVT hospitalization, and CVT in-hospital mortality from January 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021. CVT diagnoses were identified by International Classification of Disease-10 (ICD-10) codes or stroke databases. We additionally sought to compare the same metrics in the first 5 months of 2021 compared to the corresponding months in 2019 and 2020 (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04934020). RESULTS: There were 2,313 CVT admissions across the 1-year pre-pandemic (2019) and pandemic year (2020); no differences in CVT volume or CVT mortality were observed. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT volumes compared to 2019 (27.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 24.2 to 32.0; P<0.0001) and 2020 (41.4%; 95% CI, 37.0 to 46.0; P<0.0001). A COVID-19 diagnosis was present in 7.6% (132/1,738) of CVT hospitalizations. CVT was present in 0.04% (103/292,080) of COVID-19 hospitalizations. During the first pandemic year, CVT mortality was higher in patients who were COVID positive compared to COVID negative patients (8/53 [15.0%] vs. 41/910 [4.5%], P=0.004). There was an increase in CVT mortality during the first 5 months of pandemic years 2020 and 2021 compared to the first 5 months of the pre-pandemic year 2019 (2019 vs. 2020: 2.26% vs. 4.74%, P=0.05; 2019 vs. 2021: 2.26% vs. 4.99%, P=0.03). In the first 5 months of 2021, there were 26 cases of vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), resulting in six deaths. CONCLUSIONS: During the 1st year of the COVID-19 pandemic, CVT hospitalization volume and CVT in-hospital mortality did not change compared to the prior year. COVID-19 diagnosis was associated with higher CVT in-hospital mortality. During the first 5 months of 2021, there was an increase in CVT hospitalization volume and increase in CVT-related mortality, partially attributable to VITT

Provenance variability of black alder in Poland

European black alder (Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn.) is a widespread tree species associated with wetlands and riparian ecosystems, thus it plays an important ecological role. Due to its fast growth and favorable wood properties it also has a potential to satisfy a growing demand for wood and fiber. However, its growth potential is not fully realized in Poland. In this study we investigated variation in growth traits, productivity, and stem straightness among 11 populations of European black alder originating from the lowland distribution of the species in Poland. The common−garden experiment located in 1968 in Kórnik (mid−western Poland) has been so far the only provenance experiment with this species in our country. We measured height and diameter of all trees at the site, assessed stem straightness in a 5−step scale (1−crooked; 5−straight), and calculated productivity at age of 50 years, which should be considered close to the rotation age. We found significant variation among populations in all investigated traits. The difference in productivity between the best and the worst provenance reached 75%. Using published and unpublished data from previous measurements at this site we also analyzed a trend in provenance ranking through time. The best and worst provenance could be identified at age 16 years, but many ranking shifts took place afterwards at the intermediate rank positions. We conclude that growth, productivity and stem quality of black alder could be improved through selection of favorable provenances within the species. Selection decisions can be made at the age below the half the rotation age, although decisions at 3/4 of rotation age would be more precise