Belize: A Modern Example of a Mixed Carbonate-Siliciclastic Shelf

The Belize shelf is located on the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula (Fig. 3.1). It extends along approximately 300 km in a north-south direction and 10–40 km in an east-west direction. The Belize shelf lagoon is a mixed carbonate-siliciclastic rimmed platform developed under a humid tropical climate. The southern shelf lagoon depositional system is attached to a mountainous mainland of the Yucatan peninsula. The main relief features are the Maya Mountains that culminate at a height approximating 1,000 m above sea level.Fig. 3.

Complement activation in the injured central nervous system: Another dual-edged sword?

The complement system, a major component of the innate immune system, is becoming increasingly recognised as a key participant in physiology and disease. The awareness that immunological mediators support various aspects of both normal central nervous system (CNS) function and pathology has led to a renaissance of complement research in neuroscience. Various studies have revealed particularly novel findings on the wide-ranging involvement of complement in neural development, synapse elimination and maturation of neural networks, as well as the progression of pathology in a range of chronic neurodegenerative disorders, and more recently, neurotraumatic events, where rapid disruption of neuronal homeostasis potently triggers complement activation. The purpose of this review is to summarise recent findings on complement activation and acquired brain or spinal cord injury, i.e. ischaemic-reperfusion injury or stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI), highlighting the potential for complement-targeted therapeutics to alleviate the devastating consequences of these neurological conditions