Lower Oligocene thrust-system in the epi-Ligurian succession: evidence from the Enza Valley (northern Apennines, Italy)

Abstract Within the lower part (Upper Eocene-Oligocene) of the epi-Ligurian succession, outcropping in the Emilian side of the northern Apennines (Enza Valley), duplications by thrust tectonics were recognized through the systematic integration of field geology with calcareous nannofossil biostratigraphy. This thrust system, derived from the overthrusting of two thrust-sheets over a footwall, is unconformably overlain by a Rupelian succession. The thrust structure of the Enza Valley, affected by a subsequent wide overturned syncline together vith the unconformable succession, shows a remarkable Lower Oligocene contractional tectonics, previously not recognized in the northern Apennines. The comparison of this thrust system with other outcropping areas of the epi-Ligurian succession makes probable the wide-spread occurrence of the Lower Oligocene tectonics in the uppermost structural levels of the chain (epi-Ligurian domain). In a regional tectonic framework, the Rupelian thrust tectonics affecting the epi-Ligurian succession can be related to the Lower Oligocene closure of the innermost portion of the Subligurian basin (Aveto-Petrignacola Formation) due to the NE-verging overthrusting of the External Ligurian Units. In this context the unconformable succession of the Enza Valley seems correlable with the basal portion of the Subligurian Eratica Sandstone (Rupelian-Chattian) which unconformably overlies a deformed substratum (Mesoalpine Phase)

Operating theatre quality and prevention of surgical site infections

Surgical site infections (SSI) account for 14% to 17% of all hospital-acquired infections and 38% of nosocomial infections in surgical patients. SSI remain a substantial cause of morbid- ity and death, possibly because of the larger numbers of elderly surgical patients or those with a variety of chronic and immuno- compromising conditions, and emergence of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms. Factors causing surgical site infection are multifarious. Several studies have identified the main patient-related (endogenous risk factors) and procedure-related (external risk factors) factors that influence the risk of SSI. The rate of surgical wound infections is strongly influenced by operating theatre quality, too. A safe and salubrious operating theatre is an environment in which all sources of pollution and any micro-environmental alterations are kept strictly under control. This can be achieved only through careful planning, maintenance and periodic checks, as well as proper ongoing training for staff. Many international scientific societies have produced guidelines regarding the environmental features of operating theatres (posi- tive pressure, exchanges of filtered air per hour, air-conditioning systems with HEPA filters, etc.) and issued recommendations on healthcare-associated infection, including SSI, concerning surveillance methods, intervention to actively prevent SSI and approaches to monitoring the implementation of such strategies. Therefore, the prevention of SSI requires a multidisciplinary approach and the commitment of all concerned, including that of those who are responsible for the design, layout and functioning of operating theatres

The Intra-Pontide ophiolites in Northern Turkey revisited: From birth to death of a Neotethyan oceanic domain

The Anatolian peninsula is a key location to study the central portion of the Neotethys Ocean(s) and to understand how its western and eastern branches were connected. One of the lesser known branches of the Mesozoic ocean(s) is preserved in the northern ophiolite suture zone exposed in Turkey, namely, the Intra-Pontide suture zone. It is located between the Sakarya terrane and the Eurasian margin (i.e., Istanbul-Zonguldak terrane) and consists of several metamorphic and non-metamorphic units containing ophiolites produced in supra-subduction settings from the Late Triassic to the Early Cretaceous. Ophiolites preserved in the metamorphic units recorded pervasive deformations and peak metamorphic conditions ranging from blueschist to eclogite facies. In the non-metamorphic units, the complete oceanic crust sequence is preserved in tectonic units or as olistoliths in sedimentary mélanges. Geochemical, structural, metamorphic and geochronological investigations performed on ophiolite-bearing units allowed the formulation of a new geodynamic model of the entire "life" of the Intra-Pontide oceanic basin(s). The reconstruction starts with the opening of the Intra-Pontide oceanic basins during the Late Triassic between the Sakarya and Istanbul-Zonguldak continental microplates and ends with its closure caused by two different subductions events that occurred during the upper Early Jurassic and Middle Jurassic. The continental collision between the Sakarya continental microplate and the Eurasian margin developed from the upper Early Cretaceous to the Palaeocene. The presented reconstruction is an alternative model to explain the complex and articulate geodynamic evolution that characterizes the southern margin of Eurasia during the Mesozoic era. Keywords: Intra-Pontide suture zone, Central Pontides, Northern Turkey, Ophiolites, Neotethys Ocean, Geodynamic

the intra pontide suture zone in the tosya kastamonu area northern turkey

ABSTRACTWe present the first detailed geological map of the tectonic units documented in the easternmost branch of the Intra-Pontide suture (IPS) zone in the Tosya-Kastamonu area (Northern Turkey). The Main Map is at 1:50,000 scale and covers an area of about 350 km2. It derived from 1:25,000 scale classic field mapping and represents a detailed overview of the complexities documented in the IPS zone, a tectonic nappe stack originating from the closure of the Intra-Pontide Oceanic basin and the subsequent collision between the Istanbul-Zonguldak terrane and the Sakarya composite terrane. The map shows the orientations of superposed foliations, fold axes and mineral lineations on the basis of geometric cross-cutting relationships documented within the five tectonic units of the IPS zone and provides information on its present-day architecture resulting from activity of the North Anatolian Fault

The Arkot Dağ Mélange Central Turkey: evidences for the geodynamic evolution of the Intra-Pontide suture zone.

The geological setting of Turkey can be described as an assemblage of continental terranes separated by ophiolite-bearing suture zones that mark the areas where the PaleoTethyan and NeoTehyan oceanic basins were destroyed. In northern Turkey, one of the most important suture zones is represented by the Intra-Pontide one consisting of an east-west trending belt of deformed and/or metamorphic units located at the boundary between the Istanbul-Zonguldak terrane to the north and the Sakarya terrane to the south. These units can be regarded as issued from the Intra-Pontide domain, whose geodynamic history is still a matter of debate. Along the Akpinar-Araç-Bayramoren geotraverse, located in central Turkey, an ophiolite-bearing mélange, known as the Arkot Dağ Mélange, is well-exposed along the Intra-Pontide suture zone. The Arkot Dağ Mélange can be described as an Upper Santonian chaotic sedimentary deposit consisting of an up to 1000-m-thick succession of slide-blocks of different sizes and lithologies enclosed in a sedimentary matrix consisting of shales, coarse-grained arenites, pebbly mudstones and pebbly sandstones. The slide-blocks, from a few meters to hectometers in size, are represented by metamorphic rocks (mainly micaschists and gneisses), by ophiolites (peridotites, gabbros, IAT and BAB basalts and cherts) and by sedimentary rocks (cherts, neritic and pelagic limestone, marly limestone and ophiolite-bearing turbidites). The youngest age among the slide- blocks has been provided by the ophiolite-bearing turbidites where a late Coniacian nannofossil assemblage has been found. The cherts have provided a wide range of ages from the Middle Triassic to Late Cretaceous, whereas the fossils found in the limestone indicate Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous ages. The matrix of the Arkot Dağ Mélange, even if unaffected by metamorphism, shows deformations represented by multiple meters-thick cataclastic shear zones at the boundaries of the mélange slices or inside them. According to its features, the source area of the Arkot Dağ Mélange was most likely a stack of continental and oceanic thrust sheets emplaced in the Late Cretaceous onto a continental margin. The data collected from the different slide-blocks suggest that the Intra-Pontide domain was characterised by an oceanic basin that opened at the latest in the Early Jurassic. The opening of the Intra-Pontide oceanic basin was followed by the development of a subduction zone with a subsequent opening of suprasubduction oceanic basin in the Middle Jurassic – Early Cretaceous. The convergence in this suprasubduction oceanic basin started at the Early/Late Cretaceous boundary by an obduction process, whereas its final closure can be regarded as Late Paleocene

Endothelin Receptors Expressed by Immune Cells Are Involved in Modulation of Inflammation and in Fibrosis: Relevance to the Pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis

open13noEndothelin-1 (ET-1) plays a pivotal role in vasoconstriction, fibrosis, and inflammation, the key features of systemic sclerosis (SSc). ET-1 receptors (ETA and ETB) are expressed on endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, and fibroblasts, but their presence on immune cells has not been deeply investigated so far. Endothelin receptors antagonists such as bosentan have beneficial effects on vasoconstriction and fibrosis, but less is known about their potential anti-inflammatory effects. We studied the expression of ET-1 receptors on immune cells (T and B lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils) and the link between ET-1 and inflammation in patients with SSc. We show here that ET-1 exerts a proinflammatory effect in CD4+ T cells, since it induces an increased IFN-γ production; preincubation with antagonists of both receptors reduces IFN-γ production. Moreover, following ET-1 stimulation, neutrophils produce proinflammatory mediators, thus amplifying the effects of activated CD4+ T cells. Our data indicate that ET-1 system is involved in the pathogenesis of inflammation and fibrosis typical of SSc, through the activation of T lymphocytes and neutrophils and the consequent release of proinflammatory and profibrotic cytokines. These findings suggest that dual ET-1 receptors antagonist therapy, besides its effect on vasculopathy, has a profound impact on the immune system favouring antiinflammatory and antifibrogenic effects.openElisa, Tinazzi; Antonio, Puccetti; Giuseppe, Patuzzo; Alessandro, Barbieri; Giuseppe, Argentino; Federico, Confente; Marzia, Dolcino; Ruggero, Beri; Giacomo, Marchi; Andrea, Ottria; Daniela, Righetti; Mariaelisa, Rampudda; Claudio, LunardiTinazzi, Elisa; Puccetti, Antonio; Patuzzo, Giuseppe; Barbieri, Alessandro; Argentino, Giuseppe; Confente, Federico; Dolcino, Marzia; Beri, Ruggero; Marchi, Giacomo; Ottria, Andrea; Righetti, Daniela; Rampudda, Mariaelisa; Lunardi, Claudi

Contrasting styles of (U)HP rock exhumation along the Cenozoic Adria-Europe plate boundary (Western Alps, Calabria, Corsica)

Since the first discovery of ultrahigh pressure (UHP) rocks 30 years ago in the Western Alps, the mechanisms for exhumation of (U)HP terranes worldwide are still debated. In the western Mediterranean, the presently accepted model of synconvergent exhumation (e.g., the channel-flow model) is in conflict with parts of the geologic record. We synthesize regional geologic data and present alternative exhumation mechanisms that consider the role of divergence within subduction zones. These mechanisms, i.e., (i) the motion of the upper plate away from the trench and (ii) the rollback of the lower plate, are discussed in detail with particular reference to the Cenozoic Adria-Europe plate boundary, and along three different transects (Western Alps, Calabria-Sardinia, and Corsica-Northern Apennines). In the Western Alps, (U)HP rocks were exhumed from the greatest depth at the rear of the accretionary wedge during motion of the upper plate away from the trench. Exhumation was extremely fast, and associated with very low geothermal gradients. In Calabria, HP rocks were exhumed from shallower depths and at lower rates during rollback of the Adriatic plate, with repeated exhumation pulses progressively younging toward the foreland. Both mechanisms were active to create boundary divergence along the Corsica-Northern Apennines transect, where European southeastward subduction was progressively replaced along strike by Adriatic northwestward subduction. The tectonic scenario depicted for the Western Alps trench during Eocene exhumation of (U)HP rocks correlates well with present-day eastern Papua New Guinea, which is presented as a modern analog of the Paleogene Adria-Europe plate boundary

Geology and geodiversity of the Folafótur peninsula (Westfjords, Iceland)

Geological and geomorphological field surveys and mapping have been carried out in the Folafótur peninsula (Westfjords, Iceland), a remote territory characterized by spectacular landscapes resulting from the interaction of volcanic, tectonic, and glacial processes. The Geological and Geomorphological Map of the Folafótur Peninsula (1:10,000 scale) is the first detailed map showing the relationships between geology and landscapes in the Westfjords of Iceland. The map also highlights the main geodiversity and cultural sites, which together make up the overall value of the geoheritage of the study area, illustrating Earth’s geodynamics and geomorphological processes related to climate changes and their connections with human history. Our research contributes to the understanding of the geodiversity of the Folafótur peninsula, providing for the first time a description of geological and geomorphological characteristics of this area, crucial for the assessment of its geoheritage.ISSN:1744-564