Manganese toxicity with ephedrone abuse manifesting as parkinsonism: a case report

Introduction: Neurologic consequences of manganese toxicity have been recognized since 1837. A new form of presumed manganese poisoning has been reported in drug addicted persons from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states who have intravenously injected self-prepared methcathinone hydrochloride (ephedrone), which is synthesized from pseudoephedrine hydrochloride using potassium permanganate as a potent oxidant. This clinical syndrome is under-recognized in Western Europe and there are no reported cases in the literature from Ireland. Case presentation: We report a 30-year-old Eastern European man who presented with a two-year history of gait disturbance. A neurological assessment revealed features of parkinsonism which included hypophonia, hypomimia, mild bradykinesia and rigidity with no resting tremor. He held his arms slightly abducted from his sides when walking, with a reduction in arm swing. Magnetic resonance imaging of his brain showed a high signal on T1 in the globus pallidus and serum manganese levels were raised. He had no response to levodopa. Conclusion: Manganism secondary to ephedrone abuse causing parkinsonism has emerged in Western Europe in recent years due to mass immigration and often remains unrecognized. This paper highlights the various features of this rare cause of parkinsonism and aids in its recognition and subsequent diagnosis. Neurologists in Western Europe will increasingly encounter such patients

A stage-structured model to predict the effect of temperature and salinity on glass eel Anguilla anguilla pigmentation development

The pigmentation development process of glass eels Anguilla anguilla from stage V-B to VIA3 was modelled by gamma cumulative functions. These functions varied with respect to the factors temperature and salinity whose effects were adjusted by beta functions. Temperature was shown to accelerate pigmentation, while salinity acted as a secondary factor slowing down the pigmentation. The model fits the development of 15 samples kept at various temperatures and salinities in the Vilaine River, as well as samples monitored at other dates and places in Europe. It allows the prediction of the duration of estuarine residency for glass eels, in winter and spring, in the Atlantic estuaries

Assessment of circalittoral reef benthic assemblages along a distance gradient to the coast in N2000 Basque coast (southern Bay of Biscay).

AFFInternational audienc

Why not monitoring circalittoral reef habitat of the south of the Bay of Biscay with INDEX-COR approach?

AFFInternational audienc

Impact of wastewater treatment plant discharges on macroalgae and macrofauna assemblages of the intertidal rocky shore in the southeastern Bay of Biscay

International audienceRocky intertidal habitats are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic pressures especially in areas with high urban concentrations such as southeastern Bay of Biscay. This research aims to establish an assessment of the potential impact of sewage discharges on intertidal rocky benthic assemblages on macroalgae and on macrofauna as required by the European Directives (Water Framework Directive -WFD and Marine Strategy Framework Directive -MSFD). The assemblages were sampled at five locations according to a control-impact design. A moderate detectable effect of discharges was highlighted on the assemblage structure by means of multivariate analyses but this was less evident using other biological and ecological metrics. Results would also suggest that benthic macroalgae constitute for the study area the best relevant biotic component to assess the effect of this pressure on the intertidal rocky platform habitats. Changes in the relative abundance of Ceramium spp., Corallina spp. and Halopteris scoparia were mainly responsible of the dissimilarities found. Finally, a pseudo-ecological quality ratio, based on the current WFD metrics, was also calculated for each site within locations (i.e. each distance from the outfall) to assess its sensitivity to this type of pressure. Results were conformed with those of the WFD monitoring because the un- or less-impacted sites were ranked as “Good” contrary to the others ranked as “Moderate”. Thus, this work provides additional information for the MSFD and bridges deficiencies emphasized by Directives on the response of biological indicators to various pressures and the biocenosis of southeastern Bay of Biscay

Identifying benthic macrofaunal assemblages and indicator taxa of intertidal boulder fields in the south of the Bay of Biscay (northern Basque coast). A framework for future monitoring

ACLInternational audienceThe French southern marine subregion of the Bay of Biscay presents local environmental features explaining the presence of specific communities in remarkable habitats. The aim of the study is, for the first time, to assess benthic macrofaunal assemblages and to identify indicator species of each assemblage within intertidal boulder field habitats in this marine subregion.Mobile boulders were sampled with a stratified random sampling design in upper and lower midlittoral zones in March–June 2015. Sessile (in percentage cover) and mobile macrofauna (in abundance) communities were identified and counted within 0.1 m2 quadrats. Ecological function and precision between the two groups were found dissimilar thus species richness, abundance, macrofauna distribution and indicator species/taxa of sessile and mobile macrofauna were analyzed separately. 78 species/taxa of macrofauna were recorded. A restricted list of 12 singletons (8 for mobile and 4 for sessile macrofauna) and 33 combinations of species/taxa were identified as significant indicators of each assemblage. Species ecological features (food webs, signs of disturbance, alien species, biogeographical range limit) were also considered as additional selection criteria. Therefore, species with a high ecological interest but not considered statistically as valid indicators were also highlighted.Thus, this work constitutes a framework for future monitoring of the Basque intertidal rocky shore and could be used as an alternative to sampling the entire biodiversity. It also meets the MSFD requirements (e.g. take into account marine subregion specificities; integrate the metric “macrofauna” and supports several descriptors as the D1 “Biodiversity” and D6 “Seafloor integrity”)