Mesozoic and Cenozoic deformation inferred from seismic stratigraphy in the southwestern intracontinental Palmyride fold-thrust belt, Syria

This paper was published in the Geological Society of America Bulletin. The Geological Society of America retains the copyright to this paper. Geological Society of America, P.O. Box 9140 , Boulder, CO 80301-9140 USA See also: http://www.geosociety.org/; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/syria/chaimov_gsa_bull_1992.htmlThe Palmyride fold belt in central Syria is an intracontinental northeast-trending, 400 by 100 km transpressive belt embedded in the northern Arabian platform. During the Late Paleozoic and most of the Mesozoic the region of the present-day mountains was a rift-like trough that collected over 5 km of sediments, for a total Phanerozoic thickness of over 10 km. The southwestern sector of the fold belt is bounded in the north by the Jhar fault and in the south by the south-vergent frontal thrust faults of the Palmyrides, with the broad Al-Daww depression in between. Structural features that characterize the southern and southwestern region of the Palmyrides include a short wavelength, typically 5-10 km, fold style controlled by a regional low-angle decollement within Triassic beds, and small inverted Jurassic and Early Cretaceous normal faults. Small intermontane basins (about 10 X 30 km) whose strata can be used to document the history of Palmyride deformation flank growth fault-bend folds and are mainly a product of Cenozoic shortening in the belt. These structures are elucidated by about 2000 km of newly available seismic reflection data in the Palmyrides. Synthetic seismic traces generated solely from forward modeling of outcrop information constrain seismic stratigraphic picks in two small basins about 100 km northeast of Damascus. There, minor Late Cretaceous uplift caused local onlap, marking the first inversion phase of the Palmyride trough. Tectonic quiescence throughout the Paleogene, interrupted only in the Middle Eocene by minor tectonism, resulted in monotonous deposition of about 2500 m of mostly limestone. Marked onlap and probable downlap of Lower Miocene strata onto an Oligocene angular unconformity indicate accelerated tectonism by Late Oligocene to Early Miocene time. This marks the beginning of the major phase of inversion and uplift of the Palmyrides. Recent seismicity indicates that transpression continues today. Despite its relative remoteness from convergent plate boundaries (the nearest, the Bitlis suture in southern Turkey, is about 300 km distant), the Late Cretaceous, Middle Eocene, and Neogene phases of deformation in the intraplate setting of the Palmyrides have a direct temporal relationship with major regional tectonism that occurred along the surrounding Arabian plate boundaries. The Palmyride trough was inverted in Late Cretaceous time and, subsequently, developed into a transpressive zone throughout Neogene and Quaternary times. Thus, the initiation of inversion in the Palmyrides, an integral part of the Syrian Arc, which extends from central Syria southward to central Sinai, apparently predates development of the Red Sea/Dead Sea plate boundary. In contrast, the intense Neogene through Quaternary deformational episode is clearly related to development of the Red Sea/Dead Sea fault system and to convergence along the northern boundary of the Arabian plate in southern Turkey

Upper crustal velocity structure and basement morphology beneath the intracontinental Palmyride fold-thrust belt and north Arabian platform in Syria

An edited version of this paper was published in Geophysical Journal International by Blackwell Publishing. Copyright 1993, Blackwell Publishing. See also: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0956-540X&site=1; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/syria/seber_gji_1993.htmThe intracontinental Palmyride fold-thrust belt, which is the site of an inverted Mesozoic rift, is sandwiched between two crustal blocks, the Aleppo plateau in the north and the Rutbah uplift in the south. The 400 x 100 km belt merges with the Dead Sea fault system in the southwest and gradually ends near the Euphrates depression in the northeast. Very dense (i.e., 100 m geophone spacing), reversed and multifold seismic refraction profiling was carried out to map approximately the upper 15 km of the crust in the early 1970s. These refraction data are utilized to model sedimentary rock thickness, seismic velocity, and basement morphology. Extensive data coverage also enables identification of the major faults of the region. A 2-D ray tracing technique is used in the modeling. Interpretation of these data indicates that five distinct velocity layers characterize the upper crust of the northern Arabian platform in Syria. The P-wave velocities within these layers are (in km s-1): 2.0-2.8, 4.0-4.4, 5.2-5.3 , 5.5-5.7, corresponding to sedimentary rocks from Quaternary to late Precambrian in age, and 5.9-6.0, corresponding to metamorphic basement. A comparison of the velocity models with the available drill hole information and seismic reflection profiles shows strong velocity variations in a given geologic formation, depending on the depth and location of the formation. The depth to metamorphic basement beneath the Palmyride fold belt clearly shows a deep trough, filled with Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks. These rocks decrease in thickness from about 11 km in the southwest to about 9 km in the central segment of the belt. The basement depth is about 6 km in the Aleppo plateau and not less than 8 km in the Rutbah uplift. Deeper basement in the Rutbah uplift is probably the result of a Precambrian rifting episode, clearly identified to the south in Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Cenozoic crustal shortening of about 20-25% across the southwestern segment of the Palmyride belt has not been sufficient to substantially reduce the size of the basement trough beneath this mountain belt. Finally, northeast decreasing basement depth in the Palmyrides supports the idea that the Palmyride Mesozoic rifting was developed as an aulacogen of the rifted Levantine margin along the eastern Mediterranean

Association of altered serum levels of Chemerin, Paraoxonase-1 (PON1), Asymmetric Dimethyl arginine (ADMA) and obesitin the development of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) in Egyptian women

Chemerinwas recently added to the adipokine family and was identified in human ovarian follicles and follicular fluid that suggests a direct correlation between chemerin and PCOS. Asymmetric dimethyl arginine (ADMA) is involved in endothelial dysfunctionthe atherogenic potential of ADMA has been investigated in young patients with PCOS. Oxidative stress is considered to be implicated in the pathophysiology of PCOS.Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is an antioxidant enzyme and its concentration has been shown to be inversely associated with oxidative stress. Objectives: Evaluation of serum chemerin, ADMA, PON1in obese and non-obese polycystic ovarian patients to postulate their role in pathogenesis of PCOS. Methods: Ninetynuligravida women aged 20-35 (60 with PCOS and 30 controls) were recruited. Fasting blood was obtained on day 2 or 3 of the menstrual cycle. Clinical evaluation, hormonal profile, Chemerin, ADMA and PON1 were assessed. Results: There was a significant increase in serum chemerinlevels in PCOS obese group when compared with PCOS non obese patients and healthy controls non obese and obese respectively. Serum ADMA level was increased significantly in PCOS obese group as compared to the PCOS non obese group , control non obese and control obese. Paraoxonase was decreased stepwise significantly from the control non obese group and control obese group to PCOS non obese patients then PCOS obese patients to. Conclusions: it could be suggested that increased chemerin has a role in PCOS development andaltered ADMA and PON1 associated withobesity and oxidative stress may exacerbate the condition

Seismic fabric and 3-D upper crustal structure of the southwestern intracontinental Palmyride fold belt, Syria

Copyright 1993, AAPG. Reprinted by permission of the AAPG whose permission is required for further use. See also: http://aapgbull.geoscienceworld.org/; http://atlas.geo.cornell.edu/syria/chaimov_aapg_bull_1993.htmlThe Palmyride fold belt, a 400 X 100 km transpressive belt in central Syria that is the northeastern arm of the Syrian Arc, which includes the Negev fold belt in the Sinai, is the result of Late Mesozoic and Cenozoic inversion of a Late Paleozoic and Mesozoic, NE-trending, linear intracontinental basin located within the northern Arabian platform. The southwestern Palmyrides, near the Dead Sea transform fault system and the Anti-Lebanon mountains, are characterized by short wavelength (5-10 km) en echelon folds separated by small intermontane basins that developed mainly in Neogene to Recent times. A new three-dimensional data cube, 60 X 70 km, generated on a Landmark Graphics (TM) workstation and based on approximately 700 km of two-dimensional seismic reflection profiles, elucidates the structure of the upper 10 km of the crust in the southwestern Palmyrides. Visualization of the subsurface structure, which is represented by a prominent Upper Cretaceous reflection surface in the data cube, is augmented by the topography and Bouguer gravity of the same region. Preexisting discontinuities, probable normal fault relicts of the Mesozoic Palmyride rift, likely controlled the development of individual Neogene thrusts. The new subsurface image shows important structural features not identified in outcrop. Short, WNW-trending transcurrent, or transfer, faults link the short, en echelon NE-trending thrust faults and blind thrusts of the Palmyrides. A pervasive regional decollement is not observed, even though Triassic evaporites host local detachments. There has been no wholesale transport of shallower strata on a regional decollement that decouples Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks from underlying Paleozoic rocks. Unlike topographic relief, which only roughly resembles subsurface structures, the Bouguer gravity signature of the southwestern Palmyrides closely mimics underlying shallow geologic structures both on a large (~50 km wavelength) and a small (~5-10 km) scale. Relatively uncommon reflections from deformed Paleozoic rocks and the excellent correlation between Bouguer gravity and shallow structures indicate a general concordance between shallow Mesozoic and Cenozoic rocks and deeper Paleozoic rocks. Hence, Paleozoic rocks either deformed together with shallower strata, or structures within Paleozoic rocks controlled the development of shallower Neogene and younger structures. Our structural analysis and many other recent studies of the region are indicative of minor right-lateral shear coupled with compression in the Palmyrides

Large Ascites in a Cirrhotic Patient Reveal an Isolated and Late Metastasis of Ductal Breast Cancer: A Case Study

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, and its prevalence has increased since the introduction of screening programs. Most cases are discovered at an early stage; however, despite effective treatment, some cases progress to metastasis. The most common breast cancer metastatic locations are the bone, liver, and lungs. Ascites malignant due to peritoneal involvement is a rare manifestation of metastatic breast cancer. After 8 years of well-controlled breast cancer, we report a 54-year-old woman who presents with malignant ascites and is known to have cirrhosis of the liver

Is the Rehbein procedure obsolete in the treatment of Hirschsprung’s disease?

Contains fulltext : 87916.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)PURPOSE: After 25 years of practice and positive results of the Rehbein-procedure (RB) for children with Hirschsprung Disease (HD), we changed to the less invasive transanal endorectal pull through (TERPT). The aim of this study was to compare short- and mid-term complications of these two procedures in our patients with HD. METHODS: Retrospective data of 50 HD patients were analyzed. Of these patients, 25 underwent RB (2000-2006) and in 25 the TERPT was performed (2005-2009). Medical records were reviewed to score complications and outcomes. Differences were analyzed using Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: All RB patients (100%) were given a colostomy compared with four patients (16%) in the TERPT group (p < 0.001). The average age at surgery in the RB group was 191 days whereas this was 72 days in the TERPT group (p < 0.01). The mean length of time of surgery in the RB group (158 min) was not significantly different from that in the TERPT group (183 min). Ganglion cells were located in all specimens at the proximal end of the specimens. The median time to first feeding significantly decreased from 2 days (range 1-11) in the RB group to 1 day (range 1-3) in the TERPT group (p < 0.01). The median length of hospital stay decreased in the TERPT group (8 days) compared with the RB group (10 days) (p < 0.001). There was a significant reduction in postoperative obstructive symptoms during the first 6 months in the TERPT group (48%) compared with the RB group (84%) (p = 0.016). Postoperative enterocolitis decreased from 40% in the RB group to 24% in the TERPT group although this was not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of TERPT reduced the need for colostomies; it shortened days to first feeding after surgery and reduced hospital stay. It also improved short-term outcome with less obstructive symptoms. We recommend TERPT surgery as a first choice in children with HD. we consider the RB now to be obsolete.1 november 201

Inhibition of glucose metabolism selectively targets autoreactive follicular helper T cells.

Follicular helper T (TFH) cells are expanded in systemic lupus erythematosus, where they are required to produce high affinity autoantibodies. Eliminating TFH cells would, however compromise the production of protective antibodies against viral and bacterial pathogens. Here we show that inhibiting glucose metabolism results in a drastic reduction of the frequency and number of TFH cells in lupus-prone mice. However, this inhibition has little effect on the production of T-cell-dependent antibodies following immunization with an exogenous antigen or on the frequency of virus-specific TFH cells induced by infection with influenza. In contrast, glutaminolysis inhibition reduces both immunization-induced and autoimmune TFH cells and humoral responses. Solute transporter gene signature suggests different glucose and amino acid fluxes between autoimmune TFH cells and exogenous antigen-specific TFH cells. Thus, blocking glucose metabolism may provide an effective therapeutic approach to treat systemic autoimmunity by eliminating autoreactive TFH cells while preserving protective immunity against pathogens

Mental distress links with physical activities, sedentary lifestyle, social support, and sleep problems: A Syrian population cross-sectional study

BackgroundMental diseases are very widespread and difficult to treat, affecting around 12% of the global population in 2019. Since social interaction is crucial to human existence and loneliness has been proven to be a significant predictor of depressive symptoms, it stands to reason that social connection problems would also contribute to depression. Physical inactivity seems to weaken and aggravate insulin tolerance alterations, glucose homeostasis, and plasma triglyceride levels, thereby influencing one's mood and happiness. This suggests that physical inactivity may be a significant risk factor for mental illness. This research contributes to our understanding of the mental health situation in Syria by exploring associations between a set of measurable characteristics that may be adjusted.MethodsAn online quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2022 in Syria, using a structured questionnaire that assesses data on behaviors of health, health in general, wellbeing, and adult population quality of life.ResultsAmong 1,224 respondents (371 men and 853 women), women have shown higher levels of mental distress, sleep issues, low engagement in structured activities, and a difficult work environment than men. Women experiencing mental anguish have reported being more sedentary, participating in less scheduled activities, and receiving less social support.ConclusionsThere are observable connections between high sedentary time and women experiencing mental distress. The mental health of Syrian women in distress was associated with a lack of participation in both organized activities and physical exercise in their free time. Furthermore, sleep issues and financial troubles were seen in persons with mental diseases of both males and females

Sarilumab in patients admitted to hospital with severe or critical COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Background: Elevated proinflammatory cytokines are associated with greater COVID-19 severity. We aimed to assess safety and efficacy of sarilumab, an interleukin-6 receptor inhibitor, in patients with severe (requiring supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula or face mask) or critical (requiring greater supplemental oxygen, mechanical ventilation, or extracorporeal support) COVID-19. Methods: We did a 60-day, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multinational phase 3 trial at 45 hospitals in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Spain. We included adults (≥18 years) admitted to hospital with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and pneumonia, who required oxygen supplementation or intensive care. Patients were randomly assigned (2:2:1 with permuted blocks of five) to receive intravenous sarilumab 400 mg, sarilumab 200 mg, or placebo. Patients, care providers, outcome assessors, and investigators remained masked to assigned intervention throughout the course of the study. The primary endpoint was time to clinical improvement of two or more points (seven point scale ranging from 1 [death] to 7 [discharged from hospital]) in the modified intention-to-treat population. The key secondary endpoint was proportion of patients alive at day 29. Safety outcomes included adverse events and laboratory assessments. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04327388; EudraCT, 2020-001162-12; and WHO, U1111-1249-6021. Findings: Between March 28 and July 3, 2020, of 431 patients who were screened, 420 patients were randomly assigned and 416 received placebo (n=84 [20%]), sarilumab 200 mg (n=159 [38%]), or sarilumab 400 mg (n=173 [42%]). At day 29, no significant differences were seen in median time to an improvement of two or more points between placebo (12·0 days [95% CI 9·0 to 15·0]) and sarilumab 200 mg (10·0 days [9·0 to 12·0]; hazard ratio [HR] 1·03 [95% CI 0·75 to 1·40]; log-rank p=0·96) or sarilumab 400 mg (10·0 days [9·0 to 13·0]; HR 1·14 [95% CI 0·84 to 1·54]; log-rank p=0·34), or in proportions of patients alive (77 [92%] of 84 patients in the placebo group; 143 [90%] of 159 patients in the sarilumab 200 mg group; difference −1·7 [−9·3 to 5·8]; p=0·63 vs placebo; and 159 [92%] of 173 patients in the sarilumab 400 mg group; difference 0·2 [−6·9 to 7·4]; p=0·85 vs placebo). At day 29, there were numerical, non-significant survival differences between sarilumab 400 mg (88%) and placebo (79%; difference +8·9% [95% CI −7·7 to 25·5]; p=0·25) for patients who had critical disease. No unexpected safety signals were seen. The rates of treatment-emergent adverse events were 65% (55 of 84) in the placebo group, 65% (103 of 159) in the sarilumab 200 mg group, and 70% (121 of 173) in the sarilumab 400 mg group, and of those leading to death 11% (nine of 84) were in the placebo group, 11% (17 of 159) were in the sarilumab 200 mg group, and 10% (18 of 173) were in the sarilumab 400 mg group. Interpretation: This trial did not show efficacy of sarilumab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and receiving supplemental oxygen. Adequately powered trials of targeted immunomodulatory therapies assessing survival as a primary endpoint are suggested in patients with critical COVID-19. Funding: Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals