Marine and terrestrial invertebrate borings and fungal damage in Paleogene fossil woods from Seymour Island, Antarctica

An assemblage of permineralized conifer and angiosperm woods collected from Paleogene marine strataon Seymour Island during the Swedish Antarctic expedition of 1901–1903 includes many specimens with internal damage caused by an array of xylophagous organisms. Short, broad, clavate borings referable to Gastrochaenolites clavatus are attributed to pholadid bivalves. Elongate borings with carbonate linings referable to Apectoichnus longissimus were produced by teredinid bivalves. Slender, cylindrical tunnels cross-cutting growth rings and backfilled in meniscoid fashion by frass composed of angular tracheid fragments were probably produced by a terrestrial beetle borer. They are most similar to tunnels generated by modern cerambycid and ptinid coleopterans. Less regular, spindle-shaped cavities and degraded zones flanking growth rings are similar to fungi-generated modern white pocket rot. Larger chambers in the heartwood referable to the ichnotaxon Asthenopodichnium lignorum were produced by an alternative mode of fungal degradation. The biological interactions evident in the fossil woods illustrate additional terrestrial trophic levels enhancing the known complexity of ecosystems on and around the Antarctic Peninsula shortly before the initial pulse of mid-Cenozoic glaciation in Antarctica that caused extirpation of the majority of plants and animals in that region

Glomerulonephropathy of Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome.

A patient with Laurence-Moon-Biedl syndrome and nephrotic range proteinuria is presented. Radiological investigation of the urinary tract revealed clubbed calyces but no evidence of obstruction or vesicoureteric reflux. Renal biopsy revealed occasional sclerotic glomeruli, extensive foot-process fusion and segmental glomerular basement membrane abnormalities with negative immunofluorescence for immunoglobulins and complement. Nephrotic proteinuria responded to steroid therapy but mild proteinuria persisted. The findings were consistent with minimal change nephropathy superimposed on the glomerular lesions of Lawrence-Moon-Biedl syndrome

Palynostratigraphy of dinosaur footprint-bearing deposits from theTriassic–Jurassic boundary interval of Sweden

The Triassic–Jurassic boundary (c. 200 Ma) marks one of the five largest Phanerozoic mass extinction events and is characterized by a major turnover in biotas. A palynological study of sedimentary rock slabs bearing dinosaur footprints from Rhaeto–Hettangian strata of Skåne, Sweden was carried out. The theropod dinosaur footprints (Kayentapus soltykovensis) derive from the southern part of the abandoned Vallåkra quarry (Höganäs Formation) and were originally dated as earliest Jurassic (Hettangian) based on lithostratigraphy. Our results reveal that two of the footprints are correlative with the latest Triassic (latest Rhaetian) disaster zone typified by a high abundance of the enigmatic gymnosperm pollen Ricciisporites tuberculatus and Perinopollenites elatoides together with the key taxon Limbosporites lundbladii and fern spores. Two footprints are dated to correlate with the Transitional Spore-spike Interval. One footprint is interpreted as Hettangian in age based on the relatively high abundance of Pinuspollenites spp. together with the presence of the key taxa Retitriletes semimuris and Zebrasporites intercriptus. Our new palynological study suggests that the Kayentapus ichnogenus already appeared in the end of Triassic, and our study highlights the use of palynology as a powerful tool to date historical collections of fossils in museums, universities and elsewhere. The Hettangian footprint reflects a marine influence while all other studied ichnofossil specimens occur in non-marine (floodplain and delta interdistributary) sediments. The sediments associated with the Hettangian footprint include a significant proportion of charcoal transported from land after wildfires. The Rhaeto–Hettangian vegetation was otherwise characterized by multi-storey gymnosperm–pteridophyte communities