New U-Pb zircon dating of Late Neoproterozoic magmatism in Western Meseta (Morocco)

We present new U-Pb zircon ages from magmatic rocks of the Western Meseta, part of the Moroccan Variscan belt. The Neoproterozoic–Cambrian stratigraphy in the region of Goäida (Aguelmous massif, SE of Moroccan Central Massif) consists of limestones with conglomeratic and felsic volcaniclastic levels, pelites and mafic volcanic rocks assigned to the Cambrian which unconformably overlie rhyolites, andesites and rhyodacites and felsic tuffs associated with the Aguelmous granite of probable Neoproterozoic age. The Neoproterozoic–Cambrian stratigraphy of the region of Sidi Ali is roughly similar and also includes a volcanic-sedimentary complex with limestones, arkoses rhyolites and conglomerates. These conglomerates contain pebbles of granite and rhyolite, whose source may be the Neoproterozoic basement. In order to constrain the age of the Precambrian felsic magmatism we sampled and dated zircons (LA-ICPMS) from the Goäida granite and a pebble of granite included in the conglomeratic levels of the volcanicsedimentary complex at Sidi Ali dome (central Rehamna massif). In the Goäida granite, zircon ages are Ediacaran ranging between ~ 610 Ma and ~ 540 Ma, with a discordia upper intercept age of 598±32 Ma (MSWD=0.04) that could be interpreted as the age of intrusion. However, if we consider only the two youngest ages we obtain a Concordia age of 590±3 Ma (MSWD= 0.34). In the Sidi Ali pebble sample the majority of zircon ages are Cryogenian–Ediacaran in the range ~ 640–600 Ma, with the youngest yielding a Concordia age of 609±2 Ma (MSWD=0.04), indicating the intrusion age of the granite from which the pebble derived. These results support the existence of Cadomian/Pan-African magmatism in the Western Meseta of Morocco, characterized by the intrusion of granites at ~ 609 Ma and ~ 590 Ma. This result is important for studies of sedimentary provenance and to improve paleogeographic reconstructions of the northern margin of Gondwana during the Neoproterozoic

Etude de la microstructure de l'argent implante en aluminium

SIGLECNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueFRFranc

Outcome of long-axis percutaneous sacroplasty as first-line treatment of sacral insufficiency fractures : P219

Purpose: To assess the clinical outcome of patients who were subjected to long-axis sacroplasty as first line treatment for sacral insufficiency fractures. Methods and materials: Nineteen patients with unilateral (n = 3) or bilateral (n = 16) sacral fractures were involved. Under local anaesthesia, each patient was subjected to CT guided sacroplasty using the long-axis approach through a single entry point. An average of 6 ml of PMMA was delivered along the path of each sacral fracture. For each individual patient, the VAS pain score before sacroplasty and at 1, 4, 24, and 48 weeks after the procedure was obtained. Furthermore, the use of analgesics (narcotic/non-narcotic) along with the evolution of post interventional patient mobility before and after sacroplasty was also recorded. Results: The mean pre-procedure VAS score was 8 ± 1.9. This has rapidly declined in the first week after the procedure (mean 4 ± 1.5) followed by gradual decrease along the rest of follow-up period at 4 weeks (mean 3 ± 1.2), 24 weeks (mean 2 ± 1.3), and 48 weeks (mean 1.3 ± 1.4), respectively. Eleven (58%) patients were under narcotic analgesia before sacroplasty, whereas, 8 (42%) patients were using non-narcotics. Corresponding values after the procedure were 2/19 (10%) (narcotic) and 10/19 53% (non-narcotic). Seven (37%) patients did not address post-procedure analgesic use. The evolution of post interventional mobility was favourable in the study group since they revealed a significant improvement in their mobility point scale. Conclusion: Long-axis percutaneous sacroplasty is a suitable minimally invasive treatment option for patients who present with sacral insufficiency fractures. Future studies with larger patient number are warranted to grasp any potential limitations of this therapeutic approach