The evolution of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the SouthwestPacific sector of the Southern Ocean throughout the Cenozoic era

EGU General Assembly in Viena, Austria, 7–12 April 2019The establishment and evolution of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) throughout the Cenozoic remainspoorly known, mainly because of the lack of continuous long-term records at strategic locations. Here we presentnew records from marine sediments collected by the Deep Sea Drilling Project (DSDP) Site 278, located in theSouthwestern Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean (Southern Emerald Basin), spanning from the mid-Oligoceneto the Pleistocene (ie. the∼28-2 Ma). Our site is ideally situated to reconstruct changes in the ACC sincethe mid-Oligocene as it remained along the polar frontal zone as shown by paleolatitude reconstructions andmicrofossil assemblage data. To track its evolution, we combined (i) mean grain size of sortable silt (SS) datawith (ii) primary productivity proxies including biogenic silica (BSi), calcium carbonate (CaCO3) and organicmatter, and (iii) neodymium isotope ratios (εNd) generated from fossil fish teeth and debris. Our results documenta significant increase in SS, enhanced marine productivity and a decrease inεNd values towards present-dayCircumpolar deep waterεNd values, suggesting a progressive strengthening of the proto-ACC flow over the last28 Ma. However, we find that the development of a modern-like, homogenous and deep-reaching current wasfully established solely during the Pliocene-Pleistocene transition, concomitantly with the onset of the NorthernHemisphere glaciation

INFOGEST inter-laboratory recommendations for assaying gastric and pancreatic lipases activities prior to in vitro digestion studies

International audienceIn vitro digestion studies often use animal digestive enzyme extracts as substitutes of human gastric and pancreatic secretions. Pancreatin from porcine origin is thus commonly used to provide relevant pancreatic enzymes such as proteases, amylase and lipase. Rabbit gastric extracts (RGE) have been recently introduced to provide gastric lipase in addition to pepsin. Before preparing simulated gastric and pancreatic extracts with targeted enzyme activities as described in in vitro digestion protocols, it is important to determine the activities of enzyme preparations using validated methods. The purpose of this inter-laboratory study within the INFOGEST network was to test the repeatability and reproducibility of lipase assays using the pH-stat technique for measuring the activities of gastric and pancreatic lipases from various sources. Twenty-one laboratories having different pH-stat devices received the same protocol with identical batches of RGE and two pancreatin sources. Lipase assays were performed using tributyrin as a substrate and three different amounts (50, 100 and 200 µg) of each enzyme preparation. The repeatability results within individual laboratories were satisfactory with coefficients of variation (CVs) ranging from 4 to 8% regardless of the enzyme amount tested. However, the inter-laboratory variability was high (CV > 15%) compared to existing standards for bioanalytical assays. We identified and weighted the contributions to inter-laboratory variability of several parameters associated with the various pH-stat equipment used in this study (e.g. reaction vessel volume and shape, stirring mode and rate, burette volume for the automated delivery of sodium hydroxide). Based on this, we established recommendations for improving the reproducibility of lipase assays using the pH-stat technique. Defining accurate and complete recommendations on how to correctly quantify activity levels of enzyme preparations is a gateway to promising comparison of in vitro data obtained from different laboratories following the same in vitro digestion protocol

Incidence of severe critical events in paediatric anaesthesia (APRICOT): a prospective multicentre observational study in 261 hospitals in Europe

Background Little is known about the incidence of severe critical events in children undergoing general anaesthesia in Europe. We aimed to identify the incidence, nature, and outcome of severe critical events in children undergoing anaesthesia, and the associated potential risk factors. Methods The APRICOT study was a prospective observational multicentre cohort study of children from birth to 15 years of age undergoing elective or urgent anaesthesia for diagnostic or surgical procedures. Children were eligible for inclusion during a 2-week period determined prospectively by each centre. There were 261 participating centres across 33 European countries. The primary endpoint was the occurence of perioperative severe critical events requiring immediate intervention. A severe critical event was defined as the occurrence of respiratory, cardiac, allergic, or neurological complications requiring immediate intervention and that led (or could have led) to major disability or death. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01878760. Findings Between April 1, 2014, and Jan 31, 2015, 31â127 anaesthetic procedures in 30â874 children with a mean age of 6·35 years (SD 4·50) were included. The incidence of perioperative severe critical events was 5·2% (95% CI 5·0â5·5) with an incidence of respiratory critical events of 3·1% (2·9â3·3). Cardiovascular instability occurred in 1·9% (1·7â2·1), with an immediate poor outcome in 5·4% (3·7â7·5) of these cases. The all-cause 30-day in-hospital mortality rate was 10 in 10â000. This was independent of type of anaesthesia. Age (relative risk 0·88, 95% CI 0·86â0·90; p<0·0001), medical history, and physical condition (1·60, 1·40â1·82; p<0·0001) were the major risk factors for a serious critical event. Multivariate analysis revealed evidence for the beneficial effect of years of experience of the most senior anaesthesia team member (0·99, 0·981â0·997; p<0·0048 for respiratory critical events, and 0·98, 0·97â0·99; p=0·0039 for cardiovascular critical events), rather than the type of health institution or providers. Interpretation This study highlights a relatively high rate of severe critical events during the anaesthesia management of children for surgical or diagnostic procedures in Europe, and a large variability in the practice of paediatric anaesthesia. These findings are substantial enough to warrant attention from national, regional, and specialist societies to target education of anaesthesiologists and their teams and implement strategies for quality improvement in paediatric anaesthesia. Funding European Society of Anaesthesiology

Incidence of severe critical events in paediatric anaesthesia (APRICOT): a prospective multicentre observational study in 261 hospitals in Europe

Background Little is known about the incidence of severe critical events in children undergoing general anaesthesia in Europe. We aimed to identify the incidence, nature, and outcome of severe critical events in children undergoing anaesthesia, and the associated potential risk factors. Methods The APRICOT study was a prospective observational multicentre cohort study of children from birth to 15 years of age undergoing elective or urgent anaesthesia for diagnostic or surgical procedures. Children were eligible for inclusion during a 2-week period determined prospectively by each centre. There were 261 participating centres across 33 European countries. The primary endpoint was the occurence of perioperative severe critical events requiring immediate intervention. A severe critical event was defined as the occurrence of respiratory, cardiac, allergic, or neurological complications requiring immediate intervention and that led (or could have led) to major disability or death. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT01878760. Findings Between April 1, 2014, and Jan 31, 2015, 31 127 anaesthetic procedures in 30 874 children with a mean age of 6.35 years (SD 4.50) were included. The incidence of perioperative severe critical events was 5.2% (95% CI 5.0-5.5) with an incidence of respiratory critical events of 3.1% (2.9-3.3). Cardiovascular instability occurred in 1.9% (1.7-2.1), with an immediate poor outcome in 5.4% (3.7-7.5) of these cases. The all-cause 30-day in-hospital mortality rate was 10 in 10 000. This was independent of type of anaesthesia. Age (relative risk 0.88, 95% CI 0.86-0.90; p<0.0001), medical history, and physical condition (1.60, 1.40-1.82; p<0.0001) were the major risk factors for a serious critical event. Multivariate analysis revealed evidence for the beneficial effect of years of experience of the most senior anaesthesia team member (0.99, 0.981-0.997; p<0.0048 for respiratory critical events, and 0.98, 0.97-0.99; p=0.0039 for cardiovascular critical events), rather than the type of health institution or providers. Interpretation This study highlights a relatively high rate of severe critical events during the anaesthesia management of children for surgical or diagnostic procedures in Europe, and a large variability in the practice of paediatric anaesthesia. These findings are substantial enough to warrant attention from national, regional, and specialist societies to target education of anaesthesiologists and their teams and implement strategies for quality improvement in paediatric anaesthesia