Warm-water Dasycladaceae algae from the Late Ordovician of the Parahio Valley, Spiti, India

Warm-water Dasycladaceae algae Mastopora and Cyclocrinites were for the first time recorded from the Takche Formation (Upper Ordovician–lower Silurian), Parahio Valley, Spiti, India. They are preserved as external and internal moulds of the non-globular or possibly bulb-like cortical skeleton showing flattened thalli with a high degree of compaction. The occurrence of abundant cyclocrinitid remains in the Takche Formation indicates that the Spiti region of the northwestern Himalaya must have been located at about 30° palaeolatitude during the Late Ordovician and early Silurian. The cyclocrinitids were warm-water algae and their extinction at the end of the Ordovician is related to cooling and glaciations. The cyclocrinitids in the Ordovician are known from several localities in central and southern Asia, including Kazakhstan and western China

Vertical profiles of aerosol black carbon in the atmospheric boundary layer over a tropical coastal station: perturbations during an annular solar eclipse

Altitude profiles of aerosol black carbon (BC) in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over a tropical coastal station, Trivandrum have been examined on two days using an aethalometer attached to a tethered balloon. One of these days (15th January, 2010) coincided with a (annular) solar eclipse, the longest of this century at this location, commenced at 11:05 local time and ended by 15:05, lasting for 7 min and 15 s (from 13:10:42), with its maximum contact occurring at ~ 13:14 IST with ~ 92% annularity, thereby providing an opportunity to understand the eclipse induced perturbations. Concurrent measurements of the ABL parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity and pressure were also made on these days to describe the response of the ABL to the eclipse. BC profiles, in general, depicted similar features up to an altitude of ~ 200 m on the eclipse day and control day, above which it differed conspicuously with profiles on eclipse day showing increasingly lower concentration as we moved to higher altitudes. Examination of the meteorological profiles showed that the altitude of maximum convection rapidly fell down during the eclipse period compared to that on control day indicating a rather shallow convection on eclipse day. Comparison of diurnal variations of BC at the surface level showed that the rate of decrease in BC during daytime on the eclipse day was smaller than that on the control day due to the reduced convection, shallow ABL and consequent reduction in the ventilation coefficient. Moreover the time of the nocturnal increase has advanced by ~ 1:30 h on the eclipse day, occurred at around 19:30 IST in contrast to all the other days of January 2010, where this increase usually occur well after 20:30 IST, with a mean value of 21:00 IST. This is attributed to the weak sea-breeze penetration during the eclipse day, which led to an early onset of the land breeze

Hypertensive disorders in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy: insights from the ESC EORP PPCM Registry

Aims: Hypertensive disorders occur in women with peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM). How often hypertensive disorders co-exist, and to what extent they impact outcomes, is less clear. We describe differences in phenotype and outcomes in women with PPCM with and without hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. Methods: The European Society of Cardiology PPCM Registry enrolled women with PPCM from 2012-2018. Three groups were examined: 1) women without hypertension (‘PPCM-noHTN’); 2) women with hypertension but without pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-HTN’); 3) women with pre-eclampsia (‘PPCM-PE’). Maternal (6-month) and neonatal outcomes were compared. Results: Of 735 women included, 452 (61.5%) had PPCM-noHTN, 99 (13.5%) had PPCM-HTN and 184 (25.0%) had PPCM-PE. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had more severe symptoms (NYHA IV in 44.4% and 29.9%, p<0.001), more frequent signs of heart failure (pulmonary rales in 70.7% and 55.4%, p=0.002), higher baseline LVEF (32.7% and 30.7%, p=0.005) and smaller left ventricular end diastolic diameter (57.4mm [±6.7] and 59.8mm [±8.1], p<0.001). There were no differences in the frequencies of death from any cause, re-hospitalization for any cause, stroke, or thromboembolic events. Compared to women with PPCM-noHTN, women with PPCM-PE had a greater likelihood of left ventricular recovery (LVEF≥50%) (adjusted OR 2.08 95% CI 1.21-3.57) and an adverse neonatal outcome (composite of termination, miscarriage, low birth weight or neonatal death) (adjusted OR 2.84 95% CI 1.66-4.87). Conclusion: Differences exist in phenotype, recovery of cardiac function and neonatal outcomes according to hypertensive status in women with PPCM

Twelve-month observational study of children with cancer in 41 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic

Childhood cancer is a leading cause of death. It is unclear whether the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted childhood cancer mortality. In this study, we aimed to establish all-cause mortality rates for childhood cancers during the COVID-19 pandemic and determine the factors associated with mortality