Chemical fluxes from time series sampling of the Irrawaddy and Salween Rivers, Myanmar

The Irrawaddy and Salween rivers in Myanmar deliver water fluxes to the ocean equal to ~ 70% of the Ganges–Brahmaputra river system. Together these systems are thought to deliver about half the dissolved load from the tectonically active Himalayan–Tibetan orogen. Previously very little data was available on the dissolved load and isotopic compositions of these major rivers. Here we present time series data of 171 samples collected fortnightly at intervals throughout 2004 to 2007 from the Irrawaddy and Salween at locations near both the river mouths, the up-stream Irrawaddy at Myitkyina, the Chindwin, a major tributary of the Irrawaddy and a set of 28 small tributaries which rise in the flood plain of the Irrawaddy between Yangon and Mandalay. The samples have been analysed for major cation, anion and 87Sr/86Sr ratios. The new data indicates that the Irrawaddy has an annual average Na concentration only a third of the widely quoted single previously published analysis. The Irrawaddy and Salween drain about 0.5% of global continental area and deliver about 3.3% of the global silicate-derived dissolved Ca + Mg fluxes and 2.6% of the global Sr riverine fluxes to the oceans. This compares with Ganges and Brahmaputra which deliver about 3.4% of the global silicate-derived dissolved Ca + Mg fluxes and 3.2% of the global Sr riverine fluxes to the oceans from about 1.1% of global continental area. The discharge-weighted mean 87Sr/86Sr ratio of the Irrawaddy is 0.71024 and the Salween 0.71466. The chemistry of the Salween and the Irrawaddy waters reflects their different bedrock geology. The catchment of the Salween extends across the Shan Plateau in Myanmar through the Eastern syntaxis of the Himalayas and into Tibet. The Irrawaddy flows over the Cretaceous and Tertiary magmatic and metamorphic rocks exposed along the western margin of the Shan Plateau and the Cretaceous to Neogene Indo-Burma ranges. The 87Sr/86Sr compositions of the Salween and Upper Irrawaddy (between 0.7128 and 0.7176) are significantly higher than the downstream Irrawaddy (0.7095 to 0.7108) and the Chindwin (0.7082 to 0.7095). The Irrawaddy and the Chindwin exhibit lower 87Sr/86Sr and Na/Ca ratios during and immediately post-monsoon, interpreted to reflect higher weathering of carbonate at high flow. The Salween exhibits higher 87Sr/86Sr ratios but lower Na/Ca ratios during the monsoon, interpreted to reflect higher inputs from the upper parts of the catchment in the Himalayas.The research was funded by the UK Natural Environmental Research Council grant NE/C513850/1.This is the final published version. It first appeared at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0009254115000510#

The Puzzling Conservation and Diversification of Lipid Droplets from Bacteria to Eukaryotes

International audienceMembrane compartments are amongst the most fascinating markers of cell evolution from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, some being conserved and the others having emerged via a series of primary and secondary endosymbiosis events. Membrane compartments comprise the system limiting cells (one or two membranes in bacteria, a unique plasma membrane in eukaryotes) and a variety of internal vesicular, subspherical, tubular, or reticulated organelles. In eukaryotes, the internal membranes comprise on the one hand the general endomembrane system, a dynamic network including organelles like the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, the nuclear envelope, etc. and also the plasma membrane, which are linked via direct lateral connectivity (e.g. between the endoplasmic reticulum and the nuclear outer envelope membrane) or indirectly via vesicular trafficking. On the other hand, semiautonomous organelles, i.e. mitochondria and chloroplasts, are disconnected from the endomembrane system and request vertical transmission following cell division. Membranes are organized as lipid bilayers in which proteins are embedded. The budding of some of these membranes, leading to the formation of the so-called lipid droplets (LDs) loaded with hydrophobic molecules, most notably triacylglycerol, is conserved in all clades. The evolution of eukaryotes is marked by the acquisition of mitochondria and simple plastids from Gram-positive bacteria by primary endosymbiosis events and the emergence of extremely complex plastids, collectively called secondary plastids, bounded by three to four membranes, following multiple and independent secondary endosymbiosis events. There is currently no consensus view of the evolution of LDs in the Tree of Life. Some features are conserved; others show Josselin Lupette and Eric Maréchal contributed equally with all other contributors

Maternal and neonatal outcomes after caesarean delivery in the African Surgical Outcomes Study: a 7-day prospective observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Maternal and neonatal mortality is high in Africa, but few large, prospective studies have been done to investigate the risk factors associated with these poor maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: A 7-day, international, prospective, observational cohort study was done in patients having caesarean delivery in 183 hospitals across 22 countries in Africa. The inclusion criteria were all consecutive patients (aged ≥18 years) admitted to participating centres having elective and non-elective caesarean delivery during the 7-day study cohort period. To ensure a representative sample, each hospital had to provide data for 90% of the eligible patients during the recruitment week. The primary outcome was in-hospital maternal mortality and complications, which were assessed by local investigators. The study was registered on the South African National Health Research Database, number KZ_2015RP7_22, and on ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT03044899. FINDINGS: Between February, 2016, and May, 2016, 3792 patients were recruited from hospitals across Africa. 3685 were included in the postoperative complications analysis (107 missing data) and 3684 were included in the maternal mortality analysis (108 missing data). These hospitals had a combined number of specialist surgeons, obstetricians, and anaesthetists totalling 0·7 per 100 000 population (IQR 0·2-2·0). Maternal mortality was 20 (0·5%) of 3684 patients (95% CI 0·3-0·8). Complications occurred in 633 (17·4%) of 3636 mothers (16·2-18·6), which were predominantly severe intraoperative and postoperative bleeding (136 [3·8%] of 3612 mothers). Maternal mortality was independently associated with a preoperative presentation of placenta praevia, placental abruption, ruptured uterus, antepartum haemorrhage (odds ratio 4·47 [95% CI 1·46-13·65]), and perioperative severe obstetric haemorrhage (5·87 [1·99-17·34]) or anaesthesia complications (11·47 (1·20-109·20]). Neonatal mortality was 153 (4·4%) of 3506 infants (95% CI 3·7-5·0). INTERPRETATION: Maternal mortality after caesarean delivery in Africa is 50 times higher than that of high-income countries and is driven by peripartum haemorrhage and anaesthesia complications. Neonatal mortality is double the global average. Early identification and appropriate management of mothers at risk of peripartum haemorrhage might improve maternal and neonatal outcomes in Africa. FUNDING: Medical Research Council of South Africa.Medical Research Council of South Africa