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Objectives: Published data about the association between the consumption of sweetened soft-drinks (SSD) and obesity in childhood are controversial and still inconsistent. In addition, data are lacking in the Spanish population. The purpose of this study was therefore, to explore the cross-sectional association between body composition- related parameters and SSD consumption in Spanish adolescents. Subjects and methods: A representative sample of 1,523 adolescents (768 boys and 755 girls), with complete dietary data as well as anthropometric measurements, were included in this study. Weight, height, waist circumferences, and 6 skinfolds were measured, and BMI and percentage body fat were calculated. From a 24h dietary recall the subjects were grouped in 3 groups according to their SSD consumption: 1) Non-consumers (0 g of SSD consumption); 2) Moderate consumption (< 336 g/day of SSD, equivalent to the average SSD portion size); and 3) High consumption (> 336 g/day of SSD). Results: 67% males and 75% females did not consume any SSD the day before the dietary recall interview. Males consumed more SSD than females. Regarding the association between SSD consumption and measures of obesity, no difference was observed between the three groups of SSD consumption in any of the anthropometric measurement, BMI or body fat. Conclusion: As no association was present between SSD consumption and obesity in our cross-sectional study we suggest that dietary patterns and habits as well as lifestyle factors such as physical activity should be present when examining cross-sectional or longitudinal relationships with obesity. Multidisciplinary intervention studies are crucial when trying to develop solutions against the increasing obesity epidemic., Objetivos: Los datos publicados sobre la asociación entre el consumo de refrescos azucarados (SSD) y la obesidad en la infancia son controvertidos y todavía inconsistentes. Además, estos datos son muy escasos en la población española. Por ello, el propósito de este estudio ha sido estudiar la asociación entre los parámetros relacionados con la composición corporal y el consumo de SSD en adolescentes españoles. Sujetos y métodos: Se ha realizado el estudio en una muestra de 1.523 adolescentes (768 chicos y 755 chicas) que tenían cumplimentados los datos dietéticos y los parámetros antropométricos (peso, altura, circunferencias de cintura, y 6 pliegues). Se calculó el IMC y el porcentaje de grasa corporal. La dieta ha sido calculada a partir de un recordatorio de 24h. Los sujetos fueron divididos en grupos dependiendo de la cantidad de SSD que consumían: 1) No consumidores (0 g de consumo SSD); 2) Consumo moderado (< 336 g/día de SSD, equivalente a una bebida al día de SSD); y 3) Consumo alto (> 336 g/día de SSD). Resultados: El 67% de los varones y el 75% de las mujeres indican no consumir este tipo de bebidas el día anterior a la encuesta. Los varones en general consumieron más SSD que las mujeres. En cuanto a la asociación entre consumo SSD y medidas antropométricas y de composición corporal, no se encontraron diferencias significativas entre los tres grupos de estudio en los parámetros antropométricos, IMC o grasa corporal. Conclusión: Dado que no se ha encontrado en este estudio ninguna asociación entre el consumo de SSD y la obesidad, sugerimos que los patrones y hábitos dietarios así como los factores del estilo de vida, y la actividad física, deberían tenerse en cuenta al examinar las relaciones transversales o longitudinales con la obesidad, y que los estudios de intervención multidisciplinar son cruciales cuando se trata de desarrollar soluciones contra el incremento de una epidemia como la obesidad., The AVENA study was supported by Spanish Ministry of Health (00/0015) and by grants from the Spanish Higher Sports Council (05/UPB32/01, 09/UPB31/03 and 13/UPB20/04), the Spanish Ministry of Education (AP2003-2128 and AP2004-2745), Coca-Cola, Panrico SA, Madaus SA and Procter & Gamble SA.

Objectives: To provide reference values for haematological indices in Spanish adolescents according to age and gender. Methods: A cross sectional study conducted in five Spanish cities was performed. Blood was drawn from a representative sample of 581 adolescents with age ranging from 13 to 17-18.5 yr. Age- and gender-specific means, standard deviations and percentiles were determined for the following parameters: total red blood cell counts (RBC), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), haematocrit percentage (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, red cell distribution width and total white blood cell (WBC) counts as well as counts and percentage of neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils; platelet count (PLT), mean platelet volume and plateletcrit percentage. Results: Younger male subjects presented lower RBC, Hb, Hct and MCV means that their older counterpart. By contrast these differences were not observed in female subjects. As expected, RBC, Hb and Hct mean values in males were found significantly higher than in girls for all studied age groups. No significant differences were observed in WBC by age and gender. PLT values gradually decreased with age, except for females aged 17-18.5 yr. Conclusion: The present study provides reference data on the distribution of haematological indices of Spanish adolescents. These data can be useful biomarkers of the nutritional status in adolescents. © 2009 John Wiley & Sons A/S., The AVENA study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Health (FIS 00 ⁄ 0015) This study was also supported by the Spanish Ministry ofEducation (AP2003-2128).

Caso clínico: Paciente epiléptico de 63 años en tratamiento con vigabatrina que refería déficit de agudeza visual. Presentaba una retinopatía tóxica con palidez papilar e importante retracción del campo visual. Tras un año de suspensión del tratamiento persistía la retracción campimétrica. Discusión: Neurólogos y oftalmólogos debemos concienciarnos del potencial efecto retinotóxico de la vigabatrina. No hay consenso en cuanto a la estrategia de screening a utilizar. Una evaluación campimétrica hasta los 60º y una tomografía óptica de coherencia (OCT) parecen ser test diagnósticos sensibles en el screening de pacientes que toman vigabatrina. Case report: We report a case of a 63-year-old patient with epilepsy treated with vigabatrin, who was seen because of diminished visual acuity. Examination showed a toxic retinopathy with optic nerve pallor and severely constricted visual fields. One year after cessation of the vigabatrin, no change in the perimetric constriction had occurred. Discussion: Ophthalmologists and neurologists need to be aware of the possibility of retinal toxicity due to the use of vigabatrin. It is still unclear as to which ophthalmogic assessment is of the most diagnostic value; however visual field examination covering the peripheral 60º and optical coherence tomography could be most useful for the screening of patients using this agent.

Numerous studies illustrate that high-latitude, ice-sheetdominated, continental margins are more prone to largescale mass-movements than lower-latitude margins. Major slope instabilities are well-documented along the northern hemisphere, glacial margins of the Norwegian Sea (e.g.Storegga Slide) and the Svalbard-Barents Sea and of Greenland and eastern Canada. However, similar slopeinstabilities along the Antarctic Margins seem to be much more scarce. Here, we present the first detailed analysis of a Late Quaternary slide along an Antarctic margin.The Gebra Slide is situated along the Trinity Peninsula margin in the Central Bransfield Basin, Antarctic Peninsula. The slide scarp, clearly revealed by multibeam bathymetric data, extends over a length of about 30 km, from 1500 to 2000 m of water depth on the lower slope, well below the slope break which is here at about 750 m. The head of the slide is formed by an amphitheatre-shaped set of scarps with an elevation of 100 m. Further upslope, but still detached from the slope break, a second less-developed set of scarps suggests a multi-stage retrogressive mass-wasting process. The slide scarp area covers about 230 km2.Seismic reflection (airgun) profiles show that the associated deposit covers about 315 km2 of the western King George basin. Its typical acoustically transparent to chaotic seismic facies suggests it is essentially a debris flow deposit. The deposit is draped by the recentmost hemipelagic sedimentary unit. According to seismic-stratigraphic correlations, we put the age of the main sliding event at about 13.500 a B.P., around the last deglaciation in this part of the Antarctic (Banfield et al., 1995). The volume of this debris flow (21 km3) agrees very well with the disappeared volume higher on the slope.Although the Gebra Slide is positioned in front of a glacial trough with a higher sedimentary input, the sedimentation rates during both the present interglacial and the last glacial maximum - estimated as 0.24 cm/yr and 3.4 cm/yr, respectively, based on sediment cores and seismic stratigraphy - are too low for significant build-ups of excess pore pressure to develop in the sedimentary column. The position of the main scarp on water depths of 1500 m is far below the maximum grounding depth of the Antarctic Peninsula ice sheet (about 1000 m), excluding a possible triggering by loading/unloading of an advancing/retreating ice cap as a possible cause. No deep faulting in the underlying basement is observed on the seismic profiles, which also rules out a purely tectonic control. On the other hand, triggering by an earthquake in the volcanically and seismically active Bransfield Basin should not be excluded. Therefore, we propose that only an interaction between all above processes - in space and time - could have lead to the triggering of the Gebra Slide.

Editors Belén Alonso y Gemma Ercilla.-- 24 pages, 15 figures, El sector Oeste del Sistema Turbidítico del Magdalena (Mar Caribe) ha sido estudiado en detalle con técnicas acústicas que comprenden la sonda multi-haz EM-12, la sonda paramétrica de muy alta resolución TOPAS y el sistema acústico de alta resolución cañones de aire. Los datos obtenidos revelan que los elementos morfoestructurales y morfosedimentarios que conforman la arquitectura estratigráfica reciente de este sistema turbidítico son los siguientes: crestas morfológicas, depósitos de flujos en masa, complejos de canal-dique y ondas de sedimento. Los procesos geológicos activos hoy en día son los procesos tectónicos, los procesos gravitativos y los procesos asociados a corrientes de fondo. Los procesos tectónicos son responsables de la formación de crestas morfológicas en el sector Oeste, que representan el frente de deformación asociado con la interacción de las placas del Caribe y de Sudamérica. Los procesos gravitativos, que actúan en toda la zona de estudio, ocurren en el frente de deformación en forma de deslizamientos, flujos en masa y flujos turbidíticos. Asimismo, la actuación de flujos en masa ha dado lugar a la formación de tres grandes áreas con depósitos de flujos en masa que se extienden desde el talud continental superior hasta el talud continental inferior, mostrando una distribución radial. Las corrientes de fondo son responsables de la formación de un campo de ondas de sedimento en la parte distal del talud continental superior y en el talud continental inferior. En el pasado, además de estos procesos geológicos, los procesos gravitativos en forma fundamentalmente de flujos turbidíticos desarrollaron complejos de canal-dique. El desarrollo de estos complejos estuvo controlado por las áreas fuente y por la tectónica, los cuales gobernaron sus migraciones laterales. Estos complejos han sido destruidos total o parcialmente por los flujos en masa, y retrabajados por las corrientes de fondo que modifican su morfología original. No obstante, los complejos de canal-dique que no han sido totalmente destruidos pueden permanecer localmente activos debido a que los flujos en masa que destruyen sus diques pueden llegar a circular por el fondo del canal a lo largo de un segmento de su trayectoria

Preliminary data of wide-range side-scan sonar T.O.B.I. collected in the Gulf of Naples in September 1998 are presented. The data reveal the presence of a very large submarine debris avalanche off the southern flank of the island of Ischia which extends more than 40 km off-shore, down to a depth of 1000 m. Geometrical and morphological characters of the deposit and comparison with similar case histories suggest that the deposit might be originated by a large scale collapse of the southern flank of the island.

Gassy sediments and large, buried and actual seafloor pockmarks are identified on seismic records in the continental slope of the Gulf of Cadiz. The different acoustic responses produced by the gas in the sediment result from the local dynamic of the Mediterranean Undercurrent, which also controls the lithology of the slope sediments. The seafloor areas swept by this strong current are covered by coarse sediments with high porosity, which favours the escape of the gas, and then the development of pockmarks. Contrasting, the areas affected by weaker currents are covered by finer sediments of low porosity, and then the gas remains trapped into the sediment pores

Swath bathymetry and geophysical data of the island of Hierro show that the western flank of the island is affected, at least, by two major catastrophic slope failures. One of the two, called the El Golfo debris avalanche, led to the deposition of a sedimentary body of about 150 km3 of volcanic rock debris on the upper rise. The second major instability event, named the Canary debris flow, originated at the base-of-slope of the island of Hierro, and involved a larger amount of remobilized material. New evidences suggest that the Canary debris flow is the oldest in age. As a consequence of the Canary slide event, oversteeping and undermining of the lower island flanks occurred and subsequently triggered the El Golfo debris avalanche, whose deposits covered and obliterated the source area of the Canary debris flow. The triggering of El Colfo debris avalanche seems to be related also to the rift zones in the island of Hierro. From the establishment of the complex relationships between both slides, the El Golfo debris avalanche has been dated between 12.000 and 6.000 yBP Nuevos datos de batimetría y geofísica marinas de la isla de Hierro demuestran que el flanco occidental de la isla está afectado por un deslizamiento que depositó 150 km3 de derrubios volcánicos en el glacis c o n tin e n ta l superior, la avalancha de El Colfo. Un segundo evento, llam ado "debris f lo w " de Canarias, se originó en la base del talud de la isla del Hierro y movilizó unos 400 km3 de material. Nuevas evidencias sugieren que el "debris f l o w " de Canarias precedió a la avalancha de El C olfo. La avalancha de El Colfo pudo haberse originado a consecuencia de la socavación y sobreinclinación del talud asociadas a la cicatriz del «debris flow» de Canarias. Las zonas de rift en la isla del Hierro parecen haber tenido también un papel significativo en el desencadenamiento de la avalancha de El Colfo. El resultado fue el enmascaramiento del área fue nte del "debris f l o w " de Canarias p o r los depósitos de la avalancha. De la determinación de las complejas relaciones entre ambos flujos, se desprende que la avalancha de El Golfo ocurrió entre 12.000 y 6.000 años BP

A comprehensive data set of the seafloor relief and superficial sedimentary cover on the Ebro progradational continental slope, NW Mediterranean Sea, reveals that its Late Quaternary building results from complex interrelationships between processes ranging from channel abandonment to incision of inner minor courses, from retrogressive erosion and channel capture to levee cutting and new channel opening, from channel wall sliding to shelf-edge and channel spillover. These processes succeed ones to the others both in time and space conforming a canibalistic frame where the balance between destructive and constructive processes is finally favourable to the last. They result in the formation of the channel-levee complexes characteristic of the Ebro continental slope and base-of-slope

El análisis micropaleontológico de los últimos 140 000 años registrados en testigo de gravedad CAMEL-1 (5-6'25S/21-2'36W), sugirió valores bajos en la paleoproductividad de las aguas superficiales circundantes. Por otro lado, el registro de diatomeas de agua dulce y fitolitos en sedimentos marinos reflejaron incrementos en la aridez en el Continente africano durante los estadios glaciales, indicando desecación de lagos y desplazamientos del cinturón herbáceo. La combinación de los registros marinos y continentales permitió estimar la intensidad de los vientos

Physical properties measured on cores from d rill Sites o f O D P Leg 157 reveal th a t the d iffe re n t turbidites of Madeira Abyssal Plain have a distinct physical signal. Major differences result from the compositional variations among the three main types of turbidites (volcanic, organic-rich, and calcareous), and from changes in the carbonate content in the pelagic Intervals Las propiedades físicas medidas en los testigos recuperados de los sondeos del Leg 157 de ODP revelan que las diferentes turbiditas existentes en la Llanura Abisal de Madeira presentan una señal física característica. Las principales diferencias resultan de las variaciones composicionales entre los tres tipos principales de turbiditas (volcánicas, orgánicas y calcáreas), así como por cambios en el contenido en carbonato en l o s intervalos pelágicos

A peripheral depression with a sediment drift on its N flank develop N and E of Minorca Island. Both are interpreted to result from the activity of bottom currents circulating parallel to the base of the island slope since the Pliocene. Evidences of the contouriric activity are: the presence of a depression with an erosive character, a sedimentary ridge with the typical characteristics of contourite drifts, and large sediment waves. The depression has a maximum width of 5 km, and a depth of 150-200 m, whereas the contourite drift reaches up to 150 km in length, is 25 km wide, and 100 m high. The sediment waves developed on the inner flank of the contourite drift reach up to 5 km in length and 40 m in height. The genesis of all these structures is related to the circulation of the Mediterranean Deep Water ( MDW) in the area. The steep island slope, devoided of sediment and deeply gullied, is considered as the potential source area for the sediments reworked by the currents. Further seaward, the contourite deposits are in lateral continuity with the deposits of the North-Balearic Basin and the Valencia Fan

A comprehensive data set of the seafloor relief and superficial sedimentary cover on the Ebro progradational continental slope, NW Mediterranean Sea, reveals that its Late Quaternary building results from complex interrelationships between processes ranging from channel abandonment to incision of inner minor courses, from retrogressive erosion and channel capture to levee cutting and new channel opening, from channel wall sliding to shelf-edge and channel spillover. These processes succeed ones to the others both in time and space conforming a canibalistic frame where the balance between destructive and constructive processes is finally favourable to the last. They result in the formation of the channel-levee complexes characteristic of the Ebro continental slope and base-of-slope

Gassy sediments and large, buried and actual seafloor pockmarks are identified on seismic records in the continental slope of the Gulf of Cadiz. The different acoustic responses produced by the gas in the sediment result from the local dynamic of the Mediterranean Undercurrent, which also controls the lithology of the slope sediments. The seafloor areas swept by this strong current are covered by coarse sediments with high porosity, which favours the escape of the gas, and then the development of pockmarks. Contrasting, the areas affected by weaker currents are covered by finer sediments of low porosity, and then the gas remains trapped into the sediment pores

Physical properties measured on cores from d rill Sites o f O D P Leg 157 reveal th a t the d iffe re n t turbidites of Madeira Abyssal Plain have a distinct physical signal. Major differences result from the compositional variations among the three main types of turbidites (volcanic, organic-rich, and calcareous), and from changes in the carbonate content in the pelagic Intervals, Las propiedades físicas medidas en los testigos recuperados de los sondeos del Leg 157 de ODP revelan que las diferentes turbiditas existentes en la Llanura Abisal de Madeira presentan una señal física característica. Las principales diferencias resultan de las variaciones composicionales entre los tres tipos principales de turbiditas (volcánicas, orgánicas y calcáreas), así como por cambios en el contenido en carbonato en l o s intervalos pelágicos