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Integration of several geologic lines of evidence reveals the prevalence of a lowland trans-Andean portal communicating western Amazonia and the westernmost Andes from at least middle Miocene until Pliocene times. Volcanism and crustal shortening built up relief in the southernmost Central and Eastern Cordilleras of Colombia, closing this lowland gap. Independent lines of evidence consist first, of field mapping in the Tatacoa Desert with a coverage area of ∼381 km2, 1,165 km of geological contact traces, 164 structural data points, and 3D aerial digital mapping models. This map documents the beginning of southward propagation of the southernmost tip of the Eastern Cordillera’s west-verging, fold-and-thrust belt between ∼12.2 and 13.7 Ma. Second, a compilation of new and published detrital zircon geochronology in middle Miocene strata of the Tatacoa Desert shows three distinctive age populations: middle Miocene, middle Eocene, and Jurassic; the first two sourced west of the Central Cordillera, the latter in the Magdalena Valley. Similar populations with the three distinctive peaks have now been recovered in western Amazonian middle Miocene strata. These observations, along with published molecular and fossil fish data, suggest that by Serravallian times (∼13 Ma), the Northern Andes were separated from the Central Andes at ∼3°N by a fluvial system that flowed into the Amazon Basin through the Tatacoa Desert. This paleogeographic configuration would be similar to a Western Andean, or Marañon Portal. Late Miocene flattening of the subducting Nazca slab caused the eastward migration of the Miocene volcanic arc, so that starting at ∼4 Ma, large composite volcanoes were built up along the axis of today's Central Cordillera, closing this lowland Andean portal and altering the drainage patterns to resemble a modern configuration.

Results are reported for Mn intercalated Zr 2 Te 2 P, where x-ray diffraction , energy dispersive spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy measurements reveal that the van der Waals bonded Te-Te layers are partially filled by Zr and Mn ions. This leads to the chemical formulas Zr 0.07 Zr 2 Te 2 P and Mn 0.06 Zr 0.03 Zr 2 Te 2 P for the parent and substituted compounds, respectively. The impact of the Mn ions is seen in the anisotropic magnetic susceptibility, where Curie-Weiss fits to the data indicate that the Mn ions are in the divalent state. Heat capacity and electrical transport measurements reveal metallic behavior, but the electronic coefficient of the heat capacity ( γ Mn ≈ 36.6 mJ (mol·K 2 ) -1 ) is enhanced by comparison to that of the parent compound. Magnetic ordering is seen atTM≈4 K, where heat capacity measurements additionally show that the phase transition is broad, likely due to the disordered Mn distribution. This transition also strongly reduces the electronic scattering seen in the normalized electrical resistance. These results show that Mn substitution simultaneously introduces magnetic interactions and tunes the electronic state, which improves prospects for inducing novel behavior in Zr 2 Te 2 P and the broader family of ternary tetradymites., (© 2022 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

The aim of this study was to determine the levels of different inorganic elements (lead [Pb], mercury [Hg], and arsenic [As]) and persistent chlorinated pollutants (including polychlorinated biphenyls [PCBs] and organochlorine pesticides [OCPs]) in blood and plasma of White stork (Ciconia ciconia) nestlings from northwest (NW) Spain. The concentrations of PCBs were lower than the limit of detection in all samples. The OCPs γ-HCH, 4,4'-DDE, HCB, and endosulfan were detected most frequently in plasma from White stork nestlings. These OCPs were detected in 98, 54, 39, and 37 % of all samples, respectively. However, the concentrations of organic pollutants were lower than the risk thresholds for birds. The mean levels of the inorganic elements Pb, Hg, and As were found to be 36.92 ± 33.48, 16.48 ± 12.87, and 9.813 ± 13.84 µg/L, respectively. These levels were also lower than the risk thresholds for birds. This study not only provides a snapshot of the levels of both inorganic and organic contaminants in wild White storks in NW Spain, it also provides a useful baseline for biomonitoring levels of the measured contaminants in this area.

Colonic carcinoma is a well-defined tumor with a low frequency among young people. We report the case of a 34 year old patient having two synchronous colorectal carcinomas of the right colon, who also had a family history of colonic and extracolonic neoplasms. We performed an extended right colectomy without chemotherapy. Fourteen months after surgery he had tumor recurrence and liver metastases. We reviewed then the clinical features, inclusion criteria, screening and the discussed treatment of the hereditary non-poliposis colorectal cancer or Lynch Syndrome, limited to the colon or associated to extracolonic carcinoma (Lynch I and II). A clear and detailed familial history is the only definite criteria for the diagnosis. We recommend early colonoscopy follow-up on first degree relatives considered as a high risk population.

Moclobemide is the first of a new generation of reversible inhibitors of monoamine oxidase-A (RIMA) with no clinically relevant potentiation of the hypertensive actions of dietary tyramine. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy and safety of moclobemide with an established irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor, tranylcypromine, in depressed patients. Patients were randomized to receive moclobemide (81 patients) or tranylcypromine (79 patients) at individually titrated doses (100-300 mg/day of moclobemide and 10-30 mg/day of tranylcypromine) under double-blind conditions for at least four weeks, in a multicenter trial. Antidepressant efficacy was assessed using items 1-17 of the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD-17), the von Zerssen 'Befindlichkeits' scales, a visual analog scale and the clinicians' global impression. Both treatments resulted in significant amelioration of depression as determined by all rating instruments. HAMD-17 scores were reduced by 63% and 58% with moclobemide and tranylcypromine respectively, although the difference between the groups was not significant. The other rating instruments yielded similar results, apart from the clinician's assessment of efficacy at day 28. In this assessment, efficacy was rated as very good/good in 78% of moclobemide treated patients and in 88% of the tranylcypromine treated patients; however, only patients who had not dropped out of the trial were included in this assessment. The tolerability of both drugs was good, although moclobemide appeared to possess a small advantage in this regard since only one patient in this group was prematurely withdrawn from the trial due to inadequate tolerability/adverse events, compared with nine withdrawals in the tranylcypromine group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)