Non-ketotic hyperglycinaemia: Glycine/serine ratio in amniotic fluid–an unreliable method for prenatal diagnosis

We describe a prenatal diagnosis of a fetus at risk for non-ketotic hyperglycinaemia based on the glycine/serine ratio in amniotic fluid at 16 weeks of gestation. Although the glycine level and the glycine/serine ratio in amniotic fluid were within the normal range, the fetus was affected and therefore a false-negative prediction was made. The reliability of this method is questioned.     

Ontogenetic data and the evolutionary origin of the mammalian scapula

One of the most useful diagnostic therian features is the division of the lateral surface of the scapula into two fossae separated by a scapular spine. A new model to describe this evolutionary innovation based on ontogenetic data is provided, consistent with information provided by recent fossil discoveries. The development of the scapula in three didelphid and one dasyurid marsupials using histological sections was studied. Only the ventral, acromial portion of the scapular spine, which originates from the anterior margin of the scapular blade, is preformed in cartilage. The major dorsal portion is formed at a later stage by appositional bone, which expands from the perichondral ossification of the scapula into an intermuscular aponeurosis between the supra-and infraspinatus muscles. This intermuscular aponeurosis inserts more or less in the middle of the lateral surface of the developing scapula. Thus, the floor of the supraspinous fossa is already present at the beginning of scapular development, simultaneous with the infraspinous fossa. The portion of the scapular spine that is situated dorsal to the acromial process is hypothesized to be a neomorphic structure of therians. The dorsal portion of the scapular spine evolved as additional attachment for powerful supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles meeting near the middle of the lateral scapula.     

European Atlantic: the hottest oil spill hotspot worldwide

Oil spills caused by maritime transport of petroleum products are still an important source of ocean pollution, especially in main production areas and along major transport routes. We here provide a historical and geographic analysis of the major oil spills (>700 t) since 1960. Spills were recorded from several key marine ecosystems and marine biodiversity hotspots. The past four decades have been characterized by an overall decrease in the number of accidents and tonnes of oil spilled in the sea, but this trend was less distinct in the European Atlantic area. Recent black tides from the Erika and Prestige vessels provided new evidence for the high risk of accidents with serious ecological impact in this area, which according to our analysis is historically the most important oil spill hotspot worldwide. The English Channel and waters around Galicia in Spain were the areas with most accidents. Maritime transport in European Atlantic waters has been predicted to continue increasing. Together with our own results this suggests that, in addition to measures for increased traffic safety, deployment of emergency capacities in the spill hotspot areas may be crucial for a sustainable conservation of sea resources and ecosystems.Electronic Supplementary Material  Supplementary material is available for this article if you access the article at . A link in the frame on the left on that page takes you directly to the supplementary material.     

Phytoplankton and pigment distributions in an anticyclonic slope water oceanic eddy (SWODDY) in the southern Bay of Biscay

An anticyclonic slope water oceanic eddy (SWODDY), named AE6, was sampled in the southern Bay of Biscay from 12 to 31 August 1998 to assess changes in the abundance and composition of phytoplankton assemblages related to the mesoscale feature. SWODDY AE6 showed characteristic biological signatures. A twofold increase in chlorophyll a concentration was found at the eddy centre relative to surrounding waters. Picoplankton cells accounted for a lower fraction of total chlorophyll a values at the eddy centre (44–50%) than outside the eddy (54–61%). Microscopic cell counts and HPLC pigment analysis showed that diatoms were almost entirely confined to the eddy centre, but both techniques yielded different results when studying other phytoplankton groups. Microscopic cell counts indicated that the spatial distribution of diatoms, dinoflagellates and unidentified flagellates was significantly influenced by SWODDY AE6, showing maximum abundance inside the mesoscale feature. HPLC pigment analysis provided more detailed information about the composition of pico–nanoplanktonic organisms. Pigment data processed by means of the CHEMTAX program showed "chlorophytes", "haptophytes" and "dinoflagellates II" (having haptophyte-like pigments and gyroxanthin-diester) as the more abundant "pigment classes" at the eddy centre, whereas dominance of "chlorophytes" and higher contribution of "cyanobacteria" (type Synechococcus) were estimated in the surrounding waters.Communicated by S.A. Poulet, Roscoff