TB endemic evolution in Romania in the shadow of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

The provisory data collected by the tuberculosis (TB) Program in 2020 show that the global incidence decreases by 30%, but considering the long interval from infection to the appearance of clinical manifestations in TB, we will be able to analyse only in the following years the positive or negative impact of the restrictive measures imposed as a result of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, on the evolution of TB in Romania.

Vaccine-induced tuberculous osteomyelitis

Tuberculosis (TB) has an endemic evolution in Tunisia. Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination is systematically provided to all children. The vaccination is exceptionally complicated by a dissemination beyond the injection site (0.018 case per 100000 vaccination). We report a case of induced osteomyelitis in one-year old child following BCG vaccination. Keywords: Tuberculosis; BCG vaccine; Osteomyelitis; Management.

Contemporaneity of Australopithecus, Paranthropus, and early Homo erectus in South Africa

Understanding the extinction of Australopithecus and origins of Paranthropus and Homo in South Africa has been hampered by the perceived complex geological context of hominin fossils, poor chronological resolution, and a lack of well-preserved early Homo specimens. We describe, date, and contextualize the discovery of two hominin crania from Drimolen Main Quarry in South Africa. At ~2.04 million to 1.95 million years old, DNH 152 represents the earliest definitive occurrence of Paranthropus robustus, and DNH 134 represents the earliest occurrence of a cranium with clear affinities to Homo erectus. These crania also show that Homo, Paranthropus, and Australopithecus were contemporaneous at ~2 million years ago. This high taxonomic diversity is also reflected in non-hominin species and provides evidence of endemic evolution and dispersal during a period of climatic variability.

Patterns of flower microstructural variation within the genus Bromus

Twenty five species from four sections of the genus <em>Bromus</em> were evaluated by means of numerical analyses of characters of flower microstructures (lodicule, lemma, palea). Special development of lodicules (lobe and hairiness) and both glumellae (lemma and palea) similar in grasses evolutionarily close (<em>Bromeae</em>, <em>Brachypodieae</em>, <em>Triticeae</em>) was discovered. For most of the characters the original interspecific and intersectional relations were observed in a space of minimum spanning tree (MST). The evolutionary old section Pnigma occupies the largest space. Species of Pnigma having small chromosomes can be distinguished from those having large ones. The section <em>Ceratochloa</em> is scattered through the smallest space. The above points to the endemic evolution of high polyploids of the section. The sections <em>Bromus</em> and <em>Genea</em> are evolutionarily close and they distinctly overlap each other in the MST space. <em>Bromus sterilis</em>, <em>B. catharticus</em> and <em>B. riparius</em> are extremes in their own sections.

A revision of the Neogene Cancellariid Gastropods of the Paratethys Sea

We present the first synoptic revision of the cancellariid gastropods of the Miocene Paratethys Sea. This huge epicontiental sea experienced outstanding phases of invasions and endemic evolution, which resulted in a total diversity of at least 53 cancellariid species. The maximum diversity of 43 species was established during the early Middle Miocene (Langhian), corresponding to the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum. This speciation and diversification event is suspected to be potentially still traceable in molecular clock analysis and should be considered in future investigations. The turn-over rate at species level was considerable, resulting in short species longevity. Most species were already extinct by Pliocene times and only a single species seems to have survived until the Early Pleistocene. None of these Miocene Paratethyan cancellariid species survive today in modern circum–Mediterranean assemblages. Extant species referred to the Miocene Admetinae genus Cancellicula are clearly not congeneric and have to be placed in a separate genus.Steiningeriella nov. gen. is described as new genus and Ovilia breitenbergerorum nov. sp. as new species. Petitina nov. nom. is introduced as replacement name for the preoccupied Inermia. New combinations are: Bonellitia hoernesi (Kittl, 1887) nov. comb., Pseudobabylonella nysti (Hörnes, 1854) nov. comb., Calcarata vindobonensis (Hilber, 1892) nov. comb., Contortia callosa (Hörnes, 1854) nov. comb., Contortia fenestrata (Eichwald, 1830) nov. comb., Contortia saccoi Hoernes & Auinger, 1890 nov. comb., Contortia tortoniana (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb., Merica crenata (Hörnes, 1856) nov. comb., Merica succineiformis (Boettger, 1906) nov. comb., Ovilia excassidea (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb., Petitina inermis (Pusch, 1837) nov. comb., Petitina angulata (Sieber, 1936) nov. comb., Perplicaria mioquadrata (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb., Scalptia dertocosticillata (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb., Scalptia dertoparva (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb., Scalptia polonica (Pusch, 1837) nov. comb., Scalptia michelinii (Bellardi, 1841) nov. comb., Scalptia neugeboreni (Hörnes, 1856) nov. comb., Scalptia scrobiculata (Hörnes, 1854) nov. comb., Solatia exwestiana (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb., Steiningeriella hebertiana (Hörnes, 1856) nov. comb. and Trigonostoma exampullaceum (Sacco, 1894) nov. comb.

Early Tertiary mammals from North Africa reinforce the molecular Afrotheria clade

The phylogenetic pattern and timing of the radiation of mammals, especially the geographical origins of major crown clades, are areas of controversy among molecular biologists, morphologists and palaeontologists. Molecular phylogeneticists have identified an Afrotheria clade, which includes several taxa as different as tenrecs (Tenrecidae), golden moles (Chrysochloridae), elephant-shrews (Macroscelididae), aardvarks (Tubulidentata) and paenungulates (elephants, sea cows and hyracoids). Molecular data also suggest a Cretaceous African origin for Afrotheria within Placentalia followed by a long period of endemic evolution on the Afro-Arabian continent after the mid-Cretaceous Gondwanan breakup (approx. 105–25 Myr ago). However, there was no morphological support for such a natural grouping so far. Here, we report new dental and postcranial evidence of Eocene stem hyrax and macroscelidid from North Africa that, for the first time, provides a congruent phylogenetic view with the molecular Afrotheria clade. These new fossils imply, however, substantial changes regarding the historical biogeography of afrotheres. Their long period of isolation in Africa, as assumed by molecular inferences, is now to be reconsidered inasmuch as Eocene paenungulates and elephant-shrews are here found to be related to some Early Tertiary Euramerican ‘hyopsodontid condylarths’ (archaic hoofed mammals). As a result, stem members of afrotherian clades are not strictly African but also include some Early Paleogene Holarctic mammals.

Morphological diversification of Ptychopariida (Trilobita) from the Marjumiid biomere (Middle and Upper Cambrian)

Ptychopariid trilobites from the Marjumiid biomere of Laurentia underwent a statistically significant morphological diversification that is concordant with proposed adaptive radiations of trilobites in each of the Cambrian biomeres. An analysis of a subset consisting of the biomere's most characteristic taxa, the Asaphiscacea, Raymondinacea, and Marjumiacea, also illustrates this morphological diversification. In detail, the total data set and subset show a limited range of morphologies near the base of the biomere and a large increase in range in the upper portion of the biomere.Regional assemblages from the Appalachians, Great Basin, and Texas were also studied to determine if they too show the larger-scale macroevolutionary patterns of trilobites from Laurentia as a whole. The regional assemblages illustrate similar, butnot identical, morphological diversifications, which are also similar to the overall Laurentian pattern. Subsets of the characteristic taxa also show this diversification. These results suggest that regional assemblages can be used to investigate these larger-scale macroevolutionary patterns.Causal mechanisms for the diversification patterns are not clear. Potential mechanisms include: (1) endemic evolution of new morphologies in Laurentia; (2) migration of new morphologies, including intra- and inter-continental migrations; and (3) environmental controls over the distribution of morphologies. Likely causes for the morphological diversification and its similarity among regions probably include aspects of all three mechanisms.