Sellanes, J., Quiroga, E., and Neira, C. 2008. Megafauna community structure and trophic relationships at the recently discovered Concepción Methane Seep Area, Chile, ∼36°S. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 65: 1102–1111. The fauna, community composition, and trophic support of the newly discovered Concepción Methane Seep Area (CMSA) are compared with those at a nearby non-seep control. The assemblage of chemosymbiotic bivalves is defined by eight species, including the families Lucinidae, Thyasiridae, Solemyidae, and Vesicomyidae. Seep polychaetes are represented by Lamellibrachia sp. and two commensal species of the vesicomyid Calyptogena gallardoi. Although taxonomic analysis is still under way, most of the chemosymbiotic species seem to be endemics. The CMSA is a hotspot for non-seep benthic megafauna too; 101 taxa were present, but most of them are colonists or vagrants (i.e. not endemics of methane seeps). Isotope analysis supported the belief that non-symbiont-bearing species utilize photosynthetically fixed carbon, because they were isotopically distinct from the chemosymbiotic bivalve species present. It is our opinion that, at this site, which underlies one of the most productive coastal upwelling regions of the world, spatial heterogeneity and the availability of hard substratum, generated by the presence of authigenic carbonate crusts, are more important factors in attracting non-seep fauna than the availability of locally produced chemosynthetic food.

Abstract Background Controversy exists as to what may be defined as standard of care (including markers for stratification) for patients with atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumors (ATRTs). The European Rhabdoid Registry (EU-RHAB) recruits uniformly treated patients and offers standardized genetic and DNA methylation analyses. Methods Clinical, genetic, and treatment data of 143 patients from 13 European countries were analyzed (2009–2017). Therapy consisted of surgery, anthracycline-based induction, and either radiotherapy or high dose chemotherapy following a consensus among European experts. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, and sequencing were employed for assessment of somatic and germline mutations in SWItch/sucrose nonfermentable related, matrix associated, actin dependent regulator of chromatin, subfamily B (SMARCB1). Molecular subgroups (ATRT-SHH, ATRT-TYR, and ATRT-MYC) were determined using DNA methylation arrays, resulting in profiles of 84 tumors. Results Median age at diagnosis of 67 girls and 76 boys was 29.5 months. Five-year overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) were 34.7 ± 4.5% and 30.5 ± 4.2%, respectively. Tumors displayed allelic partial/whole gene deletions (66%; 122/186 alleles) or single nucleotide variants (34%; 64/186 alleles) of SMARCB1. Germline mutations were detected in 26% of ATRTs (30/117). The patient cohort consisted of 47% ATRT-SHH (39/84), 33% ATRT-TYR (28/84), and 20% ATRT-MYC (17/84). Age <1 year, non-TYR signature (ATRT-SHH or -MYC), metastatic or synchronous tumors, germline mutation, incomplete remission, and omission of radiotherapy were negative prognostic factors in univariate analyses (P < 0.05). An adjusted multivariate model identified age <1 year and a non-TYR signature as independent negative predictors of OS: high risk (<1 y + non-TYR; 5-y OS = 0%), intermediate risk (<1 y + ATRT-TYR or ≥1 y + non-TYR; 5-y OS = 32.5 ± 8.7%), and standard risk (≥1 y + ATRT-TYR, 5-y OS = 71.5 ± 12.2%). Conclusions Age and molecular subgroup status are independent risk factors for survival in children with ATRT. Our model warrants validation within future clinical trials.

Atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumors (AT/RT) are characterized by mutations and subsequent inactivation of SMARCB1 (INI1, hSNF5), a predilection for very young children and an unfavorable outcome. The European Registry for rhabdoid tumors (EU-RHAB) was established to generate a common European database and to establish a standardized treatment regimen as the basis for phase I/II trials. Thus, genetic analyses, neuropathologic and radiologic diagnoses, and a consensus treatment regimen were prospectively evaluated. From 2005 to 2009, 31 patients with AT/RT from four countries were recruited into the registry study Rhabdoid 2007 and treated with systemic and intraventricular chemotherapy. Eight patients received high-dose chemotherapy, 23 radiotherapy, and 17 maintenance therapy. Reference evaluations were performed in 64% (genetic analyses, FISH, MLPA, sequencing) up to 97% (neuropathology, INI1 stain). Germ-line mutations (GLM) were detected in 6/21 patients. Prolonged overall survival was associated with age above 3 years, radiotherapy and achievement of a complete remission. 6-year overall and event-free survival rates were 46% (±0.10) and 45% (±0.09), respectively. Serious adverse events and one treatmentrelated death due to insufficiency of a ventriculo peritoneal shunt (VP-shunt) and consecutive herniation were noted. Acquisition of standardized data including reference diagnosis and a standard treatment schedule improved data quality Cancer MedicineOpen Access 1766

In the present study we review datasets available for the Chilean margin to assess the relationship between environmental (or habitat) heterogeneity and benthic diversity. Several factors, such as the presence of different water masses, including the oxygen‐deficient Equatorial Sub‐surface Waters (ESSW) at the continental shelf and upper slope, and the Antarctic Intermediate Waters (AIW) at mid slope depths appear to control the bathymetric distribution of benthic communities. The presence of methane seeps and an extended oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) add complexity to the benthic distribution patterns observed. All these factors generate environmental heterogeneity, which is predicted to affect the diversity patterns both along and across the Chilean continental margin. The response to these factors differs among different faunal size groups: meio‐, macro‐, and megafauna. Physiological adaptations to oxygen deficiency and constraints related to body size of each group seem to explain the larger‐scale patterns observed, while sediment/habitat heterogeneity (e.g. at water mass boundaries, hardgrounds, biogeochemical patchiness, sediment organic content, grain size) may influence the local fauna diversity patterns.

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