Archaeogenetic analysis of Neolithic sheep from Anatolia suggests a complex demographic history since domestication

Sheep were among the first domesticated animals, but their demographic history is little understood. Here we analyzed nuclear polymorphism and mitochondrial data (mtDNA) from ancient central and west Anatolian sheep dating from Epipaleolithic to late Neolithic, comparatively with modern-day breeds and central Asian Neolithic/Bronze Age sheep (OBI). Analyzing ancient nuclear data, we found that Anatolian Neolithic sheep (ANS) are genetically closest to present-day European breeds relative to Asian breeds, a conclusion supported by mtDNA haplogroup frequencies. In contrast, OBI showed higher genetic affinity to present-day Asian breeds. These results suggest that the east-west genetic structure observed in present-day breeds had already emerged by 6000 BCE, hinting at multiple sheep domestication episodes or early wild introgression in southwest Asia. Furthermore, we found that ANS are genetically distinct from all modern breeds. Our results suggest that European and Anatolian domestic sheep gene pools have been strongly remolded since the Neolithic

Leptospirosis in a child with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Leptospirosis is an infectious vasculitis, which can occur with different clinical features. While it is generally a subclinical and self-limited infection; kidney and liver dysfunction, pulmonary hemorrhage, thrombocytopenia, and cardiovascular collapse may occurr. A six-year-old boy presented with acute respiratory distress syndrome, shock, thrombocytopenia-associated multiple organ failure, and persistent high fever secondary to leptospirosis. Persistent high fever was resistant to intravenous immunoglobulin and pulse steroid therapy. He was successfully treated with plasmapheresis and hemofiltration with endotoxin-cytokine cleaning filter. In conclusion; leptospirosis may cause thrombocytopenia-associated multiple organ failure, persistent high fever, and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Plasmapheresis and hemofiltration should be considered in cases of severe leptospirosis with multiorgan failure

Late Quaternary beach deposits and archaeological relicts on the coasts of Cyprus, and the possible implications of sea-level changes and tectonics on the early populations

<p>Late Pleistocene beach deposits in 22 selected sites around Cyprus demonstrate the vertical changes in the Earth's crust in that island over the last 125 ka. The beach/shallow-marine deposits were observed on the abraded coastal cliffs at 3–22 m above the present sea-level. They overlie Pliocene marls, and some of them contain the Senegalese marine gastropods <em>Persististrombus latus</em>, <em>Bursa granularis</em> and <em>Conus ermineus</em> that no longer live in the Mediterranean. These are index fossils for the Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5e in the Mediterranean and, as such, suggest an uplift of up to 15.5 m over about the last 125 ka: that is a maximal rate of 0.12 mm a⁻¹. These findings are in accordance with Holocene beachrocks, abrasion platforms, wave notches and Roman/Byzantine fish tanks that retained their elevations, and thus enable the reconstruction of the coast encountered by the early colonizers. While the maximal uplift since the early Holocene has been minor and did not exceed 1.2–1.5 m, the sea-level changes have reached 40–50 m. The transition between the impermeable Pliocene marls and the porous Late Pleistocene deposits above them is the origin of freshwater springs and associated vegetation. The early colonizers seemed to recognize the potential of that essential permanent source of water and excavated wells, the earliest wells known so far. The locations of the Early Neolithic settlements (Mylouthkia and Akanthou) adjacent to visible water springs along the coastal cliffs may not be incidental. Not surprisingly, recent wells dug in the coastal Pleistocene deposits rely on the very same hydrological setting. </p