Sex estimation of teeth at different developmental stages using dimorphic enamel peptide analysis

Objectives This study tests, for the first time, the applicability of a new method of sex estimation utilizing enamel peptides on a sample of deciduous and permanent teeth at different stages of mineralization, from nonadults of unknown sex, including perinates. Materials and methods A total of 43 teeth from 29 nonadult individuals aged from 40 gestational weeks to 19 years old were analyzed. The sample included pairs of fully mineralized and just developing teeth from the same individual. The individuals were from four archaeological sites in England: Piddington (1st–2nd centuries AD), Coach Lane, Victoria Gate, and Fewston (all 18th–19th centuries). A method that identifies sex chromosome‐linked isoforms of the peptide amelogenin from human tooth enamel was applied. The method utilizes a minimally destructive acid etching procedure and subsequent nano liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Results It was possible to determine the sex of 28 of the nonadult individuals sampled (males = 20, females = 8, undetermined = 1). Only one sample failed (CL9), due to insufficient mineralization of the sampled tooth enamel. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD021683. Discussion Sufficient peptide material to determine sex can be recovered even from the crowns of developing perinatal teeth that are not fully mineralized. The minimally destructive and inexpensive (compared to ancient DNA) nature of this procedure has significant implications for bioarchaeological studies of infancy and childhood

Romans, barbarians and foederati: New biomolecular data and a possible region of origin for “Headless Romans” and other burials from Britain

The Archiud “Hânsuri” cemetery in Transylvania, Romania is the burial site of a barbarian population from the Kingdom of the Gepids (4th–7th Cent AD). Previous work examining the dietary isotope life-histories and palaeopathological profiles of the non–adults (<16 years) has been published (Crowder et al., 2019). Strontium, carbon and oxygen isotopes were measured on enamel, dentine, and bone of four individuals from the Archiud cemetery to investigate residential origins. The Archiud individuals had 87Sr/86Sr values ranging from 0.70959 to 0.71016, δ13CVPDB values from −10.3 to −6.7‰ and δ18OVSMOW values from 23.9 to 25.5‰. All individuals are consistent with the available published data for the Transylvania Basin. The Archiud humans were compared to published Roman period individuals from British cemeteries of unknown origin who have isotope profiles inconsistent with Britain and the Mediterranean. Ten individuals from Driffield Terrace and 13 individuals from six other Roman cemeteries in Britain have similar isotopic values to the Archiud humans. The data suggest the non–British individuals may have originated from a region of similar geology and climate/latitude to the Transylvania Basin. The results of this research help to fill the gap in the biosphere data from Transylvania, as well as contextualise mobility studies within Transylvania, Europe, and Britain

Rethinking Collective Burial in Mediterranean Caves: Middle Bronze Age Grotta Regina Margherita, Central Italy

Drawing on the results of new multi-method research in Grotta Regina Margherita—the largest known Middle Bronze Age mortuary cave in west-central Italy (ca. 1650–1450 b.c.)—this article helps to replace the generic idea of “collective burial” with a more precise understanding of how the bodies of the deceased were transformed into potent social, symbolic, and sensuous resources housed in caves. It contextualizes this process within a nuanced understanding of settlement and subsistence practices, in which relatively short-lived and small-scale agricultural communities extended inland to the edge of the Apennine Mountains, ritually demarcating mortuary assemblages in caves in the process

Metabolite profiling of human renal cell carcinoma reveals tissue-origin dominance in nutrient availability

The tumor microenvironment is a determinant of cancer progression and therapeutic efficacy, with nutrient availability playing an important role. Although it is established that the local abundance of specific nutrients defines the metabolic parameters for tumor growth, the factors guiding nutrient availability in tumor compared to normal tissue and blood remain poorly understood. To define these factors in renal cell carcinoma (RCC), we performed quantitative metabolomic and comprehensive lipidomic analyses of tumor interstitial fluid (TIF), adjacent normal kidney interstitial fluid (KIF), and plasma samples collected from patients. TIF nutrient composition closely resembles KIF, suggesting that tissue-specific factors unrelated to the presence of cancer exert a stronger influence on nutrient levels than tumor-driven alterations. Notably, select metabolite changes consistent with known features of RCC metabolism are found in RCC TIF, while glucose levels in TIF are not depleted to levels that are lower than those found in KIF. These findings inform tissue nutrient dynamics in RCC, highlighting a dominant role of non-cancer-driven tissue factors in shaping nutrient availability in these tumors