A history of violence in the Mesolithic female skeleton from Mezzocorona-Borgonuovo (Trento, northeastern Italy)

Scholars have long been interested in understanding conflict in prehistoric times. Skeletal lesions attributable to interpersonal violence constitute the most direct evidence available to make inferences on the diachronic changes in the frequency, scale, and motivation for conflict among human communities. It has been proposed that evidence of violence becomes more common among Early Holocene Mesolithic hunter-gatherers; however, the skeletal record becomes increasingly fragmentary in more ancient periods, making the finding of new evidence of great importance. We present here a case of traumatic recidivism in a Mesolithic female from the site of Mezzocorona-Borgonuovo (MBN-1) in the northeastern Italian Alps (Trento). This female displays a perimortem perforating defect in the frontal bone, as well as healed cranial and forearm fractures. Although it is possible to interpret these injuries as resulting from falls from height, we propose that they are most compatible with MBN-1 being victim over time of multiple episodes of interpersonal violence. In addition, probably a few months before death, MBN-1 suffered another traumatic injury of the ankle, and in this case the fall from height appears the most likely scenario. We further propose that the attacks leading to the cranial and forearm fractures were presumably perpetrated by individuals coming from outside MBN-1's group. Conversely, her group most likely cared for her through medical treatment – as suggested by the successful healing of forearm and ankle fractures – and by according her a formal burial. The traumatic history of MBN-1 provides rare glimpses into the life experience of a Mesolithic female from northeastern Italy, a context where human remains are extremely rare. However, being a single case, more findings are needed to understand whether or not MBN-1 can be viewed as emblematic of the overall exposure to interpersonal or accidental trauma for Mesolithic groups in the area, and to explore issues of frequency, origin, and motivation for ancient conflict

Integrated HTA and FMECA methodology for the evaluation of robotic surgery

Robotic surgery has been strongly improved since the beginning of the twenty-first century and chased important level of technical and clinical performances. Within the robotic area, the most worldwide used surgical robot is the da Vinci® system made by Intuitive Surgical Inc. The aim of this study was to evaluate at the hospital scale the robotic surgery (Hospital –Based Health Technology Assessment) in comparison to the open and laparoscopic procedures yet combining a FMECA analysis to accurately assess all those aspects involving patient and staff safety. The total number of robotic procedures directly observed by the surgical department and reported in the following study was 44, including 28 urology interventions and 16 general surgeries. The study confirmed clinical benefits carried out with the robot but bigger complexity in managing the whole surgical system in terms of structural needs, staff and technology. For the future, further steps regard the necessity to dispose of a wider number of robotic procedures in order to strength the analysis reliability and complete the socio-economic assessment with medium and long terms observation. Finally a new FMECA application will be essential to monitor the real effects of the suggested actions on the evaluated risks according to the already known and new failure modes

The impact of covid-19 on out-of-hours adult hospice care: an online survey

BACKGROUND: Globally COVID-19 has had a profound impact on the provision of healthcare, including palliative care. However, there is little evidence about the impact of COVID-19 on delivery of out-of-hours specialist palliative care services in the United Kingdom. The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the delivery of out-of-hours community-based palliative care services. METHODS: A national online census survey of managers of adult hospices in the United Kingdom was undertaken. Survey were emailed to managers of adult hospices (n = 150) who provided out-of-hours community palliative care services. Fifteen questions related specifically to the impact of COVID-19. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and qualitative data were analysed using descriptive content analysis. RESULTS: Eighty-one responses to the survey were returned (54% response rate); 59 were complete of which 47 contained COVID-19 data. Findings indicated that COVID-19 impacted on out-of-hours community-based palliative care. To meet increased patient need, hospices reconfigured services; redeployed staff; and introduced new policies and procedures to minimize virus transmission. Lack of integration between charitably and state funded palliative care providers was reported. The interconnected issues of the use and availability of Personal Protective Equipment (n = 21) and infection control screening (n = 12) resulted in changes in nursing practices due to fear of contagion for patients, carers and staff. CONCLUSIONS: Survey findings suggest that due to increased demand for community palliative care services, hospices had to rapidly adapt and reconfigure services. Even though this response to the pandemic led to some service improvements, in the main, out-of-hours service reconfiguration resulted in challenges for hospices, including workforce issues, and availability of resources such as Personal Protective Equipment. These challenges were exacerbated by lack of integration with wider healthcare services. More research is required to fully understand the implications of such changes on the quality of care provided. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12904-022-00985-6

Composition of sands in cores along the high-speed rail (TAV): Preliminary indications on the sedimentary evolution of the Modena plain

The Modena alluvial plain has been geologically investigated in great detail and is characterized by a spectacular abundance of archaeological sites of various age. For this reasons the area may be considered a natural laboratory for the reconstruction of the recent sedimentary evolution of the Po Plain. The alluvial plain area examined for this study has an approximate extent of 150 km2 and is located at the northern side of the Northern Apennines thrust- and fold-belt, where streams draining the chain flow toward the northeast into the Po river. Detailed modal analyses by point-counting of thin sections show that modern stream sands in the Modena plain show similar overall compositional fields, but can be discriminated on the base of key-components, such as quartz, feldspar, carbonate and lithic fragments. The study of sand sediments indicates that the compositional fields have not varied significantly since the Neolithic. The only major diagenetic process is the formation of carbonate concretions (caliche), which can be easily recognized as secondary particles during point counting of thin sections. These results indicate that the reconstruction of the recent evolution of the local drainage system is possible by comparing ancient with modern fluvial sand compositions. The drilling of numerous wells along the new high speed train tract (TAV) provided us with new insight on the sedimentary evolution of the plain through time. The samples recovered from 6 wells reaching depths up to -50 m show that the sand sediments older than 10-12 kyr, have a significant shift in composition from the modern ones. This compositional change consists in a marked overall increase of quartz and feldspar components. The compositional variations can be explained by the combination of various factors: a) significant change in the bedrock lithology through time induced by tectonics and/or change in the local drainage pattern, and b) recycling of older fluvial sediments enriched in feldspar. Because the sands older than 10-12 kyr compared to the overlaying olocenic and modern sediments are enriched in feldspar, which is considered a particularly alterable component, the compositional differentiation can be related to effects induced to glacial-interglacial climate changes but not to post-depositional diagenetic processes. The considerable change in sand composition and the stratigraphy of the deposits suggest dramatic geographical, environmental and depositional variations supporting the observation that a regional unconformity separates the Late Pleistocene from the Olocene sediments

Brief scales to assess physical activity and sedentary equipment in the home

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Sedentary behaviors such as TV viewing are associated with childhood obesity, while physical activity promotes healthy weight. The role of the home environment in shaping these behaviors among youth is poorly understood. The study purpose was to examine the reliability of brief parental proxy-report and adolescent self-report measures of electronic equipment and physical activity equipment in the home and to assess the construct validity of these scales by examining their relationship to physical activity, sedentary behavior, and weight status of children and adolescents.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Participants were adolescents (n = 189; mean age = 14.6), parents of adolescents (n = 171; mean age = 45.0), and parents of younger children (n = 116; parents mean age = 39.6; children's mean age = 8.3) who completed two surveys approximately one month apart. Measures included a 21-item electronic equipment scale (to assess sedentary behavior facilitators in the home, in the child or adolescent's bedroom, and portable electronics) and a 14-item home physical activity equipment scale. Home environment factors were examined as correlates of children's and adolescents' physical activity, sedentary behavior, and weight status after adjusting for child age, sex, race/ethnicity, household income, and number of children in the home.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Most scales had acceptable test-retest reliability (intraclass correlations were .54 - .92). Parent and adolescent reports were correlated. Electronic equipment in adolescents' bedrooms was positively related to sedentary behavior. Activity equipment in the home was inversely associated with television time in adolescents and children, and positively correlated with adolescents' physical activity. Children's BMI z-score was positively associated with having a television in their bedroom.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The measures of home electronic equipment and activity equipment were similarly reliable when reported by parents and by adolescents. Home environment attributes were related to multiple obesity-related behaviors and to child weight status, supporting the construct validity of these scales.</p

Weighing Every Day Matters: Daily Weighing Improves Weight Loss and Adoption of Weight Control Behaviors

Daily weighing is emerging as the recommended self-weighing frequency for weight loss. This is likely because it improves adoption of weight control behaviors

Molecular characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates Isolated from Clinical Patients by Using RAPD-PCR Technique.

The aim of the present study was the molecular characterization and the evaluation of variability and genetic relationship of six Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates using PCR-based Randomly Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique. A total number of 86 samples were collected from patients that hospitalized in Tikrit Teaching Hospital in Tikrit city. These samples were taken from patients basing on the sources of infections, the isolates were taken from: wounds, ear, burns, urine, sputum, and eyes infections. Using enrichment, selective media, and biochemical tests, that characterized and identified as P. aeruginosa. Genomic DNA was extracted from six P. aeruginosa isolates isolated from these different sources. These genomic DNA samples were found to have a suitable concentration and purity for RAPD-PCR analysis. RAPD-PCR technique was performed using 15 different Operon random primers. Eleven primers gave successful amplification results in repeated experiments. As a result, the total number of amplified bands was 270 and the total number of polymorphic bands was 234. The highest number of polymorphic bands (39 bands) was produced by primer OPX-01. The primer efficiency ranged from 3.70 (primer OPA-11) to 14.44 (primer OPX-01) and the discriminatory value ranged from 1.70% (primer OPA-11) to 16.66% (primer OPX-01). In addition, genetic distance and cluster analysis among different P. aeruginosa isolates were estimated by using UPGMA computer program basing on RAPD-PCR banding patterns that obtained in this study. These results suggesting that possible and frequent occurrence of mutations in DNA sequencing P. aeruginosa bacteria from different sources and locations. This study has proved existence genetic differences (DNA polymorphism) among the six P. aeruginosa isolates isolated from different sources. Therefore, we can say that RAPD technique could be an efficient technique for studying the molecular characterization and the epidemiology of P. aeruginosa bacteria

Human remains from Arma di Nasino (Liguria) provide novel insights into the paleoecology of early Holocene foragers in northwestern Italy

We report the discovery and analysis of new Mesolithic human remains-dated to ca. 10,200-9000&nbsp;cal. BP-from Arma di Nasino in Liguria, northwestern Italy, an area rich in Upper Paleolithic and Neolithic attestations, but for which little information on Early Holocene occupation was available. The multi-proxy isotopic profile of the two individuals reveals that-despite the proximity of the site to the Mediterranean seashore and the use of shellfish as decorative elements in burials-the ecology of these foragers was based on the exploitation of high-altitude resources, presumably in the nearby western Alps. This constitutes the first direct evidence in northwestern Italy of a significant ecological shift towards higher altitudes following deglaciation, especially when compared to isotopic data of the Late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers from the nearby site of Arene Candide Cave, who exploited terrestrial resources nearer to the coast and at lower altitudes. While the biochemistry of Nasino's skeletal assemblage revealed new details on Early Holocene lifeways in the area, the osteobiography of one individual offers glimpses into the life experience of a specific female forager, depicting a scenario of early skeletal trauma, developmental disturbances, long-term impairments, and resilience amongst the last European hunter-gatherers

De novo identification of universal cell mechanics regulators

Mechanical proprieties determine many cellular functions, such as cell fate specification, migration, or circulation through vasculature. Identifying factors governing cell mechanical phenotype is therefore a subject of great interest. Here we present a mechanomics approach for establishing links between mechanical phenotype changes and the genes involved in driving them. We employ a machine learning-based discriminative network analysis method termed PC-corr to associate cell mechanical states, measured by real-time deformability cytometry (RT-DC), with large-scale transcriptome datasets ranging from stem cell development to cancer progression, and originating from different murine and human tissues. By intersecting the discriminative networks inferred from two selected datasets, we identify a conserved module of five genes with putative roles in the regulation of cell mechanics. We validate the power of the individual genes to discriminate between soft and stiff cell states in silico, and demonstrate experimentally that the top scoring gene, CAV1, changes the mechanical phenotype of cells when silenced or overexpressed. The data-driven approach presented here has the power of de novo identification of genes involved in cell mechanics regulation and paves the way towards engineering cell mechanical properties on demand to explore their impact on physiological and pathological cell functions