The Iceman's Last Meal Consisted of Fat, Wild Meat, and Cereals

The history of humankind is marked by the constant adoption of new dietary habits affecting human physiology, metabolism, and even the development of nutrition-related disorders. Despite clear archaeological evidence for the shift from hunter-gatherer lifestyle to agriculture in Neolithic Europe [1], very little information exists on the daily dietary habits of our ancestors. By undertaking a complementary -omics approach combined with microscopy, we analyzed the stomach content of the Iceman, a 5,300-yearold European glacier mummy [2, 3]. He seems to have had a remarkably high proportion of fat in his diet, supplemented with fresh or dried wild meat, cereals, and traces of toxic bracken. Our multipronged approach provides unprecedented analytical depth, deciphering the nutritional habit, meal composition, and food-processing methods of this Copper Age individual

Life traces: psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria in the Iceman.

Two strategies were utilized to investigate the presence and diversity of psychrophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria in the Iceman (5350-5100 years BP). The first was based on conventional microbiological techniques, i.e. growth of bacterial cells on solid and liquid media. The second was based on the isolation of DNA from small mummy specimens and putative identification of bacteria via DNA sequencing. In addiction, the DNA extracted directly from the Iceman’s tissues was treatedby uracil-N-glycosylase (UNG) to detect repair activity. Microbial cultivation made it possible to identify several bacterial genera such as Ralstonia, Arthrobacter, Methylobacterium, Bradyrhizobium, Bacillus and Pseudomonas. On the other hand, DNA analysis showed that the mummy tissues contained the DNA of Clostridium at an elevated concentration. Thus, there is a sharp distinction between metabolically-active (cultivable) and non-active bacteria. The current research may assist in establishing optimal conservation conditions for the mummy

Usefulness of p16ink4a, ProEX C, and Ki-67 for the diagnosis of glandular dysplasia and adenocarcinoma of the cervix uteri

Although the diagnostic criteria of in-situ and invasive adenocarcinomas of the cervix uteri are well established, the differentiation from benign mimics may be difficult and the morphologic features of the precursors of endocervical adenocarcinoma are still debated. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of p16ink4a (p16), ProEX C, and Ki-67 for the diagnosis of endocervical adenocarcinoma and its precursors. Immunohistochemistry with p16, ProEX C, and Ki-67 was performed in 82 glandular lesions including 15 invasive adenocarcinomas, 29 adenocarcinomas in situ (AIS), 22 non-neoplastic samples, and 16 cases of glandular dysplasia (GD), which showed significant nuclear abnormalities but did not meet the diagnostic criteria for AIS. The immunohistochemical expression pattern was scored according to the percentage of the stained cells (0, 1+, 2+, and 3+ when 0% to 5%, 6% to 25%, 26% to 50%, and more than 50% of the cells were stained, respectively) and was evaluated for each antibody. p16 was at least focally expressed (1+ or more) in 14 of 15 invasive adenocarcinomas, in all AIS and in 7 negative samples. ProEX C and Ki-67 both scored 1+ or more in all adenocarcinomas and AIS and in 8 and 6 negative samples, respectively. Of the GD 15, 14, and 15 expressed p16, ProEX C, and Ki-67, respectively. The score differences between neoplastic and non-neoplastic samples were highly significant for each marker (P<0.001); however, the score distribution by marker differed significantly only in GD (P=0.006) in which, compared with the other markers, p16 showed more often a 3+ pattern. Our study shows that p16, Ki-67, and ProEX C may be helpful for the diagnosis of glandular lesions of the cervix uteri and may also improve the diagnostic accuracy of endocervical GD. In particularly problematic cases, the combination of p16 and a proliferation marker can provide additional help for the interpretation of these lesions. ©2011International Society of Gynecological Pathologists

Parasitism of the Zweeloo Woman: Dicrocoeliasis evidenced in a Roman period bog mummy

We undertook the analysis of Zweeloo Woman, a bog mummy from the Netherlands, to assess her parasitic state.Evidence of infection came from two areas: (1) liver paraffin sections and (2) microfossils washed from an intestinal section. Although the liver had shrunken considerably, objects consistent with operculated trematode eggsvwere found. After evaluating the range of trematode species that produce eggs in liver tissue, we arrived at thevdiagnosis of Dicrocoelium dendriticum . Although only 0.1 ml of sediment was recovered from an intestinal section, eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiurawere also identified. No eggs of D. dendriticum were revealed by the intestinal wash although they were observed in the liver. The lancet fluke, D. dendriticum , is a zoonosis that usually infects ruminants such as cattle. Eggs of D. dendriticum may be found in human coprolites if infected cow liver, for example, was eaten. This is false parasitism. Since eggs of D. dendriticumwere found in the liver of Zweeloo Woman, we are assured this was a true infection. This find is especially significant because it is the old est known, patent infection of D. dendriticum in human

A possible case of dyschondrosteosis in a bog body from the Netherlands

International audienceIIn 1951 peat cutters unearthed the bog body of an adult female dating from the Roman period (AD 78-233) in the ‘Damsel’s Bog’ northwest of the villages of Aalden and Zweeloo (province of Drenthe, the Netherlands, fig. 1). The degree of the body’s preservation has now been assessed using atomic force microscopy imaging (AFM) and histology. AFM images of the skin showed evidence of moderate decomposition of collagen fibrils. Although histology revealed moderate decalcification of the bones, the abdominal organs were found to be very well preserved. Apart from shrinkage and deformation caused by the long immersion in the bog, Zweeloo Woman’s skeleton shows possible signs of a pathological disorder affecting both the forearms and the lower legs.The long bones were measured, the woman’s stature was assessed and a CT scan was carried out to assess the degree of micromelia and the possibility of dwarfism. Although shrinkage had caused overall shortening and deformation of single bones (i.e. the pelvis, heel bones and the femora) altering the stature, the radiological findings show probable evidence of Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis (DCS). DCS is a dominantly inherited dysplasia characterised by short stature with mesomelic shortening of middle segments of the forearms and lower legs. Only three cases of probable or indicative DCS have so far been diagnosed in pre-modern societies. Here we propose evidence of a probable case of DCS syndrome in a bog body dating from the Roman period.It has often been suggested (e.g. Asingh 2007, 293) that a substantial number of the individuals that have been found in peat were killed before being deposited in the bog. Zweeloo Woman’s bones show at least 21 cuts made by a short blade instrument. There is however no evidence of any trauma, except possibly in the posterior aspect of the left shoulder, on the outer skin surface. Whether Zweeloo Woman was intentionally killed or died a natural death still remains unclear

Genotyping human ancient mtDNA control and coding region polymorphisms with a multiplexed Single-Base-Extension assay: the singular maternal history of the Tyrolean Iceman

Background Progress in the field of human ancient DNA studies has been severely restricted due to the myriad sources of potential contamination, and because of the pronounced difficulty in identifying authentic results. Improving the robustness of human aDNA results is a necessary pre-requisite to vigorously testing hypotheses about human evolution in Europe, including possible admixture with Neanderthals. This study approaches the problem of distinguishing between authentic and contaminating sequences from common European mtDNA haplogroups by applying a multiplexed Single-Base-Extension assay, containing both control and coding region sites, to DNA extracted from the Tyrolean Iceman. Results The multiplex assay developed for this study was able to confirm that the Iceman's mtDNA belongs to a new European mtDNA clade with a very limited distribution amongst modern data sets. Controlled contamination experiments show that the correct results are returned by the multiplex assay even in the presence of substantial amounts of exogenous DNA. The overall level of discrimination achieved by targeting both control and coding region polymorphisms in a single reaction provides a methodology capable of dealing with most cases of homoplasy prevalent in European haplogroups. Conclusion The new genotyping results for the Iceman confirm the extreme fallibility of human aDNA studies in general, even when authenticated by independent replication. The sensitivity and accuracy of the multiplex Single-Base-Extension methodology forms part of an emerging suite of alternative techniques for the accurate retrieval of ancient DNA sequences from both anatomically modern humans and Neanderthals. The contamination of laboratories remains a pressing concern in aDNA studies, both in the pre and post-PCR environments, and the adoption of a forensic style assessment of a priori risks would significantly improve the credibility of results