Diet and disease in Tomar, Portugal: comparing stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios between skeletons with and without signs of infectious disease

Objectives: This study explored the correspondence between stable isotope ratios and indicators of non-specific (periostitis and/or osteomyelitis) and specific (venereal syphilis) disease in a sample of human skeletons from a Portuguese archaeological collection. Additionally, this study examined stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope ratios between individuals at different disease stages. Materials and Methods: δ13C and δ15N data from previously analysed skeletons without signs of infectious disease or physiological stress (n=32) were compared to new data from skeletons with active (n=6), healed (n=7) or a combination of both lesions (n=10). Skeletons with lesions (n=23) were also grouped as having only healed tibial periostitis (n=7), generalised non-specific (n=5) and generalised specific infections (n=2). The skeletons with lesions that did not fit into these groups (n=9) were not used in this analysis. Results: The δ15N from skeletons with non-specific generalised infections in several bones differed significantly when compared to skeletons that had either only healed tibial periostitis or were without lesions. Skeletons with venereal syphilis had similar mean δ13C and δ15N to either skeletons without signs of disease or those with only healed tibial periostitis. Discussion: These results suggest different diets may be linked into an individual’s susceptibility to these pathogens. Diet influences resistance to infectious disease, while infections decrease nutrient availability, increase malabsorption and resting energy expenditure. Potentially therefore, combining isotopic evidence of diet with pathology may contribute to a new understanding of health and lifestyle in the past

The “Ferradeira” individual burial of Herdade do Álamo (Beja): facets of social change in the late 3rd millennium BC in South Portugal

The individual burial of the Herdade do Alamo, located in Beja municipality, South Portugal, is presented along with its bioanthropological study, radiocarbon dating and isotopic approaches on diet and mobility. The results show a male, with a terrestrial diet and youth mobility, dating from the last quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. The archaeometallurgical study of the metal votive assemblage (one tongue dagger and three Palmela points) indicates a copper metallurgy with high values of Arsenic (As), typical of this period of transition. The burial is contextualized in a process of individuation of the funerary practices and in the "Ferradeira Horizon", considered as a facet of the diversified funerary practices and of the complex social changes of the late 3rd millennium BC in the South of Portugal.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Did military orders influence the general population diet? Stable isotopes analysis from Medieval Tomar, Portugal

This study integrates bone collagen stable isotope data (carbon, nitrogen and sulphur) from 33 human adult tibiae (15 females; 18 males) and 13 faunal remains from Tomar, while it was under the Military Orders domain (eleventh–seventeenth centuries). Historical literature indicates that the amount of meat consumption amongst Templars was lower than in individuals with similar social status. In Medieval times, these Military Orders had total control of towns and angling and fishing rights, but their influence on the general population diet remains unknown. While no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between sexes, social status, or for bone collagen δ13C and δ34Sbetween age groups, δ15N did differ significantly with age, which may be related to tooth loss in old individuals. Additionally, the human samples have higher stable isotope differences, in comparison with faunal samples, than would be expected within the food web, particularly for δ13C. This human bone collagen δ13C enrichment may reflect a diet rich in aquatic protein intake, which is also supported by δ34S archived in human and faunal samples, and the presence of oysters and cockles shells at the excavation. The religious diet restrictions might have led to a higher intake of aquatic protein when meat consumption was not allowed

The “Ferradeira” individual burial of Herdade do Álamo (Beja): facets of social change in the late 3rd millennium BC in South Portugal

Se presenta el entierro individual de la Herdade do Álamo, ubicada en el municipio de Beja, Sur de Portugal, junto con su estudio bioantropológico, datación por radiocarbono y enfoques isotópicos sobre dieta y movilidad. Los resultados muestran un varón, con dieta terrestre y movilidad juvenil, que data del último cuarto del 3º milenio antes de Cristo. El estudio arqueometalúrgico del conjunto votivo metálico (un puñal de lengüeta y tres puntas de Palmela) indica una metalurgia del cobre con altos valores de Arsénico (As), propios de este período de transición. El entierro se contextualiza en un proceso de individuación de las prácticas funerarias y en el “Horizonte Ferradeira”, considerado como una faceta de las prácticas funerarias diversificadas y de los complejos cambios sociales de finales del III milenio antes de Cristo en el sur de Portugal

Non-halide sediments from the Loule diapir salt mine: characterization and environmental significance

The sedimentary record of the Mesozoic Algarve Basin (south Portugal) spans from the Triassic to the Lower Cretaceous. Following the initial phase of Pangaea breakup and the related continental sedimentation during the Triassic, the sedimentation evolved through transitional (Triassic-Jurassic transition) to marine (Jurassic) environments. During the Hettangian a thick sequence of evaporites deposited in the basin. Most of the occurrences of these deposits have undetermined volumes, due to the post depositional diapiric movements. At the central Algarve, under the town of Loulé, a salt wall of up to > 1 km across, > 3 km in length and > 2 km in height has been exploited for the chemical industry (Loulé Diapir - LD). Most of the sediments that constitute LD are halides (> 99% halite), the exception being a package of non-halide sediments, constituted by carbonates (dolomite and magnesite) and sulphates (anhydrite) in various proportions with a maximum thickness of 3 meters. This package has a distinctive mesoscopic aspect of three layers of approximately the same thickness, different colours and primary sedimentary structures: black-brow-grey, from bottom to top. The sediments of this package were studied with a multidisciplinary approach aiming their mineralogical and chemical characterization, the determination of the organic matter content and origin, as well as the characterization and understanding of the chemical processes that occurred during the emplacement and compression of the LD: (i) X-ray diffraction for the determination of the mineral phases present and semi-quantification using the RIR-Reference Intensity Ratio method; (ii) micro analysis of the mineralogical samples by Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled to Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy; (iii) REE content determination by ICP-MS; (iv) determination of the carbon content by CHN Elemental analysis; (v) determination of the organic matter content by elemental analysis and their composition by pyrolysis-GC-MS; (vi) determination of the carbon and nitrogen stable isotopic ratios of the organic matter; (vii) anisotropy of the magnetic susceptibility to study it emplacement mode. The LD is deformed by a set of shear-zones and thrusts formed during the Cenozoic Alpine compression that are underlined by the presence of a fine grained, non-halide material, whose nature and characterization was also done, using the same analytical methods. The preliminary mineralogical and geochemical results show a clear pattern in the evolution of the environmental conditions of the sedimentation with influence on the availability of the dissolved cations. The three of the sediment package showed distinct organic carbon content reaching 4.42% in the black horizon, five times the values found in the adjacent layers. By using the rare earth elements as geochemical tracers of sediment provenance, shale normalised profiles suggest that sediment particles from the three layers have the same origin. However, the non-halide sediments retained in the shear zones showed a different profile with an increase of MREE and a positive Eu anomaly. This work was done in the scope of the MEDSALT - Uncovering the Mediterranean salt giant, COST action CA15103

COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission vary with age and sex: results from the ISARIC prospective multinational observational study

Background: The ISARIC prospective multinational observational study is the largest cohort of hospitalized patients with COVID-19. We present relationships of age, sex, and nationality to presenting symptoms. Methods: International, prospective observational study of 60 109 hospitalized symptomatic patients with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 recruited from 43 countries between 30 January and 3 August 2020. Logistic regression was performed to evaluate relationships of age and sex to published COVID-19 case definitions and the most commonly reported symptoms. Results: ‘Typical’ symptoms of fever (69%), cough (68%) and shortness of breath (66%) were the most commonly reported. 92% of patients experienced at least one of these. Prevalence of typical symptoms was greatest in 30- to 60-year-olds (respectively 80, 79, 69%; at least one 95%). They were reported less frequently in children (≤ 18 years: 69, 48, 23; 85%), older adults (≥ 70 years: 61, 62, 65; 90%), and women (66, 66, 64; 90%; vs. men 71, 70, 67; 93%, each P < 0.001). The most common atypical presentations under 60 years of age were nausea and vomiting and abdominal pain, and over 60 years was confusion. Regression models showed significant differences in symptoms with sex, age and country. Interpretation: This international collaboration has allowed us to report reliable symptom data from the largest cohort of patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19. Adults over 60 and children admitted to hospital with COVID-19 are less likely to present with typical symptoms. Nausea and vomiting are common atypical presentations under 30 years. Confusion is a frequent atypical presentation of COVID-19 in adults over 60 years. Women are less likely to experience typical symptoms than men

Abordagens moleculares e prote?micas para a caracteriza??o de leveduras resistentes ao mangan?s II.

Programa de P?s-Gradua??o em Ci?ncias Biol?gicas. N?cleo de Pesquisas em Ci?ncias Biol?gicas, Pr?-Reitoria de Pesquisa de P?s Gradua??o, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto.A polui??o do meio ambiente pelo metal pesado mangan?s (Mn) tem aumentado, j? que ? um subproduto industrial, especialmente de minera??es. Estrat?gias biotecnol?gicas promissoras para descontamina??o t?m sido desenvolvidas. A biorremedia??o, ? uma delas, emprega microrganismos, por exemplo, leveduras. O objetivo principal deste estudo foi caracterizar isolados de leveduras quanto aos mecanismos de resist?ncia e capacidade de remo??o do ?on Mn2+ e descrever como estas respondem ao estresse ambiental alterando seu padr?o de express?o proteica. Tr?s leveduras foram isoladas de ?gua proveniente de uma mina de rejeito de minera??o, localizada no Quadril?tero Ferr?fero-MG e identificadas como Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Meyerozyma caribbica e Rhodotorula mucilaginosa utilizando an?lise bioqu?mica, por Auxanograma e filogen?tica, baseadas no 16S rDNA. A avalia??o da capacidade dos isolados removerem ?ons Mn+2 demonstrou que ambos os g?neros estudados s?o resistentes ao metal, sendo que a presen?a de excesso de Mn n?o interferiu negativamente no crescimento. As Meyerozyma sp. removeram 100% do Mn2+ por processo de biossor??o e as Rhodotorula sp. 10%, provavelmente por oxida??o. A menor capacidade de remo??o do ?ltimo g?nero em rela??o ao primeiro n?o o torna menos importante, uma vez que apresenta toler?ncia e capacidade de remo??o a concentra??es elevadas de Mn2+ quando comparado a outros. O primeiro relato do proteoma sol?vel total e diferencial induzidos por Mn+2 do g?nero Meyerozyma sp., bem como das intera??es prote?naprote?na foi realizado a partir da t?cnica shotgun/bottom-up, em que extratos prot?icos de M. guilliermondii contendo as fra??es sol?veis foram obtidos ap?s crescimento nas condi??es aus?ncia e presen?a de MnSO4 (0,91 mM). Os pept?deos tr?pticos foram analisados por cromatografia l?quida acoplada a espectrometria de massa (LC-MS/MS), seguida de an?lises de bioinform?tica. No proteoma um total de 1257 prote?nas foi identificado, sendo que a an?lise qualitativa demonstrou que dessas 117 eram exclusivas da condi??o aus?ncia e 69 expressas unicamente na presen?a de Mn2+ . A an?lise quantitativa apresentou 71 prote?nas upregulated induzidas pelo excesso de Mn2+, em que foram identificados sete enriquecimentos funcionais e 43 vias metab?licas. A maioria das prote?nas anotadas na condi??o presen?a de Mn2+ est? relacionada ? atividade de oxidoredutases, resposta ao estresse oxidativo, atividades metab?licas, reparo de DNA e remodela??o da express?o de genes. Diante do exposto ? poss?vel concluir que as tr?s esp?cies s?o tolerantes a alta concentra??o de Mn2+, a import?ncia compreens?o dos processos celulares e dos mecanismos regulat?rios moleculares, pois eles permitem o conhecimento dos mecanismos de defesa que minimizam o impacto do metal atrav?s da express?o de prote?nas antioxidantes, por exemplo, permitindo o ajuste na resposta de defesa associados ? toler?ncia do Mn2+ . Esse conhecimento permitir? estudos futuros e a explora??o do potencial biotecnol?gico em futuros processos de biorremedia??o.Pollution of the environment by heavy metal manganese (Mn) has increased as it is an industrial byproduct, especially of mining. Promising biotechnological strategies for decontamination have been developed. Bioremediation, one of them, employs microorganisms, for example, yeast. The main objective of this study was to characterize yeast isolates regarding the mechanisms of resistance and ability to remove the Mn 2 + ion and to describe how they respond to environmental stress by altering their protein expression pattern. Three yeasts were isolated from water from a mine tailings, located in the Quadril?tero Ferr?fero-MG and identified as Meyerozyma guilliermondii, Meyerozyma caribbica and Rhodotorula mucilaginosa using biochemical analysis, by Auxanograma and phylogenetic, based on 16S rDNA. The evaluation of the ability of the isolates to remove Mn+2 ions showed that both studied genera are resistant to metal, and the presence of excess Mn did not negatively affect growth. The Meyerozyma sp. 100% of the Mn+2 by biosorption process and the Rhodotorula sp. 10%, probably due to oxidation. The lower removal capacity of the latter genus in relation to the former does not make it less important, since it presents tolerance and the ability to remove at high concentrations of Mn+2 when compared to others. The first report of the Mn+2 induced total and differential soluble proteome of the genus Meyerozyma sp., As well as the protein-protein interactions was performed using the shotgun /bottom-up technique, in which protein extracts of M. guilliermondii containing the fractions were obtained after growth in the absence and presence of MnSO 4 (0.91 mM). Tryptic peptides were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), followed by bioinformatics analyzes. In the proteome a total of 1257 proteins were identified, and the qualitative analysis demonstrated that of these 117 were exclusive to the absence condition and 69 expressed solely in the presence of Mn+2. The quantitative analysis showed 71 upregulated proteins induced by excess Mn+2, in which seven functional enrichments and 43 metabolic pathways were identified. Most of the proteins noted in the presence of Mn+2 are related to oxidoreductase activity, response to oxidative stress, metabolic activities, DNA repair and gene expression remodeling. In view of the above, it is possible to conclude that the three species are tolerant to high concentration of Mn+2, the importance of understanding cellular processes and molecular regulatory mechanisms, since they allow the knowledge of the defense mechanisms that minimize the impact of the metal through the expression of proteins antioxidants, for example, allowing adjustment in the defense response associated with Mn+2 tolerance. This knowledge will allow future studies and the exploration of the biotechnological potential in future bioremediation processes

Investigação arqueobotânica dos sedimentos arqueológicos de Paço dos Lobos da Gama: um arrabalde islâmico da cidade de Évora (séculos XI-XII)

O Paço dos Lobos da Gama é uma residência senhorial do século XVII, construída pela família Lobo da Gama. Situa-se sensivelmente a meio da Rua Serpa Pinto, em Évora. Entre 2008 e 2009 foi alvo de escavações arqueológicas de emergência que se concentraram principalmente no logradouro, atrás do imóvel. Em particular o sector 6 forneceu um conjunto importante de vestígios arqueológicos dos séculos I-II d.C. até ao final da Época Moderna, com especial destaque para o período islâmico. Os macrorestos vegetais, objeto deste estudo provêm exclusivamente de contextos islâmicos que, excetuando uma unidade estratigráfica, pertencem a estruturas negativas. Entre todas, destaca-se uma fossa séptica de onde provêm os sedimentos analisados que se revelaram particularmente ricos em sementes e frutos mineralizados, na maior parte pertencentes a arvores/arbustos de fruto. O estudo destina-se sobretudo à caracterização do uso e consumo de vegetais por parte desta comunidade entre o final do século XI e o princípio do século XII. São também relevantes os aspetos relacionados com a exploração e uso da madeira. As análises estão ainda a decorrer, pelo que serão aqui apresentados somente os resultados preliminares

Testing LA-ICP-MS analysis of archaeological bones with different diagenetic histories for paleodiet prospect

LA-ICP-MS is a powerful technique requiring minimal sample preparation and providing high spatial resolution which may offer the possibility of analysing trace elements in targeted pristine areas of archaeological bone sections. This would provide invaluable information about an individual's life if combined with the geochemical composition of the teeth from the same individual. However, there is no consensus regarding the calibration to be used for LA-ICP-MS analysis of bone, which is a highly complex organo-mineral tissue. In this study, we tested different calibration approaches (NIST and USGS glass series, synthetic phosphate glass and synthetic phosphate pellet from USGS) on a modern bone. The best method was applied to three Precolumbian skeletons (Lerma Valley, Mexico). These individuals show different degrees of preservation (crystallinity, calcite, F and organic matter content) which have been previously explored at the intra-skeletal level. A bone sample with exceptional preservation from the Dogon Country (Mali) was analysed for comparison. Based on BSE SEM images and element distribution of the bone sections obtained via LA-ICP-MS mapping, quantification of Ca, P, Li, Zn, V, U, Na, Mg, Sr and Ba was performed using LA-ICP-MS spot analysis on areas displaying varying concentration profiles and histological preservation. Although avoiding sampling at the external margin of the bone sections may minimize diagenetic Li, Zn, V, U, Sr and Ba, it was not possible to discriminate biological from diagenetic Sr adsorbed onto the bone crystallites of the best preserved Precolumbian skeleton, whose low crystallinity favored adsorption efficiency. In contrast, the well preserved Dogon sample, as well as the most altered Precolumbian skeletons provided Sr and Ba content roughly similar to concentrations obtained using bulk analysis. LA-ICP-MS can therefore not substitute solution analysis for paleodiet prospect, especially for bones in relatively early state of diagenetic transformations

Manganese alters expression of proteins involved in the oxidative stress of Meyerozyma guilliermondii.

Organisms, in general, respond to environmental stress by altering their pattern of protein expression (proteome), as an alternative to growing in stressful conditions. A strain of Meyerozyma guilliermondii resistant to manganese was isolated from a sample of water collected from mine drainage in southeastern Minas Gerais (Brazil), and demonstrated manganese detoxification capacity. Protein extracts containing the soluble fractions were obtained after growth of the strain in the absence and presence of MnSO4. Tryptic peptides recovered from samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Shotgun/bottomup analyses of the soluble fractions revealed a total of 1257 identified molecules. Treatment with Mn did not affect the growth of yeast but induced changes in the protein profile, with 117 proteins expressed in the absence of Mn and 69 expressed only in its presence. Most of these are annotated as related to DNA repair, oxidoreductase activity, and remodeling of gene expression. This is the first proteomic report of M. guilliermondii, with promising characteristics for Mn bioremediation, and the first of the genus Meyerozyma. This proteomic characterization may help in the understanding of molecular regulatory mechanisms associated with tolerance to excess Mn, and the potential use of biomass in bioremediation processes. Significance: Environmental pollution by heavy metals such as manganese (Mn2+) has increased as it is a byproduct of the mining industry and a potential environmental contaminant. Many studies have explored the use of bacteria for manganese bioremediation, but yeasts have emerged as a promising alternative, displaying faster growth and greater removal efficiency. Previous works of our laboratory showed that Meyerozyma guilliermondii, a non-pathogenic haploid yeast (ascomycete), has excellent removal and accumulation capacity of Mn2+, potentially useful in bioremediation. Nowadays efforts have been devoted to understanding the physiology of metal hyperaccumulation to gain insights into the molecular basis of hyperaccumulation. To obtain a comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanism of Mn2+ hyperaccumulation in M. guilliermondii, proteomic approaches were employed yielding the first compositional proteomic map of total soluble proteins and their differential expression in the presence of Mn2+. We believe our findings are of biotechnological interest concerning the utilization of M. guilliermondii for bioremediation purposes