The shrews (Soricidae, Mammalia) of the Early and Middle Pleistocene of Gran Dolina (Atapuerca, Spain) : reassessing their paleontological record in the Iberian Peninsula

Altres ajuts: CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya; the authors are members of the group E18_17R: Grupo de Referencia Aragosaurus. Recursos Geológicos y Paleoambientales, funded by the Gobierno de Aragón.Soricids are small mammals with a mainly invertebrate diet. They are generally termed insectivores and are part of the mammalian Order Eulipotyphla. Soricids of the Early-Middle Pleistocene postdating the Jaramillo subchron are poorly known in the Iberian Peninsula, except for Dolinasorex glyphodon, endemic to north Spain, and scattered records of Sorex minutus, Crocidura russula, Crocidura kornfeldi and indeterminate species of Crocidura, Sorex and Neomys. This is mainly due to the scarcity of sites and the fragmentary fossil remains. In contrast, the record of soricids in the rest of Europe during this period is wide: there are sites with up to ten different species in the same stratigraphic level. As Gran Dolina (Atapuerca, Spain) provides one of the best anthropological, archaeological and faunal records of the late-Early (post-Jaramillo) to early-Middle Pleistocene, and as this occurs in an excellent, well-studied stratigraphic sequence documenting terrestrial environments, we here undertake an exhaustive revision of 200 fragmentary mandibles of this group of small mammals. Nine soricid taxa were identified in this archaeo-paleontological site: Sorex minutus, Sorex ex gr. runtonensis-subaraneus, Sorex (Drepanosorex) ex gr. margaritodon-savini, Dolinasorex glyphodon, Asoriculus gibberodon, Neomys cf. newtoni, Neomys cf. fodiens, Neomyni cf. Macroneomys and Crocidura kornfeldi. This is the first record of Neomys cf. newtoni in the Iberian Peninsula, the second specimen of Neomyni cf. Macroneomys, and the youngest record of A. gibberodon worldwide. Some of these taxa exhibit particularities when compared to their counterparts in the rest of the continent, adding to the variability of the species. Relict populations of Asoriculus gibberodon endured in the Iberian Peninsula into post-Jaramillo times, even after they had already disappeared from the rest of Europe

Biostratigraphy, palaeogeography and palaeoenvironmental significance of Sorex runtonensis Hinton, 1911 (Mammalia, Soricidae): First record from the Iberian Peninsula

Sorex runtonensis (Mammalia, Soricidae) is a well-known Pleistocene taxon with a broad distribution in Europe. However, no record of the species had been reported from the Iberian Peninsula up to now. Here we present nearly two hundred specimens of S. runtonensis recovered from the Lower Red Unit (levels TE7–14) of Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain), dated to ~ 1.1–1.5 Ma. Rigorous morphometrical and morphological analyses allowed the assignation of the items from Sima del Elefante confidently to this taxon, distinguishing them from the several other Pleistocene species of similar size that inhabited Europe. Sorex runtonensis survived all through the Pleistocene (and maybe more), but the remains from Sima del Elefante exhibit some traits that appear to be particular to the Early Pleistocene, which agrees with the pre-Jaramillo chronology inferred for the lower levels of the site. Western Palearctic S. runtonensis has been regarded as a proxy of patchy and relatively arid, open past biotopes due to its similarity to recent Eastern Palearctic S. tundrensis. In light of this fact, and given the high relative quantities of this taxon at the site, previous palaeoenvironmental reconstructions proposed for the lowermost unit of Sima del Elefante should be revised to present a more ecologically diverse scenario than previously thought

Estudio multidisciplinar y reconstrucción de los sorícidos (Eulipotyphla, Mammalia) del Cuarternario de la península Ibérica: sistemática, biometría, paleoambientes, esmalte dental y 3D

En esta tesis se han estudiado y analizado diversos aspectos de los sorícidos fósiles y actuales de la península Ibérica. En total se han analizado 360 ejemplares de sorícidos extraídos tanto de los yacimientos paleontológicos de Gran Dolina y Sima del Elefante de la Sierra de Atapuerca, como de las colecciones del Museo de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad de Zaragoza y del Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología. Además, para el estudio ambiental se han identificado más de 5000 restos de microvertebrados entre los que hay un total de, al menos, 2029 individuos de micromamíferos. El estudio ha sido multidisciplinar, de forma que se han estudiado distintos aspectos de los sorícidos: la estructura y la composición del esmalte dental utilizando microscopía electrónica, la sistemática y la biometría de elementos craneales y dentales de especies actuales y fósiles y la reconstrucción en 3D de cráneos a partir de fragmentos.Las aportaciones realizadas se pueden dividir en secciones en función de las líneas de investigación seguidas.Sistemática y reconstrucción paleoambiental de los sorícidos del yacimiento de Gran Dolina de la Sierra de Atapuerca (Pleistoceno Inferior y Medio): - La revisión de los sorícidos de Gran Dolina ha proporcionado el primer registro en el tramo del Pleistoceno Inferior posterior al subcron Jaramillo en la península Ibérica de Sorex. gr. runtonensis-subaraneus, Sorex (Drepanosorex) gr. margaritodon-savini, Asoriculus gibberodon, Neomys cf. newtoni, y Crocidura kornfeldi. - La reconstrucción paleoambiental detallada del yacimiento de Gran Dolina a partir de las proporciones de arvicolinos y las presencias de otros micromamíferos, indica que los niveles inferiores del Pleistoceno Inferior (TD4, TD5 y TD6) son más húmedos y no tan abiertos como el nivel superior, del Pleistoceno Medio (TD10), siendo resultados acordes con estudio paleoambientales previos. La mayor diversidad de especies de sorícidos se da en TD5 y TD6, coincidiendo con la mayor influencia de prados húmedos.Las musarañas actuales del género Sorex en la región central y occidental de los Pirineos. Identificación y biometría de los dientes y mandíbulas:- Se han identificado las especies S. minutus y S. coronatus en los Pirineos centrales y occidentales, concretamente en Aragón, Navarra y País Vasco. Se descarta que los ejemplares de S. coronatus pudieran ser S. araneus, como se proponía en trabajos anteriores de las mismas muestras.- Los ejemplares de S. coronatus de los Pirineos central y occidental disminuyen en tamaño hacia el Atlántico. Siguen la tendencia general que se observa a mayor escala en todos los Pirineos.Reconstrucciones en 3D de los cráneos de Beremendia fissidens y Dolinasorex glyphodon (Pleistoceno Inferior) a partir de fósiles fragmentarios:- El protocolo para la reconstrucción en 3D descrito en esta tesis ha hecho posible reconstruir por primera vez en 3D la los cráneos de dos micromamíferos que se encuentran fragmentados e incompletos sistemáticamente en el registro fósil: Beremendia fissidens y Dolinasorex glyphodon.- El protocolo desarrollado tiene aplicaciones para la investigación de la anatomía y paleobiología de estas especies y también para actividades de divulgación y difusión como exposiciones en museos. Permiten a una audiencia no especializada entender cómo eran los animales extintos. - El procedimiento combina el uso de técnicas como el escáner microCT, la reconstrucción en 3D de las piezas escaneadas y el uso de software desarrollado para el diseño y la impresión 3D.- El protocolo de reconstrucción requiere exclusivamente el uso de software gratuito para cada paso. Permite que se puedan hacer las reconstrucciones utilizando ordenadores comerciales de especificaciones intermedias. Por tanto es accesible para una amplia audiencia con distintos grados de conocimiento del trabajo en 3D y con equipamiento no necesariamente especializado. Estructura y composición del esmalte dental de sorícidos y roedores actuales y fósiles:- Se ha comprobado que la pigmentación roja del esmalte dental de los sorícidos corresponde con la presencia de fases de Fe, que forman nanopartículas equidimensionales redondeadas. Estas fases son óxidos u oxihidróxidos de hierro.- Se ha observado que los óxidos (u oxihidróxidos) de hierro que causan la pigmentación roja y anaranjada de los dientes de soricinos y amarilla en roedores están localizados en la IPM (matriz interprismática) del esmalte.- La estructura del esmalte dental en sorícidos es conservativa. Presenta tres capas con diferente orientación de los prismas de esmalte (interna, intermedia y externa). Esta organización se observa en especies con y sin pigmentación y tanto en actuales como en fósiles del Pleistoceno Inferior.- La distribución de la fase de Fe dentro de la estructura del esmalte varía ligeramente entre distintos taxones. En los soricinos estos cambios permiten diferenciar dos zonas con proporciones de Fe muy distintas, tanto en la capa intermedia como en la externa del esmalte.- En los ejemplares actuales y del Pleistoceno Inferior de Sorex las concentraciones más altas de Fe se localizan en zonas internas, es decir, alejadas de la superficie, y no en la capa externa, como se creía anteriormente. La concentración de Fe varía entre el 0 al 28 % en peso. - En Dolinasorex y Beremendia, las musarañas de gran tamaño y pigmentación más oscura del Peistoceno Inferior, las concentraciones de Fe alcanzan del orden del 35-45% y su localización es más externa que en Sorex.- La estructura del esmalte de los roedores es diferente a la de los sorícidos y comprende dos capas. El Fe en los roedores está en la zona más externa del esmalte y en proporciones más bajas (hasta un 10%). En los roedores destaca que en la parte en la que se forma el esmalte, primero cristaliza el apatito y después en los huecos que quedan entre los prismas, se forma la fase con Fe. - La presencia de hierro en el esmalte dental es por tanto una convergencia evolutiva en Soricidae y Rodentia. El hecho de que el Fe se pueda presentar distintas fases minerales y que su posición en el esmalte y las relaciones estructurales sean distintas sugiere que su función sean también distinta en los distintos órdenes.- La localización de las mayores cantidades de los óxidos (u oxihidróxidos) de Fe en zonas internas del esmalte de algunos sorícidos parece estar relacionada con aumentos en la dureza del esmalte, lo que sugiere que la función principal de estos compuestos sea la de proporcionar resistencia a las fracturas. <br /

Unravelling the skills and motivations of Magdalenian artists in the depths of Atxurra Cave (Northern Spain)

Atxurra cave has a decorated assemblage composed of more than a hundred engraved animal depictions. All of them are located in deep parts of the cave and most of them are hidden in raised areas, away from the main path. The main sector is the “Ledge of the Horses”, located at 330 m from the entrance of the cave. It is a space of 12 m long and 1.5 m wide, elevated 4 m above the cave floor. This area includes almost fifty engraved and painted animals accompanied by a dozen flint tools, three fireplaces, and around one hundred charcoal fragments from torches. This extraordinary archaeological record allows us to value the complexity of the artistic production inside the caves during the Upper Palaeolithic. Our study has confirmed that there is planning prior to artistic production, both in terms of the iconographic aspects (themes, techniques, formats), its location (visibility, capacity), and the lighting systems. Furthermore, the data indicates the panel was decorated to be seen by third parties from different positions and was expressly illuminated for this purpose. This evidence supports the role of rock art as a visual communication system in Upper Palaeolithic societies.The authors wish to thank the Cultural Heritage Service of the Diputación Foral de Bizkaia for funding the 4-year multidisciplinary study project (2016–2020) “Study of rock art in Atxurra cave” directed by Dr Diego Garate. The present study has been carried out within the framework of the research project "Before art: social investment in symbolic expressions during the Upper Palaeolithic in the Iberian Peninsula” (PID2019-107262GB-I00), PI: Diego Garate, funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain), the research projet “Scientific virtual reality for the study and dissemination of the scenarios of artistic creation in Palaeolithic caves (RealCaveART)” (PDC2022-133124-I00), PI: Diego Garate, funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the European Union Next Generation EU/PRTR, and the research project “Creation and perception in Anatomically Modern Humans: analysis of the biological, cognitive and social skills linked to the production of Paleolithic art (ArtMindHuman)” (PID2021-125166OB-I00), PI: Olivia Rivero, funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (Spain). I. Intxaurbe’s PhD research is funded by a grant for the training of research personnel (PIF 2019) at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). M.A. Median-Alcaide developpes lighting system analyses inside the framework of her “A-Light” project of the HORIZON-MSCA-2021-PF-01-01 (101066376)

Human Activities, Biostratigraphy and Past Environment Revealed by Small-Mammal Associations at the Chalcolithic Levels of El Portalón de Cueva Mayor (Atapuerca, Spain)

The Chalcolithic levels of El Portalón de Cueva Mayor (Atapuerca, Burgos, Spain) offer a good opportunity to test whether the small-mammal contents of different archaeo-stratigraphical units may be useful to characterize them as independent entities. With that purpose, we studied representative samples of small-mammal remains from the two main contexts identified: the Early Chalcolithic (EC) funerary context and the Late Chalcolithic (LC) habitat/stabling context, with the latter comprising three different archaeological units according to their origin, namely prepared floors, activity floors and stabling surfaces or fumiers. Following the distribution of taxa in their respective contexts, we performed several statistical tests to check for significant discrepancies between archaeological units. The exclusive presence of certain taxa, together with the statistical difference in relative taxonomic ratios, points to the integrity and unpolluted condition of the EC context. The interspersed arrangement of the different LC context’s units made them prone to inter-pollution as they are not statistically different. The unexpected presence of Pliomys lenki and Chionomys nivalis in the prepared floors evidences their Upper Pleistocene allochthonous origin. The EC levels of El Portalón contribute the first Holocene records of nine taxa in the Sierra de Atapuerca. An environment dominated by woodland, shrubland and wet meadows, with moderate presence of grassland, inland wetlands and rocky areas, is inferred from the small-mammal association of the EC levels

The education of the diabetic patient with risk foot

Introducción: los diabéticos tienen motivos especiales para cuidar de sus pies, la gran diversidad de su presentación clínica, el incremento de su incidencia y la prevalencia de sus complicaciones, la incapacidad laboral, el alto coste económico y la tragedia de la amputación hacen pensar en lo complejo de su educación. Objetivo: evaluar la efectividad de un programa interactivo de educación diabetológica para reducir la incidencia del síndrome del pie diabético. Métodos: se realizó una investigación prospectiva, aplicada y cuasi experimental en el período de septiembre de 2014 hasta diciembre de 2016; se ejecutó un programa educativo con pacientes diabéticos con pie de riesgo grado 0 de Wagner organizados en grupos de 10 según el consultorio médico para facilitar el desarrollo de las actividades. Se analizaron las variables: edad, sexo, tipo de diabetes mellitus, tiempo de evolución de la diabetes, control de la diabetes, factores de riesgos cardiovasculares, ambiente familiar, tipo de lesión, factor desencadenante, tratamiento impuesto, necesidad de ingreso domiciliario y servicio de urgencia e ingreso hospitalario. Resultados: se logró la reducción de la incidencia del síndrome del pie diabético, el ingreso domiciliario constituyó una alternativa de tratamiento precoz y el traumatismo por calzado inadecuado fue el factor desencadenante más frecuente. Conclusión: el modelo interactivo es efectivo en la educación diabetológica para la reducción de la incidencia de lesiones en los pies de los pacientes diabéticos.Introduction: diabetics have special reasons to take care of their feet, the great diversity of their clinical presentation, the increase in their incidence and the prevalence of their complications, the inability to work, the high economic cost and the tragedy of amputation suggest the complexity of their education. Objective: to evaluate the effectiveness of an interactive diabetological education program to reduce the incidence of diabetic foot syndrome. Method: a prospective, applied and quasi-experimental research was carried out in the period from September 2014 to December 2016; an educational program was performed with diabetic patients with Wagner grade 0 risk foot organized in groups of 10 according to the medical consulting to facilitate the development of the activities. The variables were analyzed: age, sex, type of diabetes mellitus, time of evolution of diabetes, control of diabetes, cardiovascular risk factors, family environment, type of injury, triggering factor, imposed treatment, need for home admission and service of urgency and hospital admission. Results: the reduction in the incidence of diabetic foot syndrome was achieved, home admission constituted an early treatment alternative and trauma due to inadequate footwear was the most frequent triggering factor. Conclusion: the interactive model is effective in diabetology education to reduce the incidence of foot injuries in diabetic patients

Biological basis of extensive pleiotropy between blood traits and cancer risk

Background: The immune system has a central role in preventing carcinogenesis. Alteration of systemic immune cell levels may increase cancer risk. However, the extent to which common genetic variation influences blood traits and cancer risk remains largely undetermined. Here, we identify pleiotropic variants and predict their underlying molecular and cellular alterations. Methods: Multivariate Cox regression was used to evaluate associations between blood traits and cancer diagnosis in cases in the UK Biobank. Shared genetic variants were identified from the summary statistics of the genome-wide association studies of 27 blood traits and 27 cancer types and subtypes, applying the conditional/conjunctional false-discovery rate approach. Analysis of genomic positions, expression quantitative trait loci, enhancers, regulatory marks, functionally defined gene sets, and bulk- and single-cell expression profiles predicted the biological impact of pleiotropic variants. Plasma small RNAs were sequenced to assess association with cancer diagnosis. Results: The study identified 4093 common genetic variants, involving 1248 gene loci, that contributed to blood-cancer pleiotropism. Genomic hotspots of pleiotropism include chromosomal regions 5p15-TERT and 6p21-HLA. Genes whose products are involved in regulating telomere length are found to be enriched in pleiotropic variants. Pleiotropic gene candidates are frequently linked to transcriptional programs that regulate hematopoiesis and define progenitor cell states of immune system development. Perturbation of the myeloid lineage is indicated by pleiotropic associations with defined master regulators and cell alterations. Eosinophil count is inversely associated with cancer risk. A high frequency of pleiotropic associations is also centered on the regulation of small noncoding Y-RNAs. Predicted pleiotropic Y-RNAs show specific regulatory marks and are overabundant in the normal tissue and blood of cancer patients. Analysis of plasma small RNAs in women who developed breast cancer indicates there is an overabundance of Y-RNA preceding neoplasm diagnosis. Conclusions: This study reveals extensive pleiotropism between blood traits and cancer risk. Pleiotropism is linked to factors and processes involved in hematopoietic development and immune system function, including components of the major histocompatibility complexes, and regulators of telomere length and myeloid lineage. Deregulation of Y-RNAs is also associated with pleiotropism. Overexpression of these elements might indicate increased cancer risk

Passive smoking in babies: The BIBE study (Brief Intervention in babies. Effectiveness)

Background: There is evidence that exposure to passive smoking in general, and in babies in particular, is an important cause of morbimortality. Passive smoking is related to an increased risk of pediatric diseases such as sudden death syndrome, acute respiratory diseases, worsening of asthma, acute-chronic middle ear disease and slowing of lung growth. The objective of this article is to describe the BIBE study protocol. The BIBE study aims to determine the effectiveness of a brief intervention within the context of Primary Care, directed to mothers and fathers that smoke, in order to reduce the exposure of babies to passive smoking (ETS). Methods/Design: Cluster randomized field trial (control and intervention group), multicentric and open. Subject: Fathers and/or mothers who are smokers and their babies (under 18 months) that attend pediatric services in Primary Care in Catalonia. The measurements will be taken at three points in time, in each of the fathers and/or mothers who respond to a questionnaire regarding their baby's clinical background and characteristics of the baby's exposure, together with variables related to the parents' tobacco consumption. A hair sample of the baby will be taken at the beginning of the study and at six months after the initial visit (biological determination of nicotine). The intervention group will apply a brief intervention in passive smoking after specific training and the control group will apply the habitual care. Discussion: Exposure to ETS is an avoidable factor related to infant morbimortality. Interventions to reduce exposure to ETS in babies are potentially beneficial for their health. The BIBE study evaluates an intervention to reduce exposure to ETS that takes advantage of pediatric visits. Interventions in the form of advice, conducted by pediatric professionals, are an excellent opportunity for prevention and protection of infants against the harmful effects of ETS

The first hominin of Europe

The earliest hominin occupation of Europe is one of the most debated topics in palaeoanthropology. However, the purportedly oldest of the Early Pleistocene sites in Eurasia lack precise age control and contain stone tools rather than human fossil remains(1-5). Here we report the discovery of a human mandible associated with an assemblage of Mode 1 lithic tools and faunal remains bearing traces of hominin processing, in stratigraphic level TE9 at the site of the Sima del Elefante, Atapuerca, Spain(6-8). Level TE9 has been dated to the Early Pleistocene ( approximately 1.2 - 1.1 Myr), based on a combination of palaeomagnetism, cosmogenic nuclides and biostratigraphy. The Sima del Elefante site thus emerges as the oldest, most accurately dated record of human occupation in Europe, to our knowledge. The study of the human mandible suggests that the first settlement of Western Europe could be related to an early demographic expansion out of Africa. The new evidence, with previous findings in other Atapuerca sites ( level TD6 from Gran Dolina(9-13)), also suggests that a speciation event occurred in this extreme area of the Eurasian continent during the Early Pleistocene, initiating the hominin lineage represented by the TE9 and TD6 hominins.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62855/1/nature06815.pd