The bird remains from wf16, an early neolithic settlement in southern Jordan: assemblage composition, chronology and spatial distribution

Excavations at the early Neolithic settlement of WF16 in Faynan, southern Jordan, 11.84-10.24 ka BP, recovered 17,700 bird bones, of which 7808 could be identified to at least family level. Sixty-three different bird taxa are present from 18 families, representing a mix of resident and migrant birds, based on present-day ecology. We describe the settlement context for the assemblage, its taxonomic composition, spatial and chronological distribution, identifying its similarities and differences to avian assemblages from broadly contemporary sites in the region

Urinary And Breast Milk Biomarkers To Assess Exposure Ro Naphthalene In Pregnant Women: An Investigation Of Personal And Indoor Air Sources

Naphthalene exposures for most non-occupationally exposed individuals occur primarily indoors at home. Residential indoor sources include pest control products (specifically moth balls), incomplete combustion such as cigarette smoke, woodstoves and cooking, some consumer and building products, and emissions from gasoline sources found in attached garages. The study aim was to assess naphthalene exposure in pregnant women from Canada, using air measurements and biomarkers of exposure

Identification of a Blood-Based Protein Biomarker Panel for Lung Cancer Detection

Lung cancer is the deadliest cancer worldwide, mainly due to its advanced stage at the time of diagnosis. A non-invasive method for its early detection remains mandatory to improve patients’ survival. Plasma levels of 351 proteins were quantified by Liquid Chromatography-Parallel Reaction Monitoring (LC-PRM)-based mass spectrometry in 128 lung cancer patients and 93 healthy donors. Bootstrap sampling and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalization were used to find the best protein combination for outcome prediction. The PanelomiX platform was used to select the optimal biomarker thresholds. The panel was validated in 48 patients and 49 healthy volunteers. A 6-protein panel clearly distinguished lung cancer from healthy individuals. The panel displayed excellent performance: area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) = 0.999, positive predictive value (PPV) = 0.992, negative predictive value (NPV) = 0.989, specificity = 0.989 and sensitivity = 0.992. The panel detected lung cancer independently of the disease stage. The 6-protein panel and other sub-combinations displayed excellent results in the validation dataset. In conclusion, we identified a blood-based 6-protein panel as a diagnostic tool in lung cancer. Used as a routine test for high- and average-risk individuals, it may complement currently adopted techniques in lung cancer screening.publishedVersio

Predictors of indoor BTEX concentrations in Canadian residences

Background Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and m-, p-xylenesand o-xylene (BTEX) are a group of volatile organic compounds that originate from similar sources. Given the potentially negative health implications of BTEX exposure and their prevalence in residential indoor air, it is important to understand typical residential concentrations and identify predictors. Data and methods The 2009 to 2011 Canadian Health Measures Survey included an indoor air component. Questionnaires were administered, and respondents were asked to deploy an air sampler in their home for 7 consecutive days. This analysis is based on BTEX data from 5,191 respondents. Mean BTEX concentrations were examined overall, and by dwelling type and garage configuration. Stepwise regression models were used to examine potential sources of BTEX components. Results Means were 1.95 µg/m3 (benzene), 19.17 µg/m3 (toluene), 4.09 µg/m3 (ethylbenzene), 14.42 µg/m3 (m-, p-xylenes), and 4.16 µg/m3 (o-xylene). Significant predictors of the presence of BTEX included a garage on the property, regular smoking in the home, renovations in the past month, number of occupants, use of paint remover, and use of fragrance. Interpretation Results of this nationally representative study found that BTEX concentrations are relatively low among Canadian residences, and identified several different indoor sources

Gene Expression in Peripheral Immune Cells following Cardioembolic Stroke Is Sexually Dimorphic

<div><p>Aims</p><p>Epidemiological studies suggest that sex has a role in the pathogenesis of cardioembolic stroke. Since stroke is a vascular disease, identifying sexually dimorphic gene expression changes in blood leukocytes can inform on sex-specific risk factors, response and outcome biology. We aimed to examine the sexually dimorphic immune response following cardioembolic stroke by studying the differential gene expression in peripheral white blood cells.</p><p>Methods and Results</p><p>Blood samples from patients with cardioembolic stroke were obtained at ≤3 hours (prior to treatment), 5 hours and 24 hours (after treatment) after stroke onset (n = 23; 69 samples) and compared with vascular risk factor controls without symptomatic vascular diseases (n = 23, 23 samples) (ANCOVA, false discovery rate p≤0.05, |fold change| ≥1.2). mRNA levels were measured on whole-genome Affymetrix microarrays. There were more up-regulated than down-regulated genes in both sexes, and females had more differentially expressed genes than males following cardioembolic stroke. Female gene expression was associated with cell death and survival, cell-cell signaling and inflammation. Male gene expression was associated with cellular assembly, organization and compromise. Immune response pathways were over represented at ≤3, 5 and 24 h after stroke in female subjects but only at 24 h in males. Neutrophil-specific genes were differentially expressed at 3, 5 and 24 h in females but only at 5 h and 24 h in males.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>There are sexually dimorphic immune cell expression profiles following cardioembolic stroke. Future studies are needed to confirm the findings using qRT-PCR in an independent cohort, to determine how they relate to risk and outcome, and to compare to other causes of ischemic stroke.</p></div

Top five over-represented canonical pathways in cardioembolic stroke; Benjamini-Hochberg P-value <0.05.

<p>Top five over-represented canonical pathways in cardioembolic stroke; Benjamini-Hochberg P-value <0.05.</p