A multi-pressure analysis of ecosystem services for conservation planning in the Alps

Increasing anthropogenic pressures such as pollution, climate change or invasive species can have multiple impacts on ecosystems and the services (ES) they provide. To address the potential effects on ES provision, we propose a geospatial framework to identify and analyze the cumulative effects on terrestrial and freshwater ES. The framework includs an impact chain analysis based on ten pressures grouped into six categories (pollution, climate change, land-use change, overexploitation, land fragmentation, invasive species) and their single or multiple effects on five key ES of the Alpine environment (recreation, forest protection, CO2 sequestration, habitat maintenance, grassland biomass). Results show that the areas most affected by cumulative effects were located in major urban centers, in the Po Valley, Germany, Slovenia, and in coastal areas of the Adriatic Sea. The spatial coincidence analysis of pressure P-ES on IUCN protected sites showed that protection categories IV and V mostly had high P/high ES scores. Our approach will help in management and planning for mountain conservation aimed at reducing multi-pressure occurrences in transboundary environments. The framework can be used to identify areas with the highest ES provision, characterize areas with high stress from anthropogenic pressures, and examine the effects of pressures on protected areas

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

The middle interscalene block: cadaver study and clinical assessment

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A variety of brachial plexus block techniques via the interscalene approach have been proposed. We describe here a new middle interscalene perivascular approach to the brachial plexus. To verify its effectiveness, we studied 719 patients scheduled for shoulder arthroscopy. Furthermore, to verify the accuracy of the proposed bony landmarks to use in the case of inability to palpate the subclavian artery pulse, we simulated the block on 10 cadavers. METHODS: The aim of our technique is to cannulate the neurovascular bundle by inserting a 35-mm needle lateral to the subclavian arterial pulse near the midpoint of the upper edge of the clavicle in a horizontal or slightly cephalad direction while pointing toward the seventh cervical vertebra. If the pulse of the subclavian artery is not palpable, we localize the direction of the needle with reference to 3 bony landmarks (the middle point of the clavicle, the spinous process of C7, and the sternoclavicular joint). By connecting these 3 landmarks, we obtain an angle whose apex lies at the midpoint of the clavicle and its bisecting line points to the plexus. The needle is introduced in the transverse plane of C7. RESULTS: The block was performed successfully in 692 of 719 cases (96.2\%). Horner's syndrome occurred in 93.5\% of the cases, arterial puncture with hematoma occurred in <1\%, phrenic nerve block without respiratory impairment in 60\%, with transient respiratory failure in <1\%, and laryngeal nerve block in <1\%. The incidence of severe complications or permanent injuries was zero (upper limit 95\% confidence interval = 0.4\% or 1:250 patients). The technique performed on cadavers showed that the previously mentioned bony landmarks were reliable reference points in reaching the brachial plexus. CONCLUSIONS: Our technique via a middle interscalene approach is easy to perform and provides a high success rate. Even in the absence of a subclavian artery pulse, the easily recognizable bony landmarks reliably guide us in the insertion of the needle. Furthermore, this technique appears to avoid complications that are theoretically possible in other supraclavicular perivascular approaches (pneumothorax) and paravertebral approaches (injection into the vertebral artery and subarachnoidal injection). However, further comparative studies will be required to assess the clinical relevance of the block

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

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

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-year-old 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