Bronze age Iinhumations in ceramic urn in the middle and upper Tagus basin: A comparative point of view

Se aborda el tema de los enterramientos prehistóricos en urnas en el valle interior del río Tajo. Los caracterizamos a partir de los enterramientos conocidos hasta el momento en la zona y tres más inéditos procedentes del yacimiento de Las Mayores (Toledo), de los que hemos obtenidos recientes datos arqueométricos. Con la información resultante reflexionamos sobre su relación con otros ámbitos peninsulares, especialmente el argárico, donde tienen amplia representación, y sobre su identificación dentro de la secuencia zonal, siendo característicos de la Edad del Bronce pero ajenos a las comunidades Protocogotas. Los enterramientos en pithoi tienen escaso arraigo en el interior peninsular, mostrando, aun así, una enorme variabilidad que impide ver en ellos consideraciones sociales más allá de los valores comprensibles dentro del reducido ámbito familiar, que es el dominante en los enterramientos de la Edad del Bronce en la zonaPrehistoric urn burials in the inland Tagus valley are characterised through the known examples in the area and three new ones at the site of Las Mayores (Toledo), for which archaeometric data have recently been obtained. The information obtained allows a reflection, first on their relationship with other parts of Iberia, especially the Argaric world, where such burials are well known. In second place, their identification within the regional sequence is assessed, as they are characteristic of the Bronze Age but foreign to ProtoCogotas communities. Pithoi burials did not enjoy a tradition in inland Iberia and their great variability does not allow social considerations at the community level. This practice is only comprehensible within the small family circles of the segmentary societies that characterised the Bronze Age in the are

Worldwide Disparities in Recovery of Cardiac Testing 1 Year Into COVID-19

BACKGROUND The extent to which health care systems have adapted to the COVID-19 pandemic to provide necessary cardiac diagnostic services is unknown.OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to determine the impact of the pandemic on cardiac testing practices, volumes and types of diagnostic services, and perceived psychological stress to health care providers worldwide.METHODS The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations from baseline in cardiovascular diagnostic care at the pandemic's onset and 1 year later. Multivariable regression was used to determine factors associated with procedure volume recovery.RESULTS Surveys were submitted from 669 centers in 107 countries. Worldwide reduction in cardiac procedure volumes of 64% from March 2019 to April 2020 recovered by April 2021 in high- and upper middle-income countries (recovery rates of 108% and 99%) but remained depressed in lower middle- and low-income countries (46% and 30% recovery). Although stress testing was used 12% less frequently in 2021 than in 2019, coronary computed tomographic angiography was used 14% more, a trend also seen for other advanced cardiac imaging modalities (positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance; 22%-25% increases). Pandemic-related psychological stress was estimated to have affected nearly 40% of staff, impacting patient care at 78% of sites. In multivariable regression, only lower-income status and physicians' psychological stress were significant in predicting recovery of cardiac testing.CONCLUSIONS Cardiac diagnostic testing has yet to recover to prepandemic levels in lower-income countries. Worldwide, the decrease in standard stress testing is offset by greater use of advanced cardiac imaging modalities. Pandemic-related psychological stress among providers is widespread and associated with poor recovery of cardiac testing. (C) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation