The Mediterranean diet and One Health: A study in synergies

Abstract Food consumption patterns (diets) lie at the nexus of human wellness and environmental conservation. The Mediterranean diet, the traditional food and lifestyle patterns of the Mediterranean populations, is a plant-based whole foods cultural model of a healthy diet. The environmental benefits are rooted in the agro-silvo-pastoral farming systems promoting sustainable productivity, and conserving biodiversity and water resources, while also decreasing greenhouse gas emissions and future land clearing. Pasture-based husbandry results in improved animal health and welfare. Understanding the ancient hierarchy of synergies in this complex system can aid policy-makers, public health planners, agriculturists, and animal advocates meet present and future challenges. One Health Impact Statement Food choice can have a profound effect on human health and the environment. Less obvious is the impact on the health and welfare of food-producing animals. The Mediterranean dietary and lifestyle pattern is a plant-based whole foods diet, arising from sustainable agroecological practices, resulting in tangible benefits in all three domains. The synergistic aspects of each domain assemble into a complex system exemplifying the interdisciplinary concept of One Health that is crucial to meeting the challenges of today

Organism Migration in Soils: Should We Be So Comfortable With Diagnosing Ancient Infectious Diseases?

Studies of the ancient history of infectious diseases have been facilitated greatly by development of a succession of novel analytical methods. In particular, laboratory analytical methods that are based on high-throughput ancient deoxyribonucleic acid sequencing have received considerable attention in this respect. Even so, significant environmental caveats remain. There are many means by which microbes move through soil, often fairly readily. Thus, the depositional component of the postmortem environment, especially with respect to unshielded animal or human remains, is a fertile arena for many microbes that can contaminate archaeological specimens well after deposition and decay of soft tissues. The huge number of pathogenic and nonpathologic genera and species clearly dictate renewed interest and research into the long-term biological activities of soil-covered remains. In a tuberculosis context, we focus on various depositional concerns and limitations, such as contamination prior to archaeological discovery (perhaps many years prior), various means of microorganism movement in soil, the influence of these factors on differential diagnosis, and real hazards for misinterpretation of investigational results

Developmental Features of the Canid Proximocaudal Femur

We continued direct morphological studies of the canid coxofemoral joint, considering early-life spatial relationships around the locus of the proximocaudal joint capsule insertion. Our primary goal was to elucidate the postnatal developmental gross anatomy of the proximocaudal femur, among juveniles across Canidae. From an original database of 267 independent (museum) specimens from 11 canid taxa and 1 hybrid taxon, we identified 29 ancient or modern candidate juvenile specimens (nine taxa and one hybrid taxon). Based on optimal ability to recognize landmarks, the best photographic data were categorized into five groups of four each (n = 20). The data groups approximated early juvenile, early-mid juvenile, mid-juvenile, mid-late juvenile; and young adult stages. In this descriptive photographic essay, we demonstrate the developmental spatial proximity among (a) the dorsal meeting of the respective lateral and medial extensions from the growth centers of the femoral head and greater trochanter; (b) the caudodorsal aspect of the coxofemoral joint capsule attachment; (c) a segment of the proximocaudal femoral shaft physis; and (d) an eventual associated mineralized prominence. The latter occurs frequently but not universally, suggesting natural population variability across taxa. Across taxa and juvenile age categories, the morphology thus supports developmental conservation among ancient and modern Canidae. The biomechanical and biological cause-effect implications are not yet clear. For zoological purposes, we apply the term postdevelopmental mineralized prominence to the residual caudolateral surface feature. We extend the original anatomical work of Morgan in zoological and phylogenic arenas, using direct observation of cleared skeletal specimens

Differential diagnosis of vertebral spinous process deviations in archaeological and modern domestic dogs

Paleopathological study of domestic animal remains can elucidate human-domesticate relationships, when all reasonable differential diagnoses are considered. Deviated spinous processes found on ancient domesticated dog vertebrae have been assumed to result from pack burdens, although consideration of diagnostic alternatives has been unclear. To more thoroughly assess the potential significance of these features, we first generated an extensive differential diagnosis of potential causes. Broad causal categories included: (i) morphological; (ii) infectious; (iii) taphonomic; (iv) life history (in utero to death), with numerous subcategories that sometimes overlap. We then evaluated these possibilities through an observational and radiology study of 15 ancient deliberate domestic dog burials (191 vertebrae) from the midwestern USA, dating between 10,130 and 200 years ago. Archaeological specimens from the UK were included to evaluate for geographic uniqueness of our observations. We characterized deviations of spinous processes of cervical (n = 74), thoracic (n = 51), lumbar (n = 60), and sacral (n = 6) vertebrae. Affected spinous processes were found in 34% of cervical vertebrae, 63% of thoracic vertebrae, 78% of lumbar vertebrae, and 50% of sacral vertebrae. Four types of spinous process deviations were observed: (a) lateral leaning from the base but not otherwise deviated; (b) lateral curving at some point above the base; (c) bowing because of multiple curves; and (d) torsion along the vertical axis. Computed tomography and micro-computed tomography were essential tools for establishing differential diagnoses