Marked eburnation among prehispanic individuals from La Gomera (Canary Islands)

Marked eburnation among prehispanic individuals from La Gomera (Canary Islands) Eburnation of the articular surfaces is an advanced feature of osteoarthritis. We here report some striking cases of such a condition in the proximal epiphysis of tibiae of prehispanic inhabitants of La Gomera, in the Canary Archipelago

Sexual dimorphism: a comparative study between inhabitants from El Hierro and other populations of the Word.

Sex estimation based on tibial measurements can be achieved using discriminant functions combining several parameters. However, functions differ from one population to another, because sexual dimorphism may be more or less marked among different ancestry or ethnic groups. Calculation of one of these functions with the dimensions of populations other than that from which the function was obtained may misclassify a different proportion of males or females than when calculated with the dimensions of the original population. By dividing the proportions of correctly classified individuals when the function was applied to the population from which it derived and that of El Hierro (Canary Islands), we can calculate an index of male trait expression and an index of female trait expression, and, by addition of both indices, an index of sexual dimorphism. Therefore, it is possible to compare the degree of sexual dimorphism among several populations, at least regarding those measurements included in the function. Based on this fact we have calculated several functions (reported in the scientific literature), obtained from tibiae of modern black, white, and Japanese populations, and from medieval Croatians and prehispanic inhabitants of Gran Canaria (ap. 1000 BP), with the dimensions of the prehispanic population of El Hierro, genetically sexed, also with an antiquity of ap. 1000 BP. Despite the different antiquity, the population of El Hierro was more dimorphic that the modern Japanese one, but less dimorphic than most of the other groups with which it was compared, especially when functions including distal epiphyseal breadth and minimum shaft perimeter (near the distal end of the tibiae) were calculated: in these cases, dimorphism was lower for the population of El Hierro, due to the fact that, although male trait expression index was higher, many females of El Hierro were misclassified as males because of the abnormally thick distal diaphyseal and epiphyseal breadths of El Hierro inhabitants

Micobacteriosis sistémica por Mycobacterium avium en paciente con SIDA Systemic mycobacteriosis for Mycobacterium avium in a AIDS patient

Se analizaron repetidas muestras procedentes de un paciente cubano con SIDA, para descartar la presencia de bacilos ácido alcohol resistente (BAAR), pasadas 2-3 semana en las muestras de esputo, líquido cefalorraquídeo y de hemocultivo que habían sido procesadas y cultivadas se detecta la presencia de algunas colonias, como resultado se obtuvo el aislamiento de una cepa micobacteriana no pigmentada, de crecimiento lento perteneciente al Grupo III de Runyon, esta cepas fueron clasificadas como Mycobacterium avium por los métodos convencionales establecidos para la identificación de cepas micobacterianas, como técnica confirmativa diagnóstica se utilizó el análisis de las fracciones de ácido micólicos por la técnica de cromatografía en capa delgada bidimensional. El objetivo fundamental de este estudio ha sido reportar el primer caso de micobacteriosis sistémica en un paciente cubano con SIDA.Several sputum and blood culture simples from a Cuban HIV/AIDS patient were analyzed to discard the presence of alcohol acid resistant bacillus. After 2-3 weeks the culture revealed in both kinds of samples some colonies from non-pigmented mycobacterium strain with slow growth and belonging to III Runyon Group. This strain was classified as Mycobacterium avium by conventional methods established for mycobacterium identification. To diagnostic confirmative method was used the analysis of fraction mycolic acid by bi-dimensional thin layer chromatography. The main objective of this study was to report the first case of systemic mycobacteriosisin a Cuban HIV/AIDS patient

Micobacteriosis sistémica por Mycobacterium avium en paciente con SIDA Systemic mycobacteriosis for Mycobacterium avium in a AIDS patient

Se analizaron repetidas muestras procedentes de un paciente cubano con SIDA, para descartar la presencia de bacilos ácido alcohol resistente (BAAR), pasadas 2-3 semana en las muestras de esputo, líquido cefalorraquídeo y de hemocultivo que habían sido procesadas y cultivadas se detecta la presencia de algunas colonias, como resultado se obtuvo el aislamiento de una cepa micobacteriana no pigmentada, de crecimiento lento perteneciente al Grupo III de Runyon, esta cepas fueron clasificadas como Mycobacterium avium por los métodos convencionales establecidos para la identificación de cepas micobacterianas, como técnica confirmativa diagnóstica se utilizó el análisis de las fracciones de ácido micólicos por la técnica de cromatografía en capa delgada bidimensional. El objetivo fundamental de este estudio ha sido reportar el primer caso de micobacteriosis sistémica en un paciente cubano con SIDA.Several sputum and blood culture simples from a Cuban HIV/AIDS patient were analyzed to discard the presence of alcohol acid resistant bacillus. After 2-3 weeks the culture revealed in both kinds of samples some colonies from non-pigmented mycobacterium strain with slow growth and belonging to III Runyon Group. This strain was classified as Mycobacterium avium by conventional methods established for mycobacterium identification. To diagnostic confirmative method was used the analysis of fraction mycolic acid by bi-dimensional thin layer chromatography. The main objective of this study was to report the first case of systemic mycobacteriosisin a Cuban HIV/AIDS patient

Infarto talámico bilateral y cognición en paciente con enfermedad de Hodgkin Bilateral thalamic infarction and cognition in patient with Hodgkin's disease

La afectación del sistema nervioso central en la enfermedad de Hodgkin (HDG) es excepcional. Los pacientes con lesiones malignas tienen mayor riesgo de infarto cerebral. Se presentó un paciente con antecedente de enfermedad de HDG quien presentó episodios súbitos de deterioro del nivel de conciencia y que en el período de recuperación mostró severas alteraciones en sus funciones psíquicas superiores con trastornos groseros de la memoria de fijación y evocación, desorientación témporo-espacial, acalculia, perseveraciones, conducta inadecuada y agresividad. Se determinó, mediante estudios imagenológicos, tomografía axial computarizada y resonancia magnética nuclear, el diagnóstico de infarto talámico bilateral. Se concluyó que las lesiones del tálamo que se acompañan de alteraciones de las funciones psíquicas superiores de carácter demencial son comúnmente bilaterales y que es importante diagnosticar estas complicaciones porque la mayoría son tratables. Se recomendó realizar estudios neuropsicológicos periódicos para precisar si existe recuperación evolutiva de los trastornos cognitivos y conductuales o concluir su diagnóstico como una demencia vascular talámica.The affection of the central nervous system in Hodgkin's disease is exceptional. Patients with malignant lesions are at a higher risk for stroke. A patient with history of Hodgkin's disease that had sudden episodes of deterioration of the conciousness level and that in the recovery period presented severe alterations in his higher psychical functions with gross disorders of the fixation and evocation memory, temporospacial disorientation, acalculia, perseverations, inadequate behavior and aggressiveness, was presented. The diagnosis of bilateral thalamic infarction was determined by imaging studies, computerized axial tomography and nuclear magnetic imaging. It was concluded that the thalamus lesions accompanied with alterations of the higher psychical functions of demential character are usually bilateral and that it is important to diagnose these complications, since most of them may be treated. It was recommended to undertake periodical neuropsychological studies to know if there is an evolutive recuperation of the cognitive and behavorial disorders, or to finally diagnose a vascular thalamic dementia

Ancient genomes from North Africa evidence prehistoric migrations to the Maghreb from both the Levant and Europe

The extent to which prehistoric migrations of farmers influenced the genetic pool of western North Africans remains unclear. Archaeological evidence suggests that the Neolithization process may have happened through the adoption of innovations by local Epipaleolithic communities or by demic diffusion from the Eastern Mediterranean shores or Iberia. Here, we present an analysis of individuals' genome sequences from Early and Late Neolithic sites in Morocco and from Early Neolithic individuals from southern Iberia. We show that Early Neolithic Moroccans (∼5,000 BCE) are similar to Later Stone Age individuals from the same region and possess an endemic element retained in present-day Maghrebi populations, confirming a long-term genetic continuity in the region. This scenario is consistent with Early Neolithic traditions in North Africa deriving from Epipaleolithic communities that adopted certain agricultural techniques from neighboring populations. Among Eurasian ancient populations, Early Neolithic Moroccans are distantly related to Levantine Natufian hunter-gatherers (∼9,000 BCE) and Pre-Pottery Neolithic farmers (∼6,500 BCE). Late Neolithic (∼3,000 BCE) Moroccans, in contrast, share an Iberian component, supporting theories of trans-Gibraltar gene flow and indicating that Neolithization of North Africa involved both the movement of ideas and people. Lastly, the southern Iberian Early Neolithic samples share the same genetic composition as the Cardial Mediterranean Neolithic culture that reached Iberia ∼5,500 BCE. The cultural and genetic similarities between Iberian and North African Neolithic traditions further reinforce the model of an Iberian migration into the Maghreb

The Woman from Leuk (Switzerland)—Discovery, Conservation, and Interdisciplinary Investigations of a Seventeenth-Century Mummy

During the excavation of St. Stephan’s Church in Leuk (Switzerland) in the 1980s, a wellpreserved mummy with clothing and shoes was found in a wooden coffin. Subsequently, the Mummy underwent restoration, but the observations have never been published. Therefore, an interdisciplinary Investigation was recently organized that included a thorough archaeological and anthropological documentation in collaboration with specialists in costume history and leatherworking. The aim was to gather evidence for the dating and preservation mechanism, as well as to determine the biological profile of the individual. The investigation was accompanied by a noninvasive examination with a mobile x-ray device, which enabled identification of sex, age, Body height, and pathologies. The clothing (cape, blouse, skirt, drawers) and the shoes were subjected to a detailed stylistic and technological examination. The individual is female, aged 45–60 years, with foot deformities that might be related to constricting footwear. Stylistic details of the shoes indicate that the burial dates from the first half of the 17th century, more precisely to the 1630s. Despite her simple clothing, the burial location attests to her respected position in society