Earliest evidence of pollution by heavy metals in archaeological sites

Homo species were exposed to a new biogeochemical environment when they began to occupy caves. Here we report the first evidence of palaeopollution through geochemical analyses of heavy metals in four renowned archaeological caves of the Iberian Peninsula spanning the last million years of human evolution. Heavy metal contents reached high values due to natural (guano deposition) and anthropogenic factors (e.g. combustion) in restricted cave environments. The earliest anthropogenic pollution evidence is related to Neanderthal hearths from Gorham's Cave (Gibraltar), being one of the first milestones in the so-called “Anthropocene”. According to its heavy metal concentration, these sediments meet the present-day standards of “contaminated soil”. Together with the former, the Gibraltar Vanguard Cave, shows Zn and Cu pollution ubiquitous across highly anthropic levels pointing to these elements as potential proxies for human activities. Pb concentrations in Magdalenian and Bronze age levels at El Pirulejo site can be similarly interpreted. Despite these high pollution levels, the contaminated soils might not have posed a major threat to Homo populations. Altogether, the data presented here indicate a long-term exposure of Homo to these elements, via fires, fumes and their ashes, which could have played certain role in environmental-pollution tolerance, a hitherto neglected influence.Francisco J. Jiménez Palacios and to the Analytical Chemistry Department (Sevilla University) are gratefully acknowledged for their help in the use of Carbolite electric oven. A.G.-A. was supported by a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship of the 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration (European Commission). R.B. is a Beatriu de Pinós-A post-doctoral fellowship recipient (Generalitat de Catalunya and COFUND Marie Curie Actions, EU-FP7). This work also was partially financed by projects 19434/PI/14 Fundación Séneca, HARP2013-44269P, CGL-BOS-2012-34717, CGL2012-38434-C03-03 and CGL2012-38358 Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, 2014 SGR 900 and 2014/100573 Generalitat de Catalunya-AGAUR, RNM 432 Research Group 179 (Junta de Andalucia) and MEXT-Japan

Management of pelvic chondrosarcoma

The partial or complete excision of the hemipelvis with sparing of the lower limb is an option of the treatment of pelvic chondrosarcoma and a therapeutic alternative of the interilio-abdominal disarticulation. The operation has in principle the same indications as the interilio-abdominal disarticulation and offers a good solution for avoiding a mutilating operation. The 149 cases include: 120 biopsies, 29 excisional biopsies, 6 interilioabdominal disarticulations and 14 resections – reconstruction’s, one of with prosthetic reconstruction. The prognostic score was established by assessing: the surgical stage, the site of the tumor, the surgical margins of the tumor, the functional mobility and the postoperative activity. The wide excision of the tumor, a stable reconstruction and an efficient recovery are essential for a successful treatment of pelvic chondrosarcoma. The limb sparing resection-reconstruction represents a highly surgical demanding procedure, followed up by complications in 60% of the cases, so that should be performed only by high skilled surgeons. Hemipelvectomy still remains a well-established life-saving surgery method for patients suffering from vast oncological extensions, where a pelvic resection is not an option

The biogeochemistry of insectivorous cave guano: a case study from insular Southeast Asia

Cave guano derived from insectivorous bats and birds contain unique geochemical and mineralogical signatures. We investigated the mineralogy, pH, C, N and metal abundance patterns of cave guano spatially and temporally (with depth) along a W–E transect in Malaysia and Palawan from five remote cave sites, each housing large populations of bats and Aerodramus spp.(cave swiftlets). Guano deposits were rich in phosphate and/or sulphate minerals (e.g., gypsum, bassanite) with leucophosphite, spheniscidite, and variscite present in most profiles. Metal abundances measured from modern and ancient bat guano revealed high concentrations of transition metals relative to the local environment. Highly enriched metals, however, were associated with phosphate rather than sulphate minerals. Copper and Zn were enriched in all profiles, whereas other metals were associated with specific caves consistent with known local mineral resources. For example, Sn, Pb, and Rb were particularly enriched in Batu Cave, located in the Peninsular Malaysian granitic tin belt, whereas Ni and Cr were high in regions associated with ultramafic ophiolites and Ni-laterites found on Palawan