Digital reconstruction of the Ceprano calvarium (Italy), and implications for its interpretation

The Ceprano calvarium was discovered in fragments on March 1994 near the town of Ceprano in southern Latium (Italy), embedded in Middle Pleistocene layers. After reconstruction, its morphological features suggests that the specimen belongs to an archaic variant of H. heidelbergensis, representing a proxy for the last common ancestor of the diverging clades that respectively led to H. neanderthalensis and H. sapiens. Unfortunately, the calvarium was taphonomically damaged. The postero-lateral vault, in particular, appears deformed and this postmortem damage may have infuenced previous interpretations. Specifcally, there is a depression on the fragmented left parietal, while the right cranial wall is warped and angulated. This deformation afected the shape of the occipital squama, producing an inclination of the transverse occipital torus. In this paper, after X-ray microtomography (μCT) of both the calvarium and several additional fragments, we analyze consistency and pattern of the taphonomic deformation that afected the specimen, before the computer-assisted retrodeformation has been performed; this has also provided the opportunity to reappraise early attempts at restoration. As a result, we ofer a revised interpretation for the Ceprano calvarium’s original shape, now free from the previous uncertainties, along with insight for its complex depositional and taphonomic history

Monitoring of the declining trend of Polychlorobifenyls concentration in milk of contaminated dairy cows

Six pregnant heifers, coming from a herd with a history of high concentration of polychlorobifenyls (PCB) into the milk, were fed with a very low-PCB diet starting from the 6th month of pregnancy. After parturition cows were milked for at least 190 d with a maximum of 270 d. Diet was made of: corn silage (31.7% of DMI), dehydrated alfalfa (13.3% of DMI), grass hay (3.7% of DMI) and concentrate (51.3% of DMI). The average DMI was 23.12 kg/d. Milk production was recorded and samples of milk and blood were taken and analyzed for PCB (18, 28, 31, 52, 44, 101, 149, 118, 153, 138, 180 and 194 congeners) content using a GC-MS technique. The average milk yield (kg/d) of the 6 cows was 26.0, 22.5, 23.2, 24.5, 28.9, 29.3. The maximum PCB concentration of 100 ng/g of fat allowed by the Italian law was reached after 144-209 d of lactation. One animal after 204 days had a PCB concentration of 102 ng/g fat. If log10 of PCB concentration (ppb) in milk fat is regressed against days in milking (DIM) the following significant equation was obtained: log10 PCB (ng/g of milk fat)= 2.796 -0.00474 DIM; r2 0.72; P<0.01 The initial level of contamination is not the main factor affecting the time required in order for PCB to return to below the legal threshold of 100 ng/g fat, while daily milk yield significantly affects PCB excretion. Body condition and energy balance could be important factors affecting PCB excretion. In the presence of high contamination, about 6 months of lactation are required in order to obtain milk with a sufficiently low PCB content. Among the seven congeners considered by Italian legislation, PCB 101, PCB 118, PCB 138, PCB 153 constitute almost all the PCBs found in tissues and milk, with a much smaller presence of PCB 180, and the numbers of the congeners PCB 28 and PCB 52 are almost insignificant, probably because they accumulate little in the body. The congeners PCB 138 and PCB 153 are those most frequently found. For PCB 138 the liver is the principal organ of accumulation, while for PCB 153 we found equal accumulations in the liver, kidneys and tail, but a low presence in milk. The PCBs 118 and 138 are those most abundant in milks

Pathological and normal variability of foot bones in osteological collections from Catalonia (Spain) and Lazio (Italy)

Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICA wide number of factors can affect the structure of the bones in the foot. In bioarchaeology, few studies about foot anomalies include population comparisons and changes across time. We aimed to identify normal and pathological variability that affected the foot in the recent history of West Mediterranean populations. Thus, we analyzed change in occurrence of rare variants, pathological lesions, entheseal morphology, and their probable causes. We studied 518 pairs of skeletonized feet dated from the 2nd-20th centuries CE, from Catalonia (Spain) and the region of Lazio (Italy). Moreover, a Neolithic series from Oman has been analyzed for contrast. We found that calcaneal spur, hypertrophic peroneal trochlea of calcaneus, periosteal reaction of talar neck, alteration of articular surface to lateral cuneiform, displaced talar neck to medial plane, osteophytes in cuneiform-navicular joint, fused phalanges, and forefoot eburnation showed significant differences among countries. Contrasting by countries and dates, we noticed an increase in the frequencies of these variables from Spain over the centuries. Conversely, there are no temporal differences among the Italian series. The period encompassing the 10th-19th centuries CE demonstrated the highest differences between countries. Lifestyle, occupations, footwear, and geography could be the origin of variability

Dental calculus indicates widespread plant use within the stable Neanderthal dietary niche

The ecology of Neanderthals is a pressing question in the study of hominin evolution. Diet appears to have played a prominent role in their adaptation to Eurasia. Based on isotope and zoo archaeological studies, Neanderthal diet has been reconstructed as heavily meat-based and generally similar across different environments. This image persists, despite recent studies suggesting more plant use and more variation. However, we have only a fragmentary picture of their dietary ecology, and how it may have varied among habitats, because we lack broad and environmentally representative information about their use of plants and other foods. To address the problem, we examined the plant micro remains in Neanderthal dental calculus from five archaeological sites representing a variety of environments from the northern Balkans, and the western, central and eastern Mediterranean. The recovered micro remains revealed the consumption of a variety of non-animal foods, including starchy plants. Using a modeling approach, we explored the relationships among microremains and environment, while controlling for chronology. In the process, we compared the effectiveness of various diversity metrics and their shortcomings for studying microbotanical remains, which are often morphologically redundant for identification. We developed Minimum Botanical Units as a new way of estimating how many plant types or parts are present in a microbotanical sample. In contrast to some previous work, we found no evidence that plant use is confined to the southern-most areas of Neanderthal distribution. Although interpreting the ecogeographic variation is limited by the incomplete preservation of dietary micro remains, it is clear that plant exploitation was a widespread and deeply rooted Neanderthal subsistence strategy, even if they were predominately game hunters. Given the limited dietary variation across Neanderthal range in time and space in both plant and animal food exploitation, we argue that vegetal consumption was a feature of a generally static dietary niche

mortality risk factors show similar trends in modern and historic populations exposed to plague

Introduction: Plague has been responsible for two major historic pandemics (6th–8th century CE; 14th–19th century CE) and a modern one. The recent Malagasy plague outbreaks raised new concerns on the deadly potential of the plague-causing bacteria Yersinia pestis. Between September 2014 and April 2015, outbreaks of bubonic and pneumonic plague hit the Malagasy population. Two hundred and sixty-three cases, including 71 deaths, have been reported in 16 different districts with a case fatality rate of 27%. The scope of our study was to ascertain whether the risk factors for health in modern-day populations exposed to plague and in ancient populations that faced the two historic pandemics varied or remained substantially unaltered. Methodology: The risk of mortality of the Malagasy population with those obtained from the reconstruction of three samples of European populations exposed to the historic pandemics was contrasted. Results: The evidence shows that the risks of death are not uniform across age neither in modern nor in historic populations exposed to plague and shows precise concentrations in specific age groups (children between five and nine years of age and young adults). Conclusions: Although in the post-antibiotic era, the fatality rates have drastically reduced, both modern and historic populations were exposed to the same risk factors that are essentially represented by a low standard of environmental hygiene, poor nutrition, and weak health systems

La necropoli di Campo della Fiera (Orvieto) tra VI e XV sec. d.C.: dati archeoantropologici e pratiche funerarie

Multi-year field research at Campo della Fiera, which is located just south-west of the city of Orvieto, has indicated an unbro- ken occupation of the site from the 6th century BC to the 15th century A.D. The earliest building at the site, which has been recognised as the Federal Etruscan Sanctuary, that is the Fanum Voltumnae, experienced a severe destruction in the 264 BC during the devastation of Orvieto. A rural residence was built between the late 1st century BC and the early 1st century A.D. Furthermore, between the 6th and the 8th centuries A.D. this residential complex underwent significant transformations, as it was probably turned into a church. Finally, at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries A.D. a new church was built in the same eastern area of the site. Some clust

Identification and Characterization of Cancer Stem Cells from Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Lines

Background/Aims: Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) ranks sixth worldwide for tumor-related mortality. A subpopulation of tumor cells, termed cancer stem cells (CSCs), has the ability to support cancer growth. Therefore, profiling CSC-enriched populations could be a reliable tool to study cancer biology. Methods: We performed phenotypic characterization of 7 HNSCC cell lines and evaluated the presence of CSCs. CSCs from Hep-2 cell line and HNSCC primary cultures were enriched through sphere formation and sphere-forming cells have been characterized both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, we investigated the expression levels of Nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT), an enzyme overexpressed in several malignancies. Results: CSC markers were markedly expressed in Hep-2 cell line, which was found to be highly tumorigenic. CSC-enriched populations displayed increased expression of CSC markers and a strong capability to form tumors in vivo. We also found an overexpression of CSC markers in tumor formed by CSC-enriched populations. Interestingly, NNMT levels were significantly higher in CSC-enriched populations compared with parental cells. Conclusion: Our study provides an useful procedure for CSC identification and enrichment in HNSCC. Moreover, results obtained seem to suggest that CSCs may represent a promising target for an anticancer therapy

Manifestações clínicas em crianças infectadas pelo HIV na era HAART: um estudo seccional

The number of HIV infected children still grows gradually, becoming one of the five leading causes of pediatric death in the world. This study described HIV clinical manifestations in children from ages of 4 to 12 years who are in use of antiretroviral treatment or not. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional, observational and quantitative study performed with HIV positive children patients of the Gafrée and Guinle Hospital (HUGG) and the Previdenciary Center of Niteroi (CPN), in the state of Rio de Janeiro – Brazil, during the year of 2005. After collecting data from medical charts, a descriptive statistical analysis was conducted, using simple frequency and χ² test. Sixty-three percent of the patients from HUGG and CPN were on HAART, and 48% showed no clinical manifestations (p=0.1376). The most frequently observed clinical manifestations were upper respiratory tract infection (6%) and herpes simplex (2%). The antiretroviral treatment (HAART) was successful in diminishing HIV related disease, contributing greatly to a better life style of patients in use of this therapy.O número de crianças infectadas pelo HIV ainda cresce progressivamente, tornando-se uma das cinco principais causas de óbito pediátrico no mundo. Este trabalho teve como objetivo escrever as manifestações clínicas da infecção pelo HIV em crianças de 4 a 12 anos com o uso ou não de tratamento anti-retroviral. O estudo foi descritivo, seccional, observacional e quantitativo, realizado com pacientes pediátricos HIV+, dos Hospitais Gafrée e Guinle (HUGG) e Centro Previdenciário de Niterói (CPN), no Rio de Janeiro, em 2005. Após coleta de dados por ficha clínica e consulta dos prontuários, realizou-se análise estatística descritiva por frequência simples, com o uso do teste χ². 63% dos pacientes do HUGG e CPN faziam uso de HAART, com 48% sem manifestação clínica (p=0,1376). As manifestações clínicas mais frequentes foram infecções das vias aéreas superiores (6%) e herpes simples (2%). Concluiu-se que a terapia anti-retroviral (HAART) fez as manifestações clinicas da infecção pelo HIV diminuírem, gerando uma melhoria na qualidade de vida desses pacientes

XIPE: the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer

X-ray polarimetry, sometimes alone, and sometimes coupled to spectral and temporal variability measurements and to imaging, allows a wealth of physical phenomena in astrophysics to be studied. X-ray polarimetry investigates the acceleration process, for example, including those typical of magnetic reconnection in solar flares, but also emission in the strong magnetic fields of neutron stars and white dwarfs. It detects scattering in asymmetric structures such as accretion disks and columns, and in the so-called molecular torus and ionization cones. In addition, it allows fundamental physics in regimes of gravity and of magnetic field intensity not accessible to experiments on the Earth to be probed. Finally, models that describe fundamental interactions (e.g. quantum gravity and the extension of the Standard Model) can be tested. We describe in this paper the X-ray Imaging Polarimetry Explorer (XIPE), proposed in June 2012 to the first ESA call for a small mission with a launch in 2017 but not selected. XIPE is composed of two out of the three existing JET-X telescopes with two Gas Pixel Detectors (GPD) filled with a He-DME mixture at their focus and two additional GPDs filled with pressurized Ar-DME facing the sun. The Minimum Detectable Polarization is 14 % at 1 mCrab in 10E5 s (2-10 keV) and 0.6 % for an X10 class flare. The Half Energy Width, measured at PANTER X-ray test facility (MPE, Germany) with JET-X optics is 24 arcsec. XIPE takes advantage of a low-earth equatorial orbit with Malindi as down-link station and of a Mission Operation Center (MOC) at INPE (Brazil).Comment: 49 pages, 14 figures, 6 tables. Paper published in Experimental Astronomy http://link.springer.com/journal/1068