National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) Eligibility Determinations for Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites At Wright Patman Lake, Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas

Between 19 October and 11 November 2015, SEARCH conducted National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility determinations at previously recorded archaeological sites at Wright Patman Lake in Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas. This project was conducted under Contract W912HY-11-D-0002, Task Order 0006, between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, and SEARCH. The USACE, Fort Worth District, is proposing to raise and operate the current pool level at Wright Patman Lake to 228.64 feet (ft) above mean sea level (amsl), thereby meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve for the provision of water to the local area. The purpose of this project was to provide systematic testing through pedestrian survey and the excavation of shovel tests and 50-x-50-centimeter (cm) test units at a minimum of 15 previously recorded archaeological sites within the areas of potential effect of the Ultimate Rule Curve. The goal of this project was to determine if these unassessed (NRHP-eligibility undetermined) archaeological resources were ineligible for listing in the NRHP, required additional testing to determine NRHP status, or could not be evaluated because of inundation or inability to relocate the resource. During fieldwork, SEARCH archaeologists visited 20 archaeological sites. Four sites (41BW42, 41CS55, 41CS78, and 41CS109) are recommended for additional work to evaluate each resource’s NRHP status and mitigate adverse effects of the proposed pool rise for meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve, while two sites (41CS73 and 41CS79) do not meet the Secretary of the Interior’s criteria for listing in the NRHP and no further work is recommended. Twelve (41BW69, 41BW77, 41CS48, 41CS58, 41CS76, 41CS95/96, 41CS108, 41CS110, 41CS117, 41CS118, 41CS122, and 41CS123) of the remaining 14 sites could not be fully examined based on complete or partial inundation by current and rising pool levels at Wright Patman Lake. As a result, the NRHP status of these sites remains undetermined until such time as the submerged deposits can be evaluated. The remaining two sites (41BW26 and 41CS16) were not evaluated as it was determined based on site elevation that these resources are outside of the proposed Ultimate Rule Curve Area of Potential Effect (APE). Site 41BW42 is a small multicomponent site on an easterly projecting peninsula near the area that serves as Elliot Bluff boat landing today. The historic component consists of a small collection of glass fragments, ceramic sherds, and other miscellaneous items. The Native American component is much more robust and shows evidence of horizontal clustering. The assemblage is dominated by lithic artifacts that include a relatively large amount of lithic debitage along with formal and expedient tools. A very small quantity of Native American pottery sherds was also recovered from the exposed shoreline; however, the artifact collection is more likely the result of a preceramic occupation in the area. The quantity of artifacts in such discrete area could be the result of multiple small-scale occupations (e.g., camp sites or resources extraction locations) through time or a larger logistics station aimed at providing access to lower reaches of the Sulphur River prior to inundation. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the lithic economy of Native American inhabitants of the site. Furthermore, the contextual integrity of the soils across the upper terrace, though slightly deflated from erosional processes during high water episodes at the lake, is relatively intact. Site 41CS55 is a large Native American site on a low sandbar/island surrounded by Wright Patman Lake. The large quantity of lithic debitage along with grog-tempered pottery sherds, lithic tools, and faunal and botanical remains suggest that site 41CS55 was a sizable Caddo occupation overlooking the Sulphur River prior to the inundation of the lake. The discernible concentrations of artifacts in the northern and central portions of the site suggest differential use of space, a typical hallmark of larger occupations such as villages or hamlets. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the daily lifestyle of Native American inhabitants of the site. Site 41CS78 is a large Native American site on a low a low terrace on the south shore of Wright Patman Lake. The artifact assemblage includes a relatively large collection of lithic debitage with a smaller quantity of formal lithic tools, fire-cracked rock, Native American pottery sherds, and faunal remains. The discernible concentrations of artifacts in the eastern and western portions of the site suggest differential use of space, and, in this case, the homogeneity of both assemblages may represent a series of smaller occupations along the landform edge. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the lithic economy of Native American inhabitants of the site. It is the recommendation of SEARCH that additional work be performed to mitigate adverse effects of the proposed pool rise for meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve. A relatively large portion of site 41CS109 was inundated by rising lake levels at Wright Patman Lake. Exposed portions of the site and the adjacent uplands were tested to determine if intact cultural deposits existed within and adjacent to the defined boundary. One flake was recovered from subsurface context. The remaining large collection of debitage and lithic tools were encountered on the surface and mostly along the exposed beach. The assemblage is dominated by lithic artifacts that include a large amount of lithic debitage along with formal and expedient tools. The Kent and Gary projectile points indicate a potential Middle Archaic to Early Woodland cultural affiliation for the site. The artifact assemblage, examined in tandem with absolute dating methods (radiocarbon or thermoluminescence), has the potential to offer insight into the lithic economy of Native American inhabitants of the site. It is the recommendation of SEARCH that additional work be performed to mitigate adverse effects of the proposed pool rise for meeting the Ultimate Rule Curve

National Register of Historic Places (NHRP) Eligibility Determinations for Previously Recorded Archaeological Sites at Wright Patman Lake, Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas

Between 19 October and 11 November 2015, SEARCH conducted National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility determinations at previously recorded archaeological sites at Wright Patman Lake in Bowie and Cass Counties, Texas. This project was conducted under Contract W912HY‐11‐D‐0002, Task Order 0006 between the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Fort Worth District, and SEARCH

Predicting survival in malignant pleural effusion: development and validation of the LENT prognostic score

BACKGROUND: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) causes debilitating breathlessness and predicting survival is challenging. This study aimed to obtain contemporary data on survival by underlying tumour type in patients with MPE, identify prognostic indicators of overall survival and develop and validate a prognostic scoring system. METHODS: Three large international cohorts of patients with MPE were used to calculate survival by cell type (univariable Cox model). The prognostic value of 14 predefined variables was evaluated in the most complete data set (multivariable Cox model). A clinical prognostic scoring system was then developed and validated. RESULTS: Based on the results of the international data and the multivariable survival analysis, the LENT prognostic score (pleural fluid lactate dehydrogenase, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance score (PS), neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and tumour type) was developed and subsequently validated using an independent data set. Risk stratifying patients into low-risk, moderate-risk and high-risk groups gave median (IQR) survivals of 319 days (228–549; n=43), 130 days (47–467; n=129) and 44 days (22–77; n=31), respectively. Only 65% (20/31) of patients with a high-risk LENT score survived 1 month from diagnosis and just 3% (1/31) survived 6 months. Analysis of the area under the receiver operating curve revealed the LENT score to be superior at predicting survival compared with ECOG PS at 1 month (0.77 vs 0.66, p<0.01), 3 months (0.84 vs 0.75, p<0.01) and 6 months (0.85 vs 0.76, p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The LENT scoring system is the first validated prognostic score in MPE, which predicts survival with significantly better accuracy than ECOG PS alone. This may aid clinical decision making in this diverse patient population

Population health status of South Asian and African-Caribbean communities in the United Kingdom

Population health status scores are routinely used to inform economic evaluation and evaluate the impact of disease and/or treatment on health. It is unclear whether the health status in black and minority ethnic groups are comparable to these population health status data. The aim of this study was to evaluate health-status in South Asian and African-Caribbean populations

Rare coding variants in PLCG2, ABI3, and TREM2 implicate microglial-mediated innate immunity in Alzheimer's disease

We identified rare coding variants associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in a 3-stage case-control study of 85,133 subjects. In stage 1, 34,174 samples were genotyped using a whole-exome microarray. In stage 2, we tested associated variants (P<1×10-4) in 35,962 independent samples using de novo genotyping and imputed genotypes. In stage 3, an additional 14,997 samples were used to test the most significant stage 2 associations (P<5×10-8) using imputed genotypes. We observed 3 novel genome-wide significant (GWS) AD associated non-synonymous variants; a protective variant in PLCG2 (rs72824905/p.P522R, P=5.38×10-10, OR=0.68, MAFcases=0.0059, MAFcontrols=0.0093), a risk variant in ABI3 (rs616338/p.S209F, P=4.56×10-10, OR=1.43, MAFcases=0.011, MAFcontrols=0.008), and a novel GWS variant in TREM2 (rs143332484/p.R62H, P=1.55×10-14, OR=1.67, MAFcases=0.0143, MAFcontrols=0.0089), a known AD susceptibility gene. These protein-coding changes are in genes highly expressed in microglia and highlight an immune-related protein-protein interaction network enriched for previously identified AD risk genes. These genetic findings provide additional evidence that the microglia-mediated innate immune response contributes directly to AD development

A novel Alzheimer disease locus located near the gene encoding tau protein

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this recordAPOE ε4, the most significant genetic risk factor for Alzheimer disease (AD), may mask effects of other loci. We re-analyzed genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from the International Genomics of Alzheimer's Project (IGAP) Consortium in APOE ε4+ (10 352 cases and 9207 controls) and APOE ε4- (7184 cases and 26 968 controls) subgroups as well as in the total sample testing for interaction between a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and APOE ε4 status. Suggestive associations (P<1 × 10-4) in stage 1 were evaluated in an independent sample (stage 2) containing 4203 subjects (APOE ε4+: 1250 cases and 536 controls; APOE ε4-: 718 cases and 1699 controls). Among APOE ε4- subjects, novel genome-wide significant (GWS) association was observed with 17 SNPs (all between KANSL1 and LRRC37A on chromosome 17 near MAPT) in a meta-analysis of the stage 1 and stage 2 data sets (best SNP, rs2732703, P=5·8 × 10-9). Conditional analysis revealed that rs2732703 accounted for association signals in the entire 100-kilobase region that includes MAPT. Except for previously identified AD loci showing stronger association in APOE ε4+ subjects (CR1 and CLU) or APOE ε4- subjects (MS4A6A/MS4A4A/MS4A6E), no other SNPs were significantly associated with AD in a specific APOE genotype subgroup. In addition, the finding in the stage 1 sample that AD risk is significantly influenced by the interaction of APOE with rs1595014 in TMEM106B (P=1·6 × 10-7) is noteworthy, because TMEM106B variants have previously been associated with risk of frontotemporal dementia. Expression quantitative trait locus analysis revealed that rs113986870, one of the GWS SNPs near rs2732703, is significantly associated with four KANSL1 probes that target transcription of the first translated exon and an untranslated exon in hippocampus (P≤1.3 × 10-8), frontal cortex (P≤1.3 × 10-9) and temporal cortex (P≤1.2 × 10-11). Rs113986870 is also strongly associated with a MAPT probe that targets transcription of alternatively spliced exon 3 in frontal cortex (P=9.2 × 10-6) and temporal cortex (P=2.6 × 10-6). Our APOE-stratified GWAS is the first to show GWS association for AD with SNPs in the chromosome 17q21.31 region. Replication of this finding in independent samples is needed to verify that SNPs in this region have significantly stronger effects on AD risk in persons lacking APOE ε4 compared with persons carrying this allele, and if this is found to hold, further examination of this region and studies aimed at deciphering the mechanism(s) are warranted