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This comprehensive study examines fossil remains from Niedźwiedzia Cave in the Eastern Sudetes, offering detailed insights into the palaeobiology and adversities encountered by the Pleistocene cave bear Ursus spelaeus ingressus. Emphasising habitual cave use for hibernation and a primarily herbivorous diet, the findings attribute mortality to resource scarcity during hibernation and habitat fragmentation amid climate shifts. Taphonomic analysis indicates that the cave was extensively used by successive generations of bears, virtually unexposed to the impact of predators. The study also reveals that alkaline conditions developed in the cave during the post-depositional taphonomic processes. Mortality patterns, notably among juveniles, imply dwindling resources, indicative of environmental instability. Skeletal examination reveals a high incidence of forelimb fractures, indicating risks during activities like digging or confrontations. Palaeopathological evidence unveils vulnerabilities to tuberculosis, abscesses, rickets, and injuries, elucidating mobility challenges. The cave's silts exhibit a high zinc concentration, potentially derived from successive bear generations consuming zinc-rich plants. This study illuminates the lives of late cave bears, elucidating unique environmental hurdles faced near their species' end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Radochowska Cave is known primarily from the find of a cave bear skull, intended to be placed intentionally by Palaeolithic hunters in a 'stone cage'. This find was supposed to be proof of the existence of the cult of bear hunters at this site. Critical analysis did not give a clear answer to its occurrence or a clear negation of this phenomenon. Research is not facilitated by the fact that a large part of the collection was lost after World War II. The found part, especially numerously represented by predatory mammals, made it possible to verify the old lists of fauna and extend them with a number of new species, often unknown from the Polish Sudetes, such as Cuon alpinus europaeus or Panthera pardus. The analysis showed the presence of two main faunistic associations. The older one, dated to MIS 3, is represented by a number of cold-loving forms. Remains of Holocene species and those from the very end of the last glaciation represent the second faunal assemblage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pleistocene history of the leopard (Panthera pardus) in Europe has been documented by the material obtained from 312 localities, with the last dated ∼1.1 Myr. The relatively small and gracile form of the leopard was very rare during the late Early and Middle Pleistocene. Only after the disappearance of the jaguar (Panthera gombaszoegensis) did P. pardus spread widely in Europe, increasing in size and ecologically substituting P. gombaszoegensis. The number of late Middle Pleistocene localities with leopard remains, younger than 300 kyr, increased considerably. The leopard reached the maximum extension of its geographical range in the Late Pleistocene. The Iberian Peninsula was the last European refuge for this cat. Six sites, the Naciekowa, Obok Wschodniej, Radochowska, and Wschodnia Caves from the Sudety Mountains and the Biśnik and Dziadowa Skała Caves from the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland, have documented the presence of the leopard in Poland between MIS 10/9 and MIS 3. These records are from rocky regions with rugged terrain and are located in the territory of Silesia (southern Poland). A newly obtained radiocarbon date (43–42 kyr) from the Radochowska Cave directly confirms the occurrence of P. pardus in the Sudety Mountains in the middle part of MIS 3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Adults with obesity exhibit a restrictive pattern, whereas children with obesity exhibit an obstructive pattern. However, the transition process remains unclear. We performed a systematic search for studies reporting on body mass index and pulmonary function in children. The main outcomes were forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), and their ratio (FEV1/FVC). We compared individuals with overweight or with obesity with individuals with normal weight. Random‐effects models were used to calculate pooled estimates. A total of 17 studies were included. Individuals with obesity had a lower FEV1/FVC ratio (mean difference [MD] = −3.61%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = −4.58%, −2.64%) and a higher percent‐predicted FVC (MD = 3.33%; 95% CI = 0.79%, 5.88%) than those with normal weight. Obesity impaired pulmonary function in the obstructive pattern during childhood to young adulthood, and the maximum obstruction was observed at the age of 16 years in boys and 20 years in girls. The effects attenuated at approximately 30 years and then shifted to the restrictive pattern after 35 years of age in men and 40 years in women. The effects of obesity on pulmonary function change from the obstructive pattern in childhood to the restrictive pattern in adulthood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During archaeological excavations in burial sites, sometimes stoned organic objects are found, in addition to human remains. Those objects might be of a different origin, depending on various factors influencing members of a community (i.e. diseases, trauma), which provides information about their living conditions. The St. Nicholas Church archaeological site (Libkovice, Czechia) in the 18th century horizon of the cemetery, yielded a maturus-senilis female skeleton with a stone object in the left iliac fossa. This object was an oviform cyst-like rough structure, measuring 54 mm in length, 35 mm in maximum diameter and 0.2–0.7 mm shell thickness. Within the object there were small fetal bones (long bones, i.e. femur and two tibias, two scapulas, three ribs, vertebrae and other tiny bone fragments). Methods utilized to analyze the outer and inner surface morphology of the cyst and its inside, included: X-ray, CT imaging, SEM, histological staining and EDS. The EDS analysis revealed the presence of primarily oxygen, calcium and phosphorus in bone samples, and oxygen and silicon, in stone shell. Based on the length of the femur (20.2 mm) and tibia (16 mm) shafts, the fetal age was determined as being in the 15–18 week of pregnancy. The differential diagnosis was conducted, including for the three most probable cases: fetiform teratoma (FT), fetus-in-fetu (FIF) and lithopedion. The possibility of fetiform teratoma was discounted due to the presence of an anatomically correct spine, long bones and the proportions of the find. Although the low calcium content in the shell (2.3% atom mass), the lack of skull bones and the better developed lower limbs indicate fetus-in-fetu rather than lithopedion, the analyses results are unable to conclusively identify the object under one of these two categories since there are insufficient such cases in excavation material with which to draw comparison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transverse lines, called Harris Lines (HL), osteological markers of recovery from growth arrest episodes, are visible in radiograms of recent and Pleistocene fossil bones. Since on the one hand they mark stressful episodes in life, and on the other are mainly used to trace health fluctuations in prehistoric human communities, I used a cave bear population to check if the processes that could affect the specie’ condition were in any way reflected in the bone structure. 392 bear bones from Bear Cave in Kletno (collection: Department of Palaeozoology, University of Wrocław), dated as 32 100 ±1300 to >49 000 years BP, were radiologically examined. The bones were found in a non-anatomical position; morphological analysis indicated that they belonged to different individuals. HL shadows were observed on 9 tibiae and 3 radii: 8.8% out of the 59 tibiae and 77 radii and 3.1% of all the bones. At least 3 transverse lines were recognised in those cases; the specimens were histologically examined. The bear individuals in question experienced regular malnutrition periods during their ontogeny. Starvation resulting in growth inhibition involved young individuals, aged 1 to 4 years. Juveniles aged 6 months, i.e. before weaning, or younger, showed no signs of nutritional stress. Starvation periods associated with seasonal food deficit were not long or common and had no significant effect on the development and welfare of the species. This is the first description of the occurrence of transverse lines in the Pleistocene bear. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Acceptance of illness plays a key role, allowing the patient to adapt to the disease and its treatment, and to maintain their health-related quality of life (HRQOL) despite chronic conditions. Aim: The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between severity of arrhythmia symptoms, acceptance of illness and HRQOL in patients with atrial fibrillation. Methods: The study included 99 patients (mean age 64.6) treated for atrial fibrillation. Three standardized instruments were used: the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQoL-BREF) questionnaire, the Arrhythmia-Specific Questionnaire in Tachycardia and Arrhythmia (ASTA) and the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS). Results: Patients with high illness acceptance levels obtained better results in all WHOQoL-BREF domains: physical (57.0±8.9 vs. 51.1±12.5 vs. 42.0±6.2; p<0.001), social (62.6±19.8 vs. 52.5±20.0 vs. 45.7±16.0; p=0.019) and environmental (62.9±12.7 vs. 52.7±7.6 vs. 60.7±3.6; p<0.001), and in the ASTA HRQOL scale (10.5±5.4 vs. 16.1±7.6 vs. 20.3±0.5; p<0.001). Multiple-factor analysis showed AIS to be a statistically significant independent determinant of HRQOL in the physical domain of the WHOQoL (β=0.242) and in the overall HRQOL assessment in the ASTA HRQOL scale (β= −0.362). Other statistically significant independent predictors included: the negative impact of female sex on the physical (β= −0.291) and social (β= −0.284) domains of the WHOQOL-BREF, and the positive impact of urban residence on the physical WHOQOL-BREF domain and on symptom intensity in the ASTA symptom scale. Conclusions: Acceptance of illness is an important factor which has been shown to impact on HRQOL in atrial fibrillation. Female sex is a predictor of worse HRQOL, while urban residence improves HRQOL in the physical domain and decreases symptom intensity (ASTA symptom scale). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the study was to specify the method with the highest probability of correct sex identification based on lip furrow pattern. Three methods were verified: Vahanwala's method, identification based on the mid-section of lower lip print and our own method. The examined group included 242 persons aged 15- 30 years, 68.6% females and 31.4% males. Cheilograms were taken with the method proposed by Vanahwala, modified in such a way that the prints of lower and upper lips were taken separately. The lip furrow patterns were classified according to Suzuki and Tsuchihashi, modified to include horizontal furrows which were considered by Renaud. In all the quadrants patterns II, III and VI prevailed among males and patterns I, I' and II among females. Females were more frequently diagnosed correctly than males. Our method in which all the lip print was analysed without division into quadrants was the most effective, while Vahanwala's method was the least so. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analyzed specimen was found in the 1930s by Zotz, in Wschodnia cave (German name Hellmichhöhle, now W Sudeten Mts, Poland). Currently, it is housed in the Archaeological Museum of Wrocław. It is a well preserved splanchnocranium with teeth of an adult Eurasian brown bear. Integral part of the skull is also an intact mandible. Several postcranial skeletal bones were also found for this specimen, including one rib with a human-drilled hole. For the above-mentioned specimen, three C14 datings were made using the AMS method. All three dates gave similar results, allowing the age of the find (after calibration) to be estimated at 14.8-13.8 KY BC, i.e. the Bølling phase of relatively older Dryas. Taxonomic assignation, based on the morphometrical analysis, was confirmed by DNA analysis. It represents subclade 1b, recently identified in Carpathian Mts. The degree of wear of his tooth crowns, especially his incisors and canines, is remarkable, which is completely inadequate to the wear of the remaining teeth and to the individual's age. German researchers suggested that the procedure was performed by a human for ritual purposes. However, the anthropological nature of this find was questioned by Polish researchers, who said that the process was natural and that the abrasion of the front teeth was the result of a malocclusion. Our analyses confirm the earlier assumptions of German scientists that the pathologies visible on the teeth are the result of anthropogenic effects, which was the aim of our research. It is also indirect evidence of the presence of Homo sapiens in the Late Pleistocene of the Sudeten areas of Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the St. Nicholas Church archaeological site (Libkovice, Czechia; the 18th century cemetery) a female skeleton with a stone object in the left iliac fossa was found. It was a cyst-like structure. The measures of it were 54 mm in length and 35 mm in maximum diameter. Within the object fetal bones (long bones, i.e. femur and two tibias, two scapulas, three ribs, vertebrae and other tiny bone fragments) were revealed. The methods used for the analysis were intended to describe the external and internal morphology of the object and its content: X-ray, CT imaging, SEM, histological staining and EDS. The EDS analysis revealed the presence of primarily oxygen, calcium and phosphorus in bone samples, and oxygen and silicon, in stone shell. The measurements of the femur (20.2 mm) and tibia (16 mm) shafts allowed to estimate the fetal age as the 15-18 week of pregnancy. During the differential diagnosis three most likely cases were taken into account: fetiform teratoma (FT), fetus-in-fetu (FIF) and lithopedion. FT was excluded due to the presence of long bones and their proportions, and due to the presence of an anatomically correct spine. Of the other two possible variants, fetus-in-fetu is more likely than lithopedion, due to the lack of a skull, better development of lower limbs, and low calcium content in the shell. The results do not allow to clearly answer the question which of these two cases is the object due to the insufficient number of similar discoveries in the excavation material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A review of the literature shows that origination of biological stones as well as their pathogenesis mostly depend on the environmental factors. As a result, the structural spectrum of such calculi and their chemical composition are highly diversified. It is well known that biological stones are formed mostly in the digestive and urinary tracts. However, it has been demonstrated that this kind of stony structure can be also, though rarely, found in circulatory and reproductive systems, skin, mucosa, and tear ducts. Although in palaeopathology, the list of biological stones is enriched by stony tumours and/or discharges, it is very difficult to uncover the small size deposits in excavation material. In the literature such findings, originating from different countries and centuries, are few. The described stone was found among the bones of an adult individual in the medieval cemetery of Gdańsk (Poland). The SEM, X-ray spectrometer and chemical evaluation revealed that it was a bladder calculus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the foramina provide important reference points to radiologists and surgeons, and because their shape and size may affect the blood supply to the cerebellum and the brainstem, the knowledge of the variation of foramina transversaria is essential from the medical point of view. The variation in the number, size and shape of foramina transversaria was studied based on 129 skeletons (68 male, 61 female, total of 1065 foramina) from the environs of Sypniewo. In both sexes single foramina were the most frequent (ca. 70%); in females no double foramina were observed, while triple foramina appeared only twice. In males double foramina formed ca. 40% and triple foramina were very rare. The shape and size of foramina depended to the same extent on the position of the vertebra and on the body side. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Determining the age of an animal based on remains, especially fossil remains, is challenging. The age of an individual can be estimated from ultrastructural analyses of teeth. Therefore, in this study, an attempt was made to establish a relationship between the age of a rhinoceros and the ultrastructure of its tooth. The subject of these examinations was a tooth that originated from a female white rhinoceros that died at Kiev Zoo. The age of the female was known. She did not give birth during her life, so pregnancy did not influence the tooth ultrastructure. For ultrastructural examination, ground sections of the tooth were obtained and slides were observed under a light microscope in white light as well as in polarized light with the use of a lambda filter. In addition, gold-coated preparations were imaged in a scanning electron microscope. Three sections were cut out of the specimen: Horizontal through the tooth crown, horizontal through the upper part of the root, and longitudinal. In subsequent stages they were investigated to see the annual growth lines of mineralized dental tissues of cement and dentine. These lines were counted from the root canal center to the cheek surface of the tooth. The most satisfactory results were obtained on the horizontal section through the upper part of the root, where distinct growth lines were observed in the dentine, and their number for both roots was consistent with the known chronological age of the animal. The analyses were performed on a right third premolar (P3) of a white rhinoceros female (Ceratotherium simum, Burchell 1817). The specimen was born in captivity at London Zoo (Zoological Society of London), then in the 1970s transferred to Kiev Zoo (Peremohy Avenue), Ukraine, and was kept there until it died at a documented chronological age of 48 years. The female died because of its age, which indicates it was kept in good conditions adequate to the requirements of this species. Photographs and micrographs with radiological documentation were taken on the said tooth. Its structural characteristics were determined, and on the occlusal surface areas and points of anatomical constitution of its crown were identified. The tooth was also histologically evaluated via sections taken horizontally in a mesial-distal plane through the crown, horizontally in a mesial-distal plane through the coronal portion of the root, and longitudinally in a lingual-buccal plane through the crown and the root. Preparations with ground sections were made and observed in white, polarized, and reflected light. In the subsequent stage X-ray and SEM imaging has also been used, for analysis of the distribution of annual growth layers of mineralized dental tissues of cement and dentine, counted from the root canal center to the buccal surface. An attempt was also made to confirm the annual season in which the animal died, based on cement growth lines. It was observed that the growth lines were visible in all the analyzed sections, in dentine and cement. In the cement, the lines were relatively few and did not represent the attested age of the animal. The analysis of the coloration of the cement lines indicated that the animal was regularly fed a diet that was not seasonally differentiated. From the X-ray examination comes a conclusion that the animal did not suffer from periodontal diseases. Visible growth lines were observed on the dentine. On the horizontal section through the crown growth lines in the dentine were few and unclear. On the longitudinal section, both on the caudal and rostral roots, these lines were clearly visible and much more numerous than expected considering the known age of the animal, as more than 50 were counted. On horizontal sections through the upper part of both roots, distinct growth lines were observed in the dentine, and their number—48 for both roots—corresponded precisely to the age of the animal. The results of our study indicate that this method has significant potential for application to verify the age at death for modern and fossil representatives of rhinoceros. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]