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Abstract Cornaux/Les Sauges (Switzerland, Late Iron Age) revealed remnants of a wooden bridge, artifacts, and human and animal skeletal remains. The relationship between the collapsed structure and the skeletal material, whether it indicates a potential accident or cultural practices, remains elusive. We evaluate the most plausible scenario for Cornaux based on osteological, taphonomic, isotopic, and paleogenomic analysis of the recovered individuals. The latter amount to at least 20 individuals, mostly adult males. Perimortem lesions include only blunt force traumas. Radiocarbon data fall between the 3rd and 1st c. BCE, although in some cases predating available dendrochronological estimates from the bridge. Isotopic data highlight five to eight nonlocals. No close genetic relatedness links the analyzed skeletons. Paleogenomic results, the first for Iron Age Switzerland, point to a genetic affinity with other Central and Western European Iron Age groups. The type of skeletal lesions supports an accidental event as the more plausible explanation. Radiocarbon data and the demographic structure of the sample may suggest a sequence of different events possibly including executions and/or sacrifices. Isotopic and paleogenomic data, while not favoring one scenario over the other, do support earlier interpretations of the last centuries BCE in Europe as a dynamic period from a biocultural perspective.

Cova de la Sarsa (València, Spain) is one of the most important Neolithic impressed ware culture archaeological sites in the Western Mediterranean. It has been widely referenced since it was excavated in the 1920s, due partly to the relatively early excavation and publication of the site, and partly to the qualitative and quantitative importance of its archaeological remains. Unfortunately, as it was an older excavation and lacked present-day rigorous methodological approaches, this important site has been somewhat relegated to the background in the reviews about the Neolithic at the end of the 20th century. However, during the last few years, both the site itself and its archaeological remains have been the object of new studies that hopefully will return the site to the forefront of discussions about the Mediterranean Neolithic. We here present the most relevant results of the research carried out by our group (i.e., pottery study, radiocarbon dating, and isotope analysis), and contextualize them within the dense research history of the cave and the studies carried out by other colleagues with the purpose of revisiting its materials and increasing the knowledge available from the site. Radiocarbon dates on human remains show that the cave was used during prehistoric times as a funerary space longer than expected, and also sporadically afterwards. The characterization of the pottery assemblage concludes that most materials belong to the Early Neolithic. Isotopic analysis portrays an overall similar diet based on terrestrial C3 resources throughout prehistoric times, with a possible varied dietary protein input between individuals during the Early Neolithic.

There is growing evidence of the role of fungal microbiota in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Fungi can exert direct pro-inflammatory effects or modify the bacterial composition via interkingdom interactions. Although several studies have demonstrated alterations in the fecal fungal microbiota composition in IBD, there is a wide variation in the mycobiome in different populations, with no definite pattern that can define the mycobiome in IBD having yet been identified. Recent work has suggested that characterizing the fecal fungal composition may influence therapeutic decisions and help to predict outcomes in a subset of IBD patients. In this study, we review the current literature on the emerging role of the fecal mycobiome as a potential tool for precision medicine in IBD.

Miguel Angel Diaz,1 Nelly Catalan-Caceres,1 Thais C Beauperthuy,2 Carlos Domingo,1 Ethel Ibañez,1 Carmen Morata,3 Alfredo De Diego2 1Allergy Department, Hospital Universitari I Politècnic La Fe, Valencia, Spain; 2Respiratory Department, Hospital Universitari I Politècnic La Fe, Valencia, Spain; 3Internal Medicine Department, Hospital Universitari I Politècnic La Fe, Valencia, SpainCorrespondence: Miguel Angel Diaz, Allergy Department, Hospital Universitari I Politècnic La Fe, Avinguda de Fernando Abril Martorell, 106, Valencia, 46026, Spain, Tel +34 961244084, Email diaz_mig@gva.esBackground: The impact of diagnosis treatment and bronchial asthma on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) associated outcomes remains unclear.Objective: To identify the prevalence and outcomes associated with asthma among hospitalized patients with COVID-19.Methods: Electronic health records of 130 patients with asthma among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 were reviewed. Two subgroups of asthmatic patients were compared according to clinical outcomes during hospitalization. Patients with death results, intubation, and/or need of intensive care unit (ICU) stay were grouped as asthmatic patients with severe COVID-19 outcomes, and the rest were grouped as asthmatic patients with non-severe COVID-19 outcomes. Multivariable analyses were conducted with logistic regression to identify independent risk factors for severe outcomes.Results: The prevalence of asthma in COVID-19 hospitalized patients was 5%. The mean age was 59.4 years and 54% were women. 17% received treatment in GINA step 4– 5 asthma at the time of admission. An allergic asthma phenotype was determined in 38%. There was no significant difference in hospital length of stay or need for intubation between asthmatic patients and global COVID-19 admitted patients. 17% of asthmatic patients developed a severe outcome, and 5% had a death result. Elevated Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) level, low transcutaneous pulse oximetry (SpO2), the coexistence of atrial fibrillation (AF), and need for moderate or high ICS at admission were independent risk factors for a worse outcome in asthmatics COVID-19 hospitalized patients.Conclusion: The prevalence of asthma in COVID-19 hospitalized patients was 5%, consistent with the asthma prevalence in the general population. The asthmatic patients with the previous prescription of moderate or high doses of ICS and/or coexistence of atrial fibrillation at admission had a higher risk of the severe outcome.Keywords: bronchial asthma, COVID-19, risk factors, outcomes

Nicola A Hanania,1 Jorge F Maspero,2 David MG Halpin,3 David J Jackson,4,5 Reynold A Panettieri,6 Mario Castro,7 Christian Domingo,8 Nadia Daizadeh,9 Rebecca Gall,10 Juby A Jacob-Nara,11 Benjamin Ortiz,10 Michel Djandji,9 Paul J Rowe,11 Yamo Deniz10 1Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA; 2Fundación CIDEA, Buenos Aires, Argentina; 3University of Exeter Medical School, College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; 4School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, King’s College London, London, UK; 5Guy’s Severe Asthma Centre, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; 6Child Health Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA; 7University of Kansas School of Medicine, Kansas City, KS, USA; 8Pulmonary Service, Corporació Sanitària Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 9Sanofi, Cambridge, MA, USA; 10Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Tarrytown, NY, USA; 11Sanofi, Bridgewater, NJ, USACorrespondence: Nicola A Hanania, Section of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA, Tel +1 713 798-2400, Email hanania@bcm.edu

During the Late Holocene, hunter-gatherer interaction networks significantly grew in intensity and extension across Patagonia. Although this growth is evidenced by the increased flow of exotic items across the region, the mechanisms behind these strengthening social networks remain unclear. Since evidence suggests that some individuals might have performed long-distance trips, this article aims to address the potential relationship between these individuals and the flows of exotic items in North Patagonia. We analyzed 54 enamel teeth for strontium isotopes and reconstructed their probable mobility using mixed-effect models and isotope-based geographic assignments. We inferred population and individual mobility trends and compared them against the flow of exotic items built from a standardized compilation. Our results indicate that most individuals have isotopic composition compatible with residence within their burial and surrounding areas. However, a few individuals show isotopic composition incompatible with their burial areas, which suggests axes -from the burial location to the most likely isotope integration area- of extraordinary mobility. At the same time, the flows of exotic items overlap with these axes around the eastern sector of the study area suggesting that this location could have been a central point of convergence for people and items. We argue that small-scale socially driven mobility could have played a relevant role as a general mechanism of interaction that fostered and materialized Patagonian interaction networks during the Late Holocene.

Abstract This paper presents the earliest evidence for the exploitation of lignite (brown coal) in Europe and sheds new light on the use of combustion fuel sources in the 2nd millennium BCE Eastern Mediterranean. We applied Thermal Desorption/Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry and Polarizing Microscopy to the dental calculus of 67 individuals and we identified clear evidence for combustion markers embedded within this calculus. In contrast to the scant evidence for combustion markers within the calculus samples from Egypt, all other individuals show the inhalation of smoke from fires burning wood identified as Pinaceae, in addition to hardwood, such as oak and olive, and/or dung. Importantly, individuals from the Palatial Period at the Mycenaean citadel of Tiryns and the Cretan harbour site of Chania also show the inhalation of fire-smoke from lignite, consistent with the chemical signature of sources in the northwestern Peloponnese and Western Crete respectively. This first evidence for lignite exploitation was likely connected to and at the same time enabled Late Bronze Age Aegean metal and pottery production, significantly by both male and female individuals.

The emergence of Neolithic societies was transformative, impacting many aspects of life, particularly diet. The process of Neolithization in Iberia is increasingly understood as the arrival of new people from the Central Mediterranean, who dispersed along the Iberian coasts introducing cereal production, herding, and Cardial pottery and associated material culture. Although research has clarified aspects of the cultigen-dominated economy of these new people, questions remain due to the limitations of conventional archaeobotanical and archaeozoological methods that tend to produce indirect evidence. The extent to which these early farmers adopted Mesolithic staples, which are often difficult to detect with other methods, remains unclear. Furthermore, questions surround the nature of methods of food preparation Cardial Neolithic people used when incorporating grains into their diet. In this study, we examined direct evidence of the diet from the Iberian Cardial Neolithic site of Cova Bonica (Vallirana, Baix Llobregat, Catalonia) using CN stable isotopes on bone and plant microremains trapped in dental calculus from six human individuals and associated fauna. Isotopes show a diet based on terrestrial C3 resources, with no isotopic evidence of aquatic or C4 resource consumption. Plant microremains (starches and phytoliths) provide evidence of cereal use, as well as of other plant foods. However, perhaps due to Bonica’s early farmers’ choice of grain variety, their grain processing methods, or due to specific dental calculus formation factors, the grain assemblages are rather limited and provide scarce information on food preparation.

Abstract Background Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is an important cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. In pregnant women, HEV can cause more severe symptoms, with high rates of fatal hepatic failure in endemic countries. However, HEV prevalence and circulation among pregnant women from South America is almost unknown. We aimed to investigate HEV infection in pregnant women for the first time in Argentina. Methods IgG and IgM anti-HEV antibodies and RNA-HEV were investigated (by ELISA assays and RT-Nested-PCR, respectively) in 202 serum samples from pregnant women collected in the central region of Argentina between 2015 and 2017. A control group of 155 non-pregnant women was included (year 2018). Results The IgG anti-HEV positivity rate was 8.4% (17/202), higher than the 2.6% (4/155) obtained for the non-pregnant women control group, and showing association between pregnancy and HEV infection (p = 0.023, OR = 3.5, CI95% = 1.1–10.5). Women younger than 25 years old presented higher levels of antibodies, and there were no differences in the prevalences between trimesters of pregnancy. Two samples were reactive for IgM anti-HEV, showing recent infections, although no symptoms were registered in these patients. All samples were negative for RNA-HEV amplification. Conclusions HEV produces infections in pregnant women from Argentina, alerting health teams to consider it as a possible cause of liver disease.

Aguada Portezuelo pottery from northwestern Argentine region is characterized by its marked polychromy and its broad repertoire of finishing techniques, mainly involving the surface treatments and the decoration of the vessels. These vessels present positive and negative motives together with the presence of pre- and post-firing painting. This paper presents detailed information on the main technological features involved in their production. The concept of craft specialization is discussed and revised in relation to the ethnographic and ethnoarchaeological models proposed in the central Andes.

Ancient written sources show that Roman funerary rituals were relevant along the entire Roman Republic and Empire, as they ensured the protection of deities and the memory of the deceased. Part of these rituals consisted of funerary offerings and banquets that were held on the day of the burial, in festivities and other stipulated days. The faunal remains recovered inside the graves and around them are evidence of these rituals. Therefore, their study can allow us to know if the funerary meals and rituals developed in the Roman necropolis were special and implied food that differed from everyday dietary habits, according to the importance of these rituals. To test this, we analysed the archaeozoological and anthropological material from the necropolis of Vila de Madrid (Barcelona, Catalonia), which was in use between the first half of the 2nd century AD and mid 3rd century AD. The archaeozoological analysis of the faunal remains recovered in the necropolis and inside the graves, as well as carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios results on bone collagen from 50 faunal specimens and 41 humans, suggest that, overall, funerary meals in Vila de Madrid necropolis did not imply different food than that consumed during life. Regarding age, sex, offerings and diet, some differences are observed, suggesting that inequalities present in life could have been also present in the funerary rituals.

Shotgun metagenomics applied to archaeological feces (paleofeces) can bring new insights into the composition and functions of human and animal gut microbiota from the past. However, paleofeces often undergo physical distortions in archaeological sediments, making their source species difficult to identify on the basis of fecal morphology or microscopic features alone. Here we present a reproducible and scalable pipeline using both host and microbial DNA to infer the host source of fecal material. We apply this pipeline to newly sequenced archaeological specimens and show that we are able to distinguish morphologically similar human and canine paleofeces, as well as non-fecal sediments, from a range of archaeological contexts.

INTRODUCTION:Little is known about hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection in patients with cirrhosis. The aim of the present study was to describe the frequency of HEV infection and associated risk factors in patients with cirrhosis from Argentina. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We evaluated HEV seroprevalence (IgG anti-HEV) and acute infections (IgM and RNA) in patients with cirrhosis (n = 140) vs. healthy controls (n = 300). Additionally, we compared the same outcomes in individuals with alcohol-related cirrhosis (n = 43) vs. patients with alcohol use disorder (without cirrhosis, n = 72). RESULTS:The overall HEV seroprevalence in the cohort of subjects with cirrhosis was 25% (35/140), compared to 4% in the healthy control group [12/300; OR = 8; (95% CI = 4-15.99); p

En el yacimiento arqueológico de Karea (Aia, Gipuzkoa), integrado por las cavidades contiguas de Karea-A y Karea-B, se recuperaron numerosos restos cerámicos y faunísticos (Karea-A) y vestigios de una inhumación calcolítica (Karea-B). El presente trabajo se ha vertebrado en dos ejes. En primer lugar, el estudio de ambos depósitos mediante diferentes disciplinas: (1) estudio antropológico; (2) estudio del ajuar, compuesto por restos cerámicos y faunísticos; (3) identificación antracológica de los restos leñosos recuperados en el depósito funerario y por último, (4) estudios isotópicos que nos han permitido obtener datos de la alimentación (δ13C y δ15N) y procedencia (87Sr/86Sr) del sujeto inhumado en el yacimiento. En segundo lugar, siendo este el objetivo preferente de este trabajo, contextualizar y establecer una comparativa con otras manifestaciones sepulcrales prehistóricas en cueva de la región.

We present here evidence for an early Holocene case of decapitation in the New World (Burial 26), found in the rock shelter of Lapa do Santo in 2007. Lapa do Santo is an archaeological site located in the Lagoa Santa karst in east-central Brazil with evidence of human occupation dating as far back as 11.7-12.7 cal kyBP (95.4% interval). An ultra-filtered AMS age determination on a fragment of the sphenoid provided an age range of 9.1-9.4 cal kyBP (95.4% interval) for Burial 26. The interment was composed of an articulated cranium, mandible and first six cervical vertebrae. Cut marks with a v-shaped profile were observed in the mandible and sixth cervical vertebra. The right hand was amputated and laid over the left side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the chin and the left hand was amputated and laid over the right side of the face with distal phalanges pointing to the forehead. Strontium analysis comparing Burial 26's isotopic signature to other specimens from Lapa do Santo suggests this was a local member of the group. Therefore, we suggest a ritualized decapitation instead of trophy-taking, testifying for the sophistication of mortuary rituals among hunter-gatherers in the Americas during the early Archaic period. In the apparent absence of wealth goods or elaborated architecture, Lapa do Santo's inhabitants seemed to use the human body to express their cosmological principles regarding death.