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No effective therapy exists for the most common long-term side effect of radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC)—xerostomia. The objective was to evaluate safety and provide proof of concept for efficacy of allogeneic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (AT-MSCs) injected into the major salivary glands of irradiated patients. This open-label, first-in-human, phase 1b, and single-center trial was conducted with repeated measurements days 0, 1, 5, and 30 and 4 months. Eligible patients with objective and subjective signs of radiation-induced salivary gland damage after treatment of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma stages I-II (UICC 8) were enrolled. Twenty-five million cryopreserved AT-MSCs were injected into each submandibular and 50 million AT-MSCs into each parotid gland. Data were collected on adverse events, unstimulated and stimulated whole saliva (UWS and SWS) flow rates and saliva composition, patient-reported outcomes (EORTC QLQ-H&N35 and Xerostomia Questionnaire [XQ]), blood samples and salivary gland scintigraphy. Data were analyzed using repeated measures linear mixed models. Ten patients (7 men, 3 women, 59.5 years [range: 45-70]) were treated in 4 glands. No treatment-related serious adverse events occurred. During 4 months, UWS flow rate increased from 0.13 mL/minute at baseline to 0.18 mL/minute with a change of 0.06 (P = .0009) mL/minute. SWS flow rate increased from 0.66 mL/minute at baseline to 0.75 mL/minute with a change of 0.09 (P = .017) mL/minute. XQ summary score decreased by 22.6 units (P = .0004), EORTC QLQ-H&N35 dry mouth domains decreased by 26.7 (P = .0013), sticky saliva 23.3 (P = .0015), and swallowing 10.0 (P = .0016). Our trial suggests treatment of the major salivary glands with allogenic AT-MSCs is safe, warranting confirmation in larger trials.

Breonze Age antler axes – dating and depositional context Antler axes are typically associated with the Mesolithic, but this article presents a group of antler axes from the Danish Bronze Age, when this artefact type surprisingly turns up again after an absence from the tool inventory of more than 2000 years (fig. 1). These artefacts may be found in pits in a settlement context, but the typical finds contexts for the 155 recorded Bronze Age antler axes are rivers/watercourses, lakes and wetland areas, where the axes have been deposited individually, in line with the Bronze Age’s other major group of singly-deposited objects (figs. 2-3). This close relationship with water is linked to the European river finds, as antler axes are not solely a Danish phenomenon but are found across large parts of Europe during the Bronze Age, with the axes typically being deposited singly in running water. In both a Danish and a European context, the axes disappear again in the Iron Age. This article gives an account of the Danish antler axes in relation to their distribution, finds circumstances and typo­logical characteristics, together with a couple of metal analyses and several new 14C dates for antler axes. The antler axes from the Bronze Age vary in appearance; they may or may not be polished and may or may not be ornamented. They do though have certain features in common, for example they are characterised by a down-turned butt. The shaft-hole can either be round or rectangular and is located a long way back on the axe. They were typically hafted as axes rather than adzes, and their ornamentation frequently consists of point-circle motifs, where pitch has been inlaid to give contrast (figs. 4-8). In a very few cases, metal may form part of the ornamentation. Two results are presented here of micro-XRF analyses of, respectively, inlays of tin and bronze (figs. 9-14). A significant part of the project ­focussed on dating of the Bronze Age antler axes. Only a couple of dates had been published previously, both of which fell in the Late Bronze Age. The new dates clearly show, however, that antler axes are a very consistent phenomenon through both the Early and the Late Bronze Age. Dating involves drilling material out for analysis, and in the case of antler and bone there is sometimes a requirement for a sample of as much as 600-800 mg for a date to be obtained. To avoid drilling unnecessary holes in the often aesthetically impressive and eminently exhibitable artefacts such as these, a staged methodological approach was adopted in this project, which involved two-step sampling for radiocarbon dating. Firstly, a very small sample of 5-20 mg was taken for a so-called EA-IRMS analysis. This reveals the preservation condition of the material and thereby the amount of material required to obtain an actual 14C date. In all cases, this preliminary analysis showed that only 100 mg of material had to be drilled out for the actual dating process. This method can therefore be warmly recommended for the dating of bone and antler objects such as these (figs. 15-16). The dates have revealed that antler axes are present in both the Early and the Late Bronze Age. Moreover, the dates could be used in a clarification of the depositional circumstances. As already mentioned, the antler axes typically represent single depositions, but sometimes two axes are found relatively close together and, based on the finds circumstances, are therefore interpreted as single-type depositions. It has now been possible in some cases to date both axes: For example antler axes found together in sediment dug up during the dredging of rivers/watercourses (Ryå and Odense Å), or discovered close together during peat cutting (Jorløse Mose) or within the same area of reclaimed lake (Søborg Sø). The dates obtained in these cases suggest that these finds represent repeated single depositions within the same area rather than simultaneous deposition of two axes. The phenomenon of returning, in a depositional context, to specific areas in the natural landscape, sometimes at intervals of several hundred years, appears to be a general feature of the Bronze Age – both in Denmark and in Europe as a whole (figs. 17a-22).

The early Eocene Skaergaard intrusion, central east Greenland, is one of the most thoroughly studied layered mafic intrusions on Earth and an exceptional example of (near) closed-system magmatic differentiation. The Skaergaard intrusion is ideally suited to test models of closed-system fractional crystallization on non-traditional stable isotope systems, particularly iron. FeTi oxide minerals (titanomagnetite and ilmenite) appear after ~60% of the magma had solidified. This was a significant event affecting the liquid line of descent and potentially accompanied by iron isotope fractionation. Here we report the results of a broad study of the iron isotope compositions of gabbros within the layered and upper border series of the Skaergaard intrusion, pegmatite and granophyre associated with these gabbroic rocks, and the sandwich horizon thought to represent the product of extreme differentiation and/or liquid immiscibility. Forty-eight whole rock samples from well-constrained stratigraphic levels in the intrusion were crushed, powdered and dissolved, followed by iron separation by ion chromatography. Purified solutions were analyzed by MC- ICPMS in high-resolution mode using the sample-std bracket method. The δ56Fe values for Skaergaard gabbros range from a low of -0.019 per mil to a high of 0.253 per mil with an external precision of ±0.05 per mil (1σ) or better. This range in δ56Fe spans much of that reported for terrestrial igneous rocks. δ56Fe varies systematically with stratigraphic position. Forward modeling of closed system fractional crystallization constrained by cumulate volumes, whole rock and mineral compositions, mineral modes and independent constraints on Fe isotope fractionation factors account for the stratigraphic relations, except during the final stages of differentiation of iron-rich silicate magma where the largest variation in δ56Fe occurs. We assess and dismiss liquid immiscibility, Soret effects and hydrothermal alternation as responsible for the variations, and hypothesize that Fe isotope fractionation factors for silicate minerals decrease markedly due to a change in the structural role of Fe+2 in very iron-rich silicate magmas characterizing the terminal stages of Skaergaard evolution.

from The Archaeology and History of Jerash- 110 Years of Excavations, Copenhagen, Denmark

The Skaergaard intrusion solidified inwards from the margins forming the Layered Series on the floor and the Marginal and Upper Border Series on the walls and roof, respectively. Comparison of the roof and floor rocks is the most straight-forward way to contrast differentiation processes controlled by gravity. Here, we present new bulk rock (major and trace elements, Sr and Nd isotopes), mineralogical and petrographic data for the Upper Border Series. The Upper Border Series mainly diverge from equivalent Layered Series rocks by relatively higher concentrations of incompatible elements, lack of igneous lamination and frequent development of interstitial granophyre, whereas the core compositions of minerals and isotopic signatures are similar in the two series. Here, we examine the main explanations for these differences. Firstly, it has been suggested that the roof zone was enriched by assimilation of stoped gneissic blocks. Our new Sr and Nd data of the Upper Border Series exclude this as a first order process as has been shown before. Mixing models suggest that the Layered and Upper Border Series assimilated less than 3 percent Precambrian host gneiss. Furthermore, no correlation exists between incompatible elements and Sr-Nd isotopic ratios. Secondly, magma stratification as a consequence of compositional convection has been invoked. However, by combining petrography and whole rock compositions we show that the crystallization sequence in the Upper Border Series is identical to the Layered Series. Moreover, the anorthite content of plagioclase cores is identical within error in the roof and floor at the cumulus phase boundaries. This is most easily explained by in situ crystallization inwards from the margins of a homogeneous magma. Thirdly, the enrichment of incompatible elements in the Upper Border Series relative to the Layered Series has been explained by the trapping of a higher fraction of intercumulus liquid in the roof rocks relative to the compacted floor cumulates. Our data corroborates this interpretation. They also confirm that the concentrations of incompatible elements in certain levels of the roof rocks exceed what can be explained by trapped liquid contents. This is explained by instability of the upper solidification front and infiltration of evolved liquid into tension gashes. Fourthly, recent melt inclusion and textural studies show that the magma exsolved into immiscible Fe- and Si-rich liquids. It has been suggested that the buoyant Si-rich end-member segregated and rose to the roof. Compared to the Layered Series, the Upper Border Series is enriched in all incompatible elements regardless of their affinity to the Fe- or Si-rich melt. Thus, the effect of high trapped-liquid fractions dominates over that of liquid separation due to immiscibility. During solidification of the last 10 percent of the magma (UZb, UZc and Sandwich Horizon), however, concentrations of Fe, Mn and Ca decrease in the roof rocks while they increase in the floor rocks. Simultaneously, Si, K and Na increase strongly in the roof relative to the floor rocks. We interpret this as a consequence of efficient segregation of immiscible silicate liquids at least during the late stages of differentiation.