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The 1918 influenza pandemic was the deadliest respiratory pandemic of the 20th century and determined the genomic make-up of subsequent human influenza A viruses (IAV). Here, we analyze both the first 1918 IAV genomes from Europe and the first from samples prior to the autumn peak. 1918 IAV genomic diversity is consistent with a combination of local transmission and long-distance dispersal events. Comparison of genomes before and during the pandemic peak shows variation at two sites in the nucleoprotein gene associated with resistance to host antiviral response, pointing at a possible adaptation of 1918 IAV to humans. Finally, local molecular clock modeling suggests a pure pandemic descent of seasonal H1N1 IAV as an alternative to the hypothesis of origination through an intrasubtype reassortment. ispartof: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS vol:13 issue:1 ispartof: location:England status: published

The 1918 influenza pandemic was the deadliest respiratory pandemic of the 20th century and determined the genomic make-up of subsequent human influenza A viruses (IAV). Here, we analyze the first 1918 IAV genomes from Europe and from the first, milder wave of the pandemic. 1918 IAV genomic diversity is consistent with local transmission and frequent long-distance dispersal events and in vitro polymerase characterization suggests potential phenotypic variability. Comparison of first and second wave genomes shows variation at two sites in the nucleoprotein gene associated with resistance to host antiviral response, pointing at a possible adaptation of 1918 IAV to humans. Finally, phylogenetic estimates based on extended molecular clock modelling suggests a pure pandemic descent of seasonal H1N1 IAV as an alternative to the hypothesis of an intrasubtype reassortment origin.One Sentence SummaryMuch can be learned about past pandemics by uncovering their footprints in medical archives, which we here demonstrate for the 1918 flu pandemic.

Many infectious diseases are thought to have emerged in humans after the Neolithic revolution. While it is broadly accepted that this also applies to measles, the exact date of emergence for this disease is controversial. Here, we sequenced the genome of a 1912 measles virus and used selection-aware molecular clock modeling to determine the divergence date of measles virus and rinderpest virus. This divergence date represents the earliest possible date for the establishment of measles in human populations. Our analyses show that the measles virus potentially arose as early as the 4thcentury BCE, rekindling the recently challenged hypothesis of an antique origin of this disease.One Sentence SummaryMeasles virus diverged from rinderpest virus in the 4thcentury BCE, which is compatible with an emergence of measles during Antiquity.

Moulagen sind in Wachs gearbeitete, naturgetreue und dreidimensionale Darstellungen von Krankheiten oder anderen sich auf der Haut abbildenden Befunden, die auf der Grundlage einer Abformung entstehen. Die Heidelberger Anatomie verfugt uber einen kleinen Bestand historischer Moulagen, aus dem eine mit dem Krankheitsbild Scharlach exemplarisch beschrieben wird. Vergleiche mit anderen Sammlungen geben naher Auskunft uber die Rolle und Herkunft des Objekts in seiner Entstehungszeit. Die Recherchen fuhren zum Bildhauer Fritz Kolbow, der um 1900 eine zentrale Rolle in der Moulagenbildnerei, besonders in Berlin und Dresden, spielte. Abschliesend geben detaillierte Ausfuhrungen zum Entstehungsprozess einer Moulage eine Vorstellung uber den Aufwand, der notig ist, solch ein Lehrmodell heutzutage herzustellen.

The presence of gallstones (cholelithiasis) is a highly prevalent and severe disease and one of the leading causes of hospital admissions worldwide. Due to its substantial health impact, we investigated the biological mechanisms that lead to the formation and growth of gallstones. We show that gallstone assembly essentially requires neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). We found consistent evidence for the presence of NETs in human and murine gallstones and describe an immune-mediated process requiring activation of the innate immune system for the formation and growth of gallstones. Targeting NET formation via inhibition of peptidyl arginine deiminase type 4 or abrogation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, as well as damping of neutrophils by metoprolol, effectively inhibit gallstone formation in vivo. Our results show that after the physicochemical process of crystal formation, NETs foster their assembly into larger aggregates and finally gallstones. These insights provide a feasible therapeutic concept to prevent cholelithiasis in patients at risk.

In May 1970 the fully-clothed body of a 51-year-old female was discovered by her son in an apartment in Berlin, Germany. The deceased was found still holding a medium-sized bronze table lamp in her left hand and a smaller reading lamp in her right hand. Both lamps were plugged into a double socket located on one of the walls and were firmly grasped in front of her body. Her son reported that the last time he had seen his mother alive was at her workplace a day before. Forensic examination by the police revealed that the bronze table lamp had a technical fault. According to the son the lamp had been taken for repair around Christmas, 1969. Autopsy findings according to the forensic pathologists’ report

The Berliner Medizinhistorisches Museum der Charite (Berlin Museum of Medical History at the Charite) acts as a repository for medical, pathological, forensic and anthropological specimens. The specimen collection is housed in the museum building of the Institute of Pathology on the historical grounds of the Charite Hospital in Central Berlin. Renowned pathologist Rudolf Virchow planned and later officially opened the museum building in 1899. His collection of pathological specimens forms the heart of the museum collection (www.bmm-charite.de). The museum is open to the public and beside the collection of dry and wet medical specimens, hosts annual themed exhibitions. The specimen number 129 CBF reported on in this paper is part of the museum collection.

Older origins of measles virus Animal domestication by humans is thought to have given many pathogens an opportunity to invade a new host, and measles is one example of this. However, there is controversy about when measles emerged in humans, because the historical descriptions of measles are relatively recent (late ninth century CE). The controversy has persisted in part because ancient RNA is thought to be a poor target for molecular clock techniques. Düx et al. have overcome the ancient RNA challenge by sequencing a measles virus genome obtained from a museum specimen of the lungs of child who died in 1912 (see the Perspective by Ho and Duchêne). The authors used these and other more recent sequencing data in a Bayesian molecular clock–modeling technique, which showed that measles virus diverged from rinderpest virus in the sixth century BCE, indicating an early origin for measles possibly associated with the beginnings of urbanization. Science , this issue p. 1367 ; see also p. 1310