Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Manuel Ferrando-Bernal
Summary: Through genetic analysis, it is found that anemia and low bone mineral density may be the main causes of this disease. Additionally, individuals from the Neolithic period have the lowest genetic risk score for bone mineral density, which may explain the high prevalence of porotic hyperostosis during that time.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Lasse Kaalby, Ulrik Deding, Issam Al-Najami, Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff, Thomas Bjorsum-Meyer, Tinne Laurberg, Aasma Shaukat, Robert J. C. Steele, Anastasios Koulaouzidis, Morten Rasmussen, Morten Kobaek-Larsen, Gunnar Baatrup
Summary: New research suggests that faecal haemoglobin concentration (f-Hb) can indicate the presence of serious diseases not related to colorectal cancer (CRC). This study found an association between increasing f-Hb and the risk of mortality, as well as an increased risk of dying from respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and other cancers. f-Hb may be a potential biomarker for non-CRC diseases.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sina Baleka, Luciano Varela, P. Sebastian Tambusso, Johanna L. A. Paijmans, Dimila Mothe, Thomas W. Stafford, Richard A. Farina, Michael Hofreiter
Summary: The phylogenetic position and evolution of the Gomphotheriidae family in South America were explored using morphological comparisons and paleogenetic analysis. The study revealed that the three most diverse clades within Proboscidea diverged during the early Miocene, coinciding with the formation of a land passage between Africa and Eurasia. This research provides new insights into genetic analysis of Pleistocene samples from subtropical regions.
Article
Oncology
Lasse Kaalby, Issam Al-Najami, Ulrik Deding, Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff, Robert J. C. Steele, Morten Kobaek-Larsen, Aasma Shaukat, Morten Rasmussen, Gunnar Baatrup
Summary: This study found that screening participants with detectable fecal hemoglobin had higher mortality rates and different causes of death compared to those without. Fecal hemoglobin may serve as a marker for diseases not directly related to colorectal cancer and may be targeted for preventive measures in the future.
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Xiaoran Liu, Marta Guasch-Ferre, Deirdre K. Tobias, Yanping Li
Summary: Consumption of walnuts is associated with improved life expectancy and reduced mortality risk, with those consuming more than 5 servings per week experiencing greater benefits.
Review
Chemistry, Analytical
Yuan Su, Longjiao Zhu, Yifan Wu, Zihong Liu, Wentao Xu
Summary: This paper summarizes the factors influencing aptamer performance during the SELEX process and provides an advanced screening strategy for aptamers against bacterial whole-cell components. The binding sites between aptamers and bacterial whole-cell components are examined, and sequence sites are analyzed from an aptamer perspective. Additionally, the application status and prospects of bacterial aptamers are briefly described.
TRAC-TRENDS IN ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Anxia Xie, Yan Cui, Gang Luo, Xianxia Chen, Xuecheng Zhang, Jie Han, Li Tong, Yanming Ren, Xiaoxing Wei
Summary: This study systematically evaluated the cause of fetal death in a Han Chinese woman with monochorionic twinning following in vitro fertilization/embryo transfer. Discrepant karyotypes were discovered between the twins, with one fetus having an abnormal male karyotype (46, XY) and duplication (9) (p24.3-q13), and the other having a normal female karyotype (46, XX). The male fetus was considered to have died due to chromosome 9 aberration, while the female fetus died due to subsequent acute exsanguination through vascular anastomosis. This study highlights the importance of recognizing monochorionic dizygotic twinning and the challenges of clinical management for twins following IVF/double embryo transfer.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ricardo Rodriguez-Calvo, Minerva Granado-Casas, Alejandra Perez-Montes de Oca, Maria Teresa Julian, Mar Domingo, Pau Codina, Evelyn Santiago-Vacas, German Cediel, Josep Julve, Joana Rossell, Lluis Masana, Didac Mauricio, Josep Lupon, Antoni Bayes-Genis, Nuria Alonso
Summary: This study aimed to explore the prognostic value of cardiac-specific fatty acid binding proteins (FABP3) and adipose-tissue-specific fatty acid binding proteins (FABP4) in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients, with and without type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). It was found that the concentrations of FABP3 and FABP4 were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, particularly in patients with T2D. The study suggests that serum FABP3 and FABP4 concentrations can serve as independent predictors for the occurrence of all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in ambulatory CHF subjects with T2D.
Article
Food Science & Technology
Jiayan Jiang, Ke Li, Yuanliang Wang, Zhongqin Wu, Huiqin Ma, Shilin Zheng, Zongjun Li
Summary: This study isolated and identified 104 strains of LAB from traditionally fermented vegetables, fresh milk, healthy infant feces, and other environments. The strains were evaluated for their antibacterial properties, acid and bile salts resistance, digestive enzymes resistance, and adhesion ability. Three LAB strains with good comprehensive performance were obtained, which exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial properties, good acid resistance, and adhesion ability. These strains met the required characteristics and safety evaluation criteria for potential probiotics.
Article
Ecology
Bogdan Cristescu, L. Mark Elbroch, Tavis D. Forrester, Maximilian L. Allen, Derek B. Spitz, Christopher C. Wilmers, Heiko U. Wittmer
Summary: Mortality site investigations of telemetered wildlife are important for understanding the causes of observed population dynamics. However, a lack of ecoliteracy and quality control in data collection can lead researchers to incorrect conclusions, impacting wildlife management decisions. A review of 50 studies on ungulates monitored with telemetry devices revealed variation in reporting field procedures and a lack of addressing uncertainty. A step-by-step procedure is outlined for mortality site investigations, highlighting data useful for identifying predator species and acknowledging uncertainty.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Pediatrics
Naanlep Matthew Tanko, Ibrayimov Bakytkaly, Alpamys Issanov, Dimitri Poddighe, Milan Terzic
Summary: Complete diagnostic autopsy (CDA) remains the gold standard for determining cause of death, but autopsy rates are declining globally. Minimally invasive tissue sampling (MITS) is found to be a valuable and reliable method for cause of death diagnosis, with results comparable to CDA.
Article
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Luis Lugo, Emiliano Barreto-Hernandez
Summary: Bacterial identification plays a crucial role in various research areas, and is transitioning towards whole-genome sequence-based taxonomy. Machine learning is being utilized to analyze high dimensional data efficiently, with a proposed deep learning model for bacteria identification. The bidirectional recurrent neural network has shown superior performance in validating the identification model.
APPLIED ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Daniela Schoene, Norman Freigang, Anne Trabitzsch, Konrad Pleul, Daniel P. O. Kaiser, Martin Roessler, Simon Winzer, Christian Hugo, Albrecht Guenther, Volker Puetz, Kristian Barlinn
Summary: An automated digital screening tool has been developed to aid in the early identification of patients at risk of developing brain death.
JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Tine Bjerg Nielsen, Anne Mette Lund Wurtz, Anne Tjonneland, Kim Overvad, Christina Catherine Dahm
Summary: The study found that substituting processed red meat with poultry or fish was associated with a lower risk of total mortality and deaths due to cancer, but not deaths due to CVD.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Guangyu Zhao, Yihui Wei, Jiaqi Chen, Yuhong Dong, Lingyu Hou, Ruzhen Jiao
Summary: This study successfully screened and identified a multifunctional phosphorus-dissolving bacterium P5 in Chinese fir plantation, which showed excellent growth-promoting capabilities, with higher IAA production, ACC deaminase activity, and siderophore performance than other strains.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Andaine Seguin-Orlando, Richard Donat, Clio Der Sarkissian, John Southon, Catherine Theves, Claire Manen, Yaramila Tcheremissinoff, Eric Crubezy, Beth Shapiro, Jean-Francois Deleuze, Love Dalen, Jean Guilaine, Ludovic Orlando
Summary: The transition from the Late Neolithic to the Bronze Age in western Europe saw significant population and societal changes, with the genetic diversity of Late Neolithic populations in France revealing heterogeneous hunter-gatherer ancestries and varying genetic contributions from steppe herders. This highlights the complex history of human interactions even at a local scale.
Article
Archaeology
Roxanne Tsang, Sebastien Katuk, Sally K. May, Paul S. C. Tacon, Francois-Xavier Ricaut, Matthew G. Leavesley
Summary: This article presents the socio-cultural significance of cassowaries in New Guinea and explores their material history through interviews and research. By examining the narratives and beliefs surrounding cassowary bone daggers in rock art, the authors argue that they are an integral part of the animal's life history.
CAMBRIDGE ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Monika Karmin, Rodrigo Flores, Lauri Saag, Georgi Hudjashov, Nicolas Brucato, Chelzie Crenna-Darusallam, Maximilian Larena, Phillip L. Endicott, Mattias Jakobsson, J. Stephen Lansing, Herawati Sudoyo, Matthew Leavesley, Mait Metspalu, Francois-Xavier Ricaut, Murray P. Cox
Summary: Island Southeast Asia and Oceania are regions with rich human phenotypic, linguistic, and cultural diversity. However, the genetic lineage of males in this region has remained unresolved. This study analyzed the Y chromosome sequence of over 380 men from the region and created a high-resolution phylogeny, revealing important population bursts and localized historical events. This research sheds light on the past isolation, interaction, and change in this understudied region.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria Derakhshan, Noah J. Kessler, Miho Ishida, Charalambos Demetriou, Nicolas Brucato, Gudrun E. Moore, Caroline H. D. Fall, Giriraj R. Chandak, Francois-Xavier Ricaut, Andrew M. Prentice, Garrett Hellenthal, Matt J. Silver
Summary: By analyzing DNA methylation data from a large number of datasets, we identified 4143 hypervariable CpG sites that are influenced by genetic variation. These sites tend to covary across various tissues and ethnicities, and are enriched for specific genomic regions.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nicolas Brucato, Mathilde Andre, Georgi Hudjashov, Mayukh Mondal, Murray P. Cox, Matthew Leavesley, Francois-Xavier Ricaut
Summary: A study found that there was a strong selection pattern in the genomes of the earliest settlers in Oceania, corresponding to a specific period between 52,000 and 54,000 years ago. This suggests that pathogens and plant resources exerted strong selective pressures on the genomes of the first settlers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nicole Pedro, Nicolas Brucato, Bruno Cavadas, Valentine Lisant, Rui Camacho, Christopher Kinipi, Matthew Leavesley, Luisa Pereira, Francois-Xavier Ricaut
Summary: The oral microbiome of Papua New Guineans, especially those living in isolated areas, shows significant geographical variations. Compared to other global populations, Papua New Guineans and Aboriginal Australians have higher abundance of bacterial genera related to iron absorption, suggesting a shared oral microbiome signature. Further studies are needed to confirm and explore this regional-specific oral microbiome profile.
Article
Archaeology
Sebastien Plutniak, Asftolfo Araujo, Bambang Sugiyanto, Adhi Agus Oktaviana, Jean-Michel Chazine, Francois-Xavier Ricaut
Summary: In recent decades, East Borneo has emerged as a significant archaeological site in Island Southeast Asia due to early rock art dating and a large number of excavated sites. However, the chronology of settlement and adaptation to environmental changes in the Pleistocene-Holocene transition is not well understood. In this study, researchers report on the excavation at Liang Abu rock shelter, which provides evidence of human occupation from the Late Pleistocene to the present day. They also compare data from Liang Abu with a nearby site called Kimanis, using open-source software and Bayesian chronological modeling. The results of this inter-site comparison provide a new chronology of human settlement and coastal interactions in East Borneo.
JOURNAL OF ISLAND & COASTAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Entomology
Giorgia Giordani, Fabiola Tuccia, Daniel Martin-Vega, Chris S. Angell, Jennifer Pradelli, Stefano Vanin
Summary: Piophilidae is a globally distributed family of small Diptera insects historically associated with human activities. Their larvae have medical and legal relevance in addition to their economic importance. Piophilids are frequently found on bodies in advanced stages of decomposition, making them potential forensic indicators, and have also been reported in archaeological funeral contexts. Accurate species identification is essential for reliable analysis of insect material in medical, forensic, and archaeological investigations. This study describes the puparia of 11 species of forensic interest and presents a molecular analysis using COI sequencing for their identification.
MEDICAL AND VETERINARY ENTOMOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Zoology
Daniel Schoenberger, Giorgia Giordani, Stefano Vanin, Daniel Whitmore
Summary: The subgenus Sarcophaga Meigen, 1824 (s. str.) comprises over 30 species distributed in the West Palearctic Region, and the identification is mainly based on male terminalia. However, the females of the closely-related species Sarcophaga (Sarcophaga) carnaria (Linnaeus, 1758), S. (S.) subvicina Rohdendorf, 1937 and S. (S.) variegata (Scopoli, 1763) are considered indistinguishable morphologically. This study used DNA barcode sequences and morphological characters to revise the identification keys for female S. carnaria, S. subvicina and S. variegata, and found that the length to width ratio of abdominal sternite 7 can be used to separate S. subvicina from the other two species.
Article
Entomology
Augusto Loni, Stefano Vanin, Antonio Fornaciari, Paolo Emilio Tomei, Valentina Giuffra, Giovanni Benelli
Summary: In this research, the authors conducted an entomological and botanical investigation of the historical records on the post-mortem history of Saint Davino Armeno (11th century). They found that Saint Davino was likely buried in the soil, possibly in a wooden coffin, based on the arthropod data. The presence of various arthropod species and botanical remains provided insights into the burial conditions and the medieval urban environment of Tuscany.
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Cristina Marchetti, Luigi Mastrogiuseppe, Stefano Vanin, Rossana Cecchi, Mirella Gherardi
Summary: In veterinary practice, the on-site inspection of the scene of an animal dead body is crucial for a correct interpretation of the autopsy results, in particular to determine the manner, mechanism and cause of death, as an important role in the control of public health including the prevention of zoonoses. It is also fundamental for the recognition and the contrast of crimes against animals and to animal abuse phenomena, considered an alert sign of an anti-social or violent behavior of humans, theory known as The Link. A good practice is the presence of a veterinary pathologist on the scene. Although photographs and information made available by the police officers on the place of discovery of the animal cadaver can be useful, the information that can be achieved by a direct examination of the scene is irreplaceable. Today the best veterinary procedure requires an accurate collection of evidence at the scene that can be then handed to experts belonging to other forensic sciences for further evaluation and data interpretation. In this paper authors suggest a form aiming to facilitate either the on-site and the autopsy activities. The suggested form can contribute to guarantee the quality of the forensic process from the discovery site up to the court. Particular attention is paid to the training of non-medical personnel who often represent the first, and sometimes, the only figure to be present on the scene. The form proposed is inspired by the interdisciplinary form developed by the European Council of Legal Medicine. This form represents an initial tool to improve a multidisciplinary activity in close synergy with other forensic experts.
Article
Entomology
Giorgia Giordani, Daniel Whitmore, Stefano Vanin
Summary: Species identification is crucial in scientific studies, and can be done through morphological characters or molecular markers. However, traditional DNA extraction methods are invasive and can damage specimens, which is not suitable for certain samples. This study presents a non-invasive DNA extraction technique for identifying species of flies in the genus Sarcophaga, demonstrating successful results on specimens collected over a long period of time.
Article
Zoology
G. Giordani, S. Vanin
Summary: In medicolegal forensic entomology, the accuracy of species identification is crucial for estimating the minimum postmortem interval and other evaluations. This study focuses on Heleomyza serrata, an underestimated species in forensic investigations, and describes its puparium and evaluates its monophyly using molecular analysis. The findings highlight the potential presence of this species on human and other animals' cadavers during the cold seasons.
EUROPEAN ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Laura Cutroneo, Hassan Ahmed, Annalisa Azzola, Herbert Fontana, Irene Geneselli, Ilaria Mancini, Monica Montefalcone, Alice Oprandi, Irene Pancrazi, Stefano Vanin, Marco Capello
Summary: This study used a multi-parameter probe to characterize the water column of the Blue Hole of Faanu Madugau in the Indian Ocean. The results revealed distinct layers with different characteristics, and highlighted the extreme environment of the blue hole. Further investigations are needed to understand its origin, isolation mechanisms, and potential impacts of climate change.
Article
Anthropology
Roxanne Tsang, Sebastien Katuk, Sally K. May, Paul S. C. Tacon, Francois-Xavier Ricaut, Matthew G. Leavesley
Summary: This paper examines the hand stencils at the Kundumbue and Pundimbung rock art sites in Papua New Guinea, and reveals their significance in the social and cultural practices of the Auwim people. By combining archaeological analysis and ethnographic knowledge, the researchers demonstrate that the hand stencils serve as important markers of community identity and history. The study also highlights the various meanings and functions of these hand images over time and across different cultural contexts.
ARCHAEOLOGY IN OCEANIA
(2023)