Nitrogen isotope analysis of bone collagen has been used to reconstruct the breastfeeding practices of archaeological human populations. However, weaning ages have been estimated subjectively because ...of a lack of both information on subadult bone collagen turnover rates and appropriate analytical models.
Temporal changes in human subadult bone collagen turnover rates were estimated from data on tissue-level bone metabolism reported in previous studies. A model for reconstructing precise weaning ages was then developed using a framework of approximate Bayesian computation and incorporating the estimated turnover rates. The model is presented as a new open source R package, WARN (Weaning Age Reconstruction with Nitrogen isotope analysis), which computes the age at the start and end of weaning, (15)N-enrichment through maternal to infant tissue, and Formula: see text value of collagen synthesized entirely from weaning foods with their posterior probabilities. The model was applied to 39 previously reported Holocene skeletal populations from around the world, and the results were compared with weaning ages observed in ethnographic studies.
There were no significant differences in the age at the end of weaning between the archaeological (2.80±1.32 years) and ethnographic populations. By comparing archaeological populations, it appears that weaning ages did not differ with the type of subsistence practiced (i.e., hunting-gathering or not). Most of Formula: see text-enrichment (2.44±0.90‰) was consistent with biologically valid values. The nitrogen isotope ratios of subadults after the weaning process were lower than those of adults in most of the archaeological populations (-0.48±0.61‰), and this depletion was greater in non-hunter-gatherer populations. Our results suggest that the breastfeeding period in humans had already been shortened by the early Holocene compared with those in extant great apes.
Contamination of surface waters by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and pathogenic bacteria is a great concern. In this study, 531
isolates obtained from the Yamato River in Japan were evaluated ...phenotypically for resistance to 25 antimicrobials. Seventy-six isolates (14.3%) were multidrug resistant (MDR), 66 (12.4%) were nonsusceptible to one or two classes of agents, and 389 (73.3%) were susceptible. We performed whole-genome sequencing of selected strains by using Illumina technology. In total, the genome sequences of 155 strains were analyzed for antibiotic resistance determinants and phylogenetic characteristics. More than 50 different resistance determinants, including acquired resistance genes and chromosomal resistance mutations, were detected. Among the sequenced MDR strains (
= 66), sequence type 155 (ST155) complex (
= 9), ST10 complex (
= 9), and ST69 complex (
= 7) were prevalent. Among extraintestinal pathogenic
(ExPEC) strains (
= 58), clinically important clonal groups, namely, ST95 complex (
= 18), ST127 complex (
= 8), ST12 complex (
= 6), ST14 complex (
= 6), and ST131 complex (
= 6), were prevalent, demonstrating the clonal distribution of environmental ExPEC strains. Typing of the
(type 1 fimbrial adhesin) gene revealed that ST131 complex strains carried
or
, and no strains belonging to the
subgroup were detected. Fine-scale phylogenetic analysis and virulence gene content analysis of strains belonging to the ST95 complex (one of the major clonal ExPEC groups causing community-onset infections) revealed no significant differences between environmental and clinical strains. The results indicate contamination of surface waters by
strains belonging to clinically important clonal groups.
The prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant and pathogenic
strains in surface waters is a concern because surface waters are used as sources for drinking water, irrigation, and recreational purposes. In this study, MDR and ExPEC strains in river water were characterized by genomic sequencing and analysis. We detected more than 50 resistance determinants and identified clonal groups specific to MDR and ExPEC strains. This study showed contamination of surface waters by
strains belonging to clinically important clonal groups. Overall, this study advances our understanding of environmental MDR and ExPEC strains.
A solid phylogenetic framework is the basis of biological studies, yet higher level relationships are still unresolved in some major vertebrate lineages. One such group is Crocodylia, where the ...branching pattern of three major families (Alligatoridae, Crocodylidae and Gavialidae) has been disputed over decades due to the uncertain relationship of two slender-snouted lineages, gavialines and tomistomines. Here, we report a bizarre crocodylian from the Bronze Age of China, which shows a mosaic of gavialine and tomistomine features across the skeleton, rendering support to their sister taxon relationship as molecular works have consistently postulated. Gavialine characters of the new Chinese crocodylian include a novel configuration of the pterygoid bulla, a vocal structure known in mature male Indian gharials. Extinct gavialines have repeatedly evolved potentially male-only acoustic apparatus of various shapes, illuminating the deep history of sexual selection on acoustic signalling in a slender-snouted group of crocodylians. Lastly, a cutmark analysis combined with accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) radiocarbon dating of bone remains demonstrated that two individuals from Shang and Zhou dynasties in Guangdong, China, suffered head injuries and decapitation. Archaeological evidence together with historical accounts suggests the human-induced extinction of this unique crocodylian only a few hundred years ago.
Wastewater is considered a major source of antibiotic-resistant bacteria released into the environment. Here, we characterized carbapenemase-producing
(CPE) in wastewater by whole-genome analysis. ...Wastewater samples (
= 40) were collected from municipal wastewater treatment plants and hospital wastewater in Japan and Taiwan. Samples were screened for CPE using selective media, and the obtained isolates were sequenced using an Illumina MiSeq. The isolates (
= 45) included the following microorganisms:
(
= 12),
(
= 10),
complex (
= 10),
(
= 8),
(
= 2),
(
= 1),
(
= 1), and
(
= 1). Among the 45 isolates, 38 harbored at least one carbapenemase-encoding gene. Of these, the
(
,
, and
) genes were found in 29 isolates. The genes were situated in novel class 1 integrons, but the integron structures were different between the Japanese (In1439 with
and In1440 with
) and Taiwanese (In1441 with
and In1442 with
) isolates. Other carbapenemase-encoding genes (
,
,
,
, and
) were found in one to three isolates. Notably, class 1 integrons previously reported among clinical isolates obtained in the same regions as the present study, namely, In477 with
and In73 with
, were found among the Japanese and Taiwanese isolates, respectively. The results indicate that CPE with various carbapenemase-encoding genes in different genetic contexts were present in biologically treated wastewater, highlighting the need to monitor for antibiotic resistance in wastewater.
High levels of fecal bacteria are a concern for the aquatic environment, and identifying sources of those bacteria is important for mitigating fecal pollution and preventing waterborne disease. ...Escherichia coli has been used as an indicator of fecal pollution, however less success has been achieved using this organism for library-independent microbial source tracking. In this study, using next-generation sequencing technology we sequenced the whole genomes of 22 E. coli isolates from known sources (9 from humans, 2 from cows, 6 from pigs, and 5 from chickens) and identified candidate host-specific genomic regions. Specificity testing on the candidate regions was performed using 30 E. coli isolates from each source. Finally, we identified 4 human-, 2 cow-, 3 pig-, and 4 chicken-specific genetic markers useful for source tracking. We also found that a combination of multiplex PCR and dual index sequencing is effective for detecting multiple genetic markers in multiple isolates at one time. This technique was applied to investigating identified genetic markers in 549 E. coli isolates obtained from the Yamato River, Japan. Results indicate that humans constitute a major source of water contamination in the river. However, further work must include isolates obtained from geographically diverse animal hosts to make this method more reliable.
In this work, the traffic characteristics and emissions of air pollutants were predicted for two vehicle classifications (passenger cars and trucks) at the national highway in Kyoto City, Japan. ...Traffic characteristic information (traffic volume, travel speed, and degree of congestion) was estimated based on the digitised data collected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) of Japan. A vehicle emission model, known as the computer program to calculate emissions from road transport (COPERT), was utilised to compute the emission factors (EFs) and total emissions of air pollutants in terms of exhaust particulate matter (PM
Exh
), benzene (C
6
H
6
), carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen oxide (NO
x
). Input variables, such as fuel data, activity data, driving conditions, and meteorological conditions, are needed. The findings revealed that the pollutant emissions reached the higher values over the slower travel speed phase. Road no. 1 with the most congested road segment has intensified vehicle numbers, and the slowest traffic flow movement exposed a greater magnitude of pollutant emissions. C
6
H
6
and CO emissions are obviously more emitted from the passenger cars whereas the trucks are responsible for the greater emission of NO
x
and PM
Exh
. The EFs of pollutants were compared with the Japanese Emission Standards through JE05 and JC08 chassis dynamometer test cycles. The estimated EFs showed inconsistency with the EFs derived from the test cycles. These results may be deployed as the input in air quality dispersion modelling in urban areas for designing the air pollution abatement strategy.
Poultry are farmed globally, with chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) being the leading domesticated species. Although domestic chicken bones have been reported from some Early Holocene sites, their ...origin is controversial and there is no reliable domestic chicken bone older than the Middle Holocene. Here, we studied goose bones from Tianluoshan—a 7,000-y-old rice cultivation village in the lower Yangtze River valley, China—using histological, geochemical, biochemical, and morphological approaches. Histological analysis revealed that one of the bones was derived from a locally bred chick, although no wild goose species breed in southern China. The analysis of oxygen-stable isotope composition supported this observation and further revealed that some of the mature bones were also derived from locally bred individuals. The nitrogen-stable isotope composition showed that locally bred mature birds fed on foods different from those eaten by migrant individuals. Morphological analysis revealed that the locally bred mature birds were homogenous in size, whereas radiocarbon dating clearly demonstrated that the samples from locally bred individuals were ∼7,000 y old. The histological, geochemical, biochemical, morphological, and contextual evidence suggest that geese at Tianluoshan village were at an early stage of domestication. The goose population appears to have been maintained for several generations without the introduction of individuals from other populations and may have been fed cultivated paddy rice. These findings indicate that goose domestication dates back 7,000 y, making geese the oldest domesticated poultry species in history.
In this study, the adsorption of cesium (Cs) on biotite and dissolution of Cs from Cs-bearing biotite using a siderophore were investigated aiming to contribute to the elucidation of radiocesium ...migration mechanisms in the soil environment. Thus, a siderophore was extracted and purified from the culture medium of Pseudomonas sp., and the purified siderophore was used in five consecutive dissolution experiments of biotite samples. Prior to the dissolution experiments, Cs was adsorbed on a hardly weathered biotite powder sample. The major components of the biotite (Al, Fe, and Mg) were dissolved almost stoichiometrically, strongly suggesting that the siderophore selectively dissolves the broken edges of the biotite. The amount of the dissolved Cs decreased by increasing the repetition times of the dissolution experiment. Therefore, the Cs adsorbed on the broken edges was dissolved rapidly as the siderophore dissolved the broken edges, and then, the Cs adsorbed on the outer planar surface of the biotite particles was slowly dissolved because the siderophore did not directly dissolve the outer planar surface of the biotite but dissolved the surface edge.
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•Unweathered biotite without fraying adsorbs Cs on the planar surface and broken edge.•Siderophore dissolves biotite stoichiometrically from the broken edge.•Repeated siderophore treatment leads to the Cs dissolution at broken edges first.•Cs from the outer planar surface is dissolved along with biotite dissolution.
The development of the modern industrialized food production system has resulted in a homogeneous human diet worldwide. However, it is not clear whether a developed food production system led to a ...homogenized human diet also in ancient societies. Due to the lack of large archaeological datasets, we know little about the chronological trends and ancient circumstances of dietary homogenization. Here we compiled carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios, indicators of palaeodiet, of adult human skeletons from premodern mainland Japan (AD 1603–1868, n = 318) to investigate chronological changes in diet. Comparison with datasets from Japan in modern, premodern (Edo), and foraging (Jomon) periods showed that the human diet was rapidly homogenized isotopically in modern times. Premodern people in Japan typically obtained dietary proteins from C3 crops and fish, and the establishment of agriculture created a new isotope dietary niche compared with the foraging period. Dominant protein contributions from agricultural C3 crops cultivated with organic fertilizers and/or rice that are grown in paddy fields with denitrification increased premodern human nitrogen isotope ratios without increasing their carbon isotope ratios. Diet differed according to the social status of individuals or the availability of foods, and a unique diet can be seen in people in higher social classes such as the Shogun family. Meta-analysis of stable isotope ratios of archaeological human skeletons enables a comprehensive understanding of human dietary change through time and regional variations.
Background: Although arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (ARCR) often results in good outcomes, some patients have severe pain postoperatively. This study investigated the efficacy of nerve block for ...ARCR. Methods: This study was retrospective, and consent was obtained from all patients. We divided 50 patients who had undergone ARCR into 4 groups: continuous interscalene nerve block was performed for 11 patients (continuous-injection group), single interscalene nerve block for 10 (single-injection group), suprascapular nerve block for 8 (suprascapular group), and intravenous analgesic administration for 10 (intravenous group). Eleven patients received no nerve block (control group). We evaluated diclofenac sodium and pentazocine dosing, visual analog scale (VAS) scores, and perioperative complications in each group. VAS scoring was done immediately after surgery and 1 and 6 hours and 1, 2, 3, 7, and 14 days postoperatively. Results: The doses of diclofenac sodium and pentazocine did not differ between groups. VAS scores immediately after surgery and at 1 and 6 hours after surgery were significantly lower in the single-injection and continuous-injection groups than in the suprascapular, intravenous, and control groups. VAS score at 1 day postoperatively was significantly lower in the continuous-injection group than in the other groups. One patient in the continuous group reported temporary paralysis of the fingers and drug solution leakage. Conclusion: Interscalene nerve blocks yielded good pain relief for ARCR. Although continuous interscalene nerve block produced continuous pain relief, complications are a concern.
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