Molecular medicine through the kaleidoscope

The 30th Miami Winter Symposium: Molecular Biology in the Conquest of DiseaseMiami, FL, USA, 7–11 February 1998     

War in Guatemala and Exile in Florida

Book reviewed in this article:
Unfinished Conquest: The Guatemalan Tragedy . Victor Perera. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. 382 pp. Maya in Exile: Guatemalans in Florida. Allan F. Burns. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1993. 208 pp.     

The Machete and the Cross: Campesino Rebellion in Yucatan: The Conquest of the Last Maya Kingdom: Río Azul: An Ancient Maya City

The Machete and the Cross: Campesino Rebellion in Yucatan. Don E. Dumond. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1997.571pp.
The Conquest of the Last Maya Kingdom. Grant D. Jones. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1998.568 pp.
Río Azul: An Ancient Maya City. Richard E. W. Adams. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1999. 238 pp.     

A study of the Bodrogköz population in north-eastern Hungary by Y chromosomal haplotypes and haplogroups

We have determined the distribution of Y chromosomal haplotypes and haplogroups in population samples from one of the most important areas in north-eastern Hungary from many villages in the Bodrogköz. The Bodrogköz region was chosen due to its isolated nature, because this area was a moorland encircled by the Tisza, Bodrog, and Latorca Rivers and inhabitants of this part of Hungary escaped from both Tatar and Ottoman invasions, which decimated the post-Hungarian Conquest populations in many parts of the country. Furthermore, in the first half of the tenth century, this region served as the Palatial Centre and burial grounds of the Hungarian tribes. It has thus been assumed that the present population in this area is likely to be more similar to the population that lived in the Conquest period. We analysed male-specific markers, 23 Y-STRs and more than 30 Y-SNPs, that reflect the past and recent genetic history. We found that the general haplogroup distribution of the samples showed high genetic similarity to non-Bodrogköz Hungarians and neighbouring populations, despite its sheltered location and historical record. We were able to classify the Y-chromosomal haplogroups into four large groups based on STR mutation events: pre-Roman/Roman ancient lineage, Finno-Ugric speakers arriving into the Carpathian Basin, Migration period admixture, and post-Hungarian Conquest admixture. It is clear that a significantly larger database with deep haplogroup resolution, including ancient DNA data, is required to strengthen this research.     

Violence and weapon‐related trauma at Puruchuco‐Huaquerones,Peru

Conquest of indigenous peoples in North America is understood primarily through ethnohistorical documents, archaeological evidence, and osteological analyses. However, in the Central Andes, the colonial enterprise and its effects are understood only from postcontact historical and ethnohistorical sources. Few archaeological and bioarchaeological studies have investigated Spanish Conquest and colonialism in the Andean region [for exceptions see Klaus and Tam: Am J Phys Anthropol 138 (2009) 356–368; Wernke, in press ; and Quilter, in press ]. Here we describe bioarchaeological evidence of violence from the cemeteries of Huaquerones and 57AS03 within the archaeological zone of Puruchuco‐Huaquerones, Peru (circa A.D. 1470–1540). A total of 258 individuals greater than 15 years of age were analyzed for evidence of traumatic injuries. Individuals were examined macroscopically and evidence of traumatic injuries was analyzed according to the skeletal element involved, the location of the injury on the skeletal element, and any additional complications of the injury. This study examines and compares the evidence of perimortem injuries on skeletonized individuals from the two cemeteries and focuses specifically on the interpretation of weapon‐related perimortem injuries. Evidence of perimortem trauma is present in both cemeteries (18.6%, 48/258); however, the frequency of injuries in 57AS03 is greater than that in Huaquerones (25.0% vs. 13.0%). Several injuries from 57AS03 are consistent with documented cases of injuries from firearms and 16th Century European weapons. We believe that the nature and high frequency of perimortem trauma at 57AS03 provide evidence of the violence that occurred with Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire. Am J Phys Anthropol 142:636–649, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Temperature-induced protein conformational changes in barley root plasma membrane-enriched microsomes: I. Effect of temperature on membrane protein and lipid mobility

A protein spin label and lipid spin probes were used to study the temperature-dependent motion of protein and lipid, respectively, in barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Conquest) root plasma membrane-enriched microsomes. Using membranes from seedlings grown at 20°C, the temperature-dependence of the relative motion of membrane surface spin probes and a spin label covalently attached to membrane proteins suggested abrupt changes in the lipid and protein mobilities at about 12°C. Spin probe spin-spin exchange broadening and fluorescent probe eximer formation indicated apparent temperature-induced alterations in probe lateral diffusion within the membrane at about 12 to 14°C. The results suggest the presence of temperature-induced quasicrystalline lipid clusters which may influence the activity of membrane-bound enzymes.     

Eye on the Amazon: Brazilian Indians, the State, and Global Culture

At the Edge of Conquest: The Journey of Chief Wai-Wai. 1992. 28 minutes, color. Produced by Geoffrey O'Connor .Realis Pictures Inc. Distributed by Filmaker's Library, 124 East 40th Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10016.212/80&4980.
Amazon Journal. 1996. 58 minutes, color. Produced and directed by Geoffrey O'Connor. Realis Pictures Inc. Distributed by Filmaker's Library, 124 East 40th Street, Suite 901, New York, NY 10016. 212/8084980.     

Sister-chromatid exchange, chromosomal aberrations and delays in cell-cycle kinetics in human lymphocytes induced by dental composite resin eluates

We have investigated eluates derived from commercially available composite resin-based materials used for direct (Tetric Ceram/Ivoclar-Vivadent, Simile/Pentron, Filtek Z-250/3M ESPE) and indirect (Adoro/Ivoclar-Vivadent and Conquest Sculpture/Pentron) dental restorations, with respect to their genotoxic effects on human peripheral lymphocytes. Primary lymphocyte cultures obtained from blood samples of three healthy donors were exposed to eluates of freshly cured specimens of all the materials tested. Metaphases were induced with phytohaemagglutinin, collected after a 72-h treatment using colchicine and stained with the Fluorescence Plus Giemsa (FPG) procedure. Preparations were scored for sister-chromatid exchange (SCE) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs). The proliferation rate index (PRI) and the mitotic index (MI) were also calculated. Our results show that eluates derived from the three direct composites (Filtek Z-250, Simile and Tetric Ceram) increased the frequencies of SCE and CAs and markedly reduced PRI and MI. Tetric Ceram's eluate, being the most genotoxic of all eluates tested, increased the frequencies of SCE up to 24.40 per cell (control, 9.87 per cell) and of CAs up to 424 per 100 metaphases scored (control, 5). Moreover, it caused a pronounced decrease of the PRI down to 1.31 (control, 2.44) and of the MI down to 9.8 per thousand (control, 19.2 per thousand). In contrast, eluates derived from the laboratory-processed composites (Adoro and Conquest Sculpture) induced much less cytogenetic damage. Overall, the degree of genotoxicity and cytotoxicity decreased as follows: Tetric Ceram>Filtek Z-250>Simile>Adoro=Conquest Sculpture. These results indicate that composite resins used for direct and indirect dental restorations differ extensively in their cytotoxic and genotoxic potential and in their ability to affect chromosomal integrity, cell-cycle progression, DNA replication and repair. This underlines the impact of improved polymerization with respect to their biological behavior.     

Temperature-Induced Protein Conformational Changes in Barley Root Plasma Membrane-Enriched Microsomes: II. Intrinsic Protein Fluorescence

The membrane-bound proteins of barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv Conquest) root plasma membrane-enriched microsomes displayed fluorescence typical of protein-associated trytophan residues. The protein fluorescence intensity was sensitive to variations in sample temperature. The temperature-induced decline in protein fluorescence intensity was nonlinear with slope discontinuities at about 12 and 32°C. Detergents at levels above their critical micelle concentration enhanced protein fluorescence. Glutaraldehyde reduced protein fluorescence. Protein fluorescence polarization increased at temperatures above 30°C. Both the rate of tryptophan photoionization and the fluorescence intensity of the photoionization products suggested alterations in membrane protein conformation between 12 and 32°C. The quenching of the intrinsic protein fluorescence by acrylamide and potassium iodide indicated changes in accessibility of the extrinsic agents to the protein tryptophan residues beginning at about 14°C. The results indicate thermally induced changes in the dynamics of the membrane proteins over the temperature range of 12 to 32°C which could account for the complex temperature dependence of the barley root plasma membrane ATPase.     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Helena Wayne, ed. The Story of a Marriage. The Letters of Bronislaw Malinowski and Elsie Masson. Volume I 1916–20. Volume II 1920–35. Marilyn Strathern. Reproducing the Future. Essays on Anthropology, Kinship and the New Reproductive Technologies. Marvin Leiner. Sexual Politics in Cuba. Machismo, Homosexuality, and AIDS. Sara Delamont. Appetites and Identities: An Introduction to the Social Anthropology of Western Europe. Alberto Gomes, ed. Modernity and Identity: Asian Illustrations. Margaret J. Wiener. Visible and Invisible Realms. Power, Magic, and Colonial Conquest in Bali. Edward Grant. Planets, Stars, and Orbs: The Medieval Cosmos, 1200–1687.     

Good Enough for Government Work? A Study in "Grey Archeology"

Archaeological Salvage Excavations at Patoka Lake, Indiana: Prehistoric Occupations of the Upper Patoka River Valley . Cheryl Ann Munson , ed. Glen A. Black Laboratory of Archaeology Research Reports, No. 6. Bloomington: Indiana University, 1980. xxvii + 829 pp. $15.00 (paper).
Colonization and Conquest: The 1980 Archaeological Excavations at Fort Toulouse and Fort Jackson, Alabama . Gregory A. Waselkov, Brian M. Wood , and Joseph M. Herbert . Auburn University Archaeological Monograph No. 4. Montgomery, AL: Auburn University, 1982. xxix + 399 pp. $11.00 (paper).
The Kellogg Village Site Investigations: Clay County, Mississippi . James R. Atkinson, John C. Phillips , and Richard Walling . A Report of work undertaken in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, in fulfillment of Modification Three to Contract DACW 01–77–0015. Starkville: Mississippi State University, 1980. x + 345 pp. n.p. (paper).
Parkin: The 1978–1979 Archaeological Investigations of a Cross County, Arkansas Site . Phyllis A. Morse . Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Series, No. 13. Fay-etteville: University of Arkansas, 1981. 110 pp. $6.00 (paper).
The Shallow Lake Site (3Un9/52) and Its Place in Regional Prehistory . Martha A. Rolingson and Frank F. Schambach . Arkansas Archaeological Survey Research Series, No. 12. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas, 1981. 240 pp. $10.00 (paper).
Yellow Creek Archaeological Project: Volume 1 . Robert M. Thome, Bettye J. Broyles , and Jay K. Johnson . Archaeological Papers of the Center for Archaeological Research, No. 1. Chattanooga: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1981. 354 pp. $13.00 (paper).
Yellow Creek Archaeological Project: Volume 2 . Jay K. Johnson . Archaeological Papers of the Center for Archaeological Research, No. 2. Chattanooga: Tennessee Valley Authority, 1981. 347 pp. $13.00 (paper).     

Temperature dependence of the barley root plasma membrane-bound Ca2+- and Mg2+-dependent ATPase

Arrhenius plots of the maximal velocities for the Ca²⁺-and Mg²⁺-dependent ATPase activities found in a plasma membrane-rich microsome fraction isolated from the roots of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Conquest) were nonlinear. Arrhenius plot analyses using a relation which produced curvilinear Arrhenius plots accurately fit the data and allowed the calculation of the activation enthalpies and molar heat capacities of activation. The temperature dependence of the computed Km values for the Ca²⁺- and Mg²⁺-dependent ATPase activities was complex, with the highest enzyme-substrate affinities being obtained near the barley seedling growth temperature (16°C). Using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy with amphiphilic cationic and anionic spin probes, it was possible to demonstrate that temperature changes and increasing Ca²⁺ concentrations could alter the mobility of the membrane lipid polar head groups. Inhibition of the ATPase activities by high levels of Ca²⁺ may result from a Ca2+-induced reduction in the lipid polar head group mobility. The possible role of lipid polar head group-protein interactions in the complex temperature dependence of the barley root ATPase kinetic constants is discussed.     

Ungrateful predators: capture and the creation of Cofán violence

In this article, I explore the history, logic, and practice of capture among the Cofán people of Amazonian Ecuador. Rather than acting as the subjects of capture, Cofán people have primarily been its objects. Centuries of pre‐Conquest, colonial, and postcolonial violence have exposed Cofán communities to repeated seizures by indigenous and non‐indigenous aggressors. Although capture by enemy others is a feared prospect that typically brings disaster, it also serves as the Cofán nation's central means of acquiring violent powers, which are essential to its defence. By investigating the uncertainties of capture as a productive process, I question dominant representations of native Amazonians as wilful participants in a cosmos of generalized predation, and I issue a plea for openness when considering the diversity of the region's peoples.     

Mitochondrial sequence variation in ancient horses from the Carpathian Basin and possible modern relatives

Movements of human populations leave their traces in the genetic makeup of the areas affected; the same applies to the horses that move with their owners This study is concerned with the mitochondrial control region genotypes of 31 archaeological horse remains, excavated from pre-conquest Avar and post-conquest Hungarian burial sites in the Carpathian Basin dating from the sixth to the tenth century. To investigate relationships to other ancient and recent breeds, modern Hucul and Akhal Teke samples were also collected, and mtDNA control region (CR) sequences from 76 breeds representing 921 individual specimens were combined with our sequence data. Phylogenetic relationships among horse mtDNA CR haplotypes were estimated using both genetic distance and the non-dichotomous network method. Both methods indicated a separation between horses of the Avars and the Hungarians. Our results show that the ethnic changes induced by the Hungarian Conquest were accompanied by a corresponding change in the stables of the Carpathian Basin.     

The Changing Practice Of The Oglala Medicine Man

Abstract

Among the most durable elements of tribal culture are the quasi-secret ceremonial procedures of the medicine man, surviving the Conquest, suppression, and various revivalist movements almost intact, and retaining rituals possibly dating to the Pleistocene. Consciously rejected aspects of Christian training have reappeared in modified form, as in a wedding ceremony here described. Other syncretisms can be traced to the political activism of recent years, and the impetus it has given to a resurgence of the old religion. By 1978 the Oglala medicine man, originally a healer, seer, and sage, had assumed additional roles as tribal representative to other governments, political leaders, mediator in disputes, judge and counsellor, justice-of-the-peace, mental health worker, psychotherapist, and provider of primary health care.     

Oxygen-quenched chlorophyll a fluorescence and electron transport in barley during greening

Seedlings of barley ( Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Conquest) were dark-grown for 7 days and then transferred to light. The time courses of chlorophyll a fluorescence induction underwent changes during greening periods of from 3 to 48 h. Yields of variable fluorescence during greening correlated with electron transport capacity via photosystem II (PS II) except at the early stage from 3 to 6 h. The discrepancy may result from there being only a small amount of light harvesting complex associated with PSII for 3 to 6 h greening. Oxygen quenching effects were interpreted as indicating the development of the electron transport system and the organization of light harvesting complex associated with PSII. The most intensive O₂ quenching of relative fluorescence is found during the early stage of greening when the ratio of the primary quinone electron acceptor (Q) to chlorophyll is high.     

Book Reviews*

Book reviewed in this article: Sociology and Psychology: Essays by Marcel Mauss. Translated by Ben Brewster Seasonal Variations of the Eskimo: A Study in Social Morphology. Marcel Mauss, in Collaboration with Henri Beauchat. Translated, with a Foreword by James J. Fox Role Theory. Bruce J. Biddle Social Anthropology and Law. Edited by Ian Hammett ASA Monograph 14 Order and Dispute. An Introduction to Legal Anthropology. Simon Roberts Islam and Politics in a Malay State. Kelantan. 1838–1969. Clive S. Kessler Himalayan Anthropology. The Indo-Tibetan Interface. Edited by James F. Fisher Applied Anthropology In America. Edited by Elizabeth M. Eddy and William L. Partridge Growing Up in Polynesia. By Jane and James Ritchie Human Adaptation. A Functional Interpretation. A. Roberto Frisancho The Anthropology of Health. Eleanor Bauwens Perspectives on Ethnicity. Edited by R. E. Holloman and S. A. Arutiunov Europe as a Cultural Area. Edited by Jean Cuisenier Modern Greek Humour: A Collection of Jokes and Ribald Tales. Ethelyn G. Orso Portraits of ‘The Whiteman’: Linguistic Play and Cultural Symbols Mission to the Islands. The Missionary Voyages in in Bass Strait of Canon Marcus Brownrigg, 1872–1885. Edited, with an introduction by Stephen Murray-Smith Among Cannibals: Account of Four Years Travels in Australia, and of Camp Life with the Aborigines of Queensland. Carl Lumholtz. John Murray, London, 1889. Reprinted by Caliban Books But Now We Want the Land Back. A History of the Australian Aboriginal People Hannah Middleton A Matter of Justice. C. D. Rowley A Black Reality, Aboriginal Camps and Housing in Remote Australia. Edited by Australian Aboriginal Art: The Art of the Alligator Rivers Region, Northern Territory. Robert Edwards The Rainbow Serpent. A Chromatic Piece. Edited by Ira R. Buchler and Kenneth Maddock A Grammar of Yidin. R. M. W. Dixon Discourse and Inference in Cognitive Anthropology. An Approach to Psychic Unity and Enculturation. Edited by Marvin D. Loflin and James Silverberg Explorations in Language and Meaning: Towards a Semantic Anthropology. Malcolm Crick Approaches to Language. Anthropological Issues. Edited by William C. McCormack and Stephen A. Wurm Advances in Archaeological Method and Theory. Volume 1. Edited by Michael B. Schiffer Spatial Analysis in Archaeology. Ian Hodder and Clive Orton Stone Axe Studies. Archaeological, Petrological, Experimental, and Ethnographic. Edited by T. H. McK. Clough and W. A. Cummins. C.B.A. Megaliths, myths and men. An Introduction to Astro-Archaeology. Peter Lancaster Brown The Prehistory of Polynesia. Edited by Jesse D. Jennings New Zealand Journal of Archaeology , Volume 1. The New Zealand Archaeological Association Archaeological Research in the Cook Islands. Peter S. Bellwood Man's Conquest of the Pacific. The Prehistory of Southeast Asia and Oceania     

Historical, social and epidemiological roots of tuberculosis in Bogotá, Colombia

Understanding the current epidemiologic dynamic of tuberculosis (TB) in any society requires a holistic approach. In the current paper, the history and behavior of the TB is summarized for Bogotá, Colombia. In prehispanic periods the occurrence of TB was low. During the Conquest and the Colony periods, a moderate increase of pulmonary and abdominal TB was observed. In the 1870s, a great increase in cases of pulmonary TB was associated with the accelerated urbanization process. Since the 1920s, the occurrence of pulmonary TB shifted to the status of an endemic disease. After 1920, its occurrence was relatively steady until the 1970s, when its occurence greatly decreased. More recently, however, an increase in case numbers has been observed. The occurrence of TB in each period is associated with clearly defined social and environmental phenomena.     

Vegetated Field Margins in Mexico: Their History, Structure and Function, and Management

We explore the history, structure and function, and management of vegetated field margins, particularly hedgerows, in Mexico since the pre-Hispanic period. We then focus on the current agricultural landscape in El Bajío, central Mexico, describing in detail the abundance, composition, and management of existing hedgerows. These vegetated field margins can be traced to the pre-Hispanic period, especially in central Mexico, where Indians planted hedgerows, living fences, and terraces, mainly to prevent erosion. After the Spanish Conquest, some of these structures disappeared, but in many cases, new plant species were incorporated into the remaining field boundaries. Today, vegetated field boundaries are adjacent to crop fields and, in some places, they form networks similar to those seen in Europe. Farmers actively manage hedgerows for a variety of useful products and in so doing provide habitat and dispersal routes for native plants and animals.     

Cation-stimulated H+ efflux by intact roots of barley

Abstract. Rates of proton extrusion and potassium (⁸⁶Rb) influx by intact roots of barley ( Hordeum vulgare cvs . Fergus, Conquest and Betzes) plants were simultaneously measured in short-term (15min) experiments. The nature and extent of apparent coupling between these ion fluxes was explored by manipulating conditions of temperature, pH and cation composition and concentration during flux determinations. In addition, the influence of salt status upon these fluxes was examined. At low K⁺ concentrations (0.01 to 1 mol m⁻³), H⁺ efflux and K⁺ influx were strongly correlated in both low- and high-K⁺ roots, although K⁺: H⁺ exchange stoichiometries were almost consistently greater than 2:1. At higher concentrations (1 to 5 mol m⁻³), H⁺ efflux was either reduced or remained unchanged while K⁺ influxes increased. In the presence of Na₂SO₄, rates of H⁺ extrusion demonstrated similar cation dependence, although below 10 mol m⁻³ Na₂SO₄, H⁺ fluxes were generally 50% lower than in equivalent concentrations of K₂SO₄. These observations are considered in the context of current hypotheses regarding the mechanisms of k⁺/H⁺ exchange.