Evaluation of lead concentrations in 18th-century Omaha Indian skeletons using ICP-MS.

The analysis of skeletal remains of Omaha Indians buried between AD 1780 and 1820 indicated that lead was incorporated in cortical bone. The diagenetic or biogenetic origin of the lead was evaluated by examination of lead isotope ratios of the bones and artifacts, and comparison of lead concentrations in burial soils with those of the bones. The isotopic values of the lead artifacts demonstrate that the lead was mined in the Missouri region. Although the isotope ratios in the bones are not identical with that from the lead artifacts, there is a strong relationship between them. This finding indicates that the lead in the bone was at least partly derived from the artifacts. Because lead artifacts rarely accompanied the burials but lead was ubiquitous in the bones, we suggest a biogenetic origin for the lead. There is also the possibility that some of the lead may have been derived from pigments applied to the corpse during mortuary ritual.     

Fungal Ferromanganese Mineralisation in Cretaceous Dinosaur Bones from the Gobi Desert,Mongolia

Well-preserved mycelia of fungal- or saprolegnia-like biota mineralised by ferromanganese oxides were found for the first time in long bones of Late Cretaceous dinosaurs from the Gobi Desert (Nemegt Valley, Mongolia). The mycelia formed a biofilm on the wall of the bone marrow cavity and penetrated the osteon channels of the nearby bone tissue. Optical microscopy, Raman, SEM/EDS, SEM/BSE, electron microprobe and cathodoluminescence analyses revealed that the mineralisation of the mycelia proceeded in two stages. The first stage was early post-mortem mineralisation of the hyphae by Fe/Mn-oxide coatings and microconcretions. Probably this proceeded in a mildly acidic to circumneutral environment, predominantly due to heterotrophic bacteria degrading the mycelial necromass and liberating Fe and Mn sorbed by the mycelia during its lifetime. The second stage of mineralisation, which proceeded much later following the final burial of the bones in an alkaline environment, resulted from the massive precipitation of calcite and occasionally barite on the iron/manganese-oxide-coated mycelia. The mineral phases produced by fungal biofilms colonising the interiors of decaying dinosaur bones not only enhance the preservation (fossilisation) of fungal remains but can also be used as indicators of the geochemistry of the dinosaur burial sites.     

The cultural ecology of Puebloan Pebble-Mulch gardens

Prehistoric Anasazi Pueblo Indians relied on a diverse set of agricultural strategies, each uniquely suited to specific micro-environments, in their attempts to mitigate subsistence risk. One variant strategy used during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries A.D. was pebble- mulch gardening. The Rio Grande Anasazi of northern New Mexico occasionally mulched some of their garden plots with pebbles in order to increase soil moisture, reduce erosion, moderate soil temperature, and increase crop yields. This labor intensive technique was primarily employed as a drought- evasive measure. And while pebble mulching is an effective agricultural adaptation to the constraints of a dryland environment, construction was limited to sites with natural gravel deposits and it never replaced more traditional food stress- coping mechanisms. In spite of their potential, pebblemulch gardens were used for only a short period of time, never contributed much to the total food yield of pueblos, and remained always a peripheral innovation outside of the Anasazi cultural core.     

The interaction of iron and ascorbic acid with lead in the chick

Three experiments were conducted with chicks to examine the effects of dietary iron and ascorbic acid on the accumulation of lead in various organs. Lead was fed as PbCl₂, 500 or 1000 ppm Pb, iron as FeSO₄·7H₂O, 1000 ppm Fe, and ascorbic acid at 0.5%. Iron was effective in reducing the accumulation of lead in the femur and kidneys at both levels of lead. Ascorbic acid reduced the lead level in the kidneys when the concentration of lead in the diet was 500 ppm, but not at 1000 ppm. The effects of ascorbic acid on bone accumulation was variable. In two experiments the lead concentration was increased and in one it was decreased. These findings may reflect two influences of ascorbic acid found by others, namely an increase in absorption and an increase in urinary excretion. The rapid accumulation of lead in chick bones suggests that it may be an excellent experimental animal for lead studies.     

Iron Deficiency Anemia in Two Prehistoric American Indian Skeletons: a Dietary Hypothesis

Abstract

Two prehistoric adult skeletons exhibiting pathological bone changes resembling those of hemolytic anemia were examined to determine the nature of these changes. Our findings show that abnormal hemoglobin variants responsible for these disorders do not exist in modem day American Indian natives. On this basis, it is very unlikely that their predecessors possessed the genes for these variants. A condition known as porotic hyporostosis similarto those bony changes produced by hemolytic disorders occur in high incidence in neighboring Anasazi people, andit has been found that the condition results from a lack of iron and protein in their diet. Since the Evans Mound people (reported on here) subsisted on a similar diet, it is suggested that these pathological changes are also the result of a dietary deficiency     

沙埋对两种沙生植物幼苗生长的影响及其生理响应差异

为了解沙埋对沙生植物生长的影响及其生理响应特征, 比较不同沙生植物耐沙埋能力及其机制, 2010年在内蒙古科尔沁沙地研究了不同深度沙埋下沙蓬(Agriophyllum squarrosum)和盐蒿(Artemisia halodendron)幼苗的存活率、株高等生长特性及其渗透调节物质含量, 保护酶活性和膜透性的变化, 得到以下结果: 沙蓬和盐蒿幼苗均具有较强的耐沙埋能力, 其中沙蓬幼苗最大耐沙埋深度超过幼苗10 cm, 盐蒿幼苗最大耐沙埋深度超过其株高8 cm; 随着沙埋深度增加, 沙蓬和盐蒿幼苗的存活率和株高均显著下降, 沙蓬的下降幅度显著小于盐蒿; 沙埋处理下两种植物均未表现出受水分胁迫, 沙埋导致其光合面积下降, 幼苗顶土困难, 是影响其存活和高生长的主要生态机制; 随着沙埋深度增加, 沙蓬幼苗丙二醛(MDA)含量显著增加, 盐蒿幼苗MDA含量下降, 虽然二者膜透性均呈增加趋势, 但沙蓬膜透性增加幅度显著低于盐蒿, 说明细胞膜受损是导致二者幼苗存活率下降和生长受到抑制的主要生理机制, 沙蓬膜透性受损程度较低是其耐沙埋能力较强的主要生理机制; 沙埋胁迫下, 虽然两种植物都通过提高过氧化物酶活性和脯氨酸含量减轻细胞膜受损程度, 但沙蓬体内超氧化物歧化酶也表现出重要协调作用, 使之酶促系统在保护细胞膜免受胁迫损伤过程中的作用更有效。     

海滨沙地砂引草对沙埋的生长和生理适应对策

在2009和2010年春夏季通过对烟台海滨沙地自然生长的耐沙埋植物砂引草(Messerschmidia sibirica Linn)进行不同厚度(1/3株高-轻度沙埋、2/3株高-中度沙埋、3/3株高-重度沙埋)沙埋试验,并测定沙埋过程中土壤温度、土壤含水量、叶片鲜重(FW)、干重(DW)、植株相对高度(%)、叶片细胞膜透性、相对含水量、(丙二醛)MDA、抗氧化酶活力(过氧化物岐化酶(SOD)、过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT))、脯氨酸、可溶性糖含量的变化以探讨砂引草抗沙埋的生长和生理调节策略,为未来砂引草的科学管理和应用提供理论指导。结果表明,在沙埋第5天、第10天,随着沙埋厚度的增加土壤温度下降,土壤含水量增加,植株相对高度和整株砂引草叶片FW和DW呈上升趋势,同一植株沙上叶片FW、DW不断增加,沙下叶片FW、DW则不断减少。在沙埋第5天,不同厚度沙埋处理的植株叶片细胞膜透性和MDA含量均较对照低,而整株植物叶片SOD、CAT活力和脯氨酸含量均较对照高。同一植株沙下叶片细胞膜透性、MDA、脯氨酸含量及SOD和CAT活力均低于沙上叶片。研究表明,轻度和中度沙埋使沙上叶片受到地面热辐射、干旱、高温胁迫影响,导致叶片内含水量下降,膜脂过氧化加强,膜受损。但同时叶片中快速激活的保护酶和积累的脯氨酸抑制膜脂过氧化可能是保护沙埋后沙上叶片能快速生长的重要生理调控机理。在重度全埋枝叶处于沙下时,沙下缺氧和黑暗抑制了叶片呼吸作用和光合作用,同时缺氧也抑制了叶片对营养物质的消耗使叶片成为茎尖生长的物质和能量供体,促使暗中茎顶端不断的延伸生长冲出沙土再生。砂引草耐全埋的再生能力进一步表明,砂引草在海岸沙丘固沙、保滩、护岸和植被恢复上将具有重要开发和应用前景。     

Taphonomy of the south Brazilian Triassic herpetofauna: fossilization mode and implications for morphological studies

Skulls and limb bones of reptiles from Mid-Triassic rocks in southern Brazil show striking morphological and volumetric differences among specimens from the same taxonomic group; this is caused by early calcite cementation. Petrographic analysis of 40 thin sections of selected fossil bones demonstrates that the main agent of fossilization was precipitation of calcite and minor hematite in the pores of bones during early burial mineralization. The framework of the bones has been broken and replaced by calcite (and hematite), beginning in the spongy inner part of the bone (the cancellous bone) and gradually extending into the compact external layers. Three taphonomic groups of fossil bones are recognized: I – those almost entirely retaining their original structure and shape; II – those whose internal structure is destroyed, but which still have solid outer 'bone surface', and III – those composed of fragments of bone apatite 'floating' in a carbonate matrix. Destruction of the bone structure was caused by the displacive force of calcite crystallization, which typically occurs at shallow burial, during early diagenesis. This process occurs in the vadose zone and requires markedly alternating wet and dry seasons, which indicates a semi-arid paleoclimate for the south Brazilian Mid-Triassic, an inference consistent with other paleoclimatic data. Diagenesis can significantly alter the shape and size of bones and cause considerable morphological variation within the same fossil group, possibly leading to taxonomic misinterpretation.     

Recovery and identification of DNA sequences harboured in preserved ancient human bones.

A new method is presented to extract and identify specific DNA fragments from well preserved human bones, dating from three different time periods. Bone samples were thoroughly freed from surfacial contaminating DNA. Access to the inner bone spongiosum was achieved by removing the covering bone layers of the vertebra or sternum, whereas the patella, tibia and caput of the femur or humerus were cleaved with an iron saw. After the spongiosum was taken out, extraction of nucleic acids from this "sand" like material was performed by heating at 94 degrees C during 20 min in a buffer containing essentially minor concentrations of detergent, chelating and reducing agents. The extracts were used in various Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) protocols to amplify different human specific DNA fragments (originating from chromosomes X and 12). From 15 out of 20 bone samples human-specific gene fragments could thus be identified.     

Paleohistology of Paget's disease in two medieval skeletons.

Paget's disease has been ascribed several times to specimens of archeological bone but, in the absence of microscopic examination, the evidence remains insubstantial. Suspected metabolic bone disease is described here in the archeological remains of a skeleton from a 16th century burial ground at Wells Cathedral, England and from a single medieval sacrum recovered from a large deposit of disarticulated bones from a churchyard at Barton-on-Humber, England. Radiographs showed apparent structural abnormality in one femoral shaft and calcaneus and in the isolated sacrum. Histomorphometry on undecalcified bone cores confirmed the regions of abnormality and showed not only increased trabecular width but also areas of "mosaic" woven bone together with extensive resorption cavities; these features contrasted with the normal structure and organized lamellar bone from sites elsewhere. Despite post-interment changes in surrounding tissues, the morphological stability of some of the osteocytes was remarkable. Preservation of the histology was sufficient to permit the assignment of a metabolic bone disorder and the nature of the sclerosis was consistent with Paget's disease.     

An improved method for estimating original mineral contents in excavated bone using sulfur

Trace element analysis in excavated bones is complicated by the lack of a reliable index for estimating the original amount of bone material. In this study, we subjected modern human bones to alkali treatment to simulate aging. Alkali treatment of vertebrae with attached muscle did not affect sulfur (S) content; it increased the magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), and zinc (Zn) contents, and tended to decrease iron (Fe) content of the bones. When vertebrae cleaned of muscle were used, alkali treatment did not affect S and Fe contents but increased Mg, P, Ca, and Zn contents Ca and S contents were higher in excavated bones (200–1300 yr old) than in their surrounding soils. In contrast, S, Mg, and Ca contents per dry weight did not differ between the excavated bones and the alkali-treated modern bones. These results indicate that S can provide a more accurate index of excavated bones than the often-used Ca content or dry wt measures, especially for bones excavated from calcium-rich soils.     

海滨沙地单叶蔓荆匍匐茎对沙埋适应的生长对策

单叶蔓荆(Vitex trifolia var.simplicifoli)是一种耐盐、耐旱固沙地被植物。依据海滨沙地自然沙埋特点对单叶蔓荆匍匐茎进行了不同厚度(半埋和全埋)和不同长度交叉沙埋处理,研究探讨了单叶蔓荆沙埋适应生长对策,为其开发利用、科学管理和海滨环境修复提供指导。结果表明,正常情况下,单叶蔓荆匍匐茎基部和中部生长缓慢,顶部生长快。轻度(沙埋匍匐茎基部)和中度(沙埋匍匐茎基部和中部)半埋和全埋使匍匐茎顶部生长加速,茎长增长量较对照高出1.5到3.1倍;但重度(沙埋整个匍匐茎)半埋和全埋使匍匐茎顶部净增长量减少12%和13%。在20d沙埋中,对照整个匍匐茎各段均无不定根长出,但不同程度半埋和全埋沙埋处理下沙下匍匐茎上均长出不定根,重度半埋使不定根生长受抑;同时匍匐茎上各段茎生物量上升,枝叶生物量下降,且随着沙埋程度的增加而增减幅度提高,在重度半埋和全埋达到最大。在轻度和中度半埋和全埋下,匍匐茎上未沙埋部位枝条生长加速。研究表明,在自然环境中,单叶蔓荆匍匐茎顶端是一个对环境变化反应敏感的部位,并与沙埋后单叶蔓荆茎延伸生长和植株能否生存密切相关。当匍匐茎顶部没被沙埋时,沙埋促进沙埋部位匍匐茎和枝叶中物质转移,加速匍匐茎顶部快速生长和物质积累以弥补沙埋带来的损伤维持物质和能量的代谢平衡。沙埋后,单叶蔓荆以茎顶端快速生长、形成不定根、枝条生长维持茎水分平衡和能量和物质代谢平衡,以快速生长摆脱沙埋影响的生长方式为其对沙埋环境的重要适应对策。因此,在海岸沙地单叶蔓荆种群管理和维护中,在强风移沙引起的重度沙埋后,及时剥离匍匐茎顶部沙子对维护单叶蔓荆种群的延续生存和扩散均有重要作用。     

小叶锦鸡儿抗沙埋生长与抗氧化酶及同工酶变化的关系

小叶锦鸡儿(Caraganas tenophylla L.)是广泛应用于流动沙丘治理的优良固沙植物。然而关于其抗沙埋生理机理目前尚不清楚。选择生长在科尔沁沙地的小叶锦儿为试验材料,依据株高对其进行不同程度沙埋(轻度、中度、重度沙埋), 并通过测定沙埋过程中植株高度、不同部位叶片丙二醛(MDA)含量、抗氧化酶活力、抗氧化酶同工酶谱变化, 以揭示其抗沙埋生理适应机理和基因调控机理。结果表明:沙埋6d,植株各部位生长加快,尤其是顶部和基部生长更快。叶片MDA含量降低、整株植物叶片平均过氧化氢酶(CAT)、过氧化物酶(POD)、过氧化物歧化酶(SOD)活力增加,但重度沙埋使抗氧化酶活力下降。沙埋12d,植株各部位生长继续加大, 沙下叶片凋落。与对照相比,沙上叶片MDA含量成倍增加,并与叶片POD、SOD和CAT活力的大幅度提高呈正相关,并与对照差异显著(P < 0.01)。同时,不同厚度沙埋6d,叶片CAT同工酶出现两新带CAT III和CATII;POD同工酶谱带(6条酶带)随沙埋厚度增加,叶片PODII区带加宽、色加深,POD I 和POD III酶带消失。但是,不同厚度沙埋下,沙上和沙下叶片CAT、SOD和POD酶谱带数和活力均相同。这表明在沙埋应激适应反应期(6d),叶片抗氧化酶活力的增强与抗氧化酶基因表达增强和基因启动有关。受到沙埋重力胁迫的成熟叶可能将胁迫信号传递给沙上没有沙埋的叶子及生长点,导致整株叶片产生整体适应性反应,激活抗氧化酶系统,以致加速生长。因此,小叶锦鸡儿萌蘖生物学特性和抗氧化酶对沙埋胁迫快速响应在维护氧自由基代谢平衡和植株快速恢复生长中起重要保护作用。     

Iron: Key player in cancer and cell cycle?

BackgroundIron is an essential element for growth and metabolic activities of all living organisms but remains in its oxyhydroxide ferric ion form in the surrounding. Unavailability of iron in soluble ferrous form led to development of specific pathways and machinery in different organisms to make it available for use and maintain its homeostasis. Iron homeostasis is essential as under different circumstances iron in excess as well as deprivation leads to different pathological conditions in human.ObjectiveThis review highlights the current findings related to iron excess as well as deprivation with regards to cellular proliferation.ConclusionsIron excess is extensively associated with different types of cancers viz. colorectal cancer, breast cancer etc. by producing an oxidative stressed condition and alteration of immune system. Ironically its deprivation also results in anaemic conditions and leads to cell cycle arrest at different phases with mechanism yet to be explored. Iron deprivation arrests cell cycle at G1/S and in some cases at G2/M checkpoints resulting in growth arrest. However, in some cases iron overload arrests cell cycle at G1 phase by blocking certain signalling pathways. Certain natural and synthetic iron chelators are being explored from few decades to combat diseases caused by alteration in iron homeostasis.     

Age-associated Iron Accumulation in Bone: Implications for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis and a New Target for Prevention and Treatment by Chelation

Iron accumulation in tissues is believed to be a characteristic of aged humans and a risk factor for some chronic diseases. However, it is not known whether age-associated iron accumulation is part of the pathogenesis of postmenopausal osteoporosis that affects approximately one out three women worldwide. Here, we confirmed that this accumulation of iron was associated with osteopenia in ovariectomized (OVX) rats (a model of peri- and postmenopausal osteoporosis due to estrogen deficiency). To further investigate whether the increased iron level plays a causal role in the onset of bone loss, we treated OVX rats with an orally active and bone targeted chelator that prevented iron accumulation in their skeletal tissues. The results showed that this treatment mitigated the loss of bone mass and the deterioration of bone micro-architecture. We also found that one possible mechanism of the protective action of iron chelation was to significantly reduce bone resorption. Thus, these findings provide a novel target and a potentially useful therapeutic strategy for the prevention and treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis and perhaps other age-related diseases.     

极端干旱区咸水灌溉下流沙压埋的减蒸抑盐效应

塔克拉玛干沙漠公路防护林采用2.58～29.70 g·L^-1高矿化度地下水滴灌,流沙压埋和水盐胁迫均是其面临的主要问题.探讨流沙压埋对土壤水分蒸发、盐分表聚及其分布的影响,对节水抑盐和指导干旱沙区水土资源的合理利用具有重要意义.采用微型蒸发器（MLS）研究了不同厚度沙埋下土壤蒸发及其水盐动态,并采用田间控制试验研究了滴管带不同厚度流沙压埋下土壤水盐分布状况.结果表明： 1～5 cm沙埋下,MLS土壤日蒸发量和累积蒸发量均随沙埋厚度的增加而逐渐降低,累积蒸发量比对照降低2.5%～13.7%,土壤水分蒸发抑制效率随着沙埋厚度的增加而增高,1～5 cm厚度的沙埋蒸发抑制效率达16.7%～79.0%,流沙压埋界面以下土壤最终含水量随沙埋厚度的增加而增大,比对照增加2.5%～13.7%.随着沙埋厚度的增加,MLS内流沙表层电导率逐渐降低,分别降低1.19～6.00 mS·cm^-1,而压埋界面以下土壤盐分含量逐渐增加,且流沙表层盐分的变幅大于压埋界面以下土层.咸水滴灌条件下,流沙压埋界面以下土壤含水量随着压埋厚度的增加而增大,分别增加0.4%～2.0%;流沙表层积盐量随着流沙压埋厚度的增加呈先增后减的〖JP2〗趋势,流沙压埋厚度为10 cm时最高,电导率达7.77 mS·cm^-1,流沙压埋界面以下土层含盐量均远低于流沙浅层,35 cm可作为节水抑盐的临界流沙压埋厚度.流沙压埋对土壤水分蒸发和盐分表聚抑制作用极为明显,在干旱沙漠区,可以利用流沙压埋这一自然灾害,达到减蒸抑盐、变害为利的目的.     

Iron in Oxidative and Reduction Processes in Marine Sands

The iron content and the ratio of bivalent to total iron in the labile acid-soluble fraction of iron were studied in sublittoral sands of Vostok Bay, Sea of Japan. Iron oxidation and reduction rates in sand sediment were measured in the laboratory. Trivalent iron almost always prevailed in the acid-extractable fraction in the natural environment. The most oxidized state of iron occurred in spring and was associated with a low water temperature and a high seawater oxygen content; the most reduced iron was found in fall during periods of low hydrodynamics and low oxygen concentration. In sand, iron is mainly reduced by bacteria; this process is slow and can be inhibited by adding chloroform. Oxidation of iron is mainly a chemical process and cannot be stopped by chloroform. In sand, the content of redox equivalents such as trivalent iron is much greater than in dissolved oxygen of pore water. It is assumed that labile iron in sands acts as a redox buffer, is oxidized by dissolved pore water oxygen at the periods of advective mixing, and is slowly reduced by benthic bacteria during anaerobic conditions.     

Sand burial effects on seed germination, seedling emergence and establishment of Panicum virgatum

Studies in the field and in a greenhouse were conducted to examine the effects of sand burial on seed germination, seedling emergence and establishment of Panicum virgatum L. on the foredunes of Lake Erie. Under natural conditions, the seedlings emerged from sand burial depths ranging from 0 to 11 cm, with a mean ± SD of 4.73 ± 1.82 cm. The frequency distribution of the depth of emergence of seedlings in the field was significantly skewed to the right and platykurtic. In the greenhouse, some seedlings emerged from a burial depth of as much as 16 cm. Although percent germination of seeds was not affected by sand burial, the percent emergence and the rate of emergence of seedlings were significantly reduced by excessive sand burial. Seedling mortality was found only among seedlings that emerged from sand burial depths of 10 cm or more. In the field, all the seedlings established in one growing season had originally emerged from sand burial depths of less than 12 cm. Within this burial range, seedlings from shallower burial depths had lower chances of establishment than expected, whereas those from deeper burial depths had higher probabilities of establishment than expected.     

Effects of burial in sand on the growth and reproduction of Cakile edentula

Studies were conducted to examine the effects of sand burial on the growth and reproduction of Cakile edentula under controlled greenhouse conditions Sand burial enhanced both the vegetative growth and reproduction of plants Within one week after burial, plants showed a significant increase in the length of the internode just below the current sand surface This response was not mediated by the dark conditions imposed by sand burial About two weeks after burial, adventitious roots grew upwards into the deposited sand Plants buried in washed sand did not differ in their dry weight whereas those buried in unwashed sand were significantly taller, produced greater biomass and larger number of seeds per plant than control However, the mean mass per fruit and per seed were not altered The frequency distribution of fruit and seed was only slightly modified by the burial treatments     

Abnormal iron delivery to the bone marrow in neonatal hypotransferrinemic mice

Hypotransferrinemic (HP) mice have a splicing defect inthe transferrin gene, resulting in <1% of the normal plasma levels of transferrin. They have severe anemia, suggesting that transferrin is essential for iron uptake by erythroid cells in the bone barrow. To clarify the significance of transferrin on iron delivery to the bone marrow, iron concentration and ⁵⁹Fe distribution were determined in 7-day-old HP mice. Iron concentration in the femur, bone containing the bone marrow, of HP mice was approximately twice higher than in wild type mice. Twenty-four h after injection of ⁵⁹FeCl₃, ⁵⁹Fe concentration in the bone and bone marrow of HP mice was also twice higher than in wild type mice. The present findings indicate that iron is abnormally delivered to the bone marrow of HP mice. However, the iron seems to be unavailable for the production of hemoglobin. These results suggest that transferrin-dependent iron uptake by erythroid cells in the bone marrow is essential for the development of erythrocytes.