A Woodland Burial from Boney Spring,Missouri

Abstract

A secondary burial from a peat layer adjoining the spring feeder at Boney Spring, Benton County, southwestern Missouri, is identified as a young adult male, interred about A.D. 50. The burial, associated with Early Woodland materials in the peat bed, was less than one meter from the edge of the spring feeder in deposits once saturated with water - suggesting that the burial (and associated Woodland features) was made at a time of reduced spring discharge and, perhaps, during a period of reduced precipitation. The burial is well within the limits of characteristics recorded for eastern Archaic groups, lending support to the hypothesis of continuity between the Archaic and Early Woodland peoples in the American Midwest.     

A Late Woodland Burial from Platte County,Missouri

Abstract

A skeleton of a female discovered in a grave located on the west bank of Short Creek, Platte County, Missouri provides some of the first evidence for mortuary practices and human morphology for the Western Missouri-Eastern Kansas Late Woodland. The burial is a bundle type, with most of the bones placed in a central heap. Analysis of the distribution of the bones indicates that some soh tissue was still adhering to the skeleton at the time of the secondary burial. Bones of the right hand and foot and the vertebral column from cervical 7 to the coccyx are the only remains preserved in anatomical order. Many of the long bones appear to have been broken and there is also some evidence for burning and fleshing of the skeleton before final interment. Measurements of the cranial and post-cranial skeleton are given for comparison with future Late Woodland discoveries.     

Parasites of native and nonnative fishes of the Little Colorado River, Grand Canyon, Arizona

A 2-yr, seasonal, parasitological study of 1,435 fish, belonging to 4 species of native fishes and 7 species of nonnative fishes from the lower Little Colorado River (LCR) and tributary creeks, Grand Canyon, Arizona, yielded 17 species of parasites. These comprised 1 myxozoan (Henneguya exilis), 2 copepods (Ergasilus arthrosis and Lernaea cyprinacea), 1 acarine (Oribatida gen. sp.), 1 piscicolid leech (Myzobdella lugubris), 4 monogeneans (Gyrodactylus hoffmani, Gyrodactylus sp., Dactylogyrus extensus, and Ligictaluridus floridanus), 4 nematodes (Contracaecum sp., Eustrongylides sp., Rhabdochona sp., and Truttaedacnitis truttae), 3 cestodes (Bothriocephalus acheilognathi, Corallobothrium fimbriatum, and Megathylacoides giganteum), and 2 trematodes (Ornithodiplostomum sp. and Posthodiplostomum sp.). Rhabdochona sp. was the only adult parasite native to the LCR. Infection intensities of Ornithodiplostomum sp. and B. acheilognathi were positively correlated with length of the humpback chub Gila cypha. Adult helminths showed a high degree of host specificity, except B. acheilognathi, which was recovered from all fish species examined but was most abundant in cyprinids. Abundance of B. acheilognathi in the humpback chub was highest in the fall and lowest in the summer in both reaches of the LCR. There was no major taxonomic difference in parasite assemblages between the 2 different reaches of the river (LC1 and LC2). Parasite community diversity was very similar in humpback chub, regardless of sampling site or time. The parasite fauna of the LCR is numerically dominated by B. acheilognathi and metacercariae of Ornithodiplostomum sp. The richest and most diverse component community occurred in a nonnative species, the channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, but infracommunity species richness was highest in a native host, humpback chub.     

Epizootiology of Sin Nombre and El Moro Canyon hantaviruses, southeastern Colorado, 1995-2000

Sin Nombre virus (SNV) is an etiologic agent of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome. To better understand the natural history of this virus we studied population dynamics and temporal pattern of infection of its rodent hosts in southeastern Colorado (USA) from 1995 to 2000. We present evidence for the presence of two hantaviruses, SNV in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) and El Moro Canyon virus in western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis), at our study sites. Sin Nombre virus appeared only sporadically in deer mouse populations; overall prevalence of antibody to SNV was 2.6%. El Moro Canyon virus was enzootic: seroconversions occurred throughout the year; antibody prevalence (11.9% overall) showed a delayed-density-dependent pattern, peaking as relative abundance of mice was declining. Males of both host species were more frequently infected than were females. An apparently lower mean survivorship (persistence at the trapping site) for SNV antibody-positive deer mice could indicate a detrimental effect of SNV on its host, but might also be explained by the fact that antibody-positive mice were older when first captured.     

Invasion and production of New Zealand mud snails in the Colorado River,Glen Canyon

Species invasions are often associated with large-scale human alteration of ecosystems. One classic example is the increasing dominance of non-native taxa below and above dams on large rivers. These dams substantially alter the physical template of river ecosystems, and exotic taxa often proliferate with potentially large impacts on coexisting taxa and ecosystem processes. Here we document the invasion of New Zealand mud snails (Potamopyrgus antipodarum) in the Colorado River directly below Lake Powell in Glen Canyon, Arizona, USA. We also quantified the magnitude and variability in growth and secondary production of P. antipodarum during 2006–2007 to gain a functional measure of their role in the ecosystem. Snails were first detected in Glen Canyon in 1995, and have since become a dominant component of the invertebrate fauna. Throughout the invasion of P. antipodarum, biomass of other dominant taxa was variable and did not appear to be positively or negatively influenced by the presence of P. antipodarum. Specific growth rates of P. antipodarum were moderate (0.001–0.030 day⁻¹) and strongly related to body size. Mean annual habitat-weighted biomass and production were relatively high (biomass: 4.4 g/m²; secondary production: 13.3 g m⁻² year⁻¹) and similar among habitats. Mean monthly biomass and daily secondary production were much more variable, with highest values occurring in autumn. We show that invasion of a productive aquatic consumer to a highly disturbed river ecosystem had little detectable influence on the biomass of other invertebrate taxa. However, additional research will be necessary to fully understand and predict effects of P. antipodarum on coexisting taxa.     

Parasites of fishes in the Colorado River and selected tributaries in Grand Canyon, Arizona

As part of the endangered humpback chub (HBC; Gila cypha ) Adaptive Management Program, a parasite survey was conducted from 28 June to 17 July 2006 in 8 tributaries and 7 adjacent sections of the main stem of the Colorado River, U.S.A. In total, 717 fish were caught, including 24 HBC. Field necropsies yielded 19 parasite species, 5 of which (Achtheres sp., Kathlaniidae gen. sp., Caryophyllaidae gen. sp., Myxidium sp., and Octomacrum sp.) are new records for Grand Canyon, Arizona, U.S.A. Spearman's correlation coefficient analyses showed no correlations between parasite burden and fork length for various combinations of fish and parasite species. Regression analyses suggest that no parasite species had a strong effect on fish length. The most diverse parasite community (n = 14) was at river kilometer (Rkm) 230, near the confluence of Kanab Creek. The most diverse parasite infracommunity (n = 12) was found in the non-native channel catfish (CCF; Ictaluris punctatus). Overall parasite prevalence was highest in CCF (85%) followed by that in HBC (58%). The parasite fauna of humpback chub was mainly composed of Bothriocephalus acheilognathi and Ornithodiplostomum sp. metacercariae.     

Composition and abundance of phytoplankton in tributaries of the lower Colorado river,Grand Canyon region

Phytoplankton distribution and abundance in eleven tributaries of the Colorado River within the Grand Canyon were investigated from April, 1975 to June, 1976. During this period a total of 56 genera and 156 species of phytoplankton was identified. Phytoplankton species of the individual tributaries were quite distinct, with only four diatom species, Diatoma vulgare, Navicula tripunctata, Nitzschia linearis and Synedra ulna, common to all the tributaries. Bright Angel Creek, Shinumo Creek and Elves Chasm were the tributaries with the most diverse algal flora, whereas Vaseys Paradise, Tapeats Creek, Deer Creek and Havasu Creek showed the lowest species richness. Elves Chasm and Diamond Creek had the highest phytoplankton numbers. Phytoplankton abundance and species richness appeared to be influenced by high turbidity, current velocity, fluctuating water levels and age of the water. Some of the dominant algal species, Biddulphia laevis, Cocconeis pediculus, Cymbella ventricosa, Epithemia sorex, Gomphonema parvulum and Synedra ulna, showed significant correlations with specific physico-chemical characteristics of the tributaries.Grand Canyon National Park Colorado River Research Series Contribution No. 66. This research was supported by the National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior.     

Ecology of spawning humpback chub, Gila cypha, in the Little Colorado River near Grand Canyon, Arizona

The morphologically unique and endangered humpback chub, Gila cypha, is found in canyon-bound reaches of the Colorado River and its tributaries. Now limited to six isolated reproducing populations, this species is believed to have been once distributed over a large portion of the mainstem river. Because the species inhabits remote canyon areas, little is known about its spawning ecology. The largest remaining population occurs in the lower Little Colorado River (LCR) near Grand Canyon, where we conducted a three-year study of spawning ecology during spring (March-June) 1993–1995. We analyzed seasonal patterns of movement, population density, relative condition, spawning scores, and frequency of ripe condition and fin abrasions and compared these data with seasonal discharge and water temperature to determine spawning phenology and ecology. Spawning commenced in late March, peaked in mid-April, and waned in mid-May. A high proportion of males remained ripe over this period, whereas ripe females were relatively abundant only in April. Increased densities of adult fish in March-April and rapid declines in May-June coupled with recaptures of 18.4% of these adults in the Colorado River suggest that a portion of the population migrated from the Colorado River into the LCR to spawn and then returned. Ripe males aggregated in areas of complex habitat structure with high angular variation in bottom profiles (matrix of large boulders, travertine masses combined with chutes, runs and eddies, 0.5–2.0 m deep) and were associated with deposits of clean gravel. Ripe females appeared to move to these male aggregations to spawn. Near-spawning (including gravid) females and non-spawning fish used similar habitats and were segregated but close (< 50 m) to habitats occupied by aggregations of ripe males. Abrasions on anal and lower caudal fins of males and females suggest that spawning involves contact with gravel substrates, where semi-adhesive eggs are deposited and fertilized. The findings of this study should aid recovery efforts for humpback chub by identifying spawning habitat within the historic distributional range where additional spawning stocks could be established.     

Numerical Taxonomy Analysis of Bacteria Isolated from the Completed 'Most Probable Numbers' Test for Coliform Bacilli

Lactose-fermenting bacteria were isolated from oyster, water and sediment samples tested to determine the Most Probable Number (MPN) of coliforms present. The completed test series was used to enumerate the total number of coliforms. The strains from the completed tests of the MPN analysis were compared with named reference cultures, for which 100 phenotypic characters were recorded and the taxonomic data analysed by methods of numerical taxonomy. The isolates were recovered in 13 phenetic groups, defined at or above the 80% similarity level. Nine phena were identified as Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Chromobacterium violaceum, Citrobacter freundii, Erwinia herbicola, Escherichia coli, Hafnia alvei, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Serratia liquefaciens , and Ser. marcescens. Of these, Ac. calcoaceticus and C. violaceum were isolated exclusively from oyster tissue samples and strains of the other taxa from both water and oyster samples. Some strains of Esch. coli, Er. herbicola, H. alvei and bacteria that were not Enterobacteriaceae were found to lose the ability to ferment lactose, following storage on laboratory media. Identifications from diagnostic keys, rapid identification systems and IMViC patterns were not always in agreement.     

Genome Sequence of Parascardovia denticolens IPLA 20019, Isolated from Human Breast Milk

This work describes the draft genome of Parascardovia denticolens IPLA 20019, isolated from human milk. This species, usually isolated from caries lesions, is taxonomically related to the genus Bifidobacterium. The genetic information of IPLA 20019 enhances our understanding of the adaptation of this P. denticolens strain from human breast milk.     

The Vitamin Requirements of Staphylococci Isolated from Human Skin

The vitamin requirements of 46 strains representing nine species of Staphylococcus isolated from human skin together with nine authentic reference strains of these species were determined using a chemically defined medium. Strains of Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Staphylococcus cohnii were isolated on selective media. All the strains investigated required nicotinic acid and thiamine for growth. Biotin was essential or stimulatory for all coagulase negative strains except one strain of Staphylococcus capitis. Oleic acid substituted for biotin in all cases except with one strain of Staphylococcus haemolyticus. No species pattern of biotin requirement or of the ability of oleic acid to substitute for biotin was apparent. Five out of six strains of Staph. cohnii required pantothenic acid.     

Differential In Vitro Immortalization Capacity of Eleven,Probable High-Risk Human Papillomavirus Types

Epidemiological studies identified 12 high-risk HPV (hrHPV) types and 8 probable/possible hrHPV types that display different cancer risks. Functional studies on transforming properties of hrHPV are mainly limited to HPV16 and -18, which induce immortalization of human foreskin keratinocytes (HFKs) by successive bypass of two proliferative life span barriers, senescence and crisis. Here, we systematically compared the in vitro immortalization capacities, as well as influences on p53, pRb, hTERT, growth behavior, and differentiation capacity, of nine hrHPV types (HPV16, -18, -31, -33, -35, -45, -51, -52, and -59), and two probable hrHPV types (HPV66 and -70). By retroviral transduction, the respective E6/E7 coding sequences were expressed in HFKs from two or three independent donors. Reduced p53 levels and low-level hTERT expression in early-passage cells, as seen in HPV16-, -31-, -33-, and -35-, and to a lesser extent HPV18-transduced HFKs, was associated with continuous growth and an increased immortalization capacity. Less frequent immortalization by HPV45 and -51 and immortalization by HPV66 and -70 was preceded by an intervening period of strongly reduced growth (crisis) without prior increase in hTERT expression. Immortalization by HPV59 was also preceded by a period crisis, despite the onset of low hTERT expression at early passage. HPV52 triggered an extended life span but failed to induce immortality. Variations in p53 and pRb levels were not correlated with differences in alternative E6/E7 mRNA splicing in all hrHPV-transduced HFKs. On collagen rafts, transductants showed disturbed differentiation reminiscent of precancerous lesions. In conclusion, in vitro oncogenic capacities differ between the established hrHPV types, and both some established and probable hrHPV types display weak or moderate immortalization potential.     

Properties of Intracytoplasmic A Particles Isolated from Oncornavirus-Producing Human Cells

A particles with the diameter of 70 to 80 nm were isolated from the cytoplasm of HEp-2, HeLa, and AO cells producing oncornavirus of Mason-Pfizer-like type. Most of the A particles banded at 1.23 to 1.24 g/ml, whereas 3 to 10% banded at 1.29 g/ml in equilibrium sucrose gradients. They banded at 1.30 g/ml in CsCl gradients suggesting that they contained 8% RNA. Individual A particles sedimented at 200 to 250S in velocity sucrose gradients, but their significant part was found aggregated and sedimented at more than 300S. They were resistant to RNase digestion. A particles possessed polymerase activity which was preferentially activated by Mn(2+) rather than by Mg(2+), the RNA template being 60S RNA. Cross-hybridization with two DNA products and immunoassay showed that A particles and Mason-Pfizer-like oncornavirus produced by the same cells contained neither homological RNA sequences nor common antigens, suggesting that A particles are not intracellular precursors of Mason-Pfizer-like oncornavirus but represent an independent oncornavirus. Hybridization of A particle RNA with excess of cellular DNA revealed about 20 proviral copies per HEp-2 cell genome and no proviral copies in human embryo and placenta cell genomes.     

Carnosine Inhibits Growth of Cells Isolated from Human Glioblastoma Multiforme

The present study evaluates the effect of the naturally occurring dipeptide carnosine on primary cell cultures established from patients with glioblastoma multiforme. Surgically removed tumors were used to establish primary cell cultures that were incubated for 96 h with medium supplemented with carnosine at concentrations of 20, 40 and 50 mM. Following incubation, dehydrogenase activity, cellular adenosine triphosphate concentration (ATP), caspase activity, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release and the rate of DNA synthesis were determined. After 96 h of carnosine treatment a significant reduction in cellular ATP and dehydrogenase activity was detected already at a concentration of 20 mM carnosine. Carnosine (50 mM) reduced ATP concentration to 42.7 ± 13.5% (n = 6) and dehydrogenase activity to 41.0 ± 19.3% (n = 6) compared to untreated cells. Additional experiments revealed no sign of enhanced apoptosis or necrosis in the presence of carnosine. However, a quantitative bromo-desoxy-uridine-based proliferation assay demonstrated a clear effect of carnosine on DNA synthesis reducing its rate down to 50% (2 cultures) and 10% (4 cultures). Therefore, it can be concluded that carnosine is obviously able to inhibit proliferation of cells derived from glioblastoma. Since it is a naturally occurring substance that appears to be non-toxic to normal tissue and is able to penetrate the blood–brain barrier it may be a candidate for a therapeutic agent that may reduce proliferation of neoplastic cells even in vivo and especially in cases of glioblastoma multiforme.     

Evaluation of Potential Probiotics Isolated from Human Milk and Colostrum

Several studies have demonstrated a diversity of bacterial species in human milk, even in aseptically collected samples. The present study evaluated potential probiotic bacteria isolated from human milk and associated maternal variables. Milk samples were collected from 47 healthy women and cultured on selective and universal agar media under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Bacterial isolates were counted and identified by Biotyper Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization–Time of Flight mass spectrometry and then tested for probiotic properties. Total bacteria in human milk ranged from 1.5 to 4.0 log₁₀ CFU/mL. The higher bacterial counts were found in colostrum (mean = 3.9 log₁₀ CFU/mL, 95% CI 3.14–4.22, p = 0.00001). The most abundant species was Staphylococcus epidermidis (n = 76). The potential probiotic candidates were Lactobacillus gasseri (n = 4), Bifidobacterium breve (n = 1), and Streptococcus salivarius (n = 4). Despite the small sample size, L. gasseri was isolated only in breast milk from mothers classified into a normal weight range and after a vaginally delivered partum. No potential probiotics showed antagonism against pathogens, but all of them agglutinated different pathogens. Nine bacterial isolates belonging to the species L. gasseri, B. breve, and S. salivarius were selected as potential probiotics. The present study confirms the presence in breast milk of a bacterial microbiota that could be the source of potential probiotic candidates to be used in the formula of simulated maternal milk.     

An Adenovirus Isolated from the Feces of Mice

Experimental infection of an inbred strain of DK1 mice was carried out with a mouse adenovirus strain K87, isolated from the feces of apparently healthy DK1 mice. Strain K87 was orally administered to four-week-old mice and the virus was recovered from their feces for at least 3 weeks. The highest virus titers in the feces were observed between 1 and 2 weeks after inoculation. In 7-week-old mice the period of virus excretion was about one week shorter. When neonatal or 2-week-old mice were administered virus orally, somewhat irregular results but similar to those from the 4 or 7-week-old mice were obtained. In these infected mice, virus growth was detected in the intestinal tract but not in oropharyngeal washings, nasal tissue, lung, spleen or urine. After inoculation through several parenteral routes, the virus was also detected in the feces and virus growth seemed to be limited mainly to the intestinal tract. No clinical manifestations were observed in any infected mice. When the virus was almost undetectable in the mice infected either orally or parenterally, the virus was readministered orally, but no further virus was recovered in the feces. Neutralizing antibody in the serum was detected 3 weeks after primary inoculation. Induction of immunological tolerance was examined by inoculating mice in utero 2–4 days before birth, but no evidence of induced tolerance was obtained. The use of the adenovirus strain K87-mouse system as a model system for the study of the infectious process and immune mechanisms is suggested because strain K87 has a tissue tropism analogous to many human adenoviruses.     

An Adenovirus Isolated from the Feces of Mice

Cytopathogenic agents have been isolated in a search for viruses in the feces of apparently healthy mice (an inbred strain DK1) by using mouse kidney tissue culture. This report is concerned with the identification of strain K87, one of our isolates, as an adenovirus. Strain K87 was cytopathogenic to mouse kidney tissue culture but not to monkey kidney tissue culture, FL, and HeLa cells. The K87 strain was not able to grow in bacterial media and was resistant to penicillin, streptomycin and tetracycline. 5-Bromodeoxyuridine inhibited the occurrence of the cytopathogenic effect and virus replication in infected cells and the inhibitory effect was reversed by thymidine, suggesting that the virus contains DNA. Strain K87 was resistant to ethyl-ether but did not have the property of cationic stabilization to thermal inactivation. Electronmicroscopic observations of thin-sections of the K87-infected cells showed virus particles in crystalline array in the nuclei. Each virus particle was an icosahedron of about 75 mμ in diameter composed of 252 capsomeres, and without an envelope. By the complement fixation test, K87 was related serologically to a human adenovirus. All the facts indicate that strain K87 belongs to the adenovirus group. The problem whether strain K87 may be a new mouse adenovirus with pathogenicity and antigenicity different from that of a mouse adenovirus previously reported by Hartley and Rowe is discussed.