The Analysis and Interpretation of Mummifi ed Remains

Zimmerman, Michael J.

doi:10.1002/9781444345940.ch9

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…prospective, observational studies have suggested that chronic high intakes of preformed vitamin A are associated with bone loss, leading to osteoporosis and hip fractures [37][38][39][40]. Arctic people traditionally have high intakes of preformed vitamin A, and reports regarding their skeletal remains and toxicity confirm bone involvement [41,42]. Several studies imply that αtocopherol has conflicting effects on bone health; further, α-tocopherol is the most abundant vitamin E isomer present in food and the most widely distributed in our body [43,44].…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Diet-derived antioxidants and osteoporosis: A Mendelian randomization study

Li,

Chen,

Yuan

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Background Antioxidants can prevent osteoporosis, but the association between serum antioxidants and the cause of osteoporosis remains unknown. We aimed to utilize Mendelian randomization (MR) to determine whether genetically predicted serum levels of diet-derived antioxidants can affect the risk of osteoporosis, to determine the effect of dietary supplementation of antioxidants. Methods Genetic variants associated with diet-derived antioxidants were selected from the genome-wide association studies. A total of 12,946 osteoporosis cases and 506,624 healthy controls were obtained from UK Biobank (UKB) and Genetic Factors of Osteoporosis (GEFOS) consortia. We implemented a two-sample MR design and performed several sensitivity analyses to evaluate the causal relationship. Results In UKB, the genetically predicted higher β-carotene (OR = 0.863, p = 7.37 × 10−6, power = 100%) and γ-tocopherol (OR = 0.701, p = 0.021, power = 5%) had an inverse relationship with osteoporosis. However, only the association of serum β-carotene passed FDR correction. In GEFOS, there were no significant diet-derived antioxidants. The direction of the association of β-carotene with osteoporosis (OR = 0.844, p = 0.106, power = 87%) was consistent with that in the UKB dataset. A fixed-effects meta-analysis confirmed that β-carotene (OR = 0.862, p = 2.21 × 10−6) and γ-tocopherol (OR = 0.701, p = 2.31 × 10−2) could decrease the risk of osteoporosis. To reduce exclusion limit bias, we used total body bone mineral density, lumbar spine bone mineral density and femoral neck bone mineral density as surrogates and found that the genetically elevated circulating β-carotene level could increase total body BMD (beta = 0.043, p-value = 8.26 x 10−5, power = 100%), lumbar spine BMD (beta = 0.226, p-value = 0.001, power = 100%) and femoral neck BMD(beta = 0.118, p-value = 0.016, power = 100%). Conclusions We observed that genetically predicted serum β-carotene could elevate BMD and prevent osteoporosis.

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Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

Diet-derived antioxidants and osteoporosis: A Mendelian randomization study

Li,

Chen,

Yuan

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…Poliomyelitis, also known as infantile Heine-Nadin paralysis (Zimerman, 2012), is an acute highly infectious disease caused by enterovirus of the Picornaviridae family (Baicus, 2012). The virus, commonly known as poliovirus, is transmitted person-to-person, mainly through the faecaloral route or by a common vehicle (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While poliomyelitis is estimated to have affected more than one million people worldwide, there are only a few possible cases described in the osteoarchaeological literature (e.g. Winkler and Großschmidt, 1988;Umbelino et al, 1996;Kozlowski and Piontek, 2000;Roca de Togores et al, 2001;Roberts and Manchester, 2010;Zimerman, 2012;Novak et al, 2014;Thompson, 2014;Schrenk et al, 2016;Tesorieri, 2016;Ciesielska and Stark, 2019;Berner et al, 2021). Several factors may be responsible for this, one of which is the fact that human remains are frequently incomplete or poorly preserved, making it difficult to have a holistic vision of the skeleton and its alterations, which is crucial for the diagnosis of such a complex disease as poliomyelitis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An identified case of poliomyelitis: contribution to diagnosis in ancient human remains

Gómez-González,

González-Garrido,

Rodríguez

et al. 2024

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This article describes the skeletal remains of a 20th-century individual diagnosed with poliomyelitis in childhood who suffered from atrophy and muscle weakness as an adult. The study provides a detailed analysis of both the primary effects of polio in the skeleton and the secondary effects across a lifetime, and contributes to the future identification of this pathology in osteoarchaeological assemblages. A skeleton of an 82-year-old male with poliomyelitis, from Tierra de la Reina, León (Spain) was submitted to bone densitometry, morphological, metric, cross-sectional, and palaeopathological analyses. Conventional X-rays and computed tomography scans were also performed. Skeletal alterations were categorized as directly and indirectly related to polio. The latter were probably acquired during life, resulting from mobility problems, malposition, and/or advanced age. Discrepancies in size, primarily related to polio, were observed between the right and left sides of the skeleton, with the left side being smaller and more gracile. However, while the asymmetry of the upper limbs is mainly in robustness, in the lower limbs the differences are in both robustness and length. This paper illustrates the skeletal alterations that may be present with poliomyelitis, demonstrating the complexity of diagnosing this pathology in an individual who lived a long life. In fact, many of the observed alterations can be found in other pathological conditions. Therefore, it is concluded that extreme caution be taken when analysing archaeological skeletal remains that are not as complete and well-preserved as this individual. The present work contributes to the diagnosis of poliomyelitis in human remains and underscores its impact in human history. Destructive methods were not authorized; medical records were no longer available. In the future, 3D reconstruction analysis/micro-computed tomography may add new and valuable information.

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Ethical challenges in the bioanthropological and biomedical investigation of Sicilian mummies—Past experience and future pathways

Piombino‐Mascali,

Squires,

Zink

2024

American Journal of Biological Anthropology

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This article presents a multidisciplinary approach adopted in the Sicily mummy project, highlighting unique challenges and major ethical concerns inherent to the scientific study, conservation, and presentation of these mummies. Recognizing mummies as a distinct category of human remains, this paper argues for the development and application of specialized guidelines that address the intricate balance between scientific inquiry and respect for the cultural, religious, and mortuary practices that characterize the cultural context, in this case of Sicily. Through a transparent and collaborative dialogue among all stakeholders—including curators, clergy, scientists, and government officials—the project ensures the preservation of the mummies' dignity within their sacred spaces. The critical role of biological anthropologists is emphasized, alongside the contributions of clinical radiologists, pathologists, and qualified restorers, in constructing a comprehensive understanding of the mummies' biocultural significance. The paper advocates for a bioarchaeological strategy that advances scientific knowledge while safeguarding the mummies and respecting living communities. Additionally, we call for ethical rigor in scholarly publications and suggest future actions to protect this invaluable heritage. This approach not only preserves the dignity and integrity of the mummified remains but also enriches our understanding of past human societies.

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The Analysis and Interpretation of Mummifi ed Remains

Cited by 4 publications

References 65 publications

Diet-derived antioxidants and osteoporosis: A Mendelian randomization study

Diet-derived antioxidants and osteoporosis: A Mendelian randomization study

An identified case of poliomyelitis: contribution to diagnosis in ancient human remains

Ethical challenges in the bioanthropological and biomedical investigation of Sicilian mummies—Past experience and future pathways

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