Megalithic tombs in western and northern Neolithic Europe were linked to a kindred society.

Paleogenomic and archaeological studies show that Neolithic lifeways spread from the Fertile Crescent into Europe around 9000 BCE, reaching northwestern Europe by 4000 BCE. Starting around 4500 BCE, a new phenomenon of constructing megalithic monuments, particularly for funerary practices, emerged along the Atlantic façade. While it has been suggested that the emergence of megaliths was associated with the territories of farming communities, the origin and social structure of the groups that erected them has remained largely unknown. We generated genome sequence data from human remains, corresponding to 24 individuals from five megalithic burial sites, encompassing the widespread tradition of megalithic construction in northern and western Europe, and analyzed our results in relation to the existing European paleogenomic data. The various individuals buried in megaliths show genetic affinities with local farming groups within their different chronological contexts. Individuals buried in megaliths display (past) admixture with local hunter-gatherers, similar to that seen in other Neolithic individuals in Europe. In relation to the tomb populations, we find significantly more males than females buried in the megaliths of the British Isles. The genetic data show close kin relationships among the individuals buried within the megaliths, and for the Irish megaliths, we found a kin relation between individuals buried in different megaliths. We also see paternal continuity through time, including the same Y-chromosome haplotypes reoccurring. These observations suggest that the investigated funerary monuments were associated with patrilineal kindred groups. Our genomic investigation provides insight into the people associated with this long-standing megalith funerary tradition, including their social dynamics.

Empirical treatment of influenza-associated pneumonia in primary care: a descriptive study of the antimicrobial susceptibility of lower respiratory tract bacteria (England, Wales and Northern Ireland, January 2007-March 2010).

OBJECTIVES: To determine the susceptibility of lower respiratory tract (LRT) isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae to antimicrobial agents recommended by UK guidelines for treatment of pneumonia associated with influenza-like illness. METHODS: Analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility data from sentinel microbiology laboratories in England, Wales and Northern Ireland was carried out. Subjects comprised patients who had an LRT specimen taken in a general practitioner surgery or hospital outpatient setting between January 2007 and March 2010. The main outcome measurements were antimicrobial susceptibility trends of LRT isolates over time, between patient age groups and in different geographical regions. RESULTS: Susceptibility to tetracyclines or co-amoxiclav was high. Of the 70,288 and 45,288 isolates with susceptibility results for tetracyclines or co-amoxiclav, 96% and 92%, respectively, were susceptible. Overall susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, ampicillin/amoxicillin and macrolides was lower than for tetracyclines or co-amoxiclav and varied markedly by organism. There were few clinically relevant variations in susceptibility to doxycycline or co-amoxiclav over time, geographically or between age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the use of doxycycline or co-amoxiclav as appropriate empiric treatment for LRT infection caused by the pathogens investigated, for patients in primary care.