Sculpting the Glauberg "prince". A traceological research of the Celtic sculpture and related fragments from the Glauberg (Hesse, Germany).

Article presents the results of a complex traceological research of the famous statue of the "prince"of Glauberg, found in an Early La Tène funeral complex in Glauberg (Hesse). Research focused also on two other fragments of related sandstone sculptures, found together with the Glauberger prince. The sandstone "prince"of Glauberg was already in the past a subject of many archaeological studies. Nevertheless, all or absolute majority of them were focused on aspects of art historian nature or on the question of the origin, role and function of such sculptures in the Early Iron Age Central Europe. On the contrary, the aim of our research is oriented exclusively on the questions related to the manufacture of this sculpture, identification of used sculptor´s tools and applied working techniques. Our research was realised by means of digital documentation followed by the aplication of traceological methods. The character of the survived working traces on the sculpture´s surfaces was studied by mechanoscopy, while the material of used tools was determined by X-ray fluorescence. The reconstructions of used tools were compared with the existing tools as represented by the Iron Age archaeological finds. This comparison was oriented on the most relevant regions of developed La Tène culture, particularly on South Western Germany and Bohemia. However, also other relevant area, significant as the possible source of inspiration of Celtic sculptors for the creation of the monumental sculpture-Apennine peninsula, was taken into consideration. Our research revealed individual steps and phases during the sculpture´s manufacture, enabled the reconstrucion of used tools and confirmed real existence of such tools in mentioned regions. Finally it has brought first indices of the necessity of the distinguishing between ideological and technological aspects of related Celtic sculpture, when considering possible influence of Apennine peninsula on transalpine Central Europe.

Dynamic changes in genomic and social structures in third millennium BCE central Europe.

Europe's prehistory oversaw dynamic and complex interactions of diverse societies, hitherto unexplored at detailed regional scales. Studying 271 human genomes dated ~4900 to 1600 BCE from the European heartland, Bohemia, we reveal unprecedented genetic changes and social processes. Major migrations preceded the arrival of "steppe" ancestry, and at ~2800 BCE, three genetically and culturally differentiated groups coexisted. Corded Ware appeared by 2900 BCE, were initially genetically diverse, did not derive all steppe ancestry from known Yamnaya, and assimilated females of diverse backgrounds. Both Corded Ware and Bell Beaker groups underwent dynamic changes, involving sharp reductions and complete replacements of Y-chromosomal diversity at ~2600 and ~2400 BCE, respectively, the latter accompanied by increased Neolithic-like ancestry. The Bronze Age saw new social organization emerge amid a ≥40% population turnover.

Loss of heterozygosity and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) expression in bronchial mucosa of heavy smokers.

BACKGROUND: Lung carcinogenesis is a multistep process of accumulation of genetic changes, including loss of heterozygosity (LOH), and precedes phenotypic transformation of the bronchial mucosa. The activity of telomerase, correlating with the hTERT mRNA expression, is detectable in a majority of neoplasms. In this study, the frequency of LOH and hTERT expression in bronchial mucosa of heavy smokers in bronchoscopic biopsies was analyzed. METHODS: LOH was examined in 122 bronchial specimens from 81 smokers (67 normal mucosa/bronchitis, 12 squamous metaplasia, 28 dysplasia, 15 bronchogenic carcinoma specimens) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and capillary electrophoresis by using 7 fluorescence-labeled markers matching 5 chromosomal regions. hTERT expression was analyzed in 87 specimens (45 normal mucosa/bronchitis, 12 squamous metaplasia, 18 dysplasia, 12 bronchogenic carcinoma specimens) by real-time quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. RESULTS: LOH was detected in at least 1 chromosomal region in 51 of 122 (41.8%) specimens; the incidence in normal bronchial mucosa and preneoplastic lesions was similar (20%-40%); a substantial rise (87%) occurred in carcinomas. The median normalized hTERT(N) values were 6.67 in normal epithelium/chronic bronchitis, 18.38 in squamous metaplasia, 13.31 in epithelial dysplasia, and 75.46 in carcinomas. These results were significantly different (P=.0036). With an increasing number of LOH, the median value of hTERT(N) expression rose, but hTERT was expressed also in tissue samples without any LOH detection. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicated that hTERT expression, together with LOH, represent early events in lung carcinogenesis, as both were detected in precancerous lesions and in normal epithelium of heavy smokers.