Radiocarbon chronology of Iron Age Jerusalem reveals calibration offsets and architectural developments.

Reconstructing the absolute chronology of Jerusalem during the time it served as the Judahite Kingdom's capital is challenging due to its dense, still inhabited urban nature and the plateau shape of the radiocarbon calibration curve during part of this period. We present 103 radiocarbon dates from reliable archaeological contexts in five excavation areas of Iron Age Jerusalem, which tie between archaeology and biblical history. We exploit Jerusalem's rich past, including textual evidence and vast archaeological remains, to overcome difficult problems in radiocarbon dating, including establishing a detailed chronology within the long-calibrated ranges of the Hallstatt Plateau and recognizing short-lived regional offsets in atmospheric 14C concentrations. The key to resolving these problems is to apply stringent field methodologies using microarchaeological methods, leading to densely radiocarbon-dated stratigraphic sequences. Using these sequences, we identify regional offsets in atmospheric 14C concentrations c. 720 BC, and in the historically secure stratigraphic horizon of the Babylonian destruction in 586 BC. The latter is verified by 100 single-ring measurements between 624 to 572 BC. This application of intense 14C dating sheds light on the reconstruction of Jerusalem in the Iron Age. It provides evidence for settlement in the 12th to 10th centuries BC and that westward expansion had already begun by the 9th century BC, with extensive architectural projects undertaken throughout the city in this period. This was followed by significant damage and rejuvenation of the city subsequent to the mid-eight century BC earthquake, after which the city was heavily fortified and continued to flourish until the Babylonian destruction.

Modern day relevance of William Hunter's approach to teaching "The organ of hearing".

William Hunter, a pioneering teacher of Anatomy in the the eighteenth century, championed the use of dissected specimens as aids in the teaching of anatomy. Although Hunter promoted the Paris method of learning Anatomy, by student dissection, he also used prosected material as an adjunct to his lectures. We are fortunate that Hunter bequeathed his extensive collection of over 3,000 museum specimens to the University of Glasgow, many of which are housed in the Laboratory of Human Anatomy in the Thomson Building. Regions such as the temporal bone are frequently difficult for students, and indeed postgraduate trainees in ear nose and throat surgery, to visualize and understand. Hunter overcame this difficulty by producing elegant specimens highlighting the three-dimensional complexity of the area. The current vignette stresses the importance of Hunter in his contemporary setting, but also demonstrates the potential of his approach for current and future teaching programmes in this age of the Internet.

Post traumatic cerebral sinovenous thrombosis in children: A retrospective and multicenter study.

CONTEXT: Cerebral sinovenous thrombosis (CSVT) is a rare but life-threatening condition in the pediatric population and there is no pediatric guidelines regarding anticoagulation for post traumatic CSVT. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe a cohort of children with post traumatic CSVT and the use of anticoagulant therapy in this population. METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study. Patients admitted with post traumatic CSVT in the six participating Pediatric Intensive Care Unit were included. RESULTS: Overall, 29 patients (median age 8.2 years [IQR 4.8-14.6], n = 22 (76%) males) were included in the study (Table 1). CSVT was observed within the first 24 h after admission for a half of the patients (n = 14, 50%). Anticoagulation was initiated in 18 patients (62%). No patient received thrombolytic therapy or endovascular treatment. The presence of epidural hematoma was associated with the absence of anticoagulation (n = 0 versus n = 10, p = 0.003). One patient (3%) died of extracranial injury (not related with adverse event of anticoagulation) and in survivors, median Pediatric Overall Performance Category Outcome (POPC) score at discharge from PICU was 2 [IQR 2-4] (i.e., mild disability). Regarding the outcomes of patients, we found no association according to the anticoagulation status (p = 1). Overall, 23 patients (79%) had a follow-up cerebral imaging with a median delay of 42 days [IQR 6-63] after admission. CSVT was still seen in 9 patients (31%). We found no difference regarding the persistence of CSVT between patients according to the anticoagulation status (p = 0.36). The median duration of anticoagulant treatment was 58 days [IQR 44-91] and one patient (3%) experienced adverse event related to anticoagulation. CONCLUSION: There were minimal adverse events in patients with post traumatic CSVT treated with therapeutic anticoagulation. However, the effect of anticoagulation on outcomes needs to be confirmed in further studies.