Explore the vast range of titles available.

Identifying animal species used in osseous industry production is crucial for reconstructing human-animal interactions in ancient societies. However, bone artefact manufacture often involves intensive modifications to raw materials that hamper taxonomic identifications. Here, for the first time in central Eurasia, we taxonomically assess bone objects stored in museum collections, recovered from Late Neolithic to Iron Age contexts in Armenia, using a minimally invasive peptide mass fingerprinting technique, also known as Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). Our pilot study shows remarkable collagen preservation in the bone artefacts, demonstrating the rich potential of ZooMS for examining legacy collections. The successful ZooMS screening provided taxonomic identification for 86% of the artefacts, offering insights into species selection for bone manufacturing, as well as broader socioeconomic developments and interregional links. Our study underscores the utility of minimally invasive proteomic techniques, enabling the preservation of cultural and historical artefacts while addressing limitations of studying museum collections.

Dairy products are a key component of the diet in Armenia today, yet the origins of milk consumption, its historical development, and genetic adaptations related to milk digestion in the region remain understudied. Here, we investigate the co-evolution of dairying practices and lactase persistence in Armenia through combined palaeoproteomic and genetic analyses spanning from prehistory to the present. Our palaeoproteomic results provide direct evidence for milk consumption in prehistoric Armenia and, in conjunction with existing regional data, indicate that dairying was an established component of the South Caucasus subsistence economy from at least the late fourth millennium BCE. We found evidence of milk consumption from multiple species across archaeological periods, with cattle milk representing the earliest confirmed evidence from the Chalcolithic period. Notably, milk proteins were predominantly recovered from high-altitude sites, suggesting that dairy consumption served as an adaptive strategy for harsh highland environmental conditions. In contrast to the widespread evidence for milk consumption, our genetic findings indicate that the lactase persistence-associated variants never reached high frequencies throughout Armenian prehistory. This pattern suggests that the relatively low frequency of lactase persistence may reflect a predominant cultural adaptation to the fermentation of dairy products, which reduces lactose content and enables dairy use even in genetically lactose-intolerant populations.

Background Oxidative stress plays a central role in the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and is a key factor in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Therefore, antioxidant therapy represents a promising therapeutic strategy. This process involves numerous enzymes and signaling pathways that contribute to disease progression. In the present study, bacterial melanin (BM), known for its high biological activity and biostimulatory effects, was applied as a potential antioxidant. We examined quantitative and qualitative alterations in total fractions of biomembrane-associated components derived from rat tissue in a rotenone-induced PD model, under both low and high BM concentrations, along with an evaluation of their antioxidant properties. Methods PD was induced via intracerebral rotenone injection, and the animals were maintained for 4 weeks. BM was administered twice during the survival period at concentrations of 4.5 mg/ml and 9 mg/ml. To confirm disease progression and evaluate potential therapeutic effects of BM, the Rotarod behavioral test was performed following a 4-week survival period. From the biomembranes of brain, lung, and small intestine tissues, superoxide-generating associates were isolated. Their specific amounts (mg/g) and steady-state concentrations of superoxide (O₂⁻) (M) were determined to assess oxidative stress. Antioxidant activity was quantified using the Coomassie Brilliant Blue (CBB) dye decoloration method. Results The results demonstrated that BM exerted a membrane-stabilizing effect, with the 9 mg/ml dose proving more effective than 4.5 mg/ml. BM modulated membrane formation across the brain, lung, and small intestine by inhibiting the release of newly formed membrane-bound structures (NLP-Nox associates) and regulating the steady-state concentration of O₂⁻.Behavioral tests further confirmed the effectiveness of BM, with animal behavior parameters in the high-concentration group closely resembling those of the control group. It was found that different BM concentrations possess different antioxidant activity: specific activity at 4.5 mg/ml concentration amounted to 1.2 U/mg, while at 9 mg/ml it was 2.9 U/mg. Conclusions The results demonstrate BM’s potential as both an antioxidant and membrane-stabilizing agent for PD treatment. The study revealed a concentration-dependent effect of BM’s antioxidant activity in the PD model, with 9 mg/mL showing superior efficacy. Further research and clinical trials are warranted to validate its therapeutic efficacy. Clinical trial number Not applicable.

This study examines loanwords/phrases (PhBWs) in Armenian, focusing on Khachatur Abovyan’s works and pedagogical challenges in multilingual education. Etymological, corpus-based, and comparative analyses highlight historical/sociocultural borrowing dynamics from Persian, Turkic, and Russian. While enriching the lexicon, the complexity of PhBWs poses understanding and teaching difficulties. Generational surveys (N=20) reveal significant disparities: younger generations (70%) show higher comprehension of PhBWs and modern phrases with foreignisms (PhCFs) compared to older groups (20%). The study underscores the need for systematic teaching methodologies that incorporate cultural and historical contexts. Such approaches would enhance the accessibility of classical literature while preserving linguistic authenticity. Practical strategies like visual modeling, scenario-based tasks, and discussions are proposed. Findings emphasize balancing language modernization and heritage preservation, offering insights relevant to other multilingual educational systems.

The aim of the work was to isolate the associate of Fe with NADPH containing lipoprotein from Saanen and local goat milk, to determine O -producing reaction to show the immune activity of milk. Results showed that the content of the associate in Saanen milk was lower by 1.7 times compared with the local, which means that its prooxidant status is higher.

Background Heterochromatic variants of pericentromere of chromosome 9 are reported and discussed since decades concerning their detailed structure and clinical meaning. However, detailed studies are scarce. Thus, here we provide the largest ever done molecular cytogenetic research based on >300 chromosome 9 heteromorphism carriers. Results In this study, 334 carriers of heterochromatic variants of chromosome 9 were included, being 192 patients from Western Europe and the remainder from Easter-European origin. A 3-color-fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) probe-set directed against for 9p12 to 9q13~21.1 (9het-mix) and 8 different locus-specific probes were applied for their characterization. The 9het-mix enables the characterization of 21 of the yet known 24 chromosome 9 heteromorphic patterns. In this study, 17 different variants were detected including five yet unreported; the most frequent were pericentric inversions (49.4%) followed by 9qh-variants (23.9%), variants of 9ph (11.4%), cenh (8.2%), and dicentric- (3.8%) and duplication-variants (3.3%). For reasons of simplicity, a new short nomenclature for the yet reported 24 heteromorphic patterns of chromosome 9 is suggested. Six breakpoints involved in four of the 24 variants could be narrowed down using locus-specific probes. Conclusions Based on this largest study ever done in carriers of chromosome 9 heteromorphisms, three of the 24 detailed variants were more frequently observed in Western than in Eastern Europe. Besides, there is no clear evidence that infertility is linked to any of the 24 chromosome 9 heteromorphic variants.