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Purpose: Evolutionary medicine aims to study disease development from a long‐term perspective, and through the analysis of mummified tissue, timescales of several thousand years are unlocked. Due to the status of mummies as ancient relics, noninvasive techniques are preferable, and, currently, CT imaging is the most widespread method. However, CT images lack soft‐tissue contrast, making complementary MRI data desirable. Unfortunately, the dehydrated nature and short T2 times of mummified tissues render them practically invisible to standard MRI techniques. Specialized short‐T2 approaches have therefore been used, but currently suffer severe resolution limitations. The purpose of the present study is to improve resolution in MRI of mummified tissues. Methods: The zero‐TE‐based hybrid filling technique, together with a high‐performance magnetic field gradient, was used to image three ancient Egyptian mummified human body parts: a hand, a foot, and a head. A similar pairing has already been shown to increase resolution and image quality in MRI of short‐T2 tissues. Results: MRI images of yet unparalleled image quality were obtained for all samples, reaching isotropic resolutions of 0.6 mm and SNR values above 100. The same general features as present in CT images were depicted but with different contrast, particularly for regions containing embalming substances. Conclusion: Mummy MRI is a potentially valuable tool for (paleo)pathological studies, as well as for investigations into ancient mummification processes. The results presented here show sufficient improvement in the depiction of mummified tissues to clear new paths for the exploration of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on the prevalence of spina bifida occulta have indicated a microevolutionary increase in its frequency and possible population differences in the prevalence of the condition. We studied the frequencies of closed and open sacral canals at each sacral level among two birth cohorts in Switzerland. Transverse CT scans and multiplanar reconstruction images of sacra of 95 males and 96 females born in 1940-1950 and 99 males and 94 females born in 1970-1980 in Switzerland were reviewed. We found that individuals born later have significantly more open sacral arches at all sacral levels compared to those born 30-40 years earlier. When results were related to previously published data on Australian cohorts, the trend was the same, but Swiss in both cohorts were less likely to have an open section than Australians at all locations apart from S2. This study confirmed a microevolutionary trend in the opening of sacral canal among two different generations in Switzerland and demonstrated a population difference in the prevalence of spina bifida occulta. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Evolutionary medicine aims to study disease development from a long-term perspective, and through the analysis of mummified tissue, timescales of several thousand years are unlocked. Due to the status of mummies as ancient relics, noninvasive techniques are preferable, and, currently, CT imaging is the most widespread method. However, CT images lack soft-tissue contrast, making complementary MRI data desirable. Unfortunately, the dehydrated nature and short T 2 times of mummified tissues render them practically invisible to standard MRI techniques. Specialized short-T 2 approaches have therefore been used, but currently suffer severe resolution limitations. The purpose of the present study is to improve resolution in MRI of mummified tissues., Methods: The zero-TE-based hybrid filling technique, together with a high-performance magnetic field gradient, was used to image three ancient Egyptian mummified human body parts: a hand, a foot, and a head. A similar pairing has already been shown to increase resolution and image quality in MRI of short-T 2 tissues., Results: MRI images of yet unparalleled image quality were obtained for all samples, reaching isotropic resolutions of 0.6 mm and SNR values above 100. The same general features as present in CT images were depicted but with different contrast, particularly for regions containing embalming substances., Conclusion: Mummy MRI is a potentially valuable tool for (paleo)pathological studies, as well as for investigations into ancient mummification processes. The results presented here show sufficient improvement in the depiction of mummified tissues to clear new paths for the exploration of this field., (© 2020 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.)

Question Under Study: Affected by individual life style, the total cholesterol serum level is a major morbidity and mortality risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD). We present total cholesterol values and their possible aetiological factors of young Swiss conscripts. Particularly, we study varying impact of these factors depending on different levels of individual cholesterol., Methods: Male conscripts (n = 19,272) of the 2005 census of the conscripts have been examined, reflecting ca. 59% of a total Swiss male birth cohort. Quantile regression allows us to analyse responses of arbitrary quantiles with respect to variables of interest., Results: Eleven percent of all conscripts show clinically important increased total cholesterol levels. There is a major association of high individual cholesterol level with French regional language. The largest socio-economic subsample--agricultural and construction workers--show significantly higher individual cholesterol levels than employees in the industry sector and students, respectively., Conclusions: We were able to find that culture, as indicated by the mother tongue, and socioeconomic status as indicated by profession/vocation, influence individual total cholesterol levels while climate as indicated by altitude does not have an influence on cholesterol levels. Such a broad screening programme offers a unique opportunity to target persons at high-risk for CVD morbidity and mortality already early in life.