Radiological diagnosis of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in 17th century Korean mummy

Revisiting diaphragmatic hernia of Joseon period Korean mummy by three-dimensional liver and heart segmentation and model reconstruction

A three-dimensional (3D) segmentation and model reconstruction is a specialized tool to reveal spatial interrelationship between multiple internal organs by generating images without overlapping structures. This technique can also be applicable to mummy studies, but related reports have so far been very rare. In this study, we applied 3D segmentation and model reconstruction to computed tomography images of a Korean mummy with congenital diaphragmatic hernia. As originally revealed by the autopsy in 2013, the current 3D reconstruction reveals that the mummy's heart is shifted to the left due to the liver pushing up to thoracic cavity thorough diaphragmatic hernial defect. We can generate 3D images by calling up the data exclusively from mummy's target organs, thus minimizing the confusion of diagnosis that could be caused by overlapping organs.

Mummy studies and the bioarchaeology of care

The bioarchaeology of care is a framework through which researchers can begin to infer the level of care an individual may have required based on the presence of paleopathological evidence. To date, all of the research that has employed the framework has been based on evidence derived from skeletal material. This special issue was organized in order to highlight how the analysis of mummified soft tissue, as well as other sources of data commonly associated with mummified remains, such as coprolites and intestinal contents, has the potential to provide valuable insight into the reconstruction of care in the past.

Medieval mummies of Zeleny Yar burial ground in the Arctic Zone of Western Siberia

Notwithstanding the pioneering achievements of studies on arctic mummies in Siberia, there are insufficient data for any comprehensive understanding of the bio-cultural details of medieval people living in the region. In the Western Siberian arctic, permafrost mummies have been found in 12th to 13th century graves located in the Zeleny Yar (Z-Y) burial ground (66°19'4.54"С; 67°21'13.54"В). In 2013-2016, we were fortunate to be able to excavate that cemetery, locating a total of 47 burials, including cases of mummification. Some of these mummies had been wrapped in a multi-layered birch-bark cocoon. After removal of the cocoon, we conducted interdisciplinary studies using various scientific techniques. Gross anatomical examination and CT radiography showed that the internal organs were still well preserved inside the body cavities. Under light and electron microscopy, the histological findings were very similar to those for naturally mummified specimens discovered in other countries. Ancient DNA analysis showed that the Z-Y mummies' mtDNA haplotypes belong to five different haplogroups, namely U5a (#34), H3ao (#53), D (#67-1), U4b1b1 (#67-2), and D4j8 (#68), which distinguish them for their unique combination of Western- and Eastern Siberia-specific mtDNA haplogroups. Our interdisciplinary study obtained fundamental information that will form the foundation of successful future investigations on medieval mummies found in the Western Siberian arctic.

Mummification in Korea and China: Mawangdui, Song, Ming and Joseon Dynasty Mummies

Over the decades, mummy studies have expanded to reconstruct a multifaceted knowledge about the ancient populations' living conditions, pathologies, and possible cause of death in different spatiotemporal contexts. Mainly due to linguistic barriers, however, the international knowledge of East Asian mummies has remained sketchy until recently. We thus analyse and summarize the outcomes of the studies so far performed in Korea and China in order to provide mummy experts with little-known data on East Asian mummies. In this report, similarities and differences in the mummification processes and funerary rituals in Korea and China are highlighted. Although the historical periods, the region of excavation, and the structures of the graves differ, the cultural aspects, the mechanisms of mummification, and biological evidence appear to be essentially similar to each other. Independently from the way they are called locally, the Korean and Chinese mummies belong to the same group with a shared cultural background.

Paleogenetic study on the 17th century Korean mummy with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease

While atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is known to be common among modern people exposed to various risk factors, recent paleopathological studies have shown that it affected ancient populations much more frequently than expected. In 2010, we investigated a 17^th century Korean female mummy with presumptive ASCVD signs. Although the resulting report was a rare and invaluable conjecture on the disease status of an ancient East Asian population, the diagnosis had been based only on anatomical and radiological techniques, and so could not confirm the existence of ASCVD in the mummy. In the present study, we thus performed a paleogenetic analysis to supplement the previous conventional diagnosis of ASCVD. In aDNA extracted from the same Korean mummy, we identified the risk alleles of seven different SNPs (rs5351, rs10757274, rs2383206, rs2383207, rs10757278, rs4380028 and rs1333049) that had already been revealed to be the major risk loci of ASCVD in East Asian populations. The reliability of this study could be enhanced by cross-validation using two different analyses: Sanger and SNaPshot techniques. We were able to establish that the 17^th century Korean female had a strong genetic predisposition to increased risk of ASCVD. The current paleogenetic diagnosis, the first of its kind outside Europe, re-confirms its utility as an adjunct modality for confirmatory diagnosis of ancient ASCVD.

Anatomical confirmation of computed tomography-based diagnosis of the atherosclerosis discovered in 17th century Korean mummy

In the present study on a newly discovered 17th century Korean mummy, computed tomography (CT) revealed multiple aortic calcifications within the aortic wall that were indicative of ancient atherosclerosis. The CT-based findings were confirmed by our subsequent post-factum dissection, which exhibited possible signs of the disease including ulcerated plaques, ruptured hemorrhages, and intimal thickening where the necrotic core was covered by the fibrous cap. These findings are strong indicators that the mummy suffered from aortic atherosclerosis during her lifetime. The present study is a good example of how CT images of vascular calcifications can be a useful diagnostic tool in forming at least preliminary diagnoses of ancient atherosclerosis.