Heat-induced changes in the histomorphometry of human femur bone

Abstract

Skeletal remains are often subjected to unexpected and adverse conditions which can eventually distort evidence. Therefore, understanding the factors that alter skeletal remains is crucial. A total of human femur fragments obtained from the gross anatomy laboratory of the University of Port Harcourt were used. Bone samples were divided into four groups. Group 1 is the control sample comprising bone fragments not exposed to heat, Group 2 had bones exposed to heat at 20°C, Group 3 had bones exposed to heat at 100°C, and Group 4 had bones exposed to heat at 200°C. Ground bone sections were prepared using Modified Frost’s manual method of bone preparation. Morphometric analysis of the micrographs was performed using the ImageJ software. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software. The mean values of the Haversian canal area and diameter demonstrated a nonsignificant increase in the bone samples exposed to heat compared to the samples not exposed to heat. The osteon count was slightly higher, but the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). The results demonstrated that histomorphometric features of bones are not altered at the temperature of 200°C. This information is useful in forensic investigations.