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Stature estimation is central in forensic anthropology and very important in bioarchaeology. For this reason, several different methods have been proposed, employing different skeletal elements and statistical approaches. A major issue with skeletonized individuals is that their bones are often found fragmented, a taphonomic parameter that limits the application of many available methods. As a result, attempts have been made to create equations to predict either directly stature or long bone length (which can then be used with current stature prediction equations) from bone fragments. The current paper is a contribution in this direction. The femur, tibia and humerus of 76 individuals from a modern Greek skeletal collection were divided into different segments using a landmark approach. Subsequently, univariate and multivariate equations were created to predict both maximum long bone length and stature from the "bone fragments". The models varied in performance depending on the specific bone fragment used, the number of variables simultaneously employed for prediction and the sex of the individuals. Although the models used to directly predict stature from bone fragment dimensions should be treated cautiously because the stature of the assemblage from the Athens Collection had itself been anatomically estimated, the results are valuable towards highlighting the complex association between bone dimensions, long bone length and living/estimated stature.

Background: The purpose of the study was to select factors which importantly influencing the decision of breastfeeding in the first period of life over twenty years in the three cohorts in central Poland. Materials and methods: The analysis included 2159 children (1017 girls and 1142 boys). The data come from three cohorts investigated in the following years: 1993-1997, 2004-2008 and 2015-2017. In each cohort, parents completed questionnaires on the type of nutrition in the first months of life (breastfeeding versus formula feeding), child-birth parameters, duration of pregnancy, age and education of parents, and maternal smoking during pregnancy. Information about birth parameters, i.e., birth weight, birth length, birth head and chest circumference, gestational age (week of pregnancy) and Apgar score were taken from children's medical records. The Chi² test, U-Mann Whitney test and logistic regression were performed to check which factors significantly affected mother decision of breastfeeding. Results: We observed differences between factors which favor breastfeeding among three investigated cohorts. The factors significantly associated with breastfeeding only in cohort 1993-1997 were: birth parameters (higher birth length, higher body mass and higher chest circumference) and lower prevalence of exposition to cigarettes smoke during pregnancy. However, independently on tested cohort the logistic regression model indicated that the following factors correlated with the lack of breastfeeding: lower gestational age (E = -0.1663, p = 0.0182), higher maternal age (E = 0.1326, p < 0.0001), lower paternal age (E = -0.0526, p = 0.0345), secondary paternal education (E = 0.5138, p = 0.0024) vs. higher, lower maternal education (E = 0.7577, p = 0.0003) vs. higher, other season of birth than summer (E = -0.3650, p = 0.0439). Conclusions: Factors influencing the mother's decision to breastfeed independently on tested cohort were as a following: parental education and parental age, season of birth and duration of pregnancy.

Higher investment in maternal than paternal aunts and uncles is explained by the "paternity uncertainty hypothesis". Regardless of laterality, however, aunts show a greater degree of investment than uncles, which is attributed to sex-specific reproductive strategies. Resemblance cues can be used as indicators of genetic relatedness. The central hypothesis of the current study was that perceived phenotypic resemblance between aunts/uncles and niblings would be associated with aunts' and uncles' investment. The association was predicted to be stronger with respect to patrilateral than matrilateral aunts and uncles and stronger with respect to patrilateral aunts than patrilateral uncles. 243 Iranians aged between 15 and 50 participated in a retrospective analysis and filled out a 52-item questionnaire focusing on the solicitude, emotional closeness, and contact frequency between aunts/uncles and their nephews/nieces. In addition, the participants had to rate their phenotypic resemblance with their aunts and uncles. Aunts' and uncles' solicitude, emotional closeness, and contact frequency were differentially expressed according to sex and laterality. Maternal aunts showed the significantly highest emotional closeness, contact frequency, and investment, while the opposite was true for paternal uncles. Moreover, investment was correlated with phenotypic resemblance. Such association was stronger for patrilateral than matrilateral aunts and uncles, and concerning solicitude it was stronger for patrilateral aunts than patrilateral uncles. The resemblance-based kin recognition mechanism among aunts and uncles was self- rather than family-referent. In conclusion, phenotypic similarity can be used as a cue to genetic kinship and is correlated with the investment of aunts and uncles. However, such associations also depend on the degree of genetic relatedness and the differential kin investment provided by each sex.

Background and aim: The handgrip strength test is mostly used as a proxy test of overall muscle strength and is associated with increased mortality and physical disability. Handgrip strength is affected by various factors, such as age, Height, weight, and BMI. This study aimed to investigate the association between handgrip strength, anthropometric variables, and musculoskeletal disorders among Jat farmers in Haryana. Methods and materials: 634 individuals between 35 and 75 years old from 15 villages in the Palwal District of Haryana were recruited for the study. Various anthropometric variables, namely, stature, weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), waist-hip ratio (WHR), waist-height ratio (WHtR), body mass index (BMI), and handgrip strength (HGS), were obtained using the standard ISAK protocol. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Disorder Questionnaire was used to measure musculoskeletal disorders. Handgrip strength was measured using a digital hand dynamometer. Results: Handgrip strength was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in males than females, and participants with strong handgrip strength tended to be taller and heavier. Furthermore, significantly weaker handgrip strength was found in the older age group, individuals with MSD, and females. Factors such as Height, weight, waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio were positively correlated with HGS, while MSD and waist-height ratio were negatively correlated with HGS. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that hand grip strength was independently associated with Sex, age, waist-height ratio, waist-to-hip ratio, and Body Mass Index (BMI). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that HGS is influenced by factors such as age, Height, weight, WC, WHR, and MSD in both males and females. Additionally, age, WHtR, and MSD negatively influenced the HGS. Previous studies have mostly suggested the influence of BMI and age on HGS, whereas the present study also found the influence of WC, WHR, WHtR, and MSDs on HGS. Therefore, future studies should incorporate more adiposity indicators in the assessment and intervention of strong hand grip strength among farmers to improve farm productivity.

Objective: This study aims to describe various types of skeletal lesions and lesion patterns observed in five potential cases of treponematosis from the same archaeological site. Material and methods: The study examines five adult skeletons recovered from Santa Maria do Olival, Tomar, Portugal. Macroscopic observations were conducted on all remains, supplemented by relevant radiographic investigations. Results: The analyzed individuals exhibited diverse types of skeletal lesions and distinct patterns of lesion distribution. Radiocarbon dating of two of these skeletons locates them chronologically close to the beginning of the colonial period (15^th century). Discussion: The findings indicate considerable variation in the lesions and lesion patterns associated with treponematosis, even within the same archaeological site. The radiocarbon data implies the presence of pre-Columbian treponemal disease or a rapid progression to the tertiary phase of the disease. This study represents the oldest cases of treponematosis in Portugal and the only one with more than one individual affected from the same archaeological site. Considering Portugal's prominent role in the European Age of Exploration, the study underscores the significance of pathogen exchanges between Europeans, South Americans, Africans, and Asians. Future investigations should reassess Iberian osteological collections from this time period, given the historical importance of Portugal and Spain in the intercontinental movements.

The process of natural or spontaneous mummification has been observed for more than a hundred years in various Mexican pantheons. The construction materials used in the niches of the pantheons generate particular microenvironmental conditions that promote the preservation of organic materials. The construction materials (mining adobe, brick and stone material) that make up the three series of the municipal pantheon of Santa Paula were studied and analyzed using X-ray Diffraction, X-ray Fluorescence and petrographic analysis techniques. At the same time, the mechanical and physical properties of the materials were determined, as well as the relative humidity and temperature within the niches. The results indicate that the geochemistry, distribution and percentage of said materials inside of the niches created exceptional microclimatic conditions that favored the conservation of the bodies. With this contribution we intend to advance the understanding of the influence that construction materials had on the process of natural mummification.

Skeletal remains of an adult (estimated age at death ≈ 27-30 years) Prehispanic male with fusion in the sacroiliac joints showed a heterotopic ossification consisting of a flat, 10 × 5 cm bone formation covering the posterior aspect of the right sacroiliac joint. The bones were recovered from a burial cave containing remains of 4 individuals, located on the side of a ravine, in Buenavista del Norte (NW corner of Tenerife, Canary Islands), at ≈ 450 m altitude. This individual was probably affected by ankylosing spondylitis (AS) that led to bony fusion of the pelvic bones with the sacrum, but several unusual features prompted us to compare the pelvis with those belonging to two modern individuals affected by AS (20^th century) housed at the Department of Anatomy of the school of medicine (University of La Laguna, Tenerife). The Prehispanic individual possibly suffered a pelvic fracture that caused a hematoma which underwent ossification. Some features (periosteal reaction, formation of new foramina) may also suggest a superimposed infection. The fracture altered the pelvic structure, severely narrowing the right sciatic notch, possibly causing neural and/or vascular compromise of the lower limbs. Living in a steep mountainous environment, this individual (possibly a goatherder) probably suffered a fall, that caused the fracture complicated by a severe bleeding and pelvic deformation.

Previous studies have reported that height reduction due to urbanization during the early industrial period was not observed in Japan. This study analyzed the data from 20-year- old conscript examinations from 1905 to 1932 (for individuals born between 1885 and 1912) in Iwate Prefecture, northern Japan. Secular trends in height, weight, body mass index (BMI), prevalence of trachoma, and secondary education attainment classified by Morioka City, the prefectural capital, and 13 counties were examined. Before the 1880s births, the height of those in Morioka was approximately 159 cm, the same height as those in rural areas. After 1880, the height of those in Morioka increased to more than 161 cm in the early 1900s, while the height of those in rural areas remained constant. Large declines in height, > 0.5 cm, were seen in those born in the year or following year of a natural disaster, epidemic, or economic depression. This result may suggest that height increased in urban areas as life improved, experiencing temporary deterioration of their living environment due to recession, natural disasters, and epidemics, whereas height changed little in rural areas because life remained almost the same during the early industrial period in Japan.

During the early development of archaeology in Spain, many of the materials obtained from excavations were later forgotten in museum deposits. However, re-investigation of these collections with contemporary methodologies can still contribute valuable knowledge. This study presents the case of El Bosquet Cave (Mont-ral, Tarragona, Spain), located in the Northeastern Iberian Peninsula. This cave was excavated and documented in 1956 and the recovered materials were transferred, years later, to the Reus Museum, where they are currently located. Our results provide a more precise Middle Bronze Age chronology for the site in addition to bioarchaeological conclusions on the human remains from four individuals. Of note is a healed mandibular fracture in one of the individuals. Trauma observed in human skeletal remains reflect the conditions and risks of human groups in relation to daily activities or may be the result of interpersonal violence. In the Iberian Peninsula there are very few documented cases of mandibular fractures in prehistoric populations. This study contributes to the knowledge of the populations of the recent prehistory in the region of Catalonia and highlights the importance of reanalyzing the collections that are deposited and, in many cases forgotten, in the different museums of the territory.

Introduction: The growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor-1 axis (GH/IGF-1) is crucial for longitudinal bone growth and exerts several metabolic effects. It is debatable whether and how the recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) treatment affects the trunk-limb proportions. Aim of the study: We aim to evaluate the changes in body proportions and body fat content in short children with growth hormone deficiency (GHD), children born small for gestational age (SGA), and girls with Turner syndrome (TS) during the first year of rhGH therapy. Material and methods: The data of 70 children with GHD, 40 children born SGA, and 36 girls with TS from 1998 to 2019 were analyzed. The following parameters were measured: height, body weight, sitting height, and two skinfolds on the arm above the triceps brachii and below the scapula at the beginning of rhGH therapy and after the first year of treatment. Sitting height and lower limb length were presented as percentages (%) of body height. Fat mass percentage (%FAT) was calculated using the Slaughter formula. Results: At the beginning of rhGH, TS girls had the greatest height deficit (-2.7 SDS), the highest sitting height (%), and the lowest lower limb length (%) compared to children with GHD and children born SGA. Moreover, TS girls had higher body weight SDS, BMI SDS compared to SGA children (p < 0.001), and higher %FAT compared to both GHD and SGA children (p < 0.001 for both). After the first year of rhGH therapy, a significant increase in lower limb share (%) and a decrease in %FAT were observed in all the study groups. TS girls still had significantly higher sitting height (%), shorter lower limbs (%), and higher %FAT, body weight SDS, and BMI SDS compared to children with GHD and children born SGA (p < 0.05 for all variables). Conclusions: Our results show that rhGH treatment could increase lower limb length in relation to height and reduce fat mass in treated children. Girls with TS had the largest baseline body disproportions and the highest body fat content. Despite a satisfactory reduction in height deficit, after the first year of rhGH therapy, these girls had still higher body weight SDS, BMI SDS, %FAT, the highest sitting height (%), and the lowest lower limb length (%) compared to children with GHD and born SGA.