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In 2015 a surprising find of human bone fragments from a child was made in a collection of the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection, Berlin. These bone fragments from Southern Egypt date to 3400-3300 BC and represent the distal parts of both femora and the proximal parts of both tibiae (bones around the knee joint). The bones have a specific appearance, probably indicating a systemic disease. Due to the incomplete state of the skeletal remains, the distribution of the lesions throughout the entire skeleton could not be observed, thus preventing a better diagnosis of the underlying pathological process. The poor collagen preservation of the bone precluded aDNA testing for pathogens. The bone fragments were instead subjected to radiographic and microscopic analysis which revealed a recurrent periosteal process accompanied by a distinct osteoclastic component. A possible diagnosis might be an underlying unknown pathological process, leading to the development of a secondary Hypertrophic Osteoarthropathy (HOA).

A deficit of skeletal remains from infants and young children, especially those children in the first year of life, is often described in cemeteries and burial grounds for most time periods. Various reasons for this are proposed. The present study focuses on two Bronze Age cemeteries from northern Germany (Vechta and Uelsen), which illustrate that infant skeletal remains indeed remain preserved and is closely connected to funeral rites. In the Iron Age, the proportion of child burials in the cemeteries of Schleswig-Holstein clearly decreases compared to the Bronze Age, an observation that correlates with funerary practices, for example, different pyre temperatures as revealed in the proportion of primary carbon discolouration seen on cremated bone. Nevertheless, supposed deficits in child burials cannot simply be corrected for demographic evaluations, since the percentage of deceased children can fluctuate considerably and therefore general assumptions of a child mortality rate between 40 and 50% are invalid, as can be shown with various examples.

This paper underlines the importance of the small sample effects consideration in paleopathological research providing an example of children from Kyiv Rus' cemeteries dated to the 10^th-13^th century AD. The study presents data introduction and systematization, i.e., construction of the statistically significant disease profiles combining the analyzed sites according to the distribution of anemia, scurvy, and rickets. Then we present usually provided (often 'associative') interpretations for the obtained results and question their reliability from the perspective of the small samples effects. This leads to the discussion of explanatory limits of bioarcheological research basing on the small sample analysis.

Objectives: Secular trends in body height have been proved indicative of socio-economic development of a country or a region, as well as of childhood and adolescent (mal)nutrition. Being taller has been associated with enhanced longevity, with several body height related factors involved. While basic anthropometric measurements, including body height, have long been performed in developed societies, primarily in men and children, far less data are available for adults and women in particular. The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to collect basic anthropometric data related to the assessment of nutritional status of adult population, both men and women, to establish normative anthropometric data, and provide intergenerational analysis for height, body mass, and body mass index (BMI) of adults of both genders. Subjects and methods: Body height and body mass data of the participating 845 volunteers were collected from March 2017 to April 2018 by trained interviewers during home visits. BMI and gender-related percentile values were calculated, and percentile curves constructed. The protocol of the study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of the Republic of Slovenia. Results: Eleven weighted percentile values (3, 5, 10, 15, 25, 50, 75, 85, 90, 95, and 97) for body height, body mass, and BMI are presented, as are the non-weighted percentile curves for these parameters for both, adult men and women. Secular trends and age-related height loss of the reported parameters are being discussed. Conclusion: The reported percentile values provide an insight into the secular trend of body height, mass, and BMI of an understudied population, i.e. adults of both genders in a transitional society. As such, they can be useful to researchers, ergonomic professionals, health programme coordinators, and policy makers.

Lifestyle is related to the risk of obesity, but the relationship between different lifestyle features and obesity phenotypes remains unclear. This study analysed the association between different lifestyle features (eating habits, activity, sleep patterns, and tobacco and alcohol consumption), and four obesity phenotypes (overall and abdominal obesity, distribution and percentage of fat). The sample included 521 adults aged between 18 and 70 years. A multiple logistic regression model was used, controlling for sex, age and socioeconomic status. The duration of the main meal was inversely associated with overall and abdominal obesity (p < 0.01) whereas the number of meals was positively associated (p < 0.05). Regular sport practice and duration were negatively associated with all obesity phenotypes (p < 0.01), while watching television showed positive associations. Walking was inversely related to overall and abdominal obesity (p < 0.01), whereas sleep quality was positively associated with both phenotypes. Former smokers showed a positive relationship with both abdominal obesity (p = 0.021) and fat mass distribution (p = 0.002), and the number of cigarettes were positively related with all obesity phenotypes (p < 0.01), except with fat distribution. Alcohol consumption was inversely related with an excessive adiposity (p = 0.030), while occasional drinking was negatively related with overall obesity and an excess of fat. In conclusion, few meals per day, a bad or regular quality of sleep, many hours spent watching television and a heavy cigarette consumption significantly increased the risk of various obesity phenotypes, while time spent at the main meal, walking and sport practice, and a moderate alcohol consumption were associated with a decreased risk.

Humans typically have bilateral symmetry, however, deviations from perfect symmetry can be observed. In the case of the upper extremities, mostly a right-biased asymmetry in the length or strength of the bones, but also lean body mass was reported. Regarding the lower extremities, the asymmetry patterns are weaker. The aim of this study is to analyze directional and cross-asymmetry in body composition parameters among healthy non-athletic women. In particular, it is hypothesized that body composition asymmetry patterns of the limbs change with increasing age. 584 Austrian women aged between 16 and 83 years were enrolled in the study. Data collection took place between 1995 and 2000 at the Menox outpatient department for the treatment of climacteric symptoms in Vienna. Bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), lean mass, and fat mass was determined using dual-energy-x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). Signed asymmetry was calculated for each body composition parameter of the upper and lower limbs. Right-sided symmetry dominated for lean mass, BMC, and BMD in the upper extremity. Asymmetry in the lower limbs was not as strong as in the arms, but a right-sided asymmetry was still observable. Fat mass showed the strong right-sided asymmetry of all measurements for the lower extremities in the whole sample. Contra lateral asymmetry of the extremities could be found in 37-45% of the sample for lean mass, BMD, and BMC. For fat mass, almost half of the sample displayed cross asymmetry. Significant associations between asymmetry patterns and age were observable for the fat mass of the upper extremities only. Participants younger than 30 years showed a significant left-sided asymmetry for fat mass in the upper extremities. However, this pattern changed around the age of 30 and shifted to a slight right-sided asymmetry. In general, the body composition of the upper and lower limbs showed distinct asymmetry patterns.

Age of an individual constitutes a primary facet of human identification. In cases where skeletal remains present for examination, bony markers distributed throughout the skeletal framework are employed for age estimation. Amongst these markers, the pubic symphysis constitutes one of the more commonly utilized structures. Gilbert-McKern's pubic symphyseal age estimation method was derived to complement the original three component method, and permit accurate age estimation in females. However, subsequent investigations with the Gilbert-McKern method are limited, and completely lacking for an Indian population. In the present study, CT scans of 380 consenting individuals (190 males and 190 females) undergoing CT examinations for therapeutic purposes, aged 10 years and above, were scored according to Gilbert-McKern's three component method. A significant sexual dimorphism was observed with the scoring of the ventral rampart and symphyseal rim. An overall accuracy of 29.50% was obtained in females, indicating that the method lacks forensic utility in its primal form. Highest posterior density and highest posterior density region values were computed for each component using Bayesian analysis in both sexes, to enable age estimation from individual components, whilst overcoming issues of age mimicry. Amongst the three components, symphyseal rim furnished the most accurate and precise estimates of age, whereas the ventral rampart garnered highest error computations, in both sexes. Principal component analysis was utilized for multivariate age estimation by taking into consideration this differential contribution of individual components. Weighted summary age models, derived using principal component analysis, furnished inaccuracy values of 12.19 years and 12.30 years in females and males, respectively. Bayesian error computations obtained with the symphyseal rim in both sexes were even lower than those obtained with weighted summary age models, demonstrating its suitability as an independent age marker. Despite the use of statistical modalities of Bayesian inference and principal component analysis for age estimation, the method did not yield significantly reduced error rates in females, demonstrating its limited forensic applicability. While, statistically significant sex differences were observed with the scoring of Gilbert-McKern's components, concordant correlations, comparable accuracy and absolute error values were obtained for both sexes, indicating that the Gilbert-McKern method can be utilized to age either sex. However, inaccuracy and bias values obtained with different statistical modalities, as well as broad age intervals furnished with Bayesian analysis demonstrate the overall limited applicability of the Gilbert-McKern method in aging males and females of an Indian population.

Forensic anthropological methodology needs to continuously be tested and validated to remain on par with international standards of best practice. The present study aimed to validate previously published metric and non-metric methods for estimating sex and population affinity from the calcaneus and talus in black and white South Africans. The calcanei and tali of two-hundred individuals, equally distributed by sex and population, were measured and the validity of the discriminant functions were assessed. Only some functions estimating sex using both skeletal elements and estimating population affinity using the calcaneus are valid, with present and original accuracies not differing significantly (p > 0.05). Population affinity estimation functions using the talus, however, are not valid. Functions yielding accuracies in the present study between 50.00% and 74.00% should not be used as these rates are only slightly above chance (50.00%), but functions yielding accuracies of 75.00% and above may be considered for use in forensic casework. Almost all functions yielded accuracies significantly lower (p < 0.05) for females and for black individuals compared to their male and white counterparts, respectively. As a result, the classification of individuals as female or as black should particularly be interpreted with caution. This study also assessed the validity of previously described morphological methods used to estimate population affinity using the calcaneus. The number of talar articular facets present differs significantly between population groups and the validity of this method was therefore confirmed. These methods should be further validated using more modern skeletal collections or living individuals using various virtual methodologies.

Changes in the environment in which a particular population develops, including socio-economic factors, can influence craniofacial dimensions over time. The study aimed to investigate intergenerational changes in selected cranial measurements of adolescents (16-18 years of age) from Kraków, Poland. The analysis was based on the anthropometric measurements of four cohorts (years 1938, 1950, 2007 and 2020) of adolescents aged 16-18. Analysed characteristics included head breadth, length and head breadth-to-length ratio. The normality of each characteristic's distribution was assessed using Shapiro-Wilk's test, and the statistical significance of the differences between the cohorts was calculated using the two-way ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis test. The pace of the secular changes of the analysed characteristics was also calculated. There was a secular increase in the head length from 1938 to 2020. The breadth of the head decreased between 1938 and 2007, but an increase was noted from 2007 to 2020. Changes analogous to head breadth were noted for the breadth-to-length ratio. The secular changes occurred the fastest between 2007 and 2020 for the length (18-year-olds), breadth (16-year old boys and 18-year-old girls) and the cephalic index (16-year old boys and 17-year-old girls). In conclusion, there was a tendency toward debrachycephalisation in the more contemporary cohorts. Observed changes may be associated with more favourable overall developmental conditions as well as possible changes in the growth tempo of the Polish population.

Femoral head-neck defects are commonly reported in the anatomical and anthropological literature. The best-known types are Poirier's facet and Allen's fossa; however, their aetiology and definition are still debated. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency of Poirier's facet in the skeletal population from Radom (Poland, 14^th-19^th century). Additionally, a comparison of Poirier's facet prevalence in two chronological periods (the populations from Radom during the 14^th-17^th century and the 18^th-19^th century) was done. The femora of 367 adult individuals (184 males, 140 females, 43 unknown sex) from the osteological collections from Radom (14^th-19^th century) (Poland) were analysed according to the frequency of Poirier's facet. In the Late Medieval population from Radom (14^th-17^th century), Poirier's facet was noted in 33% of individuals, while in Radom individuals from 18th-19th century, Poirier's facet was observed in 34%. In the analysed skeletal group, Poirier's facet was usually observed on both femoral bones. Males from 18th-19th century had more occasions of Poirier's facet observed compared to the 14^th-17^th century males, while in females, Poirier's facet was slightly more frequently observed in 14th-17th century Radom individuals. There were not statistically significant differences in the Poirier's facet frequencies between males and females in Radom from the 14^th-17^th century (38% in males, 29% in females). In the Medieval and Modern skeletal series from Radom (18^th-19^th), males had significantly higher frequencies (44%) of this skeletal trait compared to females (18%). It could be hypothesised that 18^th-19^th century Radom males engaged in more demanding physical activity than females. Poor knowledge about Poirier's facet aetiology, insufficient archaeological and historical knowledge about the Radom individuals' lifestyle, and a small sample size from the 14^th-17^th Radom sample do not allow for drawing such unambiguous conclusions, and further analyses are needed.