Homo-Journal of Comparative Human Biology最新文献

Somatotype and body composition (BC) are related to athletes' physical fitness and performance. The aims of this study were (a) to determine the somatotype and BC profiles of children and adolescent male basketball players and (b) to investigate the relationship between somatotype and BC. Four hundred forty-nine children and adolescent male basketball players between the ages of 7-17 participated in the study voluntarily. Somatotype scores were determined according to the Heath & Carter method, and BC was evaluated by the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) method. Pearson correlation test was used to determine the relationship between somatotype and BC. A significant positive relationship between body mass (BM), body fat (BF), body mass index (BMI), and fat mass (FM) with endomorphy and mesomorphy scores; a significant negative relationship between body height (BH) with endomorphy and mesomorphy scores were found. In addition, ectomorphy scores were significantly positively correlated with BH and negative with other parameters. This current research shows that as age increases, BH, BM, BMI, and FM increase, and BF, endomorphy, and mesomorphy scores decrease. With increasing age, the somatotype score changes from endomorphic mesomorphy (5-7-2) to balanced mesomorphy (3-6-3). The comprehensive data presented in this study can serve as a reference value and be used as an indicator for children and adolescent basketball coaches.

A sedentary lifestyle, characterised by a lack of physical activity, negatively influences Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI may be related to the prevalence of flat feet. This study aims to observe the occurrence of flat feet in young children and determine its association with BMI. Additionally, it aims to analyse foot loading in the forefoot, midfoot and rearfoot. Dynamographic records of children (N = 142; age = 10.3 ± 0.21 years) were collected during walking, and foot-type evaluations were conducted using a force plate. A normal foot type was observed in 44% of children (BMI 16.0 ± 2.3 kg/m²). Flat feet were observed in 54% of children (BMI 18.4 ± 4.3 kg/m²). A high foot arch was observed in only 2% of children (BMI 16.0 ± 1.3 kg/m²). Children with flat feet had higher BMI values than those with normal feet. The contact time and maximal vertical force in the forefoot and rearfoot were similar in children with normal and flat feet. Significantly higher pressure values were observed in the midfoot zone of children with flat feet. Regression analysis results showed that in children with flat feet, there is a decrease in forefoot loading and an increase in midfoot loading with increasing BMI. This trend was not observed in children with normal feet. We recommend incorporating exercise interventions at this age to prevent pain and promote willingness to engage in physical activity. Higher BMI values indicate an increased risk for the prevalence of flat feet.

In 1996, Grün and coworkers provided an ESR age determination for a hominin molar from Florisbad, South Africa, at 259 ± 35 ka. The most anatomically informative hominin specimen from Florisbad is a fragmentary craniofacial specimen, attributed by many to early Homo sapiens, which has been assumed to derive from the same individual as this tooth. Since 1996, evidence about the evolutionary context for the later Middle Pleistocene and its associated hominins in Africa had markedly changed. If the Florisbad date is accurate and if the molar is associated with the craniofacial specimen, this evidence may suggest that Homo naledi coexisted in time and geography with H. sapiens in southern Africa. Thus, the accuracy for all dates needs critical investigation. This study examines the published record of excavation and subsequent analyses for the Florisbad material. We find that the contemporary records raise doubt about the contemporaneity of the tooth and calvaria. The site's complex stratigraphy and the details about the tooth's discovery also pose challenges for the previous ESR age estimate. Because the fragmentary cranial specimen has value for morphological comparisons, developing additional means of understanding its geological age is necessary. The current data do not demonstrate the presence of H. sapiens in southern Africa at ~260 ka.

With the implementation of the three-child policy in China, the debate between fertility and health and longevity has again become a hot topic in the era of increasing ageing. This study aimed to explore the association between reproductive behaviour and longevity of older women and men in China. Based on data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) from 2014 to 2018, a total of 1428 deceased older people were enrolled in the study, including 421 centenarians and 1007 non-centenarians. The analysis of the association between fertility and longevity was conducted in the multivariate logistic regression. Compared to women aged 99 years and below, centenarian women had significantly fewer children (p < 0.01), fewer sons (p < 0.01) and fewer daughters. Centenarian men had more children, more daughters and fewer sons. For both men and women, centenarians were significantly characterized by later age at first birth (p < 0.01) and later age at last birth (p < 0.01). Centenarians were significantly characterized by having children and having a daughter, however, non-centenarians were significantly characterized by having a son (p < 0.01). The association between fertility and health of both men and women should be taken into account in the development of fertility policies and supporting policies. Fertility levels should be increased without compromising the health benefits of individuals in their later years.

Five cranial nonmetric traits for sex estimation for sex estimation are classified by score according to geometry. The population of origin is one of the factors influencing cranial nonmetric traits. Moreover, among the five cranial traits, the robust traits for estimating sex varied across population. The aim of this study is to suggest the most useful method for sex estimation and demonstrate the need of a suitable method for each population. One-hundred thirty-five three-dimensional skull images from 21^st century Korean autopsy cadavers were evaluated using the ordinal scoring system of five cranial nonmetric traits as outlined in Buikstra & Ubelaker (1994). All scores of each trait were analyzed by linear discriminant and decision tree analyses for sex estimation. The frequency of each trait was analyzed and compared to populations from other studies. The accuracy for both sexes was 88.1% by discriminant analysis and 90.4% by decision tree. The traits with the highest accuracy were the glabella and mastoid process in both discriminant analysis and decision tree. Sex estimation in modern Korean cadavers using the cranial nonmetric method was shown to be highly accurate by both discriminant analysis and decision tree. When comparing the pattern of frequency scores in this study with those of other populations, the pattern of trait scores for estimating sex was different for each population, even among populations in the same Asian region, which suggests the need for methods suited for specific populations.

As modern populations are living longer, age-related health issues have become more common. One growing concern is the age-related bone density loss that increases the individual's risk for fractures, which unfortunately seems to disproportionately afflict women. These fractures are not only detrimental to the individuals' lives but also come with a great economic burden to the societies. Although age-related bone loss is a normal phenomenon, studies on archaeological individuals have demonstrated that the pattern how this occurs has experienced changes due to our changing lifestyles. Hence, to add to our understanding of secular trends in age-related bone loss, we studied age- and sex-related differences in vertebral and femoral bone densities of a recent past population of late 19^th and early 20^th century Americans. We used a sample of 114 individuals (55 males, 59 females) from the Robert J. Terry Anatomical Skeletal Collection. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT) was used to scan the dry bones. We took one scan from the 4^th lumbar vertebra and three scans from the femur. The associations between the age, sex and bone density were analyzed. We were able to detect age-related bone loss in both vertebra and femur. It was observed that men tended to lose more bone density on the vertebra, whereas bone loss in women was more pronounced in the femur. We speculate that differences to modern and earlier archaeological populations are related to the major lifestyle differences between the periods.

Discussions of the evolution of sexual dimorphism in torso shape and the pectoral region assume that this dimorphism exists independently of body size. We test this assumption in two human populations and further examine what is needed to understand sexual dimorphism in the pectoral region. Modern human males have broad shoulders and narrow hips relative to females, lending males a more triangular torso. The wider female pelvis is commonly attributed to obstetric pressures while the broader male pectoral girdle has been argued to be an adaptation that improves hunting or intrasexual competition. While sexual dimorphism in the pelvic girdle is known to exist after adjusting for body size across human populations, most studies of sexual dimorphism in the pectoral girdle have not adjusted the data to account for sexual size dimorphism or compared different ancestral groups. The aforementioned hypotheses explaining sexual dimorphism in the clavicle and scapula as products of natural selection are predicated on the untested assumption that sex differences do not scale with body size. This study tests this assumption by comparing various measurements of the pectoral girdle, the pelvic girdle, and six pectoral-pelvic indices of black and white South Africans of known sex and height to test whether the sexes and ancestral groups will differ in these values after adjusting for differences in body size. Comparisons of ancestral groups reveal that white South Africans have larger pectoral and pelvic dimensions than black South Africans, but that blacks have larger index values than whites. Regardless of differences in ancestry and body size, males have significantly broader pectoral regions as indicated by comparisons of both individual pectoral measurements and pectoral-pelvic indices. This pattern of sexual dimorphism is reversed in the pelvic region where females have larger skeletal elements. In addition to finding both absolute and relative differences in mean values for the pectoral and pelvic skeleton, females and males and blacks and whites differ in the scaling relationship of these traits, suggesting different allometric trajectories for these bones that may be explained by their distinct evolutionary functions, their adaptations to specific environments, or by changes in lengths due to age. These results suggest that sexual dimorphism in the pectoral region is not a product of scaling and that differences in this region reflect adaptive forces acting in unique ways on each sex, consistent with the assumptions of earlier evolutionary explanations.

The paper presents the skeletal remains of an adult male of 30-40 years with bone lesions and deformity on the left hip, recovered during the archaeological excavation below the former Basilica of San Dionigi, dated to Late Antiquity (3^rd - 5^th century AD) Milan. Biological profile and paleopathological analysis were performed following standard references and the bones underwent radiological examination. Differential diagnosis included congenital anomaly, active rickets, infectious diseases, femoral neck trauma, Legg-Carvé-Perthes disease, Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SFCE), osteogenesis imperfecta and osteoporosis. While the lesions were highly consistent with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease, they were typical of SFCE, complicated by an avascular necrosis and secondary osteoarthrosis. The alteration of the femoral head led to a 7.8% leg-length discrepancy, causing gait alteration with partial compensation though increased muscular activity on the right leg, reduced mobility of the joint and potentially hip pain, difficulty in walking and running and even limping. This paper explores a case of physical disability from the Roman era found near a Christian place of worship and represents a rare case of SFCE in the paleopathological record.

This paper presents the changes caused by macroabrasion of teeth on skeletal remains found in tomb No 4 in the west necropolis of the archeological site Kopila near Blato on the island of Korčula. The site archeologically dates back to the Late Iron Age, when the island was inhabited by the Illyrians. The aim of this study was to assess the dental age of the buried individuals at death and determine the type of their diet, which could give us a preliminary insight into the socio-economic standard of the inhabitants of the settlement. The analyzed sample is part of the collection of excavated skeletal remains kept in the Vela Luka Cultural Center on the island of Korčula. 284 permanent teeth, 19 fragments of the maxilla and 20 fragments of the mandible were found in the tomb, which were classified into 32 individuals and by sex. Teeth were analyzed by metric and non-metric methods of determining dental status in order to assess the dental age at the time of death and the diet of the inhabitants. The dental age of individuals was determined by the Lovejoy method and the degree of tooth wear by the Smith-Knight method. The analysis of the stable isotope ¹⁴C determined the exact time of death of the analyzed individuals. The tooth wear changes were very pronounced and present on 92.9% of teeth, equally on incisors and molars (p = 0.236). There is no significant gender difference (p > 0.05 for all teeth and jaw parts). There was no difference in the degree of tooth wear of the teeth of the mandible and maxilla (t = -0.266, p = 0.791), nor in the degree of tooth wear of the teeth of the maxilla right and left (t = -0.392, p = 0.702) or in the degree of tooth wear of the teeth of the mandible right and left (t = -0.889, p = 0.390). The average age of the analyzed population sample was 35.6 (±3.1) years. They were buried between 360-40 BC. Tooth wear changes observed on the analyzed teeth indicate a diet rich in hard, weakly cariogenic food with particles that were probably of inorganic origin, which caused an increased wear of tooth structures. The population was sedentary, agricultural type and the life expectancy was normal for the Late Iron Age. Besides, their socio-economic status was good. The age at the time of their death was between 30 and 40 years. Further studies should include more accurate and standardized methods for assessing the condition.