Homo-Journal of Comparative Human Biology最新文献

Objective. To test the hypothesis that assortative mating for physical characteristics differs before and after major secular increases in height in an indigenous community in the Valley of Oaxaca, Mexico. Methods. Spouse pairs were identified in household and anthropometric surveys of a Zapotec-speaking community in 1978 (n = 68-70 pairs) and 2000 (n = 99-100 pairs). Height, weight, arm circumference, triceps skinfold and grip strength were measured. Assortative mating was calculated as Pearson correlations. Results. Husband-wife correlations for age were high in both years (r = 0.96, 0.95). Assortative mating for height was significant in 1978 (r = 0.35, p < 0.001) and in 2000 (r = 0.21, p < 0.01), but decreased when ages were controlled (1978, 0.21, p < 0.05; 2000, 0.11). Correlations (zero and second order, respectively) were low for the BMI (1978, 0.02, 0.02; 2000, 0.04, 0.05). Spouse correlations for grip strength were significant in both surveys (r = 0.25 to 0.45), but were reduced (p > 0.05) when ages of spouses were controlled (r = -0.02 to 0.16). Conclusion. Assortative mating for physical characteristics did not differ between surveys conducted before (1978) and after (2000) major secular increases in height in the community, and any possible genetic effect of the secular trend on assortative was likely negligible.

Much research has been conducted on the morphological growth and development of Chinese children. However, very few facial measurements have been documented, especially of the sagittal plane of the face. Morphometric variations and growth of the sagittal plane of the face in children were analyzed using geometric morphometric method in this study. The studied sample consisted of 108 boys (4-15 years) from Huzhu County in Qinghai Province of China, which were divided into three groups: 4-6 years old, 7-11 years old and 12-15 years old. It was revealed that the landmark-groups of nose area were relatively long, indicating large variation in the direction of the nasal protuberance, which possibly reflected the vigorous growth of the children's nose. There were larger landmark-groups' variability ranges in children aged 7-11 years, which may be related to the rapid growth in this period. The average morphology of the sagittal plane of the face changed a lot with age, which was showed in the comparison of the averaged graph of three groups: (1) the proportion of the forehead to entire face became smaller; (2) the 7^th landmark extruded more noticeably; (3) the nose became protruding; (4) the position of the mouth was relatively getting more upward, and the angle formed between the upper lip and the lower lip increased, and the lower lip moved forward; (5) the chin protuberated. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed significant differences in the main distribution areas between age group 4-6 years and 12-15 years, even though there was a lot of overlap in the three age groups. Allometric analysis showed that the sagittal plane of the face aged 4-6 years and 7-11 years changed in the following way as the size increased: the forehead became vertical and the upper lip turned to be smaller. Additionally, as the size increased in age group 12-15 years, the most prominent landmark of the forehead became more conspicuous, and the bridge of the nose got more upturned. These may reflect the common morphological features and growing development of the facial sagittal plane of Chinese children.

Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) presents irregular thickening of the frontal bone. Even though HFI is frequently seen during routine radiological imaging, it usually remains unrecorded owing to a common belief that it just represents an incidental finding or anatomical variant. Recent studies implied that HFI may be clinically relevant. Etiology of HFI is still debated, while presumptions are mainly based on altered sex steroids impact on skull bone growth. Some authors implied that frontal bone might be particularly affected by this condition due to specificity of its underlying dura. In this paper we present a 27-years old female patient with a treatment resistant headache. Head CT showed massive, irregular bony mass, with lobulated contours arising from the right frontal bone, but did not cross the fronto-parietal suture, spearing the superior sagittal sinus and skull midline. After surgery, histopathological analysis of the frontal bone sample in our patient showed thickening pattern similar to those described in micro-CT studies of HFI. Furthermore, in an attempt to test speculation of the possible role of estrogen in pathogenesis of HFI, we investigated the expression of α-estrogen receptors on dura of the frontal region. These analyses confirmed nuclear expression of estrogen on frontal region dural tissue, supporting previous speculation of the development mechanisms of HFI and contributing to a better understanding of this common condition of the frontal bone. Additionally, the presence of HFI may result in severe symptomatology, which could be misinterpreted and related to other disorders if HFI is not radiologicaly recognized and reported.

We investigated the feasibility of estimating living stature in Japanese subjects using femoral length and pelvic dimensions measured on three-dimensional (3D) pelvic models reconstructed from cross-sectional computed tomography (CT) images. For this cross-sectional study, we recruited 106 healthy Japanese subjects. Maximum and bicondylar femoral length, as well as pelvic width, depth, and height, were measured on 3D bone models reconstructed from multi-slice CT images. The correlation of stature with each parameter was evaluated, and multiple regression equations were derived as formulae for living stature estimation. Prediction accuracy was evaluated as the mean absolute difference (MAD) between the measured and estimated statures. Maximum and bicondylar femoral lengths were similar and showed strong correlations with stature (> 0.8 in both males and females). Among the pelvic dimensions, height (craniocaudal length) showed the strongest correlation with stature in both males (r = 0.649) and females (r = 0.684). Formulae using femoral length plus pelvic height provided the best estimation of living stature in both males and females (MAD, 25-26 mm). Among the studied pelvic dimensions, height provided the best estimation of living stature when used alone (MAD, 34-36 mm) in both males and females. The intraclass correlation coefficients were high (> 0.9) for both intraobserver and interobserver reliability. Femoral length and pelvic height measured on CT images are reliable predictors of living stature in the Japanese population. Such tools are particularly useful in disaster victim identification, when the long bones are often not intact but the pelvic bones are.

Previous studies have proposed that our ability to produce and use stone tools was the primary selective pressure explaining the evolution of the human hand. Derived traits in humans include a robust first metacarpal and longer thumbs relative to the other fingers. Along with other anatomical peculiarities, humans can exert forceful precision and have powerful grips, and can resist loads during tool production and use. Despite this biomechanical explanation for the morphology of the human hand, limited work has been done on the soft tissue and, therefore, the relationship between the hand bones and the muscles most heavily relied upon during tool-related behaviours still requires thorough investigation. For this purpose, we have dissected 23 forearms and hands of fresh human cadavers of known sex and age at death, and dissected all the muscles attached at the first metacarpal (the first dorsal interosseous, opponens pollicis, and abductor pollicis longus muscles). Variations in physiological cross-sectional area, muscle mass, and fibre length were compared with metacarpal anatomy. In no case bone traits were a significant predictor of muscle features. In contrast, sex and age predicted muscle architecture in several cases, thus substantially affecting the functional analysis based on linear measurements of this bone. The data, therefore, failed to provide a deductive framework for predicting muscle recruitment based on measurements of bone from the fossil record.

Three female skeletons, dated back to the beginning of the 15^th century were recovered during an archaeological excavation in the Guinigi Chapel in Lucca (Italy). Archaeological and historical sources indicated that the remains might be those of Paolo Guinigi's wives. At the beginning of the 15^th century Paolo Guinigi ruled Lucca for nearly 30 years (1400-1429), providing a long period of wealth and peace to the city. In those years of power Paolo Guinigi married four women from different countries. This study is aimed at identifying the three skeletons of Paolo's wives found in the Guinigi Chapel. The three skeletons were identified using a multidisciplinary approach, by integrating historical, archaeological, anthropological, and isotopic data. The anthropological studies evidenced the biological profile of two adult women and of one adolescent female, in agreement with the historical descriptions of three of the four wives of Paolo Guinigi. The isotopic analysis supported the identification of each individual.

Asymmetries in the human face are quite common but do not get enough attention with regard to forensics and criminalistics. A face with asymmetries has a higher recognition value than a face without such morphological deviations. Therefore it is useful to determine the frequency of facial asymmetries to be able to evaluate the individual asymmetries focusing their rarity. This can be used primarily in forensic anthropology, particularly in the identification of persons. This aspect is the basis of this study. Therefore several structures in the faces of 130 volunteers (65 male, 65 female) from southern Germany were examined for asymmetries based on 3D laser scans. The study showed that asymmetries frequently occur in the eyes, the mouth and the ears. Rarer are asymmetries in the bridge of the nose and the shape of the chin. There is also considerable variation in the degree of asymmetry. Basically it can be said that small-scale structures, such as those in the eye area, have less pronounced asymmetries than large-scale structures such as the nose, mouth, chin and ear.

The aim of the present study was to verify the lateral angle method for sex estimation by using computed micro-tomography. Two measurements of the anterior lateral angle of the internal acoustic meatus were assessed. The performed analysis revealed that the mean angle at the level of transverse crest of the fundus of the internal acoustic meatus in adults is significantly greater in females (45.58° vs. 39.68°; p < 0.05). A 45° sectioning point was applied, and sex allocation using this measurement was correct in 81.81% of adult samples. In turn, when utilizing the measurement at the level of modiolus of the cochlea, we did not obtain a satisfactory result in sex classification (59.09%). In subadults (male and female samples), the anterior lateral angles were undifferentiated. Thus, the conducted micro-CT analysis shows that the anterior lateral angle measurement method can be used as a preliminary indication of sex in adult individuals.

The beginning of the early Middle Ages period in Poland (10^th-14^th century) has been widely debated in the context of an active demographic inflow from other countries and its contribution to the creation of the new country. Finding chamber graves which are considered typical for the Scandinavian ethnic group in a few cemeteries in Poland has become the basis for the anthropological inference on the potential participation of North European people in forming the social elite of medieval Poland. However, the question of whether this fact was the result of presence of people from other countries lacks an unambiguous answer. We attempted to isolate ancient DNA from the medieval necropolis in Kałdus where several chamber graves have been found and analysed the genetic diversity of maternal lineage of this population. We analysed the HVR I fragment and coding regions to assess the mitochondrial DNA haplogroup. We have identified a few relatively rare haplogroups (A2, T2b4a, HV, K1a11, J2b1a, and X2) which were previously found in early medieval sites in Norway and Denmark. Obtained results might suggest genetic relation between the people of Kałdus and past northern Europe populations. Present and further research can undoubtedly shed new light on the aspect of the formation of the early medieval Polish population.

Anatomical stature estimation methods reconstruct stature for skeletal specimens by adding up the heights of skeletal elements contributing to stature. In addition, these estimations factor in a certain amount of soft tissue known as "soft tissue correction". Our study focuses on the relationship between living stature and one of the major soft tissue contributors to stature: the intervertebral disc thickness/height. The purpose of this study was to clarify whether intervertebral disc thickness is greater in tall individuals and whether there is a linear correlation between stature and intervertebral disc height. To conduct this study, we utilized a subsample of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort of 1966 (n = 12,058) with known stature. We measured vertebral heights and intervertebral disc heights from low back MRI examination performed at the age of 46 years (n = 200). All subjects were considered healthy with no spinal injuries or pathologies. Our results clearly indicate that stature and intervertebral disc height have positive, statistically significant association. According to our results it is advisable to take into account the individual's skeletal height when soft tissue corrections for anatomical stature estimations are performed. Further studies utilizing full body MRI are needed to produce more accurate soft tissue corrections.