The carrying angle: racial differences and relevance to inter-epicondylar distance of the humerus

The human carrying angle (CA) is a measure of the lateral deflection of the forearm from the arm. The importance of this angle emerges from its functional and clinical relevance. Previous studies have correlated this angle with different parameters including age, gender, and handedness. However, no reports have focused on race-dependent variations in CA or its relation to various components of the elbow joint. This study aimed to investigate the variations in CA with respect to race and inter-epicondylar distance (IED) of the humerus. The study included 457 Jordanian and 345 Malaysian volunteers with an age range of 18–21 years. All participants were right-hand dominant with no previous medical history in their upper limbs. Both CA and IED were measured by well-trained medical practitioners according to a well-established protocol. Regardless of race, CA was greater on the dominant side and in females. Furthermore, CA was significantly greater in Malaysian males compared to Jordanian males, and significantly smaller in Malaysian females compared to their Jordanian counterparts. Finally, CA significantly decreased with increasing IED in both races. This study supports effects of gender and handedness on the CA independent of race. However, CA also varies with race, and this variation is independent of age, gender, and handedness. The evaluation also revealed an inverse relationship between CA and IED. These findings indicate that multiple factors including race and IED should be considered during the examination and management of elbow fractures and epicondylar diseases

A cephalometric morphometric study of age- and gender-dependent shape patterns of the sella turcica

The sella turcica is an important anatomic and radiologic entity. The shape of the sella turcica varies among normal individuals and can be influenced by local factors. The normal shape of sella turcica has been categorized as circular, oval, and flat, and several variants have been described. The sella turcica increases in size with age, but there is no agreement upon significance of gender-related differences. The main objective of this study is to build up a normative database of the shape of the sella turcica in the Jordanian population with reference to age and gender. For this purpose 509 computed cephalograms: 252 males and 257 females, aged 10 to 40 years old healthy Jordanians were collected and divided into adolescent and adult age groups in both genders. Viewbox 3 software was used to determine width and height, and shape of the sella turcica was accordingly assessed. Variants of shape were also documented. Our results showed that females exhibit higher percentage of overall normal shape but lower relative percentages of oval and flat shapes, as compared with males. In contrast to males, females also show decreasing trend of normal shape as age advances. Females and males change obviously in favor of oval shape. In terms of variants, as individuals advance in age, bridging and irregular dorsum clearly predominate. In terms of width and height, significant differences were evident between adult male group on one hand and adolescent female group and adult female group on the other hand. Between age categories and within male and female groups, sella linear dimensions were significantly different between adolescent and adult age groups. The significant increase of linear parameters of sella turcica across age groups indicates that there is significant degree of growth in sella turcica across the studied age groups. However, this growth does not affect the shape of sella turcica as the shape seems to be preserved across the studied age groups. The obtained data are discussed in terms of age- and gender-related growth and degenerative bone changes

A cephalometric morphometric study of age- and gender-dependent shape patterns of the sella turcica

The sella turcica is an important anatomic and radiologic entity. The shape of the sella turcica varies among normal individuals and can be influenced by local factors. The normal shape of sella turcica has been categorized as circular, oval, and flat, and several variants have been described. The sella turcica increases in size with age, but there is no agreement upon significance of gender-related differences. The main objective of this study is to build up a normative database of the shape of the sella turcica in the Jordanian population with reference to age and gender. For this purpose 509 computed cephalograms: 252 males and 257 females, aged 10 to 40 years old healthy Jordanians were collected and divided into adolescent and adult age groups in both genders. Viewbox 3 software was used to determine width and height, and shape of the sella turcica was accordingly assessed. Variants of shape were also documented. Our results showed that females exhibit higher percentage of overall normal shape but lower relative percentages of oval and flat shapes, as compared with males. In contrast to males, females also show decreasing trend of normal shape as age advances. Females and males change obviously in favor of oval shape. In terms of variants, as individuals advance in age, bridging and irregular dorsum clearly predominate. In terms of width and height, significant differences were evident between adult male group on one hand and adolescent female group and adult female group on the other hand. Between age categories and within male and female groups, sella linear dimensions were significantly different between adolescent and adult age groups. The significant increase of linear parameters of sella turcica across age groups indicates that there is significant degree of growth in sella turcica across the studied age groups. However, this growth does not affect the shape of sella turcica as the shape seems to be preserved across the studied age groups. The obtained data are discussed in terms of age- and gender-related growth and degenerative bone changes.This work has been supported by Grant No: 89/2015 by the Faculty of Research at Jordan University of Science and TechnologyScopu

Morphometric Analysis of the Corpus Callosum According to Age and Sex in Middle Eastern Arabs: Racial Comparisons and Clinical Correlations to Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study sought to examine the influence of age and sex on morphometric measurements of the corpus callosum (CC) within Middle Eastern Arab population, in order to obtain reference data and conduct racial comparisons with previously reported measurements from other ethnicities. Furthermore, it aimed to investigate CC variations that may occur in children with autism. To this end, magnetic resonance images of normal brains were acquired from three different age groups, consisting of children, younger adults, and older adults. Brain images were also acquired from boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The CC length, area, and thickness were measured. The CC length was smaller in children than in the other age groups, but no difference in CC length was found between younger and older adults. The CC area and thickness were greater in younger adults than in children and older adults, and greater in older adults than in children. With regard to sexual dimorphism, the CC area and forebrain volume were larger in male children than in female children. No sex-related differences in CC area or thickness were found in adults. However, the ratio of CC area to the forebrain volume was greater in adult females than in males, owing to the smaller forebrain volume in females. The absolute length of the CC was greater in older adult males than in their female counterparts. In addition, significant differences in CC measurements were found in comparison to measurements obtained from other ethnicities. Lastly, significant reductions in CC area and thickness were found in boys with ASD compared to their neurotypical peers. In conclusion, age and sex significantly influence morphometric measurements of CC in Middle Eastern Arab population. This study points to the presence of racial differences in CC size. Finally, it reveals that children with ASD display a distinct reduction in CC size compared to neurotypical children of the same ethnicity.Funds for the conduction of this study were provided by the Deanship of Research at Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan (Grant # 20160212). Publication fees were provided by a grant to MZA from the Office of Research at United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, UAE (Grant # G00003289, Fund # 31M441)