Hydration, pH, pigmentation, sebum and skin texture: an in vivo non invasive study in centenaries

Skin is the largest organ of the human body and during aging it shows easily modifications caused by the senescence. Hydration, pH, pigmentation, sebum and skin texture may undergo modifications, above all in centenaries. We can find some papers that analyse the modifications induced by aging (Marrakchi et al., 2007); but no one of these studies people in the range 90-110 years old. Thus, our work has the aim to verify how these parameters can change. In our study we recruited 80 volunteers of Sardinian population divided in two groups: young and old people. We analyzed levels of sebum, hydration, pigmentation and pH with instruments of Courage + Khazaka electronic GmbH. Then we prepared the imprint that must be observed at SEM. The microscope used was a FEI INSPECT S, wherewith we took some photos of each imprint. The modifications are: hydration and sebum decrease significantly in centenaries; pigmentation and pH levels were higher in the old volunteers like demonstrated by other authors (Stucker et al., 2002). Studying skin texture, we found a diminution of furrows in old people. We can say that decrease of hydration and sebum is mainly linked to low level of hormones, such as estrogens and androgens, while the augmentation of pigmentation is due to the thinness of skin; the higher values of pH have probably a relation with a minor presence of sebum and water in cutaneous surface. Furthermore, accuracy of the pictures taken with SEM demonstrates that the study of skin texture associated with analysis of pH, sebum, pigmentation and hydration can help the comprehension of skin aging

Histological, immunohistochemical and anthropological study among mummies coming from different geographic areas

Following the discovery of two partially mummified corps in a Cathedral of Castelsardo, to better understand the mummification process it was decided to compare them with a peruvian mummy given to the University of Sassari in the late ‘800. The aim of this work is to compare tissue conservation status by a morphological study supported by anthropological analysis. Samples of skin and muscle were taken and rehydrated in Sadison’s solution to be subjected to histological and immunohistochemical procedures. To establish sex, death-age and height we worked following classical methods (Ferembach 1980; Uberlaker 1989; Meindl and Lovejoy 1985). Castelsardo’s mummies conditions are generally fair, although very variable in different points of the body: the former is male, with death-age between 45-55 years. His height is 171 cm. The latter female, with death-age between 60-67 years. Her height is 157 cm. She shows reduction of some intersomatic spaces, spondyloarthropathy and scoliosis. The muscular and cutaneous tissues show a good conservation, in particular the former presents a fibrillar structure well-preserved, boundaries free between cells. The peruvian mummy is male, with death-age older than 25 years. His height is 160 cm. He shows osteophytosis at lumbar area with a collapse of the body at 4th lumbar vertebra; his conditions are overall good however the tissues show a poor conservation where a structural organization cannot be distinguished. This study allowed us to obtain paleo and microanatomy informations and to describe the morphological characteristics of mummified tissues

Bioarchaeological analysis of Castelsardo’s Mummies

In the early months of 2011, during the restoration of Sant’Antonio Abate’s Cathedral in Castelsardo came to light environments remained hidden so far, which aroused considerable interest both for the archaeological and anthropological point of view for the discovery of a cemetery crypt with numerous human remains dating from the eighteenth to nineteenth century. Archaeological investigations took place at different times and in different ways during the months of January to April of 2011, which allowed to detect a burial site, with a great number of individuals organized in several layers piled up at the bottom of the crypt, and to define some stages in the building of the church, mainly in its monumental transition from Romanesque structure to new cathedral seat of the diocese. Eighteen individuals of both sexes, were finally identified at different levels, including 16 partially mummified and 2 almost entirelly mummified deposited on a sort of open plank, that, from the archeological point of view, represented the crypt closing point. The found remains were studied in order to obtain interesting bioarchaeological information determining some peculiar characteristics regarding the medical and the scientific aspects, more precisely age of death, sex, stature in life, pathological conditions, and to evaluate the state of conservation of mummified tissues, describing the morphological characteristics by histological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural techniques

Anthropological investigation on the remains of “Sa Figu” tomb II (Ittiri-Sassari) early bronze age

The excavations carried out in tomb II belonging to the hypogeic necropolis of “Sa Figu”, near the village of Ittiri, (Sassari, Italy) supplied human bone remains and pottery unambiguously referred to the Early Bronze Age (characterized by the local culture of “Bonnannaro”). Our work is an anthropological study, it focused on analysis of human remains. The aim of our paper was to obtain the minimum number of individuals (MNI), sex, death age and analysis of paleopathologies. In order to establish sex of single individuals we followed the work lines of Ferembach (Ferembach et al, 1980),and also sex has been determined by using a method based on equation of discriminant functions, since the only bones intact and in large number were talus and calcaneus. The estimation of age at death was essentially based on the diaphysis size (Uberlaker, 1989), on the cranial sutures obliteration (Meindl and Lovejoy, 1985), for adult, and for subadults on the diaphysis size, welding between epiphysis and diaphysis and on teeth formation and eruption according to Ubelaker. The minimum number of individuals is 63 persons, 39 are adults and 24 are subadults. We were able to recognize the sex of 30 individuals by observing the morphological and metric features of talus. Moreover, we have recognized 14 male and 16 female individuals while the remaining bones were too small and fragmented to proceed further. Analyzing bone fragments we recovered differents paleopathologies including arthropathies, hereditary skeletal dysplasia, tumours, dental-alveolar diseases and many henthesopathies