Morphometric analysis of modern human crania: a framework for assessing early Pleistocene homonids

Craniofacial measurements have been obtained from modern human skulls from cadavers representing several southern African population groups including Ndebele, Shangaan, Sotho, Swazi, Tswana, Xhosa and Zulu, in addition to European Homo sapiens. The measurements were obtained from crania in the Dart Collection housed at the School of Anatomical Sciences of the University of the Witwatersrand. Pairwise comparisons, using least squares linear regression analysis of cranial measurements, were used to calculate the standard error of them-coefficient associated with the general equation y = mx + c, where m is the slope of the regression line. The standard error of the m-coefficient is a measure of the degree of similarity between specimens. Log transformed s.e.m values (log s.e.m) show a normal distribution with a mean value of –1.84 ± 0.087 (n = 384 pairwise comparisons). These results can be used as a frame of reference for comparing Early Pleistocene specimens. For example, a comparison between KNM-ER 1813 (attributed to H. habilis) and KNM-ER 3733 (attributed to H. erectus or H. ergaster) is associated with a log s.e.m value of –1.844. Despite differences in size, these two penecontemporary hominid fossils are associated with a high probability of conspecificity, since the log s.e.m value is identical to the mean log s.e.m value of –1.84 obtained for pairwise comparisons of modern Homo sapiens

Osteogenic tumour in Australopithecus sediba: Earliest hominin evidence for neoplastic disease

We describe the earliest evidence for neoplastic disease in the hominin lineage. This is reported from the type specimen of the extinct hominin Australopithecus sediba from Malapa, South Africa, dated to 1.98 million years ago. The affected individual was male and developmentally equivalent to a human child of 12 to 13 years of age. A penetrating lytic lesion affected the sixth thoracic vertebra. The lesion was macroscopically evaluated and internally imaged through phase-contrast X-ray synchrotron microtomography. A comprehensive differential diagnosis was undertaken based on gross- and micro-morphology of the lesion, leading to a probable diagnosis of osteoid osteoma. These neoplasms are solitary, benign, osteoid and bone-forming tumours, formed from well-vascularised connective tissue within which there is active production of osteoid and woven bone. Tumours of any kind are rare in archaeological populations, and are all but unknown in the hominin record, highlighting the importance of this discovery. The presence of this disease at Malapa predates the earliest evidence of malignant neoplasia in the hominin fossil record by perhaps 200 000 years.NCS201

Earliest hominin cancer: 1.7-million-year- old osteosarcoma from Swartkrans Cave, South Africa

The reported incidence of neoplasia in the extinct human lineage is rare, with only a few confirmed cases of Middle or Later Pleistocene dates reported. It has generally been assumed that premodern incidence of neoplastic disease of any kind is rare and limited to benign conditions, but new fossil evidence suggests otherwise. We here present the earliest identifiable case of malignant neoplastic disease from an early human ancestor dated to 1.8–1.6 million years old. The diagnosis has been made possible only by advances in 3D imaging methods as diagnostic aids. We present a case report based on re-analysis of a hominin metatarsal specimen (SK 7923) from the cave site of Swartkrans in the Cradle of Humankind, South Africa. The expression of malignant osteosarcoma in the Swartkrans specimen indicates that whilst the upsurge in malignancy incidence is correlated with modern lifestyles, there is no reason to suspect that primary bone tumours would have been any less frequent in ancient specimens. Such tumours are not related to lifestyle and often occur in younger individuals. As such, malignancy has a considerable antiquity in the fossil record, as evidenced by this specimen.NCS201

Management of KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Infections

Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-KP) has become one of the most important contemporary pathogens, especially in endemic areas