Estimation of Age-at-Death for Adult Males Using the Acetabulum, Applied to Four Western European Populations *

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73732/1/j.1556-4029.2007.00486.x.pd

Advancing the understanding of treponemal disease in the past and present

Syphilis was perceived to be a new disease in Europe in the late 15th century, igniting a debate about its origin that continues today in anthropological, historical, and medical circles. We move beyond this age-old debate using an interdisciplinary approach that tackles broader questions to advance the understanding of treponemal infection (syphilis, yaws, bejel, and pinta). How did the causative organism(s) and humans co-evolve? How did the related diseases caused by Treponema pallidum emerge in different parts of the world and affect people across both time and space? How are T. pallidum subspecies related to the treponeme causing pinta? The current state of scholarship in specific areas is reviewed with recommendations made to stimulate future work. Understanding treponemal biology, genetic relationships, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations is crucial for vaccine development today and for investigating the distribution of infection in both modern and past populations. Paleopathologists must improve diagnostic criteria and use a standard approach for recording skeletal lesions on archaeological human remains. Adequate contextualization of cultural and environmental conditions is necessary, including site dating and justification for any corrections made for marine or freshwater reservoir effects. Biogeochemical analyses may assess aquatic contributions to diet, physiological changes arising from treponemal disease and its treatments (e.g., mercury), or residential mobility of those affected. Shifting the focus from point of origin to investigating who is affected (e.g., by age/sex or socioeconomic status) and disease distribution (e.g., coastal/ inland, rural/urban) will advance our understanding of the treponemal disease and its impact on people through time

Humeral development from neonatal period to skeletal maturity—application in age and sex assessment

The goal of the present study is to examine cross-sectional information on the growth of the humerus based on the analysis of four measurements, namely, diaphyseal length, transversal diameter of the proximal (metaphyseal) end of the shaft, epicondylar breadth and vertical diameter of the head. This analysis was performed in 181 individuals (90 ♂ and 91 ♀) ranging from birth to 25 years of age and belonging to three documented Western European skeletal collections (Coimbra, Lisbon and St. Bride). After testing the homogeneity of the sample, the existence of sexual differences (Student"s t- and Mann-Whitney U-test) and the growth of the variables (polynomial regression) were evaluated. The results showed the presence of sexual differences in epicondylar breadth above 20 years of age and vertical diameter of the head from 15 years of age, thus indicating that these two variables may be of use in determining sex from that age onward. The growth pattern of the variables showed a continuous increase and followed first- and second-degree polynomials. However, growth of the transversal diameter of the proximal end of the shaft followed a fourth-degree polynomial. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between humeral size and age for each of the four metric variables. These results indicate that any of the humeral measurements studied herein is likely to serve as a useful means of estimating sub-adult age in forensic samples

Letter to the Editor: Comments on"A new method to estimate adult age-at-death using the acetabulum" (Calce, 2012)

In 2006, Rissech and collaborators proposed seven variables of the acetabulum (1, acetabular groove; 2, rim shape; 3, rim porosity; 4, apex activity; 5, activity on the outer edge of the rim fossa; 6, activity of the acetabular fossa, 7, porosities of the acetabular fossa) for their use in adult age estimation. The method was based on a sample of 242 male individuals from the documented collection of Coimbra in Portugal

Pubic growth study: applicability in sexual and age diagnostic.

The growth of five variables of the ischiopubic area was analyzed from bone material from birth to old age. The main purpose was to evaluate its significance and capacity for age and sex determination during and after growth. The material used consisted of 327 specimens from four documented Western European collections. Growth curves were calculated by polynomial regression for two classical variables of the ischiopubic area (pubis length and ischiopubic index) and three new variables of the pubic acetabular area (horizontal and vertical diameter of the pubic acetabular area and the pubic acetabular index). None of the curves showed lineal growth, with the exception of the ischiopubic index and the masculine vertical diameter of the pubis acetabular area. Pubis length has the most complicated growth, expressed by a five-degree polynomial. All the variables are useful for adult sex determination, except the pubic acetabular index. The ischopubic index, vertical diameter of the pubic acetabular area and the pubic acetabular index seem to be good variables for sub-adult sex determination. For age estimation the best variables, in both archaeological and forensic remains, are the absolute measurements (pubic length, vertical and horizontal diameter of the pubis). However, pubis length is the best variable for age estimation because it can be applied until 25 years of age

Sacral fusion as an aid in age estimation

The degree of fusion at the anterior aspect of the sacral vertebrae has been scored in 242 male and female skeletons from the Lisbon documented collection, ranging in age from 16 to 59 years old. Statistical tests indicate a sex difference towards earlier fusion in young females compared with young males, as well as a clear association between degree of fusion and age. Similar results have been found in documented skeletal samples from Coimbra and Sassari, and the recommendations stated by these authors regarding age estimation have been positively tested in the Lisbon collection. Although more research from geographically diverse samples is required, a general picture of the pattern of sacral fusion and its associations with age and sex is emerging. We also provide a practical example of the usefulness of the sacrum in age estimation in a forensic setting, a mass grave from the Spanish Civil War. It is concluded that the scoring of the degree of fusion of the sacral vertebrae, specially of S1-2, can be a simple tool for assigning skeletons to broad age groups, and it should be implemented as another resource for age estimation in the study of human skeletal remains

Humeral development from neonatal period to skeletal maturity—application in age and sex assessment

The goal of the present study is to examine cross-sectional information on the growth of the humerus based on the analysis of four measurements, namely, diaphyseal length, transversal diameter of the proximal (metaphyseal) end of the shaft, epicondylar breadth and vertical diameter of the head. This analysis was performed in 181 individuals (90 ♂ and 91 ♀) ranging from birth to 25 years of age and belonging to three documented Western European skeletal collections (Coimbra, Lisbon and St. Bride). After testing the homogeneity of the sample, the existence of sexual differences (Student"s t- and Mann-Whitney U-test) and the growth of the variables (polynomial regression) were evaluated. The results showed the presence of sexual differences in epicondylar breadth above 20 years of age and vertical diameter of the head from 15 years of age, thus indicating that these two variables may be of use in determining sex from that age onward. The growth pattern of the variables showed a continuous increase and followed first- and second-degree polynomials. However, growth of the transversal diameter of the proximal end of the shaft followed a fourth-degree polynomial. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between humeral size and age for each of the four metric variables. These results indicate that any of the humeral measurements studied herein is likely to serve as a useful means of estimating sub-adult age in forensic samples

The acetabular point: a morphological and ontogenetic study

The acetabular point was analysed by studying human pelvic bones from 326 individuals ranging from newborns to age 97 y. The bones were categorised into 3 groups according to the degree of fusion for the 3 elements of the pelvis: nonfused (59), semifused (5) and fused (262). The acetabular point in immature pelvic bones is clearly represented by the point of the fusion lines for each bony element at the level of the acetabular fossa. In adult pelvic bones the acetabular fossa has an irregular clover-leaf shape, the superior lobe being smaller than the anterior and posterior lobes. Cross-sectional analysis of acetabular morphology suggested that the acetabular point in adult pelvic bones is always represented by the indentation between the superior and the anterior lobes of the acetabular fossa

Development of the femur - Implications for age and sex determination.

Growth of four variables of the femur (diapyseal length, diaphyseal length plus distal epiphysis, maximum length and vertical diameter of the head) was analyzed by polynomial regression for the purpose of evaluating its significance and capacity for age and sex determination throughout the entire life continuum. Materials included in analysis consisted of 346 specimens ranging from birth to 97 years of age from five documented osteological collections of Western European descent. Linear growth was displayed by each of the four variables. Significant sexual dimorphism was identified in two of the femoral measurements, including maximum length and vertical diameter of the head, from age 15 onward. These results indicate that the two variables may be of use in the determination of sex in sex determination from that age onward. Strong correlation coefficients were identified between femoral size and age for each of the four metric variables. These results indicate that any of the femoral measurements is likely to serve as a useful source to estimate sub-adult age in both archaeological and forensic samples

The acetabulum as an adult age marker and the new IDADE2 (the IDADE2 web page)

Objective: In 2006, an age estimation method was proposed utilizing Bayesian inference to interpret age-progressive changes in the acetabulum. This was accompanied by the IDADE2 software to facilitate calculations. However, the MS-DOS operating system on which the software was based became obsolete. The main goal of this article is to present the new IDADE2, which incorporates web-based facilities. Materials and methods: The original IDADE2 has been re-written in R and presented as a web page. As in the original, this web page uses Bayesian inference to estimate age of unidentified individuals. The materials used to create the reference datasets of this web page include acetabular scores from documented skeletal samples from Spain (n = 24♀ and 52♂), Portugal (n = 317♀ and 294♂), and the US (n = 370♀ and 456♂). Results: The IDADE2 website has eight sections. Six of these are informative to guide the user. The other two (Option 1 and Option 2) are dedicated to estimating age at death. Option 1 allows users to estimate the age of individual(s) in their test sample based on our reference data of acetabular scores. Option 2 allows users to estimate age from the acetabulum with their own reference and test collections or— if the users prefer—another age marker and method of choice. Discussion: The IDADE2 website is applicable both to forensic anthropological casework on single individuals and to bioarchaeological analyses of large skeletal samples. This website is easy to use and freely accessible, responding to previous critiques and incorporating method advancements.Journal ArticlePublishe