100 research outputs found
Variation in tibia and fibula diaphyseal strength and its relationship with arboreal and terrestrial locomotion: extending the investigation to non-hominoid primates
Here I present results of the study of relative fibular strength including cercopithecine pri-mates (Macaca fascicularis and Papio Anubis) and measurements of the more distal aspects (20% of bone mechanical length) of both the tibia and fibula. Papio anubis and M. fascicularis were selected because they are phylogenetically distant from hominoids but closely related to each other and vary in their degree of arboreal travel
Chapter Monitoring online perception of environmental issues on coasts of Sicily
The analysis of big data on human experience (reviews, comments, ratings, etc.) can provide valuable insights to companies and institutions. This pioneer study applied the artificial intelligence proprietary tools of The Data Appeal Company for a different aim: monitoring the online perception of environmental issues on 88 beaches of Sicily. Results proved that it is possible to monitor environmental situation even to sites where there are no other kind of monitoring, using as bases the free and available contents posted by humans online, processed and analyzed by artificial intelligenc
morphomap : An R package for long bone landmarking, cortical thickness, and cross-sectional geometry mapping
OBJECTIVES: This study describes and demonstrates the functionalities and application of a new R package, morphomap, designed to extract shape information as semilandmarks in multiple sections, build cortical thickness maps, and calculate biomechanical parameters on long bones. METHODS: morphomap creates, from a single input (an oriented 3D mesh representing the long bone surface), multiple evenly spaced virtual sections. morphomap then directly and rapidly computes morphometric and biomechanical parameters on each of these sections. The R package comprises three modules: (a) to place semilandmarks on the inner and outer outlines of each section, (b) to extract cortical thicknesses for 2D and 3D morphometric mapping, and (c) to compute cross-sectional geometry. RESULTS: In this article, we apply morphomap to femora from Homo sapiens and Pan troglodytes to demonstrate its utility and show its typical outputs. morphomap greatly facilitates rapid analysis and functional interpretation of long bone form and should prove a valuable addition to the osteoarcheological analysis software toolkit. CONCLUSIONS: Long bone loading history is commonly retrodicted by calculating biomechanical parameters such as area moments of inertia, analyzing external shape and measuring cortical thickness. morphomap is a software written in the open source R environment, it integrates the main methodological approaches (geometric morphometrics, cortical morphometric maps, and cross-sectional geometry) used to parametrize long bones
Three-dimensional geometric morphometric analysis of the first metacarpal distal articular surface in humans, great apes and fossil hominins
Understanding the manual abilities of fossil hominins has been a focus of palaeoanthropological research for decades. Of interest are the morphological characteristics of the thumb due to its fundamental role in manipulation, particularly that of the trapeziometacarpal joint. Considerably less attention has been given to the thumb metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint, which plays a role in stabilizing the thumb during forceful grasps and precision pinching. In this study we use a three-dimensional geometric morphometric approach to quantify the shape of the first metacarpal head in extant hominids (Homo, Pan, Gorilla and Pongo) and six fossil hominin species (Homo neanderthalensis Tabun C1 and La Chappelle-aux-Saints, Homo naledi U.W. 101-1282, Australopithecus sediba MH2, Paranthropus robustus/early Homo SK84, Australopithecus africanus StW 418, Australopithecus afarensis A.L. 333w-39), with the aims of identifying shapes that may be correlated with human-like forceful opposition and determining if similar morphologies are present in fossil hominins. Results show that humans differ from extant great apes by having a distally flatter articular surface, larger epicondyle surface area, and a larger radial palmar condyle. We suggest that this suite of features is correlated with a lower range of motion at the MCP joint, which would enhance the thumbs ability to resist the elevated loads associated with the forceful precision grips typical of humans. Great ape genera are each differentiated by distinctive morphological features, each of which is consistently correlated with the predicted biomechanical demands of their particular locomotor and/or manipulatory habits. Neanderthals and U.W. 101-1282 fall within the modern human range of variation, StW 418, SK 84 and U.W. 88-119 fall in between humans and great apes, and A.L. 333w-39 falls within Pan variation. These results agree with those of traditional linear analyses while providing a more comprehensive quantitative basis from which to interpret the hand functional morphology of extinct hominins
Application of geometric morphometrics and cross-sectional geometry to the study of the morpho-functional dynamics of the femur: a preliminary analysis
The Locomotion of Babakotia radofilai Inferred From Epiphyseal and Diaphyseal Morphology of the Humerus and Femur
Palaeopropithecids, or “sloth lemurs,” are a
diverse clade of large-bodied Malagasy subfossil primates
characterized by their inferred suspensory positional
behavior. The most recently discovered genus of the
palaeopropithecids is Babakotia, and it has been
described as more arboreal than Mesopropithecus, but
less than Palaeopropithecus. In this article, the withinbone
and between-bones articular and cross-sectional
diaphyseal proportions of the humerus and femur of
Babakotia were compared to extant lemurs, Mesopropithecus
and Palaeopropithecus in order to further understand
its arboreal adaptations. Additionally, a sample of
apes and sloths (Choloepus and Bradypus) are included
as functional outgroups composed of suspensory adapted
primates and non-primates. Results show that Babakotia
and Mesopropithecus both have high humeral/femoral
shaft strength proportions, similar to extant great apes
and sloths and indicative of forelimb suspensory behavior,
with Babakotia more extreme in this regard. All three
subfossil taxa have relatively large femoral heads, also
associated with suspension in modern taxa. However,
Babakotia and Mesopropithecus (but not Palaeopropithecus)
have relatively small femoral head surface area to
shaft strength proportions suggesting that hind-limb positioning
in these taxa during climbing and other behaviors
was different than in extant great apes, involving
less mobility. Knee and humeral articular dimensions
relative to shaft strengths are small in Babakotia and
Mesopropithecus, similar to those found in modern sloths
and divergent from those in extant great apes and
lemurs, suggesting more sloth-like use of these joints during
locomotion. Mesopropithecus and Babakotia are more
similar to Choloepus in humerofemoral head and length
proportions while Palaeopropithecus is more similar to
Bradypus. These results provide further evidence of the
suspensory adaptations of Babakotia and further highlight
similarities to both extant suspensory primates and
non-primate slow arboreal climbers and hangers
Morphometric maps of bilateral asymmetry in the human humerus : An implementation in the R package morphomap
In biological anthropology, parameters relating to cross-sectional geometry are calculated in paired long bones to evaluate the degree of lateralization of anatomy and, by inference, function. Here, we describe a novel approach, newly added to the morphomap R package, to assess the lateralization of the distribution of cortical bone along the entire diaphysis. The sample comprises paired long bones belonging to 51 individuals (10 females and 41 males) from The New Mexico Decedent Image Database with known biological profile, occupational and loading histories. Both males and females show a pattern of right lateralization. In addition, males are more lateralized than females, whereas there is not a significant association between lateralization with occupation and loading history. Body weight, height and long-bone length are the major factors driving the emergence of asymmetry in the humerus, while interestingly, the degree of lateralization decreases in the oldest individuals
Virtual excavation and analysis of the early Neanderthal cranium from Altamura (Italy).
The online version contains supplementary material
available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-023-04644-1.Complete Neanderthal skeletons are almost unique findings. A very well-preserved specimen of this kind was discovered in 1993 in the deepest recesses of a karstic system near the town of Altamura in Southern Italy. We present here a detailed description of the cranium, after we virtually extracted it from the surrounding stalagmites and stalactites. The morphology of the Altamura cranium fits within the Neanderthal variability, though it retains features occurring in more archaic European samples. Some of these features were never observed in Homo neanderthalensis, i.e. in fossil specimens dated between 300 and 40 ka. Considering the U-Th age we previously obtained (>130 ka), the morphology of Altamura suggests that the archaic traits it retains may have been originated by geographic isolation of the early Neanderthal populations from Southern Italy.Depto. de Geodinámica, EstratigrafĂa y PaleontologĂaFac. de Ciencias GeolĂłgicasTRUEItalian Ministry of Education, University and Researchpu
Prescription appropriateness of anti-diabetes drugs in elderly patients hospitalized in a clinical setting: evidence from the REPOSI Register
Diabetes is an increasing global health burden with the highest prevalence (24.0%) observed in elderly people. Older diabetic adults have a greater risk of hospitalization and several geriatric syndromes than older nondiabetic adults. For these conditions, special care is required in prescribing therapies including anti- diabetes drugs. Aim of this study was to evaluate the appropriateness and the adherence to safety recommendations in the prescriptions of glucose-lowering drugs in hospitalized elderly patients with diabetes. Data for this cross-sectional study were obtained from the REgistro POliterapie-Società Italiana Medicina Interna (REPOSI) that collected clinical information on patients aged ≥ 65 years acutely admitted to Italian internal medicine and geriatric non-intensive care units (ICU) from 2010 up to 2019. Prescription appropriateness was assessed according to the 2019 AGS Beers Criteria and anti-diabetes drug data sheets.Among 5349 patients, 1624 (30.3%) had diagnosis of type 2 diabetes. At admission, 37.7% of diabetic patients received treatment with metformin, 37.3% insulin therapy, 16.4% sulfonylureas, and 11.4% glinides. Surprisingly, only 3.1% of diabetic patients were treated with new classes of anti- diabetes drugs. According to prescription criteria, at admission 15.4% of patients treated with metformin and 2.6% with sulfonylureas received inappropriately these treatments. At discharge, the inappropriateness of metformin therapy decreased (10.2%, P < 0.0001). According to Beers criteria, the inappropriate prescriptions of sulfonylureas raised to 29% both at admission and at discharge. This study shows a poor adherence to current guidelines on diabetes management in hospitalized elderly people with a high prevalence of inappropriate use of sulfonylureas according to the Beers criteria
Homo naledi: scoperta e descrizione di una nuova specie di Homo
Homo naledi è una nuova specie di ominine estinto scoperta nella Camera di Dinaledi nel sistema di
caverne di Rising Star nella Cradle of Humankind in Sudafrica. Sono stati trovati circa 1550 fossili
di ominine che rappresentano la piĂą grande raccolta di fossili ominini in Africa. Il numero minimo di
individui presenti nella Camera è stato stimato in 15 individui e la maggior parte delle sezioni scheletriche
sono rappresentate molteplici volte. La specie è caratterizzata da statura e massa corporea
simili a popolazioni moderne di piccola corporatura, ma la capacità cranica è molto piccola, simile
agli australopitechi. La morfologia cranica di H. naledi è unica ma simile ai primi rappresentanti
del genere Homo. Ancorché primitiva, la dentizione è in genere piccola e presenta una morfologia
occlusale semplice. Homo naledi ha adattamenti moderni nel polso e nella mano, nell’arto inferiore e
nel piede. Questi aspetti moderni sono in contrasto con torace, spalle, pelvi e femore prossimale che
sono invece piĂą primitivi e simili agli australopitechi. Per quanto riguarda il contesto della Camera
di Dinaledi, l’unico macro-vertebrato ritrovato nella Camera è H. naledi, che è presente in sedimenti
ricchi di argilla derivati dall’erosione della Camera stessa, e da argilla e limo esogeno che sono
penetrati nella Camera di Dinaledi attraverso fratture che hanno impedito l’ingresso di materiale più
grande. La Camera è sempre rimasta nella zona buia e non accessibile ad altri vertebrati. La tafonomia
delle ossa indica che gli individui hanno raggiunto la Camera completi e che la disarticolazione è
avvenuta dopo/durante la deposizione. Gli ominini si sono accumulati nel tempo in seguito all’erosione
delle unitĂ di roccia argillosa e dei sedimenti sul pavimento della camera. Le evidenze preliminari
sono in accordo con la deposizione intenzionale dei corpi in quel particolare luogo da parte di una
specie di ominine diversa da H. sapiens in un periodo non ancora conosciuto
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