Prognosis in Tetraplegia

A total of 141 cases of traumatic tetraplegia were admitted to the Liverpool Paraplegic Centre between 1947 and 1967. Most of the deaths occurred within three months of injury, and comparison with other centres suggests that the early mortality could be reduced by more use of mechanical respirators.Urological complaints and pressure sores are hazards that can be overcome by careful attention to nursing procedures. Later deaths are more common among patients transferred from the unit to hostels or hospitals than among patients transferred home. Specialist units for these patients improve the quality of their lives as well as their expectation of life. Electronic equipment can also play a large part in helping tetraplegics to play a part in community life.     

The study of animal bones from archaeological sites. By Raymond E. Chaplin. ix + 170 pp., figures,tables, bibliography,index. Seminar press,London. 1971. $5.75 (cloth)

A review of the literature reveals a long history of disagreement on the interpretation of the lower deciduous and permanent dentition of the Indriidae. This disagreement has centered on the existence and/or replacement of a canine as a member of the indriid toothcomb. The presence of a pair of canines in the toothcomb of lemurids and lorisids has rarely been questioned, and there is no evidence to indicate that this interpretation is incorrect. There has, however, been no consistency nor substantiating evidence presented for any interpretation of the indriid toothcomb. By comparing the morphology of the teeth of the lemurid, lorisid, and indriid toothcomb, both deciduous and permanent, comparing the mode of dental development in these three families, identifying the indriid lower deciduous dentition, and by relating the data to an ontogenetic and phylogenetic framework, this study proposes: (1) in all three families, the lateral teeth of the toothcomb are canines, (2) the dental formula for the lower deciduous teeth of indriids is 1.1.4, (3) the dental formula for the lower permanent teeth of indriids is 1.1.2.3, and (4) that decrease in number of incisors during primate evolution was most likely I1 to I2 to I3.     

Predictive factors for alveolar fenestration and dehiscence

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution and incidence of two forms of alveolar bone resorption known as fenestration and dehiscence across time and space. To accomplish this a Medieval French population was studied and the results were compared with other studies to examine incidence and distribution of alveolar bone resorption. Thus, 1175 teeth were analysed for 81 individuals, from an agropastoral Medieval (12th–14th century) archaeological site of Vilarnau located in the South of France. Tooth presence and absence as well as dental alveolar resorption were recorded. A new standardised methodological approach to record alveolar resorption is presented and can be used for any skeletonised series. Measurements of dehiscence were made in the midline on each root in relation to the cemento-enamel junction and fenestration was considered as resorption restricted to alveolar bone. Through analyses of the distribution and incidence of alveolar bone resorption over-time in a Medieval French population, along with nine other studies, we present a list of predictive factors for alveolar bone resorption. Among these factors tooth position and function were the most important; anterior teeth were more commonly affected, bone resorption was more common on the labial/buccal versus palatal/lingual surfaces, fenestration was also more common on the maxilla and dehiscence on the mandible (p ≤ 0.001). These patterns do not vary through time or space, and therefore, provide predictive factors for health practitioners in oral therapy to improve patient recovery and post oral treatment success.     

Brief communication: Minimally invasive bone sampling method for DNA analysis

Obtaining a bone sample for DNA analysis has traditionally been a destructive practice, which has resulted in reluctance on behalf of curators for skeletal collections to allow invasive testing. A novel minimally invasive bone sampling method for DNA analysis is presented here. This method uses a conventional hand drill wherein the bone sample is extracted from the intercondylar fossa of the femur; it does not interfere with any known anthropometric landmarks and only leaves a small hole on the surface of the bone. The temperature of the drill is documented and it was established due to the minor increase in temperature, that this should not affect the molecular integrity of the sample. This method is easily replicated and is suitable for both human and other animal skeletal material and can be applied to rare specimens with little risk. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">opaque2</Emphasis> modifier QTLs and candidate genes in recombinant inbred lines derived from the K0326Y quality protein maize inbred

Quality protein maize (QPM) is a high lysine-containing corn that is based on genetic modification of the opaque2 (o2) mutant. In QPM, modifier genes convert the starchy endosperm of o2 to the vitreous phenotype of wild type maize. There are multiple, unlinked o2 modifier loci (Opm) in QPM and their nature and mode of action are unknown. We previously identified seven Opm QTLs and characterized 16 genes that are differentially up-regulated at a significant level in K0326Y QPM, compared to the starchy endosperm mutant W64Ao2. In order to further characterize these Opm QTLs and the genes up-regulated in K0326Y QPM, we created a population of 314 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between K0326Y QPM and W64Ao2. The RILs were characterized for three traits associated with endosperm texture: vitreousness, density and hardness. Genetic linkage analysis of the RIL population confirmed three of the previously identified QTLs associated with o2 endosperm modification in K0326Y QPM. Many of the genes up-regulated in K0326Y QPM showed substantially higher levels of expression in vitreous compared with opaque RILs. These included genes associated with the upstream regulation of the ethylene response pathway, and a gene encoding a regulatory subunit of pyrophosphate-dependent fructose-6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase, an adaptive enzyme of the glycolytic pathway.