Appearance of hyperostosis frontalis interna in some osteoarcheological series from Hungary

Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is a generalised pathological condition with an unknown etiology and variable clinical association. It is characterized by excess bone growth and manifested on the inner table of the frontal bone, occasionally extending onto the temporals, parietals and the occipital.The etiology of HFI is uncertain: it may be an unknown genetic predisposition, a common environmental exposure, or special metabolic diseases.The purpose of the present study is to report cases of HFI in some osteoarcheological series from Hungary and to emphasize the importance of the investigation of HFI in ancient populations.Twenty out of 803 adults with observable frontal bones exhibited HFI, ranging from early to mid-type, including 15 females and 5 males. Some overgrowths with edges were blending into the endocranial surface, and some were prominently protruding from the surface. Advanced cases of HFI (type C) were observed after age 40-60 years.     

Brief communication: unusual finding at Pueblo Bonito: multiple cases of hyperostosis frontalis interna

Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is a disease characterized by excess bone growth on the internal lamina of the frontal bone and, occasionally, other cranial bones. Although the disease is fairly common in modern populations, its etiology is poorly understood. Hyperostosis frontalis interna has been identified in antiquity, primarily in the Old World, but with a much lower frequency than in modern groups. The purpose of the present study is to report multiple cases of HFI at Pueblo Bonito (Chaco Canyon, New Mexico). Twelve out of 37 adults with observable frontal bones exhibited HFI, ranging from mild to severe, including 11 females and one male. This is the first published case report of HFI in archaeological remains from the New World having a frequency comparable with modern groups. Most archaeological cases of HFI are isolated, so comparative data for multiple cases at one site are rare. The results of this study emphasize the importance of looking for HFI in archaeological remains, although it is rarely observed. Possible genetic and environmental factors for the high frequency of HFI at Chaco Canyon are considered, but additional research is needed to discover the etiology and to better understand why HFI sometimes occurs at modern frequencies in ancient populations.     

Button osteoma: its etiology and pathophysiology

The present study investigates a circumscribed bony overgrowth on the cranial vault, known as button osteoma (BtO) and referred to here as button lesion (BtL). We discuss its anthropological implications. Data on its histology, location, and population distribution (by age, race, and gender) are provided. Microscopically, BtL is composed of well-organized dense lamellated bone which is poorly vascularized and with very few osteocytes. It forms a dome-shaped roof over an underlying diploeized area which includes the ectocranial table. The frequency of BtL is similar in modern (37.6%) and archaeological (41.1%) populations, in blacks, whites, males, and females, and correlates with age. It is rare in nonhuman primates. Fifty-five percent of the human skulls studied by us had BtL only on the parietal, 23.6% on the frontal, and 3.6% on the occipital bones. Fifteen percent had BtL on both the frontal and parietal bones. No lateral preference was found. Most skulls with BtL (64.1%) had only one lesion, 20.4% had two BtL, and 15.4% demonstrated multiple BtL. The average number of button osteomas on an affected skull was 1.97. The frequency of large osteomas (0.5-1.0 cm) was similar in young and old age groups. The demographic characteristics of BtL, mainly its high frequency among ancient and modern populations, its independence of sex and race, its scarcity in other primates, and the fact that its macro- and microstruture are indicative of an hamartoma (and not an osteoma or exostosis) suggest an evolutionary background to the phenomenon.     

应用Fourier变换对东北地区成人颅骨性别差异的研究

本研究所用材料为已知性别、已知年龄的东北地区汉族成人干燥颅骨。应用Fourier变换,将额骨矢状弧的形态转变成Fourier极数,然后应用多元逐步判别分析求得性别判别函数,判别符合率达到90.10％。对31例已知性别汉族成人颅骨盲测,正确率达到84.21% (男性) 和83.33％ (女性) 。研究表明,颅骨的大小和年龄对本方法的判别结果无显著影响。     

Brief communication: The size of the human frontal sinuses in adults presenting complete persistence of the metopic suture

The notion of absence of the frontal sinuses in human individuals presenting a persistence of the metopic suture is considered as classical in many treatises of reference; however, precise studies are very rare and even controversial. The purpose of this study was thus to provide original data to confirm or refute this classical affirmation with the perspective of some original insights into biological significance of the frontal sinuses and the factors influencing their exceptional polymorphism. The material consisted of 143 dry skulls of adult individuals (European Homo sapiens), distributed in two groups: 80 skulls presenting a complete frontal closure with total disappearance of the metopic suture, and 63 skulls presenting a complete persistence of the metopic suture. Each skull was radiographed in oblique projection using the occipitomental view. A simple morphological quantification of the sinus size was defined with four categories: (1) aplasia, (2) hypoplasia, (3) medium size, (4) hyperplasia. Statistically significant difference in frontal sinusal size was found between both groups of skulls. Absent and small sinuses were considerably more frequent in skulls with persistence of the metopic suture (57.9 vs. 11.9%): small frontal sinuses (hypoplasia) were much more frequent (50.8 vs. 9.4%), although the frequency of absence of frontal sinuses (aplasia) was only slightly higher (7.1 vs. 2.5%). Am J Phys Anthropol 154:621–627, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Hyperostosis frontalis interna - A marker of social status? Evidence from the Bronze-Age “high society” of Qatna, Syria

In 1719 Morgagni described a condition, today known as hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI), as one sign within a triad consisting of HFI, virilism, and obesity. Today, HFI is predominantly found in older women. Although the etiology of HFI has not yet been determined precisely, the condition has been linked to metabolic disorders. HFI is reported to be rare in the archaeological record and the frequency of the condition is thought to have increased during the 19th and 20th centuries. We present preliminary results on the occurrence of HFI in the commingled human bone assemblage from “tomb VII” discovered underneath the Bronze Age royal palace of the ancient city of Qatna, Syria. A preliminary minimal number of individuals of 70 has been estimated for the as yet not fully analyzed skeletal remains. Skull fragments of nine individuals exhibit endocranial bone formations consistent with HFI. Rarity of stress indicators in the skeletons, the rich grave goods, and the burial place within the area of the Royal palace are suggestive of a high social status and an economically favorable situation of the buried individuals. Assuming that their life style included a high calorie diet in combination with little physical activity, acquired metabolic disorders may have been present in many individuals. The comparatively high number of individuals presenting HFI in the studied sample might therefore be viewed as being related to their high social status. Multiple occurrences of HFI in archaeological skeletal assemblages might serve as a proxy for social status.     

On the presence of cribra orbitalia in apes and monkeys

One hundred and six skulls of various species of apes and monkeys were examined for the presence of cribra orbitalia. The condition was found in 15 (14.1%) of the animals. As in humans, cribra orbitalia was found localized mainly in the anterior parts of the orbital roof and appeared more frequently in infants and young animals. Only mild degrees of cribra orbitalia, i.e., the porotic type of lesions, were found in this series of animal skulls studied. More advanced degrees of development, as observed in human skulls, were not found. The etiology of the condition is not known; some type of nutritional deficiency is considered to be the most likely cause. The occurrence of cribra orbitalia in animals opens up possibilities of experimental work on the subject and may help to solve the problems of its etiology.     

TAXONOMIC STATUS AND GEOGRAPHICAL CRANIAL VARIATION OF COMMON DOLPHINS (DELPHINUS) IN THE EASTERN NORTH ATLANTIC

The common dolphin has a widespread distribution and is relatively abundant in the temperate to subtropical waters of the eastern North Atlantic. However, it is not known whether different species, subspecies, or populations occur in this region. We examined 393 common dolphin skulls obtained from both stranded and bycaught individuals collected between 1901 and 2005. The series included skulls of 152 females and 199 males, from animals ranging in body length from 93 to 230 cm and 105 to 244 cm, respectively. The ranges of total body length, skull size, RL/ZGW ratio and maximum upper alveolar (tooth) count of common dolphins in the eastern North Atlantic overlapped with those of both short- ( D. delphis ) and long-beaked ( D. capensis ) species found off the Californian coast. However, in the absence of additional data, the common dolphin in the eastern North Atlantic is regarded here as a large form of Delphinus delphis . Sexual dimorphism and possible sex-linked characters were identified within the sample. Results of the current study indicate some population differentiation within the eastern North Atlantic, with common dolphins off Portugal showing segregation in morphometric characteristics from common dolphins in other areas.     

2 trephined skulls from Schleswig-Holstein

In Schleswig-Holstein two trephined skulls are found, one belonging to a man deceased in the first half of adult age, who was buried in a stone grave of Middle Neolithic Age from Nebel on the isle of Amrum (published by Schaefer 1958, 1961). Another well preserved one, but without known site in Schleswig-Holstein, is the calvarium of a young adult presumably male showing a circular trephination without any tendency of healing. There is no symptom of a pathological change at the inner vault of the skull, but for the coronal suture gap . Striking are the grooves at both sides of the frontal bone which are quite unknown in this country. They are sulci arteriosi or nervi as is proved by Spanish skulls from Santa Cruz de Teneriffe and cases presented by Dixon (1904). EPIGENETIC TRAITS: 1. One sutural ossicle. 2. Incisura orbitalis r. 3. Threefold foramen supraorbitale 1. 4. Sulci arteriosi on the frontal bone. 5. Aplasia of left right molar (X-ray). PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES: 1. Hypoplasia of frontal sinuses. 2. Closing alveoli of first right molar. The case of a skull from Bremen (Domsdüne) demonstrates by the applied tool, that there are also trephinations in the Middle Neolithic Age.     

The Early Middle Ages necropolis of Collecchio (Parma). Human remains

The present study examines the skeletal remains found in the necropolis of Collecchio (Parma) and belonging to the Early Middle Ages (VII century A.D.). The buried population is represented by at least 154 individuals: 64 infants, 13 youths, and 77 adults (36 males, 25 females). It should be noted the high infant mortality (42%). The mean age at death of the inhumated in Collecchio is about 24.5 years. the following characteristics were observed: stenomorphic and medium-low skulls with low and wide forehead, very prominent supraorbital ridges, glabella and occiput. As regards the post-cranial skeleton the characteristics are the following: eurybraky, euroleny, eurymery and eurycnemy. The stature is medium-tall for males and tall for females. According to such characteristics it is also possible to recognize in Collecchio a prevalence of subjects referable to the Nordic type, and to a lesser degree, to the Mediterranian and Alpine type. The inhumated in Collecchio's necropolis partially differentiate from the autochthonous Early Middle Ages italian background, and they are generally, but not totally, close to the characteristics of the original central European populations, as the Lombards. The necropolis of Collecchio is considered as the burial area of a population where union between lombards and autochthons was already being carried out.     

Does the expression of a male plumage trait in female Kentish plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) signal individual quality?

A small percentage (4.5%) of females Kentish plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) observed breeding in southern Spain expressed a plumage trait characteristic of males: the forecrown (frontal) black bar. The expression of this male trait may be age-related, and reversible, i.e., within individuals it may be present in some years but not in other years. Females with frontal bars were not in better condition and nor did they initiate breeding earlier than in years when they lacked frontal bars. Nevertheless, when females had frontal bars they laid larger eggs. I suggest that the frontal bar on females could be an epiphenomenon resulting from hormonal imbalances of females as they age.     

现代人头骨断面轮廓的性别鉴定——基于几何形态测量的研究

人类头骨在大小、粗壮度和形状上具有性别差异。长期以来,性别鉴定的方法主要是根据头骨的大小和粗壮度,用肉眼进行粗略观察。受研究方法的限制,忽略了头骨细微的解剖结构及形状差别。为获取头骨性别差异的更多信息,探究头骨断面轮廓的性别差异,本文选用距今300年左右墓葬出土的云南现代人成年男性和女性头骨各30例作为研究材料,利用3D激光扫描技术及逆向工程软件提取头骨断面的外轮廓信息,在此基础上,采用几何形态测量方法对头骨冠状面、矢状面的外轮廓形状的性别差异进行了比较。研究结果显示:男女头骨在冠状面、正中矢状面顶骨部、正中矢状面枕骨部的形状上性别差异不显著,而在正中矢状面额骨部的形状上差异显著。本文对于古人类学和体质人类学鉴定人类头骨的性别差异,以及探讨不同地区、不同时代人群头面部形状的变异具有一定的参考价值。     

A Lack of Sexual Dimorphism in Width-to-Height Ratio in White European Faces Using 2D Photographs, 3D Scans, and Anthropometry

Facial width-to-height ratio has received a great deal of attention in recent research. Evidence from human skulls suggests that males have a larger relative facial width than females, and that this sexual dimorphism is an honest signal of masculinity, aggression, and related traits. However, evidence that this measure is sexually dimorphic in faces, rather than skulls, is surprisingly weak. We therefore investigated facial width-to-height ratio in three White European samples using three different methods of measurement: 2D photographs, 3D scans, and anthropometry. By measuring the same individuals with multiple methods, we demonstrated high agreement across all measures. However, we found no evidence of sexual dimorphism in the face. In our third study, we also found a link between facial width-to-height ratio and body mass index for both males and females, although this relationship did not account for the lack of dimorphism in our sample. While we showed sufficient power to detect differences between male and female width-to-height ratio, our results failed to support the general hypothesis of sexual dimorphism in the face.     

The effects of gender and obesity on myocardial tolerance to ischemia

Obesity is increasing at an alarming rate globally. Several studies have shown that premenopausal women have a reduced risk of CV disease and a reduced myocardial susceptibility to ischemia/reperfusion injury. The effect of obesity on myocardial tolerance to ischemia in women has not been established. To determine how obesity affects myocardial susceptibility to ischemia/reperfusion injury in both males and females, we fed male and female Wistar rats a high caloric diet (HCD) or a control rat chow diet (CD) for 18 weeks. Rats were subsequently fasted overnight, anesthetized and blood was collected. In separate experiments, 18-week-fed (HCD and CD) rats underwent 45 min in vivo coronary artery ligation (CAL) followed by 2 hours reperfusion. Hearts were stained with TTC and infarct size determined. Both male and female HCD fed rats had increased body and visceral fat weights. Homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) index values were 13.95+/-3.04 for CD and 33.58+/-9.39 for HCD male rats (p<0.01) and 2.98+/-0.64 for CD and 2.99+/-0.72 for HCD fed female rats. Male HCD fed rats had larger infarct sizes than CD fed littermates (43.2+/-9.3 % vs. 24.4+/-7.6 %, p<0.05). Female HCD and CD diet fed rats had comparable infarct sizes (31.8+/-4.3 % vs. 23.9+/-3.3 %). We conclude that male rats on the HCD became viscerally obese, dyslipidemic and insulin-resistant, while female HCD fed rats became viscerally obese without developing dyslipidemia or insulin resistance. Obesity increased myocardial infarct size in males but not the females.     

The Carbohydrate Sensitive Rat as a Model of Obesity

Background

Sensitivity to obesity is highly variable in humans, and rats fed a high fat diet (HFD) are used as a model of this inhomogeneity. Energy expenditure components (basal metabolism, thermic effect of feeding, activity) and variations in substrate partitioning are possible factors underlying the variability. Unfortunately, in rats as in humans, results have often been inconclusive and measurements usually made after obesity onset, obscuring if metabolism was a cause or consequence. Additionally, the role of high carbohydrate diet (HCD) has seldom been studied.

Methodology/Findings

Rats (n=24) were fed for 3 weeks on HCD and then 3 weeks on HFD. Body composition was tracked by MRI and compared to energy expenditure components measured prior to obesity. Results: 1) under HFD, as expected, by adiposity rats were variable enough to be separable into relatively fat resistant (FR) and sensitive (FS) groups, 2) under HCD, and again by adiposity, rats were also variable enough to be separable into carbohydrate resistant (CR) and sensitive (CS) groups, the normal body weight of CS rats hiding viscerally-biased fat accumulation, 3) HCD adiposity sensitivity was not related to that under HFD, and both HCD and HFD adiposity sensitivities were not related to energy expenditure components (BMR, TEF, activity cost), and 4) only carbohydrate to fat partitioning in response to an HCD test meal was related to HCD-induced adiposity.

Conclusions/Significance

The rat model of human obesity is based on substantial variance in adiposity gains under HFD (FR/FS model). Here, since we also found this phenomenon under HCD, where it was also linked to an identifiable metabolic difference, we should consider the existence of another model: the carbohydrate resistant (CR) or sensitive (CS) rat. This new model is potentially complementary to the FR/FS model due to relatively greater visceral fat accumulation on a low fat high carbohydrate diet.     

The incidence of basal sphenoid bony bridges in dried crania and cadavers: their anthropological and clinical relevance

The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of the pterygospinous and pterygoalar bony bridges and the variations in these bony bridges among Anatolians. A total of 452 adult dry skulls (258 males and 194 females) of the Anatolian population were investigated for both the pterygospinous and the pterygoalar bony bridges. In 80 of the 452 dry skulls (37 male and 43 female), it was possible to inspect the cranial cavity. In these skulls, sellar and sphenopetrous bridges were also investigated. In addition to this, the mandibular nerve of 9 fixed cadavers was carefully dissected and the distribution of its branches was determined on both sides. Complete pterygospinous osseous bridges were found in 5.5% of the samples and complete pterygoalar bridges in 4.9%. In the dry skulls with removed calvaria, complete sellar osseous bridges were found on both sides in 34.2% of specimens, complete pterygospinous bridges in 8.8% and complete pterygoalar bridges in 7.5%. No complete sphenopetrous bridges were found. In the cadaveric study, nerve entrapment due to a pterygoalar ligament on the left side was found in one cadaver. Such variations should be kept in mind in clinical complaints such as mandibular neuralgia, especially during chewing.     

Age-related loss of extrastriatal dopamine D(2) -like receptors in women

Positron emission tomography (PET) studies have indicated that the in vivo availability of dopamine D(2) -like receptors declines with age in the human brain. Most of the studies have been carried out with healthy male subjects, or with subject groups containing both sexes. The authors have recently demonstrated that the availability of D(2) -like receptors in the frontal cortex is higher in women than in men. The present study was aimed to further examine this phenomenon. Thirty-seven healthy women (age range 22-78 years) were examined with PET and [(11) C]FLB 457, a high-affinity tracer for the extrastriatal D(2) -like receptors. A negative relationship between age and dopamine D(2) -like receptor availability was seen in the frontal cortex (decrease of 12% per decade of life), the temporal cortex (9%) and the thalamus (6%). A non-linear s-shape association explained the relationship only in the frontal cortex, while in other regions the association was linear. Neither oestradiol nor progesterone levels had a significant relationship with the [(11) C]FLB 457 uptake in any of the brain regions studied after the effect of age was partialled out. The results indicate that: (i) the extrastriatal D(2) -like receptor availability decreases with age in healthy women with the fastest rate in the frontal cortex and with the overall rate close to the rate reported in healthy men; (ii) around midlife (age 40-60 years) in women, the frontal receptor decline plateaus while the decline continues to be linear in other extrastriatal brain regions; and (iii) serum oestradiol or progesterone levels are not associated with cortical or thalamic D(2) -like receptor availability in women. The results may prove to be important in studies where the biochemical basis of clinical sex differences is examined in patients with dopamine-related neuropsychiatric disorders.     

Identification of family relationships by epigenetic traits

In analyzing family burials, it is often necessary to establish the nature of the family relationship. This study examines 18 skulls from the 14th and 15th century, presumptively assigned to the family of the Counts of Celje from the territory of present-day Slovenia. Though DNA analysis is the identification method of choice, it is not always possible to apply it. In our case we were unable to isolate the genetic material and had to use classical identification methods. After determining sex and age, we established the kinship by comparison of X-ray images of paranasal cavities (frontal and maxillary sinuses, and also orbital and nasal cavities), the shape and size of which are autosomal dominant inherited characters. The comparison also extends to numerous other likewise inherited epigenetic trait similarities on the skulls. We identified all skulls, compared them with historical and genealogical data, grouped them into nuclear families--one of them is presented in this article-, and proved that they belong to the assigned family. This multidisciplinary work, based on latest epigenetic research, is highly relevant for modern non-genetic identification studies and verification of kinship by skulls collectively interred and can be applied in similar cases where isolation of DNA is no longer possible, even though the skeletal remains may not be old.     

Hyperostosis frontalis interna,a genetic disease?: Two medieval cases from Southern Poland

Two cases of thickening of the internal tables of the frontal bones (hyperostosis frontalis interna, (HFI)) have been examined. These were two female skeletons from the 16th century Dominican Church in Raciborz (Southwest Poland). The similarity of their morphological and metrical traits indicates that they could be related, and suggests that HFI is likely to have a genetic base. These two skeletons are the subject of an analysis which may possibly throw some new light on the controversial and continually disputed nature of this illness.