Test of Phenice's technique for determining sex from the os pubis

Pubic bone morphology was examined to test the accuracy of Phenice's visual method for determining sex from the os pubis. Twelve participants scored 50 pubic bones from individuals of known sex aged 52-92 years. The sample is of modern males and females, all presumed whites. An accuracy of approximately 83% in determining sex was recorded, compared to 95% reported by Phenice. This accuracy difference may reflect different age distributions of the two samples. Through replication of test results on two series of 25 specimens, the technique was found to be reliable. Previous experiences in human osteological analysis was shown to have no effect on accuracy in this test, confirming Phenice's assertion that the technique does not require extensive experience to yield accurate results. Results suggest that there is a moderate negative correlation between accuracy in determining the sex of an individual and that individual's age.     

Evaluation of the obstetric significance of some pelvic characters in an 18th century British sample of known parity status.

The excavations at Christ Church, Spitalfields (1984-86) produced a sample of 968 human skeletons which were interred between 1729 and 1859. Of these, 387 were recovered in association with coffin plates stating name, age at death, and date of death. There are 138 adult females in the named sample and the obstetric histories of 94 have been reconstructed from historical documentation. Such variables as birth spacing, number of children, and age at first and last births are known for the majority of this sample. Any individual about whose history there is any doubt has been excluded from the analysis. A middle-class group, they were largely of high nutritional status and, by the standards of the day, lived in sanitary and comfortable conditions. Both males and females have a mean age at death of 56 years. The presence or absence, the typology, the severity, the width and the length of the preauricular sulcus, the presence or absence and the number of pits on the dorsal aspect of the pubic body, sulci along the anterior sacrum adjacent to the auricular facet, and the extension of the pubic tubercle were evaluated in relation to the obstetric histories of these females. Statistical analysis has demonstrated a relationship between the presence of pubic tubercle extension and parity status and between the degree of extension and the number of children borne (P < .02). Statistically there is no significant relationship (P > .05) between either the preauricular sulcus or pubic pitting and parity status. Sacral scarring is significantly associated (P < .05) with parity status, but as it was evident in only eight females it has little practical application. Sample sizes are small, and it must be considered that statistical evaluation of larger samples might detect associations between variables not demonstrated here. There is no significant relationship between any of the cortical variants under consideration and age at death.     

Analysis of dorsal pitting in the os publis in an extensive sample of modern American females

Pubic bones from 486 modern American females between the ages of 13 and 99 were studied in an attempt to explore the relationship between the degree of dorsal pitting and the following variables: (1) number of full term pregnancies, (2) inteval since last pregnancy, (3) age of decedent.A statistical association was found between the number of full term pregnancies and the degree of dorsal pitting. However, the correlation is not strong; 17 females reported as being nulliparous have "medium to large" dorsal changes whereas 22 females having from one to five full term pregnancies have an absence of dorsal changes. Females who had their last child 15 or more years prior to death are more apt to have "medium to large" dorsal changes than are females who have more recently given birth. This effect appears to be independent of the number of full term pregnancies, but is probably related to age. When the data are analyzed by multiple regression analaysis, it is found that age and number of pregnancies are most important in predicting the degree of pitting and the effect of the interval on pitting is not significant. Age is found to be an important variable independent of the number of full term pregnancies. In nulliparas, an absence of dorsal pitting is far more frequently found in females younger than 30 than in those over 30.     

Influence of multiple predators decreases body condition and fecundity of European hares

1. We assessed the hypothesized negative correlation between the influence of multiple predators and body condition and fecundity of the European hare, from 13 areas in the Netherlands.
2. Year‐round abundance of predators was estimated by hunters. We quantified predator influence as the sum of their field metabolic rates, as this sum reflects the daily food requirements of multiple individuals. We determined the ratio between body mass and hindfoot length of hares as an index of body condition and the weight of their adrenal gland as a measure of chronic exposure to stress, and we counted the number of placental scars to estimate fecundity of hares.
3. As hypothesized, we found that the sum of field metabolic rate of predators was negatively correlated with body condition and the number of placental scars, whereas it was positively related to the weight of the adrenal glands. In contrast to the sum of the field metabolic rate, the total number of predators did not or weakly affect the investigated risk responses.
4. The sum of the field metabolic rate can be a useful proxy for the influence of multiple predators and takes into account predator abundance, type, body weight, and food requirements of multiple predators.
5. With our findings, our paper contributes to a better understanding of the risk effects of multiple predators on prey fitness. Additionally, we identify a potential contributor to the decline of European hare populations.

     

The mouse pubic symphysis as a remodeling system: morphometrical analysis of proliferation and cell death during pregnancy, partus and postpartum

Marked changes in mice pubic symphysis occur by the end of pregnancy. Tissue remodeling involves a dynamic balance between cell proliferation and programmed cell death as well as changes in the extracellular matrix components. Therefore, it is important to consider both of these cellular behaviors when investigating the mechanism that regulates interpubic tissue remodeling, growth during late pregnancy and partus ensuring involution during the postpartum period. Proliferating and programmed death cells were identified by immunohistochemistry (proliferating cell nuclear antigen and TUNEL detection, respectively) and the rates at which these processes occurred were determined by morphometric analysis. The results demonstrated that cellular proliferation was intense during the period of ligament formation, from D15 to D18, thereafter abruptly declining on D19. From parturition (D19) onwards, an ever-increasing decline in the cellular proliferation levels could be observed. The quantitative analyses of cellular death showed opposite results when compared to cellular proliferation. During early pregnancy the cycle of cellular renovation was clearly proliferative and during late mouse pregnancy the cycle was directed by programmed cellular death. Although the high levels of cellular death during postpartum involution could be shown by the TUNEL-positive cells, we were unable to observed picnotic nucleus at the light microscopy.     

A re-examination of parturition scars on the human female pelvis

Pits, cavities and depressions located on the dorsal surface of the pubic symphysis of females have been attributed to the trauma of parturition. Earlier research based on human skeletal remains provides inadequate information on the individual's obstetrical history. The 68 female pubic bones that were studied had comprehensive medical records indicating whether or not each female had given birth. Fourteen and one-half percent of the females who had not given birth exhibited trace to small scarring of the pubic symphysis and 23.4% of the females who had not given birth exhibited medium to large scarring. It is suggested that bony changes previously used as an indicator of child bearing must be re-examined in light of the fact that “birth scarring” has been found in women known not to have had children.     

THE MORPHOLOGY OF HYOLITHIDS AND ITS FUNCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS

Abstract:  The exceptionally preserved hyolithids Gompholites striatulus , Maxilites robustus , Maxilites snajdri and Maxilites sp. are described with particular emphasis on helen and muscle scar morphology. These two aspects of hyolithid morphology have remained controversial. In life position, each helen curved ventrally. When the operculum closed the aperture of the conch, each helen was locked at the commissure slit with its dorsal edge tilted forward. Inside the conch, it was held in the dorsal apertural plane and clear of the inner surface of the operculum. Previously unidentified muscle scars are described from both the operculum and the conch. Dorsal scars on the conch aperture held muscles directed to the operculum. Comparative study of the muscle insertion pattern indicates that hyolithids did not have serially arranged muscles and that all hyolithids may have had a common skeleto-muscular system. The arrangement of the muscle scars with respect to the helens suggests that the latter were capable of relatively complex movements and could have been used to propel the organism over the substrate. The general morphology and orientation of the helens suggests that in addition they functioned to stabilize the organism on the sea-floor.     

Investigation of optical attenuation imaging using optical coherence tomography for monitoring of scars undergoing fractional laser treatment

We demonstrate the use of the near‐infrared attenuation coefficient, measured using optical coherence tomography (OCT), in longitudinal assessment of hypertrophic burn scars undergoing fractional laser treatment. The measurement method incorporates blood vessel detection by speckle decorrelation and masking, and a robust regression estimator to produce 2D en face parametric images of the attenuation coefficient of the dermis. Through reliable co‐location of the field of view across pre‐ and post‐treatment imaging sessions, the study was able to quantify changes in the attenuation coefficient of the dermis over a period of ～20 weeks in seven patients. Minimal variation was observed in the mean attenuation coefficient of normal skin and control (untreated) mature scars, as expected. However, a significant decrease (13 ± 5%, mean ± standard deviation) was observed in the treated mature scars, resulting in a greater distinction from normal skin in response to localized damage from the laser treatment. By contrast, we observed an increase in the mean attenuation coefficient of treated (31 ± 27%) and control (27 ± 20%) immature scars, with numerical values incrementally approaching normal skin as the healing progressed. This pilot study supports conducting a more extensive investigation of OCT attenuation imaging for quantitative longitudinal monitoring of scars.

En face 2D OCT attenuation coefficient map of a treated immature scar derived from the pre‐treatment (top) and the post‐treatment (bottom) scans. (Vasculature (black) is masked out.) The scale bars are 0.5 mm.