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At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources
PubMed2004

Seasonal pattern of abundance of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Buenos Aires City, Argentina.

In Buenos Aires, the most crowded city of Argentina, there is a potential risk of dengue virus transmission by the mosquito Aedes aegypti during late summer. The temporal patterns of oviposition activity and abundance of breeding sites of this vector were studied in two cemeteries of the city. Between September 1998 and August 1999, we examined 142 ovitraps weekly and a total of 18,010 water-filled containers. Both study areas showed remarkable differences in the percentages of positive ovitraps (19% vs 8%) and breeding sites (18% vs 1%), but similar temporal abundance patterns. The percentage of breeding sites was higher in summer and autumn than in spring and winter, and the percentage of positive ovitraps was higher in summer than in the other three seasons. Immatures were recorded from the first week of October to the second week of July, and oviposition activity from the third week of October until the end of April. In both cemeteries and with both methodologies the highest infestation levels were registered in March (ovitraps: 41.8% and 20.6%, breeding sites: 39.2% and 3.4%). These highest abundances took place after several months with mean temperatures above 20 degrees C and accumulated rainfalls above 150 mm. A sharp decline in oviposition activity was observed when monthly mean temperature decreased to 16.5 degrees C, and no eggs were found below 14.8 degrees C. Seasonal fluctuation of Ae. aegypti abundances in mid-latitudes like Buenos Aires would allow reduction of the egg mosquito population through the elimination of containers during the coldest months, which are free of adults.

Aedes↗
PubMed1999

Recovery of human skeletal elements from a recent UK murder inquiry: preservational signatures.

Factors that control bone preservation are not fully understood but generally include those that reflect "natural" taphonomic or diagenetic processes and also those reflecting anthropogenic activity. The aim of this paper is to examine whether the survival of skeletal elements from a recent UK serial murder investigation (n = 12) and three archaeological cemetery sites from England (n = 112, 95, 182; Roman to early-medieval), share a similar recovery signature. Examination of this data demonstrates that even when clear evidence of traumatic and perimortem dismemberment exists within an assemblage, the distribution of missing elements can be almost identical to archaeological material buried in normal attrition cemeteries. Given that these preservational signatures are so similar, it is concluded that careful observation of bone surfaces is necessary to confidently interpret bone loss, particularly where dismemberment and/or element excision is suggested by the non-anatomical position of the skeleton within the grave. Where postmortem excision of bone is suspected, careful examination of contiguous bone surfaces, both macroscopic and microscopic, is suggested to detect fine cutmark lesions indicative of anthropogenic excision. Without this evidence other preservational factors must be considered both taphonomic and diagenetic.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of the presumptive remains of Jesse James.

We report here the results of mtDNA analysis of remains exhumed in July, 1995 from Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Kearney, Nebraska, that are thought to be those of Jesse James. The remains were poorly preserved, presumably due to wet and slightly acidic soil conditions, and insufficient DNA for analysis was obtained from two bone samples. However, two of four teeth, and two hairs recovered in 1978 from the original burial site on the James Farm, did yield reproducible mtDNA sequences. These mtDNA sequences from the teeth and hairs were all identical, suggesting that they came from the same individual; furthermore, this mtDNA sequence was identical to mtDNA sequences determined from blood samples from two maternal relatives of Jesse James. Therefore, either the remains are indeed those of Jesse James, or they are from an unrelated individual who, by chance, happens to have the same mtDNA sequence. To assess the probability that an unrelated individual would have the same sequence, we searched the forensic mtDNA database, and found that this sequence does not appear among the 2426 mtDNA sequences therein. Hence, the mtDNA analysis supports the identification of the exhumed remains from Mt. Olivet Cemetery as those of Jesse James.

Crime↗
PubMed2001

Intrapopulational relationships in ancient societies: a multidisciplinary study.

Kinship determination is one of the major challenges for the anthropologist studying graveyard populations. Traditional techniques based on morphological comparisons of bone remains are limited. However, recent methods which generate and characterise DNA sequences derived from bones bear the possibility for a more accurate analysis. Extraction and characterisation of authentic nucleic acids was performed on a number of individuals from the early Medieval graveyard of Neresheim, South Germany. From this cemetery a total of 38 skeletal remains of individuals buried between 450 and 700 AD were examined using PCR-based methods. Comparisons were made using four human-specific short tandem repeat loci and the X/Y-specific amelogenin sex test. Twenty-eight of the approximately 1,500-year-old individuals yielded alleles in at least one of the polymorphic nuclear loci HumCD4, HumFES, HumTH01, HumVWA, and the sex test. These along with a 96 bp DNA variant previously unknown in recent CD4 contexts, and supporting evidence from anthropology and archaeology were used for defining one parental and one filial generation in each of three multiple burials (Ne 2, Ne 9 and Ne 78) in the cemetery.

Anthropology↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Cremation. A public health chapter in Mexico].

Cremation was a part of the funeral ceremony in prehispanic Mexico. When the Spanish conquerors came, this practice was prohibited. In 1877, the Uppu Health Council authorized animal incineration to avoid consumption by indigents or transformation in putrid emanation. Creamation was welcome in Mexico because of the knowledge of hygienic at the time, whose adepts had evaluated toxic exhalations of cadavers and the cemeteries of Mexico City, with incomplete destruction of the cadaver and filtration of contaminants into the subsoil. Three were the reasons against cremation; religious beliefs, lawmaker medical preoccupation with the disappearance of legal evidence, and the newly born science of anthropology, with loss of material for laboratory. The first crematorium was inaugurated by Dr. Eduardo Liceaga in February 1909 in the Dolores Cemetery.

History, 19th Century↗
PubMed2003

Mortality impact of AIDS in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the impact of HIV on mortality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. DESIGN: A retrospective review of burials at three cemeteries, 1987-2001 and a prospective surveillance of burials at all (n = 70) cemeteries, February-May, 2001. METHODS: The age, sex, and date of burial were recorded; in the absence of denominators, we compared the ratio of deaths of persons 25-49 versus 5-14 years of age per calendar year, using logistic regression, adjusting for sex and site. The age- and sex-specific mortality were calculated and compared with pre-HIV mortality in 1984. RESULTS: Of 17,519 deaths, retrospectively reviewed, complete data were available for 6342 (47%) females and 7269 (53%) males. During 1987-2001, the '25-49' versus '5-14' group all-cause mortality ratio increased by 8.5% per calendar year (P < 0.05). A total of 5101 deaths were recorded in the prospective surveillance. Crude mortality rates were 9.5/1000 per year (men) and 7.1/1000 per year (women). In comparison with 1984, 5.0-times as many men and 5.3-times as many women died in the age group 35-39 years. Attributing the increase in mortality in ages 15-60 to HIV in the period 1984-2001, Ethiopian men and women have a probability of 18.8 and 17.8%, respectively, of dying of HIV before age 60. CONCLUSION: Burials increased significantly among the '25-49', versus the '5-14' group, during the period 1987-2001. This trend, and a five-times higher mortality in 2001 than in 1984 in those aged 35-39 years demonstrate a severe impact of HIV on mortality. Continuing surveillance of burials is recommended.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2005

Alexander Thomas Augusta--physician, teacher and human rights activist.

Commissioned surgeon of colored volunteers, April 4, 1863, with the rank of Major. Commissioned regimental surgeon on the 7th Regiment of U.S. Colored Troops, October 2, 1863. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel of Volunteers, March 13, 1865, for faithful and meritorious services--mustered out October 13, 1866. So reads the tombstone at Arlington National Cemetery of Alexander Thomas Augusta, the first black surgeon commissioned in the Union Army during the Civil War and the first black officer-rank soldier to be buried at Arlington Cemetery. He was also instrumental in founding the institutions that later became the hospital and medical college of Howard University and the National Medical Association.

Black or African American↗
PubMed2006

The main trends in the palaeodemography of the 7th-18th century population of Latvia.

The study represents palaeodemographic research of osteological material of 3304 individuals from the funds of the Anthropological Laboratory of the Institute of History of the University of Latvia in Riga, dating from the 7th to the 18th century AD. Compensated life expectancy at birth is varying between 20.3 and 22.2 years during the research period. Crude mortality has changed between 49.3 and 45% per hundred. In the early period (7th-13th century) there is a significant male prevalence (2.2-1.4); female life expectancy at the age of 20 is on average 6.6 years less than for males. This difference decreases to 5.4 years in the 13th-18th century. According to historical demography, female life span exceeded male only in the 2nd half of 19th century. The palaeodemographic data indicate that in the 7th-18th century, women in Latvia gave birth to a mean of 4-5 children (the figure includes childless women), of whom half, at most 2-2.5, reached reproductive age, on account of high child mortality. The net reproductive rate R0 (the number of descendants per individual of the parents' generation) varies between 1 and 1.25 in the study period. Concerning the completely excavated cemeteries of Lejasbiteni (7th-10h century) and Daudziesi (16th-17th century), it was possible to calculate the size and structure of the populations that had used these cemeteries. They were similar, having 45.3-49.9% of children up to an age of 14 and 24-28% individuals over the age of 30. According to historical demography, radical improvement of the demographic situation in Latvia began in the second half of the 19th century, when the process of demographic transition in Latvia started.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Professional management of death--sociocultural aspects].

UNLABELLED: During recent decades, treatment of death has been removed from the family and placed in the hands of experts and specialized institutions. More and more people die outside their homes. Our statistical analysis shows that in Switzerland between 1969 and 1986 the old people's home has replaced the private home. However the proportion of people dying in the hospital (55%) has not changed. Proceeding from these facts, we conducted a sociological research project with participant observation that explored attitudes, strategies and practices of professionals who deal closely with death and dying. Our case studies involved people working on the wards of a hospital, in a hospital mortuary, in an old people's home, in an autopsy department, in a funeral home and in a cemetery. The analysis showed that in the context of preservation of life (hospital), the consciously maintained attitude is ambivalence and an openness to various outcomes. In the context of applied science (autopsy department), the attitude is search for unequivocal exactness. In the context of loss (funeral home, cemetery), we find two different orientations among two different groups of actors. Those who deal with the practical side of death, such as the crematorium attendant, show a technical orientation, while those who deal with death's non-practical side, such as the minister, show a social and a symbolic orientation. At the points of intersection between these contexts, the actors develop complex strategies: maintenance of the past, negation of the present and anticipation of the future. CONCLUSIONS: (1.) The fight against death in the university hospital is being more and more replaced by the development of a strategy of openness.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed1998

[The density and larval habitats of dengue vectors in Chungho city].

A survey was conducted to understand larval habitats and density of dengue vectors in Chungho city during the period of August 12 to September 13, 1996. Most villages (41 in the total of 93) were found to have the density figures of three for Aedes albopictus Skuse. The second common density figures were found at 2nd and 4th levels. The most common breeding containers found were less than 5 cm in water depth and less than 100 cm2 in water area. The number of breeding containers reduced when the water depth and size increased. The common breeding containers in villages were flower vases (30%) and water buckets (18%). In the mountains, water buckets (34%) and kitchen tools (11%) were common. In parks, water buckets (29%) and tires (15%) were commonly found. In cemeteries, the common breeding containers were flower vases (57%) and earthenware pots (17%). The average (2.05 containers per man-hour) of positive water containers in the mountains was significantly higher than that in parks (0.62). However, the average in cemeteries (1.29) was not significantly different from those collected in mountains and parks.

Aedes↗
PubMed2004

[Determination of trace elements in ancient Cheshi human costa by ICP-AES].

In recent years, the study on palaeodiet is an important research in the international archaeological field. Trace elements in human bones can supply a lot of valuable information to reconstruct ancient diet. In this study, The trace elements in Bronze age Cheshi human costa from Chubeixi cemetery in shanshan, Xinjiang were determined by ICP-AES. The sample was dissolved by HNO3 and HCl. Under the optimum conditions, eight elements can be determined simultaneously. The recoveries of the method are in the range of 87.4%-106.6%, and RSDs are in the range of 0.5%-3.3%. The method is simple, rapid, precise and convenient to operate. The results would be helpful for research in archaeology. This analysis established Xinjiang' s consult system of trace elements analysis for ancient human bones. The effects of various concentrations of acid solution on analysis results, the interference of coexistent elements, standard addition recovery, and precision of the method were investigated.

Adsorption↗
PubMed1996

Assessing the reliability of paleodemographic fertility estimators using simulated skeletal distributions.

The reliability of published paleodemographic fertility reconstruction methods was assessed using simulated age-at-death distributions and a published cemetery series from a population with known birth rates. In the first test, the Brass ([1971] Biological Aspects of Demography, pp. 69-110) LOGIT models were used to generate 180 simulated skeletal samples of various sizes (N = 50, 100, 250) from hypothetical populations with known demographic rates. The base populations were expanding (r = 0.01), stationary, or declining (r = -0.01), yet all had the same life expectancy. Growth differences resulted from different fertility rates. The simulated skeletal series were then analyzed using the model life table fitting procedure outlined by Paine ([1989a] Am. J. Phys. Anthropol. 79:51-62), three commonly employed age ratio tests (Bocquet-Appel and Masset [1892] J. Hum. Evol. 11:321-333; Buikstra et al. [1986] Am. Antiquity 51:528-546), and one age-at-death ratio not previously published. In the second test the model life table fitting procedure was used to estimate fertility for a historical population, the Newton Plantation, Barbados (Corruccini et al. [1989] Am. Antiquity 54:609-614), with known demographic characteristics.

Age Determination by Skeleton↗
PubMed1997

An assessment of health and disease in the prehistoric inhabitants of the Mariana Islands.

Using a variety of skeletal and dental stress indicators, an assessment of the health and disease of the indigenous inhabitants of the Mariana Islands, the Chamorro, is made. The major hypothesis to be tested is that the Chamorro were relatively healthy and that deviations from the expected, as well as inter-island variation, may reflect environmental, ecological, and cultural differences. The major skeletal series surveyed include sites on Guam (N = 247 individuals), Rota (N = 14), Tinian (N = 20), and Saipan (N = 102). The majority of the specimens are from the transitional pre-Latte (AD 1-1000) and Latte (AD 1000-1521) periods. These data derive primarily from unpublished osteological reports. The indicators of health and disease surveyed include mortality and paleodemographic data, stature, dental paleopathology, cribra orbitalia, limb bone fractures, degenerative osteoarthritis, and infectious disease (including treponemal infection). Where appropriate, tests of significance are calculated to determine the presence of any patterning in the differences observed within and between the skeletal series. Information recorded in prehistoric Hawaiians provides a standard for external comparisons. Several of the larger skeletal series surveyed have paleodemographic features that are consistent with long-term cemetery populations. Females and subadults are typically underrepresented. Most subadult deaths occur in the 2-5 year age interval. Life expectancy at birth ranges from 26.4 to 33.7 years. A healthy fertility rate is indicated for these series. The prehistoric inhabitants of the Mariana Islands were relatively tall, exceeding living Chamorros measured in the early part of the present century. The greater prevalence of developmental defects in the enamel suggests that the Chamorro were exposed to more stress than prehistoric Hawaiians. The low frequency of cribra orbitalia further indicates iron deficiency anemia was not a problem. There are generally low frequencies of dental pathology in the remains from the Mariana Islands. Betel-nut staining is relatively common in all series which may help to explain the relatively low prevalence of dental pathology. Healed limb bone fractures are rare in these skeletal series; the frequency and patterns of fractures suggest accidental injury as the main cause. Greater physical demands involving the lower back region are indicated by a high frequency of spondylolysis, or stress fracture in the lumbar vertebrae in the Chamorro. Likewise, advanced degenerative bone changes, while of low occurrence, are significantly greater in the Chamorro than Hawaiians. The prevalence of skeletal and dental indicators of stress was generally higher in the smaller islands of the Mariansas chain (e.g., Rota), islands with fewer resources to buffer environmental catastrophe. Bony changes suggestive of treponemal (probably yaws) disease are common in most of these Marianas Islands skeletal series.

Body Height↗
PubMed2000

Biocultural analysis of sex differences in mortality profiles and stress levels in the late medieval population from Nova Raca, Croatia.

Human skeletal remains of 104 individuals from the late medieval (14th-18th century) Nova Raca cemetery, in continental Croatia, are described. Historic data from the parish Book of the Dead, relevant to a period in the early 19th century, suggest that females may have been under greater stress than males. To test this hypothesis, the skeletal material is analyzed for the presence and distribution of enamel hypoplasias and cribra orbitalia. Observations are also made on the presence and pattern of dental disease, skeletal infection, trauma, osteoarthritis, vertebral degenerative changes, and Schmorl's depression frequencies. The mortuary sample, consisting of 36 subadults and 68 adults, exhibits underrepresentation of subadults, and differential adult male/female mortality profiles. Peak female mortality is between 21-25 years, compared to peak male mortality between 31-35 years. Average adult female age at death is 29.9 years, compared to 34.1 years in adult males. Significant sex differences are present in the frequencies of enamel hypoplasia. Adult females have higher frequencies of hypoplastic teeth, and a larger number of defects in the teeth affected than in males. Subadults in the series also exhibit higher frequencies of hypoplastic teeth, and a larger number of defects in the teeth affected than in adults, documenting a relationship between enamel hypoplasia-causing stress events and reduced life expectancy. Significant sex differences are also present in dental pathology frequencies, possibly reflecting differences in resource access. Sex differences in vertebral osteoarthritis and Schmorl's depression frequencies may reflect differential activity patterns.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

A sequential developmental field defect of the vertebrae, ribs, and sternum, in a young woman of the 12th century AD.

Changes in the vertebral column are often noted in skeletal material. Descriptions of these anomalies are often lacking, and their developmental origins are not often discussed. The skeleton of a young woman from the medieval cemetery of Tirup, in Denmark, has multiple defects of the axial skeleton, including extra thoracic and lumbar vertebrae, border shifting, extra ribs, block vertebra, and deformed sternum. This case study is particularly interesting because of the number and diversity of anomalies seen; the rarity of these defects, even in living populations; and her survival to adult age. Careful analysis of the bones and use of the morphogenetic method of determining development stages has led to the conclusion that the initial defect probably occurred very early in development, during blastogenesis, with the initial development of at least two extra somitomeres in the paraxial mesoderm. These extra elements in turn led to problems in union and differentiation, and later chondrification and ossification of the vertebra. The malformations of the vertebrae also induced changes in the ribs and sternum. The initial error of segmentation is identified as a developmental field defect, and the cascade of anomalies seen is a developmental sequence caused by the initial field defect. The genetic and environmental causes of developmental field defects are reviewed.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Humerus varus deformity in Roman period burials from Kellis 2, Dakhleh, Egypt.

Humerus varus deformity (HVD) occurs unilaterally in a female (#85) skeleton and bilaterally in a male (#124) from Kellis 2, a Roman period cemetery (circa 300-450 AD) from Dakhleh, Egypt. The affected humeri were shortened, their glenohumeral joints deformed, and their upper diaphyses were angulated. The skeletons were otherwise normal. The severity of the changes suggests that the underlying growth disturbances occurred early in postnatal development. The differential diagnosis considers the mucopolysaccharidoses, thalassemia, infection, and birth trauma, with the latter being favored. Clinical data show limited morbidity or functional impairment in individuals with HVD, although radiographic analysis suggests that #85 may have favored her dominant arm. Ortner and Putschar (1981), and Hershkovitz et al (1991) describe the only other archaeological cases of HVD. These authors provide useful, though limited, information on the differential diagnosis of HVD in archaeological specimens. Future research should focus on documenting the prevalence and expressivity of HVD in Mediterranean population samples where thalassemia evolved. HVD is relatively common in thalassemics and this approach would be valuable for documenting the range of osseous responses characteristic of HVD.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Shape variation of the human pollical distal phalanx and metacarpal.

Human distal pollical phalanx form has been associated with tool manufacture, and the broad tuft of this bone in Neanderthals has been suggested to be a climatic adaptation and/or an aid to a tremendously powerful grip. A wide first metacarpal head has also been proposed to be useful in distinguishing tool-dependent hominids from those less reliant on tools. In order to contribute to an evaluation of these hypotheses variation in first metacarpal and distal phalanx shape is explored among samples of modern humans and compared to that of fossil hominids. Modern humans are from the Terry Collection, Larsen Bay, a Chinese-Alaskan cemetery, Egypt, and Sully and Mobridge. Hominid fossils include AL 333w-39, SKX 5016, SK 84, Stw 294, OH 7, several Neanderthals, Skhūl 4 and 5, and Predmostí 3. Analysis involves length-width ratios, regressions of distal phalanx tuft width on base width and of metacarpal head width on length, and pattern profiles based on Z-scores with reference to the Larsen Bay sample. Larsen Bay individuals are robust, while Terry "blacks," Egyptians, and Chinese-Alaskan males tend to be gracile. Fossil hominids are most distinctive for distal phalanx radioulnar tuft and mid-shaft widths relative to length. Security of grip is one plausible explanation. While most modern samples are positively allometric for tuft width relative to base width, the Larsen Bay and fossil hominid samples are not; thus caution is advised in accepting a base-tuft width comparison as a tool-dependence marker. Separation from modern humans is not easily achieved with metacarpal measures, but the Hadar metacarpal has distinctively narrow radioulnar head width ratios. While first metacarpal head expansion among hominids may plausibly be related to tool manufacture, other activities that place stress on the metacarpophalangeal joint should also be considered.

Alaska↗
PubMed2006

Dwarfs in ancient Egypt.

Ancient Egypt was one of the most advanced and productive civilizations in antiquity, spanning 3000 years before the "Christian" era. Ancient Egyptians built colossal temples and magnificent tombs to honor their gods and religious leaders. Their hieroglyphic language, system of organization, and recording of events give contemporary researchers insights into their daily activities. Based on the record left by their art, the ancient Egyptians documented the presence of dwarfs in almost every facet of life. Due to the hot dry climate and natural and artificial mummification, Egypt is a major source of information on achondroplasia in the old world. The remains of dwarfs are abundant and include complete and partial skeletons. Dwarfs were employed as personal attendants, animal tenders, jewelers, and entertainers. Several high-ranking dwarfs especially from the Old Kingdom (2700-2190 BCE) achieved important status and had lavish burial places close to the pyramids. Their costly tombs in the royal cemeteries and the inscriptions on their statutes indicate their high-ranking position in Egyptian society and their close relation to the king. Some of them were Seneb, Pereniankh, Khnumhotpe, and Djeder. There were at least two dwarf gods, Ptah and Bes. The god Ptah was associated with regeneration and rejuvenation. The god Bes was a protector of sexuality, childbirth, women, and children. He was a favored deity particularly during the Greco-Roman period. His temple was recently excavated in the Baharia oasis in the middle of Egypt. The burial sites and artistic sources provide glimpses of the positions of dwarfs in daily life in ancient Egypt. Dwarfs were accepted in ancient Egypt; their recorded daily activities suggest assimilation into daily life, and their disorder was not shown as a physical handicap. Wisdom writings and moral teachings in ancient Egypt commanded respect for dwarfs and other individuals with disabilities.

Dwarfism↗