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PubMed2001

Missing lateral incisors in Iron Age South-East Asians as possible indicators of dental agenesis.

The absence of lateral incisors is generally a reflection of agenesis or hypodontia, with a significant genetic basis and possibly environmental influence on the phenotypic expression. A human skeletal sample from the Iron Age cemetery of Noen U-Loke in Thailand has a very high prevalence at 79% of adults (30/38) with at least one incisor missing in either maxilla or mandible. If the cause of this high rate is genetic, it may be indicative of homogeneity, and, therefore, endogamy and probably isolation, of the population represented. Supporting agenesis as the explanation for this is the lack of space between the central incisors and canines in more than half the cases. An alternative explanation is that the teeth may have been lost during life through pathology or deliberate removal (ablation). There is no evidence in the form of remodelled lesions for pathological loss of the teeth. Although there were no significant differences between males and females in the numbers of teeth missing, there were significant differences in the patterns of loss, with males having more missing teeth on the right and females more on the left. No evidence was found in the clinical literature of agenesis involving side preference by sex, so this may indicate deliberate removal of the teeth. Males were also more likely than females to have no space for the missing teeth. Ablation of teeth has been recorded in other prehistoric South-East Asian populations but in these cases the evidence was much clearer. Agenesis seems to offer the most likely explanation for the missing teeth at Noen U-Loke and if so, indicates that a small, isolated population may develop a very high rate of hypodontia, with a side preference dependent on sex.

Anodontia↗
PubMed1997

Caries prevalence in the permanent dentition of a mediaeval population from the south-west of Scotland.

The prevalence, distribution and location of dental caries were studied in the permanent dentition of skeletons from a large mediaeval cemetery, where successive phases of use could be distinguished. The main phases dated from 1240 AD to 1440 AD. During this 200-year period, caries prevalence showed a statistically significant linear trend to increase. There was an increase in caries prevalence with increasing age from age band 20-25 through 26-35 to 36-45, and this trend was statistically significant in all phase groups but one. The teeth attacked by caries were chiefly molars, followed by premolars, with a low rate of attack in incisors and canines. The differences in caries prevalence between these major tooth classes were significant. Juveniles and adults presented different patterns of carious attack on tooth surfaces, occlusal surfaces being most frequently affected in juveniles, and approximal surfaces in adults. The overall caries prevalence in the mediaeval population of Whithorn was 6.4% of the teeth present, a figure similar to those published for other Scottish mediaeval groups, but lower than the caries prevalence in an English mediaeval group.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comorbidity of panic disorder with agoraphobia and specific phobia: relationship with the subtypes of specific phobia.

The study objectives were to determine comorbidity rates for various subtypes of specific phobia (SP) in a sample of patients with the principal diagnosis of panic disorder with agoraphobia (PDA) and to examine the possible etiologic relatedness of these SP subtypes to PDA. Ninety consecutive day clinic patients with PDA were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID) modified for DSM-IV. The overall comorbidity rate for SP was 65.6%. The most frequent subtypes of SP were situational phobia and dental phobia, followed by natural environment phobia, phobia of funerals, cemeteries, dead bodies, and other death-related phenomena and objects (referred to as death-related phobia), and blood-injection-injury phobia. Except for death-related phobia, other subtypes of SP clearly tended to precede the onset of PDA, often by many years. The smallest difference between the age of onset for PDA and particular subtypes of SP (temporal distance) was found for death-related phobia, whereas the temporal difference was longer for situational phobia, hospital phobia, and blood-injection-injury phobia. The frequency and temporal distance data suggest that death-related phobia may constitute a risk factor for developing PDA or that it is a prodrome of PDA, whereas situational phobia, hospital phobia, and blood-injection-injury phobia appear to predispose to PDA to a lesser degree. Of the three broadly conceived groups of SP, mutilation phobias (which include death-related phobia, hospital phobia, blood-injection-injury phobia, and dental phobia) appear most etiologically relevant for PDA, with the group of situational phobias (which also includes the natural environment subtype of SP) being less relevant, and animal phobias showing a negligible etiologic relatedness to PDA.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Chiral analysis of organochlorine pesticides in Alabama soils.

The enantiomeric composition of organochlorine (OC) pesticide residues was investigated in 32 agricultural and 3 cemetery soils from Alabama. The enantiomeric signatures were similar to those from other soils in US and Canada. The enantiomer fractions (EFs) of o,p'-DDT showed great variability, ranging from 0.41 to 0.57 while the EFs of chlordanes and chlordane metabolites were less variable and differed in general significantly from racemic. Enantioselective depletion of (+)trans-chlordane, (-)cis-chlordane, the first eluting enantiomer of MC5, and enrichment of (+)heptachlor-exo-epoxide and (+)oxychlordane was found in a large majority of the samples with detectable residues. The enantiomeric composition of alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane was racemic or close to racemic.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2002

Quality of registration of maternal deaths in Mozambique: a community-based study in rural and urban areas.

Maternal mortality is an important indicator used to assess the level of development of a country and particularly the coverage of health services. In Africa where the maternal mortality ratios are about 100 times higher than those of developed countries the situation is even worse due to problems of underregistration. In Mozambique the figures officially used are derived from the data of some hospitals in the main cities. This leaves out the 60% of pregnant women who do not attend health facilities. It was against this background that the present study was designed to be a prospective community-based study carried out in the central region of Mozambique involving a population of 207,369 inhabitants. The study covered a 12-month period, from 01/08/96 to 31/07/97 and found 214 deaths among women in reproductive age (15-49 yr) of whom 40 were classified as maternal deaths. Gross underregistration was revealed, as the health institutions failed by 86% in recording maternal deaths, the same happening with other official sources, like the Civil Register and the Funeral Services registering only 9% of the maternal deaths. This kind of study is however complex and labour intensive and a practical way of monitoring has to be found; for the region where the study took place close collaboration with private cemeteries appears to be a way to be further explored.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Application of mtDNA sequence analysis in forensic casework for the identification of human remains.

In four forensic cases of unidentified skeletal remains investigated in the last year, we were able to attach three to missing persons. In one case we could show that the discovered bone sample did not fit to a missing child. The method for mitochondrial DNA analysis for the routine identification of skeletal remains was established in our institute by typing bone samples of defined age obtained from Frankfurt's cemetery. Reproducible results were obtained for bones up to 75 years old. For analysis the bone samples were pulverised to fine powder, decalcified and DNA was extracted. From the DNA we amplified a 404-bp fragment from HV-1 and a 379-bp fragment from HV-2 of the mtDNA control region. After sequencing of the PCR products, the results were compared to the Anderson reference sequence and to putative maternal relatives.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Comparison of lipid composition in two types of human putrefactive liquid.

The decomposition of a human cadaver was stopped after solidification of putrefactive liquid during a GIS Burial experiment. Knowledge of this phenomenon is necessary to optimize burial conditions and to decrease cemetery congestion. In this preliminary study, we devised a method using thin-layer chromatography and gas chromatography to compare different putrefactive liquids. A comparison of lipid composition among two cadavers revealed a decrease in the decomposition rate of the cadaver that had the gelled putrefactive liquid. Essentially, fatty acids were observed in two types of extracts. The difference was quantitative: there was a higher amount of fatty acids in the gelled sample than in the standard liquid, suggesting a decrease of decomposition rate in the gelled extract. A large quantity of oleate salts may be favourable for solidification. In addition, an isomer of oleic acid (elaidic acid) could be present which may have a determining factor in the phenomenon of gelled putrefaction. A large amount of stearic acid was present in the gelled extract and may be involved in solidification. This method was efficient for comparing the lipid composition of different putrefactive liquids and may be used for a large-scale study. This is the first report concerning methods to determine the lipid composition of human decomposition liquids after 4 years postmortem.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Basilar clefting: a familial condition?

Excavation at the deserted medieval village of Quattro Macine, Apulia revealed two ruined churches and associated cemeteries of stone-lined tombs. Typically, a tomb contained an articulated burial and bundles of disarticulated bone, no doubt, representing family tombs that were re-opened several times during the medieval period. In one tomb, two examples of basilar clefting, a manifestation of occipital vertebra, were recorded. Apparently, this rare condition has not been recorded in archaeological material. Its presence in two individuals from the same grave is the first evidence that there is a genetic component in this rare anatomical variant.

Archaeology↗
PubMed2000

Thomas Hodgkin: social activist.

Thomas Hodgkin's discovery of a lymph gland disorder is merely one event in a life of unusually varied public activities in the social reform and humanitarian movements of the mid-19th century. He wrote pamphlets on medical care for the working-class poor, public health, housing, sanitation, and the relief of cold, hunger, and unemployment. Hodgkin wrote about the problems arising from urban renewal and suburban development. His contributions to geographic explorations, anthropology, ethnology, and foreign affairs are virtually unknown today. Hodgkin's opposition to slavery and the slave trade involved him in the development of settlements in Africa for freed slaves and disputes with the abolitionists in America. He fought for social justice and human rights for native populations being oppressed by British foreign policy in South Africa and New Zealand. His criticism of the exploitation of Indians by the Hudson's Bay Company's fur trade contributed to a professional conflict in the highly politicized environment of Guy's Hospital and blocked advancement of his medical career. Closer to home he advocated reform of medical education and practice and sponsored adult education programs. As a member of its Senate, he helped in establishing London University, the first nonsectarian institution of higher learning in England. He lectured to working people on the means of preserving and promoting health and advocated prepaid medical care for the working poor. Concerned about unequal distribution of medical care, he opposed medical contracts to the lowest bidder and price-determined government plans for health care. He consistently maintained that the basic problems of the poor were not medical but socioeconomic. Since charity leaves nothing behind in exchange, Hodgkin was certain that greater benefits would result if charitable money was used to provide jobs. He denounced the evils of tobacco, practices of trade unions, and barbarous prize fights. On a trip to Jerusalem with Sir Moses Montefiore in 1866, Hodgkin contracted dysentery and died. He is buried in a protestant cemetery in Jaffa. His epitaph is fitting: "Nothing human was alien to him."

England↗
PubMed2002

Epidemiology of osteoarthritis and enthesopathies in a European population dating back 7700 years.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the epidemiology of bone changes related to degenerative joint disease and enthesopathies in the earliest Neolithic population identified in Europe (dated back 7700 years), to compare the findings with those in medieval and contemporary populations, and to draw etiological inferences. METHODS: Examination of the skeletal remains of 119 individuals older than 20 years of age at death and buried in two Central European cemeteries dated as far back as 7700 years (5700 BC). RESULTS: The propensity for developing degenerative disease seemed to vary among individuals, as it does today. The hands, shoulder, and hip were common targets of osteoarthritis, as they are today, and the elbow was more likely to be affected in the Neolithic and medieval populations than in contemporary populations. When age of the individuals is taken into account, the prevalence of knee osteoarthritis does not seem to have changed substantially overtime. CONCLUSIONS: These results attest to the major role of microtrauma in osteoarthritis of the upper limb joints. At the other joints, after correction for age, the prevalence of degenerative disease and the combinations of joint involvements have remained remarkably constant over time, suggesting a major role for genetic factors (bone formers) already present in European populations in the early Neolithic period.

Europe↗
PubMed2001

Low bone mineral density in the femoral neck of medieval women: a result of multiparity?

An archaeological investigation of a medieval cemetery gave us the opportunity to investigate 49 Danish skeletons dating from 1000 to 1250 A.D. and to compare them with 298 contemporary Danes (aged 19-79 years) and assess the millennial trend in bone mineral density (BMD) in populations considered genetically closely related. BMD and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) of the femoral neck were measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and transformed into z scores. BMD(zscore) was significantly lower in medieval women (-0.54 +/- 0.25, p = 0.04), whereas BMD(zscore) in medieval men was significantly higher (0.55 +/- 0.22, p = 0.02). In medieval women, BMD(zscore) tended to increase with age (r = 0.42, p = 0.07), whereas no change was seen in men (r = 0.19, not significant [n.s.]). Also, BMAD(zscore) was significantly elevated in medieval men (1.00 +/- 0.28, p < 0.01), but in medieval women no difference was found (-0.28 +/- 0.21, n.s.). However, the correlation between BMAD(zscore) and age was significant in the medieval women where it increased with advancing age (r = 0.49, p = 0.03). In conclusion, medieval women had lower BMD when compared with contemporary women, but this relationship was reversed in women who survived to older ages. In contrast, medieval men had significantly higher BMD as compared with contemporary men at all ages. The observed lower BMD in medieval women can be explained by the well-known selective mortality among the younger women. A high birth rate and prolonged periods of lactation are the main reasons for the observed increased mortality, and therefore can also very likely explain the associated low BMD. The increase in the incidence of osteoporosis in modern elderly women could possibly, or partially, be explained by the survival of women who would have died prematurely had they lived in earlier centuries.

Bone Density↗
PubMed1998

Relationship between bone density and osteoarthritis in a skeletal population from London.

To determine whether bone density was related to the presence of osteoarthritis in past populations, bone density was determined directly on bone slices taken from the fourth lumbar vertebra of a series of skeletons from a cemetery in London used from the middle 18th to the early 19th centuries. Eighty male and 57 female skeletons were studied and standard anthropological methods were used to determine age and gender. Osteoarthritis was diagnosed by the presence of eburnation on joint surfaces. The mean bone density in the males was 0.351 (+/-0.071) g/cm2, and in the females 0.332 (+/-0.091); this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.045). There was a significant, negative relationship with bone density and age in females (p = 0.0023), but not males (p = 0.073). Forty-seven of the males and 30 of the females had osteoarthritis, the most commonly affected joints being the facet joints of the spine and the hands. For the males there was no significant difference in bone density in those with or without osteoarthritis, but in females the bone density was significantly lower (p = 0.021) in those with osteoarthritis than in those without. The reasons why this result differs from modern populations in which patients with osteoarthritis tend to have higher bone density are discussed, and it is suggested that the most plausible explanation may relate to differences in nutritional status between past and modern populations.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

delta 13C analysis of cholesterol preserved in archaeological bones and teeth.

Cholesterol preserved in archaeological bones and teeth constitutes an important new source of palaeodietary information. A method is described here for the isotopic (delta 13C) determination of cholesterol employing a semiautomated sample preparation procedure and the technique of isotope ratio monitoring/gas chromatography/ mass spectrometry (irm/GC/MS). High-temperature gas chromatography (HT-GC) and high-temperature gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (HT-GC/MS) were used to identify the lipids and quantify the cholesterol present in the total lipid extracts. delta 13C values are then readily obtained from nanogram amounts (approximately 50 ng) of cholesterol resolved and determined directly by high-resolution capillary irm/GC/MS of trimethylsilylated total lipid extracts. The protocol developed allows effective processing of the large numbers of samples essential for palaeodietary determinations. Analytical precision and reproducibility have been assessed through multiple sampling of the same skeleton (femur, 9th century). Comparable delta 13C values have been obtained from different skeletal members from the same individual. The utility of the approach is demonstrated through a study of the delta 13C values of cholesterol isolated from sections of femoral bones of individuals excavated from cemeteries (dated Saxon to 18th century) at a coastal site in the U.K. The mean delta 13C value (-22.2 +/- 0.3/1000, sigma = 0.9) determined for cholesterol in 50 different individuals indicates a strong preference for marine foods by the members of the community extending back over the last approximately 1500 years. A minority of individuals exhibited delta 13C values as low as -26/1000, indicating preferences for terrestrial rather than marine foodstuffs.

Archaeology↗
PubMed2001

Laboratory and field evaluation of insect repellents as larvicides against the mosquitoes Aedes albopictus and Anopheles albimanus.

Acute toxicity and persistence of three insect repellents, deet and two piperidines (AI3-35765 and AI3-37220), were evaluated against mosquito larvae of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Anopheles albimanus Wiedemann (Diptera: Culicidae) in the laboratory, and against natural populations of Ae. albopictus in the field. In laboratory studies, the LC50 values of the repellents for first instars ranged between 0.005 and 0.021% (Ae. albopictus) and between 0.01 and 0.014% (An. albimanus) and, for fourth instars, between 0.019 and 0.034% (Ae. albopictus) and between 0.015 and 0.024% (An. albimanus). A 0.1% concentration of deet caused 90-100% mortality in first-instar Ae. albopictus for 4 weeks, whereas AI3-35765 and AI3-37220 at the same concentration killed 95-100% of larvae for 12 weeks and 98-100% of larvae for 33 weeks post-treatment, respectively. Deet and AI3-35765 at 0.1 % concentration resulted in complete mortality of first-instar An. albimanus for 3 weeks post-treatment, whereas AI3-37220 resulted in 91-99% larval mortalities for 35 weeks post-treatment. A 0.1% concentration of A13-37220 provided 77-98% larval mortality for 20 weeks and 63-97% larval mortality for 12 weeks post-treatment, respectively, against fourth-instar Ae. albopictus and An. albimanus. In the field, in artificial containers, the reduction of Ae. albopictus larvae caused by deet, AI3-35765 and AI3-37220 was 88-95% for 3-4 weeks, 98-100% for 7 weeks, and 82-100% for 13 weeks post-treatment, respectively. In used tyres, the same concentration of the repellents resulted in 100% reduction of Ae. albopictus larvae for 2 weeks (deet), 4 weeks (AI3-35765) and 5 weeks (AI3-37220) post-treatment. In cemetery flower vases, Aedes spp. larvae were eliminated for 4 weeks (deet) and 6 weeks post-treatment by both A13-35765 and AI3-37220. These topical repellents (particularly AI3-37220) have good potential for development and use in the management of container-inhabiting mosquitoes because they deter oviposition and kill larvae.

Aedes↗
PubMed2004

Lay diagnosis of causes of death for monitoring AIDS mortality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Lay diagnoses of death collected at burial sites were validated against two 'gold standards': the hospital discharge diagnosis of causes of death obtained by a surveillance of hospital deaths (including autopsy results) and the physician review of verbal autopsies (VAs) that were carried out for a sample of cemetery records. The diagnostic indicators of the lay diagnoses were then used to provide estimates of the share of AIDS-attribuTable mortality. The verbal autopsy results provide an independent estimate of the percentage of AIDS deaths. From a total of 21,274 burial records, 2546 hospital discharge diagnoses, 1480 outcomes of autopsies and 200 adult verbal autopsies were gathered over a period of 1 year starting from February 2001. Independent of the gold standard, lay diagnoses such as lung disease and cold have a specificity of about 90% and a combined sensitivity of about 55% in determining AIDS mortality. Without a significant loss in specificity, the sensitivity increases to 60-65% when diarrhoea, TB, herpes zoster and mental or nerve problem are included. We thus conclude that even in the presence of a reluctance to talk of HIV/AIDS, lay diagnosis of causes of death can be used for monitoring AIDS mortality. Lung disease and cold, in particular, have become well-known euphemisms for AIDS in the community. The share of AIDS deaths in the adult population (20-54) is estimated at 68%, without noticeable differences between men and women. Our results confirm the high impact of HIV/AIDS on mortality as was estimated by epidemiological projections for Addis Ababa.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed2003

Trace element analysis of Bronze Age skeletal and crematory graves from southern Poland for diet reconstruction.

The basic aim of the present study was to determine the diet of human populations dating from the Bronze Age and the time of Roman influence. The osseous material under examination came from skeletal and crematory burials of the Lusatian and Przeworks Cultures, found in a cemetery at Opatów, Klobuck District, Silesian Province. Three elements: strontium, zinc and calcium were chosen as basic diet determinants. The three elements and the proportions between them are the most frequently used factors that permit a description of the relative proportion of animal and plant protein in a diet. It was assumed that the differentiation of burial ritual was paired with a diverse mode and quality of nourishment. Interdisciplinary osteological analyses, based on physicochemical studies of the odontologic material in the context of archaeological data (culture affiliation, type of burial, grave furnishings), permit a complex analysis of the issues connected with the biology of human groups, their demographic structure or, eventually, paleostratigraphy of primeval communities. It has been found that the type of burial and the richness of grave furnishings are most closely connected with the ultimate differentiation of Zn and Ca concentrations and the value of the Sr/Zn ratio. Because the richly furnished graves are at the same time mostly skeletal burials, it cannot be unequivocally stated which of the above-mentioned factors is of paramount importance. It has also been demonstrated that representatives of the Przeworsk Culture, chronologically younger than the Lusatian one that inhabited the same geographic region, show a lower Zn concentration and a higher Sr/Zn ratio.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Concentration and size distribution of ultrafine particles near a major highway.

Motor vehicle emissions usually constitute the most significant source of ultrafine particles (diameter <0.1 microm) in an urban environment, yet little is known about the concentration and size distribution of ultrafine particles in the vicinity of major highways. In the present study, particle number concentration and size distribution in the size range from 6 to 220 nm were measured by a condensation particle counter (CPC) and a scanning mobility particle sizer (SMPS), respectively. Measurements were taken 30, 60, 90, 150, and 300 m downwind, and 300 m upwind, from Interstate 405 at the Los Angeles National Cemetery. At each sampling location, concentrations of CO, black carbon (BC), and particle mass were also measured by a Dasibi CO monitor, an aethalometer, and a DataRam, respectively. The range of average concentration of CO, BC, total particle number, and mass concentration at 30 m was 1.7-2.2 ppm, 3.4-10.0 microg/m3, 1.3-2.0 x 10(5)/cm3, and 30.2-64.6 microg/m3, respectively. For the conditions of these measurements, relative concentrations of CO, BC, and particle number tracked each other well as distance from the freeway increased. Particle number concentration (6-220 nm) decreased exponentially with downwind distance from the freeway. Data showed that both atmospheric dispersion and coagulation contributed to the rapid decrease in particle number concentration and change in particle size distribution with increasing distance from the freeway. Average traffic flow during the sampling periods was 13,900 vehicles/hr. Ninety-three percent of vehicles were gasoline-powered cars or light trucks. The measured number concentration tracked traffic flow well. Thirty meters downwind from the freeway, three distinct ultrafine modes were observed with geometric mean diameters of 13, 27, and 65 nm. The smallest mode, with a peak concentration of 1.6 x 10(5)/cm3, disappeared at distances greater than 90 m from the freeway. Ultrafine particle number concentration measured 300 m downwind from the freeway was indistinguishable from upwind background concentration. These data may be used to estimate exposure to ultrafine particles in the vicinity of major highways.

Air Movements↗
PubMed2000

Implications of pandemic influenza for bioterrorism response.

The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic (Spanish flu) had catastrophic effects upon urban populations in the United States. Large numbers of frightened, critically ill people overwhelmed health care providers. Mortuaries and cemeteries were severely strained by rapid accumulation of corpses of flu victims. Understanding of the outbreak's extent and effectiveness of containment measures was obscured by the swiftness of the disease and an inadequate health reporting system. Epidemic controls such as closing public gathering places elicited both community support and resistance, and fear of contagion incited social and ethnic tensions. Review of this infamous outbreak is intended to advance discussions among health professionals and policymakers about an effective medical and public health response to bioterrorism, an infectious disease crisis of increasing likelihood. Elements of an adequate response include building capacity to care for mass casualties, providing emergency burials that respect social mores, properly characterizing the outbreak, earning public confidence in epidemic containment measures, protecting against social discrimination, and fairly allocating health resources.

Bioterrorism↗