Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “PALEOPATHOLOGY”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 937 records · Page 52Linked to original sources
PubMed1999

[Deaths at an early age in the city of Quebec, 17th-19th centuries].

Archaeological excavations carried out in two ancient cemeteries (1657-1844) of Notre-Dame-de-Québec Basilica in old Québec City allowed us to analyze the skeletal remains of more than 175 children who died before they were 10 years old. The proportion of infants is higher than expected according to the parish registers presumably because archaeologists recovered the remains of infants whose death had not been recorded in the registers. Two peaks of mortality have been noted: among the newborns and between one and two years old. The observed bone lesions lead us to believe that prenatal stress and rickets might be responsible for these high mortality rates. Although the samples from the two cemeteries were contemporaneous and drawn from the same community, there are some significant differences from the morbidity and mortality standpoint, tentatively attributed to the fact that most of the children recovered from one of the cemeteries were the victims of an epidemic while those from the other cemetery died in normal circumstances. This study shows how the analysis of skeletal remains can shed light on pathological conditions which otherwise would remain undocumented and how paleoanthropology opens new perspectives of research on diseases and death in the past.

Canada↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clues to recognition of kidney disease in archaeologic record: characteristics and occurrence of leontiasis ossium].

The possible osseous effect of kidney dysfunction was evaluated in a modern skeletal population for future use in assessment of archaeologic samples. Frequency and distribution on the bones of cysts, articular surface alterations, subperiosteal resorption, porosity, osteochondritis, digital tuft alteration and periosteal reaction were recorded in 94 individuals with known kidney failure in the Hamann-Todd collection. Independent radiologic analysis was also pursued. The results were compared with a control sample. The pattern of joint surface alteration and periosteal reaction may facilitate recognition of chronic renal disease in the osseous record. Subtle manifestations of leontiasis ossium are present in the form of cranial thickening and increased cranial size and weight, but teeth spacing are rare. Pseudo osteomatous lesions are common. This study perhaps explains the apparent rarity of actual leontiasis ossium.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Thermodynamic resolution of periosteal reaction and taphonomic change.

New bone formation (e.g., periosteal reaction) is one component of bone and joint disease diagnosis. Its application in the archeologic record has been compromised by lack of standardization. An objective technique for validating observations seems especially valuable when visual examination of a single data set results in widely disparate perspectives. Such discrepancies as to presence or absence of periosteal reaction are amenable to objective analysis. Bone, as any other form of matter, has a variety of properties. Some are characterized by weight or volume and are referred to as colligative. Some are related to its intrinsic nature, independent of mass. The latter are referred to as non-colligative. Non-colligative properties of matter provide an opportunity to assess structure, independent of quantity. Study of one such property, entropy, revealed that taphonomic changes can confidently be distinguished from bone surface reaction. Contrasted with the homogeneous entropy of normal bone, the loss of surface bone inherent in taphonomy results in reduced entropy. Contrasted with the homogenous patterns of normal bone, specific non-homogenous patterns allow periosteal reaction to be recognized, independent of variety of periosteal reaction or its origin. Thermographic approach allows observational techniques to be independently validated. Such validation allows for greater facility in interobserver archeologic site sample comparisons.

Bone Remodeling↗
PubMed2003

Frequency of pathology in a large natural sample from Natural Trap Cave with special remarks on erosive disease in the Pleistocene.

Population data are presented for erosive arthritis, osteoarthritis, diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), joint eburnation and dental injury in a fauna from Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming, represented by over thirty thousand bones from twenty-four different species. Erosive arthritis is limited to the bovids, Bison, Ovis and Bootherium. Erosive arthritis is also present in bison from the late Pleistocene Twelve Mile Creek site in Kansas and from an early Holocene site in Wisconsin. The restriction of the known Pleistocene occurrences to bovids indicate the presence of a pathogen that predisposes bovids to erosive arthritis. The pathogen was identified as Mvcobacterium tuberculosis. Osteoarthritis and DISH are rare in the Natural Trap Cave, although Bison shows a relatively high occurrence of the former. Tooth breakage due to errors in bone manipulation was a problem for carnivores and one lion, Pantera atrox, was apparently reduced by joint disease to a scavenging lifestyle.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Evidence of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy in human skeletal remains from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy is one of the earliest recognized disease entities in the history of medicine. It has a peculiar periosteal proliferation distinctive from other bone diseases. In its advanced stage, it leaves an indelible mark on the skeleton. It has been recently shown that digital clubbing is accompanied by a bone remodeling process of the underlying phalanges. Thus, theoretically, this entity can be recognized in ancient human skeletal remains. We studied part of the collection of skeletal remains from pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica preserved at the National Museum of Anthropology of Mexico City. We examined 1000 specimens and found 2 skeletons with widespread, bilateral, symmetric periosteal proliferation of the tubular bones in addition to the bone remodeling changes of the distal phalanges. One of the specimens was from the Formative period (2000 B.C. to 100 A.D.). We conclude that hypertrophic osteoarthropathy can be recognized in ancient human skeletal remains and that this disease was present in Mesoamerica near the time of the original description of clubbing by Hippocrates about 2500 years ago.

Central America↗
PubMed1990

Foot deformity of unknown etiology in a prehistoric skeleton from Texas.

An unusual foot deformity in an archaeological specimen from Oldham County, Texas, is presented. It is hoped that through description and radiographic and photographic examination the readers will be able to offer opinions concerning the frequency or possible etiology of the condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Unilateral ectrodactyly, metatarsal synostosis, and hypoplasia in an Eskimo.

A unilateral foot deformity in an archaeological specimen from Point Hope, Alaska, is presented. Radiographic and gross examination of the bones of the malformed left foot suggests that this adult female suffered from a rare and possibly unique limb deficiency presenting as unilateral congenital absence of the phalanges, synostosis and hypoplasia of the metatarsals, and mild hypoplasia of the calcaneus.

Abnormalities, Multiple↗
PubMed1998

The Tyrolean Iceman and excavated human remains as sources of information about the past, the present, and the future.

The 5,200-year-old mummy of the so-called "Iceman" found in the Tyrolean Alps in September 1991 has not only provided unique information about the European Stone Age, but has also supported disciplines of glaciology and paleoclimatology, contributed to medical history, age-at-death determination, and plastic surgery. The Iceman is the oldest known case of medical tattooing. Since the body is unique, new noninvasive methods had to be developed to investigate it. Stereolithographic skull models were produced to study the skull. Age determination was partly based on computer tomography. These methods may even be used for present or future medical or forensic practice. Furthermore, a collection of identified skulls from a charnel house in Austria, dating from about 1780 AD to 1990 AD, has been used for testing and developing osteological methods, though the inclusion of the skulls in the charnel house is formally classified a second burial. These skulls have been studied by permission from the local Catholic church. Careful respect for the ancestors is crucial in both these and other cases. In return, access to the remains of ancestors provides information which may shed light upon the past, the present, and even help survival in the future.

Austria↗
PubMed1999

Trace metals in ancient hair from the Karluk Archaeological Site, Kodiak, Alaska.

Considerable interest exists in characterizing the extent of changes in methylmercury exposures from preindustrial to modern-day times. Hair is often preserved over centuries and has been useful in determining the extent of dietary trace metal exposures, particularly methylmercury. We examined 16 human hair samples taken from human hair bundles buried in the soil of the Karluk One Archaeological site located near the current Karluk village on the Kodiak Archipelago of Alaska. Hair samples were analyzed for total mercury, methylmercury, selenium, and cadmium. The mean total mercury level was 1.33 ppm (SD = 1.09). The mean methylmercury level, however, was considerably lower than the total mercury concentration: the mean methylmercury level was 0.03 ppm (SD = 0.02). The mean cadmium level was 0.15 ppm (SD = 0.14) and the mean selenium level was 5.22 ppm (SD = 5.73). While the concentration of total mercury in the Karluk hair samples is comparable to those observed in ancient hair from other locations, direct methylmercury quantization demonstrated that methylmercury levels were less than 2% of the total mercury in these hair samples. Because the hair was subjected to a variety of environmental influences over the centuries, the possibility of degradation of methylmercury in the hair over the last 400 to 800 years cannot be ruled out. The use of hair from remains found in more protected frozen or dry environments may provide the best evidence for the extent of preindustrial exposures to methylmercury and other trace metals.

Alaska↗
PubMed1999

The iceman under pressure (Part I): A description of skull deformations due to 5100 years of glacial action.

Due to its long deposition in the glacier, the 'Iceman' (an ice-mummy from the Hauslabjoch) has been deformed, notably its skull. We introduce various comparative methods that describe these deformations, assuming they can be ascribed--to a large extent--to glacial action. While pressure is a scalar, the deformations must be described via a 2-tensor strain field (which can be represented by a matrix function value at every point throughout the skull). In this paper, we present the assumed deformations in numerous graphical forms and, furthermore, the limitations in interpretation--including an estimate of statistical variability--that can be revealed by this analysis. These methods, although describing the results of glacial action and implying a 2-tensor strain field (which will be presented in a subsequent paper), do not permit a straightforward reconstruction of the original, underformed skull. These methods have wider applications to the general problem of deformation.

Austria↗
PubMed1999

Estimation of the onset of bone atrophy.

Disturbances of bone growth were investigated in the skeletal remains of two individuals. These two--unrelated--mature males possessed limbs with marked atrophy as a result of immobilization, while the non-affected limbs showed a massive hyper-robusticity of the bones. The atrophied bones were investigated metrically and histologically. We assessed the time of onset, the duration and the extent of the immobilization. Both males suffered from paralysis, whereby one was apparently paralyzed from the pelvis down, the other had both lower extremities and the right arm affected. It appears that the onset occurred during the juvenile period.

Atrophy↗