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Welsh H, Brickley MB. Investigating femoral growth disruption in subadults from the 10th-13th century St. Étienne cemetery of Toulouse, France. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024:e24984. [PMID: 38899835 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2024] [Accepted: 06/02/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The skeleton embodies an individual's environment and lived experiences. Studying childhood growth disruption can, therefore, aid in understanding the experiences of children in the past. This study evaluates growth disruption in a medieval Toulousian subadult sample to explore factors that may have influenced childhood growth and mortality at this site and to assess the utility of Harris line (HL) interpretations in bioarchaeology. MATERIALS AND METHODS Femoral growth disruption was assessed in n = 71 subadults (0.125-12.42 years) from the 10th-13th century St. Étienne cemetery of Toulouse, France, using femoral length, total area, cortical area, and relative cortical area. Femoral radiographs were assessed for HLs. To determine the prevalence of growth disruption, z-scores were calculated using data from the Denver growth study. RESULTS The majority of subadults in this sample suffered from femoral growth disruption. Young children (1.0-3.99 years) were the most affected, with >65% experiencing reduced appositional growth and linear growth stunting at time-of-death. Additionally, while many individuals presented with observable HLs, linear and appositional growth did not significantly differ between individuals with and without HLs. DISCUSSION Maternal malnutrition and inadequate complementary feeding practices likely contributed to the high prevalence of growth disruption among the youngest individuals in the study. The older children and adolescents buried at St. Étienne experienced an amelioration in growth deficits, indicating an improvement in nutrition and/or disease load. The results of this study suggest that more consideration is required when interpreting the presence/absence of HLs, and that studies assessing HLs may benefit from using a more individualistic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Welsh
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - M B Brickley
- Department of Anthropology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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O'Donnell L, Green JJ, Hill EC, O'Donnell MJ. Biocultural and social determinants of ill health and early mortality in a New Mexican paediatric autopsy sample. J Biosoc Sci 2024:1-22. [PMID: 38618934 DOI: 10.1017/s0021932024000129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
RESULTS. Hispanic children have higher odds of growth stunting than non-Hispanic White children. Native American children die younger and have higher odds of respiratory diseases and porous lesions than Hispanic and non-Hispanic Whites. Rural/urban location does not significantly impact age at death, but housing type does. Individuals who lived in trailers/mobile homes had earlier ages at death. When intersections between housing type and housing location are considered, children who were poor and from impoverished areas lived longer than those who were poor from relatively well-off areas. CONCLUSIONS. Children's health is shaped by factors outside their control. The children included in this study embodied experiences of social and ELS and did not survive to adulthood. They provide the most sobering example of the harm that social factors (structural racism/discrimination, socioeconomic, and political structures) can inflict.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lexi O'Donnell
- College of Population Health, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - John J Green
- Southern Rural Development Center and Department of Agricultural Economics, Mississippi State University, Starkville, USA
| | - Ethan C Hill
- Division of Physical Therapy, Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, NM, USA
| | - Michael J O'Donnell
- Bureau of Business and Economic Research, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA
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Kulus MJ, Cebulski K, Kmiecik P, Sputa-Grzegrzółka P, Grzelak J, Dąbrowski P. New Equations for the Estimation of the Age of the Formation of the Harris Lines. Life (Basel) 2024; 14:501. [PMID: 38672771 PMCID: PMC11051040 DOI: 10.3390/life14040501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/12/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Harris Lines (HLs) are transverse, sclerotic lines that can be visualized by X-ray imaging and that occur in long bones, most commonly in the tibia and femur. HLs are associated with disrupted bone mineralization during endochondral ossification, affecting the normal growth process. The etiology of HLs is debated, with some claims linking their presence to detrimental factors such as inflammation, malnutrition, alcohol abuse, and diseases. The age at which HLs form can be estimated based on their location, which allows for a retrospective assessment of the individual's health status during childhood or youth. The current study is concerned with providing new equations to estimate the age of Harris Line occurrences using a simple calculating tool. Bone growth curves were derived based on a dataset provided by Byers in 1991 using non-linear estimation. The best model was chosen with the Akaike Information Criterion. New and old methods were compared through Bland-Altman plots. As a result, we managed to produce reliable, well-fitted growth curves, concordant with previous methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michał J. Kulus
- Division of Ultrastructural Research, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Kamil Cebulski
- Division of Histology and Embryology, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland;
| | - Piotr Kmiecik
- Institute of Natural and Technical Studies, The Angelus Silesius University of Applied Sciences, 58-300 Wałbrzych, Poland;
| | - Patrycja Sputa-Grzegrzółka
- Division of Anatomy, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland; (P.S.-G.); (J.G.); (P.D.)
| | - Joanna Grzelak
- Division of Anatomy, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland; (P.S.-G.); (J.G.); (P.D.)
| | - Paweł Dąbrowski
- Division of Anatomy, Department of Human Morphology and Embryology, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-367 Wrocław, Poland; (P.S.-G.); (J.G.); (P.D.)
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Lewis ME. Exploring adolescence as a key life history stage in bioarchaeology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 179:519-534. [PMCID: PMC9825885 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2022] [Revised: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/17/2022] [Indexed: 04/16/2024]
Abstract
Adolescence is a unique period in the life history of an individual. It is characterized by a myriad of changes that bioarchaeologists are only just coming to appreciate, related to sexual maturation, linear growth, immunological transformation, and emotional and cognitive development. New methods allow us to measure this age of transition through the stages of the adolescent growth, as a proxy for the physical development associated with sexual maturation (puberty). This review outlines ways bioarchaeologists may draw on research developments from the fields of human biology, evolutionary theory and neurobiology to advance a more holistic approach to the study of adolescence in the past. It considers current theoretical and analytical approaches to highlight the research potential of this critical stage of life history. This synthesis integrates the most recent research in the medical sciences concerned with body and brain development, and outlines the biological processes involved with sexual and physical maturation of the adolescent. The goal of this review is to help inform potentially rewarding areas of research that bioarchaeologists can contribute to and draw from, as well as the challenges and limitations, theoretical and methodological questions, and ways in which we can develop the study of adolescence in the discipline going forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary E. Lewis
- Department of ArchaeologyUniversity of ReadingReadingUK
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Decrausaz SL, Cameron ME. A growth area: A review of the value of clinical studies of child growth for palaeopathology. Evol Med Public Health 2022; 10:108-122. [PMID: 35273803 PMCID: PMC8903130 DOI: 10.1093/emph/eoac005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies of living children demonstrate that early life stress impacts linear growth outcomes. Stresses affecting linear growth may also impact later life health outcomes, including increased cardiometabolic disease risk. Palaeopathologists also assess the growth of children recovered from bioarchaeological contexts. Early life stresses are inferred to affect linear growth outcomes, and measurements of skeletal linear dimensions alongside other bioarchaeological information may indicate the types of challenges faced by past groups. In clinical settings, the impacts of stress on growing children are typically measured by examining height. Palaeopathologists are limited to examining bone dimensions directly and must grapple with incomplete pictures of childhood experiences that may affect growth. Palaeopathologists may use clinical growth studies to inform observations among past children; however, there may be issues with this approach. Here, we review the relationship between contemporary and palaeopathological studies of child and adolescent growth. We identify approaches to help bridge the gap between palaeopathological and biomedical growth studies. We advocate for: the creation of bone-specific growth reference information using medical imaging and greater examination of limb proportions; the inclusion of children from different global regions and life circumstances in contemporary bone growth studies; and greater collaboration and dialogue between palaeopathologists and clinicians as new studies are designed to assess linear growth past and present. We advocate for building stronger bridges between these fields to improve interpretations of growth patterns across human history and to potentially improve interventions for children living and growing today. Studies of living children demonstrate that early life stress impacts linear growth. Stresses affecting linear growth may also impact later life health, including cardiometabolic disease risk. Palaeopathologists also investigate if children and adolescents recovered from bioarchaeological contexts experienced growth disruptions due to early life challenges. In clinical settings, the impacts of stress on growing children are typically measured by examining height. Palaeopathologists are limited to examining bone dimensions directly and must grapple with incomplete pictures of childhood experiences that may affect growth. Here, we review the relationship between contemporary and palaeopathological studies of child and adolescent growth. We advocate for: the creation of bone-specific growth reference information using medical imaging and greater examination of limb proportions; the inclusion of children from different global regions and life circumstances in contemporary bone growth studies; and greater collaboration and dialogue between palaeopathologists and clinicians as new studies are designed to assess linear growth past and present. These steps may improve interpretations of growth patterns across human history and interventions for children living and growing today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah-Louise Decrausaz
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Cornett Building, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada
| | - Michelle E Cameron
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Ursula Franklin Street, Toronto, ON M5S 2S2, Canada
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Wolfe CA, Herrmann NP. Interpreting error in the estimation of skeletal growth profiles from past populations: An example demonstrating skeletal growth in historic African American communities. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 177:83-99. [PMID: 36787783 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The study of growth in the past is a critical component of bioarcheological analyses. However, our understanding of growth in the past is subject to a number of methodological challenges. This study aims to model the skeletal growth of past populations by considering the challenges associated with the data collection process and the challenges associated with the age estimation procedures. MATERIALS AND METHODS We use skeletal remains from two historic African American cemeteries in the American South to model femoral diaphyseal length-for-age. We estimate the age of each individual using dental development techniques and present growth curves as both a product of the maximum likelihood (MLE) age estimate and the estimated posterior age distribution. Growth was compared against a reference sample from the University of Colorado Child Research Council Study. RESULTS The results of our analyses showed that femoral diaphyseal length in two historic African American communities is small-for-estimated age as compared to a modern reference sample. However, the magnitude and characterization of this difference is variable when taking into account the broader posterior age distribution. DISCUSSION Both samples may be small-for-age due to physiological stress associated with racism, inequality, and the compounding effects of early urbanization. However, the interpretation of growth in the past is muddled when considering the relationship between the study sample and the reference sample, when accounting for uncertainty in the age estimation procedure, and the error-inducing steps taken during the data collection process. Future interpretation of skeletal growth in the past must include a full account of the possible sources of error in order to present an accurate representation of growth.
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Hiraoka T, Nishizaki M, Ueda K, Kondo Y. Growth recovery lines in children: A comparison between psychosocial short stature and other pathological causes of short stature. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 123:105388. [PMID: 34801849 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Psychosocial short stature (PSS) is a rare disorder associated with emotional deprivation. Growth recovery lines (GRLs), the radiodense bands in metaphyseal bones, are indicators of stress. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy of using GRLs in the distal radius to identify PSS. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING This retrospective cohort study included children 15-138 months of age with short stature whose hands and wrists were radiographed between 2011 and 2020 at Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital in Japan. METHODS PSS was determined if a child with short stature had been reported to be abused or neglected. Other pathological short statures were diagnosed per the established criteria. GRLs, height velocity before and after specific treatment, insulin-like growth factor 1, and the difference between chronological and skeletal age were assessed. RESULTS The PSS and other short stature groups comprised of 7 and 11 children, respectively. The body mass index of the PSS group was smaller than that of other short stature group (-1.15 standard deviation [SD] vs. 0.57 SD, P = 0.003). The PSS group had significantly more GRLs than the other group (5.3 vs. 0.5, P = 0.011). Height velocity before treatment in the PSS group was significantly lower (-5.46 SD vs. -1.86 SD, P = 0.005), with no significant differences in other variables. The specificity for PSS was >90% when children with short stature had at least three GRLs in both distal radii. CONCLUSIONS Abuse or neglect should be considered in children with short stature having multiple GRLs in the distal radius.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomohiro Hiraoka
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, 1, Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8524, Ehime, Japan.
| | - Mari Nishizaki
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, 1, Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8524, Ehime, Japan
| | - Koso Ueda
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, 1, Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8524, Ehime, Japan
| | - Yoichi Kondo
- Department of Pediatrics, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, 1, Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama 790-8524, Ehime, Japan
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Nakayama N. Secular trend in skeletal growth among urban Japanese during the Edo period (1603-1867). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2021; 35:29-39. [PMID: 34536912 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2021.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2020] [Revised: 03/21/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study aims to investigate whether any secular change in growth occurred among the urban populations during the Edo period (1603-1867). During this time, the preconditions for industrialization were established through rapid urbanization, population increase, and economic development. MATERIALS Ninety subadult and 189 adult skeletal remains were recovered from eight Edo-period burial sites in Tokyo were examined. METHODS Maximum femoral lengths were measured and compared between the early and late Edo periods. RESULTS While subadults of the late Edo period-especially of higher status-tended to have longer femoral lengths, the adult males tended to have slightly shorter femoral lengths. No clear difference was found among adult females. CONCLUSIONS There was no clear or consistent secular change in growth patterns or in adult stature. The impact of social and economic transformations in 17th-century Japan on growth and on general health status remains unclear. SIGNIFICANCE This is the first study to examine the impact of social changes on growth immediately before the industrialization of Japan. It will be helpfull to understand the complex relationship between human growth and social changes. LIMITATIONS Changes in growth patterns may have been obscured by the small sample size, errors in estimating age and femoral lengths, temporary changes in growth in the late Edo period, or catch-up growth. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Re-examining with a larger sample, introducing more precise dating of burials and more precise age estimation methods, and examining multiple physiological stress indicators are necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nana Nakayama
- Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Nature and Science, 4-1-1, Amakubo, Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki 305-0005, Japan.
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McFarlane G, Floyd B, Smith C, Mahoney P. Technical note: Estimating original crown height in worn mandibular canines using aspects of dentin morphology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:692-702. [PMID: 34346075 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2021] [Revised: 07/02/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
We present a novel method to estimate original crown height (OCH) for worn human mandibular canines using a cubic regression equation based on ratios of worn crown height and exposed dentin. This method may help alleviate issues frequently presented by worn teeth in dental analyses, including those in bioarchaeology. Mandibular canines (n = 28) from modern day New Zealand and English populations were selected. Crown height and dentin thickness were measured on dental thin sections (n = 19) and the resulting (log10) ratios were fitted to a cubic regression curve allowing OCH in worn crowns to be predicted. Variation in the dentin apex position was recorded and effects of angled wear slopes investigated allowing adjusted values to be generated. Our method is trialed for use on intact and sectioned teeth (n = 17). A cubic regression curve best describes the relationship between (log10) ratios and crown height deciles (R2 = 0.996, df1 = 3, df2 = 336, p < 0.001). No significant differences were detected between OCH estimates using our method and digitally recreated cusp outlines of the same crowns (t = 1.024, df = 16, p > 0.05), with a mean absolute error of 0.171 mm and an adjusted coefficient of determination of 0.923. Our approach offers a quantitative method to estimate the percentage of OCH remaining on worn mandibular canines, and by extension, the OCH. Our estimates are comparable to digitally recreated cusps but less subjective and not limited to crowns with minimal wear.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gina McFarlane
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
| | - Bruce Floyd
- Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Caitlin Smith
- Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Patrick Mahoney
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom
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Bogin B. Fear, violence, inequality, and stunting in Guatemala. Am J Hum Biol 2021; 34:e23627. [PMID: 34125987 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Revised: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Stunting is defined by the public health community as a length- or height-for-age <-2 SD of a growth standard or reference and is claimed to be caused by poor nutrition, repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial stimulation. MATERIAL AND METHODS Stunting is common at all income levels in middle- and low-income countries. At the higher income levels, stunting is unlikely to be caused by nutrient deficiency or infectious disease. RESULTS In Guatemala, 17% of <5-year-olds in the highest family income quintile are stunted. Guatemala has a history of violence from armed conflict, current-day social and economic inequalities, government corruption, and threat of kidnapping for the wealthiest families. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The high level of persistent violence creates an ecology of fear, an extreme range of inequalities in Social-Economic-Political-Emotional resources, and biosocial stress that inhibits skeletal growth and causes stunting for people of all income levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barry Bogin
- School of Sport, Exercise & Health Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK.,UCSD/Salk Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA), University of California San Diego, USA
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Gooderham E, Marinho L, Spake L, Fisk S, Prates C, Sousa S, Oliveira C, Santos AL, Cardoso HFV. Severe skeletal lesions, osteopenia and growth deficit in a child with pulmonary tuberculosis (mid-20th century, Portugal). INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2020; 30:47-56. [PMID: 32464525 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2020.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Revised: 03/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This case-study provides a summary of skeletal lesions seen in a case of diagnosed juvenile pulmonary tuberculosis with extensive multifocal bony lesions. MATERIALS Skeleton of a 9-year-old girl who died in the 1940s in Lisbon, Portugal. The remains of this individual are part of the Lisbon skeletal reference collection curated at the National Museum of Natural History and Science. METHODS Lesions and paleopathological conditions were identified and documented through macroscopic, radiographic, computed tomographic, and mammographic analysis. RESULTS The skeleton shows a variety of lytic lesions on the ribs and thoracic vertebrae including complete destruction of the bodies and fusion of the vertebral arches of four vertebrae, kyphosis, and scoliosis. Further pathological conditions were identified, including bone erosion, premature fusion of the left femoral head and greater trochanter, and abnormal size and shape changes to the lower limbs including loss of bone mass and stunting of the long bones. CONCLUSIONS Skeletal lesions are indicative of spondylitis, Pott's disease, and prolonged bedrest. SIGNIFICANCE This case is one of the few examples of confirmed juvenile pulmonary tuberculosis with skeletal lesions prior to the antibiotic era. As such, it provides a reference for the skeletal abnormalities which may be observed in archaeological tuberculosis cases. LIMITATIONS Pulmonary tuberculosis was recorded as cause of death, however there is no documentation to know the length of illness period or the existence of any comorbidities. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Consideration of multi-focal lesions is recommended when analyzing individuals with suspected tuberculosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellie Gooderham
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Luísa Marinho
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Laure Spake
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Shera Fisk
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, Canada
| | - Carlos Prates
- IMI-art / Affidea PT, Av Da República 99 B, 1050-190 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sandra Sousa
- IMI-art / Affidea PT, Av Da República 99 B, 1050-190 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carlos Oliveira
- IMI-art / Affidea PT, Av Da República 99 B, 1050-190 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana Luisa Santos
- Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde (CIAS), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim De Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal
| | - Hugo F V Cardoso
- Department of Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, Canada; Centro de Investigação em Antropologia e Saúde (CIAS), Department of Life Sciences, University of Coimbra, Calçada Martim De Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, Portugal.
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Berger SM, Griffin JS, Dent SC. Phenotypes and pathways: Working toward an integrated skeletal biology in biological anthropology. Am J Hum Biol 2020; 33:e23450. [PMID: 32511865 DOI: 10.1002/ajhb.23450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Steph M Berger
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jacob S Griffin
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - Sophia C Dent
- Department of Anthropology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
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Godde K, Pasillas V, Sanchez A. Survival analysis of the Black Death: Social inequality of women and the perils of life and death in Medieval London. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:168-178. [PMID: 32472637 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Revised: 02/25/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Described as an indiscriminate killer by many chroniclers, the Black Death descended on London during the 14th century. To best understand the pattern of transmission among demographic groups, models should include multiple demographic and health covariates concurrently, something rarely done when examining Black Death, but implemented in this study to identify which demographic groups had a higher susceptibility. Female predisposition to the Black Death was also explored, focusing on whether social inequality added to vulnerability. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three attritional cemeteries from the Wellcome Osteological Research Database were compared with the Black Death cemetery, East Smithfield. A Cox proportional hazards regression estimated hazards ratios of dying of the Black Death, using transition analysis ages-at-death as the time variable, and sex and frailty as covariates. Additionally, a binomial logistic regression generated odds ratios for age-at-death, sex, and frailty. RESULTS The Cox model produced a significant hazards ratio for individuals deemed frail. Similarly, the logit model calculated significantly increased odds ratios for frail individuals, and decreased odds for individuals aged 65+. DISCUSSION The older individuals were not undergoing growth during times of great stress in London pre-dating the Black Death epidemic, which may explain the decreased odds of contracting the Black Death. Further, although women dealt with social inequality, which partially led to the demographic puzzle of the Medieval "missing" women, women's susceptibility to infection by the Black Death was not increased. The phenomenon of the missing women may be due to a combination of factors, including infant and child mortality and preservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanya Godde
- Anthropology Program, University of La Verne, La Verne, California, USA
| | - Valerie Pasillas
- Anthropology Program, University of La Verne, La Verne, California, USA
| | - America Sanchez
- Anthropology Program, University of La Verne, La Verne, California, USA
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Walter BS, DeWitte SN, Dupras T, Beaumont J. Assessment of nutritional stress in famine burials using stable isotope analysis. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 172:214-226. [PMID: 32243588 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2019] [Revised: 12/09/2019] [Accepted: 03/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES We compared δ15 N and δ13 C values from bone and dentine collagen profiles of individuals interred in famine-related and attritional burials to evaluate whether individuals in medieval London who experienced nutritional stress exhibit enriched nitrogen in bone and tooth tissue. Dentine profiles were evaluated to identify patterns that may be indicative of famine during childhood and were compared with the age of enamel hypoplasia (EH) formation to assess whether isotopic patterns of undernutrition coincide with the timing of physiological stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS δ15 N and δ13 C isotope ratios of bone collagen were obtained from individuals (n = 128) interred in attritional and famine burials from a medieval London cemetery (c. 1120-1539). Temporal sequences of δ15 N and δ13 C isotope profiles for incrementally forming dentine collagen were obtained from a subset of these individuals (n = 21). RESULTS Results indicate that individuals from attritional graves exhibit significantly higher δ15 N values but no significant differences were found between burial types for the sexes. Analyses of dentine profiles reveal that a lower proportion of famine burials exhibit stable dentine profiles and that several exhibit a pattern of opposing covariance between δ15 N and δ13 C. EH were also observed to have formed during or after the opposing covariance pattern for some individuals. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study may reflect differences in diet between burial types rather than nutritional stress. Though nutritional stress could not be definitively identified using bone and dentine collagen, the results from dentine analysis support previous observations of biochemical patterns associated with nutritional stress during childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany S Walter
- Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency Laboratory, Offutt AFB, Nebraska, USA
| | - Sharon N DeWitte
- University of South Carolina, Department of Anthropology, Columbia, South Carolina, USA
| | - Tosha Dupras
- University of Central Florida, Department of Anthropology, Orlando, Florida, USA
| | - Julia Beaumont
- University of Bradford, School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK
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Pezo-Lanfranco L, Filippini J, Di Giusto M, Petronilho C, Wesolowski V, DeBlasis P, Eggers S. Child development, physiological stress and survival expectancy in prehistoric fisher-hunter-gatherers from the Jabuticabeira II shell mound, South Coast of Brazil. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0229684. [PMID: 32160224 PMCID: PMC7065757 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2019] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we shed light on the interdependency of child growth, morbidity and life expectancy in the fisher-hunter-gatherers of the Jabuticabeira II shell mound (1214-830 cal B.C.E. - 118-413 cal C.E.) located at the South Coast of Brazil. We test the underlying causes of heterogeneity in frailty and selective mortality in a population that inhabits a plentiful environment in sedentary settlements. We reconstruct osteobiographies of 41 individuals (23 adults and 18 subadults) using 8 variables, including age-at-death, stature, non-specific stress markers (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, periosteal reactions, periapical lesions and linear enamel hypoplasia), as well as weaning patterns based on stable isotope data to examine how stress factors module growth and survival. Our results show that shorter adult statures were linked to higher morbidity around weaning age and higher chances of dying earlier (before 35 years) than taller adult statures. In addition, short juvenile stature was related to physiological stressors and mortality. The adult "survivors" experienced recurrent periods of morbidity during childhood and adulthood, possibly associated with the high parasite load of the ecosystem and dense settlement rather than to malnourishment. An association between early-stress exposure and premature death was not demonstrated in our sample. To explain our data, we propose a new model called "intermittent stress of low lethality". According to this model, individuals are exposed to recurrent stress during the juvenile and adult stages of life, and, nevertheless survive until reproductive age or later with relative success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luis Pezo-Lanfranco
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - José Filippini
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Marina Di Giusto
- Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Cecília Petronilho
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Veronica Wesolowski
- Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Paulo DeBlasis
- Museu de Arqueologia e Etnologia da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sabine Eggers
- Laboratório de Antropologia Biológica, Departamento de Genética e Biologia Evolutiva, Instituto de Biociências da Universidade de São Paulo, Cidade Universitária USP, São Paulo, Brazil
- Naturhistorisches Museum Wien, Anthropologische Abteilung, Vienna, Austria
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16
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Growth recovery lines: a specific indicator of child abuse and neglect? Pediatr Radiol 2020; 50:207-215. [PMID: 31522259 DOI: 10.1007/s00247-019-04526-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 08/12/2019] [Accepted: 09/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Growth recovery lines are radiodense lines in long bones reported to be indicators of stress. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to understand the distribution, quantity and associations of growth recovery lines in children ages 0-24 months with high and low risk for child maltreatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children ages 0-24 months who had skeletal surveys and an assessment for maltreatment. Growth recovery lines, fractures and osteopenia were assessed independently by two pediatric radiologists blinded to the abuse likelihood. RESULTS Of the 135 children in this study, 58 were in the low-risk group, 26 were in the neglect group, and 51 were in the physical abuse group. Children in the neglected and physically abused groups had 1.73 times (95% confidence interval [CI] of 1.16, 2.59), P=0.007) and 1.84 times (95% CI 1.28, 2.63, P<0.001) more growth recovery lines than the low-risk group, respectively. Growth recovery lines occurred at an earlier age in the neglect group (age interaction P=0.03) and abuse group (age interaction P=0.01) compared to the low-risk group. The specificity for maltreatment in children with at least 10 growth recovery lines in the long bones was greater than 84%, while sensitivity was less than 35%. The most common locations for growth recovery lines were distal radius, proximal tibia and distal tibia. CONCLUSION In the absence of a known major stressor, physical abuse and neglect should be considered in children younger than 24 months with at least 10 growth recovery lines.
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17
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Exploring Patterns of Appositional Growth Amongst Urban Children. BIOARCHAEOLOGY AND SOCIAL THEORY 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-53417-2_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah A Mubaraki
- Preventive Dentistry Department, Pedodontic Division, College of Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
- Sarah A Mubaraki, Preventive Dentistry Department, Pedodontic Division, College of Dentistry, Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Phone: +966 542305554, e-mail:
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Tilley L, Nystrom K. A 'cold case' of care: Looking at old data from a new perspective in mummy research. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2019; 25:72-81. [PMID: 30120031 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2018] [Revised: 06/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
In 1973, analysis of the mummified remains of a young boy dated to 700AD and from the Late Nasca period (Peru) identified (i) chronic Pott's disease, leading to loss of lower body mobility, and (ii) acute miliary tuberculosis, affecting most organs and the immediate cause of death (Allison et al., 1973). This report was the first to establish, beyond dispute, the presence of tuberculosis in the Americas before the arrival of Europeans. Here, we revisit the 'Nasca Boy' from a bioarchaeology of care perspective. Contextualising the original study's results within what is known of contemporary lifeways, we apply the bioarchaeology of care methodology in considering the Nasca Boy's experience of living with tuberculosis; the type of care he required and how this may have evolved over a period of deteriorating health; and what such caregiving may suggest both about social organisation within his community and some of the more everyday aspects of Nasca existence. Up to now, the bioarchaeology of care approach has been employed almost exclusively with skeletal evidence; in this analysis of the Nasca Boy's remains, and in the accompanying wider-ranging discussion, we illustrate the potential of preserved soft tissue evidence to contribute to research into disability and care in the past. Although this report functions as a stand-alone case study, to obtain maximum benefit it should be read in conjunction with the Introduction to the special International Journal of Paleopathology issue on 'mummy studies and the bioarchaeology of care' (Nystrom and Tilley, 2018).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kenneth Nystrom
- Department of Anthropology, State University of New York at New Paltz, USA
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20
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Cooper C, Heinzle B, Reitmaier T. Evidence of infectious disease, trauma, disability and deficiency in skeletons from the 19th/20th century correctional facility and asylum «Realta» in Cazis, Switzerland. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0216483. [PMID: 31067285 PMCID: PMC6505939 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0216483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/22/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
As a reaction to widespread poverty, a system of coercive welfare developed in Switzerland during the 19th century. Poverty was often thought to result from an individual’s misconduct rather than from structural, economic or political circumstances. People whose lifestyle deviated from the desired norm or who were unable to make a living for themselves were subjected to so-called administrative detention at institutions such as workhouses and poorhouses. The excavation of the cemetery of the correctional facility/workhouse and asylum «Realta» in Cazis offered the opportunity to gain insight into the living conditions of a marginalized group of people and to shed light on aspects of coercive welfare that have hardly been addressed in historical studies. A comprehensive study of pathological alterations was used to assess possible physical causes and effects of administrative detention. Skeletal samples from regular contemporaneous cemeteries provided data for the general population and thus allowed us to detect peculiarities in the «Realta» assemblage. Possible cases of Stickler Syndrome, microcephaly, congenital syphilis, endemic hypothyroidism and disabilities secondary to trauma may have been the reason for the affected individuals’ institutionalisation. The high prevalence of tuberculosis was linked to the socioeconomic status and the living conditions at the facility. Several cases of scurvy and osteomalacia may have resulted from various risk factors such as poverty, alcoholism, mental illness or institutionalisation. The fracture rates, especially of ribs, were extremely high. A large proportion of the fractures were incompletely healed and most likely occurred during detention due to interpersonal violence. Underlying diseases further contributed to the high fracture rates. This first study on skeletons from an institution of administrative detention in Switzerland demonstrated how pre-existing health conditions and the socioeconomic background contributed to the chance of being detained, and how detention led to further deterioration of health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Cooper
- Archaeological Service of the Canton of Grisons, Chur, Switzerland.,Department of Archaeology, Office of Culture, Triesen, Principality of Liechtenstein
| | - Bernd Heinzle
- Archaeological Service of the Canton of Grisons, Chur, Switzerland
| | - Thomas Reitmaier
- Archaeological Service of the Canton of Grisons, Chur, Switzerland
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21
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Mopin C, Chaumoître K, Signoli M, Adalian P. Developmental stability and environmental stress: A geometric morphometrics analysis of asymmetry in the human femur. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2018; 167:144-160. [PMID: 30175505 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2018] [Accepted: 05/07/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES The evaluation of developmental stability (DS) by measuring fluctuating asymmetry (FA), a bioindicator of general cumulative stress, is an approach that has often been used to characterize health status in past populations. New techniques of geometric morphometrics now enable a better appreciation of FA than before, with a more refined quantification of variation. The aim of our study is to determine the effectiveness of geometric morphometrics analyses of asymmetry in the human femur for the study of individual DS and inferring health status of human populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a comparative analysis between two diachronic populations of distinct and known health status. Two samples of 70 pairs of adult femurs from individuals of comparable age range and sex were selected and CT-scanned. For each 3D reconstruction, two sets of 27 landmarks were digitized to quantify and minimize the effect of measurement error on the evaluation of FA. RESULTS While the measurement of FA in femoral centroid size seemed comparable between the samples, the amount of FA in femoral shape differed. Individuals who experienced high levels of environmental stress presented higher intra-individual variation. In parallel, results did not reveal any significant differences in DS between sexes or age groups. DISCUSSION The geometric morphometrics analysis of femoral asymmetry was effective for distinguishing two populations. After considering various factors of influence, genetics and biomechanics seem to have a limited impact on the results. Expressing FA appears to be normal but dependent on the disturbances of DS produced by environmental stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clémence Mopin
- UMR 7268, Anthropologie bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
| | - Kathia Chaumoître
- UMR 7268, Anthropologie bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France.,Service de Radiologie et Imagerie médicale or Radiology and medical imaging department, Hôpital Nord, CHU, Marseille, Assistance Publique des Hôpitaux de Marseille, Chemin des Bourrely, Marseille, Cedex 20, 13915, France
| | - Michel Signoli
- UMR 7268, Anthropologie bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
| | - Pascal Adalian
- UMR 7268, Anthropologie bioculturelle, Droit, Ethique et Santé, Aix Marseille Univ, CNRS, EFS, ADES, Marseille, France
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22
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Yaussy SL, DeWitte SN. Patterns of frailty in non-adults from medieval London. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2018; 22:1-7. [PMID: 29626661 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2018.03.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2017] [Revised: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Famine has the potential to target frail individuals who are at greater risk of mortality than their peers. Although children have been at elevated risk of mortality during recent famines, little is known about the risks posed to children during the medieval period. This study uses burials from the St. Mary Spital cemetery (SRP98), London (c. 1120-1540) to examine the relationships among non-adult age at death, burial type (attritional or famine), and four skeletal lesions (porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia, linear enamel hypoplasia [LEH], and periosteal new bone formation). Hierarchical log-linear analysis reveals significant associations between famine burials and LEH, independent of age. Significant associations also exist between age and the presence of cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperostosis, and periosteal lesions, with all three lesions present in greater frequencies among older children and adolescents, independent of burial type. The LEH results suggest that early exposure to stressors increased frailty among non-adults in the context of famine. The associations between age and the other skeletal indicators suggest that, in both famine and non-famine conditions, frailer individuals died at younger ages and before skeletal lesions could manifest, while their less frail peers survived multiple physiological insults before succumbing to death at older ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Yaussy
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, United States
| | - Sharon N DeWitte
- Department of Anthropology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, United States.
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23
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Snoddy AME, Halcrow SE, Buckley HR, Standen VG, Arriaza BT. Scurvy at the agricultural transition in the Atacama desert (ca 3600-3200 BP): nutritional stress at the maternal-foetal interface? INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2017; 18:108-120. [PMID: 28888387 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2017.05.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2016] [Revised: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/30/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Studies of contemporary populations have demonstrated an association between decreased dietary diversity due to resource scarcity or underutilization and an increase in diseases related to poor micronutrient intake. With a reduction of dietary diversity, it is often the women and children in a population who are the first to suffer the effects of poor micronutrient status. Scurvy, a disease of prolonged vitamin C deficiency, is a micronutrient malnutrition disorder associated with resource scarcity, low dietary diversity, and/or dependence on high carbohydrate staple-foods. The aim of this paper is to assess the potential impact of nutritional transition on the prevalence of diseases of nutritional insufficiency in an archaeological sample. Here, we report palaeopathological findings from an Early Formative Period transitional site located in coastal Northern Chile (Quiani-7). The subadult cohort from this site is composed of four perinates who exhibit a number of non-specific skeletal changes suggestive of a systemic pathological condition. One of these is associated with an adult female exhibiting diagnostic skeletal lesions of scurvy. We argue that the lesions exhibited by these perinates may represent maternal transmission of vitamin C deficiency but acknowledge that there are difficulties in applying current diagnostic criteria for scurvy to individuals this young.
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24
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Mays S, Gowland R, Halcrow S, Murphy E. Child Bioarchaeology: Perspectives on the Past 10 Years. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.1080/17585716.2017.1301066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Simon Mays
- Research Department, Historic England, Portsmouth, UK
| | | | - Siân Halcrow
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Eileen Murphy
- Archaeology and Palaeoecology, School of Natural and Built Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
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25
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Ives R, Humphrey L. Patterns of long bone growth in a mid-19th century documented sample of the urban poor from Bethnal Green, London, UK. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2017; 163:173-186. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Revised: 02/09/2017] [Accepted: 02/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Ives
- Department of Earth Sciences; Natural History Museum; London SW7 5BD United Kingdom
- AOC Archaeology Group; Twickenham TW1 1JS United Kingdom
| | - Louise Humphrey
- Department of Earth Sciences; Natural History Museum; London SW7 5BD United Kingdom
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26
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The Great Irish Famine: Identifying Starvation in the Tissues of Victims Using Stable Isotope Analysis of Bone and Incremental Dentine Collagen. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0160065. [PMID: 27508412 PMCID: PMC4980051 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0160065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2015] [Accepted: 07/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The major components of human diet both past and present may be estimated by measuring the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios (δ13C and δ15N) of the collagenous proteins in bone and tooth dentine. However, the results from these two tissues differ substantially: bone collagen records a multi-year average whilst primary dentine records and retains time-bound isotope ratios deriving from the period of tooth development. Recent studies harnessing a sub-annual temporal sampling resolution have shed new light on the individual dietary histories of our ancestors by identifying unexpected radical short-term dietary changes, the duration of breastfeeding and migration where dietary change occurs, and by raising questions regarding factors other than diet that may impact on δ13C and δ15N values. Here we show that the dentine δ13C and δ15N profiles of workhouse inmates dating from the Great Irish Famine of the 19th century not only record the expected dietary change from C3 potatoes to C4 maize, but when used together they also document prolonged nutritional and other physiological stress resulting from insufficient sustenance. In the adults, the influence of the maize-based diet is seen in the δ13C difference between dentine (formed in childhood) and rib (representing an average from the last few years of life). The demonstrated effects of stress on the δ13C and δ15N values will have an impact on the interpretations of diet in past populations even in slow-turnover tissues such as compact bone. This technique also has applicability in the investigation of modern children subject to nutritional distress where hair and nails are unavailable or do not record an adequate period of time.
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Ash A, Francken M, Pap I, Tvrdý Z, Wahl J, Pinhasi R. Regional differences in health, diet and weaning patterns amongst the first Neolithic farmers of central Europe. Sci Rep 2016; 6:29458. [PMID: 27385276 PMCID: PMC4935844 DOI: 10.1038/srep29458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2016] [Accepted: 06/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Across much of central Europe, the Linearbandkeramik (LBK) represents the first Neolithic communities. Arising in Transdanubia around 5500 cal. BC the LBK spread west to the Rhine within two to three hundred years, carrying elements of a mixed agricultural economy and a relatively homogeneous material culture. Colonisation of new regions during this progress would have required economic adaptations to varied ecological conditions within the landscape. This paper investigates whether such adaptation at a local scale affected health patterns and altered the dietary habits of populations that otherwise shared a common cultural and biological origin. Analysis of non-specific stress (linear enamel hypoplasia, porotic hyperostosis, cribra orbitalia) within five LBK populations from across central Europe in conjunction with published carbon and nitrogen stable isotope data from each site revealed a high prevalence of porotic hyperostosis and cribra orbitalia in western populations that was associated with a lower animal protein intake. Hypoplastic enamel was more frequently observed in eastern populations however, and may reflect geographic differences in childhood morbidity and mortality as a result of variation in social practices relating to weaning. Local socio-economic adaptations within the LBK were therefore an important factor in the exposure of populations to non-specific stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail Ash
- School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
| | - Michael Francken
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences and Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Zdeněk Tvrdý
- Anthropos Institute, Moravian Museum, Zelný trh 6, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Joachim Wahl
- State Office for Cultural Heritage Management Baden-Württemberg, Osteology, D-78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Institute for Archaeological Sciences, WG Palaeoanthropology, University of Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ron Pinhasi
- School of Archaeology, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
- Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Republic of Ireland
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Agarwal SC. Bone morphologies and histories: Life course approaches in bioarchaeology. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2016; 159:S130-49. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina C. Agarwal
- Department of Anthropology; University of California Berkeley; Berkeley CA 94720-3710
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29
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Hawks J. Biological Anthropology in 2014: Beyond the Traditional. AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGIST 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/aman.12241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- John Hawks
- Department of Anthropology; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison WI 53706
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