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Xue Y, Fan F, Liu M, Luo S, Yang H, Sun Y, Zhan M, Peng Z, Su Z, Du H, Zhou Y, Deng Z. Age estimation from median palatine suture using computed tomography reconstructed 3D images: a comparison of Northern and Southwestern Chinese populations. Int J Legal Med 2024:10.1007/s00414-024-03333-w. [PMID: 39289206 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03333-w] [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: 06/24/2024] [Accepted: 09/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024]
Abstract
To investigate the potential of computed tomography (CT) images of median palatine suture (MP) for adult age estimation in the Northern and Southwestern Chinese populations. A total of 1110 cranial CT scans from individuals aged 10-79 years, including 557 northern Chinese and 553 southwestern Chinese, were collected for analysis. After volume reformation and multiplanar reconstruction, a total of 20 slices of median palatine suture were selected from each individual. The closure of sutures was analyzed into four stages, and the cumulative scores of 20 slices were recorded as the suture closure score (SCS). The correlations between SCS and age were compared among the two Chinese populations residing in diverse geographic regions. Regression models were established for age estimation. The estimation accuracy was evaluated based on the test set. The mean absolute error (MAE) and the correlation between predicted age and chronological age were calculated to evaluate estimation accuracy. The SCS of MP exhibited a significant correlation with age (0.613, northern male; 0.678, southwestern male; 0.730, northern female; 0.704, Southwestern female; 0.662, total). Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences in SCS among different regions and sex groups (p < 0.001). The cubic regression model had the highest R2 value in all subjects, especially among Northern females and Southwestern males, while the power and quadratic regression models showed the highest R2 value in Northern males and Southwestern females, respectively. In the test set, the Northern cohort demonstrated a lower MAE (9.06 ± 7.32 years, males; 9.17 ± 5.28 years, females) compared to the Southwestern cohort (9.19 ± 7.49 years, male; 10.61 ± 6.83 years, female). Additionally, it was observed that males exhibited a lower MAE than females in both regional groups. This study demonstrated the potential utility of CT images of the MP for age estimation in Chinese populations, emphasizing the significance of incorporating regional and sex factors within this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Xue
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Fei Fan
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Meng Liu
- College of Computer Science, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610064, People's Republic of China
| | - Shuai Luo
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Huikun Yang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuxiao Sun
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Mengjun Zhan
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhao Peng
- Department of Radiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhigang Su
- Department of Radiology, Beidaihe Hospital, Qinhuangdao, Hebei, 066100, People's Republic of China
| | - Hong Du
- Criminal Investigation Department of Sichuan Provincial Public Security Bureau, Chengdu, 610015, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuchi Zhou
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
- Criminal Investigation Department of Sichuan Provincial Public Security Bureau, Chengdu, 610015, People's Republic of China.
| | - Zhenhua Deng
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, People's Republic of China.
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Bordoni B, Escher AR. Rethinking the Origin of the Primary Respiratory Mechanism. Cureus 2023; 15:e46527. [PMID: 37808591 PMCID: PMC10552882 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.46527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/05/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS) is the joint regarded as the most important foundation for understanding cranial osteopathy and craniosacral therapy. SOS is the origin of the primary respiratory mechanism (PRM), a movement between the posterior surface of the body of the sphenoid bone and the anterior surface of the base of the occipital bone. From the PRM perspective, an alteration of the position between the two bone surfaces would create cranial and/or craniosacral dysfunction. These positional alterations of the SOS (in adults and children) would determine specific and schematical movements of the bones of the entire skull, whose movements are recognizable by palpation by trained operators. PRM expression is influenced by other elements, such as movement of the cranial bones, inherent movement of the central nervous system, cyclic movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), mechanical tension of the cranial meninges, and passive movement of the sacral bone between the iliac bones. The article reviews the most up-to-date information on the evolution of cranial sutures/joints and meninges in adulthood, the fluctuations of the CSF, brain, and spinal mass movements. Research should reconsider the motivations that induce the operator to discriminate the palpable cranial rhythmic impulse, and probably, to rethink new cranial dysfunctional patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruno Bordoni
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Foundation Don Carlo Gnocchi, Milan, ITA
| | - Allan R Escher
- Anesthesiology/Pain Medicine, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, USA
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Boldsen JL, Milner GR, Ousley SD. Paleodemography: From archaeology and skeletal age estimation to life in the past. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2022; 178 Suppl 74:115-150. [PMID: 36787786 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Much of paleodemography, an interdisciplinary field with strong ties to archaeology, among other disciplines, is oriented toward clarifying the life experiences of past people and why they changed over time. We focus on how human skeletons contribute to our understanding of preindustrial demographic regimes, including when changes took place that led to the world as we know it today. Problems with existing paleodemographic practices are highlighted, as are promising directions for future work. The latter requires both better age estimates and innovative methods to handle data appropriately. Age-at-death estimates for adult skeletons are a particular problem, especially for adults over 50 years that undoubtedly are mistakenly underrepresented in published studies of archaeological skeletons. Better age estimates for the entirety of the lifespan are essential to generate realistic distributions of age at death. There are currently encouraging signs that after about a half-century of intensive, and sometimes contentious, research, paleodemography is poised to contribute much to understandings of evolutionary processes, the structure of past populations, and human-disease interaction, among other topics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesper L Boldsen
- ADBOU, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, Odense M, Denmark
| | - George R Milner
- Department of Anthropology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Stephen D Ousley
- Department of Anthropology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
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Franchetti G, Viel G, Fais P, Fichera G, Cecchin D, Cecchetto G, Giraudo C. Forensic applications of micro-computed tomography: a systematic review. Clin Transl Imaging 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s40336-022-00510-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of micro-CT current applications in forensic pathology, anthropology, odontology, and neonatology.
Methods
A bibliographic research on the electronic databases Pubmed and Scopus was conducted in the time frame 01/01/2001–31/12/2021 without any language restrictions and applying the following free-text search strategy: “(micro-computed tomography OR micro-CT) AND (forensic OR legal)”. The following inclusion criteria were used: (A) English language; (B) Application of micro-CT to biological and/or non-biological materials to address at least one forensic issue (e.g., age estimation, identification of post-mortem interval). The papers selected by three independent investigators have been then classified according to the investigated materials.
Results
The bibliographic search provided 651 records, duplicates excluded. After screening for title and/or abstracts, according to criteria A and B, 157 full-text papers were evaluated for eligibility. Ninety-three papers, mostly (64) published between 2017 and 2021, were included; considering that two papers investigated several materials, an overall amount of 99 classifiable items was counted when referring to the materials investigated. It emerged that bones and cartilages (54.55%), followed by teeth (13.13%), were the most frequently analyzed materials. Moreover, micro-CT allowed the collection of structural, qualitative and/or quantitative information also for soft tissues, fetuses, insects, and foreign materials.
Conclusion
Forensic applications of micro-CT progressively increased in the last 5 years with very promising results. According to this evidence, we might expect in the near future a shift of its use from research purposes to clinical forensic cases.
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Nikolova S, Toneva D, Tasheva-Terzieva E, Lazarov N. Cranial morphology in metopism: A comparative geometric morphometric study. Ann Anat 2022; 243:151951. [PMID: 35523397 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2022.151951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cranial sutures are active bone growth sites and any alteration in their normal formation, patency and closure influences the overall cranial morphology. This comparative study aims to establish whether the cranial shape and size are significantly modified when metopic suture persists into adulthood using geometric morphometric analyses. METHODS The sample consisted of 63 metopic and 184 non-metopic dry adult male crania. Three-dimensional polygonal models of the crania were generated using a hand-held laser scanner Creaform VIUscan. A total of 50 landmarks were digitized on the three-dimensional models and eight landmark configurations delineating the cranium and its compartments were constructed and analyzed. Geometric morphometric analyses were applied to investigate separately the size and shape differences between the metopic and non-metopic series in each of the landmark configurations. RESULTS Significant size differences were established solely in the neurocranium, but not in its total size, rather in its parts. The size modification was expressed by an enlargement of the anterior part of the neurocranium at the expense of the middle and posterior ones. All investigated landmark sets differed significantly between the series regarding the shape. In metopic series, the shape alteration was mainly in a mediolateral widening and an anteroposterior shortening contributing to a more rounded overall shape of the cranium. CONCLUSIONS The slight modification of the cranial morphology in metopism suggests that the metopic suture persistence is not an isolated variation limited to the frontal bone. It is rather a complex condition associated with a combination of specific phenotypic characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silviya Nikolova
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
| | - Diana Toneva
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Elena Tasheva-Terzieva
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology, Faculty of Biology, Sofia University, 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolai Lazarov
- Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria
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Li J, Chen Z, Zhong W, Yang H, Li Y. A study of 285 cases of cranial vault suture closure in Chinese adults. Surg Radiol Anat 2022; 44:361-368. [PMID: 35076751 DOI: 10.1007/s00276-021-02854-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To examine the presence and characteristics of cranial vault suture closure in Chinese adults and to explore whether craniosacral therapy (CST) manipulation is rational from the anatomical perspective. METHODS Anthropological non-metric observation and craniometry were used to study 285 dry skull specimens of Chinese adults. RESULTS A total of 91 specimens with closed extracranial sutures were observed, with an occurrence rate of 31.93%. Based on the mode of closure, there were 32 cases of single type closure, with sagittal suture closure predominating with 20 cases (21.98%); 59 cases of composite closure, with a partial closure of coronal suture + sagittal suture + lambdoid suture predominating with 26 cases (28.57%). In terms of the degree of closure, there were 13 cases (14.28%) of sagittal suture grade 0 closure and 78 cases (85.72%) of grade 1 - 4 closure; 34 cases (37.36%) of coronal suture grade 0 closure and 57 cases (62.64%) of grade 1 - 4 closure; 47 cases (51.65%) of lambdoid suture grade 0 closure and 44 cases (48.35%) of grade 1 - 4 closure. The segment and degree of coronal suture closure (46, 80.7%) and lambdoid suture (31, 70.45%) were mostly left-right symmetrical. The bone surfaces on either side of the cranial vault sutures are embedded in each other, forming a rough, complex and interlocking bone-suture-bone structure. CONCLUSION This study observed the closure of the cranial vault suture, summarized its characteristics, and explored the irrationality of the CST manipulation. The anatomical characteristics of the cranial suture dictate that manipulation cannot push the cranial suture at will.
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Affiliation(s)
- JunHua Li
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - ZuJiang Chen
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - WeiXing Zhong
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - Han Yang
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China
| | - YiKai Li
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, 510515, China.
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Nikolova S, Toneva D, Agre G. Reliability of sagittal suture maturation for age-at-death prediction assessed by means of machine learning techniques. FORENSIC IMAGING 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fri.2021.200461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Nikolova S, Toneva D, Agre G, Lazarov N. Influence of persistent metopic suture on sagittal suture closure. Ann Anat 2021; 239:151811. [PMID: 34384857 DOI: 10.1016/j.aanat.2021.151811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Revised: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Metopic suture lies between the halves of the growing frontal bone and usually closes in early infancy. If the metopic suture fails to close it persists in adulthood and could be considered an anterior continuation of the sagittal suture (SS). This study aimed to investigate if the metopic suture persistence is related to any significant deviations from the normal SS maturation. We also aimed to elaborate linear regression models for age-at-death prediction of the metopic crania and to compare their accuracy with the models developed on the control ones. METHODS The SS was investigated in a total of 122 dry adult contemporary male crania of known age-at-death divided in a metopic series (n = 34) and a control one (n = 88). The crania were scanned and high-resolution volumetric images were generated using an industrial μCT system. The SS closure degree was assessed on cross-sectional tomograms using a scale of grades. Both series were compared and linear regression models for age-at-death prediction were elaborated. RESULTS The comparison between both series showed that the degree of SS closure differs significantly in all SS sections and bone layers and it is considerably lower in the metopic series. The elaborated linear regression models showed that the error in the age-at-death prediction of the metopic crania is almost two times bigger than that in the control. CONCLUSIONS The SS closure in metopic crania is significantly delayed compared to the control, which means that it is entirely unreliable and misleading as an indicator for age-at-death prediction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silviya Nikolova
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria.
| | - Diana Toneva
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology with Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Gennady Agre
- Department of Artificial Intelligences and Language Technologies, Institute of Information and Communication Technologies, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolai Lazarov
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Sofia, 1431 Sofia, Bulgaria
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Nikolova S, Toneva D, Lazarov N. Squamous suture obliteration: frequency and investigation of the associated skull morphology. Anat Sci Int 2020; 96:42-54. [PMID: 32591992 DOI: 10.1007/s12565-020-00555-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the frequency of squamous suture (SqS) obliteration, to estimate the involvement of the major calvarial sutures and those surrounding the temporal squama, and to inspect the neuro- and basicranium for deformities. A series of 211 dry skulls of contemporary adult males were macroscopically observed. The skulls with closed SqS were scanned using an industrial µCT system. Digital morphometry of the skulls with obliterated SqS was performed by recording the 3D coordinates of anatomic landmarks and calculation of linear distances, angles and indices. Obliteration of SqS was observed in 3 (1.42%) skulls. One skull showed bilateral SqS obliteration. The other two cases were unilateral, one right-sided and one left-sided. SqS obliteration seems to be co-ordinated with the closure of the parietomastoid suture, partially related to the closure of the occipitomastoid, sphenoparietal and sphenofrontal sutures, and independent from the closure of the sphenosquamosal suture and the major calvarial sutures. No severe disproportions in the skull configuration were observed in the three investigated cases. The major differences in the complimentary hemicrania concern the parietal and occipital parts of the skull vault. Dorsum sellae erosion, an indicator for raised intracranial pressure, was observed in all three cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silviya Nikolova
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology With Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 25, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria.
| | - Diana Toneva
- Department of Anthropology and Anatomy, Institute of Experimental Morphology, Pathology and Anthropology With Museum, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Acad. G. Bonchev Str., Bl. 25, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Nikolai Lazarov
- Department of Anatomy and Histology, Medical University of Sofia, 1431, Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Synaptic Signaling and Communications, Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 1113, Sofia, Bulgaria
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Fan F, Tu M, Li R, Dai X, Zhang K, Chen H, Huang F, Deng Z. Age estimation by multidetector computed tomography of cranial sutures in Chinese male adults. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 171:550-558. [PMID: 31891181 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23998] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2019] [Revised: 09/21/2019] [Accepted: 12/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Fei Fan
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic MedicineSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Meng Tu
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic MedicineSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Rui Li
- College of Computer ScienceSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Xinhua Dai
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic MedicineSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Kui Zhang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic MedicineSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Hu Chen
- College of Computer ScienceSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Feijun Huang
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic MedicineSichuan University Chengdu China
| | - Zhenhua Deng
- West China School of Basic Medical Sciences & Forensic MedicineSichuan University Chengdu China
- Key Laboratory of Evidence Science (China University of Political Science and Law)Ministry of Education
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