The effect of Scheuermann's kyphosis on rib cage morphology: A skeletal study.

Background: Evolutionary changes in human rib cage morphology rendered it prone to pathologies like Scheuermann's kyphosis (SK). However, the impact of SK on rib cage morphology is unclear.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine differences in rib cage morphology (e.

Vertebral body density role in determining vertebral osteoporotic fracture type and its progression.

Vertebral osteoporotic fractures (VOF) are among the most frequent fractures in the elderly, often leading to an impaired lifestyle and a high economic burden. Although a reduced bone mass density is considered one of the main risk factors for VOF, its role in determining the fracture type, using the AO spine-DGOU classification for osteoporotic thoracolumbar fractures, as well as its progression, is unknown. The current study aimed to: (1) reveal whether the bone density of the vertebral bodies of fractured and non-fractured vertebrae predicts the type of fracture, (2) examine whether bone density is associated with the initial and progressive collapse of the vertebral body, and (3) provide predictive measures for fracture progression.

Capturing the cervical spine shape: Angular measurements versus geometric morphometric methods.

The cervical spine manifests a wide shape variation. However, the traditional methods to evaluate the cervical spine curve were never tested against its actual shape. The study's main aim was to determine whether the shape classification of the cervical spine, based on traditional angular measurements, coincides with each other and with the shape captured by the 2D landmark-based geometric morphometric method.

A new method for sex estimation based on femoral cross-sectional geometry measurements and its validation using recent and ancient populations.

Estimating sex is a fundamental task in biological and forensic anthropology. This study aimed to develop new methods for sex estimation based on femoral cross-sectional geometry (CSG) variables and to test their applicability in recent and ancient assemblages. The sample was divided into a study group (living individuals, N = 124) for creating sex prediction equations and two test groups: living individuals (N = 31) and prehistoric individuals (N = 34).

Evolutionary roots of the risk of hip fracture in humans.

The transition to bipedal locomotion was a fundamental milestone in human evolution. Consequently, the human skeleton underwent substantial morphological adaptations. These adaptations are responsible for many of today's common physical impairments, including hip fractures.

The Hidden Secrets of the Dental Calculus: Calibration of a Mass Spectrometry Protocol for Dental Calculus Protein Analysis.

Dental calculus is a solid deposit that forms and accumulates on the tooth surface, entrapping oral microorganisms, biomolecules, and other micro-debris found in the oral cavity. A mass spectrometry analysis of its protein content opens a vista into the subject's diet, oral flora, and even some aspects of health, thus providing new insight and expanding our knowledge of archaic cultures. Multiple experimental protocols have been proposed for the optimal extraction of proteins from dental calculus.

Frontal sinuses and human evolution.

The frontal sinuses are cavities inside the frontal bone located at the junction between the face and the cranial vault and close to the brain. Despite a long history of study, understanding of their origin and variation through evolution is limited. This work compares most hominin species' holotypes and other key individuals with extant hominids.

Response to Comment on A Middle Pleistocene from Nesher Ramla, Israel".

Marom and Rak claim, on the basis of a few mandibular features, that the Nesher Ramla (NR) is a Neanderthal. Their comments lack substance and contribute little to the debate surrounding the evolution of Middle Pleistocene . Limitations and preconceptions in their study prevented them from achieving resolution beyond a dichotomous interpretation of the NR as either a Neanderthal or a modern human.

Unique foot posture in Neanderthals reflects their body mass and high mechanical stress.

Neanderthal foot bone proportions and morphology are mostly indistinguishable from those of Homo sapiens, with the exception of several distinct Neanderthal features in the talus. The biomechanical implications of these distinct talar features remain contentious, fueling debate around the adaptive meaning of this distinctiveness. With the aim of clarifying this controversy, we test phylogenetic and behavioral factors as possible contributors, comparing tali of 10 Neanderthals and 81 H.

Three-Dimensional Surface Texture Analysis of Fluoride's Effect on Enamel Erosion.

Enamel erosion has become a common clinical finding that often impairs dental esthetics and function. In the current study, we aimed to implement the three-dimensional surface texture analysis (3DST) method to explore the protective effect of fluoride on surface texture prior to erosive conditions. For each of the 50 teeth used in this study, the polished buccal enamel surface was divided into three separate areas: the first area was untouched polished enamel, the two other surfaces were immersed in 0.

Are chin and symphysis morphology facial type-dependent? A computed tomography-based study.

Introduction: The chin is a major determinant of the facial profile; hence, it plays a major role in orthodontics and orthognathic surgery. It is thus essential to follow and better understand its expression in different facial types. The major objectives of the current study were to characterize morphometrically the chin and symphysis and reveal their association with different facial types.

Age estimation of fragmented human dental remains by secondary dentin virtual analysis.

Unlike bones, teeth are remarkably resilient and can withstand severe trauma, making age assessment based on the dentition essential for forensic analysis. Modern techniques for age estimation focus on pulp-chamber volume measurements using radiographs and computerized tomography (CT); however, these are applicable only for complete teeth (i.e.

Variation in Chin and Mandibular Symphysis Size and Shape in Males and Females: A CT-Based Study.

The chin is a unique anatomical landmark of modern humans. Its size and shape play an important role from the esthetic perspective. However, disagreement exists in the dental and anthropological literature regarding the sex differences in chin and symphysis morphometrics.

The endocast of the late Middle Paleolithic Manot 1 specimen, Western Galilee, Israel.

Studying endocasts has long allowed anthropologists to examine changes in the external topography and the overall size of the brain throughout the evolutionary history of hominins. The nearly complete calvaria of Manot 1 presents an opportunity to gain insights into the external brain morphology, vascular system, and dimensions of the brain of this late Middle Paleolithic hominin. Detailed size and shape analyses of the Manot 1 endocast indicate a modern Homo sapiens anatomy, despite the presence of some primitive features of the calvaria.

Suggested Case of Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in a Cretaceous dinosaur.

Susceptibility to diseases is common to humans and dinosaurs. Since much of the biological history of every living creature is shaped by its diseases, recognizing them in fossilized bone can furnish us with important information on dinosaurs' physiology and anatomy, as well as on their daily activities and surrounding environment. In the present study, we examined the vertebrae of two humans from skeletal collections with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis (LCH), a benign osteolytic tumor-like disorder involving mainly the skeleton; they were diagnosed in life, along with two hadrosaur vertebrae with an apparent lesion.

Early Upper Paleolithic human foot bones from Manot Cave, Israel.

The transition from the Middle Paleolithic to the Upper Paleolithic in the Levant represents a major event in human prehistory with regards to the dispersal of modern human populations. Unfortunately, the scarcity of human remains from this period has hampered our ability to study the anatomy of Upper Paleolithic populations. This study describes and examines pedal bones recovered from the Early Upper Paleolithic period at Manot Cave, Israel, from 2014 to 2017.

The dental remains from the Early Upper Paleolithic of Manot Cave, Israel.

This study presents the dental remains discovered at Manot Cave (MC), Western Galilee, Israel. The cave contains evidence for human occupation during the Early Upper Paleolithic period (46-33 ka) mainly of Early Ahmarian (∼46-42 ka) and Levantine Aurignacian (∼38-34 ka) cultural levels. Six teeth (three deciduous and three permanent) were found at the site, of which four could be thoroughly analyzed.

Changes in human mandibular shape during the Terminal Pleistocene-Holocene Levant.

The transition to food production, exploitation of 'secondary' products (e.g., milk), and advances in cookware technology have affected all aspects of human life.

Late Pleistocene human genome suggests a local origin for the first farmers of central Anatolia.

Anatolia was home to some of the earliest farming communities. It has been long debated whether a migration of farming groups introduced agriculture to central Anatolia. Here, we report the first genome-wide data from a 15,000-year-old Anatolian hunter-gatherer and from seven Anatolian and Levantine early farmers.

Publisher Correction: Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation.

In the original version of this Article, references in the format 'First author et al.' were inappropriately deleted. These errors have been corrected in the PDF and HTML versions of the Article.

Ancient DNA from Chalcolithic Israel reveals the role of population mixture in cultural transformation.

The material culture of the Late Chalcolithic period in the southern Levant (4500-3900/3800 BCE) is qualitatively distinct from previous and subsequent periods. Here, to test the hypothesis that the advent and decline of this culture was influenced by movements of people, we generated genome-wide ancient DNA from 22 individuals from Peqi'in Cave, Israel. These individuals were part of a homogeneous population that can be modeled as deriving ~57% of its ancestry from groups related to those of the local Levant Neolithic, ~17% from groups related to those of the Iran Chalcolithic, and ~26% from groups related to those of the Anatolian Neolithic.

Human mandibular shape is associated with masticatory muscle force.

Understanding how and to what extent forces applied to the mandible by the masticatory muscles influence its form, is of considerable importance from clinical, anthropological and evolutionary perspectives. This study investigates these questions. Head CT scans of 382 adults were utilized to measure masseter and temporalis muscle cross-sectional areas (CSA) as a surrogate for muscle force, and 17 mandibular anthropometric measurements.

The earliest modern humans outside Africa.

To date, the earliest modern human fossils found outside of Africa are dated to around 90,000 to 120,000 years ago at the Levantine sites of Skhul and Qafzeh. A maxilla and associated dentition recently discovered at Misliya Cave, Israel, was dated to 177,000 to 194,000 years ago, suggesting that members of the clade left Africa earlier than previously thought. This finding changes our view on modern human dispersal and is consistent with recent genetic studies, which have posited the possibility of an earlier dispersal of around 220,000 years ago.