Machine learning and discriminant function analysis in the formulation of generic models for sex prediction using patella measurements.

Sex prediction from bone measurements that display sexual dimorphism is one of the most important aspects of forensic anthropology. Some bones like the skull and pelvis display distinct morphological traits that are based on shape. These morphological traits which are sexually dimorphic across different population groups have been shown to provide an acceptably high degree of accuracy in the prediction of sex.

Prevalence and global trends of polypharmacy among people living with HIV: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: There has been a rising prevalence of polypharmacy among people living with HIV (PLWH). Uncertainty however remains regarding the exact estimates of polypharmacy among these cohorts of patients.

Methods: We conducted a systematic search of PubMed; EMBASE, CROI, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews; Science Citation Index and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects for studies between 1 January 2000 and 30 June 2021 that reported on the prevalence of polypharmacy (ingestion of > 5 non-ART medications) among PLWH on antiretroviral therapy regimen (ART).

Sex estimation from dimensions of the base of the skull in Black South Africans.

The pelvis and the skull are the two most utilised skeletal elements to estimate sex from skeletonised remains due to their sexually dimorphic traits. However, as increasingly more fragmented remains have been presented for analyses, other bones and their fragments have now been subjected to analyses for sex estimation. In the skull particularly, the base has shown to survive harsh conditions.

Accuracies of discriminant function equations for sex estimation using long bones of upper extremities.

One of the scopes of practice of forensic anthropologists is the estimation of sex from skeletal remains. As a result, population-specific discriminant function equations have been developed from measurements of various bones of the human skeletons. Steyn, Patriquin (Forensic Sci Int 191 (1-3):113, 2009) noted that the lack of skeletal collections and data from most parts of the world has made this process impractical.

Avoidability of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) in an elderly hospital cohort with cases assessed for causality by the updated RUCAM score.

Background: Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) represents an increasing morbidity in the general population, but more so in the elderly cohort of patients. Despite this, the concept of its prevention through prospective analysis has largely remained unexamined. We evaluated the utility of recently validated adverse drug reactions (ADR) avoidability tool in a cohort of elderly patients with DILI.

Forensic utility of cranial measurements in stature reconstruction in South Africans of European descent.

The height of an individual (stature) is one of the biological profiles that is estimated as part of human identification process from various components of the human skeleton. The anatomical method is often used for this purpose when a complete and intact skeleton is available for forensic analysis because it is accurate. Since complete skeletons are seldom present in most forensic cases, the mathematical method, which shows linear relationship between stature and bone measurements, becomes the method of choice.

A comparison of the direct and indirect methods of estimating skeletal height from tibial fragments in black South Africans.

The estimation of maximum bone length from its fragments is important in forensic anthropology as these length estimates can be used to estimate the total skeletal height (TSH), and thereby stature, of unknown skeletal remains. This is known as the indirect method of stature estimation. Alternatively, TSH can be estimated directly from bone fragments without first estimating maximum bone length.

Efficacy of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors in patients with type II diabetes: A protocol for systematic review of randomised controlled clinical trials utilising a generalised pairwise modelling methodology.

Background: Recent systematic reviews have evaluated the efficacy of sodium-glucose co-transporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2) inhibitors (SGLT2I) in improving glycaemic control and mortality in patients with type II diabetes mellitus. None have incorporated the most recent study or utilized the generalized pairwise modeling methodology network meta-analysis (NMA), as well as a novel bias risk assessment approach.

Methods: We propose to conduct literature search of all randomized controlled clinical trials published in English language evaluating the efficacy of (SGLT2I) versus placebo or usual standard of care from the inception of following databases to September 30, 2019: Controlled Clinical Trials Cochrane Controlled Trials Register (CCTR), Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), EMBASE, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), PubMed.

Development of discriminant functions to estimate sex in upper limb bones for mixed ancestry South Africans.

South Africa has one of the highest murder rates in the world, which is associated with an increasing number of unidentified individuals. Forensic anthropologists can assist in these cases to reduce the number of potential victims the remains may belong to. Sex estimation potentially decreases the number of possible victims by half.

Using tibial fragments to reconstruct the total skeletal height of black South Africans.

Stature is an important component of the biological profile of unknown skeletal remains and regression equations for estimating stature have been derived for a number of bones. However, bones are rarely recovered intact in both forensic and archaeological cases, and regression formulae for fragmentary remains have therefore been developed. These equations are, however, both sex- and population-specific, and while formulae exist for many populations, those using fragmentary tibiae do not exist for black South Africans.

Dimensions around the nutrient foramina of the tibia and fibula in the estimation of sex.

Sex estimation from skeletal remains is one of the key components in establishing a biological profile and consequent identification of an individual in a forensic and medico-legal practice. The use of dimensions around the nutrient foramen in instances where long bones may be fragmented and damaged is of benefit due to the fact that the nutrient foramen is easily identifiable and may be preserved on the shaft of long bones. This study is an investigation of the usefulness of various measurements around the nutrient foramen of the tibia and fibula of South Africans in an attempt to develop osteometric standards for sex estimation.

Measurements of the talus in the assessment of population affinity.

As part of their routine work, forensic anthropologists are expected to report population affinity as part of the biological profile of an individual. The skull is the most widely used bone for the estimation of population affinity but it is not always present in a forensic case. Thus, other bones that preserve well have been shown to give a good indication of either the sex or population affinity of an individual.

Assessing the use of the anatomical method for the estimation of sub-adult stature in Black South Africans.

Stature estimation is rarely attempted in sub-adults due to the general lack of available standards as a result of the dearth of sufficiently large sub-adult skeletal collections with known demographic information. To overcome this problem sub-adult research mainly relies on modern imaging modalities. In the current study Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans were used to assess the use of the anatomical method for stature estimation in sub-adults.

Sex estimation using dimensions around the nutrient foramen of the long bones of the arm and forearm in South Africans.

South Africa has had an increase in rates of crime, interpersonal violence and homicide since the introduction of democracy in 1994. Forensic osteological standards was lacking for South Africans of different population groups necessitating the generation of new standards for forensic identification of individuals from skeletal remains. For these reasons, there is a concerted demand for methods of identifying skeletal remains with sex being amongst the most important of the biological characteristics required.

The accuracy of the anatomical method for stature estimation in Black South African females.

The anatomical method is considered the most accurate stature estimation method, but investigation has shown that it continuously underestimates stature. This underestimation is believed to be related to the use of universal soft tissue correction factors. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the soft tissue correction factors in a living population of Black South African females and to subsequently calculate a new soft tissue correction factor, specific for stature estimation in this population group.

Stature estimation from the femur and tibia in Black South African sub-adults.

Stature estimation can play a role in the positive identification of unknown individuals and as such it is routinely assessed during the examination of adult remains. Unfortunately, this is not a standard procedure when dealing with sub-adult remains due to the general lack of standard procedures for the estimation of sub-adult stature. The aim of this study was therefore to derive regression equations for the estimation of stature in black South African sub-adults.

Plasma cell leukaemia and HIV co-infection: profile of patients and experience at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Plasma cell leukaemia (PCL) is a rare condition with high mortality. HIV-positive patients have a propensity to develop malignancy; however, the occurrence of PCL with HIV infection in South Africa has not been documented. We describe patients with PCL in Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein, South Africa, and report two new cases of HIV infection concurrent with PCL.

New soft tissue correction factors for stature estimation: results from magnetic resonance imaging.

In stature reconstruction using Fully's method, it is essential that a soft tissue correction factor be added to skeletal height in order to obtain an estimate of living stature. While some anthropologists consider Fully's method to be the most reliable for stature estimation, others consider it to be inadequate as it seems to be underestimating living stature, possibly due to an error in the magnitude of Fully's soft tissue factors. A recent study by Raxter and co-workers revised Fully's technique and also presented a new "universally applicable" soft tissue correction factor.

An assessment of the accuracy of discriminant function equations for sex determination of the femur and tibia from a South African population.

The purpose of this study is to test the accuracy of seven discriminant function equations that have been derived by Steyn and Isçan for sex determination using measurements of the femur and tibia of South Africans of European descent (SAED). While the validity of some of the discriminant functions has been assessed by the authors who derived them, no previous independent study has been carried out to assess the accuracy of these equations. These equations have not been tested on skeletons located outside of the Gauteng province.

Fragmentary femora: evaluation of the accuracy of the direct and indirect methods in stature reconstruction.

Selected measurements of the femur have been used in the derivation of regression equations for stature estimation in several populations. Various studies have indicated that stature can be estimated from fragmentary bones by either the direct or the indirect method. The direct method allows for the estimation of stature directly from individual or combination of measurements of fragments of the femur.

The history and composition of the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons (Dart Collection) is housed in the School of Anatomical Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa, and comprises one of the largest documented cadaver-derived human skeletal assemblages in the world. This collection originated in the early 1920s as a result of the efforts of Raymond Dart and continues to grow.

The skull and humerus in the determination of sex: reliability of discriminant function equations.

Sex determination plays a crucial role in the identification of human remains as it narrows the possibility for identification by 50%. The purpose of this study is to test the validity of five discriminant function equations, with accuracies of 80% and higher, that have been derived by Steyn and Işcan [M. Steyn, M.

Metatarsals in the estimation of stature in South Africans.

To date, only one study has investigated the potential of metatarsals in the estimation of stature for forensic purposes. The morphology of these bones from clinical and paleontological perspectives is well researched in different parts of the world including South Africa. The present study aimed at assessing the usefulness of metatarsals of South Africans in the estimation of stature.

Stature reconstruction using fragmentary femora in South Africans of European descent.

It is well documented that the intact femur has the highest correlation with stature and as such has been widely used in the derivation of regression equations for stature estimation. As intact femur is not always present for analyses in forensic cases, it has become necessary to derive regression equations for the estimation of stature from fragments of this bone. Few studies have presented regression equations for stature estimation from fragments of the femur.

Estimation of stature using fragmentary femora in indigenous South Africans.

Intact long bones of the upper and lower extremities have been used in the derivation of regression equations for the estimation of stature in different population groups. These bones are sometimes presented to forensic anthropologists in different states of fragmentation thereby making the derived equations unusable. This has necessitated the need to assess the usefulness of measurements of fragments of long bones (e.