Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Maxillary Sinuses in Ancient Crania Dated to the V-VI Centuries BCE from Opi (Italy): Volumetric Measurements in Ancient Skulls from the Necropolis of Opi, Abruzzi, Italy.

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) can provide precise information about complex anatomical structures as it is characterised by rapid volumetric image acquisition with high resolution. The aim of this study was to provide measurements for 20 ancient skulls of the Samnite people found in the necropolis of Opi, a small and isolated mountain village in Abruzzo, a region in central Italy. All the images (left and right) of the 20 ancient skulls from Opi were acquired.

Alimentation and nutrition applied to the new fitness disciplines in Italian gym.

The energy balance between inputs and outputs is essential to avoid a reduction in performance, recovery difficulties, hormonal problems, an increased risk of fatigue, injuries and illnesses. The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether the energy intake assumed by non-professional sportsmen of the new fitness disciplines on the basis of the guidelines present in the literature, meets the needs required by their sporting activity. The sample consist of 20 non-competitive adult sportsmen (n.

Generalized dermatitis in the natural mummy of the Roman Catholic nun Marie-Léonie Martin (France, 1863-1941).

Objective: To document skin lesions on a mummified individual from the XIX century and to diagnose the pathology based historical documentation and physical examination.

Materials: Marie Leonie Martin (1863-1941) was a Roman Catholic nun. Her naturally mummified body is currently preserved in the Monastery of the Visitation in Caen (France).

Histological and chemical diagnosis of a combat lesion in Triceratops.

In the collective imagination derived from scientific and popular literature, Triceratops often faced each other in combat. Thus, from the second half of the twentieth century, these ceratopsids were described as pugnacious animals. This arises primarily from the interpretation of extracranial fenestrae in ceratopsids being the result of combat trauma.

Anatomical variations of the foramen transversarium of cervical vertebrae from the ancient population of Herculaneum (79 CE; Naples, Italy).

Variations in the number, size and shape of the foramina transversaria of cervical vertebrae can affect the anatomical course of vital blood vessels and nerves, with the risk for pathological conditions, like vertebrobasilar insufficiency. This can result in compression of the vertebral artery during neck movements, which is characterised by headache, migraine, difficulties in swallowing, problems with speech and sight, balance disturbances and hearing disorders, among others. The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence of the diverse anatomical variants of the foramen transversarium in 446 cervical vertebrae from the skeletal remains of 83 victims who died on the ancient beach of Herculaneum (Italy) during the eruption of Vesuvius Volcano in 79 CE.

Sex estimation by odontometrics of nonadult human remains from a contemporary Italian sample.

Objectives: The objective was to develop an odontometric technique for sex estimation based on dental measurements from adult individuals, and to evaluate its applicability and reliability for diagnosis of sex of nonadult skeletal remains.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted on the permanent dentition of 132 individuals (70 males, 62 females) from the identified human skeletal collection of the Certosa Cemetery (Bologna, Italy) of the University of Bologna. Binary logistic regression equations were developed based on dental measurements of the permanent teeth of the adult individuals, and these equations were subsequently applied to the permanent dentition of nonadult individuals to estimate their sex.

Dental microwear texture analysis of Homo sapiens sapiens: Foragers, farmers, and pastoralists.

Objectives: The current study seeks to determine if a sample of foragers, farmers, and pastoralists are distinguishable based on their dental microwear texture signatures.

Materials And Methods: The study included a sample of 719 individuals from 51 archeological sites (450 farmers, 192 foragers, 77 pastoralists). All were over age 12 and sexes were pooled.

Pseudopathological vertebral changes in a young individual from Herculaneum (79 C.E.).

abnormal modification of bone are known as pseudopathologies. The geochemical characteristic of the burial soil and/or the presence of biological agents may produce marked changes in bone preservation. This could be the case for a young individual, E74, from Herculaneum, which was a Roman town near Naples completely destroyed by the volcanic eruption of Mt.

Hemifacial microsomia (oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum) in an individual from the Teramo Sant'Anna archaeological site (7th-12th centuries of the Common Era, Italy).

Background: This study is based in an analysis of the skeletal remains of an adult male from the Teramo Sant'Anna archaeological site (7th-12th centuries of the Common Era, Teramo, Italy).

Results And Discussion: The individual shows distinct abnormalities that principally involve asymmetric hypoplasia and dysmorphogenesis of the facial skeleton. The combination of these findings and the absence of abnormalities of the spine strongly suggest diagnosis of the congenital malformation known as hemifacial microsomia.

Scheuermann's disease in a juvenile male from the late Roman necropolis of Torrenueva (3rd-4th century CE, Granada, Spain).

This study details a severe case of Scheuermann's disease (SD) in a well-preserved skeleton of a juvenile male (designated TOR302), dated to 3rd-4th century CE, from the late Roman necropolis of Torrenueva (Granada, Spain). Individual TOR302 shows an evident kyphotic curve in the thoraco-lumbar spine, which is characterised by: (i) vertebral bodies of thoracic vertebra T2, thoracic segment T4-T9, and thoraco-lumbar segment T12-L2 wedged at >5°; (ii) slight anterior extensions of the epiphyseal ring; (iii) Schmorl's nodes on the superior and/or inferior plates; and (iv) a Cobb angle of 75°, derived from thoracic segments T4-T9. In addition, TOR302 shows other skeletal malformations as the secondary results of abnormal growth, due to altered biomechanical forces imposed by the spinal deformity, including: (i) lateral distortion of the spine that causes a slight secondary scoliotic curve; (ii) pelvic obliquity; and (iii) discrepancy in the length of the limbs.

Estimation of date of death through wound healing of an extraction socket: A case report.

Surgical extraction of teeth due to dental pathologies is a relatively common procedure in modern man. The healing of the wound that results occurs in gradual and sequential stages, such that the analysis of this repair process can be very useful in forensic investigations on human remains. The following study reports on a particular case where the remodeling of a tooth socket allowed an estimation of the time that had elapsed from the day of the surgical extraction of the tooth to the time of death.

Congenital Anatomical Variant of the Clavicle.

The aim of this study is to present a rare abnormality of the clavicle (Code: SGS01) that was discovered in an ossuary in the Church of San Gaetano (Sulmona, central Italy; XVII-XIX centuries CE). In the middle third, the clavicle had three areas with losses of substance in the form of oval-shaped foramina with maximum diameters of 1-2 cm that were located in the anterior and superior surfaces of the diaphysis. The margins of these foramina were well defined and rounded, and the surfaces of the canal walls were smooth.

Bone natural autofluorescence and confocal laser scanning microscopy: Preliminary results of a novel useful tool to distinguish between forensic and ancient human skeletal remains.

The fast, high-throughput distinction between palaeoanthropological/archaeological remains and recent forensic/clinical bone samples is of vital importance in the field of medico-legal science. In this paper, a novel dating method was developed using the autofluorescence of human bones and the confocal laser scanning microscope as the means to distinguish between archaeological and forensic anthropological skeletal findings. Human bones exhibit fluorescence, typically induced by natural antibiotics that are absorbed by collagen, and provide secondary, exogenous fluorophores.

Timing of maxillofacial-oral injuries in an individual of the ancient city of Herculaneum (79 AD, Naples, Italy): a case report.

Background: This study is based on the skeletal remains of an adult female from the ancient city of Herculaneum (Naples, Italy), who was a victim of the eruption of the nearby Vesuvius Volcano on 24-25 August, AD 79.

Results And Discussion: Examination of the maxillofacial region revealed evidence of unilateral condylar fracture and dislocation, as well as traumatic dental injuries. The injuries observed might have been the consequence of a direct blow to the mental region that was transmitted in a direction that raised the mandible, causing an indirect fracture in the right condylar neck when the condylar head collided directly with the temporal glenoid fossa.

Odontometric sex estimation on three populations of the Iron Age from Abruzzo region (central-southern Italy).

Background: In archaeological contexts, sex identification is a necessary step for a complete reconstruction of the biological profile of the individuals and to know demographic patterns of the population, nutritional stress, diseases, growth and development, and distribution of pathological conditions.

Methods: This study is based on the skeletal remains of 149 individuals from three protohistoric populations in close temporal and geographic proximity in Abruzzo region (central-southern Italy): Opi, Alfedena and Bazzano. It has been possible to develop logistic regression equations based on dental measurements of permanent teeth of adult individuals whose sex had previously been estimated based on pelvic and cranial features.

Micro-biomechanics of the Kebara 2 hyoid and its implications for speech in Neanderthals.

The description of a Neanderthal hyoid from Kebara Cave (Israel) in 1989 fuelled scientific debate on the evolution of speech and complex language. Gross anatomy of the Kebara 2 hyoid differs little from that of modern humans. However, whether Homo neanderthalensis could use speech or complex language remains controversial.

[Paleopathology of Herculaneum's population (79 D.C.)].

In 1982, some occasional excavations in the area corresponding to the ancient beach of Ercolano brought to light the rests of around 250 individuals, victims of the eruption of the Vesuvius. This exceptional recovery constitutes an essential patrimony for the reconstruction of the paleobiology and the paleopathology of the human populations in Roman epoch, in relationship not only to the style of life but also to the social and economic status. Notwithstanding the bone alterations due to the exposition to high temperature, the human remains present traces of illness.

[The abdominal typhus outbreak in Civitella del Tronto (Teramo, Italy) during the first half of 1817].

The authors describe the characteristics of the large outbreak of typhoid fever in Civitella del Tronto (Italy) in the year 1817. As reported in the "Rapporti Periodici sulla Salute Pubblica" ("Public Health Reports") periodically written by general practitioners, from March to June 1817 the morbidity rate was over 1% and both genders were equally affected. The most affected age group was the 30 to 40 year-old.

Michelangelo's eye disease.

Charged by the Pope Julius II for painting the Cappella Sistina in Rome (between 1508 and 1512), Michelangelo worked in an elevated scaffolding, in an anomalous position with dyes (including poisoning lead salts) and solvents (such as toxic turpentine) dripping on his face and continuously inhaling, in a dim environment illuminated only with oil lamps and candles, as he described himself and sketched in a sonet addressed to Giovanni da Pistoia. In 1510 he began suffering from eye disease: the main symptom was the necessity to elevate the document he was reading up to the level of his eyes. This defect disappeared few months after he finished painting his masterpiece.

Odontometric sex discrimination in the Herculaneum sample (79 AD, Naples, Italy), with application to juveniles.

Sex determination of subadult skeletal remains with satisfactory accuracy represents one of the most important limitations of archaeological research and forensic practice. Teeth are one of the most durable physical elements of an individual that remain after death, and constitute a potential source of information about the biological sex of that individual. This study was based on the skeletal remains of 117 individuals from the ancient city of Herculaneum (Naples, Italy), victims of the eruption of the nearby volcano Vesuvius on 24/25 August, 79 AD.

Maxillary and mandibular base size in ancient skulls and of modern humans from Opi, Abruzzi, Italy: a cross-sectional study.

Aim: The size and shape of the jaws are related to occlusion and masticatory muscle function. Consequently, teeth and muscles are considered the functional matrix for the two jaws. Existing studies did not focus on the relationship between maxillary and mandibular base but on just their absolute dimensions.

Possible brucellosis in an early hominin skeleton from sterkfontein, South Africa.

We report on the paleopathological analysis of the partial skeleton of the late Pliocene hominin species Australopithecus africanus Stw 431 from Sterkfontein, South Africa. A previous study noted the presence of lesions on vertebral bodies diagnosed as spondylosis deformans due to trauma. Instead, we suggest that these lesions are pathological changes due to the initial phases of an infectious disease, brucellosis.