A Bayesian approach to Suchey-Brooks age estimation from the pubic symphysis using modern American samples.

A critical component of the biological profile involves accurate estimation of the age-at-death of the decedent(s). While bias, inaccuracy, and population specificity have plagued age estimation methods, these issues are minimized by Bayesian statistics. Our primary analysis generated ages of transition from the published Suchey-Brooks pubic symphysis dataset and coupled them with informative priors derived from two modern American forensic samples (Forensic Data Bank [FDB] and Forensic Anthropology Database for Assessing Methods Accuracy [FADAMA]) to test the accuracy of Bayesian analysis against the original method.

An epidemiological approach to the analysis of cribra orbitalia as an indicator of health status and mortality in medieval and post-medieval London under a model of parasitic infection.

Objectives: Many individuals living in medieval and post-medieval London suffered issues with sanitation, food insecurity, infectious disease, and widespread exposure to parasites from a multitude of sources, causing increased risk of death for many inhabitants. We examine this stressful environment and its relationship with various demographic and temporal dimensions, using cribra orbitalia (CO) as an indicator of stress, to model an increased risk of dying under the expectations of our proposed parasitic model of infection.

Materials And Methods: We analyze the relationship between CO and mortality across seven medieval and post-medieval cemeteries from London by the covariates of sex, status, and age-at-death.

New Approaches to Age Estimation Using Palatal Suture Fusion.

Palatal suture fusion has seen little testing and/or application due in part to an inadequately described relationship to formal age ranges. This study presents a modified scoring method that examines fusion on samples of modern documented adult males and compares two Bayesian approaches to age estimation. In the first analysis, American and Portuguese collections were used to derive univariate and multivariate transition analysis (TA) parameters, which combined with an informative prior, estimated age in a sample of modern Americans and Portuguese.

Correction: Iron deficiency anemia, population health and frailty in a modern Portuguese skeletal sample.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Iron deficiency anemia, population health and frailty in a modern Portuguese skeletal sample.

Introduction: Portugal underwent significant political, demographic and epidemiological transitions during the 20th century resulting in migration to urban areas with subsequent overcrowding and issues with water sanitation. This study investigates population health during these transitions and interprets results within a framework of recent history and present-day public health information. We investigate skeletal evidence for anemia (cribra orbitalia and porotic hyperostosis) as indicators of stress and frailty-i.