Human Variation

Dermatoglyphic patterns are permanently established and matured before the 24th week of gestation. Their frequencies and localization might be a good indicator of developmental instability in individuals with an altered neurodevelopment and show potential as biomarkers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, fingerprint pattern counts and fluctuating asymmetry in the distribution of patterns are compared between 67 boys diagnosed with ASD (aged 5.11 ± 2.51 years) and 83 control boys (aged 8.58 ± 3.14 years). Boys with ASD had a higher rate of discordance in their fingerprint patterns (p = .0026), showing more often bilateral differences in the occurrence of certain patterns. A chi-square test revealed that the difference in pattern frequencies between boys with ASD and the control group is the most significant in frequencies of whorls, tented arches, and ulnar loops. Boys with ASD have significantly fewer ulnar loops, significantly more whorls, and tented arches in the right hand. The achieved results are in favor of the suggestion that prenatal influences, which play a role in the development of bilateral differences in fingerprint patterns up to the 24th week of gestation, may be a potential cause of an altered neurodevelopment in ASD individuals.

Cheiloscopy is a forensic investigation technique that deals with identification of humans based on lips traces. The aim of this study was to establish the uniqueness of lip prints and to look out for any new character which aids in personal identification. In the study, we followed the classification of patterns of the lines on the lips proposed by Jerzy Kasprzak in 1990. In the present study we collect the lip prints of 50 females of 18-25 years of age (having full dentition) were collected the lip prints were then studied for the pattern and characteristic features present at its quadrant for analyzing variations, and to determine the most common pattern in the study population. The statistical calculation after study estimated that Simple Bifurcation is more prominent in upper lip with 56% and Simple Bottom Bifurcation is prominent in lower lip with 68%. However calculation shows that A Line Like (I) feature is most common, when both upper and lower lips are taken into consideration with 44% presence. On extensive of lip prints samples, a new character "A Bar" denoted as "x" in the script was found in both upper and lower lip with a frequency of 14% and 16% respectively. The present study is an attempt to propose a better method of personal identification based on lip prints for forensic investigation.

Cheiloscopy is a forensic investigation technique that deals with identification of humans based on lips traces. The aim of this study was to establish the uniqueness of lip prints and to look out for any new character which aids in personal identification. In the study, we followed the classification of patterns of the lines on the lips proposed by Jerzy Kasprzak in 1990. In the present study we collect the lip prints of 50 females of 18-25 years of age (having full dentition) were collected the lip prints were then studied for the pattern and characteristic features present at its quadrant for analyzing variations, and to determine the most common pattern in the study population. The statistical calculation after study estimated that Simple Bifurcation is more prominent in upper lip with 56% and Simple Bottom Bifurcation is prominent in lower lip with 68%. However calculation shows that A Line Like (I) feature is most common, when both upper and lower lips are taken into consideration with 44% presence. On extensive of lip prints samples, a new character "A Bar" denoted as "x" in the script was found in both upper and lower lip with a frequency of 14% and 16% respectively. The present study is an attempt to propose a better method of personal identification based on lip prints for forensic investigation.

Sex determination is a major challenge for forensic anthropologist in the medicolegal context. It constitutes initial step in personal identification from skeletal remains and is indispensable further to define age and stature of the deceased. There have been several studies on sex determination from different skeletal parts using osteometric and morphological approaches. Degree of sexual dimorphism and osteological standards vary across time and space. This requires need for valid population specific standards for sex determination. Skull is considered as the most discriminating after pelvis among skeletal parts. As in India, the population varies to a large extent, assortment of skeleton cannot be made representing the whole country in general; therefore, regional studies must be promoted. Each population group thus needs its own sex specific osteometric standards. No large scale study on North Indian skull was conducted. The aim of the present study is to provide the population specific sex discriminating osteometric standards to aid identification. A total of 483 crania (316 male and 167 females) with age range of 18-70 years of North Indian origin were studied using traditional osteometric methods. Twenty one traditional variables were measured. The p-value shows that all parameters were statistically significant and higher in males. The best parameters are bizygomatic breadth (BZBr) and mastoid bregma height (MBrHt) which were reflected by highest t values and highest classification accuracies i.e. 82.2 and 80.5% respectively. In stepwise analysis accuracy reached up to 84.75% with the selection of five variables named Bizygomatic Breadth (BZBr), Mastoid Bregma Height (MBrHt), Maximum Cranial Length (MaxCLt), Biauricular Breadth (BAUBr) and Maximum Cranial Breadth (MaxCBr). On the other hand, bizygomatic breadth (BZBr) alone provided a sex classification accuracy of 82.2 % in direct analysis.

Objectives: Ancestry and sex estimation using craniometric indices is an important aspect of skeletal identification process, as it limits the number of antemortem records used to compare with a postmortem profile and establish a positive identification. These indices are also affected by secular or temporal changes. So the aim of the study to explore the usefulness of indices for sex and ancestry estimation in North Indian population and effect of secular changes on these indices. Materials and methods: In present study two temporally different skull samples of the North Indian population have been taken and eighteen craniometric indices were calculated on the basis of 17 craniofacial measurements for both sexes to examine the temporal changes and their use in ancestry and sexual differenciation. Contemporary sample comprised of 158 skulls (110 male; 48 females) and subrecent 325 skulls (206 males and 119 females) with an age range of 20-68 years. Results: Craniofacial measurements showed significantly higher values in contemporary males and females. In males highly significant secular/temporal changes were observed in orbital index and transverse frontal index and to a lesser extent in foraman magnum and gnathic index. In females, highly significant differences were observed in cranial, vertical, auriculo vertical and longitudinal craniofacial index. Discussion: There is a lot of variability in Indian and non Indian populations so these indices can be used for ancestry estimation but not for sex discrimination due to poor classification rate. Moreover, the causes of these temporal variations with other issues have also been discussed.

Cheiloscopy has been a subject of great interest to most researchers, it being the least invasive and easily ABSTRACT Background: External surface of lips has many elevations and depressions forming a characteristic pattern called lip prints, the study of which is known as cheiloscopy. This is unique for the individuals like in fingerprints. Methods: The present study was conducted in 40 pairs of twins and their families to evaluate the possibility of variation of lip print patterns in twins and their parents to find out any similarity among twins and their families. The twins were taken as the primary subject and their parents as the secondary subjects. Results: The subjects with congenital lip deformity and any inflammation were excluded from the study. The lip prints were taken on the cello tape and highlighted with the black printer powder of Oddyessy make. the photographs were taken for the permanent record. The prints were studied on Adobe Photoshop 7.0 software and classified under Tsuchihashi classification. Conclusions: Comparison of lip prints showed that they are unique to each individual and among twins revealed that they are similar but not identical and their characteristics resembled either parent. Since the lip print patterns are unique, lip print analysis can be considered as a tool for personal identification.

The aim of this study is the classification of the thickness of diploe, lamina externa, lamina interna and total calvarial thickness at different points of cranium in elderly men and women. In the radiology archive, measurements were made at different points in cranial MR images of 220 (110 females, 110 males) patients, the average ages of whom were 73.23 ± 8.40 (age range: 61-90) and who had no disorder of the bones. Diploe thickness, lamina externa, lamina interna and total calvarial thickness were measured in eight points of the calvaria. Midfrontal point, back and front bregma, lambda, opisthocranion and euryon points were used in the measurement. The data was loaded to SPSS 16.0 program. T-test, Mann-Whitney U, Pearson correlation coefficient and Kruskal Wallis variance analysis were used in the statistical assessment. Results with a p value smaller than 0.05 were accepted as significant. There was statistically significant difference in total cranial thickness between males and females in the right euryon point only. Average total calvarial thickness at right euryon point was higher in females (6.20 ± 0.78 mm) than in males (5.96 ± 0.68 mm) (p= 0.02). Average diploe thickness was higher in female than male except for point of bregma back (p<0.05). There was positive linear correlation between diploe thickness and age except for opisthocranion, right euryon and 1cm inferior to lambda. These results related to diploe thickness and cranium thickness may be leading in the determination of sex and age; surgical interventions to the cranium and bone graft choice and may increase the reliability of the operation.

There is a growing consensus that global patterns of modern human cranial and dental variation are shaped largely by neutral evolutionary processes, suggesting that craniodental features can be used as reliable proxies for inferring population structure and history in bioarchaeological, forensic, and paleoanthropological contexts. However, there is disagreement on whether certain types of data preserve a neutral signature to a greater degree than others. Here, we address this unresolved question and systematically test the relative neutrality of four standard metric and nonmetric craniodental data types employing an extensive computational genotype–phenotype comparison across modern populations from around the world. Our computation draws on the largest existing data sets currently available, while accounting for geographically structured environmental variation, population sampling uncertainty, disparate numbers of phenotypic variables, and stochastic variation inherent to a neutra...

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of dermatoglyphic patterns in inherited Essential hypertension disease which could be useful for early diagnosis and preventive care. The sample studied for this research was obtained from 40 patients with inherited Essential hypertension disease and 20 normal subjects without any symptoms of Essential hypertension disease until 2 generations ago. Print of their palm and fingers was obtained in two groups by printing ink. Patterns of finger tips, ATD angles, A-B ridge and the different types of minutiae were located, identified and quantified visually inside of four sectors of fingerprints. The result of this study showed two patterns of finger tips; Whorl and arch in diseases are more than normal people. The most common tips in normal people is loop. In average the number of the A-B ridge in female illnesses and male normal are respectively more on average than female normal and male illnesses. The ATD angle is lower in patients than in normal. Results of the survey on minutiae showed that frequency of the ridge Ending (E) is between 32-52.52 with the highest frequency. Frequency of Bifurcation (B) is lower than the ridge ending which it is between 17.39-35% in left hand, but in right hand the second most patterns is convergence (C) which is between 14.13-38.66%. The third most patterns in left hand was observed in pattern convergences (C) with a percentage between 8.62-32.6, but in right hand the third most patterns is bifurcations (B), which is between 3.57-24.81%. Also in some sector of fingers significant difference was found.

This is an overview of the "Out of Africa" (OOA) concept and the concept is based upon experimental data. The article shows that said concept is based on data which areas a rule-interpreted by the OOA proponents in a one-sided manner, that is to "prove" the OOA concept. The Y-chromosomal haplogroup tree in its most ancient part includes a number of nodes-haplogroups, which in the current classification are named A0-T, A1, and A1b. Bearers of those haplogroups are not identified in Africa or elsewhere. However, those three haplogroups are assigned by the proponents of the OOA "by default" to be the "African" haplogroups, which "automatically" makes all non-Africans "African descendants". In fact, each of the three haplogroups represents a split into African and non-African haplogroups. As a result, the evolution (Y-chromosomal) tree produced at least five waves of migrants to Africa (haplogroups A00, A0, A1a, A1b1, and B), while the rest of the tree consists of four non-African (by origin) haplogroups, that is A0-T, A1, A1b, and BT, along with the downstream subclades of the latter. The tree is confirmed by the analysis employing STR (Short Tandem Repeat) and SNP (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) mutations of the Y-chromosome. Indeed, according to many data, the tree shows a deep split between African and non-African (by origin) lineages. The last split, from haplogroup A1b (into African A1b1 and non-African-by origin-B) occurred 160,000 ± 12,000 years before present. Haplogroup B is by origin a non-African haplogroup, which is very distant-time-wise-from haplogroups A, by at least 250-300 thousand years, and could not possibly have descended from haplogroups A1a or A1b1, or their subclades. A similar pattern is observed with the mtDNA haplogroup tree, which shows a deep split between African L0 and non-African (by origin) haplogroups L1-L6. The article shows how recent OOA studies (as well as earlier ones) employ biased interpretations to artificially "prove" the OOA concept. The article shows that the same data can be-and more justifiably-interpreted as incompatible with the OOA concept, and giving support for a "into Africa" concept. It seems that from times of Neanderthals (seemingly having pale skin and fair hair, based on the identified Neanderthal MCR1 melanocortin receptor), our ancestors, of both Africans and non-Africans current populations, lived outside of Africa, apparently in Eurasia or maybe in Europe.

Mendez and colleagues reported the identification of a Y chromosome haplotype (the A00 lineage) that lies at the basal position of the Y chromosome phylogenetic tree. Incorporating this haplotype, the authors estimated the time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) for the Y tree to be 338 000 years ago (95% CI ¼ 237 000-581 000). Such an extraordinarily early estimate contradicts all previous estimates in the literature and is over a 100 000 years older than the earliest fossils of anatomically modern humans. This estimate raises two astonishing possibilities, either the novel Y chromosome was inherited after ancestral humans interbred with another species, or anatomically modern Homo sapiens emerged earlier than previously estimated and quickly became subdivided into genetically differentiated subpopulations. We demonstrate that the TMRCA estimate was reached through inadequate statistical and analytical methods, each of which contributed to its inflation. We show that the authors ignored previously inferred Y-specific rates of substitution, incorrectly derived the Y-specific substitution rate from autosomal mutation rates, and compared unequal lengths of the novel Y chromosome with the previously recognized basal lineage. Our analysis indicates that the A00 lineage was derived from all the other lineages 208 300 (95% CI ¼ 163 900-260 200) years ago.

The internal skull structures, such as the sinuses or the brain are usually studied using CT scans. Therefore, the morphology of these internal structures have been comparatively less studied than the external morphology of the skull. We explore sinuses and brain shape variation related to external skull shape modularity and we assess if these internal structures of the skull could be studied analyzing solely the external shape We use the family Ursidae (Carnivora, Mammalia) as study case

This thesis is dedicated to my parents, Natividad C. Soto and Rita G. Soto, for supporting me throughout my education. I would especially like to dedicate this thesis to my father, who has been my rock thoughout this process. iii Acknowledgements There are several people I would like to thank for their support during the research and writing of this thesis. First, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength to accomplish this degree and thesis. I would also like to thank my parents, Natividad C. and Rita G. Soto, and my fiancé, Manuel Martinez, for supporting and encouraging me during my time as a graduate student as well during the process of writing this thesis. I am grateful to Dr. Murray K. Marks, my chair, for providing guidance throughout this process. Special recognition goes to Dr. Richard Jantz and Ann Reed, in the Statistical Consulting Center, for providing me with guidance on the analysis of this data. Additionally, I would like to express my appreciation to the Forensic Anthropology Center for the William M. Bass Endowment, which funded this research. I would also very grateful to the National Museum of Natural History in Lisbon, Portugal for allowing me access to their collection, without which this research would not have been possible. Lastly, but definitely not least, I would like to thank Angela Dautartes, my roommate, for her encouragement on those tough days when I felt the completion of this thesis was insurmountable.

Background: This study assessed the effect of Haemoglobin SS (Hb SS) on cormic index and some other body anthropometric indices among students of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Methods: A total of 100 young adults (18 – 40 years) participated in the study. They were classified into two groups; 50 cases (participants with Hb SS) and 50 control (participants with Hb AA) which were purposively selected after heamglobin typing using electrophoresis method. The cases and controls were age-and sex-matched. The weight, sitting and standing height were measured by using Seca stadiometer-model 216 following standard protocol. Cormic index (CI%) was calculated using sitting height x 100/ standing height while the body mass index (BMI) and body surface area were calculated using Keys and Monsteller formulae respectively. The data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and alpha value was set at p &lt; 0.05. Results: The mean values of weight in kg [54.39 ± 5....

The present thesis proposes a comparison of 16 British medieval samples by means of craniometric analysis. The purpose of this study is to determine whether craniometric variation among British medieval groups exists and what are the causes of these differences. Following the reconstruction of 267 skulls from Gloucester, Poulton and Linenhall, 45 measurements for each cranium were recorded. Craniometric data from 946 individuals were analysed with multivariate statistical analyses. A selection of 18 variables was used for comparison among samples. A further comparison with a selection from Howells’ main human groups was carried out. Discriminant function analysis, principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis were carried out to detect differences among British medieval samples and British and Howells’ data set. The results support previous work published by other authors indicating a difference in craniometric measurement among British samples. Further discriminati...

There is a growing consensus that global patterns of modern human cranial and dental variation are shaped largely by neutral evolutionary processes, suggesting that craniodental features can be used as reliable proxies for inferring population structure and history in bioarchaeological, forensic, and paleoanthropological contexts. However, there is disagreement on whether certain types of data preserve a neutral signature to a greater degree than others. Here, we address this unresolved question and systematically test the relative neutrality of four standard metric and nonmetric craniodental data types employing an extensive computational genotype-phenotype comparison across modern populations from around the world. Our computation draws on the largest existing data sets currently available, while accounting for geographically structured environmental variation, population sampling uncertainty, disparate numbers of phenotypic variables, and stochastic variation inherent to a neutral model of evolution. Our results reveal that the four data types differentially capture neutral genomic variation, with highest signals preserved in dental nonmetric and cranial metric data, followed by cranial nonmetric and dental metric data. Importantly, we demonstrate that combining all four data types together maximizes the neutral genetic signal compared with using them separately, even with a limited number of phenotypic variables. We hypothesize that this reflects a lower level of genetic integration through pleiotropy between, compared to within, the four data types, effectively forming four different modules associated with relatively independent sets of loci. Therefore, we recommend that future craniodental investigations adopt holistic combined data approaches, allowing for more robust inferences about underlying neutral genetic variation.

Background: The purpose of this study was to define the variability in skull thickness from ___location to ___location and from individual to individual in a large number of human skulls. Method: Skull thickness was measured in multiple areas of the calvaria in 281 dry skulls from the Hamman-Todd osteological collection (Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio). A total of 40 points were determined over the frontal, occipital, and parietal bones, with a higher number of points concentrated on the latter. Repeated measures analysis of variance models were used to assess the effects of covariates (individual variables) on skull thickness and ___location. Result: A statistically significant pattern of increased thickness toward the posterior parietal bones was seen in all subgroups. The mean thickness of the skull across all locations was 6.32 mm (SEM, 0.07 mm) and ranged from 5.3 mm (SEM, 0.09 mm) to 7.5 mm (SEM, 0.09 mm). Age was not found to be a significant predictor of mean skull thickness. Differences between male and female skulls were greater toward the rear of the parietal bones. Conclusion: The thickest area of the skull is the parasagittal posterior parietal area in male skulls and the posterior parietal area midway between the sagittal and superior temporal line in female skulls. An accurate map of the skull thickness representing the normative data of the studied population was developed. It is hoped that this topographic map will assist the surgeons in choosing the safest area of cranial bone graft harvest, thus increasing the safety of the procedure.

This study using three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of children determined relationships between nasal skeletal and soft tissue measurements and assessed the association with sex, age, and skeletal maturation stage. Following reliability studies, skeletal and soft tissue parameters were measured on coded CBCTs of 73 children (28M:45F;6-13 yoa). Pearson and Mantel correlations were used to analyze associations between skeletal and soft tissues. Partial Mantel correlations were used to study the associations between skeletal and soft tissue, adjusting for sex, age, and skeletal maturation. Linear regression analyses were used to predict soft tissues sizes. Logistic regression was used to study the relationships between soft and skeletal tissue symmetry. Except for nasal aperture width and interalar width, skeletal landmarks best predicted corresponding soft tissue landmarks. Significant positive associations existed between skeletal and soft tissues after ad...

Introducción: este artículo analiza dos estrategias de investigación puestas en acción en tres proyectos de estudio de la genética humana en México, entre 1960 y 2009. Se distingue entre una estrategia que incorpora recursos multidisciplinarios en el diseño del muestreo, el análisis e interpretación de datos (a la que se le denomina de exhibición), y una que privilegia consideraciones pragmáticas sobre los análisis multidisciplinarios (a la que se le denomina de aplanamiento). Desarrollo: se analizó el trabajo del médico hematólogo Rubén Lisker en la década de 1960, el mapeo de la diversidad genómica mexicana realizado por investigadores del Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica entre 2004 y 2009, y el análisis de la variación nativa llevado a cabo por el genetista Andrés Moreno (en la Universidad de Stanford en ese entonces), y sus colegas en años recientes. Conclusiones: las decisiones estratégicas que toman los científicos tienen consecuencias en la med...

Numerous studies have utilized craniometric data to explore the roles of genetic diversity and environment in human cranial shape variation. Peru is a particularly interesting region to examine cranial variation due to the wide variety of high and low altitude ecological zones, which in combination with rugged terrain have created isolated populations with vastly different physiological adaptations. This study examines seven samples from throughout Peru in an effort to understand the contributions of environmental adaptation and genetic relatedness to craniofacial variation at a regional scale. Morphological variation was investigated using a canonical discriminant analysis and Mahalanobis D(2) analysis. Results indicate that all groups are significantly different from one another with the closest relationship between Yauyos and Jahuay, two sites that are located geographically close in central Peru but in very different ecozones. The relationship between latitude/longitude and face...

This study was designed to identify possible craniofacial measurements that have an influence on the cephalic index (CI) of Japanese adult females. The total sample used in the current study consisted of 832 healthy Japanese adults. The subjects were all of Japanese birth and ancestry. The age range of the subjects was between 18-25 years. Eight craniofacial measurements were taken: head length, head breadth, head height, head circumference, minimum frontal breadth, bizygomatic breadth, bigonial breadth, and morphological face height. In addition, stature and body weight were also measured. All measurements were taken by one observer from 1998 to 2001. The CI was calculated from head length and head breadth. Using multiple regression analysis, a variance inflation factor (VIF) demonstrated that there was no evidence of a multicollinearity problem among the variables when CI was considered as a response variable. The coefficients of the regression line demonstrated that there was a significant positive relationship between the CI and minimum frontal breadth (P < 0.01), bizygomatic breadth (P < 0.01) and head height (P < 0.05), while a negative relationship was found between the CI and morphological facial height (P < 0.05) and head circumference (P < 0.01). Moreover, the coefficient and odds ratio of the logistic regression showed that minimum frontal breadth (P < 0.05), bizygomatic breadth (P < 0.01), and head height (P < 0.05) were more likely in the roundheaded group, while morphological facial height (P < 0.05), head circumference (P < 0.01), and stature (P < 0.05) were less likely in the round-headed group. Stepwise regression analysis showed that with respect to the CI, the best predictor variables were bizygomatic breadth, head circumference, minimum frontal breadth, morphological facial height, head height, and stature. These results suggest that most of the craniofacial variables measured appear to influence the CI of Japanese adult female students.

Within-group human variation in the Asian Pleistocene: the three Upper Cave crania Numerous studies on Pleistocene samples have shown that withingroup cranial variation was greater than that seen today. The three anatomically modern Upper Cave crania (UC 101, UC 102, and UC 103) from Zhoukoudian, China provide one of the best samples available for addressing the issue of the antiquity of the modern pattern of within-group cranial variability because archaeological evidence indicates that they are spatially and temporally restricted. Research on the Upper Cave fossils usually only includes UC 101 and UC 103 because of postmortem damage to UC 102's cranial vault. However, the face of UC 102 is undamaged, allowing for most facial measurements to be performed accurately. In this study we use facial dimensions to compare all three Upper Cave specimens, and we evaluate whether the variation seen among them is larger than that observed in extant populations. Using a worldwide sample of modern populations to establish a baseline, the three Upper Cave crania were compared to each other. Since there is disagreement over the sex of UC 102, this specimen is treated alternately as a female and as a male. Results show that the Upper Cave specimens exhibit significantly more variation than do individuals within more recent human populations, especially if UC 102 is considered male. Furthermore, results indicate that the fossils never fall into the same modern human group, and that each specimen is significantly atypical of its nearest modern neighbor in multivariate space. We conclude that the three Upper Cave crania do not represent a family group but are representative of the larger contemporaneous heterogeneous Asian Pleistocene population. Our results support the contention that today's within-group homogeneity is a relatively recent phenomenon, and is likely the result of a Neolithic population expansion and its many effects.

Sex estimation is an integral aspect of biological anthropology. Correctly estimating sex is the first step to many subsequent analyses, such as estimating living stature or age-at-death. Klales et al. (2012) [6] provided a revised version of the Phenice (1969) [3] method that expanded the original three traits (ventral arc, subpubic concavity/contour, and medial aspect of the ischio-pubic ramus) into five character states to capture varying degrees of expression within each trait. The Klales et al. (2012) [6] method also provided associated probabilities with each sex classification, which is of particular importance in forensic anthropology. However, the external validity of this method must be tested prior to applying the method to different populations from which the method was developed. A total of 1915 innominates from four diverse geographic populations: (1) U.S. Blacks and Whites; (2) South African Blacks and Whites; (3) Thai; and (4) unidentified Hispanic border crossers we...

The aim of this study is the classification of the thickness of diploe, lamina externa, lamina interna and total calvarial thickness at different points of cranium in elderly men and women. In the radiology archive, measurements were made at different points in cranial MR images of 220 (110 females, 110 males) patients, the average ages of whom were 73.23 ± 8.40 (age range: 61-90) and who had no disorder of the bones. Diploe thickness, lamina externa, lamina interna and total calvarial thickness were measured in eight points of the calvaria. Midfrontal point, back and front bregma, lambda, opisthocranion and euryon points were used in the measurement. The data was loaded to SPSS 16.0 program. T-test, Mann-Whitney U, Pearson correlation coefficient and Kruskal Wallis variance analysis were used in the statistical assessment. Results with a p value smaller than 0.05 were accepted as significant. There was statistically significant difference in total cranial thickness between males and females in the right euryon point only. Average total calvarial thickness at right euryon point was higher in females (6.20 ± 0.78 mm) than in males (5.96 ± 0.68 mm) (p= 0.02). Average diploe thickness was higher in female than male except for point of bregma back (p<0.05). There was positive linear correlation between diploe thickness and age except for opisthocranion, right euryon and 1cm inferior to lambda. These results related to diploe thickness and cranium thickness may be leading in the determination of sex and age; surgical interventions to the cranium and bone graft choice and may increase the reliability of the operation.

Introduction: Lips are two fleshy folds surrounding the oral orifice. Grooves in the zone of transition of the human lips were named as "sulci labiorum rubrorum". Study of lip prints is called as "cheiloscopy". The morphological patterns of the two fleshy folds vary grossly in both sexes. Aim: The study was aimed to find the most common patterns, sexual variations, anthropometric measurements and the morphology of lips. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted on 300 subjects in the age group between 18-65 years. The impressions of the vermellion border were obtained. Morphometric analysis of the obtained impressions was done by using scale. The height, width of the mouth was measured. The wrinkles and grooves on the impressions obtained were studied with help of a magnifying lens using Suzuki's classification. The prints of an individual subject were repeated each year for seven years. Results and discussion: The range in the width of mouth varied from 35-75 mm. The observed widths in males and females subjects varied. The male lips were wider compared to the females. In all age groups studied, in the maximum number of subjects (male and females), the height was ranging between 16-20 mm. the morphometric description of labial folds recognizes, the lips as thin, medium, thick and puffy. The present study on the subjects was medium variety in both sexes i.e. 40% each. The analysis of wrinkles and grooves on the impressions reveals that no impression matches with each other. There was no change observed in the impression of the study subject after seven years. Conclusion: The measurements of width of mouth, height of upper and lower lips and total lip height was greater in males as compared to females. It was concluded that males have a larger mouth and bigger lips than female. The medium types of lips were common in both sexes. There was no change in the lip prints patterns and the anthropometric measurements during seven years of duration. The knowledge of the patterns and measurements can be used as an instrument to identify subject under in the court of law.

Background: Myofascial nociception is important in tension-type headache. Skull bone thickness is the total thickness of diploe and the external and internal tables. Objective: To assess the thickness of occipital and temporal bone measured on brain axial CT scan in patient with chronic tension type headache and to compare the results with healthy age and sex matched control group. Patients and method: a cross-sectional/case-control study; conducted in Neurosciences and Baghdad teaching hospitals between June 2010 and June 2011. The study including 209 individuals; 105 [46 male/59 female] had chronic tension headache and 104 [55 male/49 females] were a normal control group, the mean of the age were 49.250 and 46.047 years in both groups respectively. CT examination of Bone window images of the skull was taken. The thickness of the anterior part of right temporal bone body and the occipital bone were assessed. Results: The means of occipital bone thickness was 0.95714 and 1.1042 mm in the control and tension headache groups respectively; it was higher than the mean of temporal bone thickness which was 0.53750 and 0.72540 in the control and tension headache groups respectively. Discussion and conclusion: The present study showed thicker skull in males; it was not approaching a statistical significant differences there was significantly thicker occipital and temporal skull bones in patients suffering from chronic tension headache in comparison to normal control group.

Background: External surface of lips has many elevations and depressions forming a characteristic pattern called lip prints, the study of which is known as cheiloscopy. This is unique for the individuals like in fingerprints.Methods: The present study was conducted in 40 pairs of twins and their families to evaluate the possibility of variation of lip print patterns in twins and their parents to find out any similarity among twins and their families.  The twins were taken as the primary subject and their parents as the secondary subjects.Results: The subjects with congenital lip deformity and any inflammation were excluded from the study. The lip prints were taken on the cello tape and highlighted with the black printer powder of Oddyessy make. the photographs were taken for the permanent record. The prints were studied on Adobe Photoshop 7.0 software and classified under Tsuchihashi classification.Conclusions: Comparison of lip prints showed that they are unique to each individual ...

Background: External surface of lips has many elevations and depressions forming a characteristic pattern called lip prints, the study of which is known as cheiloscopy. This is unique for the individuals like in fingerprints.Methods: The present study was conducted in 40 pairs of twins and their families to evaluate the possibility of variation of lip print patterns in twins and their parents to find out any similarity among twins and their families.  The twins were taken as the primary subject and their parents as the secondary subjects.Results: The subjects with congenital lip deformity and any inflammation were excluded from the study. The lip prints were taken on the cello tape and highlighted with the black printer powder of Oddyessy make. the photographs were taken for the permanent record. The prints were studied on Adobe Photoshop 7.0 software and classified under Tsuchihashi classification.Conclusions: Comparison of lip prints showed that they are unique to each individual ...

The authors present a study both upon eight crania of dead born fetuses having the vertex-coccis distance between 25-29 cm and a human embryocephalic extremity of 18 cm. The crania were examined in the lateral, vertical, frontal, occipital, basal norms. Sagittal sections were performed upon the embryo, and then those sections were microscopically examined after HE staining. We concluded that the cranial arch bones morphogenesis and the facial complex is a long-time development process, which initially started during the early embryogenesis, and it is completed as an adult. Determining factors of the flat bones osteogenesis are the following: vascular, muscle, extracell (mesenchyma) and neuronal factors (rhombencephalon presence).

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in odorant receptor genes may influence the protein sequence and consequently also the function of the receptors. An analysis of the HapMap data for human OR3A1 was performed and provided evidence that genetic differences subject to ancestry and gender can be recognized. A genomic comparison of individuals shows the diversity of odorant receptor genes and therefore potentially the variety of the sense of smell. At this time, two complete human genomes are available in public ___domain, which we used for this purpose.

Hyperostosis frontalis interna is a morphological pattern characterized by single or multiple bony nodules situated on the inner lamina of the frontal bone. It is seldom found in males, but it is a common phenomenon among post-menopausal females in modern societies but relatively rare in antiquity. The etiopathogenesis of the trait is a matter of debate and ranges from genetic predisposition to epigenetic, while endocrine disturbances, aging, and dietary factors are also listed among the causes. We studied the frequency, characteristic features, and etiopathogenesis of the disease in recent cadaveric and dry skull specimens. The frequency of hyperostosis frontalis interna in cadavers and dry skull materials was almost identical, 12.5% and 12.3%, respectively. In cadavers, 87.5% of severe hyperostosis frontalis interna cases were found in females over 65 years-old. Interestingly, in two cadavers we found hyperostotic lesions spreading onto adjacent tissues such as the dura and falx cerebri. We provide some new aspects that may help in better understanding of the etiopathogenesis of hyperostosis frontalis interna. Thereby, we discuss the various etiopathogenesis models found in the literature.

The estimation of eyeball protrusion from the bony orbit has traditionally relied upon Wolff's theory (1976) that the cornea will be tangental to a line taken from the superior to the inferior orbital margin. This study tested this theory by taking measurements from MRI cranial images of 78 eyes of white adult subjects. Orbital depth had a significant negative linear correlation with eyeball protrusion, and protrusion of the eyeball was determined by the following standard: eyeball protrusion ϭ 18.3 Ϫ (0.4 x orbit depth). Current eyeball position determination was shown to be as much as 3.9 mm too deep in the socket, and a practical application of this result to facial reconstruction is discussed.

Forensic investigations frequently utilize facial reconstructions/approximations to stimulate recognition and identification. Over the past 25 years, many computerbased systems have been developed, and with the recent rapid advances in medical imaging and computer technology, the current systems claim high levels of efficiency, objectivity, and flexibility. The history of computerized facial approximation/reconstruction is presented, along with a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of the technologies. Evaluation of the accuracy and reproducibility of these new systems is critical for the future of computerized facial reconstruction/approximation to become accepted by the wider forensic science field. In addition, constant re-evaluation and assessment will promote further improvement and increase reliability.

Skin ridges (dermatoglyphs or fingerprints) are a characteristic pattern of sulci on the skin of primates which appear on the entire hand palm and on the soles of the feet. Fingerprints are unique, irremovable and invariable which allows bio-identification of specific individuals. The aim of the study was to investigate the usefulness of the analysis of the average width of the skin ridges in archaeological research by analyzing the foot and hand prints found on 7 artifacts dating from the Middle Ages. An attempt was made to describe the preserved skin slate prints, as well as details of the construction of the prints. The fingers used in forming the pottery were recognized. Attempts were made to read the context of individual impressions. In the study, the following features were analyzed: legibility and suitability of the left imprint for the analysis, the possibility of determining the type of figures (whorls, loops, archs), the possibility of determining the minutiae, the densit...

Background: The purpose of this study was to define the variability in skull thickness from ___location to ___location and from individual to individual in a large number of human skulls. Method: Skull thickness was measured in multiple areas of the calvaria in 281 dry skulls from the Hamman-Todd osteological collection (Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland, Ohio). A total of 40 points were determined over the frontal, occipital, and parietal bones, with a higher number of points concentrated on the latter. Repeated measures analysis of variance models were used to assess the effects of covariates (individual variables) on skull thickness and ___location. Result: A statistically significant pattern of increased thickness toward the posterior parietal bones was seen in all subgroups. The mean thickness of the skull across all locations was 6.32 mm (SEM, 0.07 mm) and ranged from 5.3 mm (SEM, 0.09 mm) to 7.5 mm (SEM, 0.09 mm). Age was not found to be a significant predictor of mean skull thickness. Differences between male and female skulls were greater toward the rear of the parietal bones. Conclusion: The thickest area of the skull is the parasagittal posterior parietal area in male skulls and the posterior parietal area midway between the sagittal and superior temporal line in female skulls. An accurate map of the skull thickness representing the normative data of the studied population was developed. It is hoped that this topographic map will assist the surgeons in choosing the safest area of cranial bone graft harvest, thus increasing the safety of the procedure.

The San and Khoe people currently represent remnant groups of a much larger and widely distributed population of hunter gatherers and cattle herders, respectively, who had exclusive occupation of southern Africa before the arrival of Bantu-speaking groups in the past 1,200 years and sea-borne immigrants within the last 350 years. This project made use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA and autosomal DNA markers to examine the population structure of various San and Khoe groups and to reconstruct their ...

Main goal of this study was to determine the differences between the athletes who are actively engaged in team vs. individual sports, stratified by age groups and sex, in BMI (Body Mass Index) and other chosen biochemical health indicators. Second goal is directed on forecasting the criterium BMI, on the base of predictors (i.e. chosen morphological and biochemical health indicators, except body height and body mass), for the athletes from team and individual sports, separately for males and females and separately for different age groups. The data were collected during routine medical examinations performed by physicians from the Polyclinic for Occupational Health and Sport in Zagreb. The database comprised medical data obtained in 2011 and 2012 from 8482 athletes in the City of Zagreb. Collected data included height, body mass , BMI, blood pressure (diastolic and systolic), heart rate, hemoglobin, hematocrit, leukocytes, thrombocytes, and sedimentation rate. Inspecting the results...

The San and Khoe people currently represent remnant groups of a much larger and widely distributed population of hunter gatherers and cattle herders, respectively, who had exclusive occupation of southern Africa before the arrival of Bantu-speaking groups in the past 1,200 years and sea-borne immigrants within the last 350 years. This project made use of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), Y-chromosome DNA and autosomal DNA markers to examine the population structure of various San and Khoe groups and to reconstruct their ...

O presente estudo teve como finalidade analisar dados morfoscópicos para a estimativa da afinidade populacional em crânios humanos secos de brasileiros. Esta pesquisa observacional foi realizada no Centro de Estudos em Antropologia Forense da Faculdade de Odontologia da Universidade de Pernambuco (CEAF/FOP/UPE), no Laboratório de Antropologia e Osteologia Forense da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (LAOF/UFPE) e no Laboratório de Identificação Humana e Osteologia Forense (LIHOF) da UFPE. Considerando-se as três coleções osteológicas, um quantitativo de 328 crânios foi avaliado, com base no método de Hefner (2009), utilizando-se onze indicadores morfológicos: espinha nasal anterior (ANS), abertura nasal inferior (INA), largura interorbital (IOB), tubérculo malar (MT), largura da abertura nasal (NAW), contorno do osso nasal (NBC), proeminência nasal (NO), depressão pós-bregmática (PBD), sutura supranasal (SPS), sutura palatina transversa (TPS) e sutura zigomático-maxilar (ZS). Além ...

Background: New technologies make it possible for the first time to genotype hundreds of thousands of SNPs simultaneously. A wealth of genomic information in the form of publicly available databases is underutilized as a potential resource for uncovering functionally relevant markers underlying complex human traits. Given the huge amount of SNP data available from the annotation of human genetic variation, data mining is a reasonable approach to investigating the number of SNPs that are informative for ancestry information. Methods: The distribution and density of SNPs across the genome of African and European populations were extensively investigated by using the HapMap, Affymetrix, and Illumina SNP databases. We exploited these resources by mining the data available from each of these databases to prioritize potential candidate SNPs useful for admixture mapping in complex human diseases and traits. Over 4 million SNPs were compared between Africans and Europeans on the basis of a prespecified recommended allele frequency difference (delta) value of ≥ 0.3. Results: The method identified 15% of HapMap, 11% of Affymetrix, and 14% of Illumina SNP sets as candidate SNPs, termed ancestry informative markers (AIMs). These AIM panels with assigned rs numbers, allele frequencies in each ethnic group, delta value, and map positions are all posted on our website http://www.ssg.uab.edu/downloads/admixture_mapping/SNPAIMs.txt. All marker information in this data set is freely and publicly available without restriction. Conclusion: The selected SNP sets represent valuable resources for admixture mapping studies. The overlap between selected AIMs by this single measure of marker informativeness in the different platforms is discussed.

ABSTRACT
This work is built on the theoretical and practical methods of the identification of human remains
in determination of age and sex by using forensic morphological and anthropological
characteristics at MURAMBI memorial sites. This study was intended to get information on
human remains identification, conservation and the determination of the rate of decomposition
according to their gender and age.
The study was conducted on 75 skulls, where 47 were identified as male and 28 females. From
those sex classifications, the researcher classified again according to their ages: 22 of 47 male
were under 30 years and 25 remaining were above age and only 13 of 28 female were less than
30years while 15 remaining were above 30years. The research was conducted based on
observation and metric method. From the observation, those human remain were classified
according to their age and sex where characteristics were based on such as, eye socket, supraorbital ridges, mastoid process, frontal head, zygomatic arch and glabella for sex determination.
For age, regards on the closure of the sutures of the skull whether are closed or not yet. Also in
this study, measurement of long bones to calculate the statistical analysis of those long bones
were taken for the comparison, the parameters such us; standard deviation, means, variance and
confidence interval equal to 95% also were calculated. From my observation and metric method
it is seen that the rate of decomposition was at least on 78.9% where measurement of some
portion of long bones are missing even their rigidity are weak which caused by poor
conservation.
Keys word: Forensic, morphology, anthropology, skull sutures, eye socket, mastoid process,
zygomatic arch, glabella, human remain

Purpose. The structural integrity of foramen magnum is usually preserved in fire accidents and explosions due to its resistant nature and secluded anatomical position and this study attempts to determine its sexing potential. Methods. The sagittal and transverse diameters and area of foramen magnum of seventy-two skulls (41 male and 31 female) from south Indian population were measured. The analysis was done using Student&#39;s t-test, linear correlation, histogram, Q-Q plot, and Binary Logistic Regression (BLR) to obtain a model for sex determination. The predicted probabilities of BLR were analysed using Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Result. BLR analysis and ROC curve revealed that the predictability of the dimensions in sexing the crania was 69.6% for sagittal diameter, 66.4% for transverse diameter, and 70.3% for area of foramen. Conclusion. The sexual dimorphism of foramen magnum dimensions is established. However, due to considerable overlapping of male and fe...

Background: The organic cation transporter OCT1 (SLC22A1) mediates the uptake of vitamin B1, cationic drugs, and xenobiotics into hepatocytes. Nine percent of Caucasians lack or have very low OCT1 activity due to loss-of-function polymorphisms in OCT1 gene. Here we analyzed the global genetic variability in OCT1 to estimate the therapeutic relevance of OCT1 polymorphisms in populations beyond Caucasians and to identify evolutionary patterns of the common loss of OCT1 activity in humans. Methods: We applied massively parallel sequencing to screen for coding polymorphisms in 1,079 unrelated individuals from 53 populations worldwide. The obtained data was combined with the existing 1000 Genomes data comprising an additional 1,092 individuals from 14 populations. The identified OCT1 variants were characterized in vitro regarding their cellular localization and their ability to transport 10 known OCT1 substrates. Both the population genetics data and transport data were used in tandem to generate a world map of loss of OCT1 activity. Results: We identified 16 amino acid substitutions potentially causing loss of OCT1 function and analyzed them together with five amino acid substitutions that were not expected to affect OCT1 function. The variants constituted 16 major alleles and 14 sub-alleles. Six major alleles showed improper subcellular localization leading to substrate-wide loss in activity. Five major alleles showed correct subcellular localization, but substrate-specific loss of activity. Striking differences were observed in the frequency of loss of OCT1 activity worldwide. While most East Asian and Oceanian individuals had completely functional OCT1, 80 % of native South American Indians lacked functional OCT1 alleles. In East Asia and Oceania the average nucleotide diversity of the loss-of-function variants was much lower than that of the variants that do not affect OCT1 function (ratio of 0.03) and was significantly lower than the theoretically expected heterozygosity (Tajima's D = −1.64, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Comprehensive genetic analyses showed strong global variations in the frequency of loss of OCT1 activity with selection pressure for maintaining OCT1 activity in East Asia and Oceania. These results not only enable pharmacogenetically-based optimization of drug treatment worldwide, but may help elucidate the functional role of human OCT1.

Heterochrony is a concept referred to ontogenetic variation and is frequently used in comparative morphology. It involves single traits, the whole organism, size, shape and has implicit the timing in which an ontogenetic trajectory occurs. The study of heterochrony has produced terms, definitions and models in which sometimes the heterochronic variation overlaps with its morphological results and evolutionary processes. Herein, the revision of some of these terms and definitions is discussed with data of developmental variation in anurans.

The human immune system is under great pathogen-mediated selective pressure. A combination of divergent infectious disease pathogenesis across human populations, and the overrepresentation of "immune genes" in genomic regions with signatures of positive selection suggests that pathogens have significantly altered the human genome. However, important features of the human immune system can confound searches for and interpretations of signatures of pathogen-mediated evolution. Immune system redundancy, immune gene Pre-print version. Visit http://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/humbiol/ after publication to acquire the final version. pleiotropy, host ability to acquire immunity and alter the immune repertoire of their offspring through "priming", and host microbiome complicate evolutionary interpretations of hostpathogen interactions. The overall promiscuity and sensitivity of the immune system to local environments can also muddy assumptions about the origins of a selective pressure on a given set of genes. This review addresses how features of the immune system, the primary buffer between a pathogen and the human genome, affect evolutionary signal. Here, considerations that must be made when assessing how pathogens have contributed to human diversification are addressed.

The contribution of pre-mRNA processing mechanisms to the regulation of immune responses remains poorly studied despite emerging examples of their role as regulators of immune defenses. Here, we used mRNA sequencing to quantify gene expression and isoform abundances in primary macrophages from 60 individuals, before and after infection with two live bacteria. In response to both bacteria we identified thousands of genes that significantly change isoform usage in response to infection, and found global shifts towards (i) the inclusion of cassette exons and (ii) shorter 3&#39; UTRs. Using complementary data collected in non-human primates, we show that these features are evolutionarily conserved among primates. Finally, our results suggest that the pervasive usage of shorter 3&#39; UTRs is a mechanism for particular genes to evade repression by immune-activated miRNAs. Collectively, our results show that dynamic changes in RNA processing play a key role in the regulation of innate imm...