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According to medical knowledge, physical activity plays a role in osteoarthritic changes formation. The impact of occupation on osteoarthritic changes development in past human populations is not clear enough, causing problems with interpretation. The aim of the current study is to examine the relationship between osteoarthritis and entheseal changes. Skeletal material comes from the late medieval, early modern population from Łekno (Poland). The sample consists of 110 males and 56 females (adults only). Osteophytes, porosity and eburnation were analyzed in the shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle. Entheses on the humerus, radius, femur, and tibia were examined. Standard ranked categorical scoring systems were used for the osteoarthritic and entheseal changes examination.

Schmorl’s nodes are vertical herniation of intervertebral discs into the body of neighbouring vertebral endplate. Notwithstanding extensive studies, no consensus has been reached in the subject of their possible etiology. It is hypothesized that physical stress, trauma and high axial loading are the key factors in the occurrence of this pathology. The main objective of the current work is to reevaluate the relationship between stature and body mass and Schmorl’s nodes. For this purpose, skeletal samples from Lithuania (44 males and 19 females) and Poland (97 males and 60 females) were used. The study confirmed that Schmorl’s nodes are age-independent, and more frequent in males (12.63% on the superior and 19.32% on the inferior surface of vertebrae) than in females (6.23% and 12.29% respectively). Obtained results also suggest that high stature (e.g. Spearmann correlation for superior: R=0.20 p=0.017, and inferior: R=0.31 p=0.000 surface of vertebrae) and body mass (R=0.25, p=0.002 and R=0.32, p

The aim of the study is to evaluate the frequency of spina bifida oculta (SBO) in the early modern population from Dąbrówki (Poland); 26 males, 19 females, 3 adults with unspecified sex, 2 subadult were taken into the analysis. SBO was found in 9 individuals (18%), of whom only one exhibited a complete cleft in the sacrum (2%). In males, SBO was reported in 7 out of 26 skeletons studied (27%). Complete cleft was observed in one individual (4%), partial cleft in 6 individuals (23%). In females, no case of complete cleft was detected (0%), and one case of partial cleft was found (5%). These differences between males and females in the frequency of this skeletal condition were statistically significant. Due to the lack of uniform methods for SBO analyses, the inability to make interpopulation comparisons, the relatively high prevalence of the SBO phenomenon in ancient and modern populations, and the unclear etiology of the disease, research on SBO should be continued. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental caries testing provides information about diet, hygiene and eating habits. This information can be useful in reconstructing the living conditions of historical populations. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of dental caries in adults and children in the Early Middle Ages population from Starorypin (Poland) and compare the results with other early medieval populations from Poland. A total of 346 adult permanent teeth and 131 deciduous teeth were included in the study. Both the macroscopic method and imaging methods (X-ray and a light-induced fluorescence technique) were applied in the study. Dental caries were recorded in 33% (115/346) of the permanent teeth and in 10% (13/131) of the deciduous teeth. In permanent teeth, dental caries were diagnosed on the approximal surface, while dental caries in deciduous teeth are most often diagnosed on the occlusal surface. Early childhood caries (ECC) were mainly diagnosed on the teeth of individuals within the 3.0–5.5 years age group. The frequency of dental caries seemed to be high compared to other early medieval populations. The obtained results may have been influenced by ‘broadband’ odontological research methods, not limited to the macroscopic method alone. However, it can be also argued that the frequency of dental caries observed in this study might have been influenced by a highly varied diet, as indicated by archaeozoological and archaeobotanical studies. The surfaces affected by dental caries correspond to findings of other studies showing that in adults, these were the approximal surfaces, while they were the labial/occlusion surfaces on the deciduous teeth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to present the pathological lesions observed in a skeleton (male, about 35-38 years old) from Radom (Poland), dated to the 18th–19th century. Bone changes were observed in both femurs and both pelvic bones. The head of the femur is enlarged and deformed, described as “mushroomshaped”, with areas of smooth cortex and cavities, or possible cystic residues. The neck of femur is short and thick. The bone shaft and distal epiphysis do not show any changes. The changes were also observed in both acetabularies of the hip joint (marginal bone formation, subchondral bone remodelling). Radiographic images show bilateral necrosis of the femoral head. There is a significant sclerotization of the femoral head, with a discrete visible crescent sign. These macroscopic and radiological changes match the symptoms associated with Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease. This is the first case of the disease described in bioarchaeological materials from Poland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Femoral head-neck defects are commonly reported in the anatomical and anthropological literature. The best-known types are Poirier's facet and Allen's fossa; however, their aetiology and definition are still debated. The aim of this study was to analyse the frequency of Poirier's facet in the skeletal population from Radom (Poland, 14 th -19 th century). Additionally, a comparison of Poirier's facet prevalence in two chronological periods (the populations from Radom during the 14 th -17 th century and the 18 th -19 th century) was done. The femora of 367 adult individuals (184 males, 140 females, 43 unknown sex) from the osteological collections from Radom (14 th -19 th century) (Poland) were analysed according to the frequency of Poirier's facet. In the Late Medieval population from Radom (14 th -17 th century), Poirier's facet was noted in 33% of individuals, while in Radom individuals from 18th-19th century, Poirier's facet was observed in 34%. In the analysed skeletal group, Poirier's facet was usually observed on both femoral bones. Males from 18th-19th century had more occasions of Poirier's facet observed compared to the 14 th -17 th century males, while in females, Poirier's facet was slightly more frequently observed in 14th-17th century Radom individuals. There were not statistically significant differences in the Poirier's facet frequencies between males and females in Radom from the 14 th -17 th century (38% in males, 29% in females). In the Medieval and Modern skeletal series from Radom (18 th -19 th ), males had significantly higher frequencies (44%) of this skeletal trait compared to females (18%). It could be hypothesised that 18 th -19 th century Radom males engaged in more demanding physical activity than females. Poor knowledge about Poirier's facet aetiology, insufficient archaeological and historical knowledge about the Radom individuals' lifestyle, and a small sample size from the 14 th -17 th Radom sample do not allow for drawing such unambiguous conclusions, and further analyses are needed.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widespread skeletal condition in the historical population, but it still raises many methodological and interpretative problems. The present study aimed to examine the osteoarthritic changes (osteophytes, porosity, eburnation) in the skeletal material from Radom (14 th -19 th century) (Poland), enriching knowledge about osteoarthritis and its prevalence in the past. Additionally, a comparison of OA changes prevalence in two chronological periods (the population from Radom during the 14 th -17 th century versus the 18 th -19 th century) was done. In the Late Medieval (14 th -17 th century) population from Radom, osteoarthritic changes were observed in 22% of individuals (males, 18%; females, 29%) and in the Modern Period Radom (18 th -19 th century) in 25% individuals (males, 25.7%; females, 26.5%). In both skeletal samples, the greatest number of OA changes was recorded in the hip and elbow. Knee and ankle were the least affected joints. Osteophytes were the most frequently observed type of lesions, while eburnation was the least frequent. Although the higher prevalence of osteoarthritis in the Modern Period in Radom is noted, the differences are not statistically significant. Taking the multifactorial etiology of osteoarthritic changes, and the fact that osteoarthritis, as a single indicator of health, could not tell much about the overall lifestyle of past human populations, one must be caution when drawing unambiguous conclusions according to the simple, linear effect of environmental changes on osteoarthritic changes formation.

Osteoarthritis is a problematic trait in terms of etiology and interpretation in past human populations. The relationships between osteoarthritic changes (osteophytes, porosity, and eburnation) and entheseal changes, body mass, stature, bone massiveness, sex, and age on the basis of skeletal material from Łekno (Poland) are analyzed here. Entheses were the strongest contributor to the prediction of osteophyte expression and when all types of changes and all joints were taken together. Stature demonstrates a negative dependence on porosity. When each joint was analyzed separately, entheses were the strongest contributor to the prediction of arthritis expression in the wrist and hip. Age was the strongest contributor to the prediction of arthritis expression in the elbow. Body mass, stature, bone massiveness, and sex had no effect on osteoarthritic changes in any of the examined joints. The results of the present study suggest an important dependence between entheses and osteoarthritic changes. Other factors had little to no effect on differences in OA severity. These results do not dispel all doubts but enrich knowledge about the effect of etiological factors on osteoarthritic change formation. This knowledge is essential for proper, reliable interpretation of osteoarthritic changes in the context of past human biology, ecology, and behavior., (© 2019 American Association for Anatomy.)

The objective of this paper is to assess the relationship between the degree of development of muscle attachment sites (musculoskeletal stress markers - MSM1) and the length and circumference measurements of long bones and the body build expressed with the reconstructed values of body height (BH) and body mass (BM). The bone material (102 male and 99 female skeletons) used in the study was collected in the medieval burial ground in Cedynia, Poland. The authors analyzed 10 musculoskeletal stress markers located on the scapula (2), humerus (2), radius (2), femur (2) and tibia (2). The frequency and the degree of expression of muscle attachment size was carried out using the scale prepared by Myszka (2007). The scale encompassed three degrees of expression of muscle attachment size. Only changes of robusticity type (nonpathological changes) were taken into account. The assessment of body build of individuals was carried out according to the method proposed by Vancata & Charvátová (2001). Body height was reconstructed from the length of the humerus and femur using eight equations. Body mass was reconstructed from the measurements of the breadth of the proximal and distal sections of the femur and tibia (mechanical method) using twenty one equations. The equations were developed for different reference populations. The same equations were used for men and women. The correlation between the MSM and the length and circumference measurements of the bones was analyzed using the principal components analysis and the Gamma correlation coefficient. The strength of the correlation between the reconstructed body build traits (BH, BM) and the moderate degree of musculoskeletal stress markers expression was studied based on the principal components method and the Pearson correlation coefficient. A linear correlation was found between musculoskeletal stress markers and the circumference measurements and the reconstructed body mass, but no relationship with body height and the length measurements of long bones was revealed. From previous research it is evident that the relationship between the MSM and metric skeletal traits does not occur in every population. Divergent findings necessitate further corroboration of results on diverse skeletal material.