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Hyperostosis frontalis interna (HFI) is an osseous overgrowth characterized by symmetrical, irregular bone apposition on the internal table of the frontal bone, which preferentially occurs in females. In 1719, Morgagni described the condition as one sign of a triad comprising HFI, hirsutism, and obesity (Morgagni's syndrome). The etiopathogenesis of HFI is largely unresolved, but the condition is frequently associated with metabolic, endocrine, and neuropsychiatric disorders. In archaeological cases, which rely solely on dry bone diagnosis, the cause of HFI generally remains unknown, as is also the case regarding accompanying signs and symptoms. Here, we report a case of pronounced HFI in the skeleton of an old‐adult woman from medieval Hildesheim dating to the 8th to 11th century CE. In addition to HFI, the cranium exhibits resorptive lesions of the sella turcica with dehiscence of the roof of the sphenoid sinus. The co‐occurrence of these lesions suggests an underlying common cause for them. On the basis of differential diagnosis, we consider a functioning pituitary neuroendocrine tumor (PitNET) as the most likely common cause for the two conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Burial customs in the Iberian Period (Iron Age II) included cremation. Only perinatal and newborn infants were buried directly beneath floor settlement. These infants represent the very few unburned human remains recovered from Iberian sites. The interpretation of these infant burials is in debate, focusing on whether they are unnatural or natural deaths. Our aim is to infer mortality patterns and developmental conditions of these individuals, in order to respond if infanticide was present in these assemblages. A large perinatal human skeletal sample from the Ca n’Oliver site (sixth century to 50 years BCE) from the Iberian Period of the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula was analysed, combining osteological methods together with tooth histology and aDNA analysis. Combining osteological and odontological estimates indicated ages between 22 and 42 weeks of gestation for 47 out of a total of 48 individuals. The remaining individual died at about 6 months after birth. Tooth height and enamel histology indicated in 9 out of a subgroup of 13 individuals a low probability of live birth. The remaining 4 individuals possibly survived birth for less than 2 months. According to morphological and molecular results, the sex ratio of this sample is approximately 1:1 male to female. The mortality distribution is consistent with natural mortality. These perinatal deaths were probably spontaneous abortions and neonatal deaths, reflecting an endogenous mortality profile due to genetic and maternal influences. The present study will serve to broaden our knowledge on perinatal individuals of the Iberian Period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Stable isotope analysis has often been used in neonatal remains from archeological contexts to investigate the presence of a signal of breastfeeding and weaning in past populations. Tooth histology on the other hand might be used as an indicator of birth survival. This pilot study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using stable nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C) isotope values from neonatal bone collagen to elucidate if values deviating from the adult female average could indicate breastfeeding and co‐occur with the presence of a neonatal line (NNL). The combination of these independent indicators might be useful in clarifying the fate of individuals who died around birth. Materials and Methods: Bone collagen from 21 archeological human and animal specimens was extracted and analyzed via mass‐spectrometry for δ15N and δ13C. A verification of the stable isotope results was undertaken using tooth histology on three individuals who were investigated for the presence of a NNL as an indicator of live birth and short survival. Results: The biological age of the human samples varied between 8.5 lunar months (Lm) and 2 postnatal months (Pm) of age. All except one individual exhibited elevated δ15N values compared to the female average. The histological analyses revealed no NNL for this and two further individuals (n = 3). Discussion: The results indicate that elevated nitrogen values of very young infants relative to a female average in archeological contexts are not necessarily associated with a breastfeeding onset signal, and therefore cannot be used exclusively as a proxy of birth survival. The elevation might be possible due to various reasons; one could be nutritional, in particular maternal stress during pregnancy or a metabolic disorder of mother and/or her child. In those cases, the evaluation of a NNL might reveal a false breastfeeding signal as seen for two individuals in our sample who have elevated nitrogen values despite the fact no NNL could be observed. Overall, our data support the growing awareness that bone collagen δ15N values of neonates/infants should not be used as a proxy for breastfeeding or birth survival on its own. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Archiv für Kriminologie is the property of Schmidt-Roemhild Verlag and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The selenodont molars of ruminants erupt with an occlusal morphology that is not yet fully functional and has to be converted to a functional relief by wear. Key variables in functional tooth geometry are the enamel thickness in different locations and the degree of hypsodonty that have evolved in relation to feeding type and the abrasive properties of the diet. To assess morphogenetic variables related to variation of enamel thickness and the degree of hypsodonty in Soay sheep (Ovis ammon f. aries) 27 mandibular and 3 maxillary molars from 11 individuals of known age at death were investigated macroscopically, and by light and scanning electron microscopy. Vital labeling with fluorochromes given at known dates provided a time frame for reconstruction of tooth crown development. An enamel free area is present in unworn cusps on the buccal side of the infundibulum in mandibular and on the palatal side in maxillary molars. Deeper in the infundibulum, enamel is present but its thickness remains much lower buccally/palatally than on the opposite infundibular flank. Enamel thickness at a given crown position is determined by two factors, the mean daily secretion rate and the duration of the secretory lifespan of the respective ameloblasts. The degree of hypsodonty is influenced by variation in enamel extension rate (EER) and crown formation time. In Soay sheep, the cuspal tooth portions exhibit a high EER that also causes a marked advance of the enamel forming front compared to the contemporaneously formed dentine in the cuspal crown portion. Further cervically, the EER markedly decreases, reaching lowest values near the apical enamel border. Both, the differences in enamel thickness and the variation in crown elongation are interpreted as an adaptation to quickly reach a functional occlusal relief post-eruptively, and to maintain it over the remaining life span. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teeth of domestic sheep are frequently represented in the archaeological record. A detailed knowledge of the chronology of tooth development in the species is vital for age-at-death determination and life-history reconstruction. To obtain data on the timing of crown formation in molar teeth of sheep, we conducted a vital labelling study in Soay sheep (n=9) with injections of tetracycline and calcein that were given at regular-intervals (total of between 5 and 20 injections per individual). Axiobuccolingual ground sections of mandibular molars were then examined with a fluorescence microscope, and enamel and dentine extension and apposition rates were determined. Injection of tetracycline caused a reduction in enamel and dentine apposition rates when compared with calcein injection. In addition, tetracycline application caused the formation of a structurally altered incremental line in the enamel. Determining the distances between successive fluorochrome labels at the enameldentine junction revealed a marked reduction in enamel and dentine extension rates in cervical direction, indicative of a decreasing number of cells starting secretory activity. Enamel apposition rate, denoting secretory activity of the ameloblasts, markedly increased from the inner to the outer enamel. In primary dentine, the variation in apposition rate between early and later formed dentine was less pronounced. In the enamel, incremental markings with a daily periodicity were recorded. These markings exhibited characteristics resembling those previously reported for long period incremental markings (i.e. striae of Retzius) in primate enamel. In addition, also incremental markings with a shorter (infradian) periodicity were recorded in the sheep enamel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using light and scanning electron microscopy (both secondary electron and backscattered electron imaging), we studied incremental markings in fluorotic enamel of mandibular third molars of (a) Hanford miniature pigs fed a daily oral dose of 2 mg sodium fluoride per kilogram body weight over one year and (b) free-living wild boars from a fluoride-polluted area of Central Europe killed during normal hunting operations. The fluorotic enamel was particularly suited for recording incremental markings, since their visibility was higher than in normal enamel. Incremental markings with different periodicities could be distinguished. The spacing of the long-period incremental markings increased from about 8 µm near the enamel-dentin junction to about 25 µm in outer enamel. In axiobuccolingually orientated ground sections through the cusp tips of the central lobe, around 230 of these lines, denoting the respective position of the surface of the forming enamel, were observed in appositional and imbricational enamel. Between successive long-period markings, five to six short period markings (prism cross striations) were recorded. In the light microscope, the latter appeared as alternating light and dark striations orientated perpendicular to long axis of the prisms. In the scanning electron microscope, alternating constrictions and varicosities were observed along the prism long axis. In addition to the cross striations, we observed further markings in the form of very fine striations in both enamel prisms and interprismatic enamel. The repeat interval of the different incremental markings observable in porcine enamel remains to be established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relatively few dental abnormalities in wild animals have thus far been reported in the paleopathological literature. We present a case of cementoblastoma, a benign odontogenic tumor of ectomesenchymal origin in a red deer (Cervus elaphus) from the Late Pleistocene of Rochedane, a prehistoric site in the French Jura. The tumor was attached to the root of a heavily worn loose left maxillary third molar. CT imaging revealed several radiolucent (former soft tissue) spaces of varying shape and size within the mineralized tumorous mass. Light microscopic analysis and backscattered electron imaging in the SEM showed that the process of dental wear had reached the tumor and that the tooth and the attached tumor had undergone considerable microbial diagenesis. This is the first case of cementoblastoma described in a prehistoric animal and also the first report of this type of odontogenic tumor in a prehistoric or modern deer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We used fluorochrome labeling to study spatiotemporal variation of dentin apposition (DAR) and extension (DER) rates during crown and root formation of mandibular first molars from wild boar and domestic pigs. DAR was reconstructed along the course of dentinal tubules in four zones of the crown and in the upper root area. In all five zones, mean DAR increased during the first 30% to 40% of apposition, reaching highest values (22-23 μm/day) in the upper-lateral crown zone. Lowest values were recorded near the dentin-pulp interface (DPI). Typically, DARs in contemporaneously formed dentin areas were higher in more cuspally compared to more cervically/apically located zones. DER was high (>200 μm/day) in early postnatal crown dentin and then decreased markedly in cervical direction, with lowest values in the cervical crown zone. After this nadir, DER sharply increased in the upper 30% to 40% of the root extension, reaching values equaling (wild boar) or even surpassing (domestic pigs) those recorded in the upper lateral crown. After this peak, DER again decreased. While DAR did not differ markedly between wild boar and domestic pigs, the DER showed marked differences, both regarding maximum values (208.1 μm/day in wild boar, 272.2 μm/day in domestic pigs) and the timing of the root growth spurt, which occurred earlier in the domestic pigs. We consider the more rapid recruitment of secretory odontoblasts in domestic pigs (reflected by higher DER) a side effect of selection for rapid body growth during pig domestication., (© 2023 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.)

We studied the spatio-temporal variation of mineral apposition rate (MAR) in postnatally formed coronal dentine of mandibular first molars from Soay sheep repeatedly injected with different fluorochromes. MAR declined along the cuspal to cervical crown axis, and from early to late formed dentine, that is, from the dentine at the enamel-dentine-junction (EDJ) to the dentine adjacent to the dentine-pulp-interface (DPI). Highest mean MARs (about 21 µm/day) were recorded in cuspal dentine formed in the period of 28-42 days after birth. Lowest values (<2 µm/day) were recorded in late-formed (secondary) dentine close to the DPI. The high MARs recorded in the dentine of the cuspal crown portions enable the formation of a large tooth crown within a relatively short period of less than one year. The established MARs in the dentine of the different crown portions of sheep molars will allow a precise determination of the timing of stress events affecting dentine formation. They are also helpful for devising sampling protocols in studies of trace element or stable isotope distributions in sheep dentine aimed at assessing temporal variation of incorporation into forming dentine. Such data are useful in a variety of contexts, including, for example, the exposure to pollutants and the reconstruction of husbandry practices or feeding regimes. Anat Rec, 301:902-912, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., (© 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

When one thinks of the so-called barrel or wide-angle distortion, grotesquely warped faces may come to mind. For less extreme cases with primarily inconspicuous facial proportions, the question, however, still arises whether there may be a resulting impact on the identification of faces. In the first experiment, 3 test persons were photographed at a fixed camera-to-object distance of 2 m. In the second experiment, 18 test persons were each photographed at a distance of 0.5 m and 2.0 m. For both experiments photographs were taken from a fixed angle of view in alignment with the Frankfurt Plane. An isolated effect of the focal length on facial proportions could not be demonstrated. On the other hand, changes in the camera-to-object distance clearly influenced facial proportions and shape. A standardized camera-to-object distance for passport photos, as well as reconstruction of the camera-to-object distance from crime scene photos and the use of this same distance in taking photographs for comparison of suspects are called for. A proposal to refer to wide-angle distortion as the nearness effect is put forward.

In a workshop held on the occasion of the foundation of the INFW, the Interdisciplinary Network of Forensic Sciences (www.infw.org), 14 scientists from 10 fields of expertise were allotted to 3 teams. Each team had to independently solve the same fictitious forensic case. In this, several corpses or skeletons in varying degrees of decomposition were found in the remains of an old bunker during a large building project. After a set time limit of 45 minutes, the approaches to the task were noted on individual flipcharts by each team. A comparison of the solutions suggested by the three very heterogeneously composed teams revealed a high degree of similarity. However, particularly the "exotic" disciplines developed surprising approaches. The experiment was an interesting and instructive experience for all participants and underscores the necessity of interdisciplinary cooperation in solving complex forensic questions.