Papers by Constantine Eliopoulos
Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology
Correctly assessing sex from skeletal remains is one of the main elements of creating a biologica... more Correctly assessing sex from skeletal remains is one of the main elements of creating a biological profile. Many traits allow for this, the obturator foramen being one. However, research on its accuracy has provided mixed results. This study examines the obturator foramen using a 5-point grading scale to assess the degree of sexual dimorphism in four known age and sex skeletal collections from the UK and South Africa. Overall, sexual dimorphism was found in the obturator foramen when using the new scoring system; however, accuracies for correct sex classification ranged from ~ 46 to ~ 75%. Considering its wide range in accuracy rates across the four samples and difficulty in identifying the subtle changes in morphology, the obturator foramen should only be used as part of a multifactorial assessment of sex.
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The Anatomical Record, 2019
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Forensic Science International, 2011
As the body decays shortly after death, a variety of gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) ... more As the body decays shortly after death, a variety of gases and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) constantly emanate. Ethical and practical reasons limit the use of human corpses in controlled, time-dependent, intervening experiments for monitoring the chemistry of body decay. Therefore the utilization of pig carcasses serves as a potential surrogate to human models. The aim of this work was to study buried body decay in conditions of entrapment in collapsed buildings. Six domestic pigs were used to study carcass decay. They were enclosed in plastic body bags after being partially buried with rubbles, resembling entrapment in collapsed buildings. Three experimental cycles were performed, employing two pig carcasses in each cycle; VOCs and inorganic gases were measured daily, along with daily visible and thermal images. VOCs were collected in standard sorbent tubes and subsequently analyzed using a Thermal Desorption/Gas Chromatograph/high sensitivity bench-top Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometer (TD/GC/TOF-MS). A comprehensive, stage by stage, detailed information on the decay process is being presented based on the experimental macroscopic observations, justifying thus the use of pig carcasses as surrogate material. A variety of VOCs were identified including almost all chemical classes: sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen compounds (aldehydes, alcohols, ketones, acids and esters), hydrocarbons, fluorides and chlorides. Carcasses obtained from a pig farm resulted in more sulfur and nitrogen cadaveric volatiles. Carbon dioxide was by far the most abundant inorganic gas identified along with carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide. Visual monitoring was based on video captured images allowing for macroscopic observations, while thermal camera monitoring which is mostly temperature dependent, resulted in highlighting the local micro-changes on the carcasses, as a result of the intense microbial activity. The combination of chemical and optical methods proved very useful and informative, uncovering hidden aspects of the early stages of decay and also guiding in the development of combined chemical and imaging methods for the detection of dead bodies.
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Romanian Journal of Legal Medicine
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Bollettino della Società italiana di biologia sperimentale, 2017
Sex determination is a vital part of the analysis of skeletal remains and the creation of biologi... more Sex determination is a vital part of the analysis of skeletal remains and the creation of biological profiles that aid in identification. The pelvis and skull are the regions usually employed by anthropologists and produce very good results. However, the mandible, being a very durable bone and frequently preserved has not received the attention that other skeletal elements have. There are some morphological methods for sexing the mandible, however metrics are considered to be more objective and easier to replicate. This study uses the measurements of the bimental breadth and the corpus thickness of the mandible. Univariate and multivariate analysis was carried out to create discriminant function equations. These equations can be used to sex a mandible with overall accuracy rates as high as 77.3%. The results of the present research are similar to those of other studies and indicate that mandibular metrics can be relied upon for sex determination, especially in cases where other elem...
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2007
ABSTRACT Differentiation of the genetic and the acquired anaemias, particularly in areas of the w... more ABSTRACT Differentiation of the genetic and the acquired anaemias, particularly in areas of the world where they may co-exist, has been a challenge for palaeopathologists for over 100 years. In this paper we present macroscopic and radiographic skeletal lesions that are associated with the thalassemias in a 14-year-old girl from a modern reference collection of the University of Athens. This individual is of known sex, age, cause of death, place and dates of birth and death. The case is examined in terms of epidemiology, growth, distribution and severity of lesions and differential diagnosis. The entire skeleton is affected by marrow hyperplasia: lesions of the axial skeleton are extreme, and the appendicular skeleton is severely affected as well. The odontofacial manifestations that are diagnostic of thalassemia and differentiate it from other anaemias are present and include: maxillary and mandibular hyperplasia, reduced sinuses, displacement of maxillary dental structures, overbite, and generalised osteopenia. The development of extreme bone lesions and the ‘advanced’ age-at-death of this individual is explained as either the result of thalassemia major under a low transfusion regimen that was the norm during her lifetime, or to a form of thalassemia intermedia that allows survival to later life at the expense of gross skeletal alterations. The present status of skeletal studies in Greece does not support the identification of a genetic anaemia in past populations. The potential contribution of the current analysis in differentiating the anaemias in antiquity is evaluated. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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HOMO - Journal of Comparative Human Biology, 2007
The University of Athens Human Skeletal Reference Collection has been created recently and consis... more The University of Athens Human Skeletal Reference Collection has been created recently and consists of 225 skeletons. The Athens Collection is housed at the Department of Animal and Human Physiology, at the University of Athens, Greece. Documentation that includes age, sex, occupation, and cause of death exists for almost all of the remains in the collection. The remains belong to individuals who lived mainly in the second half of the twentieth century and come from cemeteries in the area of Athens. The demographic composition of the collection, and a description of the documentary and supporting data are presented. This recently established modern collection is of high value for palaeopathologists, skeletal biologists and forensic anthropologists. The importance of such collections for teaching and research is discussed.
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The American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 2011
Forensic pathologists frequently consult anthropologists for the identification of skeletonized h... more Forensic pathologists frequently consult anthropologists for the identification of skeletonized human remains. These remains may be the result of criminal activity or remains that were unearthed because of erosion, or during construction projects. In some cases, human remains that had been previously buried in a cemetery may be the subject of a forensic investigation. Early recognition of cemetery remains prevents unnecessary efforts and conserves precious resources. One of the key characteristics of cemetery remains is the presence of embalmed tissue. However, there are countries where embalming is not a common practice, and other clues must be sought for identifying previously buried remains. Current funerary customs in Greece and, in particular, the tradition of exhumations result in a large number of misplaced human remains. The present study presents examples of cemetery remains from Greece and offers guidelines for recognizing changes on skeletal remains that may be indicative...
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Global Journal of Anthropology Research, Dec 31, 2015
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This paper presents a case of a late discovery of a motorcycle accident victim. The fact that the... more This paper presents a case of a late discovery of a motorcycle accident victim. The fact that the remains were almost skeletonized required the input of several disciplines in order to identify the victim. Therefore, anthropology, odontology, facial reconstruction, and genetics were employed. It was found that the victim was male, between the ages of 35 to 55 with a number of healed fractures. In addition, perimortem trauma with a pattern that was consistent with a motorcycle accident was found in the head and upper body regions. Dental findings included a tooth out of alignment with the rest of the dental arcade, as well as a heavily decayed tooth that was replaced by a dental bridge. Both of these findings were supported by ante mortem photographs of the victim. A two-dimensional facial reconstruction was carried out and produced a very good likeness of the deceased. The above findings were confirmed by DNA analysis that matched a bone sample to those of the family of the deceased...
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After attending this presentation, attendees will have a greater understanding of the sexual dimo... more After attending this presentation, attendees will have a greater understanding of the sexual dimorphic variability of the preauricular sulcus in human adult os coxae. This presentation will impact the forensic science community providing a grading system for the preauricular sulcus as a sexually dimorphic trait and a musculoskeletal stress marker. Forensic anthropologists, anatomists and clinicians have long suggested that pregnancy and parturition may leave a ‘scar’ on the skeleton, especially the os coxae. However there has been much debate and no clear method for examination has been established. The preauricular sulcus or groove is found on the os coxae between the auricular surface and the greater sciatic notch. The preauricular sulcus is the site of the attachment for the anterior sacroiliac ligament. During pregnancy this ligament is loosened in order to widen the birth canal in preparation for parturition, it is these changes that cause remodelling of the bone that can observed. The aim of the research was to examine the effects of sexual dimorphism, pregnancy and parturition on the preauricular sulcus. Two English medieval skeletal collections were examined in this research, the Poulton collection (n-59) and the St Owens Church Gloucester collection (n-108) both housed at Liverpool John Moores University. The skeletal material has been aged and sexed using multiple established methods and compared through inter-observer error with the estimations produced by other forensic anthropologists. A grading system was designed to examine the different types of sulcus, which was evaluated to range from Grade 0 to 4: • Grade 0- This is where there is no preauricular sulcus present. • Grade 1- A preauricular sulcus that is shallow and the floor of the sulcus is all one consistent depth, there are no pits or grooves and the edges are often undefined. This grade of preauricular sulcus is often scarcely visible which can make the measurements difficult, as there are usually no definite edges. • Grade 2- A preauricular sulcus whose floor has a slightly uneven depth and is not completely smooth. There should only be a small change in depth, however, and preauricular sulcus with more than one pit of different depths would be classified as a Grade 3 instead. • Grade 3- This Grade, although similar to Grade 2, differs as the floor of the sulcus has multiple varying depths and will have more than one pit. Grade 3s typically have a more defined edge than Grades 1 and 2 • Grade 4- A preauricular sulcus whose floor has a very inconsistent depth; they will have multiple deep pits or channels through the sulcus. The surface of the sulcus will appear rough and these sulcus are very easy to observe on the bone. Unlike Grade 1 preauricular sulcus, it would be difficult to overlook them. Grade 4 typically look like a deep channel in the bone. Each Os Coxae were individually graded, the age and sex of the individual was also recorded as well as the maximum length and width of the sulcus. The data from the two collections were combined together. The results showed a significant difference in the occurrence rates of preauricular sulcus in males and females. A preauricular sulcus was present in 91.3% of females and not present in only 8.8%, while for males preauricular sulcus was only present in 39.5% of cases and are not present in the majority, 60.5%. The research also suggests that pregnancy and parturition does leave a mark on the sulcus. No Grade 3 or 4 sulcus, which were suggested to be indicators of pregnancy and parturition, were found in males. They were only found in females that could have been parous, 47.5% of females had Grade 3s and 8.8% Grade 4s. To verify this method, the proposed scoring system will be tested on further collections. According to the trend of modern forensic sciences, which are looking for valid and reliable methods, the authors propose a new scoring system to evaluate the morphology of the preauricular sulcus in relation to sex and parity status.
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Global Journal of Anthropology Research
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A considerable number of homicides in the UK are committed by stabbing. While tool mark analysis ... more A considerable number of homicides in the UK are committed by stabbing. While tool mark analysis is fairly accurate in identifying class characteristics of the knife that caused a certain cut mark, the literature lacks studies about individual characteristics transferred from the knife blade to the cut mark. The aim of this study was to determine whether damage on a knife blade was capable of transferring individual characteristics that are unique enough to identify a specific suspect weapon. The blades of six knives were damaged in different ways and used to stab pig ribs (Susscrofadomesticus). The results of this study proved that entrance and exit shape, kerf floor and grooves on the kerf walls closely corresponded to the damage on the knife blade. While it might not yet be possible to identify a specific knife from a cut mark, this study positively recognized on which side of the blade the damage occurred, by assessing the characteristics of the cut marks. These findings can pro...
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 2007
Differentiation of the genetic and the acquired anaemias, particularly in areas of the world wher... more Differentiation of the genetic and the acquired anaemias, particularly in areas of the world where they may co-exist, has been a challenge for palaeopathologists for over 100 years. In this paper we present macroscopic and radiographic skeletal lesions that are associated with the thalassemias in a 14-year-old girl from a modern reference collection of the University of Athens. This individual is of known sex, age, cause of death, place and dates of birth and death. The case is examined in terms of epidemiology, growth, distribution and severity of lesions and differential diagnosis. The entire skeleton is affected by marrow hyperplasia: lesions of the axial skeleton are extreme, and the appendicular skeleton is severely affected as well. The odontofacial manifestations that are diagnostic of thalassemia and differentiate it from other anaemias are present and include: maxillary and mandibular hyperplasia, reduced sinuses, displacement of maxillary dental structures, overbite, and g...
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Forensic Science International, Aug 8, 2020
The major upper limb skeletal elements (scapulae, humeri, ulnae and radii) are frequently utilize... more The major upper limb skeletal elements (scapulae, humeri, ulnae and radii) are frequently utilized for sex determination and stature estimation. Consequently, in forensic cases that involve commingled remains, it is crucial to reassociate the aforementioned bones and attribute them to the right individual. The aim of the present study is to develop simple and multiple regression equations for sorting commingled human skeletal elements of the upper limb. In that context, ten common anthropological linear measurements of the articular surfaces of scapulae, humeri, ulnae, and radii were performed on 222 adult skeletons from the Athens Collection. The functions developed for sorting adjoining bones presented a strong positive linear relationship (r = 0.69-0.93, p < 0.05). The values of the determination coefficient statistics (r 2 = 0.47-0.86) were found to be high and those of the standard errors of the estimate were found to be low (SEE = 0.88-1.61). Blind tests indicated that when...
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International Journal of Osteoarchaeology
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Anthropologischer Anzeiger
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Papers by Constantine Eliopoulos
The members of the poorest class were often tasked with dipping the splints of wood in melted sulphur or paraffin by hand; they also had to submerge matches into the lighting composition that contained white or yellow phosphorus. Those directly exposed to phosphorus fumes developed the “phossy jaw” condition.
In this study the remains of a young male (16-20 years old), recovered from Victorian Gloucester, were examined and macroscopic evidence of osteonecrosis was found on the left mandibular ramus. This condition is suggestive of occupationally-related osteomyelitis from industrial exposure to phosphorus. Additional evidence of this phosphoric necrosis has also been detected in the mandibular fossae. A differential diagnosis was conducted that excluded taphonomic factors, neoplastic desease, metastatic forms of neoplasms and actinomycosis.
In fact, caries increased the chances to develop this condition by facilitating contact between the phosphorus, pulp cavity and alveolar bone. The necrosis often first manifested as a toothache before spreading to the mandible and face, often with disfiguring complications. Related respiratory problems and chest pain often occurred as well.
The case studied here presents only an early onset stage of the disease. However, the work-related pathology that has been diagnosed allows a revision of the occupational environment where the analyzed individual lived and died in what was likely poor conditions.