Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Feb 16, 2023
Background and objectivesStudies show variable spread with thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) in... more Background and objectivesStudies show variable spread with thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) injections. Injection sites vary from lateral end of the transverse process (TP) to 3 cm from the spinous process, with many not describing the precise site of injection. This human cadaveric study examined dye spread of ultrasound-guided thoracic ESP block at two needle locations.MethodsUltrasound-guided ESP blocks were performed on unembalmed cadavers. Methylene blue (20 mL, 0.1%) was injected in the ESP at the medial TP at level T5 (medial transverse process injection (MED), n=7) and the lateral end of the TP between T4 and T5 (injection between transverse processes (BTWN), n=7). The back muscles were dissected, and the cephalocaudal and medial-lateral dye spread documented.ResultsDye spread cephalocaudally from C4-T12 in the MED group and C5-T11 in the BTWN group, and laterally to the iliocostalis muscle in five MED injections and all BTWN injections. One MED injection reached serratus anterior. Dorsal rami were dyed in five MED and all BTWN injections. Dye spread to the dorsal root ganglion and dorsal root in most injections, though more extensively in the BTWN group. The ventral root was dyed in 4 MED and 6 BTWN injections. Epidural spread in BTWN injections ranged from 3 to 12 levels (median: 5 levels), with contralateral spread in two cases and intrathecal spread in five injections. Epidural spread in MED injections was less extensive (median (range): 1 (0–3) levels); two MED injections did not enter the epidural space.ConclusionAn ESP injection administered between TPs exhibits more extensive spread than a medial TP injection in a human cadaveric model.
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Jul 6, 2023
IntroductionThe superficial and deep parasternal intercostal plane (DPIP) blocks are two new bloc... more IntroductionThe superficial and deep parasternal intercostal plane (DPIP) blocks are two new blocks for thoracic pain. There are limited cadaveric studies evaluating the dye spread with these blocks. In this study, we examined the dye spread of an ultrasound-guided DPIP block in a human cadaveric model.MethodsFive ultrasound-guided DPIP blocks were performed in four unembalmed human cadavers using an in-plane approach with a linear transducer oriented in a transverse plane adjacent to the sternum. Twenty milliliters of 0.1% methylene blue were injected between ribs 3 and 4 into the plane deep to the internal intercostal muscles and superficial to the transversus thoracis muscle layer. The chest muscles were dissected, and the extent of dye spread was documented in both cephalocaudal and mediolateral directions.ResultsThe transversus thoracis muscle slips were stained in all cadavers from 4 to 6 levels. Intercostal nerves were dyed in all specimens. Four levels of intercostal nerves were dyed in each specimen with variability in number of levels stained above and below the level of the injection.ConclusionsThe DPIP block spreads along the tissue plane above the transversus thoracis muscles to multiple levels to dye the intercostal nerves in this cadaver study. This block may be of clinical value for analgesia in anterior thoracic surgical procedures.
Communication and interpersonal skills are essential components of oncology patient care. The REF... more Communication and interpersonal skills are essential components of oncology patient care. The REFLECT (Respect, Empathy, Facilitate Effective Communication, Listen, Elicit Information, Compassion, and Teach Others) curriculum is a novel framework to improve and refine physician/patient interactions for oncology graduate medical trainees. We seek to evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of the REFLECT communication curriculum among oncology trainees. Seven-question and 8-question Likert scale surveys (1 = not beneficial and 5 = beneficial) were distributed to resident/fellow participants and faculty mentors, respectively. Questions asked trainees and faculty about their perceptions of improvement in communication, handling of stressful situations, the value of the curriculum, and overall impression of the curriculum. Descriptive statistics determined the survey’s baseline characteristics and response rates. Kruskal–Wallis rank sum tests were used to compare the distribution of conti...
PurposeThis scoping review summarises five decades of research on gender bias in subjective perfo... more PurposeThis scoping review summarises five decades of research on gender bias in subjective performance evaluations of medical trainees.MethodA medical librarian searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane DBSR in June 2020. Two researchers independently reviewed each abstract to determine if it met inclusion criteria (original research article investigating gender bias in subjective medical trainee evaluations by staff). References from selected articles were also reviewed for inclusion. Data were extracted from the articles, and summary statistics were performed.ResultsA total of 212 abstracts were reviewed, and 32 met criteria. Twenty (62.5%) evaluated residents, and 12 (37.5%) studied medical students. The majority of studies on residents were Internal Medicine (n = 8, 40.0%) and Surgery (n = 7, 35.0%). All studies were performed in North America and were either retrospective or observational. Nine (28.0%) were qualitative, and 24 (75.0%) were quantitative....
The medicolegal system relies on the ability of experts and non‐experts alike to make judgments a... more The medicolegal system relies on the ability of experts and non‐experts alike to make judgments about expertise and use those judgments to reach consequential decisions. Given the lack of standard criteria, mandatory certification, or licensure for establishing expertise required to practice forensic anthropology and testify as an expert witness, we sought to understand how individuals assess and identify expertise in forensic anthropology by using a social science tool called the Imitation Game. This tool assesses immersion in a specific area of study via discourse, with the premise that some individuals lacking expertise themselves imitate or attempt to pass as experts. For this project we recruited volunteers with varying expertise in forensic anthropology to participate in interviews which asked questions about the practice and structure of the discipline. Those interviews were transcribed, anonymized, and evaluated by other recruited individuals with varying expertise in forens...
To study the host range of Rose rosette virus (RRV), we employed crude sap inoculum extracted fro... more To study the host range of Rose rosette virus (RRV), we employed crude sap inoculum extracted from RRV-infected roses and the RRV infectious clone. We inoculated plants from the families Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae, Malvaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Brassicaceae. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect RRV in the inoculated plants throughout their growth stages. Interestingly, RRV was detected in the newly developed leaves of tomato, pepper, tobacco, cucumber, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, pea, peanut, soybean, spinach, okra, and Chenopodium spp. The speed of upward advancement of RRV within infected plants was variable between plants as it took two to three weeks for some plant species and up to five weeks in other plant species to emerge in the newest leaves. No severe symptoms were detected on most of the inoculated plants. Chenopodium spp., spinach, cucumber and Nicotiana rustica exhibited either chlorotic or necrotic lesions with variable...
Forensic anthropology is a specialist field that deals with the evidence that can be collected fr... more Forensic anthropology is a specialist field that deals with the evidence that can be collected from human remains - both hard tissue in the form of dry bones and soft tissue in the form of dried flesh from dried up or mummified bodies. A forensic anthropologist needs a detailed knowledge of anatomy, particularly the anatomy of the human skeleton, since the bones are usually all that remains when a forensic anthropologist is called in to identify a body.
The articles in this special issue grew from a symposium at the 2019 American Academy of Forensic... more The articles in this special issue grew from a symposium at the 2019 American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Scientific Meeting titled “Defining Qualifications and Competencies in Forensic Anthropology: Implications for Education, Training, Accreditation, and Certification.” The symposium focused on current status and future direction in training and certification of forensic anthropologists in light of increased scrutiny of forensic practitioners and the need to enhance the value of forensic anthropologists within the medicolegal system. The symposium presentations discussed qualifications and competencies for forensic anthropologists, the history and continuous quality improvement of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA)1 certification process, the role of education and training programs in preparing graduates for board certification and practice, and the responsibilities of practitioners working in accredited laboratories. The articles in this special issue take...
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Feb 16, 2023
Background and objectivesStudies show variable spread with thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) in... more Background and objectivesStudies show variable spread with thoracic erector spinae plane (ESP) injections. Injection sites vary from lateral end of the transverse process (TP) to 3 cm from the spinous process, with many not describing the precise site of injection. This human cadaveric study examined dye spread of ultrasound-guided thoracic ESP block at two needle locations.MethodsUltrasound-guided ESP blocks were performed on unembalmed cadavers. Methylene blue (20 mL, 0.1%) was injected in the ESP at the medial TP at level T5 (medial transverse process injection (MED), n=7) and the lateral end of the TP between T4 and T5 (injection between transverse processes (BTWN), n=7). The back muscles were dissected, and the cephalocaudal and medial-lateral dye spread documented.ResultsDye spread cephalocaudally from C4-T12 in the MED group and C5-T11 in the BTWN group, and laterally to the iliocostalis muscle in five MED injections and all BTWN injections. One MED injection reached serratus anterior. Dorsal rami were dyed in five MED and all BTWN injections. Dye spread to the dorsal root ganglion and dorsal root in most injections, though more extensively in the BTWN group. The ventral root was dyed in 4 MED and 6 BTWN injections. Epidural spread in BTWN injections ranged from 3 to 12 levels (median: 5 levels), with contralateral spread in two cases and intrathecal spread in five injections. Epidural spread in MED injections was less extensive (median (range): 1 (0–3) levels); two MED injections did not enter the epidural space.ConclusionAn ESP injection administered between TPs exhibits more extensive spread than a medial TP injection in a human cadaveric model.
Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, Jul 6, 2023
IntroductionThe superficial and deep parasternal intercostal plane (DPIP) blocks are two new bloc... more IntroductionThe superficial and deep parasternal intercostal plane (DPIP) blocks are two new blocks for thoracic pain. There are limited cadaveric studies evaluating the dye spread with these blocks. In this study, we examined the dye spread of an ultrasound-guided DPIP block in a human cadaveric model.MethodsFive ultrasound-guided DPIP blocks were performed in four unembalmed human cadavers using an in-plane approach with a linear transducer oriented in a transverse plane adjacent to the sternum. Twenty milliliters of 0.1% methylene blue were injected between ribs 3 and 4 into the plane deep to the internal intercostal muscles and superficial to the transversus thoracis muscle layer. The chest muscles were dissected, and the extent of dye spread was documented in both cephalocaudal and mediolateral directions.ResultsThe transversus thoracis muscle slips were stained in all cadavers from 4 to 6 levels. Intercostal nerves were dyed in all specimens. Four levels of intercostal nerves were dyed in each specimen with variability in number of levels stained above and below the level of the injection.ConclusionsThe DPIP block spreads along the tissue plane above the transversus thoracis muscles to multiple levels to dye the intercostal nerves in this cadaver study. This block may be of clinical value for analgesia in anterior thoracic surgical procedures.
Communication and interpersonal skills are essential components of oncology patient care. The REF... more Communication and interpersonal skills are essential components of oncology patient care. The REFLECT (Respect, Empathy, Facilitate Effective Communication, Listen, Elicit Information, Compassion, and Teach Others) curriculum is a novel framework to improve and refine physician/patient interactions for oncology graduate medical trainees. We seek to evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of the REFLECT communication curriculum among oncology trainees. Seven-question and 8-question Likert scale surveys (1 = not beneficial and 5 = beneficial) were distributed to resident/fellow participants and faculty mentors, respectively. Questions asked trainees and faculty about their perceptions of improvement in communication, handling of stressful situations, the value of the curriculum, and overall impression of the curriculum. Descriptive statistics determined the survey’s baseline characteristics and response rates. Kruskal–Wallis rank sum tests were used to compare the distribution of conti...
PurposeThis scoping review summarises five decades of research on gender bias in subjective perfo... more PurposeThis scoping review summarises five decades of research on gender bias in subjective performance evaluations of medical trainees.MethodA medical librarian searched PubMed, Ovid Embase, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane DBSR in June 2020. Two researchers independently reviewed each abstract to determine if it met inclusion criteria (original research article investigating gender bias in subjective medical trainee evaluations by staff). References from selected articles were also reviewed for inclusion. Data were extracted from the articles, and summary statistics were performed.ResultsA total of 212 abstracts were reviewed, and 32 met criteria. Twenty (62.5%) evaluated residents, and 12 (37.5%) studied medical students. The majority of studies on residents were Internal Medicine (n = 8, 40.0%) and Surgery (n = 7, 35.0%). All studies were performed in North America and were either retrospective or observational. Nine (28.0%) were qualitative, and 24 (75.0%) were quantitative....
The medicolegal system relies on the ability of experts and non‐experts alike to make judgments a... more The medicolegal system relies on the ability of experts and non‐experts alike to make judgments about expertise and use those judgments to reach consequential decisions. Given the lack of standard criteria, mandatory certification, or licensure for establishing expertise required to practice forensic anthropology and testify as an expert witness, we sought to understand how individuals assess and identify expertise in forensic anthropology by using a social science tool called the Imitation Game. This tool assesses immersion in a specific area of study via discourse, with the premise that some individuals lacking expertise themselves imitate or attempt to pass as experts. For this project we recruited volunteers with varying expertise in forensic anthropology to participate in interviews which asked questions about the practice and structure of the discipline. Those interviews were transcribed, anonymized, and evaluated by other recruited individuals with varying expertise in forens...
To study the host range of Rose rosette virus (RRV), we employed crude sap inoculum extracted fro... more To study the host range of Rose rosette virus (RRV), we employed crude sap inoculum extracted from RRV-infected roses and the RRV infectious clone. We inoculated plants from the families Solanaceae, Cucurbitaceae, Leguminosae, Malvaceae, Amaranthaceae, and Brassicaceae. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect RRV in the inoculated plants throughout their growth stages. Interestingly, RRV was detected in the newly developed leaves of tomato, pepper, tobacco, cucumber, squash, zucchini, pumpkin, pea, peanut, soybean, spinach, okra, and Chenopodium spp. The speed of upward advancement of RRV within infected plants was variable between plants as it took two to three weeks for some plant species and up to five weeks in other plant species to emerge in the newest leaves. No severe symptoms were detected on most of the inoculated plants. Chenopodium spp., spinach, cucumber and Nicotiana rustica exhibited either chlorotic or necrotic lesions with variable...
Forensic anthropology is a specialist field that deals with the evidence that can be collected fr... more Forensic anthropology is a specialist field that deals with the evidence that can be collected from human remains - both hard tissue in the form of dry bones and soft tissue in the form of dried flesh from dried up or mummified bodies. A forensic anthropologist needs a detailed knowledge of anatomy, particularly the anatomy of the human skeleton, since the bones are usually all that remains when a forensic anthropologist is called in to identify a body.
The articles in this special issue grew from a symposium at the 2019 American Academy of Forensic... more The articles in this special issue grew from a symposium at the 2019 American Academy of Forensic Sciences Annual Scientific Meeting titled “Defining Qualifications and Competencies in Forensic Anthropology: Implications for Education, Training, Accreditation, and Certification.” The symposium focused on current status and future direction in training and certification of forensic anthropologists in light of increased scrutiny of forensic practitioners and the need to enhance the value of forensic anthropologists within the medicolegal system. The symposium presentations discussed qualifications and competencies for forensic anthropologists, the history and continuous quality improvement of the American Board of Forensic Anthropology (ABFA)1 certification process, the role of education and training programs in preparing graduates for board certification and practice, and the responsibilities of practitioners working in accredited laboratories. The articles in this special issue take...
Summary:
This robust, dynamic, and international field has grown to include interdisciplinary re... more Summary:
This robust, dynamic, and international field has grown to include interdisciplinary research, continually improving methodology, and globalization of training. Reflecting the diverse nature of the science from experts who have shaped it, Forensic Anthropology: A Comprehensive Introduction Second Edition builds off of the success of the first edition and incorporates standard practices in addition to cutting-edge approaches in a user-friendly format, making it an ideal introductory-level text.
Features:
-Offers the most up-to-date and complete introductory textbook on the market -Contains 250 full color images to illustrate concepts in the text -Includes, in each chapter, full textbook pedagogy for classroom learning with learning objectives, case examples, key terms, end-of-chapter discussion and essay questions, and additional reading lists -Covers the latest best-practices from subject matter experts in the field -Features a full and extensive compliment of ancillaries for qualified professors for classroom use
Please start recording these revised measurements and submitting them to the Forensic Data Bank s... more Please start recording these revised measurements and submitting them to the Forensic Data Bank so we can improve the nature of metric data in forensic anthropology. These will eventually be incorporated into the Fordisc software. Data Collection Procedures 2.0 is the first version of many to come. The DCP will be versioned, like the Fordisc software. Changes in newly released versions will be detailed in the introductory section of the manual. The DCP is also accompanied by an instructional video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtkLFl3vim4 The amendments contained in the DCP 2.0 are listed at the beginning of this manual. They include changes to the measurements, references, and age estimation section. The age estimation materials were provided by George Milner and are designed to correspond to the Transition Analysis method incorporated in the next iteration of the Fordisc software program. Line drawings have been simplified and streamlined, and obvious measurements have been removed from figures. We urge the user to read the definitions and not rely solely on illustrations. The accompanying video is also a useful resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtkLFl3vim4.
from Amazon.com:
The field of forensic anthropology has evolved dramatically in the past 40 ye... more from Amazon.com:
The field of forensic anthropology has evolved dramatically in the past 40 years, as technological advances have led to new research initiatives and extended applications. This robust, dynamic, and international field has grown to include interdisciplinary research, continually improving methodology, and globalization of training. Reflecting the diverse nature of the science from the experts who have shaped it, Forensic Anthropology: An Introduction incorporates standard practices in addition to cutting-edge approaches in a user-friendly format, making it an ideal introductory-level text.
The book begins with a historical overview of forensic anthropology and then presents the background and methodology of each specialty area. Designed for readers without previous theory-based or practical physical anthropology course experience, each chapter gives a detailed history and explanation of a particular methodology. Presenting topics within their areas of accomplishment and expertise, the authors include up-to-date analytical techniques and provide examples of these applications in typical casework.
Through the book’s accessible style of presentation, readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the history, methods, theory, and future direction of forensic anthropology. Suitable for undergraduate or master’s level students, educators and professionals will also find the currency of information and the high-quality photos and illustrations useful in their practice.
The validation of novel and established methods in forensic anthropology is important to conduct ... more The validation of novel and established methods in forensic anthropology is important to conduct to assess possible population differences. The general lack of diversity in modern skeletal reference samples has produced a source of possible bias inherent to the methods established using these collections. The majority of age estimation methods used in the United States were developed on modern white and black Americans from collections. Several recent publications have tested the applicability of aging methods devised on European and African derived populations on different world-wide samples, to include Langley and Jian 2016, Colarusso 2016, Rissech et al. 2011, Kimmerle et al. 2008, Konigsberg et al. 2008 and highlight the need for validation studies and often population specific methodologies. This study builds on the work of Dudzik and Shirley (2015) and examined the performance of a pubis symphysis aging method on a modern Asian sample. The Asian samples included Chinese individuals from Kunming Medical University (n=87), Japanese from Jikei University and Chiba University (n=80) and Thai individuals from Khon Kaen University (n=79). When observed as a collective, the method performed on the Asian sample with moderate accuracy, with a total percentage correct at 69 %. Broken down by sample, the highest associated accuracy percentage was found with the Chinese sample, at 76%, followed by the Thai sample at 69%. The lowest was 64% with the Japanese sample. This analysis supports the need for population specific methodologies for age estimation, however, estimation of the younger end of the adult age spectrum (roughly age 30 and younger) showed high accuracy percentages. This provides strong implications for the forensic community as previous phase based methods employ large age intervals that are often too broad to be useful in forensic casework.
Accelerated maturation has been documented in the majority of western populations for nearly a c... more Accelerated maturation has been documented in the majority of western populations for nearly a century, primarily in terms of menarcheal onset. Because sexual and skeletal maturation are closely related, acceleration in pubertal onset is likely indicative of accelerated skeletal maturation. This phenomenon is of particular concern in a forensic context, wherein age estimates based on reference standards from populations that have undergone significant positive secular change may be overestimates.
This study documents epiphyseal union of the medial clavicle in the American population throughout the 20th century using three skeletal samples: the early 20th century Hamann-Todd Collection, the McKern and Stewart Korean War data, and the late 20th century McCormick Clavicle Collection. Transition analysis was used to derive statistically robust age ranges for fusion in each population.
Results indicate that the modern McCormick individuals begin fusion approximately 4.5 years earlier than the Hamann-Todd individuals. Likewise, the McCormick males begin fusion approximately 4 years earlier than the Korean War males. On the other hand, the Hamann-Todd and Korean War males differed significantly only in terms of final union, wherein the Korean War males completed union approximately 2 years before the Todd males.
These results underscore the importance of using modern standards to assess the age of modern individuals. As the American population continues to change, particularly with the current obesity epidemic, anthropologists will be charged with the task of evaluating how these changes in human biology affect our understanding of human skeletal variation.
This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Justice (Award Number 2007-DN-BX-0004) and the William M. Bass Endowment.
This presentation evaluates age-at-fusion of sacral segments in late 19th and early 20th century ... more This presentation evaluates age-at-fusion of sacral segments in late 19th and early 20th century Americans. Langley-Shirley and Jantz (2010) demonstrated shifts in the timing of epiphyseal union of the medial clavicle in modern Americans as a result of secular changes in skeletal maturation. These changes should manifest in other maturation indicators. This project is the first portion of a two-part study investigating secular change in the fusion timing of sacral segments.
The sample consists of 177 European American and African American individuals aged 4-35 years from the Hamann-Todd Collection. Sacral segments were scored as (1) unfused (no bony bridging), (2) fusing (bony bridging between sacral bodies) or (3) fused (obliteration of epiphyseal line). Transition analysis using a cumulative probit model was conducted with Nphases2 (Konigsberg 2003). This method calculates a maximum likelihood estimate of the age-at-transition from one phase to the next (Boldson et al. 2002).
Results indicate that fusion between the first and second sacral segments (S1-S2) occurs significantly later than between S2-S3, S3-S4, and S4-S5. The transition from unfused to fusing in S1-S2 occurs at age 15 in females and 17 in males; the transition from fusing to fused occurs at 21 in females and 22 in males. The transition from unfused to fusing in the remaining sacral segments occurs around puberty in both sexes (9-12 years); the transition from fusing to fused occurs 3-5 years later. This presentation will compare these results to previous studies and discuss the utility of sacral segments as an age indicator in young individuals.
Uploads
This robust, dynamic, and international field has grown to include interdisciplinary research, continually improving methodology, and globalization of training. Reflecting the diverse nature of the science from experts who have shaped it, Forensic Anthropology: A Comprehensive Introduction Second Edition builds off of the success of the first edition and incorporates standard practices in addition to cutting-edge approaches in a user-friendly format, making it an ideal introductory-level text.
Features:
-Offers the most up-to-date and complete introductory textbook on the market
-Contains 250 full color images to illustrate concepts in the text
-Includes, in each chapter, full textbook pedagogy for classroom learning with learning objectives, case examples, key terms, end-of-chapter discussion and essay questions, and additional reading lists
-Covers the latest best-practices from subject matter experts in the field
-Features a full and extensive compliment of ancillaries for qualified professors for classroom use
The amendments contained in the DCP 2.0 are listed at the beginning of this manual. They include changes to the measurements, references, and age estimation section. The age estimation materials were provided by George Milner and are designed to correspond to the Transition Analysis method incorporated in the next iteration of the Fordisc software program. Line drawings have been simplified and streamlined, and obvious measurements have been removed from figures. We urge the user to read the definitions and not rely solely on illustrations. The accompanying video is also a useful resource: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BtkLFl3vim4.
The field of forensic anthropology has evolved dramatically in the past 40 years, as technological advances have led to new research initiatives and extended applications. This robust, dynamic, and international field has grown to include interdisciplinary research, continually improving methodology, and globalization of training. Reflecting the diverse nature of the science from the experts who have shaped it, Forensic Anthropology: An Introduction incorporates standard practices in addition to cutting-edge approaches in a user-friendly format, making it an ideal introductory-level text.
The book begins with a historical overview of forensic anthropology and then presents the background and methodology of each specialty area. Designed for readers without previous theory-based or practical physical anthropology course experience, each chapter gives a detailed history and explanation of a particular methodology. Presenting topics within their areas of accomplishment and expertise, the authors include up-to-date analytical techniques and provide examples of these applications in typical casework.
Through the book’s accessible style of presentation, readers will gain an in-depth understanding of the history, methods, theory, and future direction of forensic anthropology. Suitable for undergraduate or master’s level students, educators and professionals will also find the currency of information and the high-quality photos and illustrations useful in their practice.
This study documents epiphyseal union of the medial clavicle in the American population throughout the 20th century using three skeletal samples: the early 20th century Hamann-Todd Collection, the McKern and Stewart Korean War data, and the late 20th century McCormick Clavicle Collection. Transition analysis was used to derive statistically robust age ranges for fusion in each population.
Results indicate that the modern McCormick individuals begin fusion approximately 4.5 years earlier than the Hamann-Todd individuals. Likewise, the McCormick males begin fusion approximately 4 years earlier than the Korean War males. On the other hand, the Hamann-Todd and Korean War males differed significantly only in terms of final union, wherein the Korean War males completed union approximately 2 years before the Todd males.
These results underscore the importance of using modern standards to assess the age of modern individuals. As the American population continues to change, particularly with the current obesity epidemic, anthropologists will be charged with the task of evaluating how these changes in human biology affect our understanding of human skeletal variation.
This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Justice (Award Number 2007-DN-BX-0004) and the William M. Bass Endowment.
The sample consists of 177 European American and African American individuals aged 4-35 years from the Hamann-Todd Collection. Sacral segments were scored as (1) unfused (no bony bridging), (2) fusing (bony bridging between sacral bodies) or (3) fused (obliteration of epiphyseal line). Transition analysis using a cumulative probit model was conducted with Nphases2 (Konigsberg 2003). This method calculates a maximum likelihood estimate of the age-at-transition from one phase to the next (Boldson et al. 2002).
Results indicate that fusion between the first and second sacral segments (S1-S2) occurs significantly later than between S2-S3, S3-S4, and S4-S5. The transition from unfused to fusing in S1-S2 occurs at age 15 in females and 17 in males; the transition from fusing to fused occurs at 21 in females and 22 in males. The transition from unfused to fusing in the remaining sacral segments occurs around puberty in both sexes (9-12 years); the transition from fusing to fused occurs 3-5 years later. This presentation will compare these results to previous studies and discuss the utility of sacral segments as an age indicator in young individuals.