International Journal of Paleopathology 
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This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.A case study of vertebral fusion in a 19th-century horse from Serbia
ConclusionsPathological changes represent signs of an advanced stage of vertebral fusion consistent with diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH).SignificanceThis case study provides a clear distinction between diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH) and other vertebral column diseases in equids. It also presents a new and significant contribution to the nascent discipline of animal paleopathology in present-day Serbia.LimitationsGiven that only 15 thoracic vertebrae were discovered, the impact of this disease on other parts of the horse skeleton remains unknown, as does the archaeological context of the rem...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - September 22, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
A male adult skeleton from the Han Dynasty in Shaanxi, China (202 BC–220 AD) with bone changes that possibly represent spinal tuberculosis
Publication date: December 2019Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 27Author(s): Mocen Li, Charlotte A. Roberts, Liang Chen, Dongyue ZhaoAbstractBioarchaeological data for tuberculosis (TB) have been published very sporadically in China or the rest of East Asia. To explore the history of TB in this area, 85 skeletons excavated from the Liuwei Cemetery in Shaanxi, China (202 BC–220 AD) were macroscopically examined to record TB related bone changes. These skeletons represented inhabitants of Maolingyi, an urban area that had a high population density during the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 CE). Seventeen o...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - September 6, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Advances in paleopathology in context: A focus on soft tissue paleopathology
Publication date: Available online 1 September 2019Source: International Journal of PaleopathologyAuthor(s): Kenneth C. NystromAbstractSkeletal and mummified remains from South America have had a significant impact on the progress of paleopathological research. In 1997, John Verano synthesized the state of paleopathological research, identifying trends and highlighting future potentials. The goal of this contribution is to consider Verano’s observations on advances in soft tissue paleopathology within the context of the development of the field of mummy studies. As his article was published near the midpoint between the ...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - September 2, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Osteoarthritis, entheses, and long bone cross-sectional geometry in the Andes: Usage, history, and future directions
This article also discusses global clinical and osteological research on ways scholars are currently trying to establish industry-wide methods to evaluate osteoarthritis, entheses, and long bone cross-sectional geometry. Recent studies have focused on rigorous evaluation of methodological techniques, recording protocols, and inter- and intra-observer error problems. Additionally, scholars have focused on physical intensity of movement using biomechanics, evaluated burials of known occupation, and used complex statistical methods to help interpret skeletal changes associated with these conditions. This article also narrows ...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - August 30, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Archival, paleopathological and aDNA-based techniques in leprosy research and the case of Father Petrus Donders at the Leprosarium ‘Batavia’, Suriname
ConclusionWe found no evidence that Donders contracted leprosy despite years of intense leprosy contact, but we successfully isolated an archaeological M. leprae aDNA sample from a control skeleton from South America.SignificanceWe successfully genotyped recovered aDNA to a M. leprae strain that likely originated in West Africa. The detected human mitochondrial haplogroup L3 is also associated with this geographical region. This suggests that slave trade contributed to leprosy in Suriname.LimitationsA limited number of skeletons was examined.Suggestions for further researchBroader review of skeletal collections is advised ...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - August 18, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Editorial Board
Publication date: September 2019Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 26Author(s): (Source: International Journal of Paleopathology)
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - August 17, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Two cases of skeletal dysplasia from New Kingdom (c. 1400–1050 BCE) Tombos, Sudan
ConclusionsA differential diagnosis of Léri–Weill dyschondrosteosis (LWD) is suggested for the adult female individual (U36.Sh2.B10). The second case (U36.Sh2.B5) is an approximately three to five-year-old individual and is difficult to diagnose given the young age; however, LWD remains the most likely diagnosis.SignificanceThere are few cases of LWD in the paleopathological literature, and fewer still of juveniles. The cases described are useful examples in expanding research demonstrating the variability in the expression of skeletal dysplasias in juveniles and adults.LimitationsTaphonomic alterations and fragmentatio...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - August 2, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Metabolic diseases in Andean paleopathology: Retrospect and prospect
Publication date: Available online 31 July 2019Source: International Journal of PaleopathologyAuthor(s): Haagen D. KlausAbstractJohn Verano’s 1997 synthesis of Andean paleopathology guided two decades of research and was instrumental in establishing modern Andean paleopathology. This paper reviews the current state and new directions in the study of skeletal metabolic disorders in the Central Andean archaeological record. Key historical, ecological, methodological, and contextual issues intersect with the study of metabolic bone diseases in Andean paleopathology. This paper further examines known temporal and spatial dis...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - August 1, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Spatial paleopathology: A geographic approach to the etiology of cribrotic lesions in the prehistoric Andes
ConclusionWhile cribra orbitalia has long been tied to coastal proximity, these results suggest environmental constraints such as the need for water storage could have promoted malnutrition and pathogenic infection more than mere coastal proximity.Limitations of this studyThis analysis is limited by the paucity of data from highland sites and by the assumption that burials are local to the excavation site.Suggestions for future researchFuture studies will integrate isotopic and remotely-sensed data into models to explore links between water security, nutrition, and disease. (Source: International Journal of Paleopathology)
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - August 1, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
How to CT scan human mummies: Theoretical considerations and examples of use
ConclusionsDownsizing the field of view to the region of interest as done in the clinical radiological routine represents one major tool to improve image quality.SignificanceThe provided recommendations should improve CT image quality in mummy studies as well as the handling of image data for reconstructions and storage.LimitationsThe recommendations for CT scanning parameters and image reconstructions were written with relatively new generation CT scanners in mind. Only a few examples of use were chosen and image quality assessment was performed subjectively and not by quantitative measurements. (Source: International Jou...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 27, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Developmental anomalies and South American paleopathology: A comparison of block vertebrae and co-occurring axial anomalies among three skeletal samples from the El Brujo archaeological complex of northern coastal Peru
Publication date: Available online 25 July 2019Source: International Journal of PaleopathologyAuthor(s): Anne R. TitelbaumAbstractThough developmental anomalies have been noted for over a century in South American paleopathology, they have received less attention than other pathological conditions. When anomalies are reported, they tend to be unusual case studies or incidental findings. Paleopathological research should also consider anomalies from a population perspective, to broaden our understanding about the frequency of specific anomalies, and potentially offer insight into genetic relationships, cultural behavior, or...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 26, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Modern guanaco (Lama guanicoe, Camelidae) bezoars: An approach towards identification in the fossil record
ConclusionsMorphometry, along with external and internal features and mineral composition, are useful tools for the identification and interpretation of bezoars in the fossil record.SignificanceThis study offers new information on the etiology, mechanisms of formation, and means of interpreting the presence of bezoars, a common pathology in South American camelids, in the fossil record.LimitationsThe features of fossil bezoars do not provide accurate identification of the animal that produced them.Suggestions for Further ResearchFurther analyses on modern bezoars belonging to other species of mammals are needed in order to...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 25, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
What’s that big thing on your head? Diagnosis of a large frontoparietal lesion on an Eastern Zhou skull from Henan, China
Publication date: September 2019Source: International Journal of Paleopathology, Volume 26Author(s): Kate Pechenkina, Wenquan Fan, Xiaodong LuoAbstractWe carried out a differential diagnosis of a large frontoparietal lesion on a human skull from a Late Bronze Age archaeological site located on the Central Plain of China, dating to between 771 and 476 BC. The head of this individual was covered in cinnabar, a mercury-based pigment that later was used for medicinal purposes in China. The lesion was well-circumscribed and involved the outer and inner tables of the skull, slight diploë thickening, and coarsening of bone trabe...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 24, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
Qafzeh 9 mandible (ca 90–100 kyrs BP, Israel) revisited: μ-CT and 3D reveal new pathological conditions
ConclusionTo our knowledge, Qafzeh 9 offers the earliest evidence of associated mandibular and dental pathological conditions (i.e. non-ossifying fibroma of the mandible, pre-eruptive intracoronal resorption and osteochondritis dissecans of the temporomandibular joint) among early anatomically modern humans, and more generally among Middle Palaeolithic hominins in Southwestern Asia. The diagnoses can be added to other growth-related disorders of skulls previously documented from the Qafzeh site (Tillier, 1999; Tillier et al., 2001), suggesting a quite high and exceptional incidence of these conditions compared to those of ...
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 24, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
The paleoepidemiology of Sacral Spina Bifida Occulta in population samples from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt
ConclusionsData support that SSBO can be considered as a morphogenetic variant. Dakhleh data fall within the prevalence range for most populations, however inter-population comparisons are complicated by methodological inconsistencies.SignificanceSSBO can be used in paleogenetic research.LimitationsMethodological differences in scoring SSBO prevent effective comparative study.Suggested future researchFuture studies require more rigorous and standardized scoring methods. aDNA may be used to corroborate the morphogenetic value of SSBO and determine its clinical significance. (Source: International Journal of Paleopathology)
Source: International Journal of Paleopathology - July 24, 2019 Category: Pathology Source Type: research
