Chacarita Project: Conformation and analysis of a modern and documented human osteological collection from Buenos Aires City – Theoretical, methodological and ethical aspects

The modern Dental Cast Reference Collection from the University of Coimbra, Portugal

INTRODUCTION

Identified skeletal and skull collections are centrepiece for research in biological anthropology. However, until recently, the same relevance has not been placed on dental cast collections. This perspective evolved, mainly, with the research on population variation and human identification through dental characteristics. While dental collections exist throughout the world, their reports and documentation are scarce in the literature.

AIMS

This work aims to present the new Dental Cast Reference Collection - University of Coimbra (DCRC - UC) housed in the Laboratory of Prehistory of the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Coimbra (Portugal).

BASIC PROCEDURES

The modern dental cast collection (DCRC - UC) was created in 2016 for teaching and research purposes. The casts were obtained from volunteers who answered a brief questionnaire (sex, age, nationality, previous orthodontic and dental data) after informed consent.

MAIN FINDINGS

The collection includes the dental casts of 90 adult individuals of both sexes: 69 females and 21 males. The volunteers were students, teachers and visiting researchers of the Department of Life Sciences of the University of Coimbra. Age ranges from 17 to 49 years, including individuals of Portuguese (n=79) and non-Portuguese nationality (n=11). Lastly, the strategy of the conservation and storage conditions of the casts are underlined, a vital aspect of this working collection, emphasizing its protection while also allowing it to function as a usable resource.

PRINCIPAL CONCLUSIONS

Currently, the addition of new individuals to the dental cast collection is paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the future work and expected expansion will require new logistic solutions. The DCRC - UC is an invaluable resource to both research and teaching activities.

Age-at-death estimation in adults using three forensic methodologies: A Lamendin's technique approach for Latin American context and the extension of a forensic international dental database

In forensic science, the information that teeth provide to the age estimation process is very important. In adults, one of the most widely used indicators of skeletal age is the Root Dentin Translucency (RDT), mainly through the Lamendin technique, which is used in various Latin American contexts. Recently, Parra et al. (2020) have developed a Bayesian regression model using the Lamendin technique to establish standardized criteria for estimating age-at-death in adults in various forensic contexts. In this study, we evaluate the applicability of this proposal together with the proposal by Lamendin et al. (1992) and Prince and Ubelaker (2002) in Latin American contexts. A sample of single-rooted teeth belonging to 805 individuals from six Latin American countries was used. The results of the three proposals considered were analyzed taking into account factors such as age, sex, origin, and the tooth surface on which the variables were surveyed. Of the factors that would affect the estimates, it was found that the age of the individuals had the greatest influence. However, it was confirmed that the sex and surface of the teeth on which the measurements were taken did not influence the final result. On the other hand, as we expected, the application of the analyzed proposals would also be possible in other forensic contexts, as shown by the results obtained according to the origin. This research expands the FIDB with more information on Latino contexts.

Technical Note: The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) Map of Identified Osteological Collections

Identified (documented) osteological collections represent an important resource in the development of forensic anthropology standards and methods as well as a precious tool for learning and training of practitioners. Even though the number of papers presenting identified collections worldwide increases, many of the collections have still not been divulged to the scientific community in sufficient detail to ascertain their exact number. The Forensic Anthropology Society of Europe (FASE) therefore developed a tool that goes beyond sporadic publications: the FASE Map of Identified Osteological Collections, which is freely accessible and continuously updated and revised. The online map is available at http://forensicanthropology.eu/osteological-collections/. The map of skeletal collections was created in 2017 and currently displays information on 153 identified osteological collections (43 of them categorized as contemporary) located in 41 different countries. This article offers a short analysis of the type, geographical location and content of the collections included in the map. The aim of this article and the map as such is to provide a useful resource to facilitate research planning and teaching in forensic anthropology and related disciplines.

Adult sex estimation from the minimum supero-inferior femoral neck diameter in a contemporary osteological sample from Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sex estimation of adult skeletons is an important step in forensic analysis. Although the femur has been metrically studied for sex assessment around the world, very limited information is actually available on modern populations of Argentina. In this paper, the estimation of sex based on the metric evaluation of the supero-inferior femoral neck diameter (SID) in a reference osteological collection from the contemporary Chacarita Cemetery of Buenos Aires City (Argentina), is evaluated. Protocols generated using SID in other three reference skeletal samples are also tested on this collection. One hundred and sixty-four individuals of both sexes and between 24 and 96 years old are analyzed. Inter and intra observer errors suggest that the replicability of the procedure is adequate. The sectioning point calculated from the direct measurements is 30.86 mm and results show a high degree of dimorphism. The proportions of correct sex discrimination and the likelihoods of correct allocation obtained with the direct measurements, along with the results of a discriminant function, a binary logistic regression and a Bayesian approach, are all higher than 0.85 (0.85-0.93 for females, 0.88-0.91 for males). When the formulae from other samples are used in the Chacarita Collection, the percentages of correct estimations range between 72.41% and 81.03% for females and between 80.46% and 88.50% for males, while the likelihoods are between 0.73 and 0.81 for females and between 0.79 and 0.82 for males. As the values for the estimations obtained using the statistical procedures generated in the present research are higher than those available for other collections, the method is more adequate to use in the analysis of contemporary skeletal remains from Buenos Aires and surrounding areas. The trends identified highlight the importance of population-specific metric methodologies in forensic contexts and deserve future testing in contemporary samples from neighbouring regions.

The pathway of tuberculosis in Argentina: Historical (19th and 20th centuries), epidemiological, and paleopathological data

OBJECTIVE

This paper explores the history of TB in Argentina from the pre- Columbian period to recent times in order to evaluate the impact of the industrialization (late 19th and early 20th centuries) on the increasing rates of this disease.

MATERIALS

Historical, paleopathological, and current epidemiological data were reviewed.

METHODS

Data were integrated under a paleopathological approach.

RESULTS

Skeletal evidence suggests the existence of TB before colonization. This is followed by two different periods of increasing TB rates: a probable but unconfirmed first stage, related to the contact between Europeans and natives during the 16th-18th centuries, and a second stage during the Industrial Revolution, from the 1880s to the 1950s, when it was finally controlled with the aid of chemotherapies.

CONCLUSIONS

TB rates increased during industrialization, coincident and probably related to immigration, the disorganized growth of cities, and bad working conditions. Nowadays, TB is under control in the general population, but it remains an important health problem in areas with poor living conditions and in immunocompromised patients.

SIGNIFICANCE

This is the first study that integrates archaeological, historical and epidemiological data to acknowledge the pathway of TB in Argentina.

LIMITATIONS

No skeletal evidence of TB from 19th and 20th centuries and from medical archives from sanatoria are available.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH

Further research needs to be conducted from these records, in order to improve the current knowledge of TB during the industrialization period in Argentina.

Spheno-occipital synchondrosis: Examining the degree of fusion in a South African Black skeletal sample

Estimating age-at-death is one of the many biological demographics that a forensic anthropologist needs to determine for a set of unknown skeletal remains. A useful skeletal developmental marker, which can aid in estimating age in sub-adult remains, is the state of fusion of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis. This study aimed to determine the repeatability of a three-stage scoring method and the age at which the spheno-occipital synchondrosis begins and completes fusion in a Black South African sample. A total of 147 male and female skeletal individuals aged between 12-30 years from the Raymond A. Dart Collection of Human Skeletons were included. The mean age-at-death noted for the commencement of fusion at the spheno-occipital synchondrosis was 16.2 (±2.9) years in females and 16.7 (±1.2) years in males, with females displaying signs of fusion taking place approximately three years before their male counterparts. Complete fusion of this skeletal developmental marker was observed in 100% of the sample over the age of 20 years, regardless of sex. A Kappa value of 1.0 was achieved when the repeatability and reproducibility of the three-stage scoring method was tested. Complete fusion of this synchondrosis occurred slightly later in this South African sample than that noted in previous literature. This finding may be attributed to the differences in health and socio-economic statuses between these different population groups, reiterating the need for population-specific data to be developed. The importance of noting the state of fusion of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis during the examination of relevant forensic cases may aid in the formation of a narrower age-at-death range for sub-adult and young adult skeletal remains.