Anthropological study of the mastoid air cell system in Pakistani races

Anatomical landmarks: Dimensions of the mastoid air cell system in the Mediterranean population. Our experience from the anatomy of 298 temporal bones

The mastoid apophysis originates from a recent phylogenetic formation, associated with the standing attitude and it is currently considered as an evolution of the bone super-structures. The aim of the present study was to measure the diameters of the mastoid and the temporal bone in the Greek adult population. A total of 298 temporal bones from 149 cadavers (74 male, 75 female) were examined. The distances between six landmarks were measured by means of a pachymeter on both vertical and transverse axes of the mastoids and the temporal bone. The estimated mean values for each dimension were as follows: vertical diameter, 2.37 +/- 0.42 cm; transverse diameter, 2.33 +/- 0.51 cm; anterior margin, 2.12 +/- 0.67 cm; posterior margin, 1.96 +/- 0.55 cm; oblong diameter, 10.30 +/- 0.60 cm; while the mean distance between the mastoid apex and mandibular fossa calva was 3.67 +/- 0.35 cm. Gender differences were detected for the vertical (P < 0.001), the transverse diameter of the mastoid (P < 0.001), the anterior (P < 0.001) and the posterior margin of the mastoid (P < 0.001). In both genders, the vertical diameter of the mastoid was positively correlated with the transverse diameter, as well as with its anterior and posterior margins. In the present study, direct measurements of the mastoid and temporal bone in a Mediterranean population are reported. This description may facilitate a more accurate surgical approach to the temporal bone structures.

Secular changes in head dimensions of Japanese adult male students over eight decades

The aim was to study secular changes in head dimensions of Japanese adult males. The subjects were all of Japanese birth and Japanese ancestry. The age range of the subjects was between 18 and 25 years. Four head measurements were taken: head length, head breadth, head height and head circumference. In addition, stature and body weight were also measured. All measurements were made by one observer (Fumio Ohtsuki) from 1998 to 2001. The present sample was compared with the series taken between 1910 and 1917 of Matsumura (J Fak Sci Imp Univ Tokyo Sec 1 (1925) 1) and the one measured in 1965 of Morita and Ohtsuki (Hum Biol 45 (1973) 151). The present study demonstrated the presence of larger means for head length, head breadth and cephalic index in the current sample than in their predecessors of about 35-85 years ago. Also, the present series displayed larger head circumference than that of the Morita and Ohtsuki series. Using ANOVA, head length and head breath showed significant (p<0.01) differences among all birth-year cohorts from 1978 to 1983 of the current sample. Head height, head circumference and cephalic index did not display significant differences. However, the slope of the regression line indicated that all measurements as well as the cephalic index showed slightly decreasing tendencies during the investigated period. These results suggest that brachycephalization has been occurring for approximately about 35-85 years in adult Japanese males, but the change seems to have become reversed slightly during the period covered by the present sample.

Pneumatization of the temporal bones in a Greenlandic Inuit anthropological material

The degree of pneumatization of the temporal bones correlates with exposure during childhood and adolescence to infectious middle ear diseases (IMED), both acute and chronic. The pneumatized area as seen on cranial X-rays can be measured. This was applied to an anthropological material in order to develop methods for assessing ancient populations' exposure to IMED. Fifty-six Greenlandic Inuit (Eskimo) crania were examined. The crania were sexed and measured. X-rays were taken bilaterally, using the projection of Runström II, and the pneumatized area was measured planimetrically by computer. In blind trials it was found that the inter- and intraobserver variation was non-significant; that the degree of pneumatization of the temporal ossa did not reflect cranial size or sexual dimorphism; and that the pneumatized areas correlated bilaterally. Asymmetry in the size of the pneumatized areas, an indicator of exposure to IMED, was found in 5 crania (9%).