International Journal of Paleopathology最新文献

{"title":"A probable case of \"lumpy jaw\" in early medieval (11th – 12th c.) cattle from a stronghold in Kruszwica, Poland","authors":"Maciej Janeczek ,&nbsp;Daniel Makowiecki ,&nbsp;Edyta Pasicka ,&nbsp;Aleksandra Rozwadowska ,&nbsp;Rafał Ciaputa","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>The purpose of this article is to try to determine the probable cause of the disease from which the study animal suffered.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>The skeletal material included a caudal fragment of a cattle mandible. The specimen, exhibiting chronic disease was separated from approximately 10,000 early medieval cattle remains discovered during excavations of the former Kruszwica stronghold.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The bone was underwent macroscopic, radiological and histopathological examination.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Location, macroscopic, microscopic and X-ray images of the lesions within the examined mandible indicate it could have been caused by the actinomycosis.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>In the face of infection, no effective therapies were undertaken in the Middle Ages.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Descriptions of lumpy jaw in the paleopathological literature are rare. This disease, due to its background and course, eliminated animals from breeding for centuries until the era of antibiotics. The case described in our paper is in an advanced stage, but its adult age suggests that efforts were possibly made to keep the cow alive as long as possible, indicating the significant economic importance of the animal.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>This analysis is limited by the absence of other anatomical elements of the affected animal, which impacts the interpretation of the palaeopathological bone.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>It is recommended that similar studies are conducted on better preserved and more numerous cattle assemblages.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 46-50"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187998172300075X/pdfft?md5=29590cc6d4e1f9dbbe7871efdcc32534&pid=1-s2.0-S187998172300075X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138838485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Activity reconstruction of Rangifer tarandus feet in Fennoscandian -archaeology: Methodological considerations and application to archaeological material from two Sámi habitation sites","authors":"Emily Hull ,&nbsp;Anna-Kaisa Salmi ,&nbsp;Mitchell Semeniuk","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.10.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.10.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study explores the presence and prevalence of working <em>Rangifer tarandus tarandus</em> (domestic reindeer) through entheseal changes present in <em>Rangifer tarandus</em> phalanges at the Sámi habitation sites of Juikenttä and Nukkumajoki, located in Finland and dating from the 14th to the 18th centuries.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Modern samples (n = 23 phalanges, <em>Rangifer tarandus fennicus</em>; n = 60 phalanges, <em>Rangifer tarandus tarandus</em> non-working; n = 72 phalanges, <em>Rangifer tarandus tarandus</em> working) with known life histories. Archaeological samples (n = 22 phalanges, Juikenttä; n = 118 phalanges, Nukkumajoki).</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>We analysed entheseal changes on the first and second phalanges of both the thoracic and pelvic limbs. The minute movements of reindeer feet create entheseal changes which are specific to different activity patterns. This analysis was compared to the results obtained from long-bone analysis.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Our results show the presence of working reindeer at both sites and are consistent with previous analysis of the long bones found at the site.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This archaeological application of phalangeal entheseal changes suggests that reindeer phalanges may be used to assess both the presence and proportion of working animals in an assemblage.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This study provides more evidence for the use of working reindeer as early as the 14th century in Northern Finland. This work also helps to provide archaeological evidence for Sámi subsistence patterns, as well as proving new tools for zooarchaeological assessment.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Small sample size and taphonomy may affect assessment. Additionally, entheseal changes take time to envelope and may under-represent the number of working reindeer.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Assessment of additional modern and archaeological samples.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 1-9"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187998172300058X/pdfft?md5=ec3b0ef184de0e775980653335971127&pid=1-s2.0-S187998172300058X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"136400828","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disability and care in Western Europe during Medieval times: A bioarchaeological perspective","authors":"Ileana Micarelli ,&nbsp;Mary Anne Tafuri ,&nbsp;Lorna Tilley","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This Special Issue has its foundation in presentations delivered in the symposium <em>Disability and Care in Medieval Times: a Bioarchaeological Perspective into Health-related Practices</em> held at the 2019 European Association of Archaeologists conference in Switzerland. It comprises 12 papers, all relevant to aspects of pathology experience and/or care provision in Western Europe during the Early to Late Middle Ages (500 – 1500 CE). Reflecting the 1000 year timespan involved, these papers are characterised by diversity in subject matter and in the lifeways in which they are located, but all contribute to the symposium’s primary aim: to demonstrate that our understanding of the Medieval period is enhanced by cross-disciplinary, bioarchaeological research into individual and collective experiences of disability and care. This Introduction provides the background to the 2019 symposium, and briefly discusses the papers contained in the Special Issue which emerged from this.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 119-125"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724000044/pdfft?md5=fa58b0c54ad3dd0b4824791e62b1c47a&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724000044-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139694767","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ageing and disease risk factors: A new paleoepidemiological methodology for understanding disease in the past","authors":"Jo Appleby","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><p>To outline a methodology that enables the reconstruction of age-related disease risk in past societies.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Modern epidemiological evidence considering risk factors for age-related disease is combined with contextual information about an archaeological society of interest.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Data gathered is used to create a qualitative population-specific risk model for the disease of interest. To provide a case study, a risk model is constructed for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in the Eastern English Bronze Age.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>This enables the first rigorous approach to reconstructing age-related disease risk in the past. A risk model shows a high degree of COPD risk in the Eastern English Bronze Age, with a major contribution from indoor airborne pollution and agricultural practices.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This represents a significant new approach in human paleopathology, facilitating understanding of the occurrence of a wide variety of diseases in the past, without the need for well-preserved skeletons of identified elderly individuals.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The risk models generated are, of necessity, qualitative rather than quantitative, since we are unable to calculate the size of risk factors in the past with certainty.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>The methodology could be applied to a wide variety of diseases and for many past societies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 33-45"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981723000736/pdfft?md5=09b247a4e02d8c623ef30e422a6cb7df&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981723000736-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138838484","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eimeria leuckarti in equid coprolites from the Sassanid Era (2nd–6th century CE) excavated in Chehrabad Salt Mine archaeological site, Iran","authors":"Zeynab Askari ,&nbsp;Alireza Sazmand ,&nbsp;Gholamreza Mowlavi ,&nbsp;Frank Rüehli ,&nbsp;Saied Reza Naddaf ,&nbsp;Mostafa Rezaeian ,&nbsp;Thomas Stöllner ,&nbsp;Abolfazl Aali ,&nbsp;Niloofar Paknezhad ,&nbsp;Domenico Otranto","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study reports coccidian oocysts in an equid coprolite dated to the Sassanid Empire (2nd–6th century CE) recovered in Chehrabad Salt Mine archaeological site, Iran.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Between 2015 and 2017, an archaeoparasitological investigation led to the discovery of an equid coprolite in the Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site, (Douzlakh), western Iran. Samples were rehydrated using trisodium phosphate solution and were examined by light microscopy.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Seven oocysts of <em>Eimeria leuckarti</em> (Flesch, 1883) were identified; they were in various stages of sporulation.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>This is the first report of ancient coccidian oocysts from equids. The importance of this observation is discussed, and current knowledge of eimeriid oocysts at archaeological sites is reviewed.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The observations of <em>E. leuckarti</em> increases current knowledge of parasite biodiversity in ancient Iran when it rested along the Silk Road, a network of trade routes connecting the East and West that was central to economic, cultural, political, and religious interactions between these regions, and to livestock movement that could contribute to the transmission of the parasites from/to other regions.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>The contextual information about animal species present in and around the Salt Mine during its working periods, including Achaemenid dynasty (6th to 4th century BCE) and Sassanid era (2nd to 6th century CE), is very limited and does not allow secure conclusions regarding the host origin of the coprolites.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for Further Research</h3><p>Application of molecular biology tools to identify the correct host origin of the coprolites and to detect more parasite species is advocated.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 27-32"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981723000724/pdfft?md5=41e76480bdd97ea6946b207cdfa06cf6&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981723000724-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138474825","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Elemental analysis using portable X-ray fluorescence: Guidelines for the study of dry human bone","authors":"Ricardo A.M.P. Gomes ,&nbsp;Ana Luisa Santos ,&nbsp;Lidia Catarino","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.12.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.12.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is a non-destructive technique that measures the elemental concentration of different materials, including human bone. Recently, it began to be applied to paleopathological studies due to the development of portable devices and their relative ease of use. However, the lack of uniform procedures hampers comparability and reproducibility. This paper aims to provide guidelines for an efficient and standardized evaluation of bone elemental composition with a portable XRF (pXRF) device.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>This technical note is based on the application of the Thermo Scientific Niton XL3t 900 GOLDD+.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>This work includes suggestions for the choice and preparation of human bone samples, both from archaeological context and documented collections, and methodological procedures in pXRF setup, such as choice of calibration, assessment of accuracy, and analysis run time. Additionally, recommendations for data validation and statistical analysis are also included.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>This technique has great potential in paleopathology since bone chemical variations may be associated with different pathological conditions, environmental contamination (e.g., lead), and/or administered treatments, such as mercury. Following an expected increase in the number of studies, it is essential to establish good practices that allow results from different researchers to be comparable.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>X-ray fluorescence is a non-destructive technique that measures small concentrations (ppm) of elements from magnesium (12Mg) through bismuth (83Bi).</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>pXRF does not detect elements lighter than Mg, and its lower energy excitation penetrates less than other techniques.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>Other research groups should test these guidelines and comment on their usefulness and replicability.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 85-89"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981723000797/pdfft?md5=0734257cc4e04834e72eaa1c8e4f7658&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981723000797-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139099428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chronic maxillary sinusitis in palaeopathology: A review of methods","authors":"Matthew James Lee ,&nbsp;Thomas J. Siek ,&nbsp;Cara Stella Hirst","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.11.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study reviews the palaeopathological literature discussing maxillary sinusitis to examine current trends and issues within the study of this condition, and to make recommendations for future research in this area.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Seventy-five studies were identified through a literature search of digital and physical sources.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Information regarding study metadata, the populations investigated, sinusitis diagnostic criteria, and sinusitis prevalence was examined.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>Populations from the UK and Europe were the most studied, reflecting both palaeopathology’s systemic colonialism and academic legacies. Most studies used diagnostic criteria published in the mid‐1990s, with some subsequent studies modifying these criteria.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>The diagnostic criteria from 1995 are widely used but do not include all possible bone changes seen within sinusitis. There is also a need for researchers to engage in issues of data reductionism when using descriptive categories for archaeological sites and populations.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This paper provides considerations as to how the 1995 diagnostic criteria may be revised by future researchers and synthesises much of the published sinusitis prevalence data to assist researchers interested in the palaeopathology of respiratory disease.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>More general osteological research, which includes palaeopathological information, was likely missed from this review due to the choice of key terms and languages used in the literature search.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for Further Research</h3><p>Additional research into sinusitis in archaeological populations outside of Western Europe is required. Further work examining the ability to compare pathological data from macroscopic observation and medical imaging would be advantageous to palaeopathology as a whole.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 51-64"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981723000748/pdfft?md5=6ba9b205198cd81e79fff5eb30fb62cb&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981723000748-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139041141","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surgery under siege: A case study of leg amputation in 18th century Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, Canada","authors":"N. Hughes ,&nbsp;A.B Scott ,&nbsp;D. Pitcher","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpp.2024.01.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>Paleopathological analysis of a below-knee amputation was conducted to explore the sociocultural reasons why the amputation took place.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>Older adolescent male (18–21 years) from the New Englander mass burial at the 18th century Fortress of Louisbourg.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>Macroscopic assessment and archival data.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>A surgical amputation of the right tibia and fibula, distal to the knee was identified. The cross-sectional diaphysis of the leg has kerf marks and a splinter (breakaway point) at the posterior-lateral border of the tibia suggesting the leg gave way from its own weight or was manually removed once most of the sawing was complete.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Archival records suggest frostbite from prolonged exposure to freezing temperatures and trauma from unsafe working conditions at the Fortress were the main causes that led to amputation.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>This case study highlights the importance of contextualizing cases of amputation to understand factors leading to the amputation procedure and techniques used in the past, and the social and living conditions of the individual.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Observations were restricted to skeletal material as soft tissue decomposed and there was no material evidence suggestive of amputation associated with this individual in their grave.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for future research</h3><p>Full trauma assessment of the Fortress of Louisbourg skeletal collection to provide additional insight into injury sustained at Louisbourg and 18th century surgical practices.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"44 ","pages":"Pages 112-118"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1879981724000020/pdfft?md5=dc8c699940d58945d6f674e3c3ecef95&pid=1-s2.0-S1879981724000020-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139503376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A pathological lesion or a postmortem artefact? An interdisciplinary approach to deal with an interesting early medieval case","authors":"Martina Fojtová ,&nbsp;Jan Křístek ,&nbsp;Lukáš Kučera","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.10.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.10.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>This study evaluates a case of pseudopathology and the effects that postmortem taphonomic changes and environmental influences can have on bone.</p></div><div><h3>Material</h3><p>A skeleton of a young male from the early medieval site Staré Město, dated to the 9th–10th century CE.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p><span>The skeletal remains were subjected to detailed macroscopic and X-ray examination, and then a CT scan and </span>XRF analysis were performed.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p><span>X-ray examination of the mandible revealed unusually dense structures, whose appearance was not consistent with any known pathology. Based on the results of CT scanning, it was hypothesized that these were cavities filled with </span>alluvial sediment. X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), focusing on the determination of the silica content, revealed a high intensity of silica in the samples of the affected area of the bone.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusion</h3><p>The hypothesis that the inclusions were composed of waterborne sediment was supported.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>Although it is well known that soil can infiltrate bones buried in the ground, its appearance on plain radiographs is not that commonly known. The case illustrates the usefulness of differentiating true pathologies from postmortem alterations to avoid inappropriate interpretations.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>No similar cases have been described.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestion for further research</h3><p>In palaeopathological evaluation, the use of multiple imaging and evaluative techniques should be implemented to differentiate pathological lesions from pseudopathology.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"43 ","pages":"Pages 93-98"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71430524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Is the promontory a promising site to diagnose otitis media in paleopathology? A search for evidence","authors":"Stefan Flohr ,&nbsp;Uwe Kierdorf ,&nbsp;Horst Kierdorf ,&nbsp;Albert Mudry","doi":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.10.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.10.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objective</h3><p>The promontory of the middle ear was recently suggested to be an appropriate site for diagnosing otitis media (OM) in archaeological bones by endoscopic inspection. The present study scrutinized the underlying assumption that a bulgy, irregular promontorial surface represents a pathological condition.</p></div><div><h3>Materials</h3><p>We compared an allegedly healthy individual and an allegedly diseased individual in skeletal remains of two human individuals from the early Medieval period in Germany.</p></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><p>The specimens were studied using microscopic analyses of thin ground sections.</p></div><div><h3>Results</h3><p>The osseous architecture of the three-layered promontorial wall was the same in both specimens. Both the contour of the resorption front of the middle layer and the thickness of the overlying outer periosteal layer showed some variation, resulting in an either smooth or a bulgy promontorial surface, while signs of resorptive or proliferative changes at the periosteal surface were missing in both cases.</p></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><p>Our results suggest that an irregular promontorial surface represents normal variation in the development of the otic capsule rather than a pathological condition. We therefore conclude that the promontory is not an appropriate site for diagnosing OM in archaeological bone.</p></div><div><h3>Significance</h3><p>The study contributes to evidence-based diagnoses in paleo-otological studies. Our assumption is in line with clinical and experimental findings indicating that the otic capsule is protected against bone remodeling.</p></div><div><h3>Limitations</h3><p>Only two specimens were studied.</p></div><div><h3>Suggestions for further research</h3><p>SEM-studies to detect more subtle changes to the promontorial surface.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48817,"journal":{"name":"International Journal of Paleopathology","volume":"43 ","pages":"Pages 106-111"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"71430525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}