Background:Abnormal brain development due to neurodevelopmental disorders in children has always been an important concern, but yet has to be considered as a significant public health problem, especially in the low- and middle-income countries including Nigeria.Aims:The aim of this study is to determine whether abnormal brain development in the form of neurodevelopmental disorders causes any deviation in the cranial index of affected children.Materials and Methods:This is a comparative study on the head length, head width, and cranial index of 112 children (72 males and 40 females) diagnosed with at least one abnormal problem in brain development, in the form of a neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD), in comparison with that of 218 normal growing children without any form of NDD (121 males and 97 females), aged 0-18 years old seen at the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, over a period of six months, June to December, 2012. The head length and head width of the children was measured using standard anatomical landmarks and cranial index calculated. The data obtained was entered into the Microsoft excel worksheet and analyzed using SPSS version 17.Results:The mean Cephalic Index for normal growing children with normal brain development was 79.82 ± 3.35 and that of the children with abnormal brain development was 77.78 ± 2.95 and the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).Conclusion:It can be deduced from this present study that the cranial index does not change in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.

Background: Formaldehyde is commonly used for cadaver preservation in most anatomy laboratories with medical students at risk of acute toxic reactions involving the mucosal surface of the upper respiratory tract. Aım: To assess the nasal induced physical reactions from formaldehyde exposure among pre-clinical medical students. Materials and Method: This is a cross sectional, anonymous questionnaire-based study that included 119 preclinical medical students who took human anatomy laboratory course in the year 2012 at the College of Health Science of the Usman Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria. Results: One hundred and nineteen students responded to the questionnaires. There were 82 males and 37 females with a ratio of 2.2:1. Fifty nine (49.6%) of the respondents had watery rhinorrhea, nose itching 41 (34.5%), excessive sneezing 34 (28.6%), nasal obstruction 32 (26.9%), hyposmia 23 (19.3%) and 6 (5%) epistaxis. Thirty (29.2%) respondents had persistent nasal symptoms throughout the dissection session and nasal obstruction accounted for 40% of those affected. Majority of the respondents 113 (95%) had no knowledge of health hazards and precautions against formaldehyde exposure. Conclusion: Watery rhinorrhea, followed by nasal obstruction were the most common nasal symptoms which were persistent in 36.7% and 40% of the respondents respectively throughout the anatomy dissection sessions. Ninety five percent of the respondents had no knowledge of health hazards and precautions against formaldehyde exposure, therefore we recommend creation of awareness and precautionary measures against formaldehyde exposure in our Nigerian medical schools.

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Alternative approaches to sex determination of DNA samples involve investigation of regions of the amelogenin gene. This is the gene that encodes tooth enamel and is present on both the X and Y chromosomes. A review composed via Medline Internet search of literature and contributions from our experiences as well as experiences from colleagues. The rareness of failures in sex determination provides confidence in current techniques, but amelogenin gene method (singly) of sex determination is not without failures. Amelogenin PCR method/system of sex determination should not, at the moment, completely replace traditional methods of sex identification. Hence, sex identification with amelogenin gene, of subjects for forensic purposes should be conducted as much as possible through a multiple morphological-molecular combined methods to avoid fallibility of amelogenin gene.

Head circumference is one of the commonest and very important anthropometric parameters investigated in children during physical examinations in hospitals within our locality. The aims of this study were to determine the relationship between head circumference and cranial parameters (maximum cranial width [MCW], maximum cranial length [MCL], cranial index [CI]) of study participants as well as to use head circumference values to predict cranial parameters of study participants. A total of 153 children (80 Males and 73 Females) aged between 0 and 3 years were recruited for this study with mean ages of 20.85±9.05 months in males and 19.37±9.07 in females. The head circumference (cm), maximum cranial length (cm), maximum cranial width (cm) of the study participants were measured and cranial index (%) values calculated. Pearson's product‐moment correlation coefficients between variables were computed using Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet. The mean values for head circumference were 46.31±3.48cm in males and 46.52±2.91cm in females. The mean value for maximum cranial length was 14.67±1.13cm in males and 14.80±1.27cm in females while the maximum cranial width mean values were 11.46±0.91cm and 11.89±1.16cm in males and females respectively. The mean value for the cranial index in males was 78.14±3.26% and 80.29±3.02% in females and this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). A moderate positive correlation was observed between HC and MCL (r = 0.521; p < 0.0001) in males, between HC and MCL (r = 0.591; p < 0.0001) in females respectively. A weak positive correlation was found between HC and MCW (r = 0.390; p < 0.0001) in males while a moderate positive correlation existed between HC and MCW (r = 0.546; p <0.0001) in females. Results of linear regression analysis indicated that HC significantly predicted MCW and MCL in both sexes (p < 0.05) while CI was not significantly predicted by HC (b = −0.20, p = 0.0523) in males and (b = 0.06, p = 0.6019) in females respectively. However, the slope of the regression lines (b) between head circumference (cm) and all the cranial parameters was positive in females and same in males except for cranial index (b = −0.20, p = 0.0523) and this was not statistically significant (p < 0.05). From this present study, there is a moderate positive linear relationship between HC and cranial parameters (MCW; MCL) with no statistically significant relationship between HC and CI in both sexes. HC significantly predicted the values for MCW and MCL in both males and females. Routine cranial evaluation such as ours as demonstrated in this study can be of clinical importance in assessing and monitoring cranial growth in childrenSupport or Funding InformationNilThis abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Datasets containing standardized craniofacial measurements in African children are not widely available. Such datasets are needed to establish craniofacial norms and document patterns of normal growth, which are often population specific. In this cross‐sectional study we used traditional calipers to collect 13 standard anthropometric measurements on 320 male (n=172) and female (n=148) children from Sokoto, Nigeria with mean age of 38.39 and 37.34 months, respectively. The study participants were divided into eight different age groups: 6–12; 12–18; 18–24; 24–30; 30–36; 36–48; 48–60 and 60–72 months. ANOVA was used to test for sex differences within the age groups. Our results revealed statistically significant sex differences in craniofacial morphology at each age group, except the 12–18 month old subset. The greatest number of sexually dimorphic measures was observed in the 30–36 month and 36–48 month age groups. Through 60 months, the means of measurements that showed significant sex differences were universally larger in females than in males. By the 60–72 month group, mean values for sexually dimorphic traits were larger in males. This is consistent with reports in other cohorts showing a more accelerated rate of craniofacial growth in females during early postnatal growth that begins to level off during childhood. This study provides the first systematic documentation of sex differences in craniofacial variation in typical growing Nigerian children, increasing our understanding of craniofacial growth changes across different age groups in relation to sexual dimorphism. This information can be used by Nigerian clinicians and other health care givers to further understand craniofacial growth and morphology of Nigerian children, and serves as baseline data for the creation of a local craniofacial database that will facilitate diagnosis of craniofacial anomalies and overall patient management.Support or Funding InformationThe author(s) hereby acknowledge the support of the American Association of Anatomists (AAA) through the Short‐term Visiting Scholarship Award to the Laboratory of Dr. J.T. Richtsmeier, Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA as well as the Management of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, for the Staff Training and Development Fellowship Approval/Award (TETFund).This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.

Purpose:Extraction and successful PCR amplification of DNA from humanremains in historical and forensic cases have great importance. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the efficiency of a method of DNA extraction and PCR amplification of embalmed dried human cadaveric skeletal fragments and teeth specimens from Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria. Materials and Methods: The efficiency of a method of DNA extraction and PCR amplification was tested on thirteen (13) embalmed dried human cadaveric skeletal fragments and nine (9) teeth specimens from Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria were used in the study. Results: Of the 13 embalmed dried human cadaveric skeletal fragments, 12 (92.3%) samples amplified with apparent bands. For the 9 embalmed dried human teeth specimens, 7 (78%) samples amplified with apparent bands. Conclusion: The study has shown that our method of DNA extraction and PCR amplification was efficient on embalmed dried human cadaveric skeletal fragments and teeth specimens, from Sokoto, Northwestern Nigeria.

Background: Post-mortem identification of human remains with severe crushing and mutilating skeletal injuries from mass burials and natural disasters, is a challenging forensic procedure. Gender determination from skeletal remains requires a comparison between established ante-mortem data and post-mortem findings from mostly intact, easily recoverable parts of the skeleton, like the skull base sphenoid bone. Computed tomography, being the gold standard for radiological assessment of the paranasal sinuses, offers accurate and precise information about skeletal tissues. The aim of the study was to determine the sex of subjects from measurements of the sphenoid sinus using computerized tomography. Materials and Methods: Computerised tomography images of 323 adult sphenoid sinuses, obtained over a six-year period, from individuals whose ages ranged from 18 to 80 years were recruited, and the study was conducted at the Radiology Department of the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, following ethical approval. Images were taken with a GE Brightspeed Multidetector Helical CT Scanner, the anteroposterior, craniocaudal and transverse dimensions were measured on sagittal reformatted, axial and coronal reconstructed CT images respectively, and the volumes were determined. Measurements were taken in millimetres, between the widest points at the middle of the sinus walls from three-dimensional reconstructed images using the RadiAnt Version 4.2 (Medixant, 2017), powered by the Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) viewer software. These images were viewed on bone windows. Results: Sinus volume and the transverse diameter, each correctly classified the sexes of subjects, in 60.4% of cases. However, when all the measured parameters of the sinus were analysed together as a single factor for sex determination, an overall value of 57.6% was obtained. Conclusion: Computerized Tomography measurements of sphenoid sinus dimensions could be useful in support of gender identification in unknown severely damaged human remains with speared sphenoid bone. Keywords: Sex, Sphenoid, CT, Forensic Anthropology