Wormian bones (WB) are the irregular bone structures developed from additional centers of ossification. Although they are commonly found in healthy individuals, under certain conditions (number >10, mosaic pattern, large size), they can indicate pathology. While their coexistence with numerous diseases is well-documented, and various studies have reported their prevalence in populations of various geographic regions, no qualitative critical review of such studies has been conducted. The aim of this paper is to perform a critical review of research studies on the presence of Wormian bones in populations worldwide, with a particular emphasis on the methodology used and the selection of the samples studied. A sample of 44 original research articles was selected via PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Four criteria were assessed: 1) number of individuals in each group, 2) known sex of individuals, 3) selection criteria of individuals, and 4) implementation of the statistical analysis. The origin of the research sample was determined as well as the method of the WB calculation, and data on the WB prevalence worldwide was collected in tabular form. The reported size of the research samples varies from 22 to 628 individuals, derived from both contemporary and archaeological populations. Four major formulas were used in order to provide the frequency of WB. The sex of individuals was known in 18 (40.9%) articles. Most of the articles focused on Asian samples. The difficulties in comparing data on the Wormian bones are caused by considerable inconsistency in the methodology used to research this phenomenon. Therefore, the interpopulation comparisons currently made may not be correctly estimated. Our study highlights the need for using more comprehensive and consistent data collection as well as processing protocol suitable for populational research on sutural bones.
During archaeological excavations in burial sites, sometimes stoned organic objects are found, in addition to human remains. Those objects might be of a different origin, depending on various factors influencing members of a community (i.e. diseases, trauma), which provides information about their living conditions. The St. Nicholas Church archaeological site (Libkovice, Czechia) in the 18th century horizon of the cemetery, yielded a maturus-senilis female skeleton with a stone object in the left iliac fossa. This object was an oviform cyst-like rough structure, measuring 54 mm in length, 35 mm in maximum diameter and 0.2–0.7 mm shell thickness. Within the object there were small fetal bones (long bones, i.e. femur and two tibias, two scapulas, three ribs, vertebrae and other tiny bone fragments). Methods utilized to analyze the outer and inner surface morphology of the cyst and its inside, included: X-ray, CT imaging, SEM, histological staining and EDS. The EDS analysis revealed the presence of primarily oxygen, calcium and phosphorus in bone samples, and oxygen and silicon, in stone shell. Based on the length of the femur (20.2 mm) and tibia (16 mm) shafts, the fetal age was determined as being in the 15–18 week of pregnancy. The differential diagnosis was conducted, including for the three most probable cases: fetiform teratoma (FT), fetus-in-fetu (FIF) and lithopedion. The possibility of fetiform teratoma was discounted due to the presence of an anatomically correct spine, long bones and the proportions of the find. Although the low calcium content in the shell (2.3% atom mass), the lack of skull bones and the better developed lower limbs indicate fetus-in-fetu rather than lithopedion, the analyses results are unable to conclusively identify the object under one of these two categories since there are insufficient such cases in excavation material with which to draw comparison.
Introduction: According to criminal codes of most Western countries, possessing, producing and disseminating of fictional paedopornography is a crime. In light of these laws, the shotacon/lolicon (popular and widely available Japanese animations or comic books showing minors in a sexual context) seems to deserve special mention. There have been several convictions for violations of these laws, however, the methodology of a depicted person’s age estimation is still unestablished. The aim of this study was to assess the suitability of anthropometrical prediction of age to the analysis of characters animated in the Japanese style. Material and methods: The metric (distance between facial landmarks) and non-metric (type of chin shape) features of 173 animated characters’ faces were obtained. Material was collected from 90 most popular Japanese anime series. Measurements were conducted in ImageJ software. The correlations of age and standardized measurements: en-ex, en-en, eye height, pu-prn, pu-sto, pu-gn were examined. The chin shape was described by three independent ‘judges’. Results and conclusions: Correlations for pu-prn, pu-sto, pu-gn and eye height in females and in all males were statistically significant. Age prediction was made using linear regression equations. Good prediction (± 1 year) was obtained for 44% males and 17% females. Prediction within the acceptable range (± 2 years) was achieved for 23% of males and 18% of females. In total, the prediction with an error of no more than ± 2 years was obtained for 67% of males and 35% from females, which is comparable to the results obtained in the study of real children. Moreover, triangular or rounded chin shape was significantly more frequent in boys aged 10–12 years, and square in older boys 16–18 years. Current research provides a basis for developing a methodology for assessing the age of animated characters. There is a need for further research in this area.
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