Aims The aim of this study was to establish the incidence of developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH) diagnosed after one-year of age in England, stratified by age, gender, year, and region of diagnosis. Patients and Methods A descriptive observational study was performed by linking primary and secondary care information from two independent national databases of routinely collected data: the United Kingdom Clinical Practice Research Datalink and Hospital Episode Statistics. The study examined all children from 1 January 1990 to 1 January 2016 who had a new first diagnostic code for DDH aged between one and eight years old. Results The incidence of late-diagnosed DDH was 1.28 per 1000 live births. Within the study population, 754 children were identified with a diagnosis of DDH after one-year of age. Of all late diagnoses, 536 (71.1%) were detected between one to two years of age. There were 608 female patients (80.6%) and 146 male patients (19.4%), giving a female-to-male ratio of 4.2:1. Distribution was evenly spread throughout England. Conclusion The incidence of late-diagnosed DDH has not been reduced from that reported 35 years ago, prior to the introduction of the national selective screening programme for DDH. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:281–287.

SummaryThe Yabelo-Mega region of southern Ethiopia's Borana region holds two threatened endemic and restricted-range species, the White-tailed Swallow Hirundo megaensis ('Vulnerable') and Ethiopian Bush-crow Zavattariornis stresemanni ('Endangered'). Concern about these species' conservation status has recently increased owing to rapid alterations to their thornbush savanna habitat. This six-week field study aimed to identify the specific habitat requirements of each species, with a view to understanding how they are likely to be affected by these changes, and to provide baseline quantitative abundance data using simple and repeatable methods. White-tailed Swallows were recorded on an overall 4.7% of transects and point counts, and in all habitats (including villages and farmland) except broadleaved Combretum-Terminalia woodland. Line transects indicated that swallows avoided dense scrub and tree cover, but this was not detected during point counts. Bush-crows were recorded on an overall 16.6% of transects and point counts, and like swallows showed a strong preference for thornbush (Acacia and Commiphora) over broadleaved woodland, avoided dense scrub cover, and were particularly frequent in the vicinity of villages. During point-counts, bush-crows were more frequently encountered inside the nominally protected Yabelo Sanctuary, whereas the reverse was true for White-tailed Swallows. Recent concern about dramatic declines in bush-crow numbers revealed by roadside counts may have been exacerbated by habitat alteration along roads alone, but the species remains under threat from habitat transformation through agricultural expansion, tree felling and bush encroachment.

The ability to exploit and thrive on a wide variety of foodstuffs from diverse environments is a hallmark of Homo sapiens. Humans are particularly well adapted to exploit waterside environments, where they can forage in areas offering protection from both terrestrial and aquatic predators. Humans are able to walk, run, climb, wade, swim and dive, and our research indicates that the most parsimonious explanation for this combination of locomotor traits, and for Man's current anatomy, physiology, nutritional requirements and unique intellect is evolution in a littoral environment. This model is consistent with the location and presumed palaeoecologies of all early Homo fossils and artifacts, and could help explain the rapid dispersal of Homo in the early Pleistocene (2.56-0.78 million years ago (Ma)), the colonization of Australia and Indonesia in the middle Pleistocene (0.78-0.13 Ma), and the rapid dispersal of Homo sapiens in the late Pleistocene (0.13-0.012 Ma). Reliance on the aquatic food chain is also a facile method for providing consistently abundant brain-specific nutrition for all members of a group or society, thus facilitating the development of the technology and culture that is uniquely human.

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