No abstract

Long bone diaphyseal strength proportions in gorillas are developmentally plastic, reflecting behavior, while length and articular proportions are much more genetically canalized. These findings have implications for interpreting morphological variation among fossil taxa.

Vertebral fractures are a common burden amongst elderly and late middle aged people. Vertebral cross-sectional area (CSA) is a major determinant of vertebral strength and thus associated with vertebral fracture risk. Previous studies suggest that physical activity affects vertebral CSA. We aimed to investigate the relationship between leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) from adolescence to middle age and vertebral dimensions in adulthood. We utilized the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966, of which 1188 subjects had records of LTPA at 14, 31 and 46 years, and had undergone lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the mean age of 47 years. Using MRI data, we measured eight dimensions of the L4 vertebra. Socioeconomic status, smoking habits, height and weight were also recorded at 14, 31 and 46 years. We obtained lifetime LTPA (14–46 years of age) trajectories using latent class analysis, which resulted in three categories (active, moderately active, inactive) in both genders. Linear regression analysis was used to analyze the association between LTPA and vertebral CSA with adjustments for vertebral height, BMI, socioeconomic status and smoking. High lifetime LTPA was associated with larger vertebral CSA in women but not men. Further research is needed to investigate the factors behind the observed gender-related differences.

These results suggest that a decline in activity levels associated with the adoption of agriculture and industrialization significantly contributed to the reduction in BVF in recent modern humans, but specific behavioral changes, particularly in the upper limb, also affected these patterns.

Human lumbar vertebrae support the weight of the upper body. Loads lifted and carried by the upper extremities cause significant loading stress to the vertebral bodies. It is well established that trauma-induced vertebral fractures are common especially among elderly people. The aim of this study was to investigate the morphological factors that could have affected the prevalence of trauma-related vertebral fractures from medieval times to the present day. To determine if morphological differences existed in the size and shape of the vertebral body between medieval times and the present day, the vertebral body size and shape was measured from the 4th lumbar vertebra using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and standard osteometric calipers. The modern samples consisted of modern Finns and the medieval samples were from archaeological collections in Sweden and Britain. The results show that the shape and size of the 4th lumbar vertebra has changed significantly from medieval times in a way that markedly affects the biomechanical characteristics of the lumbar vertebral column. These changes may have influenced the incidence of trauma- induced spinal fractures in modern populations.

BackgroundVertebral size and especially cross-sectional area (CSA) are independently associated with vertebral fracture risk. Previous studies have suggested that physical activity and especially high-impact exercise may affect vertebral strength. We aimed to investigate the association between high-impact exercise at 31 and 46 years of age and vertebral dimensions in midlife.MethodsWe used a subsample of 1023 individuals from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 study with records of self-reported sports participation from 31 and 46 years and MRI-derived data on vertebral dimensions from 46 years. Based on the sports participation data, we constructed three impact categories (high, mixed, low) that represented longitudinal high-impact exercise activity in adulthood. We used linear regression and generalized estimating equation (GEE) models to analyse the association between high-impact exercise and vertebral CSA, with adjustments for vertebral height and body mass index.ResultsParticipation in high-impact sports was associated with large vertebral CSA among women but not men. The women in the 'mixed' group had 36.8 (95% confidence interval 11.2–62.5) mm2 larger CSA and the women in the 'high' group 43.2 (15.2–71.1) mm2 larger CSA than the 'low' group.ConclusionsWe suggest that participation (≥ 1/week) in one or more high-impact sports in adulthood is associated with larger vertebral size, and thus increased vertebral strength, among middle-aged women.

Among 20-, 30-, and 46year-old Finns, combining the measurements of width, depth, and height of the L4 body can be used to estimate sex with an accuracy of >80%. Vertebral width, depth, and height seem to yield as accurate sex estimates as more complicated vertebral parameters.

 We present L4-based stature estimation equations for Northern Finns  In the pooled-sex sample, the most accurate equation yielded an error of 5.635 cm  Among men and women, the lowest errors were 5.125 and 4.640 cm, respectively  We suggest that L4 dimensions may be used to estimate stature relatively accurately ABSTRACT Background: Accurate stature estimation plays an essential role in the identification of unknown deceased individuals. For cases in which conventional methods of stature estimation are not applicable, we studied the stature estimation potential of the fourth lumbar vertebra (L4) among a large living sample of