Histomorphometric age estimation from the femoral cortex: A test of three methods in an Australian population

Maggio, Ariane; Franklin, Daniel

doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2019.109950

Cited by 14 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 14 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Cr was discovered. Tests of their age‐estimation formulae on modern populations attributed a high standard error of estimate to the circularity index sensitivity (Lagacé, Verna, Adalian, Baccino, & Martrille, 2019; Maggio & Franklin, 2019). Osteon inverse aspect ratio (minor axis/major axis) has been proposed as a more robust metric of osteon elongation (Hennig et al, 2015).…”

Section: Traditional Two‐dimensional Histological Age‐estimation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bone histological research within forensic anthropology has traditionally focused on analytical outcomes including the ability to accurately estimate age‐at‐death (Ahlqvist & Damsten, 1969; Bouvier & Ubelaker, 1977; Cho et al, 2002; Crowder, 2005; Ericksen, 1991; Kerley, 1965; Narasaki & Laughlin, 1990; Pfeiffer, 1992; Singh & Gunberg, 1970; Stout, 1986; Stout & Gehlert, 1982; Stout & Paine, 1992; Thompson, 1979), or differentiate human from nonhuman bone (Dominguez & Crowder, 2012; Hillier & Bell, 2007; Mulhern & Ubelaker, 2001; Mulhern & Ubelaker, 2003; Mulhern & Ubelaker, 2012). More recent research has focused on method improvement with an emphasis on validation (Crowder, 2005; Lagace, Verna, Adalian, Baccino, & Martrille, 2019; Maggio & Franklin, 2019; Milenkovic, Djukic, Djonic, Milovanovic, & Djuric, 2013), increasing accuracy and precision of current histological techniques (Heinrich, Crowder, & Pinto, 2012; Morris & Crowder, 2005), and the error generated in applying such methods (Christensen & Crowder, 2009; Christensen, Crowder, Ousley, & Houck, 2014). While these continue to remain important goals of bone histology research, efforts over the past decade have directed greater attention to linking bone histomorphometry to bone quality, fracture risk, mechanical loading history, and exploiting innovative technological modalities to explore bone microarchitecture in novel ways.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Current and emerging histomorphometric and imaging techniques for assessingage‐at‐deathand cortical bone quality

Andronowski

Cole

2020

WIREs Forensic Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Bones are dynamic living organs that undergo continual change throughout life. An internal process of tissue renewal, called remodeling, removes mature microscopic packets of bone, and replaces them with new bone in a highly coordinated manner. To date, it remains difficult to directly observe and track individual remodeling events in cortical bone due to the small size of the structures involved. High‐resolution imaging techniques hold the potential to provide novel three‐dimensional information pertaining to changes in bone's microarchitecture, cortical porosity, and the remodeling process. This review critically explores the methodological approaches used historically by researchers to assess the products of remodeling within cortical bone and relate it to age‐at‐death estimation, extending from histology to modern ex vivo imaging modalities, and discusses the growing potential of in vivo imaging. We further provide an introduction to various histological indicators of bone quality and fragility, their forensic relevance, and examples of novel imaging modalities employed for their investigation. The review concludes with an introduction to cutting‐edge in vivo four‐dimensional imaging techniques that include the use of animal models to shed new light on the dynamic nature of bone, and the processes of bone aging and disease. Data gleaned from these new insights will ultimately lead to the development of future histologic age‐estimation methods in forensic anthropology. This article is categorized under: Forensic Anthropology > Age Assessment Forensic Chemistry and Trace Evidence > Emerging Technologies and Methods Forensic Medicine > Imaging Modalities

show abstract

Section: Traditional Two‐dimensional Histological Age‐estimation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Current and emerging histomorphometric and imaging techniques for assessingage‐at‐deathand cortical bone quality

Andronowski

Cole

2020

WIREs Forensic Science

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Eventually all that can be seen in bone cross-sections are fragmentary and complete osteons. This continual remodelling forms the basis of efforts to assess the age of adults from counts of complete and partial osteons, and to a lesser extent changes in osteon size [14][15][16][17][18][19]. The considerable variation that exists among individuals and observer error in the counting process, however, introduce great uncertainty about age estimates based on what can be seen in cortical bone cross-sections.…”

Section: Bone Microstructure Composition and Life Historiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trace element distribution in human cortical bone microstructure: the potential for unravelling diet and social status in archaeological bones

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Variation in the trace element chemistry of cortical bone microstructure is delineated for interred and non-interred human femora. This was done to investigate the range of element concentrations that might occur within single bones, specifically the original laminar bone and later osteons, and its potential for investigating chemical life histories. To do so, femora were chosen from individuals who experienced quite different ways of life over the past two millennia. The distributions of Sr, Ba, Cu, and Pb, mostly in partial (early) and complete (late) osteons, in cross-sections of proximal femora were characterized through Laser Ablation Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. Absolute calibrations of these data were obtained using solution Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry on adjacent dissolved bulk samples. Chemical life histories were approximated by classifying bone microstructure into four categories: laminar bone and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation osteons. This four-part sequence, on average, charts the temporal dimension of an individual’s life. Consistent with recent studies of medieval bones, Sr and Ba are thought to be mainly responsive to diet, presumably related to the consumption of mostly locally produced food, while Cu and Pb do the same for heavy metal exposure often attributable to social status or occupation. No systematic differences in these elements were found between interred and non-interred individuals. The effect of diagenesis on interpretations of life histories based on archaeological bone, therefore, are minimized by plotting element concentrations across cortical bone cross-sections.

show abstract

“…This can lead to decreased accuracy when these formulae are applied to individuals in a population who are younger than the minimum age represented in the original reference sample. 31 The main reasons for the lack of larger Figure 3. Forest plot of the effect size estimate (Hedges' g) and 95% CI for each study and the fixed-effect model in the effect-size analysis.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Femoral histomorphometric age-at-death studies: The issue of sample size and standard error

Maggio

Franklin

2020

Med Sci Law

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Extant histomorphometric aging methods based on the analysis of the femoral cortex generally report small samples ( N<100) and highly variable standard error of the estimate (SEE) values (±1.51‒16.98 years). The present paper reviews the published literature on femoral histomorphometry for age-at-death estimation in order to examine the relationship between sample size and SEE values, and makes recommendations for minimum reporting requirements for age-at-death studies based on statistical data. The SEE from a total of 33 studies are analysed. Sample size and confidence intervals are explored using Hennig and Cooper’s simulation modelling. Analysis of effect size through a fixed-effect model is performed on 5/33 studies to examine the relationship between sample size and effect size. The pooled sex formulae from Nor et al., Martrille et al. and Thompson and the two sex-specific formulae of Pfeiffer are examined, as they report mean and standard deviation values for both chronological and estimated ages. The results of these analyses support sampling theory, specifically wide variation in SEE when N<100, narrowing as the sample size increases, and lower effect sizes in the larger of the five studies examined. The findings provide some support for a minimum threshold of 100‒150 individuals for histomorphometric age-at-death estimation. Analysis of effect size is suggested for future investigation in meta-analyses of forensic anthropological age-estimation studies. To ensure increased precision and meaningful comparison, large samples should be used for histomorphometry, and authors should report SEE and discrete statistics (e.g. n, mean, standard deviation) for both chronological age and estimated age.

show abstract

Histomorphometric age estimation from the femoral cortex: A test of three methods in an Australian population

Cited by 14 publications

References 14 publications

Current and emerging histomorphometric and imaging techniques for assessingage‐at‐deathand cortical bone quality

Current and emerging histomorphometric and imaging techniques for assessingage‐at‐deathand cortical bone quality

Trace element distribution in human cortical bone microstructure: the potential for unravelling diet and social status in archaeological bones

Femoral histomorphometric age-at-death studies: The issue of sample size and standard error

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About