Sex determination using upper limb bones in Korean populations

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to establish metric standards for the determination of sex from the upper limb bones of Korean. We took a set of eleven measurements on each of 175 right sides of adult skeletons chosen at Korean sample. Classification accuracy dropped only one or two individuals when only vertical head diameter of humerus is used. Variables in relation with maximal length were less accurate than head diameter of humerus. Two variables were selected by the stepwise procedure: maximal length of humerus, vertical head diameter of humerus. The combined accuracy was 87%. This study of modern Korean skeletons underscores the need for population-specific techniques, not only for medicolegal investigations, but also for the study of population affinities and factors affecting bone configurations.

Sex estimation of upper long bones by selected measurements in a Radom (Poland) population from the 18th and 19th centuries AD

“…The demarcation points of Radom's population were larger than those determined by other studies, such as from the Eastern Adriatic regions (Bašić et al 2013), Korea (Lee et al 2014), Crete (Kranioti and Michalodimitrakis 2009), and an Early Medieval population from Poland (the city of Strzelno) (Piontek 1969). The demarcation points of Radom's sample from the 18th and 19th centuries were smaller in comparison with the Early Medieval Polish population from Ostrow Lednicki (Bergmann et al 1962;Ćwirko-Godycki and Swedborg 1979).…”

“…The mean for males was 260 mm and for females 237 mm in the ulna length measurement, and 242 mm for male and 218 mm for females in the radius length measurement. Sex dissimilarities in these bones were observed not only in the European populations (Piontek 1969;Celbis and Agritmis 2006), but also in Asian (Sakaue 2004;Lee at al. 2014) and African (Barrier and L'Abbé 2008) populations.…”

“…However, these same measurements can have a different value in the assessment of sex in the studies of populations. For the vertical diameter of the head, a contemporary population from Korea had 87% accuracy, while our study achieved 83% accuracy (Lee et al 2014). In the maximal length of the radius, modern Cretans had 91% accuracy, while the population from Radom achieved only 84% accuracy (Kranioti and Michalodimitrakis 2009).…”

“…A comparison of the results of the present study with those from other studies of skeletal long bones demonstrates that these same measurements are especially valuable. The vertical diameter of the humeral head, and the maximum length of radius and ulna are important sex indicators in many other populations (Kranioti and Michalodimitrakis 2009; Bašić et al 2013;Lee et al 2014). However, these same measurements can have a different value in the assessment of sex in the studies of populations.…”

“…Dimensions from the upper long bones (humerus, radius, ulna, and clavicle) have been used to successfully distinguish between the sexes in several European (Cowal and Pastor 2008;Bašić et al 2013;Kranioti and Tzanakis 2015), Asian (Sakaue 2004;Lee et al 2014) and African populations (Steyn and Işcan 1999;Barrier and Abbé 2008). In mentioned studies, different measurements have been shown to be good indicators of sex dimorphism.…”