Influence of light conditions (colour temperature and illuminance) on the evaluation of root translucency for the application of Lamendin's age-at-death estimation technique.

Estimation of age-at-death represents a central focus in forensic human identification, as it is a key parameter used in the identification of unidentified bodies. In 1992, Lamendin et al. published a simple technique for estimating the age-at-death of adult skeletal remains based on two dental criteria: the gingival regression and the extent of dentine translucency. Although Lamendin's technique is widely used in forensic contexts and the evaluation of root translucency is a key element in the technique, the light conditions for measuring this parameter have not been adequately established. The aim of the present study is to analyse the influence of colour temperature and illuminance level of a LED light source when root translucency is evaluated to optimize the use of Lamendin's technique for age-at-death estimation. The results describe how light settings may affect the visual perception of root translucency by different examiners and, therefore, affect the accuracy of the age-at-death estimation methods and techniques based on this parameter.

Post-Mortem Dental Profile as a Powerful Tool in Animal Forensic Investigations-A Review.

Veterinary forensics is becoming more important in our society as a result of the growing demand for investigations related to crimes against animals or investigations of criminal deaths caused by animals. A veterinarian may participate as an expert witness or may be required to give forensic assistance, by providing knowledge of the specialty to establish a complete picture of the involvement of an animal and allowing the Courts to reach a verdict. By applying diverse dental profiling techniques, not only can species, sex, age-at-death, and body size of an animal be estimated, but also data about their geographical origin (provenance) and the post-mortem interval. This review concentrates on the dental techniques that use the characteristics of teeth as a means of identification of freshly deceased and skeletonised animals. Furthermore, this highlights the information that can be extracted about the animal from the post-mortem dental profile.

Transmission of Zoonotic Diseases in the Daily Life of Ancient Pompeii and Herculaneum (79 CE, Italy): A Review of Animal-Human-Environment Interactions through Biological, Historical and Archaeological Sources.

There is no doubt that the cultural and urban environments contributed to the animal-human interaction in the daily life of the ancient Roman world. The singularity of the circumstances of the burial of Pompeii and Herculaneum, together with literary sources and the extraordinary state of preservation of the archaeological and biological material found, has provided researchers with an opportunity, unique in its kind, to reconstruct the life and ways of living of its inhabitants. This study illustrates the main drivers and mechanisms for the distribution and transmission of zoonotic diseases in these ancient Roman populations, such as (i) the large number and role that different animal species played in the ancient Roman world; (ii) the environmental conditions for the survival of parasites, pathogens and vectors; (iii) the great variety and intensity of commercial activities and occupations that presented certain risks of infections; (iv) the absence of adequate safety controls during processing, distribution and preservation of foodstuffs in unsuitable environments and some culinary habits; (v) the inadequate mechanisms of the disposal of human waste and the biotic contamination of watercourses and reservoirs; and finally (vi) the use of animals related to religious and cultural practices.

Cervical rib in a young individual from the late medieval cemetery of Corfinio (12th-13th century CE, Italy): a case report and review of the literature.

Cervical ribs constitute the most important variants among ribs, particularly because of their proximity to the brachial plexus nerve network and subclavian artery. Thus, cervical ribs may exert excessive pressure upon these structures, producing a variety of symptoms that may be considered as a neuro-vascular complex. Cervical ribs are not uncommon in the catalogue of anatomic abnormalities in modern medicine, but few cases have been reported from historic skeletal material. We conducted a review with the existent articles published in palaeopathological literature, the historical background with the most important milestones regarding the studies on cervical ribs, the embryological processes in their development, and their prevalence and principal clinical features. Finally, we described a case of a cervical rib that was observed in the skeletal remains of a young individual from the late medieval cemetery of Corfinio (12th-13th century CE, Italy).

Sex estimation by odontometrics of nonadult human remains from a contemporary Italian sample.

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to develop an odontometric technique for sex estimation based on dental measurements from adult individuals, and to evaluate its applicability and reliability for diagnosis of sex of nonadult skeletal remains. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted on the permanent dentition of 132 individuals (70 males, 62 females) from the identified human skeletal collection of the Certosa Cemetery (Bologna, Italy) of the University of Bologna. Binary logistic regression equations were developed based on dental measurements of the permanent teeth of the adult individuals, and these equations were subsequently applied to the permanent dentition of nonadult individuals to estimate their sex. RESULTS: These data show that the canine teeth of both the maxilla and mandible are the most sexually dimorphic teeth in adults, followed by the mandibular second molar, maxillary and mandibular second and first premolars, and mandibular first molar. These data provided correct assignment of sex in 80.4-94.9% of cases, which depended on the measurements used. Of the 26 nonadult individuals of the experimental sample, sex diagnosis was possible for 22, which represented an applicability rate of 84.6% of the individuals. Comparing the sex of these 22 nonadult individuals estimated by odontometrics with the known biological sex, correct assignment was obtained in 90.9% of cases. CONCLUSION: As a method of sex estimation, odontometric analysis of permanent dentition can be used successfully for nonadult human skeletal remains in both forensic and archeological contexts.