Birgit Grosskopf

Differences Among Species in Compact Bone Tissue Microstructure of Mammalian Skeleton: Use of a Discriminant Function Analysis for Species Identification:

ABSTRACT: In order to develop an identification key for distinguishing between several mammalian species, bone structure of their compact bone tissue was analyzed using qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Ninety femora of adult male humans, pigs, cows, sheep, rabbits, and rats were studied. The average area, perimeter, minimum, and maximum diameter of 1863 Haversian canals and 1863 secondary osteons were measured using a digital image device. The observed data were first used to evaluate inter‐ and intraspecies diversity. After that, we applied a discriminant function analysis for differentiation of the species by these variables. Classification functions for investigated species give cross‐validated correct classification rates for 76.17% of cases. This percentage value can be increased by integrating conclusions from the qualitative analysis.

Climbing into the past—first Himalayan mummies discovered in Nepal

In a cave system in Mebrak (Mustang District, Western Nepal), a team of archaeologists investigating extensive abandoned settlements in the high Himalayas made an extraordinary discovery in 1995. One of the caves had been used as a community burial chamber from ca. 400 BC to 50 AD. Inside, approximately 30 naturally mummified bodies rested in bed-like wooden coffins exhibiting ornamental carving and elaborate painting. The dead had been furnished with a rich store of grave goods consisting of both personal ornaments and objects of daily life as well as the remains of domestic animals. Due to the favourable climatic conditions, all of the artefacts, which also include fur and textile garments, are in a surprisingly good state of preservation. The anthropological analysis shows that the group’s demographic structure is balanced, and that the individuals exhibit morphometric affinities to Mongolian populations. Within the highly homogenous group, shared morphological patterns characterize three—possibly familial—subgroups. There is evidence of successful surgical treatment, implying considerable medical knowledge. The general state of health shows the individuals to have been well adapted to their extreme environment on the edge of human habitation.

Differences in Femoral Compact Bone Tissue Microscopic Structure between Adult Cows (Bos taurus) and Pigs (Sus scrofa domestica)

The purpose of this investigation was to study in detail compact bone tissue microscopic structure of adult cows and pigs with an emphasis to find an adequate key for the species identification. Altogether 18 femurs were analysed. Each of the bones was sectioned at the smallest breadth of their diaphysis. Specimens were prepared using standard histological equipment, producing thin sections approximately 80–100 μm thick. The qualitative differences between investigated species were examined in anterior, posterior, medial and lateral views of thin sections. The quantitative ones were counted using the specific computer software Scion Image. We measured the area, perimeter, minimal and maximal diameter of the Haversian canals, the Haversian systems and the vascular canals of primary osteons. After that a discriminant function analysis was used for the species identification. According to our results the basic structural pattern of femur diaphysis was primary vascular plexiform in both species. However, non‐vascular bone tissue was identified in cows and resorption lacunae were found between the secondary osteons in pigs. The measured variables of the Haversian canals, the Haversian systems and the primary osteons vascular canals were higher in most cases in cows. Classification functions for investigated species give a correct classification of 64.69% of cases. This percentage value can be increased by integrating conclusions from the qualitative analysis.

Yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) as zoomonitors of environmental contamination at a polluted area in Slovakia.

BackgroundFree-living wild rodents are often used as zoomonitors of environmental contamination. In the present study, accumulation of cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in critical organs of yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) and bank voles (Myodes glareolus) trapped in a polluted area in Nováky, Slovakia was investigated.MethodsYellow-necked mice (n = 8) and bank voles (n = 10) were collected using standard theriological methods for wood ecosystems. All animals were adult males in good physical condition. The concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, and Zn in the liver, kidney, and bone were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.ResultsThe highest concentrations of Cd and Zn were found in the bone of both species while Cu and Fe accumulated mainly in kidney or liver. Significant higher concentrations of Cd and Cu were detected in the liver of bank voles than in yellow-necked mice. Similar significant higher levels of Cd and Zn were found in the bone of bank voles. In contrast, significant higher concentrations of Cu and Fe were present in the kidney of yellow-necked mice.ConclusionsIn the yellow-necked mouse and bank vole, bone seems to accumulate Cd and Zn following prolonged exposure. On the contrary, kidney and liver store Cu and Fe after a long-term environmental exposure. In the present study, bank voles seemed to be more heavy metal loaded zoomonitors than yellow-necked mice.

Effects of dietary supplementation of nickel and nickel-zinc on femoral bone structure in rabbits

BackgroundNickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) are trace elements present at low concentrations in agroecosystems. Nickel, however, may have toxic effects on living organisms and is often considered as a contaminant. This study reports the effect of peroral administrated Ni or a combination of Ni and Zn on femoral bone structure in rabbits.MethodsOne month-old female rabbits were divided into three groups of five animals each. Group 1 rabbits were fed a granular feed mixture with addition of 35 g NiCl2 per 100 kg of mixture for 90 days. In group 2, animals were fed a mixture containing 35 g NiCl2 and 30 g ZnCl2 per 100 kg of mixture. Group 3 without administration of additional Ni or Zn served as control. After the 90-day experimental period, femoral length, femoral weight and histological structure of the femur were analyzed and compared.ResultsThe results did not indicate a statistically significant difference in either femoral length or weight between the two experimental groups and the control group. Also, differences in qualitative histological characteristics of the femora among rabbits from the three groups were absent, except for a fewer number of secondary osteons found in the animals of groups 1 and 2. However, values for vascular canal parameters of primary osteons were significantly lower in group 1 than in the control one. Peroral administration of a combination of Ni and Zn (group 2) led to a significant decreased size of the secondary osteons.ConclusionsThe study indicates that dietary supplementation of Ni (35 g NiCl2 per 100 kg of feed mixture) and Ni-Zn combination (35 g NiCl2 and 30 g ZnCl2 per 100 kg of the mixture) affects the microstructure of compact bone tissue in young rabbits.

Structural changes in femoral bone tissue of rats after subchronic peroral exposure to selenium

BackgroundThe role of selenium (Se) on bone microarchitecture is still poorly understood. The present study aims to investigate the macroscopic and microscopic structures of femoral bone tissue in adult male rats after subchronic peroral administration of Se.MethodsTwenty one-month-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into two experimental groups. In the first group (Se group) young males were exposed to 5 mg Na2SeO3/L in drinking water, for 90 days. Ten one-month-old males without Se administration served as a control group. At the end of the experiment, macroscopic and microscopic structures of the femurs were analysed using analytical scales, sliding instrument, and polarized light microscopy.ResultsThe body weight, femoral length and cortical bone thickness were significantly decreased in Se group rats. These rats also displayed different microstructure in the middle part of the femur, both in medial and lateral views, where vascular canals expanded into the central area of the bone while, in control rats, these canals occurred only near the endosteal surfaces. Additionally, a smaller number of primary and secondary osteons was identified in Se group rats. Histomorphometric analyses revealed significant increases for area, perimeter, maximum and minimum diameters of primary osteons’ vascular canals but significant reductions for all measured variables of Haversian canals and secondary osteons.ConclusionsSe negatively affected the macroscopic and microscopic structures of femoral bone tissue in adult male rats. The results contribute to the knowledge on damaging impact of Se on bone.

Comparative Study of Compact Bone Tissue Microstructure between Non-transgenic and Transgenic Rabbits with WAP-hFVIII Gene Construct

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in compact bone tissue microstructure between New Zealand White transgenic rabbits with human blood clotting factor VIII gene and the non‐transgenic ones. The transgene was under the transcriptional control of the whey acidic protein (WAP) promoter. Altogether, 42 femora were analysed. Specimens were prepared using standard histological equipment, producing thin sections approximately 80–100 μm. Areas, perimeters, minimum and maximum diameters of vascular canals of primary osteons, Haversian canals and secondary osteons were measured. Our results indicate the basic structural pattern of the bone tissue was primary vascular longitudinal in both groups of rabbits. However, a fibrolamellar bone tissue was identified only in the transgenic rabbits. The measured variables of the vascular canals of the primary osteons, the Haversian canals and the secondary osteons were higher in transgenic rabbits in comparison with non‐transgenic ones in most cases and the differences were often statistically significant (P < 0.01; P < 0.001). More significant differences were noticed in males (transgenic versus non‐transgenic). However, it is not easy to find the real cause of the changes. Despite the fact that no hFVIII mRNA expression was found in the analysed bone of transgenic rabbits, we presume that the observed differences could be associated with transgenesis. In this article, we discuss possible associations between transgene integration as well as aneuploidy and/or observed microstructural changes in compact bone tissue.

Analyses to help identify individuals from a historical mass grave in Kassel, Germany.

In 2008, the skeletal remains of more than 60 human individuals were found in a mass grave on the grounds of the University of Kassel, Germany. There was no evidence helping to identify them or throwing light on the cause of their death. Mainly due to 14C age determination and initial hints on age and sex distribution, historians hypothesized that they had been soldiers of Napoleons army who died in an epidemic in the winter of 1813/14. To test this assumption, morphological and molecular analyses were carried out on a sample. The morphological analyses comprised an age and sex determination as well as a macro- and micro-morphological inspection for pathological deviations after the commingled bones had been assembled as individuals. The molecular investigations aimed to identify the geographic origin of the remains. For this, mitochondrial and Y-chromosomal haplotypings were carried out. The results point to a group of mainly young men, some of them suffering from systemic inflammation of the periosteum. Others revealed severe aberrations in bone microstructure. The greatest similarities revealed by Y-haplogroup and -haplotype distribution were to populations that live in what are now the Benelux countries. All aspects support the thesis that these were soldiers of the Napoleonic army.

Investigations of the relation between birth trauma and pelvic size in females from a medieval gravesite from Lübeck

ABSTRACT This study proposes that female pelvises showing no birth traumata may have had ideal child-bearing bone constitutions, differing significantly in size and shape from those with severe traumata, resulting in advantages during parturition. Based on this assumption, the female pelvises of a late medieval mass grave from Lübeck have been examined in terms of pelvic osteometric standards in obstetrics, morphological aspects, the degree of birth trauma lesions, and the possible effect of age at death on trauma mark severity. The results imply much wider pelvises (up to 1 cm) in the historical population and a shift in pelvic shape appearances from gynaecoid and platypelloid forms toward android and anthropoid shapes, compared with modern European populations. Furthermore, a significant relation between the appearances of lesions and the age at death was found, while the relations between pelvic size and shape and birth trauma appearances is not significant in this historical skeletal series.