Elena F. Kranioti

Expression of Adiponectin and Adiponectin Receptors in Human Pituitary Gland and Brain

Background/Aims: Adiponectin and its receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, constitute integral components of energy homeostatic mechanism in peripheral tissues. Recent studies have implicated adiponectin in central neural networks regulating food intake and energy expenditure. The present study aimed at investigating the possible expression and distribution of adiponectin and its receptors in human pituitary gland, hypothalamus and different brain areas. Methods: Sections of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus and adjacent basal forebrain area, cerebrum and cerebellum from 35 autopsy cases, were examined using HE, PAS-Orange G, luxol fast blue/cresyl violet stains and single and double immunohistochemistry using adiponectin, AdipoR1, AdipoR2, choline acetyltransferase, FSH, LH, TSH, GH, ACTH and prolactin-specific antibodies. Age and BMI mean values ± SD of the autopsy cases were 56 ± 18 years and 27 ± 5 kg/m2, respectively. Results: Strong adiponectin expression was observed in pituitary gland. In pars distalis (PD), adiponectin localized in GH, FSH, LH and TSH-producing cells and in pars tuberalis (PT) in FSH, LH and TSH-producing cells. Strong to moderate expression of AdipoR1 and AdipoR2 was observed in PD by the same cell types as adiponectin. No immunoreactivity for adiponectin receptors was noted in cells of PT. Intense AdipoR1 immunostaining was observed in neurons of lateral hypothalamic area and of nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM). Conclusions: Adiponectin and its receptors expression in human pituitary might indicate the existence of a local system, modulating endocrine axes. Furthermore, the presence of AdipoR1 in hypothalamus and NBM suggests that adiponectin may participate in central neural signaling pathways controlling energy homeostasis and higher brain functions.

Craniometric analysis of the modern Cretan population

Despite the fact that sex assessment using craniofacial characteristics is commonly made worldwide, a lack of such investigation is noted in the Balkan area and in Greece in particular. The aim of this study is to develop a sex determination technique using osteometric data from skeletal remains of a contemporary Cretan cemetery population. A total of 90 males and 88 females are measured according to standard osteometric techniques. Age differences are not significant (mean age for men=68.94+/-13.41, N=66; for women=73.21+/-16.77, N=66). A total of 16 dimensions taken from the craniofacial skeleton are used and data are analyzed using SPSS subroutines. A comparison is made with other contemporary populations, including Americans (Terry collection) and South Africans (Dart and Pretoria collections), as well as an archaeological sample (Middle and Late Helladic) from Crete. Results indicate that males are statistically significantly greater than females in all dimensions. Bizygomatic breadth is the most discriminatory single dimension and can provide an accuracy rate of 82% on average. Using a stepwise method involving five dimensions (bizygomatic breadth, cranial length, nasion-prosthion and mastoid height and nasal breadth), accuracy is raised to 88.2%. Interestingly, cranial length is selected as the first discriminating variable by the stepwise analysis when only the neurocranium is available for measurement.

Sexual dimorphism of the scapula and the clavicle in a contemporary Greek population: Applications in forensic identification

Sex estimation is the grounds for an accurate identification of unknown human skeletal elements. The need for reliable methods distinguishing males from females based upon various skeletal elements is evident in cases of commingled, eroded and/or missing remains. The aim of this work lays on establishing criteria for sex estimation from the scapula and the clavicle in modern Greeks. A total of 147 left scapulae and 147 clavicles (66 females and 81 males) were used in the study. Eight and six measurements were taken on the scapula and clavicle respectively and data were subjected to principal components analysis (PCA) and discriminant function analysis (DFA). Posterior probabilities for the classification of each individual are also calculated. Statistical analysis was carried out using the software PAST (Paleontological Statistics) and SPSS (Statistical Package for Social Sciences) 18. The results supported the existence of pronounced sexual dimorphism, which was mainly attributed to size differences among the two groups. Univariate and multivariate methods of statistical classification showed high accuracy for all scapular and most clavicular measurements, verifying their value as sex indicators in the under study population. We recommend the use of this method for sex assessment from the scapula and the clavicle in cases exhibiting over 95% probability of correct classification. This is regardless of the overall high degree of accuracy reported here, as the method of choice in forensic contexts should always be case-driven.

The impact of economic austerity and prosperity events on suicide in Greece: a 30-year interrupted time-series analysis

Objectives To complete a 30-year interrupted time-series analysis of the impact of austerity-related and prosperity-related events on the occurrence of suicide across Greece. Setting Greece from 1 January 1983 to 31 December 2012. Participants A total of 11 505 suicides, 9079 by men and 2426 by women, occurring in Greece over the study period. Primary and secondary outcomes National data from the Hellenic Statistical Authority assembled as 360 monthly counts of: all suicides, male suicides, female suicides and all suicides plus potentially misclassified suicides. Results In 30 years, the highest months of suicide in Greece occurred in 2012. The passage of new austerity measures in June 2011 marked the beginning of significant, abrupt and sustained increases in total suicides (+35.7%, p<0.001) and male suicides (+18.5%, p<0.01). Sensitivity analyses that figured in undercounting of suicides also found a significant, abrupt and sustained increase in June 2011 (+20.5%, p<0.001). Suicides by men in Greece also underwent a significant, abrupt and sustained increase in October 2008 when the Greek recession began (+13.1%, p<0.01), and an abrupt but temporary increase in April 2012 following a public suicide committed in response to austerity conditions (+29.7%, p<0.05). Suicides by women in Greece also underwent an abrupt and sustained increase in May 2011 following austerity-related events (+35.8%, p<0.05). One prosperity-related event, the January 2002 launch of the Euro in Greece, marked an abrupt but temporary decrease in male suicides (−27.1%, p<0.05). Conclusions This is the first multidecade, national analysis of suicide in Greece using monthly data. Select austerity-related events in Greece corresponded to statistically significant increases for suicides overall, as well as for suicides among men and women. The consideration of future austerity measures should give greater weight to the unintended mental health consequences that may follow and the public messaging of these policies and related events.

Sex identification and software development using digital femoral head radiographs

The determination of sex is considered one of the first essential steps in positive identification. The current study aspires to accomplish a threefold purpose: to develop an easy and rapid sex determination technique using digital radiographs from the proximal epiphysis of the femur, to develop a simplified tool for pathologists that will provide accurate sex identification using radiographs and to compare this method with standard osteometric techniques applied to the same population. A total of 70 (36 males and 34 females) left femora were measured according to standard osteometric techniques. The proximal epiphyses of the same sample were then radiographed using a digital X-ray machine (TCA 4R PLUS). The skeletal remains were selected from the exhumed skeletons of St. Konstantinos and Pateles Cemeteries, Heraklion, Crete. Nine classical measurements were taken from the entire dry femora. Stepwise discriminant function analysis selected only 2 dimensions (maximum head diameter and anterior-posterior midshaft diameter) producing an accuracy rate of 88.6% for both original and cross-validated data. If assuming that only the proximal part of the femur is present, direct procedure results in 87.1% correct group membership. Six landmarks were selected in the radiograph and 15 variables representing all possible combinations of these landmarks were calculated using a specially designed calibrated Java program. Measurements were submitted to discriminant function analysis using SPSS subroutines. Stepwise discriminant function analysis selected only 3 out of 15 dimensions, producing an accuracy rate of 92.9%. The formula generated was then incorporated into the Java application, resulting in the development of a sex identification software (SIS). A sample of 36 (23 left and 13 right) femoral radiographs was used in order to test the softwares reliability and sex was correctly identified in 32/36 cases, giving an accuracy rate of 91.7%. The radiographic technique proposed here performed better compared to conventional methods in the same population. From a forensic point of view it is a useful alternative method when semi-decomposed or charred remains are recovered in mass disasters or crime scenes and maceration is not an option. The application of metric methods in radiographs and the development of a highly specific software provides a useful and easy tool for sex identification that can be used in certain forensic cases in which osteometry does not apply.

Sex estimation of the Cretan humerus: a digital radiometric study

Sex estimation based on measurements of unidentified skeletal remains recovered in crime and death scenes can be accomplished with accuracy. In mass disasters, however, the remains are often fleshed, burned, and/or commingled. As a result, osteometric methods are difficult to apply. In such cases, radiography can be of great use during the examination process. A total of 101 (53 males and 48 females) adult humeri were radiographed using digital equipment (Technix TCA 4R PLUS). Specific measurements were taken on the radiographs and then analyzed. Multivariate discriminant function analysis was applied, and the results showed up to 89.1% classification accuracy. Single variables performed equally well for both epiphyses reaching 86.1% correct group membership. The method proposed here is successful, offering an alternative sex estimation technique applicable to the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are semi-fleshed, burned, mutilated, or otherwise unrecognizable. Specifically, this method is extremely useful when maceration of the remains is not an option.

Sexual dimorphism of the bony labyrinth: A new age-independent method

Currently in physical anthropology there is a need for reliable methods of sex estimation for immature individuals and highly fragmented remains. This study develops a sex estimation technique from discriminant function analysis of the bony labyrinth as it matures before puberty and can survive taphonomic conditions that would destroy most other skeletal material. The bony labyrinth contains the organs of hearing and balance. For this reason biologists and paleoanthropologists have undertaken research in this area to understand evolutionary changes in locomotion. Prior studies have found clear differences between species, but within-species variation has not been satisfactorily investigated. 3D segmentations of the left and right labyrinths of 94 individuals from a Cretan collection were generated and measured. Mean measurements of height, width, size, and shape indices were analyzed for sexual dimorphism, bilateral asymmetry, and measurement error. Significant sexual dimorphism was detected for several measurements. For sex estimation, the single best variable was the radius of curvature of the posterior semicircular canal, which achieved 76% accuracy. Two multivariate functions increased accuracy to 84%. Although these equations are less accurate than equations for complete long bones and crania, they appear to be as accurate as or better than other techniques for sexing immature individuals and temporal bones.

Forensic Anthropology in Europe: an assessment of current status and application

Forensic anthropology is the discipline that traditionally deals with the examination of human remains for legal purposes and it derives from the fields of anatomy, physical anthropology and forensic medicine. For more than a century, forensic anthropologists in the United States have been offering their services in the court of law complementing the medico-legal investigation of other forensic professionals. The current status in European countries is presented here. The development of forensic anthropology varies significantly among the countries of Europe. Whereas some countries show a long history of research activity in the forensic sciences, including forensic anthropology (i.e. France, Germany and Spain), others are exhibiting a recent, rapid development (i.e. United Kingdom). In some cases, forensic anthropologists are employed within the academic realm (i.e. U.K., Denmark, Portugal, Turkey), forensic institutions (Netherlands) or government organizations (Spain, Hungary), although the vast majority of them remain limited to freelance activities on a sporadic basis. Often, European scientists that deal with skeletal remains come from nonphysical anthropology disciplines such as archaeology, forensic medicine and biology. In many cases they do not have adequate training equivalent to the forensic anthropologists in the USA. Naturally, without common training and a common legal system, an accreditation system for Europe will be difficult to implement.

Virtual Assessment of the Endocranial Morphology of the Early Modern European Fossil Calvaria From Cioclovina, Romania

Endocasts provide evidence on size and shape characteristics, blood supply trajectories, and neurological features of the brain, allowing comparative analyses of fossil hominins crucial to our understanding of human brain evolution. Here, we assess the morphological features of the virtual endocast of the Cioclovina Upper Paleolithic calvarium, one of the earliest reliably dated European modern human fossils. Our study was conducted on a computed tomography (CT) scan of the original specimen. The endocranial profile was approximated via a semiautomatic segmentation of the CT data. Virtual reconstructions of the endocast were used for assessing the morphological features of the endocranium and for the estimation of the endocranial volume. Cioclovina exhibits a clockwise torque with a small anterior extension of the left frontal lobe over the right one and a protrusion of the right occipital lobe over the left, most likely due to the superior sagittal sinus coursing over the occipital pole. There is an obvious right predominance of the posterior drainage system. Interestingly, the area of the frontal sinus is occupied by dense bony tissue with small air cells corresponding probably to a natural bony loss in the diploë and to vascular spaces. An estimated endocranial volume of 1498.53 cc was calculated. The convolutional details of the third inferior frontal gyrus (Brocas caps) are indistinguishable from those found in modern Homo sapiens, and the left occipital lobe appears wider than the right, a possible correlate of right‐handedness. Our metric analysis of endocranial measurements also aligns Cioclovina with modern humans. Anat Rec, 2011.

Sexual dimorphism of the metacarpals in contemporary Cretans: Are there differences with mainland Greeks?

Sex in the adult skeleton can usually be reliably determined through an assessment of features found on the pelvis and cranium. In the lack of these elements it is necessary to elaborate other methods to establish sex in skeletonised remains recovered in forensic cases. Standards for other bones (e.g. humerus, metacarpals and metatarsals) have already been established for the Greek population. The aim of this study is to determine whether the standards for metacarpals provided from a study on the Athens collection are representative of a modern Cretan population. Using a digital caliper we took 7 measurements on each one of the left and right metacarpal bones of 108 adult individuals from a modern collection from Crete. Totally twenty formulae for left and right bones created from the Athens collection were used to sex the sample of this study. The overall classification accuracy obtained for our sample was very close to the cross-validated accuracy reported by the authors. However, looking at the classification accuracy for males and females, a consistent trend for low classification rates in females was observed. New formulae were developed for the Cretan sample yielding up to 85% classification accuracy. This study clearly indicates that the standards for metacarpals developed from the Athens collection are not appropriate for application in forensic cases for the island of Crete as they do not represent the local population efficiently. This may hold true for other regions of Greece thus great caution should be taken when applying these standards. Obviously more research is needed to confirm these results.