Francisca Alves Cardoso

Exploring the Relationship Between Entheseal Changes and Physical Activity: A Multivariate Study

Analyses of entheseal changes (EC) in identified skeletal samples employ a common research strategy based on the comparison between occupations grouped on the basis of shared biomechanical and/or social characteristics. Results from this approach are often ambiguous, with some studies that point to differences in EC between occupational samples and others failing to provide evidence of behavioral effects on EC. Here we investigate patterns of EC among documented occupations by means of a multivariate analysis of robusticity scores in nine postcranial entheses from a large (N = 372) contemporary skeletal sample including specimens from one Italian and two Portuguese identified collections. Data on entheseal robusticity, analyzed by pooled sides as well by separated sides and levels of asymmetry, are converted in binary scores and then analyzed through nonlinear principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results of these analyses are then used for the classification of occupations. Differences between occupational classes are tested by MANOVA and pairwise Hotellings test. Results evidence three classes which separate occupations related to farming, physically demanding but generalized occupation, and physically undemanding occupations, with the more consistent differences between the first and the last classes. Our results are consistent with differences in biomechanical behavior between the occupations included in each class, and point to the physical and social specificity of farming activities. On the other hand, our study exemplifies the usefulness of alternative analytical protocols for the investigation of EC, and the value of research designs devoid of a priori assumptions for the test of biocultural hypotheses.

In search of consensus: Terminology for entheseal changes (EC)

This article presents a consensus terminology for entheseal changes that was developed in English by an international team of scholars and then translated into French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and German. Use of a standard, neutral terminology to describe entheseal morphology will reduce misunderstandings between researchers, improve the reliability of comparisons between studies, and eliminate unwarranted etiological assumptions inherent in some of the descriptive terms presently used in the literature.

Exploring poverty: skeletal biology and documentary evidence in 19th–20th century Portugal

Abstract Background: The inference of the state of wealth or poverty from human skeletal remains is a difficult task, as the limited number of skeletal changes are mediated by numerous other physiological, biomechanical and pathological events. In recent years, identified skeletal collections have become valuable resources in enabling aetiologies of these changes to be understood while controlling for some known causative factors, e.g. age, sex and occupation. This has favoured more rigorous data analysis and interpretation. Aim: This study compares the presence of osteological makers of occupation – specifically degenerative joint changes (DJC) – between socio-economically framed occupational groups whilst controlling for age-at-death. Materials and methods: A total of 603 individuals were distributed into seven occupational groups used as a proxy for their socio-economic status. Results: The results demonstrated that age was a contributing factor for DJC. Differences between occupational groups were only found for the hips, right shoulder and ankle. Conclusions: Differences found were not necessarily representative of low vs high socio-economic status. Furthermore, there are limitations associated with the use of occupation-at-death, based on documentary evidence, which does not necessarily reflect wealth-status.

Bone Diagenesis and its Implication for Disease Diagnosis: The Relevance of Bone Microstructure Analysis for the Study of Past Human Remains.

When bone is exposed to the burial environment it may experience structural changes induced by multiple agents. The study of postmortem alterations is important to differentiate decomposition phenomena from normal physiological processes or pathological lesions, as well as to assess bone tissue quality. Microscopy is of great utility to evaluate the integrity of bone microstructure and it provides significant data on long-term bone decomposition. A total of 18 human bone sections (eight archeological and ten retrieved from an identified skeletal collection) were selected for analysis under plane light and polarized light. The aim of this exploratory study was to analyze the impact of diagenesis and taphonomy on the bone microstructure, as well as on the differential diagnosis of pathological conditions. The results showed that the microscopy approach to bone tissues contributed materially as an aid in the detailed description of the main diagenetic changes observed. It showed that gross inspection does not provide a realistic assessment of bone tissue preservation, which can impact in the characterization of lesions present and subsequent disease diagnosis. Therefore, researchers should continue to consider the application of histological techniques if the aim is to comprehend tissue integrity and its association with decomposition or disease.

Is differential diagnosis attainable in disarticulated pathological bone remains? A case-study from a late 19th/early 20th century necropolis from Juncal (Porto de Mós, Portugal)

Differential diagnosis is a fundamental step in every palaeopathological study. It is a challenging exercise since many intrinsic and extrinsic factors may negatively impact the accurate interpretation of bone changes in human skeletal remains. Among these, the completeness and preservation of skeletal elements plays a significant role. This study aims to explore the limits of differential diagnosis in the analysis of disarticulated, fragmented bones. The sample consists of twelve adult bone fragments with noticeable changes. The remains were identified in a dis-articulated skeletal assemblage from the former necropolis of Juncal (Porto de Mós, Portugal), which probably closed in the late 19th century/early 20th century. They were analysed visually and with X-radiography, and the changes carefully described prior to differential diagnosis. Six bones presented signs of healed bone trauma and one showed features compatible with leg amputation. Periosteal reactions were observed in several bones, one of them resembling changes consistent with an overlying skin ulcer. Two bone fragments were identified as belonging to the same individual due to the matching bone changes. Despite the incomplete remains, a broader diagnosis was possible for most cases, which facilitated a discussion of health, medical and social care among the inhabitants of the region.

Is it a cystic or a cyst-like condition? Discussing the etiology of an unusual large mandibular lesion in a Roman skeleton from Quinta da Torrinha/Quinta de Santo António (Almada, Portugal)

Cystic and cyst-like lesions of the jaw are a recurrent finding in routine dental radiography but not in paleopathology. This paper describes a large oval osteolytic cavity (23 × 14 mm) observed in the mandible of a middle-aged female unearthed from the Roman necropolis of Quinta da Torrinha/Quinta de Santo António (Almada, Portugal, 3rd-5th centuries AD). The lesion was located in the body of the mandible, inferior to the alveolus of the first left molar. The associated tooth exhibited a carious lesion that destroyed the tooth crown and exposed the pulp cavity. The osteolytic lesion presented inner smooth walls and sharped regular contours, surrounded by slight microporosity. Radiography revealed an unilocular lesion with well-defined contours and a thin opaque rim. The differential diagnosis considered several odontogenic and non-odontogenic conditions of the jaw. The size and shape of the cavity, the nature of its walls and contours, and the presence of a source of infection in the pulp is consistent with an odontogenic condition of inflammatory origin, probably a radicular cyst.

Exploring the relationship between entheseal changes and physical activity

Analyses of entheseal changes (EC) in identified skeletal samples employ a common research strategy based on the comparison between occupations grouped on the basis of shared biomechanical and/or social characteristics. Results from this approach are often ambiguous, with some studies that point to differences in EC between occupational samples and others failing to provide evidence of behavioral effects on EC. Here we investigate patterns of EC among documented occupations by means of a multivariate analysis of robusticity scores in nine postcranial entheses from a large (N = 372) contemporary skeletal sample including specimens from one Italian and two Portuguese identified collections. Data on entheseal robusticity, analyzed by pooled sides as well by separated sides and levels of asymmetry, are converted in binary scores and then analyzed through nonlinear principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results of these analyses are then used for the classification of occupations. Differences between occupational classes are tested by MANOVA and pairwise Hotellings test. Results evidence three classes which separate occupations related to farming, physically demanding but generalized occupation, and physically undemanding occupations, with the more consistent differences between the first and the last classes. Our results are consistent with differences in biomechanical behavior between the occupations included in each class, and point to the physical and social specificity of farming activities. On the other hand, our study exemplifies the usefulness of alternative analytical protocols for the investigation of EC, and the value of research designs devoid of a priori assumptions for the test of biocultural hypotheses.

Exploring the relationship between entheseal changes and physical activity: A multivariate study: A Multivariate Study of Entheseal Robusticity

Analyses of entheseal changes (EC) in identified skeletal samples employ a common research strategy based on the comparison between occupations grouped on the basis of shared biomechanical and/or social characteristics. Results from this approach are often ambiguous, with some studies that point to differences in EC between occupational samples and others failing to provide evidence of behavioral effects on EC. Here we investigate patterns of EC among documented occupations by means of a multivariate analysis of robusticity scores in nine postcranial entheses from a large (N = 372) contemporary skeletal sample including specimens from one Italian and two Portuguese identified collections. Data on entheseal robusticity, analyzed by pooled sides as well by separated sides and levels of asymmetry, are converted in binary scores and then analyzed through nonlinear principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis. Results of these analyses are then used for the classification of occupations. Differences between occupational classes are tested by MANOVA and pairwise Hotellings test. Results evidence three classes which separate occupations related to farming, physically demanding but generalized occupation, and physically undemanding occupations, with the more consistent differences between the first and the last classes. Our results are consistent with differences in biomechanical behavior between the occupations included in each class, and point to the physical and social specificity of farming activities. On the other hand, our study exemplifies the usefulness of alternative analytical protocols for the investigation of EC, and the value of research designs devoid of a priori assumptions for the test of biocultural hypotheses.