Konstantinos Moraitis

Identification and differential diagnosis of perimortem blunt force trauma in tubular long bones

The identification of perimortem injuries from human remains is crucial in the forensic evaluation of skeletal trauma. The purpose of this article is to review the criteria currently used by forensic experts for the identification and differential diagnosis of perimortem blunt force trauma in long bones. The mechanism of injury and the associated fracture pattern in long bones is discussed because it is fundamental in the forensic interpretation. The distinction between postmortem and perimortem fractures is based on the evidence of an osteogenic reaction. The first signs of healing can be detected macroscopically, radiographically, or histologically. Perimortem injuries may be distinguished from postmortem damage by examining certain attributes such as fracture angle and fracture margins. Additionally, the most commonly encountered taphonomic factors leading to postmorterm damage are described in order to alert the workers of the existence of such pitfalls that may perplex the forensic interpretation of skeletal trauma. Although the distinction of bone damage that occurred long after death from perimortem trauma is relatively easy, the differentiation of fractures inflicted shortly before death or soon after death may be difficult or even impossible.

Forensic implications of carnivore scavenging on human remains recovered from outdoor locations in Greece

Mammalian carnivores rank among the most common scavengers of human remains. The present study discusses the forensic implications that carnivore scavenging had on human remains recovered from outdoor locations in Greece, and reviews the current literature on this subject. The forensic anthropological investigation indicated that carnivores were able to disarticulate and scatter body parts and personal effects over the recovery area, destroy skeletal elements and affect their survival, and alter or destroy indicators related with the cause and manner of death. In one case, scattering of bones over a considerable distance compromised the recovery efforts, causing later a problem in re-associating the skeletons. Other taphonomic factors than scavenging such as rolling of skeletal elements may be also responsible for the movement of bones. Carnivore scavenging was also responsible for the production of tooth marks on bone, and for bone removal especially noted on the articular ends of long bones. Matching different bone alterations with such activity is of vital importance since as it was seen carnivore scavenging can confound the interpretation of perimortem skeletal trauma.

Sex determination in modern Greeks using diagonal measurements of molar teeth

Sex determination is a necessary step in the investigation of unidentified human remains from a forensic context. Teeth, as one of the strongest tissues in the human body, can be used for this purpose. Most studies of sexual dimorphism in teeth are based on the traditional mesiodistal and buccolingual crown measurements. The purpose of this study is to examine the degree of sexual dimorphism in permanent molars of modern Greeks using crown and cervical diagonal diameters, and to evaluate their applicability in sex determination. A total of 344 permanent molars in 107 individuals (53 male and 54 female) from the Athens Collection were examined. Crown and cervical diagonal diameters of both maxillary and mandibular molars were measured. It was found that males have larger molars than females and in 19 out of 24 dimensions measured male molars exceeded female molars significantly (P<0.05). The most dimorphic molars are the maxillary second molar, and the mandibular second and first molars. Although other molars were also sexually dimorphic they did not have a statistically significant difference in all dimensions. Cervical diagonal diameters have found to be more sexually diamorphic than crown diagonal diameters. In discriminant function analysis the variables entered more frequently were the cervical diagonal diameters mainly of mandibular molars. Classification accuracy was found to be 93% for the total sample, 77.4% for upper jaw, and 88.4% for the lower jaw. Accuracy rates were higher for cervical than crown diagonal diameters. The data generated from the present study suggest that this metric method can be useful and reliable for sex determination, especially when the traditional dental measurements are not applicable.

A Test of the Revised Auricular Surface Aging Method on a Modern European Population

The accurate age estimation of adults is an important step in the construction of the biological profile of skeletonized remains. The auricular surface of the ilium as it was developed in 1985 by Lovejoy et al., is one of the methods employed for age estimation. This study presents the results of a blind test of the revised auricular surface aging method developed by Buckberry and Chamberlain. A sample of 120 individuals from the Athens Collection was used to test this revised aging technique. Almost all features and composite score were positively correlated with known age‐at‐death. The calculation of bias demonstrated no obvious trend for either overestimation or underestimation of age when all individuals were pooled together. Inaccuracy showed that absolute errors of estimated ages against known ages are substantial. The data generated from this study suggest that the revised method can be reliable for age estimation on a modern European population.

Guidelines for the Recognition of Cemetery Remains in Greece

Forensic pathologists frequently consult anthropologists for the identification of skeletonized human remains. These remains may be the result of criminal activity or remains that were unearthed because of erosion, or during construction projects. In some cases, human remains that had been previously buried in a cemetery may be the subject of a forensic investigation. Early recognition of cemetery remains prevents unnecessary efforts and conserves precious resources. One of the key characteristics of cemetery remains is the presence of embalmed tissue. However, there are countries where embalming is not a common practice, and other clues must be sought for identifying previously buried remains. Current funerary customs in Greece and, in particular, the tradition of exhumations result in a large number of misplaced human remains. The present study presents examples of cemetery remains from Greece and offers guidelines for recognizing changes on skeletal remains that may be indicative of a cemetery origin. Location of discovery, condition of the remains, and the types of associated artifacts are all factors that aid forensic anthropologists in identifying cemetery remains.

Osteometric sex determination using proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection.

Diagnosing sex is vital for developing biological profiles from human skeletal remains. For that purpose, osteometric evaluation of bone size has proven to be usually effective. The present study investigates the degree of sexual dimorphism in proximal foot phalanges from a documented human skeletal collection, known as the Athens collection. Furthermore, it utilizes the data for the development of sex-discriminant formulas in Greek population. The material used consists of 749 proximal foot phalanges (left and right), which belong to 174 adult individuals (91 males and 83 females) that lived during the 20(th) century. The degree of sexual dimorphism reached as high as 16.76 %, with the left side demonstrating higher sexual dimorphism. The 1(st) proximal foot phalanges are proven to be the most sexually dimorphic among the bones of the sample. The minimum sexual dimorphism observed was in the maximum lengths of phalanges, whereas the most sexually dimorphic measurement was the medio-lateral width at midshaft. The discriminant functions developed provide classification accuracies that ranged between 77.1 % and 90.9 % for left and between 72.2 % and 86.6 % for right proximal foot phalanges. The results of this study suggest that proximal foot phalanges are useful for sex determination in Greek population.

A Statistical Method for Reassociating Human Tali and Calcanei from a Commingled Context

In a commingled context, assessing that a talus and a calcaneus correspond to the same individual could become a primary step for accurately sorting human remains. For this purpose, the lengths and widths of the trochlea, posterior calcaneal articular surface, and posterior talar articular surface were measured in 197 individuals (105 males, 92 females) from the Athens Collection. A total of 12 highly accurate equations for reassociating tali and calcanei were developed, using simple and multiple linear regression analysis and they were found to be suitable for sorting commingled human remains. Bilateral asymmetry and sex did not have an effect on the accuracy of the method.

A Reliable Regression-Based Approach for Reassociating Human Skeletal Elements of the Lower Limbs from Commingled Assemblages

Accurate sorting of commingled human remains comprises a fundamental requirement for all further anthropological analyses. The lower limb bones are particularly important for reconstructing biological profiles. This study introduces a metric technique for sorting these elements using eight standard anthropological measurements and 222 adult individuals from Greece. The bones utilized were the os coxae, the femora, the tibiae and the tali. Simple regression analyses were used to develop functions for reassociating articulating bones, providing strong correlations (r = 0.74–0.95, p‐value <0.05) and high coefficients of determination (r2=0.54–0.91). Blind tests demonstrated that combining metric and morphoscopic techniques provides an excellent sorting accuracy for the hip and knee joints (ten of ten individuals), allowing for a reliable reassociation between a sex and age indicator (os coxae) and a body size indicator (femur). Overall, these results indicate the high value of metric methods in sorting commingled human remains.

An evaluation of dental methods by Lamendin and Prince and Ubelaker for estimation of adult age in a sample of modern Greeks

Teeth can be used as accurate tools in age-at-death estimation in forensic cases. No previous data exist on estimating age from teeth in a modern Greek population. The aim of this study was to evaluate Lamendins and Prince and Ubelakers ageing methods on a modern Greek skeletal sample. In total, 1436 single-rooted teeth from 306 adult individuals (161 males and 145 females) were examined. Only measurements of periodontosis and translucency showed positive correlation with age. Results showed a bias - an overestimation for ages under 40 years and an underestimation over this age. However, the use of wider age groups proved to be more appropriate. Low values of error were observed for the group of middle-aged individuals. In conclusion, both methods can be considered accurate in estimating age-at-death of middle-aged individuals. This study provides more information about the accuracy and applicability of these dental methods on modern European populations.

Skeletal evidence of brucellosis in a medicolegal context: A report of two cases

Brucellosis is a zoonosis caused by gram-negative bacteria of the genus Brucella. Osteoarticular complications are the most frequent symptoms of brucellosis occurring in up to 40% of the cases. Two brucellosis cases submitted to the Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School for forensic anthropological evaluation are reported. The value of the contribution of the brucellar lesions to the location of the most likely geographic origin of two missing individuals is presented. The presence of a pathologic condition, such as brucellosis, in skeletal remains can give significant information about the biological profile of an unidentified victim and greatly enhances the chances of obtaining a positive identification.