nan Sanjeev

Estimation of stature from facial measurements in northwest Indians.

Estimation of stature is one of the important component in identification of human remains in forensic anthropology. The present investigation attempts to estimate stature from seven facial measurements of 300 (173 males and 127 females) healthy subjects between the ages of 18-70years from Northwest India. Height of all the subjects was measured and facial measurements were taken. Data was subjected to statistical analysis like mean, standard deviation, multiplication factors, Karl Pearsons correlation coefficient (r), linear and multiple regression analyses using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS). The average height of the subjects was in the range of 154.3-178.3cm in males and 155.1-168.4cm in females. Estimated stature calculated by regression analysis of seven facial measurements was almost similar to mean actual stature in both males and females and the difference by using multiplication factors was found to be greater. Standard error of estimation (SEE) computed both by linear and multiple regression analyses was found to be low for the two sexes. Thus we can conclude that regression equations generated from facial measurements can be a supplementary approach for the estimation of stature when extremities are not available.

Time of fusion of epiphyses at the elbow and wrist joints in girls of Northwest India

A radiological examination of both elbows and wrists of 149 Northwest Indian schoolgirls between the ages of 11 and 19 years, of middle socio-economic status, was undertaken to determine the time of fusion of the epiphyses with the metaphyses of the medial epicondyle of the humerus, the proximal end of the radius and the distal ends of both radius and ulna. The data were subjected to discriminant function tests as well as sensitivity and specificity tests. If the epiphysis of the medial epicondyle of the humerus or that of the head of the radius has not fused with metaphysis completely, the age of the girl would be < 16 years. However, the age of the girl should be > 16 years if the distal epiphyses of the radius and the ulna show complete fusion with their respective metaphyses. Discriminant function tests show that 91.95% of girls can be correctly classified as being above or below the age of 16 years.

Fatness and fat pattering in 12–17-year-old youth from the Chandigarh zone of Northwest India

Fatness and fat patterning were studied in a sample of 502 youth, 12–17 years of age, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) from the Chandigarh Zone of northwest India. Fatness estimates were based on six skinfolds, while fat patterning was analyzed through the centripetal fat and waist/hip ratios, and through principal components of skinfolds. In all analyses, fat patterns were adjusted for general body fatness. Upper SES subjects were larger and fatter than lower SES subjects of the same age and sex. As expected, females displayed higher fatness levels than males, a more peripheral distribution of body fat, and lower body patterning of trunk fat. Lower SES was associated with a centripetal, rather than a peripheral, fat pattern. After correction for amount of fat, there were no differences between SES groups in the waist/hip ratio, within‐sex. Compared to U.S. youth of a similar age range, Indian subjects displayed higher BMI‐adjusted centripetal fat and waist/hip ratios. Lower SES was associated with reduced body fatness along with a centralized pattern of fat deposition, which could reflect a greater mobilization of peripheral fat to meet the metabolic demands of growth. While there was some suggestion of an ethnic effect in the two ratios, this could not be demonstrated with confidence.

Skinfold thicknesses, body circumferences and their relationship to age, sex, and socioeconomic status in adults from Northwest India

Subcutaneous fatness, measured anthropometrically, was analyzed in a sample of 651 males and females, 18–49 years of age, of high and low socioeconomic status (SES) from the Chandigarh zone of Northwest India. There were significant differences between lower and upper SES males and females. In general, all groups tend to show increases in indicators of fatness between the 18–29 and the 30–39 year age groups. However, there was less consistency across groups between 30–39 and 40–49 years. There is no difference in sexual dimorphism between SES groups. Means of lower SES subjects are approximately 1 S.D. below those of U.S. reference data. Using the body mass index as a criterion, no lower SES individuals were classified as overweight or obese. In the upper SES sample, 12.1% were classified as overweight.

Weights of the heart in northwest indian adults

Weights of apparently normal hearts were obtained from 1,344 male and 313 female adults from the Chandigarh region of northwest India, on whom a medicolegal autopsy was performed. The average weight of the heart was 296.7 ± 48.5 gm in males and 238.9 ± 45.1 gm in females. Partial correlations between heart weight and body weight and supine length were significant. The correlation between heart weight and age was, however, not statistically significant. Multiple regression constants with standard errors were generated for estimating the weight of the heart for intervals of body weight and supine length in living subjects.

Weight of the testes in Northwest Indian adults

Three hundred twenty‐five pairs of testes were obtained from northwest Indian subjects of Chandigarh zone aged 18 to 80 years, on whom medicolegal postmortems had been performed by the senior author. The weight of each testis along with epididymis was recorded on a single pan electric balance. The mean weight of the right testis was 17.18 ± 4.32g in 18–20‐year‐old subjects, and increased steadily to 19.44 ± 4.67 g in 41–50‐year‐old subjects. The weight decreased thereafter, to 17.77 ± 4.75 g in the age group of 51–60 years and 17.57 ± 5.10 g in subjects above 60 years. The weight of the left testis was about one gram less than that of the right but followed the same age‐related pattern. To calculate the weight of testis from its measurement, a regression formula was developed for each age group. The calculated weight by the regression formula and the actual weight were almost the same (P > 0.05). The formula could be effectively used to determine the weight of a testis in a living subject by taking testicular measurements (length, side‐to‐side, antero‐posterior) with a sliding caliper. The procedure seems to be preferable than estimating the volume of testis by an orchidometer, which introduces considerable subjective error.