Palaeopathology of osteoarthritis

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juliet Rogers ◽  
Paul Dieppe
Keyword(s):  
Bone Formation ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
New Bone Formation ◽  
Osteophyte Formation ◽  
The Past ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Over Time

Palaeopathology is the study of disease in the past. Various different types of data can be used, including literature, paintings, and sculpture. In addition, for the rheumatic diseases, skeletal remains offer a particularly rich source of information for the palaeopathologist. This chapter only discusses the skeletal palaeopathology of osteoarthritis (OA). OA leaves characteristic imprints on the skeleton, such as osteophytes and bony sclerosis, which survive death, burial, and the recovery of skeletons. This has allowed researchers to compare the prevalence and distribution of OA within and between joints in skeletal collections obtained from different ancient populations in various countries. The data have shown that while OA has been common in all human populations studied, the nature, prevalence, and intra-articular distribution of the disease in different joints have probably changed over time. A high prevalence of elbow OA has been observed in many collections of human skeletons, suggesting that this joint may be more prone to the disease than generally thought, but that it might remain asymptomatic in the majority of people affected. In addition, skeletal palaeopathologists have found an association between osteophyte formation and enthesophytes, suggesting that some people may have a predisposition to osteoarticular changes characterized by new bone formation. OA has also been described and studied in different primate and other animal skeletons, providing further fascinating insights into the condition.

scholarly journals From the Performance to the Essence: The Biological Mechanisms of How Tantalum Contributes to Osteogenesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Hu Qian ◽  
Ting Lei ◽  
Zhimin Ye ◽  
Yihe Hu ◽  
Pengfei Lei
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Bone Formation ◽  
Osteogenic Differentiation ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Bmp Signaling ◽  
Integrin Signaling ◽  
Biological Mechanism ◽  
New Bone Formation ◽  
Biological Mechanisms ◽  
The Past

Despite the brilliant bioactive performance of tantalum as an orthopedic biomaterial verified through laboratory researches and clinical practice in the past decades, scarce evidences about the essential mechanisms of how tantalum contributes to osteogenesis were systematically discussed. Up to now, a few studies have uncovered preliminarily the biological mechanism of tantalum in osteogenic differentiation and osteogenesis; it is of great necessity to map out the panorama through which tantalum contributes to new bone formation. This minireview summarized current advances to demonstrate the probable signaling pathways and underlying molecular cascades through which tantalum orchestrates osteogenesis, which mainly contain Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway, BMP signaling pathway, TGF-β signaling pathway, and integrin signaling pathway. Limits of subsistent studies and further work are also discussed, providing a novel vision for the study and application of tantalum.

scholarly journals ‘Dragging Seventy Little Plaits of Her Across the Land of the Altai’: Haircare, Hairstyles, and Hair Ornaments of the Southern Altaians from Historical and Cultural Perspectives

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 31-48
Author(s):  
Tereza Hejzlarová ◽  
Martin Rychlík
Keyword(s):  
Social Role ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Field Research ◽  
Cultural Perspectives ◽  
The Past ◽  
Human Universals ◽  
The World ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Historical Periods ◽  
Over Time

This study deals with haircare, hair ornaments, hairstyles, and hairrelated rituals of the Southern Altaians (Altai Kizhi, Telengits) and their development over time. Haircare has played an important role in Altaian society for centuries. It has been a ritual symbol, an indicator of gender, age, marital or social status. In context, hair has played a significant cultural and social role across societies and historical periods around the world. For this reason, haircare has also been sometimes included among the so-called cultural or human universals, i.e. phenomena that are common to all known human cultures in time and space. The source of information for this study was the authors’ own field research, relevant literature and visual sources documenting the broader context of haircare. The issue is viewed from historical and cultural perspectives, with the main focus on the current haircare of the Altaian people in connection with changes compared to the past. The study focuses on selected phenomena that proved to be the most important in the field research in terms of their existence and the role they currently play in Altaian society. It does not therefore aim to cover the full breadth of the topic, but leaves room for further research on sub-topics.

Pathology: bone

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rik J. Lories ◽  
Georg Schett
Keyword(s):  
Bone Formation ◽  
Structural Damage ◽  
Axial Spondyloarthritis ◽  
Signalling Pathways ◽  
New Bone Formation ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Significant Burden ◽  
Current Therapies ◽  
Developmental Signalling ◽  
Biomechanical Factors

Axial spondyloarthritis is associated with different types of skeletal damage. Inflammation at the affected sites is linked with both loss of trabecular bone and new bone formation on the cortical side, potentially leading to joint or spine ankylosis. Both aspects of the disease can result in a significant burden for the patient. Bone loss is directly linked to proinflammatory cytokines and activation of osteoclasts. Control of inflammation is therefore the best strategy to prevent loss of bone. The nature of the new bone formation process is less defined. A prominent role for developmental signalling pathways has been proposed. Current therapies have limited or no impact on this process. However, emerging data suggest that early control of disease activity may be part of a window of opportunity to prevent structural damage, as biomechanical factors and instability following inflammation may also play a role.

scholarly journals A study of nonspecific skeletal health indicators in two nonadult populations from western Britain

2016 ◽  
pp. 53-75
Author(s):  
Bernadette Manifold Bernie
Keyword(s):  
Bone Formation ◽  
Physical Environment ◽  
Physiological Stress ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
New Bone Formation ◽  
Skeletal Health ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Periosteal New Bone Formation

Skeletal health indicators are often employed to measure how past populations adapted to their physical environment. The skeletons of children provide a measure of population fitness, as the ability of a community to keep their younger inhabitants alive and in general good health attest their ability to adapt to their environment. In this study, skeletal remains of non-adults from foetal to 17 years of age (n=300) from two cemetery populations in western Britain, namely the early medieval site of Llandough in south Wales (n=204) and the multi-period site of St Oswald’s Priory in Gloucester (n=96), were assessed. Non-specific indicators of physiological stress (cribra orbitalia, porotic hyperosprotosis, dental hypoplasia) and non-specific infections (periosteal new bone formation and endocranial lesions) are compared. Results suggest that the children from the English site enjoyed better health than their counterparts in Wales, where there was an increase in physiological stress during childhood.

scholarly journals Ancient RNA virus epidemics through the lens of recent adaptation in human genomes

2020 ◽  
Vol 375 (1812) ◽  
pp. 20190575 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Enard ◽  
Dmitri A. Petrov
Keyword(s):  
Rna Virus ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
The Past ◽  
1000 Genomes ◽  
Human Genomes ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Health And Disease

Over the course of the last several million years of evolution, humans probably have been plagued by hundreds or perhaps thousands of epidemics. Little is known about such ancient epidemics and a deep evolutionary perspective on current pathogenic threats is lacking. The study of past epidemics has typically been limited in temporal scope to recorded history, and in physical scope to pathogens that left sufficient DNA behind, such as Yersinia pestis during the Great Plague. Host genomes, however, offer an indirect way to detect ancient epidemics beyond the current temporal and physical limits. Arms races with pathogens have shaped the genomes of the hosts by driving a large number of adaptations at many genes, and these signals can be used to detect and further characterize ancient epidemics. Here, we detect the genomic footprints left by ancient viral epidemics that took place in the past approximately 50 000 years in the 26 human populations represented in the 1000 Genomes Project. By using the enrichment in signals of adaptation at approximately 4500 host loci that interact with specific types of viruses, we provide evidence that RNA viruses have driven a particularly large number of adaptive events across diverse human populations. These results suggest that different types of viruses may have exerted different selective pressures during human evolution. Knowledge of these past selective pressures will provide a deeper evolutionary perspective on current pathogenic threats. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Insights into health and disease from ancient biomolecules’.

scholarly journals Ancient RNA virus epidemics through the lens of recent adaptation in human genomes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Enard ◽  
Dmitri A. Petrov
Keyword(s):  
Human Evolution ◽  
Rna Viruses ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Arms Races ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
The Past ◽  
Human Genomes ◽  
Different Types

AbstractOver the course of the last several million years of evolution, humans likely have been plagued by hundreds or perhaps thousands of epidemics. Little is known about such ancient epidemics and a deep evolutionary perspective on current pathogenic threats is lacking. The study of past epidemics has typically been limited in temporal scope to recorded history, and in physical scope to pathogens that left sufficient DNA behind, such as Yersinia pestis during the Great Plague.Host genomes however offer an indirect way to detect ancient epidemics beyond the current temporal and physical limits. Arms races with pathogens have shaped the genomes of the hosts by driving a large number of adaptations at many genes, and these signals can be used to detect and further characterize ancient epidemics.Here, we detect the genomic footprints left by ancient viral epidemics that took place in the past ~50,000 years in the 26 human populations represented in the 1,000 Genomes Project. By using the enrichment in signals of adaptation at ~4,500 host loci that interact with specific types of viruses, we provide evidence that RNA viruses have driven a particularly large number of adaptive events across diverse human populations. These results suggest that different types of viruses may have exerted different selective pressures during human evolution. Knowledge of these past selective pressures will provide a deeper evolutionary perspective on current pathogenic threats.

scholarly journals Risk factors for urethral gonorrhoea infection among heterosexual males in Melbourne, Australia: 2007–17

Sexual Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tiffany R. Phillips ◽  
Christopher K. Fairley ◽  
Marcus Y. Chen ◽  
Catriona S. Bradshaw ◽  
Eric P. F. Chow
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Odds Ratio ◽  
Health Centre ◽  
Significant Risk ◽  
Significant Risk Factor ◽  
The Past ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Over Time

Background Since 2014 there has been an increase in gonorrhoea among heterosexuals in Australia. Sex with a partner from a country with high gonorrhoea prevalence has been identified as a risk factor for gonorrhoea in heterosexual females, but risk factors for heterosexual males remain unclear. This study determined risk factors for gonorrhoea among heterosexual males. Methods: Retrospective analysis was performed among heterosexual males attending Melbourne Sexual Health Centre (MSHC) between 1 January 2007 and 31 December 2017. Countries for overseas sexual partners were stratified as high-prevalence countries (HPC) or low-prevalence countries (LPC) based on the incidence of gonorrhoea. Results: The annual gonorrhoea positivity increased from 0.72% in 2007 to 1.33% in 2017 (Ptrend <0.001). Males attending MSHC as a contact of gonorrhoea had the highest odds of testing positive (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 7.46; 95% confidence interval (CI) 4.46–12.49), followed by males identifying as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (aOR 2.57; 95% CI 1.30–5.09), males who had injected drugs in the past 12 months (aOR 2.44; 95% CI 1.39–4.30) and males who had sex with a female from an HPC (aOR 2.18; 95% CI 1.77–2.68). Males aged ≥35 were at higher risk than those aged ≤24 years (aOR 1.44; 95% CI 1.14–1.82). Gonorrhoea positivity increased among males who had sex with females from an LPC (from 0.60% to 1.33%; Ptrend = 0.004) but remained the same over time among males who had sex with females from an HPC (2.14%; Ptrend = 0.143). Conclusions: There was an 80% increase in urethral gonorrhoea among heterosexual males between 2007 and 2017. Having sex with a female from an HPC is a significant risk factor for gonorrhoea. Gonorrhoea positivity among men having sex with a female from an HPC did not change over time, suggesting this risk factor has become less important.

scholarly journals Paradigm shifts in electrophysiological mechanisms of atrial fibrillation

EP Europace ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrich Schotten ◽  
Seungyup Lee ◽  
Stef Zeemering ◽  
Albert L Waldo
Keyword(s):  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Double Layers ◽  
Paradigm Shifts ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Activation Patterns ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
The Past ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Source Of Information ◽  
Electrophysiological Mechanism

Abstract Determining the sequence of activation is a major source of information for understanding the electrophysiological mechanism(s) of atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the complex morphology of the electrograms hampers their analysis, and has stimulated generations of electrophysiologists to develop a large variety of technologies for recording, pre-processing, and analysis of fibrillation electrograms. This variability of approaches is mirrored by a large variability in the interpretation of fibrillation electrograms and, thereby, opinions regarding the basic electrophysiological mechanism(s) of AF vary widely. Multiple wavelets, different types of re-entry including rotors, double layers, multiple focal activation patterns all have been advocated, and a comprehensive and commonly accepted paradigm for the fundamental mechanisms of AF is still lacking. Here, we summarize the Maastricht perspective and Cleveland perspective regarding AF mechanism(s). We also describe some of the key observations in mapping of AF reported over the past decades, and how they changed over the years, often as results of new techniques introduced in the experimental field of AF research.

scholarly journals Genetic contributions to variation in human stature in prehistoric Europe

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha L. Cox ◽  
Christopher B. Ruff ◽  
Robert M. Maier ◽  
Iain Mathieson
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Ancient Dna ◽  
Bending Strength ◽  
Skeletal Remains ◽  
Upper Paleolithic ◽  
Mineral Density ◽  
The Past ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Over Time

AbstractThe relative contributions of genetics and environment to temporal and geographic variation in human height remain largely unknown. Ancient DNA has identified changes in genetic ancestry over time, but it is not clear whether those changes in ancestry are associated with changes in height. Here, we directly test whether changes over the past 38,000 years in European height predicted using DNA from 1071 ancient individuals are consistent with changes observed in 1159 skeletal remains from comparable populations. We show that the observed decrease in height between the Early Upper Paleolithic and the Mesolithic is qualitatively predicted by genetics. Similarly, both skeletal and genetic height remained constant between the Mesolithic and Neolithic and increased between the Neolithic and Bronze Age. Sitting height changes much less than standing height–consistent with genetic predictions–although genetics predicts a small Bronze Age increase that is not observed in skeletal remains. Geographic variation in stature is also qualitatively consistent with genetic predictions, particularly with respect to latitude. Finally, we hypothesize that an observed decrease in genetic heel bone mineral density in the Neolithic reflects adaptation to the decreased mobility indicated by decreased femoral bending strength. This study provides a model for interpreting phenotypic changes predicted from ancient DNA and demonstrates how they can be combined with phenotypic measurements to understand the relative contribution of genetic and developmentally plastic responses to environmental change.SignificanceMeasurements of prehistoric human skeletal remains provide a record of changes in height and other anthropometric traits, over time. Often, these changes are interpreted in terms of plastic developmental response to shifts in diet, climate or other environmental factors. These changes can also be genetic in origin but, until recently, it has been impossible to separate the effects of genetics and environment. Here we use ancient DNA to directly estimate genetic changes in phenotypes and to identify changes driven not by genetics, but by environment. We show that changes over the past 35,000 years are largely predicted by genetics, but also identify specific shifts that are more likely to be environmentally driven.

scholarly journals Generación de valor con enfoque en la filosofía esbelta como facilitador en la percepción de valor al cliente (Value generation with focus on lean philosophy as a facilitator for customer perceived value)

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (29) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Segura-Vargas ◽  
José Nicolás Barragán Codina
Keyword(s):  
Customer Value ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Lean Thinking ◽  
The Past ◽  
Customer Perceived Value ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. In the past twenty years, companies of different types of industry have focused their attention and resources trying to create more value for their customers, they have established according to their own judgment or consulting customers assuming they know exactly what they want and how they want it. However, the reality might be different. The lean philosophy defines the principles that any process (production or service) must follow to deliver more value and generate less waste. So this document proposes that if companies try to focus their efforts on delivering more value to their customers from the Lean perspective, they can generate a greater perception of value, therefore, raise their confidence and gain their loyalty. If it is practiced consistently over time they may achieve sustainable profitability.Key words: customer value, lean philosophy, lean thinking, loyalty perceived value, profitabilityJEL: M30, L15, L80, O14, O40Resumen. En los últimos veinte años, compañías de distintos tipos de industria han enfocado su atención y recursos en crear más valor a sus clientes, y lo han establecido ya sea de acuerdo con su propio criterio, o al consultar a sus clientes y asumir que ellos saben qué es lo que quieren y cómo lo quieren. Sin embargo, la realidad podría ser un tanto distinta. Por su parte, la filosofía esbelta define los principios que cualquier proceso (de producción o servicio) debe seguir para entregar más valor y generar menos desperdicio. Entonces este documento propone que, si las compañías tratan de enfocar sus esfuerzos en entregar más valor a sus clientes desde la perspectiva Esbelta, podrán generar una mayor percepción de valor, por tanto, elevarán su confianza y obtendrán su lealtad.  Si lo practican de forma sistemática con el paso del tiempo podrán lograr una rentabilidad sostenible del negocio.Palabras clave: filosofía esbelta, lealtad, pensamiento esbelto, percepción de valor, rentabilidad, valor al cliente 

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