Paleopathological Studies of Infectious Disease: Examination of the Osteoarchaeological Research / 체질인류학회지

Reconstructing the impact of infectious disease on past populations is one of the main fields in paleopathological studies. The initial phase of paleopathology was descriptive, focusing on the identification and presence of disease in the past. However, currently paleopathological studies are moving toward probing questions about the larger picture of origin and transmission of disease agents. In this study, paleopathological studies of major infectious disease (i.e., tubuerculosis, treponemal disease and leprosy) were reviewed through osteoarcheological work published in American Journal of Physical Anthropology, International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, Journal of Archaeological Science and International Journal of Paleopathology from 1981 to 2017. A basic objective of this research was to examine many types of research in paleopathology and to characterize research trend in this field. As paleopathological studies becomes more abundant, the approaches to infectious disease have been increasingly specialized and interdisciplinary from 1980. Also, methodology used in paleopathology continues to evolve through the holistic approaches of molecular analysis, radiology and histopathology. Ultimately, this study reinforces the importance for retention of large-scale skeletal collections for paleopathological study in population perspective. In the near future, Korean paleopathology can contribute in the reconstructions of the history of disease and its effect on past human populations.

Probable Cases of Scurvy in Subadults Crania from Archaeological Sites, South Korea / 체질인류학회지

In this study, the skeletal abnormalities associated with scurvy in subadults crania from three archaeological skeletal collections (Nukdo, Imdang, Yeanri), South Korea was analyzed to examine the prevalence and distribution of childhood scurvy of ancient Korea. For this, 30 subadults crania from the Nukdo, Imdang, Yeanri site were examined. Using criteria described by Ortner and Ericksen (1997) for identifying scurvy in skeletal material we evaluated the cranial skeleton of the subadults for evidence of abnormal porosity. All skeletal materials were macroscopically evaluated for pathological changes associated with scurvy. In results, lesions indicative of probable scurvy were observed in 22 individuals of 30 individuals. Based on the results, childhood disease relating to nutrition and metabolism in ancient Korea might have been widespread, along with scurvy. The results of the present study will be useful for understanding the health condition of the ancient Korean populations. Future work will add significantly to the larger picture of diet and disease within populations of ancient Korea.

Automatic measurement of range of motion of human lower limbs using Kinect technique / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

Objective In order to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the measurement of range of motion (ROM) of human lower limbs and simplify process of ROM measurement,an automatic measurement of ROM of human lower limbs based on Kinect technique was proposed and tested in this study.Methods Fifty examinee were randomly divided into 5 groups,namely groups a,b,c,d and e,respectively,each group had 10 members.Using the human skeleton tracking technology from Kinect,the positions of the examinee's lower limbs were captured and tracked by processing the depth data of lower limbs' key joints.Then the information of ROM of hip and knee was output on human-computer interaction interface in real-time.By comparison with traditional manual measurement results,the accuracy of automatic measuring method could be verified.Meanwhile,with the aid of speech recognition and output technology,the mode of warning information transfer and the way of subject switch were optimized.Results According to the method of Grubbs-test and t-test,the ROM values | t | from the subjects' hip abduction (t =0.57,P =0.597),hip adduction (t =0.52,P =0.621),hip anteflexion (t =1.01,P =0.371),hip postextension (t =0.12,P =0.902),hip external rotation (t =0.00,P =1.000),hip internal rotation (t =0.34,P =0.753),knee flexion and extension (t =1.12,P =0.280) all were under the threshold value t0.025 (4) =2.776 on the premise of a level of significance α =0.05,which indicated that there was no significant difference between measured results and expected values(P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion The automatic measurement of ROM of lower limbs can be realized which can improve the measurement accuracy,simplify the measurement process and enhance the practicability of ROM of lower limbs measurement.

An Anthropolgical Study on the Human Skeleton Excavated from Dugmoe Tomb of the Technopols of Kwang Ju City / 체질인류학회지

Authors have anthropologically measured the human skeleton from a Dugmoe Tomb of the technopolis of Kwang-ju city. The results obtained were as follows : 1. The human skeleton was thought to be constructed at the beginning of the period of the Chosun, judging from the Dugmoe Tomb. 2. It is female and its stature is estimated as about 163-165cm. The age of the skeleton is estimated to be late 50. 3. The cranial index is 77.09mm and the type is mesocephaly. 4. The cranial length-height index and the cranial breadth-height index were hypsicrane and acrocephaly. 5. The orbital index 95.0mm and the type is hypsiconch. 6. The humerus is comparatively long, slender and has more rounded diaphysis. 7. The femur is similar that of present day, and the type is platyer. 8. The abrasion of the occlusal surface of the teeth was 2.5 point.