Population patterns of hand and finger measurements

Hend print impressions of 660 cases were taken from 4 different Afro- Asian populations: Upper Egyptians [100 males and 100 females], Saudis [100 males and 40 females], Indians [100 males and 34 females] and Philippines [98 males and 88 females]. 24 measurements were carried out on both hands and all fingers of each case to perform a standard for each population and to compare between these 4 populations. The data discover the presence of significant bisexual differences and bilateral asymmetry of almost all hand and finger parameters. Inter-populational data analysis proves that, Upper Egyptians have the greatest hand and finger parameters followed by Saudis and lastly Indians and Philippines. These variations may be attributed to several genetic, racial, geographical and climatic factors, and could be of great importance in anatomical, biological, anthropological and forensic science communities

Stature and limb lengths as indicators for age estimation

In this study five hundered cases with age range from birth to 20 years were taken from Minia district of Upper Egypt. The subjects were divided sexwisely, into 5 age groups : newborn, 5, 10, 15 and 20 years and measured for height, upper limb length and lower limb length. Stature of the newborn was calculated by adding the crown rumb length to the lower limb length. Standards for stature and limb lengths at the different ages are presented in the form of tables and figures. The point at which the lengths of the limbs were equal was at 3 years and 10 months for boys and 3 years and 6 months for girls. After this age, the lower limb becomes longer than the upper limb. The point of intersection is an excellent developmental age markers which may be considered as a very simple identification tool in that age. Furthermore, ratios between segment lengths can be used as a quick and simple tool of age identification in accidents and crimes where parts of cadaver are the only presenting signs

Effect of chronic phenobarbitone toxicity on the cerebellum of adult rats: an electron microscopic study

The degenerative effect of chronic phenobarbitone toxicity on the structure of the adult rat cerebellum was studied in this investigation. 24 adult male albino rats were used, 16 of them were daily injected i.m. with 0.02 mg/kg body weight of phenobarbitone for 3 weeks. The remaining rats were injected with sterilized water [control group]. The body weights were recorded before the first injection and after the last one. The animals were killed by intracardiac perfusion of 20 ml of isotonic saline followed by 250 ml of 2.5% gluteraldehyde. The brain of these animals were dissected. The total brain and cerebellar weights were determined. The ratio of cerebellar to brain weight was calculated for each animal. The pyramis vermis of the cerebellum was dissected out and processed for transmission electron microscopy [TEM]. The results revealed that there was a highly significant retardation of body, brain and cerebellar growth of treated animals compared with the control group. There was also a highly significant decrease in the ratio between cerebellar and brain weights of those animals compared with the control group. TEM examination revealed evidence of degeneration in the mitochondria and myelin. Mitochondrial degeneration varied from swelling, fragmentation and disorganization of cristae to complete granulation and, finally, total breakdown of mitochondrial contents. The nuclei are irregular and contain dense chromatin mostly peripheral in position. Myelin degeneration was expressed in scattered regions, where the axonal myelin sheath was made up of dense staining lamellae. Irregularities in membrane wrapping, segmented swelling and disruption of lamellae, uneven staining and spaces within the myelin sheath were manifested such degenerations were found mostly in the granule cell layer