Growth of the second metacarpal according to chronological age and skeletal maturation

In relation to chronological age and skeletal maturation, the growth of the second metacarpal is discussed based on radiographs of the right hand and wrist in 499 male and 424 female Japanese aged 1 to 18 years. When plotted against age, bone length and width present the general growth pattern of Scammon, the adolescent spurt occurring at about 13 years in the males and 11 years in the females, and the mean values are significantly larger in the males than in the females at age 15 years for length, and age 13 years for width, and later. The growth curves of both sexes are almost parallel to each other for bone length plotted against skeletal maturation. Bone width progresses in parallel in males and females until about adolescence, whereafter there is a more rapid increase in growth in the males than in the females. The mean values for length and width are almost always significantly greater in the males than in the females. The width/length index decreases rapidly until a certain period, the minimum value being at about ten years or a maturity corresponding to that age, and then increase slightly again to reach an equilibrium state on the basis of both age and skeletal maturation. At any given age, the mean values are always greater in the males than in the females. However, according to skeletal maturation, the sex differences are steadily significant at and after the skeletal maturity corresponding to about 12 years in the males and 10 years in the females.     

根据拉萨藏族儿童青少年掌指骨参数进行性别判定

目的:通过各掌指骨的X线测量,建立性别判定方程.方法: 在知情同意原则下,随机抽取拉萨地区年龄7～20岁青年1360例(男674例,女686例),拍摄左手X线片,测量各指骨长和掌骨长、宽及其髓腔宽,然后用SPSS软件包进行统计学分析.结果: 根据掌指骨参数在方程中的贡献程度得出了不同年龄段的性别判定方程,在儿童青少年的生长发育时期根据掌指骨参数判别性别准确率变化规律性不明显,17岁以前在56.9%～82.9%之间.随着年龄的增长,性别判定的准确率逐渐提高,17岁以后性别判定的准确率在80%以上.结论: 结合掌指骨参数进行性别判定,在法医人类学实际应用中具有一定的参考价值.     

Stature and age as factors in the growth of second metacarpal cortical bone in moderately malnourished children.

The association of stature and age with measures of second metacarpal cortical bone growth is investigated in a sample of 1586 radiographs taken from Guatemalan Ladino children aged 1-7 years in a setting of endemic mild-to-moderate malnutrition. For given stature, chronological age is positively associated with cortical thickness and cortical area and negatively associated with periosteal and medullary diameter. These different partial correlations are seen as evidence of different kinds of growth. Correlations of cortical bone variables with body size within a chronological age are shown to derive from the overall relationship between age, stature, and measures of cortical bone.     

Aging of bone density in the second metacarpal.

Bone weight, bone and cortical areas, and apparent and true bone densities (W/BV and W/CV) were measured on the second metacarpals of 114 male and 114 female Japanese, aged 30 to 98 years. Measurements were taken from midshaft cross-sections 2 mm thick, using an electron balance and an image analyzing system. The mean values of these variables were greater in men than in women at all ages. Bone area stayed almost unchanged regardless of age. Bone weight and cortical area decreased linearly with advancing age. The respective rates of decrease per decade observed for the these variables were 3.1% and 2.9% in men and 5.5% and 4.8% in women. Apparent bone density decreased gradually with age after the fourth decade in women. While, in men, it stayed almost unchanged or increased slightly until the fifth decade and then, decreased gradually with age. The rate of decrease per decade was accelerated after the fifth decade in women and after the sixth in men, being 10.3% and 8.1% in each gender, respectively. The mean loss of bone was about twice as great in women as in men. In women, significant differences (p less than 0.01) were found in these variables after the seventh decade compared with the preceding age group. However, true bone density (W/CV) stayed almost unchanged regardless of age, being about 2.0 in men and about 1.9 in women. Osteoporosis could be primarily a manifestation of normal aging, including the postmenopausal estrogen deficiency in women, regardless of gender or race.     

第二掌背动脉远段皮支链的应用解剖

目的观测第2掌背动脉远段皮支链的组成和分布,为第2掌背动脉皮支链皮瓣修复手指缺损提供解剖学基础。方法选取11例成年新鲜手标本,其中10例标本用红色乳胶灌注尺动脉和桡动脉,1例标本用塑料混合液灌注尺动脉和桡动脉制作铸型标本。解剖观测第2掌背动脉远段发出皮支的走行、皮支链的形成、分布和吻合,血管蒂外径和长度。结果在10例乳胶灌注的标本中,5例男性的第2掌背动脉共发出皮支29支,直径为(0.366±0.129)mm,蒂长为(5.956±1.328)mm;5例女性的第2掌背动脉共发出皮支31支,直径为(0.350±0.110)mm,蒂长为(6.196±1.277)mm。通过两样本t检验比较发现男、女第2掌背动脉动脉的直径和蒂长差异都无统计学意义。第2掌背动脉发出的皮支在手背浅筋膜内相互吻合形成皮支链,营养相应的皮肤。桡神经手背支恒定地穿行在第2掌背动脉远段皮支之间。结论依靠第2掌背动脉远段的皮支链作为第2掌背动脉皮瓣的血管蒂,修复手指皮肤的小面积缺损,并可同时修复损伤部位的感觉。     

Growth of metacarpal II during female adolescence: Relationships to stature,weight, and skeletal and sexual maturity

Growth of the second metacarpal (MC) was evaluated during female adolescence in 110 Turkish girls who were followed longitudinally starting from 8.5 to 11 years until a Greulich and Pyle skeletal age (SA) ≥17 years was reached. Stature (St), weight (Wt), stage of secondary sexual development (SSD), length (L), and medullary (M) and outer diameters (D) of MC were measured. Total cortical thickness (C) of MC was derived as the difference between D and M. Yearly rates of growth in L, D, C, and St were calculated for each 6 months from the smoothed data. Peak length (PLV), peak D (PDV), and peak C (PCV) velocities and the ages at reaching these peaks were determined. L at fusion was 62.4 ± 3.0 mm and correlated significantly with adult stature (AdSt). PLV was 4.09 ± 0.60 mm/yr at a mean age of 12.28 ± 0.90 years and it correlated best with PHV (r = 0.52), then with L at fusion and AdSt, but not with ages at PLV, PHV, PDV, fusion, and onset of SSD. PLV occurred synchronously with PDV, 0.1 years after PHV, 0.9 years after onset of the breast bud, 0.4 years after onset of axillary hair, and 1.1 years before menarche. Age at PLV correlated best with age at PHV, and in decreasing order with ages at fusion, menarche, PDV, and onset of SSD, but not with PLV, PDV, PHV, L at fusion, and AdSt. The most important single factor determining MC L was St (R = 0.77). Multifactorial analysis showed that in conjunction with St, D and C are contributory determinants of L, while SA is not. MC D was primarily determined by L. In conjunction with L, C and chronological age (CA) contributed positively and SA negatively. Velocity of C reached its peak at 13.04 ± 1.20 years, 0.72 and 0.76 years after PLV and PDV, respectively. After 14 years, C continued to increase significantly, while growth increments in D and L were greatly reduced. This was realized by a significant reduction in M, which indicates that there is endosteal deposition of bone. Increase in C was significantly associated with increasing stages of SSD and inversely with M. Multifactorial analysis, however, showed that SSD is not an independent factor and that C is determined primarily by SA, and then inversely by M and directly by L. Once these factors are known, other factors, such as SSD, St, and Wt, lose their significance. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 9:425–438, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Circumferential variation in human second metacarpal cortical thickness: sex, age, and mechanical factors

Variation in cortical thickness (CT) in four quadrants of the human second metacarpal was investigated in a sample (100 males and 72 females, skeletal age 20 to 50+ years) from a 19th-century cemetery. Both left and right elements were studied (total N = 344). Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) (for age, sex, and side, controlling for absolute size) was used to test the hypothesis of equality of thickness in the dorsal, palmar, medial, and lateral quadrants. Differences in regional CT posits localized regulation of resorption and formation adapting bone shape to functional loads, with implications for activity-modulation of skeletal senescence. The palmar cortex was found to be uniformly thicker in both sexes and both sides, and at all ages (young, middle, and old adult); the medial, lateral, and dorsal cortices did not differ significantly. Patterns of age-related loss occurring preferentially at the endocortical surface differed between men and women, with women showing significant declines across all age groups for all quadrants, and males only small decrements after middle age. The greater CT in the palmar quadrant corresponds to the region of maximum compressive strain in the second metacarpal for functions involving full flexion (grasping). Although the palmar cortex is thicker at all ages, women lose mass in that quadrant at the same rate as in other quadrants, suggesting that function does not offer protection against endocrinologically-mediated depletion of bone mass (postmenopausal osteopenia).     

Growth and maturation of cardiac myocytes in fetal sheep in the second half of gestation

Right (RVFW) and left (LVFW) ventricular free wall cardiac myocytes were collected from 25 fetal sheep aged 77-146 days gestation (term = 150 days gestation), six saline-infused catheterized fetal sheep (129 GD), and five lambs to measure gestational changes in uni- and binucleated cardiac myocyte numbers and cell volumes by confocal microscopy. At 77 days gestation, 2% of the myocytes were binucleated, which increased to 50% at 135 days gestation and 90% at 4-6 weeks after birth. RVFW uni- and binucleated myocytes were larger than those in the LVFW, and cell volumes of RVFW uni- and binucleated and LVFW binucleated myocytes (but not LVFW uninucleated myocytes) increased with gestation. Before birth, the approximate number of myocytes was greater in the LVFW than in the RVFW (P < 0.001). Before 110 GD, cardiac growth appeared to be due to myocyte hyperplasia, as approximate myocyte numbers and VFW weight increased at the same rate. After 110 days gestation, the approximate myocyte number/g VFW weight decreased, which suggests that myocyte hypertrophy, as well as hyperplasia, was occurring in association with the appearance of a greater proportion of binucleated cells after that time. By 4-6 weeks of age, there was marked hypertrophy of myocytes and an apparent reduction in myocyte number.     

Estimation of stature from second metacarpal length in Japanese children.

A relationship between stature and second metacarpal length was examined by means of a linear regression for sex, skeletal age and locality in 2056 children aged 6-19 years in five districts of Japan. Significant differences (p less than 0.05) were found for the regression of two measurements between immature and mature groups according to the TW2 method. Few significant differences were found in the regression with sex and locality in both immature and mature groups. Stature could be estimated from second metacarpal length with standard errors of 44mm in the immature group and 40mm in the mature group. Furthermore, from the bone length and TW2 age, stature could be estimated with a standard error of 38mm for each sex in combined groups. These figures are similar to the variability in stature at a given age and comparable to reliability of estimates from long bones. The second metacarpal length may be a reliable and practical marker in children for the estimation of stature by means of a general formula regardless of sex and locality in a population.     

Subfecundity according to the age of the mother and the father

Time to pregnancy according to the age of the father and the mother has been studied among 10,886 couples from Odense and Aalborg. Late in their pregnancy (36th week) all woman in the two cities were given a questionnaire on time to pregnancy as well as a number of other items. Eighty-six percent responded to this questionnaire, and data concerning previous pregnancies, the outcome of the pregnancy in question, etc., were later collected from medical files. The study showed a strong correlation between mother's age and subfecundity, even after adjustment for a number of potential confounders. The association between subfecundity and the age of the father was much weaker and did not reach statistical significance. Interpretations and implications of these findings are discussed in the paper.     

The relation of adiposity and body size to chronological age in olive baboons

Mixed-longitudinal data on adiposity and body size were taken on 250 male and 452 female olive baboons aged between birth and 8 years. Adiposity was measured as skinfold thickness at the neck, subscapular, suprailiac, and triceps sites; body size measures included weight, crown-rump length, and triceps circumference. Males and females were treated independently and compared for gender differences. Data were tabulated to examine the relation of the somatometric variables to age and the patterns of association among the variables. Females averaged larger skinfold values at all sites for most ages. Males were significantly heavier, longer, and exhibited greater triceps girth at all ages except birth and 1 year where no significant gender difference was found for crown-rump length. In general the three measures of body size were significantly correlated at all ages as were the four measures of adiposity. Significant associations between adiposity and body size measures were not consistent among various ages.     

Fertilization, cleavage and blastocyst development according to the maturation timing of oocytes in in vitro maturation cycles

BACKGROUND: This study was to examine the developmental capacity of oocytes collected from an in vitro maturation (IVM) programme according to their maturation time. METHODS: The study included 47 IVM cycles that underwent blastocyst transfer. The patients (n = 38) were primed with 10 000 IU HCG 36 h before their oocyte retrieval. The oocytes were classified into three groups: group 1 (n = 139) where oocytes were matured on day of oocyte collection; group 2 (n = 627) where oocytes were matured on day 1 after IVM; group 3 (n = 163) where oocytes matured on day 2 after IVM. Fertilization, cleavage and blastocyst formation were compared between three groups. RESULTS: Rates of cleavage and blastocyst development in group 3 (72.2%, 96/133; 19.0%, 15/133) were significantly lower than those of group 1 (100%, 108/108; 58.3%, 63/108) and group 2 (91.5%, 487/532; 50.4%, 268/532) respectively (P < 0.01). The number of freezable good quality blastocysts among blastocysts developed from group 1 (52.4%, 33/63) was significantly higher than those from group 2 (35.4%, 95/268) and group 3 (6.7%, 1/15) (P < 0.01). There were 24 clinical pregnancies (51.1%, 24/47) after transfer of the blastocysts and 29 healthy babies were delivered. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that oocytes reaching metaphase II faster in an IVM programme have better embryonic developmental competence.     

Bilateral asymmetry of cross-sectional radiogrametric and microdensitometric measurements in the second metacarpal

On the basis of radiographs of the midshaft cross-section of the second metacarpal in 102 male and 96 female Japanese, aged 30-98 years, side-related differences of radiogrametric, biomechanical and microdensitometric parameters are examined. The bone section is more or less elliptical, and the major axis tilts somewhat radially from the median line at its dorsal end. Significant correlations are found between the right and left hands for each parameter at p less than or equal to 0.01. Bone size (BW and BA) and the relative magnitude of bending rigidity of a section (Imax and Imin) are significantly or arithmetically greater in the right hand than in the left. However, the cortical mass relative to the bone (MCI and CA/BA), biomechanical shape index (Imax/Imin and BWmax/BWmin) and total, mean and true bone density (TPA, MBD and MPH) are nearly identical in both hands. The cortical thickness and total mean bone density is significantly greater in the dorsovolar direction than in the radioulnar, and on the ulnar side than on the radial and on the volar side than on the dorsal, but the true bone density does not show such differences.     

Morphometric analysis of the second through fifth metacarpal through posteroanterior X-Rays

Over the past 10 years, metacarpal fractures have had an annual incidence of 13.6 per 10,000 individuals. Literature has not reviewed anatomical variations through radiographic imaging, which may play a role in reducing postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to use radiographic imaging to provide a detailed anatomy of the second through fifth metacarpals. This retrospective study measured length, neck width, narrowest body width, and narrowest medullary canal width of the second through fifth metacarpals through the use of posteroanterior X-rays. Patients who were ≥18 years and received hand radiographs from January 2015 to July 2019 were included in this study. Those with acute injury or fracture of the metacarpal were excluded. Five hundred and seventy-two metacarpals were included in this study, with 143 metacarpals measured each for the second through fifth metacarpal. The second metacarpal had the largest measured length, neck width, and narrowest body width at 68.72, 12.34, and 8.74 mm, respectively. The fifth metacarpal had the greatest average medullary canal width at 4.15 mm. This is the largest study in literature to comprehensively examine the anatomical variation of the second through fifth metacarpals. The second metacarpal had greatest dimensions except for canal width, which was the fifth metacarpal. Men almost consistently had greater metacarpal size when compared to women, and age was associated with second and third metacarpal canal width. The increased knowledge of metacarpal anatomy may potentially lay the foundation of further improvement of metacarpal implants and potentially reduce postoperative complications. Clin. Anat., 33:1014–1018, 2020. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Dimensions of cervical vertebral bodies according to age and sex

Summary A biometric comparative roentgenological study of the cervical vertebral bodies was performed, according to age and sex, from lateral roentgenograms of 120 adult cervical regions. The sexual dimorphism already described by many authors was confirmed. The vertebral bodies of C2, C3, and C7 have the more variable structure according to age. The results of our measurements are in accordance with clinical findings and provide data on the structural changes of the cervical spine during ageing. In anthropological terms, the vertebral body of C2, in particular its antero-posterior diameter, is the best age indicator, irrespective of individual and exterior variables.

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Mesures des corps vertébraux cervicaux en fonction de l'âge et du sexe

Résumé Les auteurs ont réalisé une étude biométrique comparative des corps vertébraux cervicaux, en fonction du sexe et de l'âge, à partir de radiographies de la colonne cervicale de profil pratiquées chez 120 individus. On retrouve le dimorphisme sexuel net, déjà décrit par plusieurs auteurs. Les corps vertébraux de C2, C3 et C7 sont ceux dont la structure varie le plus avec l'âge. Les résultats de nos mesures sont en accord avec les constatations cliniques et précisent les données sur les changements structuraux de la colonne cervicale au cours du vieillissement. D'un point de vue plus strictement anthropologique, le corps vertébral de l'axis et plus précisément son diamètre sagittal, est le meilleur indicateur d'âge, indépendamment des facteurs extérieurs et individuels.

     

Height,skeletal maturation and adiposity in adolescents with high relative weight at one year of age

The relationship between adolescent obesity and both stature and skeletal maturation was examined within a population of urban black adolescents for whom growth data in early childhood were available. From a larger population of approximately 4400 boys and girls, the 6–8% demonstrating the heaviest weight for observed length at 12 months of age were followed up between 9 and 15 years of age.

The children were divided into obese and non-obese groups on the basis of triceps skinfold thickness at the time of follow-up. Their earlier growth measurements, together with adolescent heights and skeletal ages, were then compared. Only the younger sample of obese males were found to have been significantly taller than their non-obese peers at seven years of age and at the time of follow-up during adolescence. The obese females had not been significantly taller than their non-obese peers at any age.

Keeping chronological age as a covariate, the contribution of one year length, adolescent skeletal age, and adolescent adiposity to height in adolescence was examined by means of linear regression analyses.

In agreement with earlier reports, these longitudinal data indicate a consistent but minimal height advantage for youngsters with early onset obesity when compared to their age and sex-matched non-obese peers. The height advantage can be parcelled out almost equally to differences in length by one year of age and to differences in rate of skeletal maturation during adolescence. In our analyses, adolescent skinfold thickness, as an index of degree of “overnutrition”, did not substitute for either of those variables or contribute more than a very small amount of additional information to the prediction of adolescent height.     

Anthropometric difference of the knee on MRI according to gender and age groups

The purpose of this study was to analyze the anthropometric data from MRI images that were obtained from the non-arthritic knees in Asian adults, and to identify the existence of morphologic differences between age groups. This cross-sectional study included knee MR images of 535 patients (273 males, 262 females) taken for the evaluation of soft-tissue injuries, excluding cases with cartilage defect and malalignment. The age, gender, height, and BMI were also assessed. The patients were grouped into three different 20-year age groups (20–39, 40–59, and 60–79). The MRI analysis was performed on the anthropometric parameters of distal femur and posterior tibial slope. Age-related differences were found in femoral width, distance from the distal and posterior cartilage surface to the medial/lateral epicondyle, medial posterior condylar offset (PCO), and posterior condylar angle (PCA) (all P < 0.001), but not in lateral PCO, and medial/lateral tibial slopes. In the analysis of covariance analyses, significant interaction between gender and age groups was found in most parameters, but not in PCA, distance from the posterior cartilage surface to the medial epicondyle, or medial tibial slope. We found anthropometric differences among age groups exist in most of distal femoral parameters, but not in posterior tibial slope. The results of this study can be used by manufacturers to modify prostheses to be suitable for the future Asian elderly population.