The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology
Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease that, in its more developed stages, can lead to the calcification of fatty plaques on the walls of arteries, resulting in the appearance of new bone elements. It is a condition that has been studied and documented little in the context of paleopathology, es...
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MDPI AG
2024-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/2/66 |
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| author | Sara Monteiro Francisco Curate Susana Garcia Eugénia Cunha |
| author_facet | Sara Monteiro Francisco Curate Susana Garcia Eugénia Cunha |
| author_sort | Sara Monteiro |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease that, in its more developed stages, can lead to the calcification of fatty plaques on the walls of arteries, resulting in the appearance of new bone elements. It is a condition that has been studied and documented little in the context of paleopathology, especially in the framework of forensic anthropology. This article analyzed the skeletal remains of 71 individuals (35 females and 36 males) from the Luís Lopes Identified Collection of the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon, 31 of whom had an autopsy report. An attempt was made to ascertain whether these bone elements resulting from atherosclerotic calcification would resist cadaveric decomposition and whether they would be recoverable several years after burial, and a survey was carried out of their distribution according to sex and age, as well as their association with other pathologies, such as osteoporosis and cardiac and renal pathologies. An imaging analysis of an atherosclerotic plaque was also carried out to complement the macroscopic analysis and present other methods of identifying plaques. It was concluded that each atherosclerotic calcification has a unique profile, which can be useful for identification, especially in cases where the individual shows a severe condition. In terms of identification potential, the analysis of calcified atherosclerotic plaques can be useful, as they can corroborate or reject an identification. However, it always requires the existence of ante-mortem imaging exams and must always be used in addition to other identification methods. Regardless of the identification, these plaques are bone elements resulting from a pathology and should, therefore, be known and recognized by the scientific community. |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1646bfc49d71484db040ec82e3df685e |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-7737 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T22:41:20Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj.art-1646bfc49d71484db040ec82e3df685e2024-02-23T15:08:05ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372024-01-011326610.3390/biology13020066The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic AnthropologySara Monteiro0Francisco Curate1Susana Garcia2Eugénia Cunha3University of Coimbra, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, PortugalUniversity of Coimbra, Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS), Department of Life Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, PortugalCentro de Administração e Políticas Públicas, Instituto Superior de Ciências Sociais e Políticas, Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Universidade de Lisboa, Rua Almerindo Lessa, 1300-663 Lisbon, PortugalUniversity of Coimbra, Centre for Functional Ecology, Department of Life Sciences, Calçada Martim de Freitas, 3000-456 Coimbra, PortugalAtherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease that, in its more developed stages, can lead to the calcification of fatty plaques on the walls of arteries, resulting in the appearance of new bone elements. It is a condition that has been studied and documented little in the context of paleopathology, especially in the framework of forensic anthropology. This article analyzed the skeletal remains of 71 individuals (35 females and 36 males) from the Luís Lopes Identified Collection of the National Museum of Natural History and Science in Lisbon, 31 of whom had an autopsy report. An attempt was made to ascertain whether these bone elements resulting from atherosclerotic calcification would resist cadaveric decomposition and whether they would be recoverable several years after burial, and a survey was carried out of their distribution according to sex and age, as well as their association with other pathologies, such as osteoporosis and cardiac and renal pathologies. An imaging analysis of an atherosclerotic plaque was also carried out to complement the macroscopic analysis and present other methods of identifying plaques. It was concluded that each atherosclerotic calcification has a unique profile, which can be useful for identification, especially in cases where the individual shows a severe condition. In terms of identification potential, the analysis of calcified atherosclerotic plaques can be useful, as they can corroborate or reject an identification. However, it always requires the existence of ante-mortem imaging exams and must always be used in addition to other identification methods. Regardless of the identification, these plaques are bone elements resulting from a pathology and should, therefore, be known and recognized by the scientific community.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/2/66forensic anthropologyidentificationcardiovascular pathologyatherosclerosis |
| spellingShingle | Sara Monteiro Francisco Curate Susana Garcia Eugénia Cunha The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology Biology forensic anthropology identification cardiovascular pathology atherosclerosis |
| title | The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology |
| title_full | The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology |
| title_fullStr | The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology |
| title_short | The Identification Potential of Atherosclerotic Calcifications in the Context of Forensic Anthropology |
| title_sort | identification potential of atherosclerotic calcifications in the context of forensic anthropology |
| topic | forensic anthropology identification cardiovascular pathology atherosclerosis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/2/66 |
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