Top

Published in:

01-03-2006 | Short Communication

The impact of economic progress and modernization in medicine on the ossification of hand and wrist

Authors: Andreas Schmeling, Ronald Schulz, Bettina Danner, Friedrich W. Rösing

Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Issue 2/2006

Abstract

One of the main criteria used for age estimations of young living subjects is the developmental status of the ossification of hand bones. The impact of economic progress and modernization in medicine on ossification rates in a given population still requires further clarification. We selected 36 samples from literature for which the ossification status had been determined with the Greulich–Pyle method and analyzed specific economic data (per capita income) and demographic data (life expectancy at birth) as parameters of modernization. To describe the influence of these parameters on the rate of ossification, we performed a regression analysis and found that a relatively high level of economic progress and modernization in medicine coincides with high ossification rates, while relatively low modernization seems to delay ossification. When performing age estimations, the expert opinion should therefore pay attention to the issue of different modernization levels.

Andersen E (1968) Skeletal maturation of Danish school children in relation to height, sexual development, and social conditions. Acta Paediatr Scand, Suppl 185:1–133CrossRef

Blanksby BA, Brogan WF, McKnight HP, Sprague PL (1975) A skeletal age survey of primary school children in western Australia. Aust Paediat J 11:169–171PubMed

Brown T, Grave KC (1976) Skeletal maturation in Australian Aborigines. Aust Pediat J 12:24–80

Chan ST, Chang KSF, Hsu FK (1961) Growth and skeletal maturation of Chinese children in Hongkong. Am J Phys Anthropol 19:289–300CrossRefPubMed

Dünkel F, van Kalmthout A, Schüler-Springorum H (1997) Entwicklungstendenzen und Reformstrategien im Jugendstrafrecht im europäischen Vergleich. Forum, Mönchengladbach

Fry EI (1960) Health survey of children from Raratonga, Cook Islands. III. Skeletal age and skeletal observations. J Trop Pediatr 6:75–79PubMed

Geserick G, Schmeling A (2001) Übersicht zum gegenwärtigen Stand der Altersschätzung Lebender im deutschsprachigen Raum. In: Oehmichen M, Geserick G (eds) Osteologische Identifikation und Altersschätzung. Schmidt-Römhild, Lübeck, pp 255–261

Greulich WW (1951) The growth and developmental status of Guamanian school children in 1947. Am J Phys Anthropol 9:55–70CrossRefPubMed

Greulich WW, Pyle SI (1959) Radiographic atlas of skeletal development of the hand and wrist. Stanford University Press, Stanford

10.

Groell R, Lindbichler F, Riepl T, Gherra L, Roposch A, Fotter R (1999) The reliability of bone age determination in central European children using the Greulich and Pyle method. Br J Radiol 72:461–464PubMed

11.

Haavikko K, Kilpinen E (1973) Skeletal development of Finnish children in the light of hand–wrist roentgenograms. Proc Finn Dent Soc 69:182–190PubMed

12.

Jimenez-Castellanos J, Carmona A, Catalina-Herrera CJ, Vinuales M (1996) Skeletal maturation of wrist and hand ossification centers in normal Spanish boys and girls: a study using the Greulich–Pyle method. Acta Anat 155:206–211PubMedCrossRef

13.

Johnston FE (1963) Skeletal age and its prediction in Philadelphia children. Hum Biol 35:192–202

14.

Johnston FE (1971) The use of the Greulich–Pyle method in a longitudinal growth study. Am J Phys Anthropol 35:353–357CrossRefPubMed

15.

Kapalin V, Picko V (1964) The skeletal age of school children and its dependences. Ceskoslov Hyg 9:342–356

16.

Koski K, Haataja J, Lappalainen M (1961) Skeletal development of hand and wrist in Finnish children. Am J Phys Anthropol 19:379–382CrossRefPubMed

17.

Levine E (1972) The skeletal development of children of four South African populations. Hum Biol 44:399–412PubMed

18.

Low WD (1975) Assessing skeletal maturity by inspection and bone-specific methods with the atlas of Greulich and Pyle. Z Morphol Anthropol 67:1–5PubMed

19.

Low WD, Chan ST, Chang KSF, Lee MMC (1964) Skeletal maturation of southern Chinese children. Child Dev 35:1313–1336PubMed

20.

Maddison A (2001) The world economy: a millennial perspective. Development Centre OECD, New York

21.

Mathiasen MS (1973) Determination of bone age and recording of minor skeletal hand anomalies in normal children. Dan Med Bull 20:80–85PubMed

22.

Newman MT, Collazos C (1957) Growth and skeletal maturation in malnourished Indian boys from the Peruvian Sierra. Am J Phys Anthropol 15:431

23.

Olze A, Schmeling A, Taniguchi M, Maeda H, Van Niekerk P, Wernecke K-D, Geserick G (2004) Forensic age estimation in living subjects: the ethnic factor in wisdom tooth mineralization. Int J Leg Med 118:170–173CrossRef

24.

Olze A, Bilang D, Schmidt S, Wernecke K-D, Geserick G, Schmeling A (2005) Validation of common classification systems for assessing the mineralization of third molars. Int J Leg Med 119:22–26CrossRef

25.

Paewinsky E, Pfeiffer H, Brinkmann B (2005) Quantification of secondary dentine formation from orthopantomograms—a contribution to forensic age estimation methods in adults. Int J Leg Med 119:27–30CrossRef

26.

Prader A, Budliger H (1977) Körpermasse, Wachstumsgeschwindigkeit und Knochenalter gesunder Kinder in den ersten zwölf Jahren (Longitudinale Wachstumsstudie Zürich). Helv Paediatr Acta, Suppl 37:5–44

27.

Rikhasor RM, Qureshi AM, Rathi SL, Channa NA (1999) Skeletal maturity in Pakistani children. J Anat 195:305–308CrossRefPubMed

28.

Roche AF (1967) A study of skeletal maturation in a group of Melbourne children. Aust Paediat J 3:123–127

29.

Roche AF, Roberts J, Hamill PVV (1975) Skeletal maturity of children 6–11 years: racial, geographic area and socioeconomic differentials, United States. National Center for Health statistics, series 11, no. 149. DHEW Publication no. (HRA) 76–1631, Rockville, Maryland

30.

Roche AF, Roberts J, Hamill PVV (1978) Skeletal maturity of youth 12–17 years. Racial, geographic area and socioeconomic differentials (vital and health statistics. US Dept. of Health, Education and Welfare. Series 11. No. 167). US Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.

31.

Schmeling A, Reisinger W, Loreck D, Markus W, Geserick G (2000) Effects of ethnicity on skeletal maturation: consequences for forensic age estimations. Int J Leg Med 113:253–258CrossRef

32.

Schmeling A, Kaatsch H-J, Marré B, Reisinger W, Riepert T, Ritz-Timme S, Rösing FW, Rötzscher K, Geserick G (2001) Empfehlungen für die Altersdiagnostik bei Lebenden im Strafverfahren. Rechtsmedizin 11:1–3CrossRef

33.

Schmeling A, Schulz R, Reisinger W, Mühler M, Wernecke K-D, Geserick G (2004) Studies on the time frame for ossification of medial clavicular epiphyseal cartilage in conventional radiography. Int J Leg Med 118:5–8CrossRef

34.

Schulz R, Mühler M, Mutze S, Schmidt S, Reisinger W, Schmeling A (2005) Studies on the time frame for ossification of the medial epiphysis of the clavicle revealed by CT scans. Int J Legal Med. DOI: 10.1007/s00414-005-0529-9

35.

Stuart HC, Reed RB (1959) Longitudinal studies of child health and development. Series II. Reports based on completed case studies. Pediatrics (Suppl) 24:875–885

36.

Stubbe P, Hölscher A, Weigel W (1974) Über die Vorausberechnung der Endlänge von Kindern. Monschr Kinderheilkd 122:887–890

37.

Ulijaszek SJ (1998) Modernization and growth. In: Ulijaszek SJ, Johnston FE, Preece MA (eds) The Cambridge encyclopedia of human growth and development. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 402–403

38.

United Nations (1955) Age and sex patterns of mortality. Model life-tables for under-developed countries. UN, New York

39.

United Nations (1979) Demographic yearbook: special issue–natality. UN, New York

40.

United Nations (1993) Demographic yearbook: special issue—population ageing and the situation of elderly persons. UN, New York

41.

Vignolo M, Milani S, DiBattista E, Naselli A, Mostert M, Aicardi G (1990) Modified Greulich–Pyle, Tanner–Whitehouse, and Roche–Wainer–Thissen (knee) methods for skeletal age assessment in a group of Italian children and adolescents. Eur J Pediatr 149:314–317CrossRefPubMed

42.

Wenzel A, Droschl H, Melsen B (1984) Skeletal maturity in Austrian children assessed by the GP and the TW-2 methods. Ann Hum Biol 11:173–177CrossRefPubMed

Title: The impact of economic progress and modernization in medicine on the ossification of hand and wrist
Authors: Andreas Schmeling
Ronald Schulz
Bettina Danner
Friedrich W. Rösing
Publication date: 01-03-2006
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine / Issue 2/2006
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Electronic ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-005-0007-4

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

The impact of economic progress and modernization in medicine on the ossification of hand and wrist

Abstract

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 2/2006

It was one of my brothers

Stability of ethyl glucuronide in urine, post-mortem tissue and blood samples

The examination and reporting of war crimes—an example from Finnish history

Forensic identification of urine samples: a comparison between nuclear and mitochondrial DNA markers

A multicentre and prospective study of suspected cases of child physical abuse

Death by hanging while watching violent pornographic videos on the Internet—suicide or accidental autoerotic death?