In forensic contexts, sternal anatomical varieties represent useful tools for the identification of an individual, either by comparison of ante-mortem and post-mortem data, or by potential comparison of data from biologically related individuals. Sternal body variation is also used to detect the biological affinity of individuals in bioarchaeology. However, no study has been made available to date on the degree to which the overall shape of the sternal body reflects the degree of biological relatedness. We, therefore, analyzed the sternal body shape of 10 individuals with known genealogical data, members of one family over three generations including inbred individuals (19th-20th centuries, Bohemia, Czech Republic), and a control sample of 12 biologically unrelated individuals. First, closely biologically related individuals were compared with unrelated individuals based on 10 variables expressing the morphological characteristics of the sternum, and then all individuals were compared based on Fourier analysis depending on their degree of relationship. The results showed that there is a greater degree of shape similarity in biologically related individuals than in unrelated individuals, and variability decreases with an increasing degree of relatedness. Inbred individuals showed the lowest sternum-shape distances and degree of variability, while unrelated individuals, showed the highest distances and variability. Moreover, in some cases, the documented relationships were also supported by a similar morphology of the ossified and fused xiphoid process. Thus, sternal shape analysis expands the possibilities for individual identification and the detection of the biological affinity of individuals for both the forensic sciences and bioarchaeology.

Department of Anthropology National Museum Prague Czech Republic

Department of Social and Clinical Pharmacy Faculty of Pharmacy Charles University Hradec Králové Czech Republic

Department of Zoology Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Anatomy 1st Faculty of Medicine Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Zobrazit více v PubMed

Ali, M. I. M., Mosallam, W., Mostafa, E. M. A., Aly, S. M., & Ali, N. M. (2021). Sternum as an indicator for sex and age estimation using multidetector computed tomography in an Egyptian population. Forensic Imaging, 26, 200457.

Asherson, N. (1963). The correlation of the forms of the frontal sinuses of twins. Reports Institute of Laryngology and Otology, 14, 1-26.

Ashley, G. T. (1956). The relationship between the pattern of ossification and the definitive shape of the mesosternum in man. Journal of Anatomy, 90, 87-105.

Barnes, E. (2012). Atlas of developmental field anomalies of the human skeleton: A paleopathology perspective (1st ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

Besana, J. L., & Rogers, T. L. (2010). Personal identification using the frontal sinus. Journal of Forensic Science, 55, 584-589.

Cameriere, R., Ferrante, L., Molleson, T., & Brown, B. (2008). Frontal sinus accuracy in identification as measured by false positives in kin groups. Journal of Forensic Science, 53, 1280-1282.

Capasso, L., Kennedy, K. A. R., & Wilczak, C. A. (1999). Atlas of occupational markers on human remains. Edigrafital S.P.A.

Caple, J., Byrd, J., & Stephan, C. N. (2017). Elliptical Fourier analysis: Fundamentals, applications, and value for forensic anthropology. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 131, 1675-1690.

Carson, E. A. (2006a). Maximum likelihood variance components analysis of heritabilities of cranial nonmetric traits. Human Biology, 78, 383-402.

Carson, E. A. (2006b). Maximum likelihood estimation of human craniometric heritabilities. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 131, 169-180.

Case, D. T., Jones, L. B., & Offenbecker, A. M. (2017). Skeletal kinship analysis using developmental anomalies of the foot. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 27, 192-205.

Creswick, H. A., Stacey, M. W., Kelly, R. E., Gustin, T., Nuss, D., Harvey, H., Goretsky, M. J., Vasser, E., Welch, J. C., Mitchell, K., & Proud, V. K. (2006). Family study of the inheritance of pectus excavatum. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 41, 1699-1703.

Cockerill, S. J., Arnay-de-la-Rosa, M., & González-Reimers, E. (2021). Guild burials or family graves? Intrapopulation relationship analysis of 18th century La Concepcion church cemetery in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 37, 102915.

Crubézy, E. (1992). Sternal foramina: Problems arising from the study of a family. International Journal of Anthropology, 7, 1-7.

Cvrček, J., Kuželka, V., Jor, T., Dupej, J., Horák, M., Naňka, O., Brůžek, J., & Velemínský, P. (2021a). Familial occurrence of skeletal developmental anomalies as a reflection of biological relationships in a genealogically documented Central European sample (19th to 20th centuries). Journal of Anatomy, 239, 1226-1238.

Cvrček, J., Rmoutilová, R., Čechová, M., Jor, T., Velemínská, J., Brůžek, J., Naňka, O., & Velemínský, P. (2020). Biological relationships and frontal sinus similarity in skeletal remains with known genealogical data. Journal of Anatomy, 237, 798-809.

Cvrček, J., Velemínský, P., Dupej, J., Vostrý, L., & Brůžek, J. (2018). Kinship and morphological similarity in the skeletal remains of individuals with known genealogical data (Bohemia, 19th to 20th centuries): A new methodological approach. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167, 541-556.

Cvrček, J., Velemínský, P., Jor, T., Rmoutilová, R., & Brůžek, J. (2021b). Frontal sinus anatomy of the noble Swéerts-Sporck family and verification of their biological relationships using similarity analysis. The Anatomical Record, 304, 1717-1731.

Dorado-Fernández, E., Cácares-Monllor, D. A., Carrillo-Rodríguez, M. F., Botella-López, M., & Murillo-González, J. (2021). The sternum as a sex discriminator in a contemporary Spanish population. Romanian Journal of Legal Medicine, 29, 96-104.

Drtikolová Kaupová, S., Cvrček, J., Grossová, I., Hadrava, J., Půtová, L., & Velemínský, P. (2021). The impact of pathological conditions on carbon and nitrogen isotopic values in the bone collagen of individuals with known biographic data and medical history. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 31, 1105-1124.

Drtikolová Kaupová, S., Velemínský, P., Cvrček, J., Džupa, V., Kuželka, V., Laboš, M., Němečková, A., Tomková, K., Zazvonilová, E., & Kacki, S. (2020). Multiple occurrence of premature polyarticular osteoarthritis in an early medieval bohemian cemetery (Prague, Czech Republic). International Journal of Paleopathology, 3, 35-46.

Dudzik, B., & Kolatorowicz, A. (2016). Craniometric data analysis and estimation of biodistance. In M. A. Pilloud & J. T. Hefner (Eds.), Biological distance analysis: Forensic and bioarchaeological perspectives (pp. 35-60). Elsevier, Academic Press.

Falconer, D. S., & Mackay, T. F. C. (1996). Introduction into quantitative genetics (4th ed.). Longman House.

Farkas, G. L., Józsa, L., & Paja, L. (2004). Developmental anomalies and other pathological lesions of the sternum in a medieval osteological sample. Acta Biologica Szegediensis, 48, 39-42.

Fiorin, E., Isidro, A., Ubelaker, D. H., & Malgosa, A. (2016). A congenital sternum anomaly from a late Roman burial, from Mallorca, Spain. L'Anthropologie, 54, 285-290.

Fotiadis, E., Grigoriadou, A., Kapetanos, G., Kenanidis, E., Pigadas, A., Akritopoulos, P., & Samoladas, E. (2008). The role of sternum in the etiopathogenesis of Scheuermann disease of the thoracic spine. Spine, 33, E21-E24.

Gavrus-Ion, A., Sjøvold, T., Hernández, M., González-José, R., Torné, M. E. E., Martínez-Abadíaz, N., & Esparza, M. (2017). Measuring fitness heritability: Life history traits versus morphological traits in humans. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 164, 321-330.

Hrdlička, A. (1937). Human typogeny. Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, 78, 79-95.

Irish, J. D., Morez, A., Flink, L. G., Philips, E. L. W., & Scott, G. R. (2020). Do dental nonmetric traits actually work as proxies for neutral genomic data? Some answers from continental-and global-level analyses. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 172, 347-375.

Johnson, K. M. (2018). Opening up the family tree: Promoting more diverse and inclusive studies of family, kinship, and relatedness in bioarchaeology. In J. E. Buikstra (Ed.), Bioarchaeologists speak out: Deep time perspectives on contemporary issues (1st ed., pp. 201-230). Springer.

Kjaer, I., Pallisgaard, C., & Brock-Jacobsen, M. T. (2012). Frontal sinus dimensions can differ significantly between individuals within a monozygotic pair, indicating environmental influence on sinus size. Acta Oto-Laryngologica, 132, 988-994.

Klanica, Z., Kavánová, B., Kouřil, Š., & Ungerman, Š. (2019). Mikulčice - die Nekropole an der dreischiffigen Basilika. Archeologický ústav AV ČR.

Kruskal, W. H., & Wallis, W. A. (1952). Use of ranks in one-criterion variance analysis. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 47, 583-621.

Lubosch, W. (1920). Formverschiedenheiten am Korper des menschlichen Brustbeins und ihr morphologischer und konstitutioneller Wert. Morphologisches Jahrbuch, 51, 91-140.

Macaluso, P. J., & Lucena, J. (2014). Morphological variations of the anterior thoracic skeleton and their forensic significance: Radiographic findings in a Spanish autopsy sample. Forensic Science International, 241, 220-e1.

Mantel, N. (1967). The detection of disease clustering and a generalized regression approach. Cancer Research, 27, 209-220.

Masnicová, S., & Beňuš, R. (2003). Developmental anomalies in skeletal remains from the Great Moravia and middle ages cemeteries at Devín (Slovakia). International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 13, 266-274.

Matiegka, J. (1923). Sternum orangoideum. L'Anthropologie, 1, 113-127.

Monum, T., Makino, Y., Prasitwattanaseree, S., Yajima, D., Chiba, F., Torimitsu, S., Hoshioka, Y., Yoshida, M., Urabe, S., Oya, Y., & Iwase, H. (2019). Age estimation from ossification of sternum and true ribs using 3D postmortem CT images in a Japanese population. Legal Medicine, 43, 101663.

Mosimann, J. E. (1970). Size allometry: Size and shape variables with characterizations of the lognormal and generalized gamma distributions. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 65, 930-945.

Niél, M., Chaumoître, K., Corny, J., Lalys, L., & Adalian, P. (2019). Maturation of the human foetal basioccipital: Quantifying shape changes in second and third trimesters using elliptic Fourier analysis. Journal of Anatomy, 235, 34-44.

Nikolova, S., Toneva, D., Georgiev, I., & Lazarov, N. (2018). Digital radiomorphometric analysis of the frontal sinus and assessment of the relation between persistent metopic suture and frontal sinus development. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 165, 492-506.

Ontell, F. K., Moore, E. H., Shepard, J. O., & Shelton, D. K. (1997). The costal cartilages in health and disease. Radiographics, 17, 571-577.

Palamenghi, A., Borlando, A., De Angelis, D., Sforza, C., Cattaneo, C., & Gibelli, D. (2021). Exploring the potential of cranial non-metric traits as a tool for personal identification: The never-ending dilemma. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 135, 2509-2518.

Paul, K. S., Stojanowski, C. M., Hughes, T. E., Brook, A. H., & Townsend, G. C. (2020). Patterns of heritability across the human diphyodont dental complex: Crown morphology of Australian twins and families. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 172, 447-461.

Paul, K. S., & Stojanowski, C. M. (2017). Comparative performance of deciduous and permanent dental morphology in detecting biological relatives. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 164, 97-116.

Peleg, S., Pelleg Kallevag, R., Dar, G., Steinberg, N., Masharawi, Y., & May, H. (2020). New methods for sex estimation using sternum and rib morphology. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 134, 1519-1530.

Press, W. H., Teukolsky, S. A., Vetterling, W. T., & Flannery, B. P. (2007). Numerical recipes: The art of scientific computing. Cambridge University Press.

Prossinger, H. (2008). Mathematical analysis techniques of frontal sinus morphology, with emphasis on Homo. The Anatomical Record, 291, 1455-1478.

Rhomberg, W., & Schuster, A. (2014). Premature calcifications of costal cartilages: A new perspective. Radiology Research and Practice, 2014, 523405.

Rojas, C. V., Olivares, J. I., Tutor, P. M., García, A. M., & Sánchez, M. B. (2021). Sternal human variability and population affinity: Frequency of discrete traits and their relationship with sex and age. The Anatomical Record, 305, 284-296.

Selthofer, R., Nikolić, V., Mrčela, T., Radić, R., Lekšan, I., Rudež, I., & Selthofer, K. (2006). Morphometric analysis of the sternum. Collegium Antropologicum, 30, 43-47.

Shedge, R., Kanchan, T., Garg, P. K., Dixit, S. G., Warrier, V., & Krishan, K. (2021). Age estimation from sternebral fusion in an Indian population - A computed tomographic evaluation. Legal Medicine, 53, 101951.

Shivakumar, G. L., Deepa, G., & Kadlimatti, H. S. (2013). Variations in the human sterna. Journal of Evolution of Medical and Dental Sciences, 2, 99-104.

Singh, J., & Pathak, R. K. (2013). Sex and age related non-metric variation of the human sternum in a northwest Indian postmortem sample: A pilot study. Forensic Science International, 228, 181.e1-181.e12.

Sjögren, K. G., Olalde, I., Carver, S., Allentoft, M. E., Knowles, T., Kroonen, G., Pike, A. W. G., Schröter, P., Brown, K. A., Robson Brown, K., Harrison, R. J., Bertemes, F., Reich, D., Kristiansen, K., & Heyd, V. (2020). Kinship and social organization in copper age Europe. A cross-disciplinary analysis of archaeology, DNA, isotopes, and anthropology from two bell beaker cemeteries. PLoS One, 15, e0241278.

Sjøvold, T. (1984). A report on the heritability of some cranial measurements and non-metric traits. In G. N. van Vark & W. W. Howells (Eds.), Multivariate statistical methods in physical anthropology (pp. 223-246). Doordrecht.

Spence, M. W. (1996). Nonmetric trait distribution and the expression of familial relationships in a nineteenth century cemetery. Northeast Anthropology, 52, 53-67.

Stieve, H., & Hintzsche, E. (1925). Über die Form des menschlichen Brustbeins. Zeitschrift für Morphologie und Anthropologie, 3, 361-410.

Stojanowski, C. M., Paul, K. S., Seidel, A. C., Duncan, W. N., & Guatelli-Steinberg, D. (2018). Heritability and genetic integration of anterior tooth crown variants in the South Carolina Gullah. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 167, 124-143.

Stojanowski, C. M., & Schillaci, M. A. (2006). Phenotypic approaches for understanding patterns of intracemetery biological variation. Yearbook of Physical Anthropology, 49, 49-88.

Strouhal, E. (1992). Anthropological and archaeological identification of an ancient Egyptian Royal family (5th Dynasty). International Journal of Anthropology, 7, 43-63.

Szilvássy, J. (1986). Eine neue methode zur inraserialen analyse von gräberfeldern. In B. Herrmann (Ed.), Innovative trends in der prähistorischen anthropologie (Vol. 7, pp. 51-61). Berliner Gessellschaft für Anthropologie, Ethnologie und Urgeschichte.

Usher, B. M., & Christensen, M. N. (2000). A sequential developmental field defect of the vertebrae, ribs, and sternum, in a young woman of the 12th century AD. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 111, 355-367.

van der Merwe, E. A., Weston, D. A., Oostra, R. J., & Maat, G. J. R. (2013). A review of the embryological development and associated developmental abnormalities of the sternum in the light of a rare palaeopathological case of sternal clefting. Homo, 64, 129-141.

VanRaden, P. M. (1992). Accounting for inbreeding and crossbreeding in genetic evaluation of large populations. Journal of Dairy Science, 75, 3136-3144.

Vatzia, K., Fanariotis, M., Makridis, K. G., Vlychou, M., Fezoulidis, I. V., & Vassiou, K. (2021). Frequency of sternal variations and anomalies in living individuals evaluated by MDCT. European Journal of Radiology, 142, 109828.

Verna, E., Piercecchi-Marti, M. D., Chaumoitre, K., & Adalian, P. (2015). Relevance of discrete traits in forensic anthropology: From the first cervical vertebra to the pelvic girdle. Forensic Science International, 253, 134.

Weaver, A. A., Schoell, S. L., Nguyen, C. M., Lynch, S. K., & Stitzel, J. D. (2014). Morphometric analysis of variation in the sternum with sex and age. Journal of Morphology, 275, 1284-1299.

Weiss, G., Wittig, H., Scheurer, E., Ruprecht, R., & Lenz, C. (2018). Identification of deceased based on sternal bone computed tomography features. Forensic Science International, 286, 233-238.

Yoshino, M., Miyasaka, S., Sato, H., & Seta, S. (1987). Classification system of frontal sinus patterns by radiography. Its application to identification of unknown remains. Forensic Science International, 34, 289-299.