Program of the 93rd Annual Meeting of the American Association of Biological Anthropologists

Résumé fourni par la source

Bone can be assessed microscopically to further understand changes in material and mechanical tissue properties occurring with advanced age. This study investigates age-related histomorphometric changes in the cortical and trabecular bone of the clavicle in later life. Thirty sternal end left clavicles were collected (mean age = 83 years, 15 males, 15 females, Scottish population). Five trabecular variables were collected through microcomputed tomography considering two volumes of interest (VOIs: superior and inferior). Fourteen cortical bone parameters were evaluated using traditional histology, with eight periosteal locations considered for osteonal parameters. Intra-observer error was assessed using intra-class correlation coefficient. Correlations between age and parameters were calculated, and comparisons between age groups (by decades and under/over 85 years of age) and the sexes were conducted. Linear regression assessed the relationship between the parameters and age. Repeatability was overall attained. Only trabecular bone volume fraction did not differ between VOIs. Significant correlations to age were found for cortical area parameters, intact osteons, and connectivity density. Trabecular thickness and bone volume fraction differed between the 70s and 80s groups. Differences were found for under/over 85-year-old individuals for relative cortical area and between the sexes for cortical area. Relative cortical area and trabecular inferior connectivity explained 30% of the variation in age. As the global population gets older, it is crucial to further explore bone age-related changes in the elderly. This study reports age patterns for both cortical and trabecular bone potentially explained by age-related pathologies, biomechanical changes, and physiological alterations accumulating with age.

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