Ziel der Studie lag in der Analyse des Zusammenhangs von Muskel- und Knochenmasse als Surrogat für Kraft und Knochenfestigkeit. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden 265 gesunde und chronisch kranke Kinder und Jugendliche auf ihre Körperzusammensetzung untersucht.(Anorexia nervosa: 40, Hypophosphatasie: 10, Kraniopharyngeom: 12 und juveniles Rheuma: 68, Referenzgruppe: 79 gesunde weissrussische Mädchen und 56 Jungen). Die Untersuchungsergebnisse der DXA Messungen bestätigen , dass die Knochenmasse als Surrogat für Festigkeit eng mit der Muskelmasse korreliert. Mit zunehmender Muskelmasse steigt auch der BMC an. Die Ergebnisse der Studie stehen im Einklang mit dem von Frost postuliertem Regelkreis, der einen kausalen Zusammenhang zwischen Muskelkraft und Knochenfestigkeit beschrieb. Generell zeigte sich, dass das Surrogat Knochendichte diesen Zusammenhang weniger scharf beschreibt als die Knochenmasse. Darüber hinaus fanden sich Störungen des Regelkreises, deren Ursachen zum Teil Gegenstand der Abklärung in weiterführenden Studien bleiben. / The aim of the study lay in the analysis of the connection of muscle mass and osseous mass as a surrogate for strength and osseous firmness. In the present work 265 became recovers and chronically ill children and youngsters on her body composition examined. (anorexia nervosa: 40, hypophosphatasia: 10, craniopharyngeoma: 12 and juvenile rheumatisms: 68, authoritative group: 79 healthy Belorussian girls and 56 boys). The investigation results of the measurements DXA confirm that the osseous mass correlates as a surrogate for firmness closely with the muscle mass. With increasing muscle mass also rises of the BMC. The results of the study stand in the harmony with the control circuit postulated by „Frost“ which described a causal connection between muscular strength and osseous firmness.In general appeared that the surrogate describes osseous density this connection less sharply than the osseous mass. In addition, disturbances of the control circuit whose causes remain partly an object of the clarification in continuing studies were found.

The study of fossil istiophorids is limited by its fragmentary fossil record; the absence of osteological specimens for comparisons; the cryptic bibliography of several early works and the absence of more accurate comparative methods. Appling a data imputation model we took advantages of extant data for rostral and articular variables for istiophorid billfishes. We used this result to apply PCA analysis and we compared fossil and modern istiophorids together. With this analysis we present here two new istiophorid species: Makaira? sp. nov. 1 and Makaira sp. nov. 2. Makaira? sp. nov. 1 is the most complete fossil istiophorid ever discovered and represent that share characters in various genera. We hypothesize that characters in bones involved in alimentation process have phylogenetic importance as: rostrum shape, denticles, lower jaw, vomer, basioccipital and skull shape as well as orbital size. Our taxonomic reviews of fossil istiophorid reorganize its taxonomy and solve many conflicts about the classification of fossil species. The istiophorids are abundant macrovertebrate in the Chagres sediments and its presence suggests a water column with a minimum of 200m depths in an environment of short platform with oceanic influence. Given the high productivity inferred in this environment we suggest that...

This essay deals with the diseases osteoporosis and osteoarthritis in a medieval population from Visby in Sweden. The aim has been to evaluate to what extent and in what way these diseases have influenced the people of a relatively large harbour town during the Middle Ages. 24 individuals were analysed osteologicaly and 19 of them became subject for measurements of bone density through DEXA readings. Furthermore four individuals were x-rayed based on external differences due to osteoarthritis and a change in the depression at the base of the medial surface of the greater trochanter. Similar studies have been made in Trondheim, Norway and Wharram Percy, Great Britain. These were exceedingly larger than the study made for this essay and showed a higher number of individuals with the above mentioned diseases, compared to only one individual with osteopenia, a precursor of osteoporosis, and two individuals with osteoarthritis in the population from Visby. Additionally reasons for a population to be effected by the diseases has been evaluated and discussed. Climate and geology have been suggested as having an impact on the frequency of osteoporosis in a population as well as heredity.  For osteoarthritis a theoretical connection has been made to the changes in the trochanteric fossa. / Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Krankheiten Osteoporose und Osteoarthrose in einer mittelalterlichen Bevölkerung in Visby, Schweden. Das Ziel war zu bewerten, in welchem Umfang und in welcher Weise diese Krankheiten die Menschen in einer relativ großen Hafenstadt im Mittelalter beeinflusst haben. 24 Individuen wurden osteologisch analysierte und 19 von ihnen wurden für die Messung von Knochendichte durch DEXA Lesungen ausgewählt. Darüber hinaus wurden vier Individuen auf der Grundlage externer Unterschiede aufgrund von Arthrose und eine Änderung in der Depression an der Basis der medialen Oberfläche des Trochanter major geröntgt. Ähnliche Studien wurden in Trondheim, Norwegen, und Wharram Percy, Großbritannien, durchgeführt. Es waren umfangreichere Studien als die für diese Arbeit und sie zeigten auch eine höhere Anzahl von Individuen mit den oben genannten Erkrankungen, vergleichbar mit nur einer Person mit Osteopenie, eine Vorstufe der Osteoporose, und zwei Personen mit Osteoarthrose in der Bevölkerung von Visby. Zusätzlich wurden die möglichen Gründe dieser Krankheiten in einer Bevölkerung geklärt und diskutiert. Als Ursachen für die Häufigkeit von Osteoporose wurden Klima und Geologie sowie Vererbung vorgeschlagen. Vier gleichartige Veränderungen an Oberschenkelknochen führten außerdem zu der Hypothese dass ein Zusammenhang zwischen Veränderungen in der Fossa trochanterica  und Osteoarthrose besteht.

The presented study comprises a complete morphological and phylotaxonomic revision of basal Sphenacodontia, designated as the paraphyletic ‘haptodontines’. Ianthodon from the Kasimovian is known from newly identified elements, including most of the skull and particular postcrania. This species is determined as the best model for the initial morphology of the Sphenacomorpha (Edaphosauridae and Sphenacodontia). Remarkably older sphenacodontian remains from the Moscovian indicate a derived, though fragmentarily known form, possibly basal Sphenacodontoidea. The genus Haptodus is conclusively revised, including the revalidation of the type species H. baylei from the Artinskian. Haptodus grandis is renamed as Hypselohaptodus, gen. nov. “Haptodus” garnettensis is not monophyletic with Haptodus, moreover the material assigned to it yielded a greater diversity. Thus, its renaming includes Eohaptodus garnettensis, gen. nov., Tenuacaptor reiszi, gen. et spec. nov., and Kenomagnathus scotti, gen. et spec. nov. Along with Ianthodon and the basal edaphosaurid Ianthasaurus, these taxa from a single assemblage are differentiated by dentition and skull proportions, providing a case study of annidation. Since Ianthodon can be excluded from Sphenacomorpha, the larger, stem-based taxon Haptodontiformes is introduced. More derived ‘haptodontines’ apparently form another radiation, named as Pantherapsida. This new taxon includes Cutleria, Tetraceratops, Hypselohaptodus, the Palaeohatteriidae (Pantelosaurus and Palaeohatteria), and the Sphenacodontoidea. The ‘pelycosaur’-therapsid transition is affirmed as a long-term development. An integrative evolutionary hypothesis of basal sphenacodontians is provided, within which the ghost lineage of Early Permian therapsids can be explained by biome shift.

In diesem Beitrag wird über osteologische Untersuchungen an rezenten Knochenfunden aus der kubanischen Strandsiedlung Caletones berichtet. Außer den Haustierarten Rind, Schaf/Ziege, Schwein und Huhn wurden Knochen von mindestens zwei Meeresschildkrötenarten und von zwei bislang unbestimmten Fischarten gefunden. Marine Tiere spielen in der Ernährung der Küstenbewohner eine wichtige Rolle. Spuren krankhafter Veränderungen wurden ausschließlich an den Schweineschädeln festgestellt und betreffen hauptsächlich Kiefer und Zähne. / This paper describes the recent bone finds from the Cuban coastal village Caletones. Bones of domestic animals (cattle, sheep/goat, pig, chicken) as well as sea turtles were present. Furthermore, bones of two, not yet determined, fish species were found. Marine animals provide an important part of animal protein for the coastal population in Cuba. Pathological changes were only found in the skulls of pigs and are mainly related to the teeth and jaws.

The presented study comprises a complete morphological and phylotaxonomic revision of basal Sphenacodontia, designated as the paraphyletic ‘haptodontines’. Ianthodon from the Kasimovian is known from newly identified elements, including most of the skull and particular postcrania. This species is determined as the best model for the initial morphology of the Sphenacomorpha (Edaphosauridae and Sphenacodontia). Remarkably older sphenacodontian remains from the Moscovian indicate a derived, though fragmentarily known form, possibly basal Sphenacodontoidea. The genus Haptodus is conclusively revised, including the revalidation of the type species H. baylei from the Artinskian. Haptodus grandis is renamed as Hypselohaptodus, gen. nov. “Haptodus” garnettensis is not monophyletic with Haptodus, moreover the material assigned to it yielded a greater diversity. Thus, its renaming includes Eohaptodus garnettensis, gen. nov., Tenuacaptor reiszi, gen. et spec. nov., and Kenomagnathus scotti, gen. et spec. nov. Along with Ianthodon and the basal edaphosaurid Ianthasaurus, these taxa from a single assemblage are differentiated by dentition and skull proportions, providing a case study of annidation. Since Ianthodon can be excluded from Sphenacomorpha, the larger, stem-based taxon Haptodontiformes is introduced. More derived ‘haptodontines’ apparently form another radiation, named as Pantherapsida. This new taxon includes Cutleria, Tetraceratops, Hypselohaptodus, the Palaeohatteriidae (Pantelosaurus and Palaeohatteria), and the Sphenacodontoidea. The ‘pelycosaur’-therapsid transition is affirmed as a long-term development. An integrative evolutionary hypothesis of basal sphenacodontians is provided, within which the ghost lineage of Early Permian therapsids can be explained by biome shift.:Chapter 1 ‘Haptodontines’ re-examined – An Introduction Chapter 2 New information on the cranial and postcranial anatomy of the early synapsid Ianthodon schultzei (Sphenacomorpha: Sphenacodontia), and its evolutionary significance Chapter 3 Reviewing the question of the oldest therapsid Chapter 4 Revision of the genus Haptodus (Synapsida: Haptodontiformes) and evolutionary implications from the Garnett fossil site Chapter 5 Morphological description and taxonomic status of Palaeohatteria and Pantelosaurus (Synapsida: Sphenacodontia) Chapter 6 Re-description of Cutleria and Tetraceratops (Synapsida, Sphenacodontia), with implications on the radiation of Sphenacodontoidea Chapter 7 Callibrachion and Datheosaurus, two historical and previously mistaken basal Caseasauria (Synapsida) from Europe Chapter 8 Synthesis and perspective