To assess the potential of employing metacarpals in assessing sex of human skeletal remains, previous investigators have generated regression equations (Scheuer & Elkington, 1995) and linear discriminant functions (Falsetti, 1995; Stojanowski, 1999) based upon measurements from metacarpals. Results have varied in overall accuracy and which metacarpal produces the greatest accuracy. Using a contemporary sample, this study seeks to evaluate the validity of using metacarpals to assign sex by testing methodologies of previous studies. Measurements defined by previous authors were repeated on metacarpals from 23 adult cadavers and data were subjected to regression equations and linear discriminant analysis according to previous methodologies. Accuracy in sex determination from methods of Scheuer & Elkington (1993) and Falsetti (1995) were lower than originally reported while accuracy from methods of Stojanowski (1999) were higher than previously reported. These results suggest that the use of metacarpals in sex determination may be limited and should be applied cautiously.

BackgroundTafenoquine was recently approved for Plasmodium vivax radical cure (KRINTAFEL™) and malaria prevention (ARAKODA™).MethodsA review of the non-clinical and clinical literature was conducted to assess whether tafenoquine (and primaquine) exhibit the same neurologic lesions and associated clinical signs as earlier 8-aminoquinolines, as has been alleged in recent opinion pieces.ResultsPlasmocid, pamaquine and pentaquine damage specific neuro-anatomical structures in Rhesus monkeys and humans leading to corresponding deficits in neurologic function. Neurologic therapeutic indices for these 3 drugs calculated based on monkey data were well correlated with human data. Despite 60 years of use, there is no evidence that primaquine exhibits similar neurotoxicity in humans.Discussion/conclusionsExtrapolation of data from Rhesus monkeys to humans, and the available clinical data, suggest that tafenoquine also does not exhibit pamaquine, pentaquine or plasmocid-like clinical neurologic signs in humans.

No abstract

As in humans, adverse events other than neurotoxicity were dose-limiting for tafenoquine in rats. This raises the prospect that a new weekly prophylactic, without neurologic liability, may become available in the near future.

No abstract