The external ear is a defining feature of the face and sometimes has variations. This study was designed to obtain information about the dimensions, morphological, and aesthetic differences of the pinna amongst Nigerians who are students of the University of Abuja. For the photographic aspect of the study, 99 volunteers met the inclusion criteria. Results showed the following: for the lateral view, the detached lobule was 5.9% greater in females than in males, while the attached lobule was larger in males compared to females by 5.9%. An everted helix was not found in the entire population. For the posterior view, the lateral displacement of the pinna was greater in males compared to females by 17.2%. No hairy pinna was observed in the entire population. For the morphometric aspect of the study, 185 volunteers met the inclusion criteria. The mean total ear height and mean lobular height across the cohort were 5.72cm and 1.58cm, respectively, while the average lobular width measured 2.05cm. The average height of the pinna was 4.14cm. The mean total ear height was higher in males compared to females, while the mean values for lobular height and width were both slightly higher in females compared to males. The study establishes normative data for incidence in structural positioning of the ear pinna between male and female sexes, while making clear that hairy pinna and congenital abnormality of the ear are not common occurrences among Nigerians.

Background: Stature estimation is a fundamental component of forensic identification and anthropological investigations. Although long-bone measurements provide the highest accuracy, they are not always available in cases involving fragmented or incomplete human remains. Anthropometric measurements of the hand and fingers offer practical alternatives because they are simple, inexpensive, and non-invasive. The little finger has been comparatively underexplored as a predictor of stature, particularly in South Indian populations. Objectives: To evaluate the relationship between little finger length and stature and to develop regression models for anthropometric estimation. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 105 healthy adults aged 18–40 years at Yenepoya Medical College. Standing height was measured using a stadiometer, while right and left little finger lengths were measured using a Vernier caliper following standard anthropometric techniques. Each measurement was recorded twice, and the average value was used for analysis. Pearson correlation and linear regression analyses were performed using Microsoft Excel. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results; Stature demonstrated a significant positive correlation with right little finger length (r = 0.484, p < 0.001) and left little finger length (r = 0.390, p < 0.001). Weight showed a significant correlation only with the right little finger (r = 0.328, p = 0.001), whereas BMI was not significantly associated with either measurement. Regression analysis identified height and gender as significant predictors of right little finger length (R² = 27.3%), while height alone significantly predicted left little finger length (R² = 15.2%). Discriminant analysis based on bilateral little finger lengths correctly classified 67.61% of participants according to sex. Conclusion: Little finger length demonstrates a statistically significant association with stature and may serve as a practical anthropometric parameter in forensic and anthropological applications. Population-specific regression models may improve the accuracy of stature estimation in situations where conventional skeletal measurements are unavailable.

Football is a physically demanding sport that requires well-developed physiological capacities, including cardiovascular endurance, pulmonary function, and efficient oxygen utilization. Modern training approaches such as plyometric training and functional training have gained considerable attention for their potential to improve athletic performance. While each training method offers unique physiological benefits, combining these approaches may produce greater adaptations than using either method independently. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to examine the effectiveness of varied training interventions on selected physiological variables among intercollegiate male football players. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of varied training interventions on selected physiological variables among intercollegiate male football players. Sixty male football players aged 18–25 years were randomly selected from various colleges in Visakhapatnam District, Andhra Pradesh, India. The participants were randomly assigned to four groups of fifteen players each. Group I underwent plyometric training, Group II participated in functional training, Group III received combined plyometric and functional training, and Group IV served as the control group. The experimental groups followed their respective training programmes for twelve weeks, with three training sessions per week, while the control group continued their regular routine without any specialized training intervention. The selected physiological variables vital capacity were measured before and after the intervention using standardized testing procedures. The collected data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA), with the level of significance set at 0.05. The findings revealed statistically significant improvements in all selected physiological variables among the experimental groups compared with the control group. Furthermore, the combined plyometric and functional training group exhibited significantly greater improvements than the plyometric training and functional training groups individually, indicating the superior effectiveness of the combined training approach. The study concludes that varied training interventions, particularly the integration of plyometric and functional training, are highly effective in enhancing physiological capacities and overall athletic performance among intercollegiate male football players. Coaches and physical education professionals may incorporate combined training programmes into regular football conditioning to optimize players' physiological fitness and competitive performance.