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Cancers Feb 2022Meningiomas are the most common tumor of the central nervous system and can result in skeletal manifestations, including hyperostosis of the adjacent cranial bone,... (Review)
Review
Meningiomas are the most common tumor of the central nervous system and can result in skeletal manifestations, including hyperostosis of the adjacent cranial bone, enostoses, depressions, and enhanced vascular impressions. However, their identification in the paleopathological literature has been rare and few cases have received broad acceptance of the diagnosis. A review of the literature identified some 43 cases in which individuals were argued to have suffered from meningiomas. Most were seen in older individuals but were more likely to affect males. Eleven individuals exhibited hyperostosis, the most easily recognized indicator, usually located on the parietal bone; the hyperostotic region averaged 8 cm in diameter and 3.0 cm in height. Seven displayed lytic lesions with areas much smaller in size than the hyperostosis, and many had vascular changes. The other cases had indicators that varied greatly in terms of location and expression and included both sclerotic lesions and hollow areas. Several authors also suggested other possible causes of the lesions. The findings reflect the non-pathognomonic nature of the effects of meningiomas. However, given their likely frequency and potentially severe effects in ancient people, it is argued that they should be taken into consideration more frequently when performing differential diagnoses.
PubMed: 35205806
DOI: 10.3390/cancers14041058 -
Journal of Anatomy Feb 2022In adult humans, the orbits vary mostly in their orientation in relation to the frontal bone profile, while the orientation of the cranial base and face are associated...
In adult humans, the orbits vary mostly in their orientation in relation to the frontal bone profile, while the orientation of the cranial base and face are associated with the anteroposterior dimensions of the parietal bone. Here we investigate the effect of parietal bone length on the orientation of the orbits, addressing craniofacial integration and head orientation. We applied shape analysis to a sample of computed tomography scans from 30 adult modern humans, capturing the outlines of the parietal and frontal bones, the orbits, and the lateral and midline cranial base, to investigate shape variation, covariation, and modularity. Results show that the orientation of the orbits varies in accordance with the anterior cranial base, and in association with changes in parietal bone longitudinal extension. Flatter, elongated parietal bones are associated with downwardly oriented orbits and cranial bases. Modularity analysis points to a significant integration among the orbits, anterior cranial base, and the frontal profile. While the orbits are morphologically integrated with the adjacent structures in terms of shape, the association with parietal bone size depends on the spatial relationship between the two blocks. Complementary changes in orbit and parietal bone might play a role in accommodating craniofacial variability and may contribute to maintain the functional axis of the head. To better understand how skull morphology and head posture relate, future studies should account for the spatial relationship between the head and the neck.
Topics: Adult; Face; Frontal Bone; Head; Humans; Parietal Bone; Skull; Skull Base
PubMed: 34498271
DOI: 10.1111/joa.13543 -
Child's Nervous System : ChNS :... Nov 2023Herein lies a brief historical review of the practice of artificial cranial deformation (ACD) in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, a pre-Columbian archeological ruin once regarded as... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
Herein lies a brief historical review of the practice of artificial cranial deformation (ACD) in Tiwanaku, Bolivia, a pre-Columbian archeological ruin once regarded as one of the most powerful pre-Inca regions whose influence extended into present-day Peru and Chile from 600 to 1000 AD. We describe the history, purpose, and implications of ACD from both a neuroanatomical and cultural perspective.
METHODS
A literature review was conducted through PubMed on the history of artificial cranial deformation in South America, concentrating on the Tiwanaku region. The authors searched all available data with no specific time reference, using the mentioned keywords: ACD, neuroanatomical implications of ACD, cultural and social functions of ACD, Tiwanaku society, and Andean civilization.
RESULTS
Early Andean civilization was hierarchical and stratified. In Tiwanaku, the practice of ACD served to delineate one's social class, caste, lineage, and vocation. This was especially useful for warriors, who distinguished their fellow combatants from insurgents by differences in their cranial structure. ACD was usually conducted within the first few months of an infant's life before morphogenetic features became permanent. Two popular cranial styles-tabular and annular-were achieved by applying various mechanical apparatus and resulted in several cranial shapes (conical, box-like, flattened, etc.). Neuroanatomically, each deformation technique and the duration for which mechanical stress was applied influenced the solidification of cranial bones and shaped the frontal, occipital, parietal, and temporal bones differently. Cognitive deficits and plagiocephalic defects were recorded in limitation and may have been overlooked as the era's occupational demands were more labor-intensive than knowledge-driven.
CONCLUSION
In Tiwanaku, the custom of ACD was used to demonstrate group identity, with alterations of the cranial shape corresponding to a particular headdress. ACD was used to distinguish an individual's social identity, separating different groups of society into castes, classes, and slaves (Brain, 1979). The custom has also been used to mark territory and emphasize ethnic differences among groups, with potential cognitive implications that were largely unrecorded.
Topics: Infant; Humans; Bolivia; South America; Peru; Archaeology; Temporal Bone
PubMed: 37594563
DOI: 10.1007/s00381-023-06094-w -
Folia Morphologica 2021The parietal foramen (PF) is a small inconsistent aperture located at the border of the middle 1/3 and posterior 1/3 of the parietal bone near the sagittal suture and is...
BACKGROUND
The parietal foramen (PF) is a small inconsistent aperture located at the border of the middle 1/3 and posterior 1/3 of the parietal bone near the sagittal suture and is considered an emissary foramen. Cranial emissary foramina are of utmost importance due to the structures that traverse the foramen. Variations in these foramina are common. Knowledge of the PF is important when performing neurosurgical procedures as the emissary vessels are at risk.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
The present study used 100 dry adult calvaria to determine the frequency of PF, the diameter of the PF, as well as topography of the PF (using the sagittal suture as an anatomical landmark).
RESULTS
A total of 32% of calvaria had PF present bilaterally; whilst 35% of calvaria had unilateral PF. The study also reports 5% calvaria in which PF were present on the sagittal suture. The mean diameter recorded was 1.55 mm (0.74-3.08 mm), and the mean distance between the lateral margin of the PF and the sagittal suture was 9.02 mm (4.44-18.20 mm).
CONCLUSIONS
Knowledge of the incidence and topography of the PF may aid neurosurgeons in creating and adjusting techniques and procedures in order to mitigate the risk of injury to emissary veins and other structures emerging from the PF.
Topics: Cranial Sutures; Incidence; Parietal Bone; Sphenoid Bone; Veins
PubMed: 33241848
DOI: 10.5603/FM.a2020.0140 -
Mechanical and morphological properties of parietal bone in patients with sagittal craniosynostosis.Journal of the Mechanical Behavior of... Jan 2022Limited information is available on the effect of sagittal craniosynostosis (CS) on morphological and material properties of the parietal bone. Understanding these...
Limited information is available on the effect of sagittal craniosynostosis (CS) on morphological and material properties of the parietal bone. Understanding these properties would not only provide an insight into bone response to surgical procedures but also improve the accuracy of computational models simulating these surgeries. The aim of the present study was to characterise the mechanical and microstructural properties of the cortical table and diploe in parietal bone of patients affected by sagittal CS. Twelve samples were collected from pediatric patients (11 males, and 1 female; age 5.2 ± 1.3 months) surgically treated for sagittal CS. Samples were imaged using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT); and mechanical properties were extracted by means of micro-CT based finite element modelling (micro-FE) of three-point bending test, calibrated using sample-specific experimental data. Reference point indentation (RPI) was used to validate the micro-FE output. Bone samples were classified based on their macrostructure as unilaminar or trilaminar (sandwich) structure. The elastic moduli obtained using RPI and micro-FE approaches for cortical tables (E 3973.33 ± 268.45 MPa and E 3438.11 ± 387.38 MPa) in the sandwich structure and diploe (E1958.17 ± 563.79 MPa and E 1960.66 ± 492.44 MPa) in unilaminar samples were in strong agreement (r = 0.86, p < .01). We found that the elastic modulus of cortical tables and diploe were correlated with bone mineral density. Changes in the microstructure and mechanical properties of bone specimens were found to be irrespective of patients' age. Although younger patients are reported to benefit more from surgical intervention as skull is more malleable, understanding the material properties is critical to better predict the surgical outcome in patients <1 year old since age-related changes were minimal.
Topics: Child; Craniosynostoses; Female; Humans; Infant; Parietal Bone; X-Ray Microtomography
PubMed: 34773914
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2021.104929 -
Calcified Tissue International Nov 2019Increasing evidence has demonstrated the important role of autophagy in skeletal homeostasis; however, the role of autophagy in craniofacial bone development and...
Increasing evidence has demonstrated the important role of autophagy in skeletal homeostasis; however, the role of autophagy in craniofacial bone development and acquisition is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of autophagy suppression on craniofacial bone acquisition by deleting Fip200 or Atg5, two essential autophagy genes, using Osterix-Cre (Osx-Cre). We found that the Osx-Cre transgene mildly decreased the bone mass of parietal bone but not frontal bone, and did not affect cranial base bone mass in adult mice. In the cranial vault, Fip200 or Atg5 deletion similarly decreased 50% bone mass of neural crest-derived frontal bone; Atg5 deletion decreased 50% and Fip200 deletion decreased 30% bone mass of mesoderm-derived parietal bone. In the cranial base, Fip200 or Atg5 deletion similarly decreased 30% bone mass of neural crest-derived presphenoid bone; Atg5 deletion decreased 30% and Fip200 deletion decreased 16% bone mass of mesoderm-derive basioccipital bone. Lastly, we used doxycycline treatment to inhibit the Osx-Cre expression until 2 months of age and showed that postnatal Fip200 deletion led to cranial vault bone mass decrease in association with a small increase in both bone volume/tissue volume and tissue mineral density. Altogether, this study demonstrated the important role of autophagy in craniofacial bone acquisition during development and postnatal growth.
Topics: Animals; Autophagy; Bone Development; Facial Bones; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; Skull
PubMed: 31372669
DOI: 10.1007/s00223-019-00593-2