Unusual osteolytic defects in ancient South Dakota skulls

Unusual osteolytic defects in eight skulls culled from over 4000 ancient South Dakota burials are presented, discussed briefly, and assigned to what we think is their most likely cause. Because these are collection skeletons, histological and microbiological and microbiological confirmation of interpretations concerning specific lesions are not possible. Corroboration of our opinions has been sought through radiographs and by expert consultation elsewhere. Although our opinions are interpretative and subject to rebuttal, they can serve as a base for future research if and when similar specimens are discovered elsewhere. In addition, these specimens are indicators of other than usual ancient skull pathology from a limited geographic area, representing people who lived there during a known time frame.     

The Caribou Eskimo: General and specific disease

Reported here are two forms of skeletal pathology identified in an inclusive sample of Caribou Eskimo skeletons. Harris Lines, nonspecific indicators of stress, show marked periodicity in approximately one-half of the observable adults. This pattern is interpreted as the result of a recurrent, annual stress cycle, perhaps attributable to late winter famine. A second form of pathological change comprises resorptive lesions primarily localized in the spinal column and infrequently found on articular surfaces of the appendicular skeleton. Differential diagnosis is developed utilizing attributes of lesion form, lesion distribution, and epidemiology. Emphasis is placed upon deriving objective models which reflect disease in the absence of modern medical intervention. Major forms of pathology known to produce vertebral lesions are included. The model which best fits the Caribou Eskimo data is that of tuberculosis.     

广西崇左智人洞早期现代人龋病及牙槽骨异常研究

2007-2008年, 广西崇左智人洞发现了3件智人化石标本, 智人Ⅱ号为下颌右侧第3臼齿伴有部分下颌骨, 智人Ⅱ号为游离的下颌右侧第2或第3臼齿, 智人Ⅲ号为人类下颌骨中间部分残段。釉系测年结果显示其为距今10万年左右, 是目前东亚地区最古老的早期现代人。这3件化石标本显示出一系列的病理及异常现象:智人Ⅱ号牙齿齿根大部分暴露, 牙槽骨萎缩, 个体生前患有严重的牙周炎; 智人Ⅱ号牙齿龋病严重伴随齿根部大区域突起的白色钙化状的牙骨质增生, 个体生前可能患有严重的牙周组织炎症; 智人Ⅲ号下颌骨牙列拥挤, 双侧中门齿扭转, 双侧前臼齿对称性出现根尖周炎症状, 最大可能个体生前双侧前臼齿具有畸形中央尖, 突出的牙尖折断后牙髓感染导致根尖部牙槽腔扩大。更新世古人类出现龋病的情况非常罕见, 智人洞发现的人类龋齿是目前我国乃至东亚地区报道的最早的龋病病例。智人Ⅲ号下颌显示的牙列拥挤与牙齿扭转对于探讨人类咀嚼器官的退行性演化有重要参考价值。     

Characterization of gout in a skeletal population sample: Presumptive diagnosis in a micronesian population

Characterization of the nature and skeletal distribution of gout was accomplished in a Chamoru (Chamorros) population with predilection to the disease. Uniform excavation by the gouty diathesis produces a punched-out appearance to these predominantly monarticular lesions. The lesion is distinct from that seen in rheumatoid arthritis, spondyloarthropathy, or infection. Reactive new bone formation in some gouty lesions also has an apparently unique, ivory-like discoloration (contrasted with the adjacent bone), which facilitates diagnosis. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Cerumen types in Eskimos

High frequencies of dry type cerumen were found in Eskimos of the Nome and Bethel areas of Alaska, supporting the assumption of decreasing frequency of dry cerumen with increasing distance from the Bering Strait.     

Cephalometric analysis of the craniofacial region of the northern Foxe Basin Eskimo

Past investigations of the Eskimo have indicated that there are marked morphological differences in the craniofacial skeleton of this relatively isolated ethnic group compared to other ethnic and racial groups. This study, using cephalometric radiography, attempted to characterize the craniofacial phenotype of the Eskimo living in the northern Foxe Basin, Northwest Territories, Canada. Age changes were examined on a cross-sectional basis with comparisons being made with a Winnipeg Caucasian group. This investigation indicates that the Igloolik Eskimo has a phenotype, established early in life, and is distinct from the Winnipeg group. The overall size of the Eskimo craniofacial complex was significantly larger at three years of age and remained larger through the ages studied. Development of the craniofacial region, however, was fairly similar in rate and direction for both populations. The greatest differences between the Eskimo and Caucasian groups were found in the linear measurements assessing cranial width, facial width, mandibular length, facial height, protrusion of the incisors, chin point development, and nasal morphology. Differences between the two groups in the morphological relationships of the component structures include the angular relationships of the maxilla and nasal bones to the anterior cranial base, the gonial angle of the mandible, and the angle of facial convexity.     

Frontal sinus size in Eskimo populations

The frontal sinuses of 143 Eskimo skulls from two sites in the Hudson Bay region of Canada were examined radiographically. No between-site or sex differences were noted in the size of the sinuses. On average, the sinuses are small and often bilaterally absent. The Canadian samples have smaller sinuses than reported for Alaskan Eskimos or American Indian groups.     

Hyperostosis frontalis interna: a Nubian case

The aim of this article is to present evidence of hyperostosis frontalis interna in a 40-year-old female recovered from a Meroitic cemetery (ca. 300 A.D.) in Sudanese Nubia. A review of the literature concerning the Morgagni-Stewart-Morel (MSM) syndrome suggests that the changes in the skull fragment are consistent with this diagnosis. This case is the earliest example of the condition so far reported, and therefore, in archaeological time and space, this is a disease not only of modern civilization, but also of antiquity. Current endocrinological reports suggest that the hyperostosis is the hallmark of a generalized disorder of bone metabolism, with increased androgens, prolactin, and somatotropins. Hyperostosis frontalis interna is the central feature of a syndrome first described over 200 years ago by the early pathologist Giovanni Batistta Morgagni, professor of anatomy at Padua (1719). He found thickening of the internal tables of the frontal bones in association with virilism and obesity. Stewart (1928) and Morel (1929) independently added several neuropsychiatric problems to this complex and questioned the possibility of an endocrine basis for the syndrome.     

肝脏假性淋巴瘤的临床病理学研究及分析

目的:探讨肝脏假性淋巴瘤的临床病理特征、免疫表型及鉴别诊断。方法:在光学显微镜下对肝脏假性淋巴瘤进行组织学形态观察,并借助免疫组化进一步对其形态进行分析。由于原发于肝脏的假性淋巴瘤极为罕见,故本文将报道一例发生于肝脏的假性淋巴瘤,结合文献探讨其临床病理特点,以提高诊断及鉴别诊断水平。结果:大体上为切面可见灰白结节,结节切面灰白色,质地中等,与周围分界清,周围肝组织灰红质软。显微镜下组织学表现为肝周边淋巴结淋巴组织增生,细胞大小较一致,核圆形,细胞无异型,未见明显核分裂,其中见嗜酸性白细胞浸润及少数异型细胞。免疫组化显示肿瘤细胞表达CD3、CD20及CD30。结论:肝脏假性淋巴瘤为罕见的、良性淋巴组织增生性病变,形态学特征、免疫组化染色在肝假性淋巴瘤诊断中具有重要价值。在临床病理实践中,必须首先与常见的发生于该部位恶性肿瘤如霍奇金淋巴瘤肿瘤等鉴别。     

Ancient bone disease in a Peruvian mummy revealed by quantitative skeletal histomorphometry

Histomorphometry of an undecalcified, transileal bone core from a Peruvian mummy dating from the pre-Columbian civilization at Chancay, Peru (A.D. 400–1600) showed low trabecular bone volume and trabecular atrophy suggesting skeletal pathology. Subtle metabolic disorders which might remain undetected by quantitative analyses limited to cortical bone architecture can be identified in extinct populations with this minimally invasive technique.     

Histological analysis of undecalcified thin sections of archeological bone

Archeological bone often lends itself to histological analysis. Sections from bone samples approximately one thousand years old may show as much structural preservation as those only a few hundred years old; hence, it appears that the degree of preservation is not necessarily affected by time. Enough structure may be preserved to permit the diagnosis of metabolic disorders of bone which might go undetected by other methods. This type of analysis can be utilized to accept or reject individual remains suspected of being pathological on the basis of other, less precise diagnostic techniques.     

Cerumen types in two Eskimo communities

Data on cerumen types were collected from two separate samples of Alaskan Eskimos. The observed frequency of the recessive dry allele further documents the existence of a genetic cline for earwax types in this region and world populations.     

超声在甲状腺良恶性结节鉴别诊断中的应用进展

超声技术一直是临床诊断的重要方法之一,特别是针对甲状腺疾病,超声检查被认为是鉴别甲状腺结节良恶性的首选方法。但常规超声检查为临床诊断提供辅助的同时也具有一定的局限性。随着影像学的发展,三维超声成像、超声造影及超声弹性成像等超声新技术逐渐应用于甲状腺结节良恶性的鉴别诊断中,并且发挥了重要的作用。本文对甲状腺结节的常规超声检查及超声新技术检查的临床应用进行综述,为甲状腺结节的良恶性鉴别诊断提供科学依据。     

Paleopathologic diagnosis based on experimental mummification

The difficulties of diagnosis of pathologic conditions are immensely magnified when the subject of a postmortem examination has been postmortem for several hundreds to thousands of years. Artefacts of decomposition and bacterial and fungal invasion are compounded upon those of rehydration when mummified tissue is examined. As an approach to these problems, a study of the changes seen in experimentally mummified and rehydrated tissues was undertaken. Normal and pathologic tissues were studied in comparison to sections prepared from the fresh tissue. The experimentally mummified tissues were generally similar to, but somewhat better preserved than, actual human mummies. There was organ and tissue specific variability in preservation, and different classes of pathology likewise showed differential preservation. Inflammatory reactions were not very well-preserved although infecting microorganisms were easily identified. Degenerative processes such as atherosclerosis and others characterized by the accumulation of abnormal products, were well preserved, while necrosis, as in acute myocardial infarction, was not. Malignancies were particularly well preserved. The implications of these findings for previous and future mummy studies is discussed in terms of our understanding of the evolution of disease processes.     

Incidence and patterning of dental enamel hypoplasia among the Neandertals

Dental enamel hypoplasia (DEH), as an indicator of nonspecific stress during development, provides an assessment of the relative morbidity of past human populations. An investigation of 669 Neandertal dental crowns yielded an overall DEH frequency of 36.0% by tooth (41.9% for permanent teeth; 3.9% for deciduous teeth) and about 75% by individual. These incidences place the Neandertals at the top of recent human ranges of variation in DEH frequencies, indicating high levels of stress during development. The paucity of deciduous tooth DEH and M1 DEH, combined with generally increasing levels of DEH through later calcifying teeth, suggests that the stress was primarily nutritional, beginning at weaning and continuing through adolescence. This supports paleontological and archeological interpretations implying significantly lower effectiveness for Neandertal foraging compared to that of modern humans.