Frequency of spina bifida occulta and other occult spinal dysraphisms in the medieval population of Iasi city: skeleton paleopathology in the necropolis discovered in the eastern part of the Princely Court ("Curtea Domneasca"), 17th century (original) (raw)
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Occult spinal dysraphism is a congenital anomaly with a relatively high incidence, which may be located along the spine, from the atlas to the sacrum; it is frequently met in the lumbo-sacral junction, and sometimes it affects the entire dorsal sacral region. Spina bifida occulta usually occurs in relatively high percentages in a population (2-30% of the cases). Despite extensive research, the causes of the appearance of spina bifida have not been completely understood; it is, probably, a multifactorial anomaly, most cases of spina bifida are considered to have been caused by complex polygenic interactions with environmental factors. The osteological material dug up in 2007 at the Centre of History and European Civilization from Iași, in the cemetery of the "St. Neculai-Ciurchi" Church (XVI-XVIII centuries), has a total of 680 skeletons taken from 230 graves. In the medieval population from Iași, occult sacral spinal dysraphism occurs only in 2 cases (mature males), having a percentage of 1.55% of the total number of sacrums and 3.22% of the number of masculine sacrums. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar interlaminar dehiscence did not occur in reports in the subgroup of male nor female. We have found no case of cervical, thoracic or lumbar interlaminar dehiscence.
Occult spinal dysraphism is a congenital anomaly with a relatively high incidence, which may be located along the spine, from the atlas to the sacrum; it is frequently met in the lumbo-sacral junction, and sometimes it affects the entire dorsal sacral region. Spina bifida occulta usually occurs in relatively high percentages in a population (2-30% of the cases). Despite extensive research, the causes of the appearance of spina bifida have not been completely understood; it is, probably, a multifactorial anomaly, most cases of spina bifida are considered to have been caused by complex polygenic interactions with environmental factors. The osteological material dug up in 2007 at the Centre of History and European Civilization from Iași, in the cemetery of the "St. Neculai-Ciurchi" Church (XVI-XVIII centuries), has a total of 680 skeletons taken from 230 graves. In the medieval population from Iași, occult sacral spinal dysraphism occurs only in 2 cases (mature males), having a percentage of 1.55% of the total number of sacrums and 3.22% of the number of masculine sacrums. Cervical, thoracic and lumbar interlaminar dehiscence did not occur in reports in the subgroup of male nor female. We have found no case of cervical, thoracic or lumbar interlaminar dehiscence.
Spina Bifida Occulta in Medieval and Postmedieval Times in Eastern Romania
2016
This paper provides bioarchaeological evidence of Spina Bifida Occulta (SBO) in human skeletons discovered in medieval and post-medieval sites of Eastern Romania and evaluates its prevalence and patterns by examining its relationship to age, sex, type of sites (urban, elite and rural), and its morphological patterns. The skeletons found in burial and reburial tombs from five necropolises of the 14–19 centuries, discovered in Eastern Romania, were analysed to determine individuals’ age and sex, pathologies and anomalies. Sacral SBO was identified in 11 subjects, for an overall prevalence of 4%; sacral SBO seems to be more common in endogam groups, as it is assumed to be that of the Princely Court. Apparently, this defect is more frequent in men (9 cases were males), its prevalence decreasing with age (from an overall value of 5.47% in young adults to 2.85% in old ones), but no statistically valid association could be demonstrated between the presence/absence of SBO and sex or age. Mo...
Lumbo-sacral malformations and spina bifida occulta in medieval skeletons from Brittany
European Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery & Traumatology, 2012
Introduction Compared with the other French regions, the incidence of neural tube defects is raised in Brittany. It can be explained by the Celtic origin of the Britton people, who migrated from Great Britain in the High Middle Ages. Notwithstanding, there are no historical or archeological evidences of the occurrence of these pathological conditions in medieval Brittany. Materials and methods We investigated the incidence of lumbo-sacral malformations on the skeletal remains of 30 individuals excavated from the necropolis of Saint-Urnel (southwest Brittany). Results We found out several anatomical variations among five specimens, three of which had spinal dysraphism involving the sacrum. Conclusion Our results enrich the very few paleopathological data about spinal dysraphism, from the Hippocratic Corpus to the first description of Spina Bifida in sixteenth century. But, their interpretation remains delicate until the same genetic factors are shown in the etiology of both open and closed spinal dysraphism.
Spina bifida: A diagnostic dilemma in paleopathology
Clinical Anatomy, 2010
This article provides information regarding the etiology, pathogenesis, and skeletal manifestation of spina bifida or spinal dysraphisms. On the basis of a review of the medical literature, it addresses discrepancies in documentation and interpretation of spina bifida in paleopathology. Furthermore, it offers suggestions for use of universal terminology and highlights the difficulties in the specific diagnosis of dysraphisms in skeletal remains. In addition, the necessity of examining the entire skeleton for abnormalities to distinguish simple delay/failure of fusion of the posterior neural arches from other occult spinal dysraphisms is emphasized, as it is the need for stratification of the sample by age and sex when reporting frequencies of sacral spina bifida occulta.
This paper describes the frequency and anatomical abnormalities and pathologies identified on the skeletal sample discovered in 2014, in the Aroneanu Monastery Necropolis of Iaşi (Iaşi County, Romania). According to archaeological information, the necropolis was used since the first half of the 16 th century until the beginning of the 19 th century. The osteological material, consisting of 79 skeletons (children, adolescents, adults, matures and seniles), originated from inhumation tombs and reburials. The distribution by sex and age categories indicates a higher male frequency as opposed to females, resulting in a higher masculinity index. Most skeletons were recorded in the maturus category (59.49%), followed by infans I and II (21.52%), adultus (11.39%), senilis (5.06%) and juvenis (2.53%). The abnormalities and pathologies were evaluated both separately, by sex, and for the entire sample. In the cranial segment (for the entire sample), the Wormian bones recorded the highest frequency (15.18%), followed by the metopic suture (3.79%), cranial trauma, cribra orbitalia (with equal incidence-2.53%) and porotic hyperostosis (1.26%). In the postcranial segment, osteoarthritis is the most frequent (11.39%), followed by spina bifida occulta, sacralization and extra facets on the tibiotalar joint-with equal incidence (3.79%). Lower incidences were recorded for the supratrochlear foramen of the humerus and lumbarization (1.26% each). In the male series, the frequency of pathologies and abnormalities is higher compared to the female series. No pathologies and abnormalities were observed on the skeletons of children and adolescents.
International Journal of Paleopathology, 2019
Objective: To document sacral spina bifida occulta (SSB0) prevalence in a population sample from the Dakhleh Oasis, Egypt, and address methodological issues in recording and quantifying SSBO variations. Materials: 442 adult sacra from two temporally disjunct samples from the same deme traversing the 3rd intermediate (TIP) and the Roman Periods. Methods: Sacra were scored for SSBO, excluding the sacral hiatus. Risk of SSBO was calculated with the common odds ratio and statistical significance by X 2. Data were compared to other archaeological SSBO data. Results: SSBO was present in 15.6% of the sample with a slight, but not significant, temporal increase (TIP to Roman Period) in males, and a significant age-correlated increase in both sexes. Most open sacra occurred in young adults. Conclusions: Data support that SSBO can be considered as a morphogenetic variant. Dakhleh data fall within the prevalence range for most populations, however inter-population comparisons are complicated by methodolo-gical inconsistencies. Significance: SSBO can be used in paleogenetic research. Limitations: Methodological differences in scoring SSBO prevent effective comparative study. Suggested future research: Future studies require more rigorous and standardized scoring methods. aDNA may be used to corroborate the morphogenetic value of SSBO and determine its clinical significance.
Spinal dysraphism at the Syrian Neolithic site of Dja’de el-Mughara
Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2017
Spina bifida is a neurulation defect that results in an incomplete closing of the backbone, as well as membranes surrounding the spinal cord. Several archaeological cases of spina bifida have been reported, remarkably during the Bronze Age and Classic Era. However, few prehistoric cases have been recovered, with the exception of the important Epipaleolithic Iberomaurusian site of Taforalt (Morocco). This article describes the first case of a spina bifida condition during the Neolithic of Near East, at the Syrian site of Dja-de el-Mughara. Although at the onset of the Syrian civil war, image record has enabled the description of a complete spina bifida case. Two other possible cases have not been confirmed, since it was impossible to reevaluate the osteological material hosted at the field laboratory in Dja-de el-Mughara. However, due to the low incidence of this neural tube disorder (NTD), we argue that it could be associated to a genetic disorder rather than to environmental factors such as arsenic intake or a deficient diet.
https://doi.org/10.1002/oa.3155 The skeletal dysplasias are a group of more than 450 heritable disorders that affect bone and cartilage, along with muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Achondroplasia is one of the most common skeletal dysplasias in both current and past populations. It can be transmitted intergenerationally, or it can result from a mutation. This paper aims to describe the lesions visible on the skeleton of a 30-45 year old male with achondroplasia, who lived during the 9th-11th centuries AD (medieval period) in Łekno, Poland. The Łekno settlement complex (Site 3) includes a cemetery with approximately 400 burials of monks and local lay people. Macroscopic examination facilitated a differential diagnosis that identified a probable case of achondroplastic dwarfism, combined with Léri-Weill dyschondrosteosis and ulnar hemimelia. This is