Fully Ossified Thyroid Cartilage Found among the Skeletal Remains of A 21-Year-Old Slavic Soldier: Interpretation of a Case

The degree of ossification of the thyroid cartilage in anthropological studies is related to other methods of determining the age of a skeleton. The endochondral ossification process begins at the age of approximately 15–20 years and is generally completed in the fifth or sixth decade of life. In the present case, early and complete mineralization of the thyroid cartilage of a skeleton belonging to a 21-year-old young soldier who died in 1946 was observed. Ossified thyroid cartilage at a very young age is rare and may be associated with specific symptoms, such as compression due to trauma, or may also be related to hormonal dysfunction and various diseases that may cause early mineralization. A macroscopic morphological evaluation and radiographic examination of the thyroid cartilage were performed and a decalcification test was applied to a sample taken from the thyroid cartilage to confirm that the structure was indeed mineralized. There is nothing to exclude that this is simply a physiological anatomical variation. Knowledge of this rare anatomical abnormality at a young age would be useful for the diagnosis of various pathological conditions.

Significance of Subchondral Bone Microfracture In The Human Osteoarthritic Tibial Plateau On Cartilage Tidemark Drift

Objective: To observe the significance of subchondral bone microfracture in the human osteoarthritic tibial plateau on cartilage tidemark drift.Methods: Human knee tibial plateau cartilage samples with different OARSI grades were obtained, and the numbers of cartilage tidemarks and microfracture lines were determinedafter safranin O staining and compared among groups. Osteogenesis caused by microfracture in subchondral bone was observed and staged according to biological properties.Immunohistochemistry, western blotting, PCR and laser microdissection were performedto detect the biological properties of osteogenic areas caused by microfractures.The accompanying relationship between the ossification process and new tidemark formation inosteogenic areas caused by microfractures was then evaluated.Results: With the increase in OARSI grade, the numbers of cartilage tidemarks and subchondral bone microfracture lines in human knee tibial plateau cartilage tissue samples showed increasing trends.The subchondral bone microfracture line was observed toextend as far asthe basal area of hyaline cartilage and cause endochondral osteogenesis.The endochondral osteogenesis caused by subchondral microfracture was categorized into chondrocyte,calcareous sedimentary and ossification stages. A new tidemark appeared in the osteogenic region near the hyaline cartilage when the ossification process of the osteogenic region was completed.Conclusions:Endochondral osteogenesis canoccur at the base of hyaline cartilage induced by microfractures in the tibial plateau subchondral bone. A new cartilage tidemark can form on the side of the osteogenic tissue close to hyaline cartilage when the process of osteogenesis is completed.There is a positive correlation between the degree of cartilage tissue degeneration and the number of tidemarks in articular cartilage.

Clinical cases of rarely diagnosed forms of choroidal osteoma

Purpose. To analyze the 3 cases of choroidal osteomas, revealed in histological study after evisceration of eye. Material and methods. 3 patients (3 eyes) with chronic uveitis of different origin. Results. On histological examination, the bone tissue consisted of a network of bone beams of not fully mature type, with irregularly pronounced fibroreticular tissue between them. There was insignificant proliferation of endosteal cells in the fibroreticular component. There was marked interstitial edema, increased vascularization with hyperemia in the choroidal vascular plate. Conclusion. Preoperative diagnosis of choroidal osteomas is difficult because of the opacity of the eye media. Long term chronic uveitis of different origin was common to all given cases. Choroidal osteomas was an intraoperative finding and ossification process of choroid was indused by inflammatory process of the eye. Key words: choroidal osteomas, chronic uveitis.

Heterotopic Ossifications of the Forearm: A Cause of Post-Traumatic Loss of Pronation-Supination

HO is defined by the development of ectopic mature bone within nonosseous tissues. It is a well-described phenomenon that complicates forearm fractures, especially when there is an open fracture, a significant soft tissue injury, and associated neural axis or thermal injury. HO mainly forms near metal hardware and may lead to the formation of radio-ulnar synostosis. CT is superior to plain radiographs, as it identifies the ectopic bone earlier, defines its exact localization, and helps planning the surgical intervention. Radiologic features are variable; in the early stage, CT shows a low-attenuation mass with indistinct surroundings. As the ossification process progresses, zones of mineralization are visible before leading to the formation of mature cortical bone at the periphery (Figure 1 and 2: arrows). Hastings classification describes 5 classes according to how HO affects the forearm range of motion.

Age-Dependent Three-Dimensional Evaluation of the Spheno-Occipital Synchondrosis Using Computed Tomography

Background: The spheno‐occipital synchondrosis (SOS) is an important growth center which plays an important role in cranial base development and can define the final relation of SOS with the upper and lower jaws. The morphology and fusion degree of SOS varies in different ages among different populations. Objectives: Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the age and sex dependence of ossification of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis in the Iranian population using CBCT. Methods: This cross-sectional retrospective study was performed on 517 CBCT images of 6- to 18-year-old patients in Mashhad, Iran. Patients with obvious pathology or fractures were excluded from the study. The SOS ossification was classified into four stages from 0 to 3. Two independent observers scored the images. The ossification stage of the SOS was classified according to the age and sex of the patients. Kruskal-Wallis and Kendall’s tau-b used for statistical analysis. Results: In this study, 517 samples of 260 females (50.3%) and 257 males (49.7%) with a mean age of 12.03 ± 3.74 years were examined. A significant difference did not exist between males and females regarding their stage of SOS ossification, although males were younger at the SOS transitional stages of 0 to 1, and 1 to 2 compared to females. Also, the SOS starts the ossification process at the age of 11 in females and 10.8 in males. Conclusions: The present study showed in the mean age of 16.81 ± 1.12 years, most subjects were in developmental stage 3. Due to the fact that in developmental stage 3 SOS closes, there were no passive maxillary growth after this time. In none of the SOS stages, females and males differed significantly in mean age (P > 0.05). The age of the onset of SOS closure in females was 11 years and in males it was about 10.8 years.

Endochondral Ossification Induced by Cell Transplantation of Endothelial Cells and Bone Marrow Stromal Cells with Copolymer Scaffold Using a Rat Calvarial Defect Model

It has been recently reported that, in a rat calvarial defect model, adding endothelial cells (ECs) to a culture of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) significantly enhanced bone formation. The aim of this study is to further investigate the ossification process of newly formed osteoid and host response to the poly(L-lactide-co-1,5-dioxepan-2-one) [poly(LLA-co-DXO)] scaffolds based on previous research. Several different histological methods and a PCR Array were applied to evaluate newly formed osteoid after 8 weeks after implantation. Histological results showed osteoid formed in rat calvarial defects and endochondral ossification-related genes, such as dentin matrix acidic phosphoprotein 1 (Dmp1) and collagen type II, and alpha 1 (Col2a1) exhibited greater expression in the CO (implantation with BMSC/EC/Scaffold constructs) than the BMSC group (implantation with BMSC/Scaffold constructs) as demonstrated by PCR Array. It was important to notice that cartilage-like tissue formed in the pores of the copolymer scaffolds. In addition, multinucleated giant cells (MNGCs) were observed surrounding the scaffold fragments. It was concluded that the mechanism of ossification might be an endochondral ossification process when the copolymer scaffolds loaded with co-cultured ECs/BMSCs were implanted into rat calvarial defects. MNGCs were induced by the poly(LLA-co-DXO) scaffolds after implantation, and more specific in vivo studies are needed to gain a better understanding of host response to copolymer scaffolds.

Amphibian Hormones, Calcium Physiology, Bone Weight, and Lung Use Call for a More Inclusive Approach to Understanding Ossification Sequence Evolution

Skeleton plays a huge role in understanding how vertebrate animals have diversified in phylogeny, ecology and behavior. Recent evo-devo research has used ossification sequences to compare skeletal development among major groups, to identify conserved and labile aspects of a sequence within a group, to derive ancestral and modal sequences, and to look for modularity based on embryonic origin and type of bone. However, questions remain about how to detect and order bone appearances, the adaptive significance of ossification sequences and their relationship to adult function, and the utility of categorizing bones by embryonic origin and type. Also, the singular focus on bone appearances and the omission of other tissues and behavioral, ecological and life history events limit the relevance of such analyses. Amphibians accentuate these concerns because of their highly specialized biphasic life histories and the exceptionally late timing, and high variability of their ossification sequences. Amphibians demonstrate a need for a whole-animal, whole-ontogeny approach that integrates the entire ossification process with physiology, behavior and ecology. I discuss evidence and hypotheses for how hormone mediation and calcium physiology might elicit non-adaptive variability in ossification sequence, and for adaptive strategies to partition larval habitats using bone to offset the buoyancy created by lung use. I also argue that understanding plasticity in ossification requires shifting focus away from embryonic development and adult function, and toward postembryonic mechanisms of regulating skeletal growth, especially ones that respond directly to midlife environments and behaviors.

Exploring the Correlation between TNC Gene and Osteoporosis

Introduction: Osteoporosis is one of the main causes of bone fractures in old age. The examination of osteoporosis in the elderly is very complicated due to the heterogeneity of the aging process. This study aimed to investigate the correlation of the TNC gene in the patients with an inherited and very rare osteoporosis syndrome. The importance of this study was the identification of a specific biomarker for the osteoporosis process in a monogenic disease. Methods: In this case-control study, the patients with Osteogenesis Imperfecta were used as a simple and monogenic model to investigate the possibility of TNC gene role in osteoporosis. For this purpose, TNC protein network and its related biological pathways were firstly evaluated by bioinformatic analysis. Then, skin biopsies were taken from 3 patients with inherited osteoporosis syndrome called Osteogenesis Imperfecta and two healthy individuals. After culturing the biopsy, fibroblast cells were isolated from keratinocyte cells. Then, the total RNA of each sample was extracted from two different passages and cDNA was synthesized. Subsequently, the expression of TNC gene was measured by Real-time PCR in healthy and patient cells using various replicates. Results: TNC network proteins are significantly associated with the biological pathways involved in the ossification process. The expression of the TNC gene was assessed in wild type and patient cells. Finally, our results confirmed a significant increase in the expression of TNC in the patients’ compared to wild types’ cells by using technical and biological replicates (p:0.005, p:0.007) and Student t-test. In this study, Excel and GraphPad Prism 5.0 software (GraphPad Software, Inc., San Diego, CA) were used. Conclusion: Increased expression of TNC gene in a monogenic osteoporosis syndrome can indicate the potential role of this gene in the process of bone loss and introduce this gen as a new biomarker for osteoporosis. The study on rare Osteogenesis Imperfecta syndrome is a simple and monogenic model to investigate the heterogeneous osteoporosis. Therefore, the expression of the candidate gene needs to be evaluated and confirmed in an appropriate statistical population composed of patients with osteoporosis.

AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY OF ENTHESOPATHY IN DRIED HUMAN SCAPULAE

Objectives: An abnormal ossification process in soft tissues at the attachment site to a bone is called enthesopathy due to biomechanical movements of bone. The present study aimed to observe the calcification of the transverse scapular ligament (TSL) with complete or partial ossification, the presence of the triangular bony growth at the lateral border of scapula and to observe vascular foramen/foramina piercing at the bases of the spine of scapulae. Methods: An observational study was conducted on dried human scapulae 140 in number (70 right and 70 left) of unknown sex and age, procured from the Department of Anatomy, People’s College of Medical Science and Research Center, Bhopal, and Government Doon Medical College, Dehradun, India. These scapulae were studied to observe enthesopathic changes in them. Measurements were taken with Vernier calipers. Results: In the present study, we observed the presence of completely ossified TSL with formation of complete suprascapular foramina in 8.57% scapulae. The incidence of triangular bony growth at the lateral border of scapula was found in 40% scapulae of the right side and 32.85% of the left. The incidence of vascular foramina piercing at the bases of the spine of scapulae was 17.14% on the right side and 21.42% on the left side scapulae. Conclusion: The study provides the descriptive knowledge of enthesopathy in scapulae. The study is of great significance for neurosurgeons and orthosurgeons to carry out various reconstructive surgeries.

Trade-off between fast growth and the ossification process in common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

The relationship between growth rate and ossification is not consistent among fish. In some species, fast-growing individuals ossify earlier, while in other species, a trade-off between growth rate and ossification exists. This research was conducted to test the hypothesis about the existence of a trade-off mechanism in common carp offspring. For this purpose, specimens from two groups of common carp offspring (96 in total) with different growth rates were sampled at multiple time points between 5 and 29 days post-hatching. The standard length was measured and presented in correlation with the days post-hatching. To evaluate the skeletal system development, whole specimens were fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin and stained for bone and cartilage. Particular emphasis was placed on the onset of ossification in the clearly visible bones of the head, vertebral column, and fins. According to our findings, larger, fast-growing specimens ossify earlier. The hypothesis on the existence of a trade-off between fast growth and the onset of ossification in common carp was not confirmed in our study.