Anthropological aspect of the artificial skull deformation custom among the Middle Bronze Age population of the Lower Volga region

This paper reviews an anthropological aspect of the artificial skull deformation which was practiced by the tribes of catacomb cultural-historical community of the Middle Bronze Age of the Lower Volga region and adjacent territories. Craniological series, numbering 207 skulls, was checked for the presence of deformation traces. 81 skulls had the traces of deformation, which is 35,2% of the total number. On average, the percentage of deformed skulls in some burial grounds of the catacomb culture of the Volgograd Region is about 17,0%, but there are a few burial grounds in craniological series where deformed skulls are absent. The type of deformation is identified as annular and frontal-occipital. The analysis of anthropological works of Russian and foreign authors as well as written sources allows to agree with the idea of A.V. Shevchenko that the custom of the skull deformation among the tribes of catacomb cultural-historical community penetrated through the cultural centers of Western Asia. The comparison of deformed and unstrained series of skulls showed that only signs of the cerebral box undergo a change under the influence of the deforming structure in most cases. The deforming effect of the structure on facial features is very weak. When the process of pressure is completed, the skull acquires a tower shape or a shape of a high cone.

ARTIFICIAL SKULL DEFORMATION IN THE SARGAT MILIEU (BIOARCHAEOLOGICAL ASPECT)

В статье рассматриваются немногочисленные случаи преднамеренной деформации головы среди населения саргатской культуры раннего железного века Зауралья и Западной Сибири. Анализируемые источники представлены опубликованными и архивными данными раскопок курганных могильников, а результаты палеоантропологического изучения даны в археологическом контексте, что расширяет возможности в интерпретации саргатских древностей. Приводятся данные радиоуглеродного анализа погребений притобольской локальной серии, иллюстрирующие наиболее ранние примеры деформации циркулярного типа в саргатской среде. Представляется, что проникновение этой практики, все же не получившей в лесостепи заметного распространения, связано с номадами. Это обстоятельство подкрепляет высказанную ранее гипотезу, что саргатская аристократия еще в период становления и расцвета культуры в середине – второй половине I тыс. до н. э. формировалась в значительной степени выходцами из кочевой среды. С этой точки зрения события рубежа эр на периферии кочевого мира представляют несомненный интерес. The paper deals with rare cases of deliberate cranial deformation among the Iron Age Sargat culture in the Trans-Urals and Western Siberia. The examined records include published and archive materials from excavation of burial mounds, while results of paleopathological study correlate with archaeological context and thus extend our possibilities for further interpretations of the Sargat past. The paper introduces data of radiocarbon analysis obtained for Tobol local series illustrating the earliest examples of circular type deformation in the Sargat milieu. One may presume that penetration of this practice, which was not yet widespread in the forest-steppe, is related to the nomadic groups. This fact confirms previous hypothesis that during its formation and rising in the middle – second half of the I mill. BC the Sargat aristocracy largely consisted of representatives of nomadic groups. From this point of view the events on the turn of erae beyond the nomadic world are of particular interest.

Head shape at age 36 months among children with and without a history of positional skull deformation

OBJECTIVEIn this study, the authors examined head shape through age 36 months for children with and without a history of positional plagiocephaly and/or brachycephaly (PPB).METHODSInfants with PPB (cases) were identified through a craniofacial clinic at the time of diagnosis. Infants without diagnosed PPB were identified through a participant registry. Clinician ratings of 3D cranial images were used to confirm the presence or absence of PPB. The cohort included 235 case infants (diagnosed PPB, confirmed with 3D imaging), 167 unaffected controls (no diagnosed PPB, no deformation detected), and 70 affected controls (no diagnosed PPB, discernible skull deformation). Participants were seen in infancy (age 7 months, on average) and again at ages 18 and 36 months. At each visit, automated 3D measures of skull deformation quantified posterior flattening and generated an absolute asymmetry score. The authors also used automated 2D measures to approximate overall asymmetry (approximate oblique cranial length ratio) and calculate the cephalic index. They used linear regression to compare cases to unaffected controls and to compare affected versus unaffected controls on all measures. They also calculated the proportion of children in each group with “persistent PPB,” defined as one or more head shape measures above the 95th percentile relative to unaffected controls at 36 months.RESULTSHead shape became more rounded and symmetric for children with and without PPB, particularly between infancy and age 18 months. However, children with PPB continued to show greater skull deformation and asymmetry than unaffected controls at age 36 months. These differences were large in magnitude, ranging from 1 to 2 standard deviations (SDs), and in most (85.6%) of the cases, there was evidence of persistent PPB at 36 months. Similarly, although differences were more modest (i.e., 0.26–0.94 SD), affected controls continued to exhibit skull deformation on most measures relative to unaffected controls and approximately 30% had persistent PPB. Within the case group, head shape at 36 months was similar for untreated patients with PPB and for those who received helmet treatment and for patients with and without a history of torticollis.CONCLUSIONSAlthough head shape continues to improve, children with a history of skull deformation in infancy continue to exhibit measureable cranial flattening and asymmetry through age 36 months.

Contrecoup Acute Epidural Hematoma—A Rare Case Report

Epidural hematoma (EDH) is a traumatic accumulation of blood between the inner table of the skull and the dural membrane. Contact-related skull deformation causes inbending or fracturing of cranium or both, leading to separation of the dura mater from inner table. This injures the dural arteries, veins, venous sinus, or diploid channels, producing EDH. They usually occur as a result of direct impact injuries to the head, ipsilateral to impact side. Incidence of epidural hematoma is 1 to 3% of all head injuries. Contrecoup EDH cases are rare. and because of its rarity, we present a case report of a 17-year-old boy with contrecoup EDH who sustained head injury due to road traffic accident. Computed tomography of the brain showed left occipital bone fracture and large contrecoup extradural hematoma in right frontal region associated with pneumocephalus and hemorrhagic contusional edema beneath it. The EDH was operated on, and the patient was discharged uneventfully.

Effects of Loading Conditions and Skull Fracture on Load Transfer to Head

This study focuses on the effect of skull fracture on the load transfer to the head for low-velocity frontal impact of the head against a rigid wall or being impacted by a heavy projectile. The skull was modeled as a cortical–trabecular–cortical-layered structure in order to better capture the skull deformation and consequent failure. The skull components were modeled with an elastoplastic with failure material model. Different methods were explored to model the material response after failure, such as eroding element technique, conversion to fluid, and conversion to smoothed particle hydrodynamic (SPH) particles. The load transfer to the head was observed to decrease with skull fracture.

Role of Skull Fracture on Load Transfer to Brain

This study focuses on the effect of skull fracture on the load transfer to brain for low velocity frontal impact of head against a rigid wall. The skull was modeled as a cortical-trabecular-cortical layered structure in order to better capture the skull deformation and consequent failure. The skull components were modeled with an elastoplastic with failure material model. Different methods were explored to model the material response after failure, such as eroding element technique, conversion to fluid, and conversion to SPH particles. The transmitted pressure in the brain was observed to increase with skull fracture.

Skull Deformation Has No Impact on the Variation of Brain Intracranial Pressure

Skull deformation and vibration has been hypothesized to be an injury mechanism when the human head undergoes an impact scenario. The extent that skull deformation may increase the risk of traumatic brain injury, however, is not well understood. This computational study explains whether skull deformation has any impact on the variation of intracranial pressure (ICP). To this end, a finite element head model including major anatomical components of the human head was employed. The head model has been validated against ICP variations on the brain. The impact simulations were carried out using a rigid cylindrical impactor. The scenarios were frontal impacts with the impactor hitting the forehead of the head model at two impact severity levels. In order to examine the effect of skull elasticity on the stress wave propagation inside the cranium under an external applied force, the skull was also taken as a rigid body with the same density as the elastic one, and the result were compared with those obtained with the deformable skull. For the two cases, the variation of ICPs at the coup and countercoup sites were recorded and compared. The results of the study showed that, for the case studies presented here, the deformation of skull didn’t increase the level of ICP inside the brain. It was concluded that the skull rapid body motion might be responsible for brain injuries.