Brief communication: An early case of hydrocephalus: the Middle Paleolithic Qafzeh 12 child (Israel).

Remains of 15 hominids were recovered within a Mousterian archaeological context in the cave of Qafzeh, Israel. Dated to ca. 95 kyr BP, this skeletal material has been crucial for understanding biological, chronological, and cultural aspects of anatomically modern ancient Homo sapiens. The high proportion of children (N = 8) in Qafzeh Cave is unique among Middle Palaeolithic sites and encourages the search for skeletal evidence of disease and trauma. We report on the case of one child, Qafzeh 12, ca. 3 years old (according to modern human reference standards), who manifests some outstanding skeletal abnormalities that indicate hydrocephalus.

A Middle Palaeolithic human hyoid bone.

The origin of human language, and in particular the question of whether or not Neanderthal man was capable of language/speech, is of major interest to anthropologists but remains an area of great controversy. Despite palaeoneurological evidence to the contrary, many researchers hold to the view that Neanderthals were incapable of language/speech, basing their arguments largely on studies of laryngeal/basicranial morphology. Studies, however, have been hampered by the absence of unambiguous fossil evidence. We now report the discovery of a well-preserved human hyoid bone from Middle Palaeolithic layers of Kebara Cave, Mount Carmel, Israel, dating from about 60,000 years BP. The bone is almost identical in size and shape to the hyoid of present-day populations, suggesting that there has been little or no change in the visceral skeleton (including the hyoid, middle ear ossicles, and inferentially the larynx) during the past 60,000 years of human evolution. We conclude that the morphological basis for human speech capability appears to have been fully developed during the Middle Palaeolithic.

[Role of the lateral pterygoid muscle in mandibular movements]. / La place du ptérygoïdien latéral dans les mouvements de la mandibule.

The two bundles, superior and inferior, of the lateral pterygoid muscle were studied by EMG and integrated EMG during various movements of the mandible in 36 children and 2 adults. At the same time, the EMG of other masticatory muscles was also recorded. The functional specialization of the two bundles is expressed by different levels of recruitment: In the inferior bundle (pterygo-condylian,) electrical activity is stronger in the movements of opening, antepulsion and controlaterality. In the superior bundle (spheno-meniscal), activity is stronger in the movements of occlusion and retraction. Thus the inferior bundle principally has a function of stabilization of the temporomandibular joint.

[Somatosensory evoked potentials and Hoffmann reflex in acute spinal cord lesions; physiopathological and prognostic aspects]. / Potentiel évoqué cérébral somesthésique et réflexe d'Hoffmann dans les lésions médullaires aiguës intérêt physiopathologique et pronostic.

Twenty-four patients with recent and acute spinal cord lesions were examined. The somatosensory cerebral evoked potential (SEP) following stimulation of the peroneus communis nerve tested spinal conduction, whereas the H reflex showed spinal excitability belowe the lesion. After complete spinal cord section, the SEP was always abolished and the H reflex was absent in most cases tested in the first 24 hours. Into other patients, the recruitment curve and the recovery cycle of the H reflex displayed some abnormalities which progressively disappeared. With partial lesions, SEP could occasionally be altered. Some abnormalities of the H reflex recovery cycle, of the same type as those seen in the late stage of complete sections, were also observed. These data give nre information on the physiopathology of spinal shock; they lead to the distinction of several evolutionary stages after acute spinal lesions and also have prognostic disgnificance.

Motor conduction velocity and the Hoffman reflex in diabetes.

The motor conduction velocity (MCV) and various parameters of the Hoffman reflex were studied in 55 diabetics compared to a control population of the same age. In the diabetics there were statistically significant alterations of the MCV, the Hmax/Mmax ratio and the H index, which are closely connected. These changes were more precise when there were clinical signs of neuropathy (absence of the Achilles reflex) but they still existed in the absence of signs. The older the diabetics, the more the electro-physiological parameters were altered. However, the H index is abnormal earlier than the Hmax-Mmax ratio or the MCV. Changes in the excitability cycle to double shock involve mainly phase IV of secondary facilitation and may be related to central disturbances.

[Study of Hoffmann's reflex of the soleus muscle during spinal shock in man]. / Etude du réflexe d'Hoffmann du muscle soléaire au cours de l'évolution du choc spinal chez l'homme.nal cord injuries/*physiopathol

The Hoffmann's reflex of the soleus muscle, was studied in 14 patients mith complete spinal cord section and spinal shock. This H reflex was absent in most of the cases seen before the 24th hour. In others or in subjects later examined, there was some abnormalities of the recruitement and recovery curves-wich progressively disappeared. These date bring new understandings on the pathophysiology of the spinal shock wich, even in man, early corresponds to a complete depression of the alpha-motoneurone excitability.