Patterning the spine

Spine Patterning Is Guided by Segmentation of the Notochord Sheath

The spine is a segmented axial structure made of alternating vertebral bodies (centra) and intervertebral discs (IVDs) assembled around the notochord. Here, we show that, prior to centra formation, the outer epithelial cell layer of the zebrafish notochord, the sheath, segments into alternating domains corresponding to the prospective centra and IVD areas. This process occurs sequentially in an...

Giant Chordoma of the Thoracolumbar Spine

Chordomas are rare tumors from primitive notochord. They are usually located at sacrococcygeal region when it affects the spine. We present a case of giant chordoma in the thoracolumbar spine in Peru. A 43-year-old woman came to the hospital in Huanuco due to back pain and sensorymotor alterations in the lower limbs. Imaging confirmed an unresectable tumor involving the spine. Two years later, ...

The Spine Which Was No Spine

Let Tn be the Teichmüller space of flat metrics on the n-dimensional torus T and identify SLn Z with the corresponding mapping class group. We prove that the subset Y consisting of those points at which the systoles generate π1(T) is, for n ≥ 5, not contractible. In particular, Y is not a SLn Z-equivariant deformation retract of Tn. For n ≥ 2 let Tn be the Teichmüller space of flat metrics with...

Hydatid Disease of the Cervical Spine Mimicking Traumatic Burst Fracture

Background & Importance: Hydatid disease of the spine is rare but constitutes approximately 50% of bone involvement cases in human hydatidosis. It is a severe condition associated with a high rate of morbidity, disability and mortality. Case Presentation: In the present paper, we report an intriguing case of cervical spinal hydatid disease mimicking traumatic burst fracture. Con...

Patterning the cellular microenvironment.