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Background Materials and Methods Results Conclusion Macular amyloidosis is a form of primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis presented by pruritic pigmented macules in rippled or reticulate pattern. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of using topical tranexamic acid with micro‐needling comparing to micro‐needling alone in patients with macular amyloidosis.Patients with bilaterally located macular amyloidosis on trunk or upper extremities were recruited in this trial. The skin lesions in all patients were divided into two parts which were randomly assigned to the group of treatment with micro‐needling plus tranexamic acid and the group of micro‐needling alone. There were four sessions of treatment with 2 weeks interval. The percentage of improvement in pigmentation (based on photographs and dermoscopy) and rippling of each group was determined by three blinded dermatologists. The level of patient satisfaction and reduction of pruritus was measured by a questionnaire and defined as a percentage.Twenty females were enrolled in this study. The mean (SD) patients' age was 39.7 (±10.13) years. Both groups showed improvement in pigmentation based on images, dermoscopy, and rippling pattern. Patients' satisfaction was 46.5% in tranexamic acid group and 47.5% in micro‐needling alone. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between both groups (p value >0.05). Interestingly, the pruritus improved 61.66% after four sessions of treatment in both groups.Micro‐needling is a suitable modality for decreasing pruritus and pigmentation in macular amyloidosis. However, topical application of tranexamic acid does not lead to additional improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Rituximab‐induced serum sickness (RISS) is a rare complication of Rituximab (RTX) in immunobullous disorders. Clinicians should be aware of the occurrence of serum sickness symptoms during RTX administration, and prompt initiation of corticosteroid therapy is crucial in these patients. Additionally, RISS may occur with subsequent RTX doses and patients should be counseled accordingly. Rituximab (RTX) is a chimeric monoclonal anti‐CD20 antibody which has gained approval for the treatment of various autoimmune and lymphoproliferative disorders. While RTX‐induced minor reactions, including immediate infusion‐related reactions, are common, serum sickness is rare. Limited data exist regarding rituximab‐induced serum sickness (RISS) in pemphigus vulgaris (PV) and mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP). We report two cases of RISS following RTX administration in PV and MMP patients. Both patients presented with typical symptoms of serum sickness after RTX infusion, necessitating drug cessation and corticosteroid therapy for resolution. RISS represents a rare complication of RTX therapy. Clinicians should maintain awareness of serum sickness presentations during and post‐RTX administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a summary of a special issue on privacy-preserving techniques in cloud/fog and Internet of Things (IoT) networks. The issue explores various methods and strategies for protecting privacy in these networks, including cryptographic algorithms, federated learning models, and password-less authentication. The authors also discuss the challenges of securing IoT devices with limited computational power and the importance of safeguarding data in large networks. The special issue includes 10 selected papers out of a total of 21 submissions, covering topics such as true random number generation, shared key generation, watermarking, dependability assessment, authentication schemes, federated learning, batch processing, stylometry, and searchable encryption. The authors express their gratitude to the contributors for their valuable research in this field. [Extracted from the article]

Tinea capitis is a common dermatophyte infection of the scalp in children. It is an uncommon infection in adults and usually affects postmenopausal women and immunocompromised patients. We report an immunocompetent elderly female with inflammatory tinea capitis caused by Trichophyton violaceum and review the literature for the past 5 years to describe the disease, its epidemiologic characteristics, dermatophyte species involved and treatment options used. The total number of cases was 11, including 8 women and 3 men, with an average age of 48.36. The most commonly isolated dermatophyte was Trichophyton tonsurans, and most cases were treated successfully with oral terbinafine with no side effects. In our case, the diagnosis was established by direct examination, culture and histological examination. Remedy with itraconazole and prednisolone was very successful. Early diagnosis of tinea capitis in adults is necessary to provide early treatment and minimize sequelae of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease that affects several organs including the skin. Clinical cutaneous symptoms of SLE come in a broad range, consisting of both non‐specific and specific cutaneous lesions. Except for cases of amicrobial pustulosis of the folds, generalized pustular psoriasis, acneiform eruptions, pustular vasculitis, Wells' syndrome, subcorneal pustular dermatosis, and neutrophilic dermatosis, there are no reports of pustular lesions linked to SLE. The unusual cutaneous features of our patient were annular plaques with pustules and crusts on the margins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we propose the concept of left extension of a hyperideal by generalizing the concept of k-hyperideals in ordered semihyperrings with symmetrical hyper-operation ⊕. By using the notion of extension of a k-hyperideal, we prove some results in ordered semihyperrings. The results of this paper can be viewed as a generalization for k-ideals of semirings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of convex ordered hyperrings associated with a strongly regular relation was investigated in this study. In this paper, we first studied hyperatom elements of ordered hyperrings and then investigated characterizations of quotient ordered rings. Is there a strongly regular relation θ on a convex ordered hyperring R for which R / θ is a convex ordered ring? This leads to an ordered ring obtained from an ordered hyperring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, first, we state an operator L R on an ordered semihyperring R. We show that if φ : R ⟶ T is a monomorphism and K ⊆ R , then L T (φ (K)) = φ (L R (K)) . Afterward, hyperatom elements in ordered semihyperrings are defined and some results in this respect are investigated. Denote by A (R) the set of all hyperatoms of R. We prove that if R is a finite ordered semihyperring and | R | ≥ 2 , then for any q ∈ R \ { 0 } , there exists h q ∈ A * (R) = A (R) \ { 0 } such that h q ≤ q . Finally, we study the L R -graph of an ordered semihyperring and give some examples. Furthermore, we show that if φ : R ⟶ T is an isomorphism, G is the L R -graph of R and G ′ is the L T -graph of T, then G ≅ G ′ . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Melasma is a chronic and acquired pigmentary condition that primarily affects women and undermines patient satisfaction and confidence. Melasma mostly affects females, accounting for 90% of all cases. It affects people of all races, particularly those with skin types IV and V who live in areas with lots of UV radiation. According to the studies, Melasma lesions are seen throughout the face in centrofacial, malar, and mandibular patterns. Melasma lesions on the forehead, cheeks, nose, upper lip, and/or chin are the most prevalent centrofacial pattern. Melasma lesions can also be detected along the periorbital area, especially in Asian people. Melasma is notably resistant to treatment, with many patients experiencing only temporary relief and relapses. Combining therapies that target numerous pathologic components, including photodamage, inflammation, aberrant vascularity, and abnormal pigmentation, generally results in the most dramatic therapeutic improvements. Treatments for dark circles include topical depigmenting medicines like hydroquinone, kojic acid, azelaic acid, and topical retinoic acid, and physical treatments such as chemical peels, surgical adjustments, and laser therapy. The objective of therapy should be to figure out what is causing the hyperpigmentation and what is contributing to it. This article provides an overview of melasma therapies and the efficacy of methimazole and cysteamine for melasma therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Necrotizing fasciitis can evolve from a trivial lesion, whenever it develops it requires a prompt surgical intervention and broad‐spectrum antibiotic therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, wireless mesh networks are known as important parts of different commercial, scientific, and industrial processes. Their prevalence increases day-by-day and the future of the world is associated with such technologies for better communication. However, the issue of improving quality of service for dealing with more complex and intense flow of data has been always a remarkable research problem, as a result of improved wireless communication systems. In this sense, objective of this study is to provide a new algorithm for contributing to the associated literature. In the study, peer to peer wireless mesh networks and the concept of service quality were examined first and then an approach for improving service quality in such networks has been proposed accordingly. In detail, the proposed an approach allows profiting data transfer capability by data packet and using this information for routing and preventing overcrowd in network nodes and finally, distributing the load over it. When middle nodes overcrowd, they withhold to send control messages of route creating or do that by delay. The proposed approach has been evaluated and the findings revealed that at least 10% of undue delays through network can be prevented while permittivity does not reduce, thanks to the approach. Also energy consumption within network nodes partially increases due to adding table and the search which can be overlooked. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The management of melasma is still challenging, and new treatment modalities with favorable side effect profile are required. Methimazole, a peroxidase inhibitor, seems to have a beneficial effect in the management of melasma but there is a paucity of studies for evaluation of its efficacy. This double‐blinded trial was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of methimazole vs hydroquinone 4% which is the gold standard treatment in the management of melasma. Methods: Fifty patients with melasma were enrolled and randomly divided into two groups to receive 4% hydroquinone or 5% methimazole once daily for 8 weeks. Forty patients completed the study. The clinical response was assessed at 4th, 8th, and 12th weeks after treatment by MASI score, patient satisfaction, and physician scores. Results: Both groups showed a reduction in the MASI score at the 8th week which was more significant in hydroquinone group but higher relapse rate was also observed in this group after discontinuing the drug. The side effects were similar between groups. Also, patient and physician satisfaction scores were also more in favor of hydroquinone 4%. Conclusion: Methimazole could be an alternative treatment of melasma alone or in combination with other depigmenting drugs. Although not as effective as hydroquinone, the noncytotoxic and nonmutagenic aspects of methimazole may make it a promising alternative for the treatment of melasma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background and aim: A comprehensive study comparing two different modalities, Nokor needle subcision (NNS) and blunt cannula subcision (BCS), for treatment of acne scars, has not been reported previously. The aim was to compare the effectiveness of these two methods based on patient's and doctor's satisfaction measures, in addition to the late complications 3 months postsubcision. Method of intervention: Patients had 18‐65 years old, with acne scars on both malar sides. They were treated at one malar side with NNS and with BCS at another side. They were monitored during the first week, at one and 3 months postintervention. Patient's and two dermatologist's satisfactions were compared during 3 months, for each modality and between modalities. Results: From 34 patients, 29.4%, 55.9%, and 14.7% had mild, moderate, and severe acne scars, respectively. Ecchymosis, nodule formation post‐NNS, and edema after BCS were the complications. Patients were satisfied with BCS during 3‐month monitoring (P = .021), but not with NNS (P = .353). Physician‐1 was satisfied from the outcome of both BCS and NNS procedures (P = .044 and.006, respectively). However, physician‐2 was only satisfied with NNS at the month 3 than the month 1 (P = .002). All patients and physicians were significantly more satisfied with BCS than NNS (P = .000). Anyway, at the month 3, physician‐2 had no significant different points of view about applied methods (P = .25). Discussion: Considering the complications and satisfaction rates, BCS was more efficient than NNS for acne scar treatment. Then, we suggest BCS as a good replacement for NNS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Multiple eccrine hidrocystomas (MEH) are benign cystic lesions of the sweat gland ducts. They are characterized by translucent, skin-colored or bluish dome-shaped papules on the face, causing cosmetic concern. Recently, botulinum toxin-A, because of its antiperspirant properties, has been used to treat facial MEH. However, there are only some case reports in the literature. Objective: Here, we conducted a prospective study to assess the efficacy and safety of intralesional injection of botulinum toxin-A (Dysport) for the treatment of MEH. Material and Methods: Twenty patients (3 men and 17 women), aged from 31 to 75 years old, participated in this study. A 300 unit vial of botulinum toxin-A (Dysport, Ipsenn Biopharm, United Kingdom) was diluted with 4 ml of saline solution without preservative to achieve a concentration of 7.5U/.1 ml. Up to 1.5 unit of botulinum toxin was injected intradermally at the base of each lesion to raise a visible wheal. The patients were evaluated 7 days later, and any clinical changes or adverse effects were recorded. Results: In all patients, more than 75% of eccrine hidrocystoma lesions resolved without any scaring. The result sustained for 2-5 months. In two patients mild smile asymmetry and in one patient lagophthalmos were noted approximately 5-7 days after injection that gradually resolved in 3 weeks. Conclusion: Intralesional botulinum toxin-A for treatment of multiple hidrocystomas is a simple and well-tolerated procedure. It is accompanied by excellent results, a good postoperative course, and no risk of scarring. It can be considered in patients who did not respond to other treatment or even as the first line therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dear Editor, Botulinum neurotoxin injection for the treatment of facial wrinkles is nowadays more popular than surgical intervention because the procedure is much easier and shows high patient satisfaction. Interestingly, there was a generalized skin rash not only in all injection sites but also on distant parts including extremities and buttocks along with a vasculopathic reaction pattern in histopathology assessment which was interpreted as a drug reaction. To the best of our knowledge, there are a few case reports of the generalized drug eruption following botulinum toxin injection,4 and this presentation as a generalized skin eruption with vasculopathic reaction pattern in histopathology assessment has not been described before. [Extracted from the article]

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease, characterized by progressive cutaneous and internal organ fibrosis. Orofacial manifestations of systemic sclerosis are extremely disabling and treatment options are limited. In this study, we aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of autologous fat grafting in the face of patients with systemic sclerosis. We enrolled 16 SSc patients suffering from facial sclerosis and limited mouth opening capacity. Autologous fat injection ranging from 15 to 40 ml was administered per patient, based on their face morphology. The patients were evaluated at baseline and 3 months after fat injection. Evaluations included mouth opening capacity, mouth handicap in systemic sclerosis (MHISS), Rodnan skin sclerosis score, skin biophysical properties using a sensitive biometrologic device with the assessment of cutaneous resonance running time (CRRT), volumizing and aesthetic effects based on pre- and posttreatment photographs, possible side effects, and global patient satisfaction. Clinical assessment showed autologous fat transfer significantly improved mouth opening capacity and the MHISS and Rodnan score of patients with facial scleroderma (p value <.001). The aesthetic and/or functional results of fat injection were satisfying to about 80% of the patients. The changes in CRRT values were not significant. Our findings support the possible therapeutic role of autologous fat grafting in improving facial scleroderma both in aesthetic and in functional aspects. This trial is registered with IRCT20180209038677N1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing availability of high-resolution satellite and drone images and the Internet of Things (IoT) has begun transforming remote sensing of agriculture by improving accessibility and frequency of updates. Modern IoT-based smart agriculture systems use Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) to gather information from an ecosystem that regulates the quantity of water in agricultural fields could be one of these activities. The WSNs remained a challenge to transfer data to drones for analysis purposes. These are composed of tiny sensory architectures organized together to bring efficiency and scalability features to a network. WSN nodes are controlled and managed by a cluster. It is quite difficult to design an efficient leader election protocol. The computation power, storage space, and energy supply of sensor nodes make them unable to frequently switch to a different cluster. The WSN cluster-head election process requires a lot of energy (evaluation and computational process to select the most appropriate node with the least impact on network fragmentation in energy consumption of selected node). Then it is necessary to formulate a mechanism where WSNs utilize the least energy to coordinate with the remote sensing sources. This study presents a cluster election algorithm using the fuzzy logic inference system. It uses a coordinates system to map network nodes and map them based on prioritized scheduling. Lifetime augmentation in wireless sensor networks has always been of great interest. During data transmission from normal sensor nodes to the base station (sink), excess energy is dissipated. Optimizing the energy dissipation of WSNs through the selection of cluster heads is a powerful way to increase the lifespan. By electing more efficient nodes as cluster heads, the proposed method extends the network's lifetime by reducing the number of unimportant communications between nodes. With the utilization of network resources efficiently, the network's lifetime is extended. The proposed algorithm is evaluated with the LEACH (Low Energy Adaptive Clustering Structure) algorithm and FCA method based on the remaining energy and the number of active nodes. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm utilizes less energy for communication with remote sensory equipment for intelligent agriculture. The performance of the method improved for remaining energy by 9%, the number of active nodes rate by 24%, and indirectly network resource utilization than other states of the art solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Priority Queue (PQ) algorithm is used as the scheduling scheme for Resilient Packet Ring network (RPR). The scheduler handles a specific queue on the basis that all the higher priority queues have been served and emptied. This approach ensures low delay for higher priority classes of traffic. However, it often leads to the starvation of lower priority queues. For both single transit and double transit buffer architecture, traffic on the ring, which is a mixture of HP and LP transit traffic, has higher priority over the transmit HP traffic. This could cause the LP traffic on the ring to block the transmit HP traffic from gaining access onto the ring. To improve the quality of service for high priority traffic transmission, we propose using Bitwise Round-Robin (BRR) algorithm to alternately select packets from the transit buffer and the high priority transmit buffer. Simulation results show certain improvement on overall delay and delay jitter performance of RPR networks by using our scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, Internet of things (IoT), Cloud and Fog networks have spread out around the world. The more these networks grow, the more their energy consumption comes to attention. Many efforts have been made during recent years to decrease this energy consumption, mainly focused on utilizing low‐power devices. Green algorithms are recently proposed to reduce energy consumption by modifying the structure of many algorithms employed in the network and its protocols. This paper proposes a new green reliability algorithm for Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP protocol) in Fog computing. The proposed algorithm does not require extensive TCP/IP protocol changes or relevant hardware. It is based on transferring less number of packets in the network by using the advantage of differences between TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP). TCP and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) are different in nature as the number of total packets in UDP is half that of TCP. As a result, the number of complete packets in UDP is half that of TCP. The proposed method is built around the loss of some packets in applications, such as voice and online video, does not severely degrade the end results. Therefore, the UDP protocol can substitute TCP in such situations. The criterion to switch between the two is the minimum acceptable Quality of Service (QoS) of the overall network. In other words, the UDP protocol will be used as long as QoS requirements are met. The switching process between UDP and TCP is dynamic, optimized by estimating network noise in the period. Additionally, we evaluated the proposed method based on several QoS functions, including delay, throughput, and energy usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Innovative treatments for non‐melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are required to enhance patient outcomes. Aims: This review examines the effectiveness and safety of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKIs). Methods: A comprehensive review was conducted on the treatment potential of several RTKIs, namely cetuximab, erlotinib, gefitinib, panitumumab, and lapatinib. Results: The findings indicate that these targeted therapies hold great promise for the treatment of NMSCs. However, it is crucial to consider relapse rates and possible adverse effects. Further research is needed to improve treatment strategies, identify patient groups that would benefit the most, and assess the long‐term efficacy and safety, despite the favorable results reported in previous studies. Furthermore, it is crucial to investigate the potential benefits of integrating RTKIs with immunotherapy and other treatment modalities to enhance the overall efficacy of therapy for individuals with NMSC. Conclusions: Targeted therapies for NMSCs may be possible with the use of RTKIs. The majority of studies focused on utilizing epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors as the primary class of RTKIs for the treatment of NMSC. Other RTKIs were only employed in experimental investigations. Research indicates that RTKIs could potentially serve as a suitable alternative for elderly patients who are unable to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Working with pushbroom imagery in photogrammetry and remote sensing presents a fundamental challenge in object-to-image space transformation. For this transformation, accurate estimation of Exterior Orientation Parameters (EOPs) for each scanline is required. To tackle this challenge, Best Scanline Search or Determination (BSS/BSD) methods have been developed. However, the current BSS/BSD methods are not efficient for real-time applications due to their complex procedures and interpolations. This paper introduces a new non-iterative BSD method specifically designed for line-type pushbroom images. The method involves simulating a pair of sets of points, Simulated Control Points (SCOPs), and Simulated Check Points (SCPs), to train and test a Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) model. The model establishes a strong relationship between object and image spaces, enabling a direct transformation and determination of best scanlines. This proposed method does not rely on the Collinearity Equation (CE) or iterative search. After training, the MLP model is applied to the SCPs for accuracy assessment. The proposed method is tested on ten images with diverse landscapes captured by eight sensors, exploiting five million SCPs per image for statistical assessments. The Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values range between 0.001 and 0.015 pixels across ten images, demonstrating the capability of achieving the desired sub-pixel accuracy within a few seconds. The proposed method is compared with conventional and state-of-the-art BSS/BSD methods, indicating its higher applicability regarding accuracy and computational efficiency. These results position the proposed BSD method as a practical solution for transforming object-to-image space, especially for real-time applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is perifollicular lymphocytic infiltration on histopathology of scalp biopsies in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) patients (Abell, [1]). However, it seems that reducing micro-inflammation does not alter hair growth patterns in AGA. [Extracted from the article]

To supervise massive generated data by the Internet of Things (IoT) efficiently, we face two issues that should be addressed which are: (1) heterogeneity or satisfying diversity among IoT devices, and (2) privacy-preserving or preventing unintentional disclosure of sensitive data. Through observation, we found that existing solutions apply one common privacy-preserving rule for all devices while they address the heterogeneity issue separately that lead to unappealing performance. In this paper, we propose a framework for addressing the heterogeneity issue and privacy-preserving of IoT devices at the network edge using a novel proposed ontology data model. Besides, it leverages the proposed ontology to obtain a privacy-preserving method by frequently changing the privacy-preserving behaviors of IoT devices. Through simulation, we show that our solution overhead is less than 9 percent in the worst situation so that it is affordable to most IoT devices in one of its applications that is smart city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The original version of this article unfortunately contained an error in one of the co-author's name. The third author's name should read as "Xiaobo Zhang" instead of "Xioabo Zhang". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vague incidence graph (VIG), belonging to the FG family has good capabilities when facing with problems that cannot be expressed by FGs. When an element membership is not clear, neutrality is a good option that can be well-supported by a VIG. The previous definitions limitations in connectivity concept have led us to offer new definitions in VIGs. Hence, in this paper, the VIG and its matrix form are proposed. Vague incidence subgraph (VISG) is defined with several properties. Incidence pairs, paths, and connectivities between pairs in VIGs are introduced. Likewise, different types of strong and cut pair in VIGs are examined with their properties. Universities are one of the most important centers for human education and play an important role in the development of the country. But the point to be very careful is that the employees of a university must do their job in the best possible way. Therefore, we have tried to identify the most effective person in a university according to its performance by presenting an application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report two cases of lichen planus following COVID‐19 vaccination in two middle‐aged women, where the first patient presented with lichenplanopilaris (LPP) relapse and development of lichen planus 14 days after the second dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, and the other patient who had a previous scattered lesion of LP which extended and increased in severity after the first and second dose of Sinopharm. The suggested cause could be due to immune dysregulation and up regulation of T cell lymphocytes which was triggered after COVID‐19 vaccination. What supports our hypothesis that LP had occurred due to COVID‐19 vaccination, is that one of the patients responded successfully to Metronidazole. This means that the infection process after vaccination could be the cause in aggravating LP. To add, one of the suggested mechanisms for the appearance of LP or reactivation of a dormant LPP can be cytotoxic CD8 T‐lymphocytes which increase the secretion of IFN‐γ and IL‐5 cytokines and may also result in basal keratinocytes' apoptosis leading to cutaneous manifestations. This was supported by the efficacy of Tofacitinib that was used in the other patient who presented with reactivation of LPP in addition to LP. Tofacitinib decrease the number of T cell infiltration and adjust IFN expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Methods Results Conclusions Pemphigus is a group of autoimmune blistering disorders that have been associated with dementia in previous studies. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) can be the first stage of progression into dementia. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the frequency of MCI in pemphigus patients compared to a control group.This case‐control study included 80 patients with pemphigus referred to the dermatology clinics of Shohadaye Tajrish and Loghman Hakim hospitals, Tehran, Iran, in 2021. A group of 80 individuals without pemphigus who visited the same clinics for cosmetic consultation or interventions were regarded as controls. Age, sex, marital status, and education were recorded for all participants. Disease duration, medications, and severity were noted for pemphigus patients. The Persian version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) test was used to assess cognitive function.MCI was significantly more frequent in pemphigus patients than in controls (55% vs. 37.5%, P = 0.026). Furthermore, the total MoCA score was significantly lower in pemphigus patients compared to controls (23.98 ± 3.77 vs. 25.21 ± 3.45, P = 0.032); however, among MoCA's different domains, only the executive functions score was significantly lower in pemphigus patients (P = 0.010). After adjustment, multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that every 1‐year higher education in patients decreased the odds of MCI by 52% (adjusted odds ratio = 0.483, 95% confidence interval 0.326; 0.715, P < 0.001).The frequency of MCI was found to be significantly higher, and overall scores of the MoCA test, as well as its executive function domain, were significantly lower among pemphigus patients in this study compared to the control group. Additionally, a higher level of education was associated with decreased odds of MCI in pemphigus patients. Identifying pemphigus patients with MCI through the use of the MoCA test can facilitate early intervention, enabling them to seek help and support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Steroid pulse therapy has shown satisfactory efficacy and safety in treating pemphigus vulgaris (PV). However, there is a paucity of data about the efficacy and safety of methylprednisolone, despite its frequent administration. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of steroid pulse therapy in treating PV. In this 10‐year retrospective cohort study, 312 patients with PV, who had received methylprednisolone pulse therapy, were included. Data of pulse therapy sessions, adjuvant medications, dosages, remission rates, complications, and mortalities were collected from all patients. A total of 276 patients out of 312 underwent the final follow‐up at least 6 months after the last session of pulse therapy. Complete remission off therapy was achieved in 83 patients (30%), and 152 patients (55%) had complete remission on therapy. About 29 (10.5%) patients had lesions of pemphigus at the time of the study follow‐up, and 26.8% of remained patients were on the minimal therapy. Methylprednisolone pulse therapy could be considered as an option for proper control of PV in severe cases. It might lead to shorter periods of hospitalization and reduce the need to take long‐term high‐dose oral steroid therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psoriasis as a common cutaneous inflammatory disease affect many aspects of patients' life. Disease registries render it possible to collect valuable data regarding a disease prevalence and burden as well as long‐term observations concerning possible therapeutic regimens. Methods: This registry was designed for the ongoing systematic data collection on patients with psoriasis at two referral dermatology centers in Iran. The pilot phase of the registry was used to identify possible obstacles in the application and execution of systematic registration. Results: A total of 281 patients were registered with the mean age of 42.02 years. The disease duration was 12.06 ± 10.90 years with the variety of clinical presentations. There was no significant difference between males and females in the age of disease onset (p = 0.53). Notably, 167 patients had children. Among them, 13 had children with psoriasis. The gender of the affected parent did not affect the possibility of psoriasis transmission to the child, and no significant difference was seen between the two sexes (P = 0.569). Regarding treatment, 99.4% of patients (n = 280) had used topical agents, 52.3% (n = 147) biologics, and 60.9% (n = 171) nonbiologic medications. Conclusion: Clinical trials report the efficacy and safety data regarding limited study populations in a restricted time window, and the results may differ from the general population. This highlights the importance of registry‐based studies for collecting and analyzing longitudinal information. In terms of long‐term disease complications such as malignancies, cardiovascular events, and serious adverse events, registry‐based studies will help clinicians better recognize and manage each disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Subcision, also known as subcutaneous incisionless surgery, is a surgical intervention used to treat a variety of skin conditions including atrophic acne scars, depressed scars, cellulite, and wrinkles. Aims: We plan to prepare a review article about the indications of subcision, its adverse reactions, and pearls. Patients/Methods: We searched the literature for the information about subcision and its applications from papers published up to March 2019. The search was performed through the databases of the National Library of Medicine. Results: After a thorough review of the published papers about subcision, we finally chose to review 40 articles that had proper sample size and design to prepare this review article. Twenty‐one papers were related to the application of subcision in the treatment of acne scar and other scars. Four articles were about the application of subcision to treat cellulite, and eight articles were related to other applications of subcision such as the treatment of striae or nasolabial fold. The remaining seven articles include published review papers about subcision or acne scar classification. Conclusion: Subcision seems to be effective on various skin conditions including acne scar, other depressed scars, and cellulite. It is easy to apply and inexpensive with short downtime and no significant complications. Subcision needs proper technique and adequate experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease that is more common in young population and it can be associated with some sequels after resolving the lesions. Post‐inflammatory erythema is one of these complications that can be disturbing for patients and does not have any definite treatment. This study was aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tranexamic acid (TA) as mesotherapy in treatment of post‐acne erythema (PAE) treatment. Method: This clinical trial study was performed in the dermatology clinic on 17 patients with persistent PAE (3 months after acne recovery). Two sessions of treatment were performed by a physician with 2‐week intervals; TA was injected as mesotherapy into the right side of each patient's face as the case group, while the opposite side was used as the control group. A Visioface device was used to compare before and after treatment photographs of each side of the face in color mode with quantitative measures such as lesions count, area, and area percent. Results: Finally, 15 patients completed treatment sessions. There were statistically significant differences in right side lesions before and after treatment with p‐values of 0.047, 0.002, and 0.035 for count, area, and area percent, respectively. There was no significant difference before and after treatment in terms of count, area. and area‐percent on the left side. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, TA injection as mesotherapy for resolving PAE can be effective. However, due to small sample size, further studies are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Acute unintentional and deliberate poisoning by medications and chemicals is a frequent emergency, especially in Iran. This study aimed to evaluate the frequency and character of skin findings occurring in patients with acute intentional and aunintentional poisoning. Materials and methods: This prospective observational study was performed at the Loghman Hakim Hospital Poison Center over a period of 6 months from April 2016 to September 2016. Data including patient demographics, cause of poisoning, and level of consciousness were collected. Pediatric patients (under the age of 13) and patients who died in the first hours of admission were excluded from the study. Results: The most common cause of toxicity-related admission in our patients was methadone overdose. The most common skin finding in these patients was xerosis. According to our results, there was an association between tramadol poisoning and self-induced lesions. Shin hyperpigmentation was found to be significantly more frequent in patients with lead poisoning. Conclusion: Further study is recommended to shed light on the possible association of drug poisoning and skin lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the recent development and advancement of business growth models, information exchange has emerged as a critical component of computer communication technology. To serve dynamic business models with the latest data, most system architecture tends to retrieve data from back-end systems in real-time. Numerous leading organizations have started to think of or are implementing two different platforms: read cluster and write cluster. In this article, we propose a model that adopts a data streaming system and a data caching mechanism for faster access to real-time and non-real-time data. This system only focuses on providing the read data elements and reducing most of the load in the existing cluster(s). Our mathematical and simulation performance analysis shows a clear distinction and comparison between the current and proposed systems architecture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that bullous pemphigoid (BP) is associated with multiple neurological disorders. We aimed to compare brain magnetic resonance (MRI) findings between BP patients and a control group. This case–control study included patients with BP referred to two dermatology clinics during a two‐year period. A group of individuals attending the same clinics for cosmetic procedures were selected as controls. First, participants' general information including age, gender, education, weight and underlying disease was recorded. For BP patients, the drugs and the BP Disease Area Index (BPDAI) were recorded as well. Then, all participants underwent brain MRI without contrast. The Fazekas scale, the general cerebral atrophy (GCA) score, and the Medial Temporal lobe Atrophy (MTA) score were used to assess MRI images. Overall, 24 BP patients and 24 controls were evaluated in this study. Both groups were comparable regarding age, gender and education. However, diabetes and hypertension were more frequent in the control group. The mean BPDAI total score was 51.39 ± 68.92 in BP patients and most of them used rituximab (41.7%). None of the participants had MS or Alzheimer MRI patterns. There was no difference between groups in terms of GCA and MTA scores. Furthermore, the frequency of partially empty sella did not differ significantly between BP patients and controls (p = 0.461); nevertheless, grade‐3 Fazekas was significantly higher in BP patients compared to controls (25% vs. 0%, p = 0.019). Of note, one BP patient had an epidermoid cyst and another had moderate enlargement of three ventricles. Also, new infarcts were observed in two and old infarcts in four BP patients. Although the majority of abnormal brain MRI findings were more frequent in BP patients compared to controls, only grade‐3 Fazekas was significantly higher and acute infarcts were exclusively observed in BP patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 33-year-old female presented with lethargy due to multidrug toxicity. At physical examination, both gluteal regions showed brown patchy scars. The atrophic scars surrounding necrotic lesions were round and brown in appearance, and gluteal mass had gradually been lost. The patient disclosed using intramuscular ketamine injections for 3.5 years along with smoking hashish, alcohol use, intranasal use of methamphetamine (sniffing), and oral use of methadone. Since recreational drug use can affect multiple organs, dermatologists should be familiar with the dermatologic features of intravenous or intramuscular injecting drug use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Machine learning as a service (MLaaS) plays an essential role in the current ecosystem. Enterprises do not need to train models by themselves separately. Instead, they can use well-trained models provided by MLaaS to support business activities. However, such an ecosystem could be threatened by model extraction attacks—an attacker steals the functionality of a trained model provided by MLaaS and builds a substitute model locally. In this paper, we proposed a model extraction method with low query costs and high accuracy. In particular, we use pre-trained models and task-relevant data to decrease the size of query data. We use instance selection to reduce query samples. In addition, we divided query data into two categories, namely low-confidence data and high-confidence data, to reduce the budget and improve accuracy. We then conducted attacks on two models provided by Microsoft Azure as our experiments. The results show that our scheme achieves high accuracy at low cost, with the substitution models achieving 96.10% and 95.24% substitution while querying only 7.32% and 5.30% of their training data on the two models, respectively. This new attack approach creates additional security challenges for models deployed on cloud platforms. It raises the need for novel mitigation strategies to secure the models. In future work, generative adversarial networks and model inversion attacks can be used to generate more diverse data to be applied to the attacks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are popular subsets of robots that come in various shapes and sizes. The group's use in the industry ranges from applications for carrying pallets, carts, and utensils to helping the elderly or transporting medicine to hospitals. Even recently, they have been used in libraries to carry books on shelves. The main part of an AGV includes its body, motor, driver, processor, and sensors, which are more or less the same in all types of AGVs, and addons vary depending on the application and the work environment. The part that affects AGV performance is the control strategy, to which researchers have shown different approaches. Using various techniques and simulations to obtain a model is the key and can help to improve and evaluate the performance of the strategy of the robot. In this study, based on the actual design of the AGV system, all data and components are described, and the simulation is performed in MATLAB software. Then, for controlling the platform based on the PID controller tuning, four methods of Ziegler Nichols, empirical, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Beetle Antennae Searching (BAS) (optimizer) are discussed, and the results are compared in the four paths including the circle, ellipse, Spiral and 8-shaped paths by observing and testing the tuned PID parameters. Finally, a series of subsequent experiences were carried out in CoppeliaSim (VREP) as a famous robot simulator to overcome the environmental constraints for the same paths that were used in Matlab based on the extracted PID values. Based on the results, the empirical methods, PSO, and BAS errors are very close together. But in general, the BAS algorithm is the fastest, and the PSO had better performance. In general, the maximum error is linked to the path of 8 shapes and the minimum is related to circle shape one. Finally, the analysis of results in different paths in both simulators shows the same results. Therefore, concerning the limited test on the real platform and using the PID coefficients obtained from the simulation shows the model's ability for the researchers in robotic research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stress is the response or a change in our bodies to environmental factors like challenges or demands that are physical and emotional. The main cause of stress is illnesses and it is gaining more interest, a hot topic for many researchers. Stress can be brought about by a wide range of normal life occasions that are hard to avoid. Stress generally refers to two things: first, the psychological perception of pressure and the body's response to it. On the other hand, it involves multiple systems, from metabolism to muscles to memory. Many methods and tools are being developed to reduce stress in humans. Stress can be a short-term issue or a long-term problem, depending on what changes in your life. The emphasis of this article is to reduce the effects of stress by developing a stress-releasing game and verifying its results through the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and POMS-2 survey. Games are associated with stress levels; hence, parameters like sounds, visuals, and colors associated with reducing stress are used to develop a game for the stress reduction in the players. The survey research aims to determine that the purpose-built game will affect the player's stress level using a reliable psychological survey paper. The survey collected a variety of information from its participants over six months. Different aspects of a person's psychology and reactions are recorded in this scenario by calculating the mean, standard deviation, degree of freedom, zero-error, and probability-value%. The POMS and POMS-2 results are obtained from the custom-built game, and these are found to be effective in reducing stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Text classification plays a critical role in managing large volumes of electronically produced texts. As the number of such texts increases, manual analysis becomes impractical, necessitating an intelligent approach for processing information. Deep learning models have witnessed widespread application in text classification, including the use of recurrent neural networks like Many to One Long Short-Term Memory (MTO LSTM). Nonetheless, this model is limited by its reliance on only the last token for text labelling. To overcome this limitation, this study introduces a novel hybrid model that combines Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT), Many To Many Long Short-Term Memory (MTM LSTM), and Decision Templates (DT) for text classification. In this new model, the text is first embedded using the BERT model and then trained using MTM LSTM to approximate the target at each token. Finally, the approximations are fused using DT. The proposed model is evaluated using the well-known IMDB movie review dataset for binary classification and Drug Review Dataset for multiclass classification. The results demonstrate superior performance in terms of accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 score compared to previous models. The hybrid model presented in this study holds significant potential for a wide range of text classification tasks and stands as a valuable contribution to the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With new telecommunications engineering applications, the cognitive radio (CR) network‐based internet of things (IoT) resolves the bandwidth problem and spectrum problem. However, the CR‐IoT routing method sometimes presents issues in terms of road finding, spectrum resource diversity and mobility. This study presents an upgradable cross‐layer routing protocol based on CR‐IoT to improve routing efficiency and optimize data transmission in a reconfigurable network. In this context, the system is developing a distributed controller which is designed with multiple activities, including load balancing, neighbourhood sensing and machine‐learning path construction. The proposed approach is based on network traffic and load and various other network metrics including energy efficiency, network capacity and interference, on an average of 2 bps/Hz/W. The trials are carried out with conventional models, demonstrating the residual energy and resource scalability and robustness of the reconfigurable CR‐IoT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the interpretability or perception of information in images for human viewers is the main goal of image enhancement. Aiming at the problem that image edges are difficult to determine due to artefacts, plaques, and vascular branches in cardiovascular ultrasound, an edge ultrasound imaging detection algorithm based on spatial-frequency-domain image enhancement is proposed to improve the clarity of ultrasound images. Firstly, this paper uses the space-frequency-domain enhancement algorithm to enhance the image. This algorithm overcomes the problem of low contrast of conventional algorithms. The enhanced data matrix is used as the cost matrix, and then, the heuristic image search method is used to search the image of the cost matrix. The results show that the use of spatial-frequency-domain image ultrasound imaging algorithm can improve the contrast and sharpness of ultrasound images of cardiovascular disease, which can make the middle edge of the image clearer, the detection accuracy rate is increased to 92.76%, and the ultrasound of cardiovascular disease is improved. The edge of the image gets accuracy. The paper confirms that the ultrasound imaging algorithm based on spatial-frequency-domain image enhancement is worthy of application in clinical ultrasound image processing. The performance of the proposed technique is 32.54%, 75.30%, 21.19%, 21.26%, and 11.10% better than the existing technique in terms of edge energy, detail energy, sharpness, contrast, and information entropy, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keratosis lichenoides chronica (KLC) is a rare dermatosis which represents different clinical characteristics between adult‐ and pediatric‐onset cases. We described a childhood case of KLC with features typical for adult‐onset disease. Acitretin led to partial improvement of her skin, but not mucosal, lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twelve weeks after the initiation of the treatment, a mean improvement of 68.3% of lesions was observed by the combined blue/red light phototherapy, which was significantly superior to that achieved by blue light (at weeks 4 and 8 but not at week 12) ( I P i < .05) (Figure 2 & Table 1). The global satisfaction of patients was more in female patients, which might be as a result of better adherence to therapy or gender differences in skin characteristics. That is why the combined treatment group showed ongoing improvement even after discontinuation of the treatment at week 4, while blue light monotherapy had only maintenance effect without further improvement. [Extracted from the article]

Neutrophil or platelet to lymphocyte ratio (NLR and PLR) has been proposed to be used as prognostic purposes in a variety of diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of these ratios in monitoring of response to TNF‐α‐inhibitors in psoriatic patients. Eighty psoriatic patients were included and treated with TNF‐α‐inhibitors for 12 months based on drug protocol. Hematologic indices, including NLR and PLR values were assessed before and after treatment. Data on psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), smoking behavior, alcohol intake habit, nail abnormality, body mass index (BMI), joint involvement, and disease duration were also recorded. PASI scores were improved significantly after one‐year treatment (P =.000). Furthermore, this type of treatment significantly reduced the NLR and PLR (P =.000). These changes were in accordance with PASI scores. Patients with BMI greater than 24.9 had higher, but non‐significant NLR and PLR than normal or lean individuals. Cigarette smokers and alcohol consumers had lower NLR and PLR values than other individuals (P <.05). There was no significant association between NLR and PLR and joint or nail involvement. Although NLR and PLR will not be helpful in primary diagnosis of inflammatory diseases, they could be accounted as monitoring tools in management of psoriasis or globally indicators of inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Microneedling and fractional lasers have been used in facial rejuvenation with acceptable results and low adverse effects. Aims: To compare the efficacy of microneedling with fractional Er:YAG in facial skin rejuvenation. Patients/Methods: This study was planned as a split‐face clinical trial. Volunteers were randomly allocated to receive three monthly treatments on each side of the face, one with fractional Er:YAG laser and one with microneedling. The assessments included investigating clinical outcomes by two blinded dermatologists accompanied by measuring skin biophysical characteristics including cutaneous resonance running time (CRRT) and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). Moreover, possible adverse effects, downtime, and patients' satisfaction were recorded at baseline, 1 month after each treatment, and 3 months after the last treatment session. The protocol was approved by the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20160820029436N3). Results: Of the 32 selected volunteers, 24 subjects completed the study. The clinical assessment showed a significant improvement of the face appearance along with a significant reduction in dyschromia, and periorbital wrinkling (P‐value <.05), with both procedures without any considerable difference between two methods. Moreover, the patients showed substantial satisfaction with both modalities with no statistically significant difference. Mean TEWL and CRRT values also decreased significantly in both groups with no considerable difference. The downtime was significantly shorter in the microneedling‐treated side. There were no long‐lasting or severe adverse effects after treatment with both methods. Conclusion: Microneedling and fractional Er:YAG laser have comparable efficacy in facial rejuvenation, but little downtime of the former makes it preferable for many patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sir, The immunosuppressive drugs used for the treatment of psoriasis may affect the clinical presentation and outcome of COVID-19 infection ([1]). Herein, we report a 73-year-old male patient with severe psoriasis being treated with cyclosporine (CsA) 100 mg daily plus methotrexate (MTX) 7.5 mg weekly (biologic treatment was not accessible) who experienced disease flare-up after the discontinuation of psoriasis treatment during COVID-19 infection. Although cyclosporine, methotrexate, and anti-TNF-alpha may cause partial immunosuppression, their role in predisposing the patients to COVID-19 infection and its possible catastrophic outcomes is not clear yet ([1]). [Extracted from the article]

Summary: In this study, Burr‐XII and Rayleigh distributions are combined to form a new mixture model that is considered to model heterogeneous data. Our objective is to estimate parameters of the proposed mixture model using Bayesian technique under type‐I censoring. Bayesian parameter estimation for the said mixture model is conducted by using informative priors, ie, gamma and squared root inverted gamma (SRIG) as well as noninformative prior, ie, Jeffrey's prior. Squared error loss function (SELF) and quadratic loss function (QLF) are employed to obtain and Bayes estimators. Properties of the proposed Bayes estimators are highlighted through a simulation study. When prior distributions and loss functions utilized in the study are compared in terms of posterior risks, informative prior found to be more suitable and decision turns out to be in favor of QLF. Prediction limits for the single sample case and two sample case are obtained to provide an insight into future sample data. Application of the proposed model is also elaborated using a real‐life example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, advances in understanding the etiology of urticaria and updates of diagnostic and therapeutic management guidelines have drawn attention to chronic urticaria (CU) morbidity. The present study aimed to evaluate Iranian dermatologists' practice and real life management of CU patients. A total of 35 dermatologists and 443 patients were included in the study. Number of female patients was 321 (72.5%). Mean (standard deviation) age of the study patients was 38 (13) years and the median (inter quartile range) of disease duration was 12 (6–48) months. Severity of patients' symptoms was mild for 32.1%, moderate for 38.7%, severe for 18.8%, and 10.4% of them had no evident signs or symptoms. The most common diagnostic methods were physical examination (96.6%), differential blood count (83.5%), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (77.4%), and C‐reactive protein (62.8%). The number of dermatologists prescribed nonsedating antihistamines (nsAH) in regular dose and high dose mono therapy were 26 (74%) and 6 (17%), respectively. About 66% of dermatologists were familiar with British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) guideline. The most common first‐line treatment for CU by Iranian dermatologists was nonsedating antihistamines in regular or high doses. The real‐life management of patients with CU in Iran was in accordance with the available practice guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]