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An 8-month-old boy visited our clinic with a brownish plaque on his thigh. During the skin biopsy, generalized erythema after accidental rubbing of the lesion was observed. The skin biopsy confrmed the clinical suspicion of mastocytoma. The infant was treated with a H1-antihistamine for symptom control and a topical hydrocolloid patch was applied to prevent irritation-induced fushing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

J.W. Lee, H.-J. Kwon, P.-S. Jang, N.-G. Chung, B. Cho, D.-C. Jeong, J.-H. Kang, H.-K. Kim. Two children with differing outcomes after treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis diagnosed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Transpl Infect Dis 2011: 13: 520-523. All rights reserved. Abstract: Tuberculosis (TB) is a rare infectious complication after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but may be more significant in areas where the disease is endemic. Here, we present the clinical course of 2 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who were diagnosed with pulmonary TB after allogeneic HSCT. Both patients were treated for either probable or possible invasive fungal infection, as well as TB. One patient, diagnosed with TB 3 months after HSCT, showed remittent fever and symptoms that progressed to acute respiratory distress syndrome and death, despite 3 modifications to the anti-TB regimen. In contrast, another patient who was diagnosed with TB 8 months after transplantation, responded well to anti-TB medication and completed 1 year of treatment with resolution of lung lesions. Co-morbid opportunistic infections, profound host immunosuppression early after transplantation, and potential risk of multi-drug resistant-TB may act as major barriers to effective treatment of TB after HSCT despite appropriate anti-TB medication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate hydrologic impacts of potential climate and land use changes in a mountainous watershed in South Korea. The climatic data predicted by MIROC3.2 HiRes GCM A1B for three time periods (2010-2039, 2040-2069, and 2070-2099) were prepared using a change factor statistical downscaling method. The future land uses were predicted using the Conservation of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent (CLUE-s) model by establishing logistic regression model for five land use types with 11 driving forces represented by spatial information. By applying the climate and land use predictions to the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT), the watershed hydrologic components (including evapotranspiration, surface runoff, groundwater recharge, and streamflow) were evaluated. For the predicted 2070-2099 temperature and precipitation changes (+4.8° C and +34.4%), and 6.2% decrease in forest areas and 1.7% increase in urban areas, the combined land use with climate change scenario resulted in more streamflow change (+55.4%) than the single climate and single land use change scenario (+39.8% and +10.8%), respectively. The predicted large increase in future precipitation and the corresponding decrease in forest land are predicted to have substantial impacts on watershed hydrology, especially on surface runoff and streamflow. Therefore, to mitigate negative hydrologic impacts and utilize positive impacts, both land use and climate changes should be considered in water resource planning for the Chungju dam watershed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the rate dependent energy dissipation process and the fracture toughness of physical gels were investigated using agarose as a sample material. Both the J-integral and Essential work of Fracture (EWF) methods were examined. To assess the quasi-static fracture toughness of gels, linear regression was performed on critical J ( J) values at different loading rates resulting in a quasi-static J value of 6.5 J/m. This is close to the quasi-static EWF value of 5.3 J/m obtained by performing EWF tests at a quasi-static loading rate (crosshead speed of less than 2 mm/min). Nearly constant crack propagation rates at low loading rates, regardless of crack length, suggest viscoplastic chain pull-out is the fracture mechanism. At high loading rates failure was highly brittle, which is attributed to sufficient elastic energy accumulation to precipitate failure by chain scission. We conclude that in physical gels quasi-static fracture toughness can be evaluated by both the J-integral and EWF methods provided the effects of loading rate are investigated and accounted for. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clin. Otolaryngol. 2010, 35, 300–306 Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the surgical outcomes of endoscopic sinus surgery in two patient groups: adults younger than 65 years of age and adults aged 65 years or older. Design: A retrospective study. Setting: This study was conducted at an academic tertiary referral centre. Participants: One hundred and eighty consecutive older patients (≥65 years), and 180 adult patients (>15, <65 years) with chronic rhinosinusitis who underwent endoscopic sinus surgery under local anaesthesia between 1997 and 2007 were enrolled in this study. Main outcome measures: Recurrence and complication rates were analyzed. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney test, Fisher’s Exact test, the Pearson Chi-Square test, and univariate and multivariate logistic regression. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: When looked at without control for other factors the surgical complication rates were higher in the older group patients (31%) compared with the younger patients (11%). However, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that preoperative duration of symptoms, length of follow-up, and diabetes mellitus were positively correlated with complications. In this analysis, the older patients, once controlled for these factors, were less likely to have complications. Regarding recurrence, in multivariate analysis there was no difference between the older and the younger group with preoperative duration and length of postoperative follow-up having a small effect. Conclusions: Comorbidity especially diabetes mellitus and duration of the condition should be the factors considered preoperatively to predict the likely hood of complications rather than whether the patient is younger or older that 65 years of age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the results of a study on the application of digital image correlation method (DIC) to biogel. The study found that evaluation of the planer strain through DIC enables the measurement of strain localization and Poisson's ratio. Under high stresses, the Poisson's ratio exceeded the standard assumption of 0.5 which was found to be caused by pore water leakage. The study concludes that loading rate increases do not cause much difference in the shape of stress-strain curves.

The article presents a case study of 49-year-old woman who was presented with swollen, erythematous, unilateral sclerosing patch on the right face. Topics mentioned include the use of type A injectable cosmetic botulinum toxin (BTX) for her wrinkles, the cellulitis diagnosis with no improvement on treatment, and the immunohistochemical studies that showed the embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) diagnosis.

Background: There have been no previous studies regarding the effect of volatile anesthetics on human rhinovirus (RV) infection in airway epithelial cells of patients with an upper respiratory infection (URI). We have therefore evaluated in vitro the effect of isoflurane on RV infection in airway epithelial cells. Methods: A549 cells and RV-infected A549 cells were treated with isoflurane for 2 or 4 h. Surface expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) was assessed by flow cytometry, and effects on the secretion of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 were measured by ELISA. The effect on RV replication in the cells was determined by viral titer. Results: Isoflurane treatment for 2 or 4 h had no significant effect on ICAM-1 expression and secretion of IL-6 and IL-8 in control cells. Isoflurane also had no significant additional effect on RV-induced ICAM-1 expression and secretion of IL-6 and IL-8. Viral titers were not significantly influenced by isoflurane. Conclusion: Isoflurane treatment showed no additional effects with RV on ICAM-1 expression, secretion of IL-6 and IL-8, and viral titer in A549 cells. These results suggest that isoflurane itself may not increase further RV infections, inflammations, and viral replication in patients with a viral URI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research into the application of the essential work of fracture (EWF) concept to the deformation and fracture toughness characterization of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). Total work consumed in a double-edge-notched tensile (DENT) test consists of two parts under the plane-stress condition, specifically the energy for plastic deformation around the ligament section, and the essential energy for the formation of new fracture surface. The research concludes that EWF values for HDPE and ductile polymers vary with deformation behavior in the crack growth process.

This paper evaluates the validity of a new test methodology for measuring shear fracture toughness (mode II) of high density polyethylene (HDPE). The methodology adopts Iosipescu test for the shear loading, and determines the toughness based on the essential work of fracture (EWF) concept. The results show that even under the Iosipescu loading, tensile deformation (mode I) is still involved in the fracture process, possibly due to the significant work hardening that HDPE develops during the plastic deformation. The study found that the mode II fracture toughness can be determined through data analysis using double linear regression, i.e., by extrapolating specific work of fracture to zero ligament length and zero ligament thickness. The paper demonstrates that the new test methodology can be used to evaluate mode II fracture toughness of ductile polymers like HDPE in which significant work-hardening may be involved in the fracture process. The paper also provides quantitative comparison of the fracture toughness for HDPE in mode II with its mode I counterpart. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic characterization of afsK-av ( SAV3816) in Streptomyces avermitilis ATCC 31272 was performed to evaluate the role(s) of this eukaryotic-type serine–threonine protein kinase (STPK) in the regulation of morphologic differentiation and secondary metabolism. The afsK-av::neo mutant (SJW4001) was defective in sporulation, melanogenesis, and avermectin production. These phenotypic defects were complemented by introduction of either the intact afsK-av or the 900-nt catalytic domain region. The catalytic domain restored sporulation and melanogenesis to SJW4001 whereas it partially recovered avermectin production. This study reveals that AfsKav is a pleiotropic regulator and demonstrates in vivo that the C-region of AfsKav is not essential for its regulatory role in S. avermitilis differentiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) is a C-X-C chemokine that is important in recruiting neutrophils to inflammatory sites. Our previous reports demonstrated that lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or CpG-oligode-oxynucleotide (CpG-ODN) rapidly induce MIP-2 gene expression in the macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7. Here, we show that the DNA sequence of the MIP-2 promoter between -114 and +14 is sufficient for strong promoter activity in LPS- or CpG-ODN-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells. Importantly, comprehensive mutant analysis reveals that an Sp1 element in the promoter region between -114 and -94 is essential for synergistic MIP-2 promoter activation by NF-?B and c-Jun regardless of the presence of an AP-1 site. By combining deletion or site-specific mutant analysis with immunocomplex assays, we also confirmed that Sp1 mediates the recruitment of transcription factors NF- ?B and c-Jun in LPS- or CpG-ODN-treated RAW 264.7 cells. Several lines of experimental evidence imply that the Sp1-binding element is an important determinant of MIP-2 promoter activity, and that NF-?B, c-Jun and Sp1 can functionally cooperate to elicit maximal activation of the promoter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the results of a study on the fractional alternating current (ac) effect in p- and d-wave superconductors. Information on the fractional frequency of the ac Josephson current; Relationship between the Josephson current and the first power of the electron tunneling amplitude; Use of the frequency spectrum of microwave radiation from the junction in observing the Josephson effect.

Aims: To investigate the association between air pollution, including with NO2, and recurrent wheezing during the first two years of life.Methods: A birth cohort (BAMSE) comprised 4089 children, for whom information on exposures, symptoms, and diseases was available from parental questionnaires at ages 2 months, and 1 and 2 years. NO2 was measured during four weeks in and outside the dwellings of children with recurrent wheezing and two age matched controls, in a nested case-control study (540 children).Results: Conditional logistic regression showed an OR of 1.60 (95% CI 0.78 to 3.26) among children in the highest quartile of outdoor NO2 exposure in relation to those in the lowest quartile, adjusted for potential confounders. The corresponding OR for indoor NO2 was 1.51 (95% CI 0.81 to 2.82). An interaction with environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) was indicated with an OR of 3.10 (95% CI 1.32 to 7.30) among children exposed to the highest quartile of indoor NO2 and ETS. The association between NO2 and recurrent wheezing appeared stronger in children who did not fulfil the criteria for recurrent wheezing until their second year.Conclusions: Although the odds of increased recurrent wheezing are not statistically significantly different from one, results suggest that exposure to air pollution including NO2, particularly in combination with exposure to ETS, increases the risk of recurrent wheezing in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]