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Copyright of Assiut Veterinary Medical Journal is the property of Egyptian National Agricultural Library (ENAL) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The aluminum alloy 2524-T3 is replacing 2024-T3 for many applications because 2524-T3 has a greater fracture toughness while retaining the same strength. Much attention has been given to the effect of multiple site damage on 2024-T3 aluminum; however, very little has been reported about 2524-T3. Twenty-two panels of 2524-T3, each with a different crack configuration, were tested for critical (linkup) strength, and the results were compared with an identical set of previously tested 2024-T3 panels with MSD. The panels were 24 in. wide with a midspan row of 0.25-in.-diam holes at 1-in. pitch. Each panel had a central lead crack with collinear MSD cracks emerging from both sides of the adjacent holes. A comparison of the results showed the 2524-T3 panels to average approximately 27% greater strength than the 2024-T3 panels. The linkup or plastic-zone-touch model used to predict the critical (link-up) strength of the panels was found to be highly conservative. Consequently the test data were used for a semi-empirical analysis to develop a modified link-up model for 2524-T3, similar to the one previously developed for 2024-T3. The average error between the critical strengths from testing and those predicted by the link-up model was approximately 20%, whereas that for the modified link-up model was approximately 3%.

Fracture analysis of cracks along mechanically fastened joints is a central issue in the damage tolerance assessment of semimonoque aircraft structures. Nonlinear elastic-plastic finite element analysis, employing the crack-tip-opening-angle criterion, was used to evaluate residual strength of bolted lap-joint 2024-T3 aluminum panels with multiple site damage subjected to Mode-I loading. A total of 36 different crack configurations were analyzed and compared to the experimental results. The effect of different aspects of the finite element modeling procedure on the accuracy of the residual strength predictions was investigated. Modeling of the geometric details of the test panels, such as fasteners and antibuckling restraints, was found to have a considerable effect on the predicted residual strengths. The nonlinear analyses provided reasonable estimates of the residual strength. The numerical results were compared with residual strength predictions obtained from a semi-empirical link-up model. Both approaches were comparable in terms of accuracy when compared to the test data.

A modified linkup model has been developed for determining the residual strength of 2024-T3 aluminum panels with multiple-site damage. This model was developed by semi-empirical analysis of test data from flat unstiffened open-hole panels. The model was later validated with test data from 36 open-hole stiffened panels. During the investigation, 36 bolted lap joint panels with different crack configurations were tested to further validate the previously developed modified linkup model. Stress intensity factors for the modified linkup model for the different crack configurations were determined from finite element analysis with the FRANC2D/L code. The residual strengths predicted by the modified linkup model correlate well with the test data, as was the case with the earlier studies of the stiffened panels. The results for the bolted lap joint panels show a sudden reduction in the residual strength at the early stages of multiple-site damage followed by a gradual linear decrease with increasing multiple-site damage crack size. The results also demonstrate that a stress-intensity-factor-based solution can be formulated with empirical analysis of test data from a simple configuration and then used to analyze more complex configurations.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibroproliferative lung disease, and fibroblast-myofibroblast differentiation (FMD) is thought to be a key event in the pathogenesis of IPF. Histone deacetylase-8 (HDAC8) has been shown to associate with α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA; a marker of FMD) and regulates cell contractility in vascular smooth muscle cells. However, the role of HDAC8 in FMD or pulmonary fibrosis has never been reported. This study investigated the role of HDAC8 in pulmonary fibrosis with a focus on FMD. We observed that HDAC8 expression was increased in IPF lung tissue as well as transforming growth factor (TGF)β1-treated normal human lung fibroblasts (NHLFs). Immunoprecipitation experiments revealed that HDAC8 was associated with α-SMA in TGFβ1-treated NHLFs. HDAC8 inhibition with NCC170 (HDAC8-selective inhibitor) repressed TGFβ1-induced fibroblast contraction and α-SMA protein expression in NHLFs cultured in collagen gels. HDAC8 inhibition with HDAC8 siRNA also repressed TGFβ1-induced expression of profibrotic molecules such as fibronectin and increased expression of antifibrotic molecules such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor- (PPAR). Chromatin immunoprecipitation quantitative PCR using an antibody against H3K27ac (histone H3 acetylated at lysine 27; a known HDAC8 substrate and a marker for active enhancers) suggested that HDAC8 inhibition with NCC170 ameliorated TGFβ1- induced loss of H3K27ac at the PPAR gene enhancer. Furthermore, NCC170 treatment significantly decreased fibrosis measured by Ashcroft score as well as expression of type 1 collagen and fibronectin in bleomycin-treated mouse lungs. These data suggest that HDAC8 contributes to pulmonary fibrosis and that there is a therapeutic potential for HDAC8 inhibitors to treat IPF as well as other fibrotic lung diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seabather's eruption (SBE) is an acute dermatitis characterized clinically by erythematous papules located almost exclusively under a bathing suit. SBE is caused by contact on the skin by the jellyfish, Linuche unguiculata (L. unguiculata). To report our clinical experience of SBE, with a description of the presentation of the first SBE cases from the Mediterranean Sea. In the period 1987-2023, we observed seven patients with SBE; four males and three females, with an age ranging from 16 to 56 years (mean age: 37.2 years). All patients contracted SBE in the Mediterranean Sea, which was characterized by a typical clinical picture of erythematous papules located almost exclusively under the bra or underpants, accompanied by severe pruritus. In all patients, SBE showed a typical clinical presentation and it was possible to exclude other diagnoses, such as swimmer's itch, folliculitis, acne/acneiform eruptions, and follicular larva migrans. No cases of SBE have been previously reported from patients swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. L. unguiculata may have reached the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean, however, it is also possible that SBE in our patients was caused by different microorganisms other than L. unguiculata, supporting the hypothesis, as previously suggested, that SBE can be caused by microorganisms other than L. unguiculata.

Background: Teledermatology is the application of information and telecommunication technologies in the field of dermatology to provide remote care services based on the exchange of clinical information within a network of professionals or between professionals and patients. Tele-trichoscopy is a non-invasive, inexpensive, and easy-to-use method that applies the principle of surface microscopy at different magnifications. Alopecia areata is a non-scarring alopecia with a chronic evolution, which often needs a close follow-up. Objectives: The aim of our work was to analyze the possible benefits of telemedicine for the follow-up of patients with alopecia areata. Materials and Methods: We enrolled patients with alopecia areata, identified during the first trichological evaluation, and we divided the patients into two groups. One group was provided with the devices necessary for a telemedicine follow-up. The other group had a conventional follow-up. The total follow-up time was one year. All of the patients' photos were blindly evaluated by a team of expert dermatologists who were asked to indicate the quality of the images. The photos were also evaluated to identify disease markers. During the follow-up period, questionnaires were administered to both groups of patients to assess the quality of the visit, the level of patient satisfaction, and to identify any issues encountered by the patients. Results: There was a high degree of concordance between the images obtained by outpatient trichoscopy and those obtained by telemedicine. The satisfaction levels were the same between the patients followed via telemedicine and those seen in the outpatient clinic. Conclusions: Telemedicine applied to trichology using trichoscopy was proven to be a valid system for managing the follow-up of patients suffering from chronic recurrent scalp diseases and, above all, for maintaining continuity of care.

Background: Alopecia areata (AA) is an organ-specific autoimmune disease that affects the hair follicles of the scalp and the rest of the body causing hair loss. Due to the unpredictable course of AA and the different degrees of severity of hair loss, only a few well-designed clinical studies with a low number of patients are available. Also, there is no specific cure, but topical and systemic anti-inflammatory and immune system suppressant drugs are used for treatment. The need to create a global registry of AA, comparable and reproducible in all countries, has recently emerged. An Italian multicentric electronic registry is proposed as a model to facilitate and guide the recording of epidemiological and clinical data and to monitor the introduction of new therapies in patients with AA., Methods: The aim of this study was to evaluate the epidemiological data of patients with AA by collecting detailed information on the course of the disease, associated diseases, concomitant and previous events, and the clinical response to traditional treatments. Estimate the impact on the quality of life of patients., Results: The creation of the National Register of AA has proven to be a valid tool for recording, with a standardized approach, epidemiological data, the trend of AA, response to therapies and quality of life., Conclusions: AA is confirmed as a difficult hair disease to manage due to its unpredictable course and, in most cases, its chronic-relapsing course, capable of having a significant impact on the quality of life of patients.

Introduction: Alopecia areata (AA) affects approximately 2% of the general population and is associated with significant psychosocial morbidity and poor health-related quality of life. Despite the high incidence of the disease the available clinical practice guidelines to help clinicians and improve patients' care are very poor and of a low methodological quality, as compared to other high-burden dermatoses. The aim of this survey is to capture the current clinical practice in AA management, as performed by dermatologists, in two Mediterranean countries to identify potential disparities and gaps in diagnosis and treatment., Methods: A 50-item questionnaire was created in the English language and then translated into Greek and Italian language and sent to the Greek and Italian dermatologists via email., Results: A total of 490 dermatologists from Italy and 234 from Greece participated in the survey. The diagnosis of AA is usually based on history and clinical examination, supported by trichoscopy. The rate of use of severity scores and scales to evaluate impact on quality of life by dermatologists was low. Treatment of patchy AA, in both adult and pediatric populations, is based on use of topical steroids as first-line treatment. Results on special site involvement (eyebrows, beard, and ophiasis), chronic cases, and the pediatric population highlight extreme heterogeneity in treatment approach., Conclusions: Our results highlight that management of AA, in terms of diagnosis and treatment, is still challenging., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Accurate prediction of the likelihood of same-day discharge could make it possible to direct one-third of the medical in-take to an ambulatory care unit, thereby facilitating bed management. In Phase 1 of this study, we identified seven independent factors that contribute to an ambulatory care score (Amb score) that can potentially be used as a tool to select ambulatory emergency care (AEC) patients from the medical emergency in-take. A high score was associated with discharge within 12 hours of assessment and treatment in hospital. In Phase 2, we verified and internally validated the performance of the Amb score in a different cohort of patients, finding that it functioned well in identifying early discharges (ie AEC patients), with an area under the receiver operator curve (AUROC) of 0.91 (95% CI 0.88-0.94). An Amb score of > or = 5 has a sensitivity of 96% (95% CI 90-98) and a specificity of 62% (95% CI 55-68) in identifying potential AEC patients.

Digital, mercury and aneroid blood pressure measurements were carried out in 400 South American adults. There was slight under-reading of the aneroid instrument (hypertension prevalence 30%, compared with 32% for digital and mercury), but its robustness and simplicity makes it a suitable alternative to mercury machines in tropical field conditions.