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Introduction: Lichen sclerosus (LS) is an inflammatory skin disease affecting all ages. LS typically involves the anogenital site where it causes itching and soreness; it may lead to sexual and urinary dysfunction in females and males; however, it may be asymptomatic. First signs of LS are usually a whitening of the genital skin, sometimes preceded by redness and oedema; fissuring, scarring, shrinkage and fusion of structures may follow in its course. LS is associated with an increased risk of genital cancer. LS has a huge impact on the quality of life of affected patients, and it is important to raise more awareness of this not uncommon disease in order to diagnose and treat it early. Objectives: The guideline intends to provide guidance on the diagnostic of LS (part 1), highlight important aspects in the care of LS patients, generate recommendations and treatment algorithms (part 2) on topical, interventional and surgical therapy, based on the latest evidence, provide guidance in the management of LS patients during pregnancy, provide guidance for the follow‐up of patients with LS and inform about new developments and potential research aspects. Materials and Methods: The guideline was developed in accordance with the EuroGuiDerm Methods Manual v1.3https://www.edf.one/de/home/Guidelines/EDF‐EuroGuiDerm.html. The wording of the recommendations was standardized (as suggested by the GRADE Working Group). The guideline development group is comprised of 34 experts from 16 countries, including 5 patient representatives. Results: Ultrapotent or potent topical corticosteroids in females and males, adults and children remain gold standard of care for genital LS; co‐treatment with emollients is recommended. If standard treatment fails in males, a surgical intervention is recommended, complete circumcision may cure LS in males. UV light treatment is recommended for extragenital LS; however, there is limited scientific evidence. Topical calcineurin inhibitors are second line treatment. Laser treatment, using various wave lengths, is under investigation, and it can currently not be recommended for the treatment of LS. Treatment with biologics is only reported in single cases. Conclusions: LS has to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible in order to minimize sequelae like scarring and cancer development. Topical potent and ultrapotent corticosteroids are the gold standard of care; genital LS is often a lifelong disease and needs to be treated long‐term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Lichen sclerosus (LS) is an inflammatory skin disease affecting all ages. LS typically involves the anogenital site where it causes itching and soreness. It may lead to sexual and urinary dysfunction in females and males; however, it may be asymptomatic. First signs of LS are redness and oedema, typically followed by whitening of the genital skin; sometimes fissuring, scarring, shrinkage and fusion of structures may follow in its course. LS is associated with an increased risk of genital cancer. LS has a huge impact on the quality of life of affected patients, and it is important to raise more awareness of this not uncommon disease in order to diagnose and treat it early. Objectives: The guideline intends to provide guidance on the diagnostic of LS, highlight important aspects in the care of LS patients (part 1), generate recommendations and treatment algorithms (part 2) on topical, interventional and surgical therapy, based on the latest evidence, provide guidance in the management of LS patients during pregnancy, provide guidance for the follow‐up of patients with LS and inform about new developments and potential research aspects. Materials and Methods: The guideline was developed in accordance with the EuroGuiDerm Methods Manual v1.3https://www.edf.one/de/home/Guidelines/EDF‐EuroGuiDerm.html. The wording of the recommendations was standardized (as suggested by the GRADE Working Group). The guideline development group is comprised of 34 experts from 16 countries, including 5 patient representatives. Results: Ultrapotent or potent topical corticosteroids in females and males, adults and children remain gold standard of care for genital LS; co‐treatment with emollients is recommended. If standard treatment fails in males, a surgical intervention is recommended, complete circumcision may cure LS in males. UV light treatment is recommended for extragenital LS; however, there is limited scientific evidence. Topical calcineurin inhibitors are second line treatment. Laser treatment, using various wave lengths, is under investigation, and it can currently not be recommended for the treatment of LS. Treatment with biologics is only reported in single cases. Conclusions: LS has to be diagnosed and treated as early as possible in order to minimize sequelae like scarring and cancer development. Topical potent and ultrapotent corticosteroids are the gold standard of care; genital LS is often a lifelong disease and needs to be treated long‐term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The association between vitiligo and hearing loss has been noted but the specific frequencies and degrees of hearing impairment remain unclear. The objective of this systematic review was to investigate the relationship between vitiligo and hearing thresholds at various specific frequencies. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We searched MEDLINE and Embase for relevant studies from inception to 10th April 2021. Case‐control studies, cross‐sectional, or cohort studies that compared the frequency‐specific hearing thresholds between vitiligo patients and age‐matched non‐vitiligo controls were included. There were neither language nor geographic limitations. We used the Newcastle‐Ottawa Scale to assess the risk of bias of included studies. The DerSimonian and Laird random‐effects model was utilized in meta‐analyses due to expected clinical heterogeneity. We included 9 case‐control studies with 371 vitiligo patients and 349 controls, which were rated with low or unclear risk. We found neither relevant cross‐sectional nor cohort studies. The meta‐analysis showed that when compared with controls, vitiligo patients had significantly higher pure‐tone hearing thresholds at 2000, 4000, and 8000 Hz. In conclusions, vitiligo patients are prone to high‐frequency sensorineural hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Significant efforts towards understanding bi-magnetic core-shell nanoparticles are underway currently as they provide a pathway towards properties unavailable with single-phased systems. Recently, we have demonstrated that the magnetism of c-Fe2O3/CoO core-shell nanoparticles, in particular, at high temperatures, originates essentially from an interfacial doped iron-oxide layer that is formed by the migration of Co2+ from the CoO shell into the surface layers of the γ-Fe2O3 core [Skoropata et al., Phys. Rev. B 89, 024410 (2014)]. To examine directly the nature of the intermixed layer, we have used high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and first-principles calculations to examine the impact of the core-shell intermixing at the atomic level. By analyzing the HRTEM images and energy dispersive spectra, the level and nature of intermixing was confirmed, mainly as doping of Co into the octahedral site vacancies of γ-Fe2O3. The average Co doping depths for different processing temperatures (150 °C and 235 °C) were 0.56 nm and 0.78 nm (determined to within 5% through simulation), respectively, establishing that the amount of core-shell intermixing can be altered purposefully with an appropriate change in synthesis conditions. Through first-principles calculations, we find that the intermixing phase of γ-Fe2O3 with Co doping is ferromagnetic, with even higher magnetization as compared to that of pure γ-Fe2O3. In addition, we show that Co doping into different octahedral sites can cause different magnetizations. This was reflected in a change in overall nanoparticle magnetization, where we observed a 25% reduction in magnetization for the 235 °C versus the 150 °C sample, despite a thicker intermixed layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have developed a highly tunable, narrow band far-infrared (FIR) photodetector which utilizes the characteristic merits of graphene and two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in GaAs/AlxGa1-xAs heterostructure in the Quantum Hall states (QHS). The heterostructure surface is covered with chemi-cal vapor-deposited graphene, which functions as a transparent top-gate to vary the electron density of the 2DEG. FIR response observed in the vicinity of integer QH regime can be effectively tuned in a wide range of 27-102 cm_1 with a bias voltage less than _ 1 V. In addition, we have found that the presence of graphene can genuinely modulate the photoresponse. Our results demonstrate a promis-ing direction for realizing a tunable long-wavelength FIR detector using QHS in GaAs 2DEG/ graphene composite material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effects of defect scatterings on the electric transport properties of chemical vapor deposited (CVD) graphene by measuring the carrier density dependence of the magneto-conductivity. To clarify the dominant scattering mechanism, we perform extensive measurements on large-area samples with different mobility to exclude the edge effect. We analyze our data with the major scattering mechanisms such as short-range static scatters, short-range screened Coulomb disorders, and weak-localization (WL). We establish that the charged impurities are the predominant scatters because there is a strong correlation between the mobility and the charge impurity density. Near the charge neutral point (CNP), the electron-hole puddles that are induced by the charged impurities enhance the inter-valley scattering, which is favorable for WL observations. Away from the CNP, the charged-impurity-induced scattering is weak because of the effective screening by the charge carriers. As a result, the local static structural defects govern the charge transport. Our findings provide compelling evidence for understanding the scattering mechanisms in graphene and pave the way for the improvement of fabrication techniques to achieve high-quality CVD graphene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Clinical question: Is psoriasis associated with dementia or cognitive impairment? Background: Psoriasis is a multisystemic inflammatory disorder that has an unclear association with cognitive dysfunction. Objectives: To conduct a Critically Appraised Topic that synthesizes the results from relevant observational studies. Methods: A systematic literature search of PubMed and Embase was conducted on 12 July 2019 to identify case–control, cross‐sectional or cohort studies that investigated the association between psoriasis and cognitive impairment or dementia. Risk of bias was assessed for each study, and the results presented in a narrative synthesis. Results: Eleven studies were included for critical appraisal. Of the 11 studies, 10 compared a total of 16 574 psoriasis cases with over 45 078 controls for risk of dementia or cognitive impairment. One of the 11 studies evaluated 7118 patients with dementia for odds of psoriasis compared with 21 354 controls. Six studies were assessed to have higher risk of bias. Nine of the 11 included studies found a significant positive association between the two diseases, one study a null association, and one study an inverse association. Discussion and recommendation: Most of the 11 included studies found a positive association between psoriasis and either mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Brief cognitive assessments have been suggested to screen older patients with psoriasis who present with subjective cognitive complaints. What is already known about this topic? Psoriasis and dementia are complex diseases with multifactorial pathogenesis, but share common inflammatory characteristics.There is evidence for a shared genetic and inflammatory pathogenesis between the two entities. What does this study add? Most observational studies found a significant positive association between psoriasis and cognitive impairment or dementia, and cognitive screening can be considered for patients with psoriasis who present with cognitive complaints.There is currently not enough evidence to suggest one specific systemic antipsoriatic treatment over another for patients with psoriasis showing mild cognitive impairment or dementia. Plain language summary available online [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pulsed-laser deposition (PLD) technique was used to grow high TC superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-δ (YBCO) films on both virgin and ion-bombarded yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) substrates. To pattern high TC films for device applications, the ion milling technique is often used to turn virgin YSZ substrates into ion-bombarded substrates. Multilayered processes require the growth of high TC films on these ion-bombarded substrates. The purpose of this work was to investigate the growing conditions for these two kinds of substrate surfaces. We found that high quality 0° in-plane orientation films can be grown on either substrate when the growth temperature is about 810 °C. The thin film grown at this temperature has TC of about 90.3 K and JC of about 4×106 A cm-2 at 77 K. On virgin substrates, the in-plane orientations of YBCO films grown within the temperature range of 790–730 °C exhibit a mixture of 0° and 45° domains. As the growth temperature decreases, the dominant orientation shifts gradually from 0° to 45°. On the other hand, on ion-bombarded YSZ substrates, the in-plane orientation of YBCO films grown within the same temperature range shows that the 45° domain is more prominent. Furthermore, 9° subpeaks appear around the 0° peak on ion-bombarded YSZ substrates. At a lower growth temperature of around 690 °C, only the 45° domain exists on the virgin substrate, while a small amount of 0° domain is present with the majority of 45° domain on the ion-bombarded substrate. The TC and JC of the films grown at around 690 °C on virgin substrates are as good as films grown at high temperatures, despite the difference in the in-plane orientations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]