Dynamics and statistics of heavy particles in turbulent flows

We present the results of Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of turbulent flows seeded with millions of passive inertial particles. The maximum Taylor's Reynolds number is around 200. We consider particles much heavier than the carrier flow in the limit when the Stokes drag force dominates their dynamical evolution. We discuss both the transient and the stationary regimes. In the transient regime, we study the growt of inhomogeneities in the particle spatial distribution driven by the preferential concentration out of intense vortex filaments. In the stationary regime, we study the acceleration fluctuations as a function of the Stokes number in the range [0.16:3.3]. We also compare our results with those of pure fluid tracers (St=0) and we find a critical behavior of inertia for small Stokes values. Starting from the pure monodisperse statistics we also characterize polydisperse suspensions with a given mean Stokes.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, 2 table

Inflammatory myopathy and severe rhabdomyolysis induced by leuprolide acetate therapy for prostate cancer: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Leuprolide acetate is a synthetic analog of gonadotropin-releasing hormone used for the treatment of prostate cancer. Its side effects are hot flashes, nausea, and fatigue. We report a case of a patient with proximal inflammatory myopathy accompanied by severe rhabdomyolysis and renal failure following the second application of leuprolide acetate. Drug withdrawal and steroid therapy resulted in remission within six weeks of the diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, our case report describes the second case of leuprolide acetate-induced inflammatory myopathy and the first case of severe leuprolide acetate-induced rhabdomyolysis and renal failure in the literature.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 64-year-old Swiss Caucasian man was admitted to the hospital because of progressive proximal muscle weakness, dyspnea, and oliguria. He had been treated twice with leuprolide acetate in monthly doses. We performed a muscle biopsy, which excluded other causes of myopathy. The patient's renal failure and rhabdomyolysis were treated with rehydration and steroid therapy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The aim of our case report is to highlight the rare but severe side effects associated with leuprolide acetate therapy used to treat patients with inflammatory myopathy: severe rhabdomyolysis and renal failure.</p

Lichen planus of uterine cervix - the first report of a novel site of occurrence: a case report

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Rhyolitic tephra horizons in northwestern Europe and Iceland from the AD 700s-800s: a potential alternative for dating first human impact

The distribution and geochemistry of four rhyolitic tephra horizons from Iceland dated to the ad 700s–800s is assessed. These include the rhyolitic phase of the Landnám tephra (ad 870s), the ad 860 layer, a previously unrecorded tephra called the GA4–85 layer (c. ad 700–800) and the Tjïrnuvík tephra (c. ad 800s). The ad 860 and GA4–85 layers were first found in peat bogs in north Ireland. They are here correlated with equivalent horizons on Iceland which were found below the Landnám tephra (c. ad 870s). This time period is considered important in the North Atlantic region, because it coincides with a phase of human settlement in Iceland and the Faroe Islands. The establishment of a detailed tephrochronology may provide a tool for exact dating of sediment successions and sediments associated with archaeological excavations. Caution must be taken especially on Iceland where the Landnám tephra is often used for dating archaeological sites. This investigation show that several rhyolitic tephra horizons occur close in time to the Landnám tephra, and that mistakes can be made if detailed geochemical analyses are not carried out, especially in areas which are distal to the source of the Landnám tephra (the Veidivötn and Torfajökull volcanic systems, southern Iceland)

Transport properties of dense fluid argon

We calculate using molecular dynamics simulations the transport properties of realistically modeled fluid argon at pressures up to $\simeq 50GPa$ and temperatures up to $3000K$. In this context we provide a critique of some newer theoretical predictions for the diffusion coefficients of liquids and a discussion of the Enskog theory relevance under two different adaptations: modified Enskog theory (MET) and effective diameter Enskog theory. We also analyze a number of experimental data for the thermal conductivity of monoatomic and small diatomic dense fluids.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

A survey among dermatologists: diagnostics of superficial fungal infections - what is used and what is needed to initiate therapy and assess efficacy?

BACKGROUND: Superficial fungal infections are common. It is important to confirm the clinical diagnosis by mycological laboratory methods before initiating systemic antifungal treatment, especially as antifungal sensitivity and in vitro susceptibility may differ between different genera and species. For many years, the gold standard for diagnosis of superficial fungal infections has been direct fungal detection in the clinical specimen (microscopy) supplemented by culturing. Lately, newer molecular based methods for fungal identification have been developed. OBJECTIVE: This study was initiated to focus on the current usage of mycological diagnostics for superficial fungal infections by dermatologists. It was designed to investigate whether it was necessary to differentiate between initial diagnostic tests and those used at treatment follow-up in specific superficial fungal infections. METHODS: An online questionnaire was distributed among members of the EADV mycology Task Force and other dermatologists with a special interest in mycology and nail disease. RESULTS: The survey was distributed to 62 dermatologists of whom 38 (61%) completed the whole survey, 7 (11%) partially completed and 17 (27%) did not respond. Nearly, all respondents (82-100%) said that ideally they would use the result of direct microscopy (or histology) combined with a genus/species directed treatment of onychomycosis, dermatophytosis, Candida- and Malassezia-related infections. The majority of the dermatologists used a combination of clinical assessment and direct microscopy for treatment assessment and the viability of the fungus was considered more important at this visit than when initiating the treatment. Molecular based methods were not available for all responders. CONCLUSION: The available diagnostic methods are heterogeneous and their usage differs between different practices as well as between countries. The survey confirmed that dermatologists find it important to make a mycological diagnosis, particularly prior to starting oral antifungal treatment in order to confirm the diagnose and target the therapy according to genus and species

Risk of cancer in patients with dermatomyositis or polymyositis, and follow-up implications: a Scottish population-based cohort study

We conducted a national, retrospective population-based cohort study of 705 patients hospitalized with a first diagnosis of dermatomyositis (DM) or polymyositis (PM) during 1982–1996 based on linkage of hospital discharge, cancer registration, and death records in Scotland. Risks of cancer were assessed by calculating standardized incidence ratios (SIR). A first malignancy was diagnosed concurrently or subsequently in 50 patients with DM (SIR 7.7, 95% CI 5.7–10.1), and 40 patients with PM (2.1, 1.5–2.9). Significantly elevated risks were observed for lung, cervix uteri, and ovarian cancer in patients with DM, and for Hodgkin’s disease in patients with PM. The excess risk of cancer was highest around the time of diagnosis, and for patients with DM remained high for at least 2 years. Risks were elevated for both sexes but only significantly so for females, and were highest in patients aged 45–74 years at the time of diagnosis for DM and 15–44 for PM. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

Genome-wide meta-analysis identifies eight new susceptibility loci for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma

Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common cancers in the United States. Previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with cutaneous SCC. Here, we report the largest cutaneous SCC meta-analysis to date, representing six international cohorts and totaling 19,149 SCC cases and 680,049 controls. We discover eight novel loci associated with SCC, confirm all previously associated loci, and perform fine mapping of causal variants. The novel SNPs occur within skin-specific regulatory elements and implicate loci involved in cancer development, immune regulation, and keratinocyte differentiation in SCC susceptibility

Fourteen sequence variants that associate with multiple sclerosis discovered by meta-analysis informed by genetic correlations

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked FilesA meta-analysis of publicly available summary statistics on multiple sclerosis combined with three Nordic multiple sclerosis cohorts (21,079 cases, 371,198 controls) revealed seven sequence variants associating with multiple sclerosis, not reported previously. Using polygenic risk scores based on public summary statistics of variants outside the major histocompatibility complex region we quantified genetic overlap between common autoimmune diseases in Icelanders and identified disease clusters characterized by autoantibody presence/absence. As multiple sclerosis-polygenic risk scores captures the risk of primary biliary cirrhosis and vice versa (P = 1.6 x 10(-7), 4.3 x 10(-9)) we used primary biliary cirrhosis as a proxy-phenotype for multiple sclerosis, the idea being that variants conferring risk of primary biliary cirrhosis have a prior probability of conferring risk of multiple sclerosis. We tested 255 variants forming the primary biliary cirrhosis-polygenic risk score and found seven multiple sclerosis-associating variants not correlated with any previously established multiple sclerosis variants. Most of the variants discovered are close to or within immune-related genes. One is a low-frequency missense variant in TYK2, another is a missense variant in MTHFR that reduces the function of the encoded enzyme affecting methionine metabolism, reported to be dysregulated in multiple sclerosis brain.Swedish Research Council Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation AFA Foundation Swedish Brain Foundatio