Coexistence of pyoderma gangrenosum and sweet’s syndrome in a patient with ulcerative colitis

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) and Sweet's Syndrome (SS) are inflammatory skin diseases caused by the accumulation of neutrophils in the skin and, rarely, in internal organs. These neutrophilic dermatosis (NDs) are distinguished by the existence of forms of transition or overlap. They are frequently associated to systemic diseases especially hematologic and gastrointestinal ones. We report a case of a patient with ulcerative colitis (UC) who successively developed two types of NDs: PG then SS. A 66 years old patient with a history of UC consulted in July 2012 for an erythematous swelling of the back of the right hand treated with antibiotics without improvement. At that time, bacteriological samples were negative. In October 2012, he was hospitalized for polyarthralgia and impaired general condition. In physical examination, he had vesiculobullous plaque of 10 cm long of the right hand and wrist, infiltrated erythematous plaque on the right leg and another topped with a large pustule at the left ankle. Skin biopsy showed at the back of the right hand an aspect of PG and at the infiltrated plaques of the ankle an aspect of SS. Prednisone was started with improvement of the skin lesions and a recovery condition. The combination of PG and SS has already been described in cases of hematologic malignancy and rarely in UC. There is also the notion of passage from a neutrophilic dermatosis to another. Indeed, a typical lesion initially of SS can evolve to a future PG. This case demonstrates that neutrophilic dermatoses form a continous spectrum of entities that may occur in UC

Variation in postoperative outcomes of patients with intracranial tumors: insights from a prospective international cohort study during the COVID-19 pandemic

Background: This study assessed the international variation in surgical neuro-oncology practice and 30-day outcomes of patients who had surgery for an intracranial tumor during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We prospectively included adults aged ≥18 years who underwent surgery for a malignant or benign intracranial tumor across 55 international hospitals from 26 countries. Each participating hospital recorded cases for 3 consecutive months from the start of the pandemic. We categorized patients’ location by World Bank income groups (high [HIC], upper-middle [UMIC], and low- and lower-middle [LLMIC]). Main outcomes were a change from routine management, SARS-CoV-2 infection, and 30-day mortality. We used a Bayesian multilevel logistic regression stratified by hospitals and adjusted for key confounders to estimate the association between income groups and mortality. Results: Among 1016 patients, the number of patients in each income group was 765 (75.3%) in HIC, 142 (14.0%) in UMIC, and 109 (10.7%) in LLMIC. The management of 200 (19.8%) patients changed from usual care, most commonly delayed surgery. Within 30 days after surgery, 14 (1.4%) patients had a COVID-19 diagnosis and 39 (3.8%) patients died. In the multivariable model, LLMIC was associated with increased mortality (odds ratio 2.83, 95% credible interval 1.37–5.74) compared to HIC. Conclusions: The first wave of the pandemic had a significant impact on surgical decision-making. While the incidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection within 30 days after surgery was low, there was a disparity in mortality between countries and this warrants further examination to identify any modifiable factors

INVESTIGATION OF THE ELECTRICAL-RESISTIVITY BEHAVIOR BETWEEN THE KOSTERLITZ-THOULESS TEMPERATURE AND THE GINZBURG-LANDAU TEMPERATURE IN SPRAY-DRIED BULK BI2SR2CACU2O8+D - THE ROLE OF 2-DIMENSIONAL FLUCTUATIONS AND DEFECTS

The resistive transition R(T) between the Kosterlitz-Thouless temperature and the Ginzburg-Landau temperature was studied in spray-dried bulk Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d superconductors for a magnetic-field range between 0 and 0.3 T. The samples were prepared by the spray-drying technique with Bi2+xSr2-x-yCa2+yCu2O8+d for x = y = 0.05 or 0.1 as a starting composition here. The data analysis was performed assuming various resistive laws previously proposed. When numerically analyzed in terms of a two-dimensional Kosterlitz-Thouless theory the results lead to remarkable quantitative agreement. This implies that the R(T) behavior can be described within a picture of a highly two-dimensional behavior of macroscopic fluctuations of vortex-antivortex depairing type. The role of defects or inhomogeneities in the resistive behavior is outlined

On the Reduction of a 3D CFD Combustion Model to Build a Physical 0D Model for Simulating Heat Release, Knock and Pollutants in SI Engines

In the automotive industry, today's major objectives concern the reduction of pollutant emissions and fuel consumption while improving performance and driveability. For this purpose, during the last decade, the classical engine has evolved towards a very complex system combining many hi-tech components with advanced control strategies. Optimizing the whole engine system and controlling its behaviour has then become a real challenge for car manufacturers. In this context, powertrain simulation tools have been shown to be an undisputable support during all stages of the engine development from concept design to control strategies development and calibration. However these tools require sophisticated models to be efficient, especially in the combustion chamber where combustion and pollutant formation processes take place. This paper presents a 0D physical combustion model devoted to the prediction of heat release, knock and pollutants in SI engines. The originality of the model derives from the fact it is based on the reduction of the 3D CFD E-CFM (Extended Coherent Flame Model) model developed at IFP. The CFM formalism distinguishes two zones: the fresh and the burnt gases, which are separated by a flame front and are both described by their temperature, mass and composition. The proposed model is an important evolution of the CFM-1D model previously published. It computes the rate of consumption of the fresh gases and is based on the calculation of the flame front surface using the real engine geometry and a 0D derivation of the flame surface density approach. Pollutants (CO and NOx) are computed both through the flame front an within the burnt gases using a reduced kinetic scheme and a classical extended Zel'dovitch mechanism. The knock timing calculation is performed in the fresh gases zone describing the evolution of an auto-ignition precursor and a simple correlation is used to estimate the corresponding knock intensity. The whole model is validated against experimental data at several steady state operating points for a single-cylinder engine. Parametric variations around optimal engine settings are also performed. A good agreement with experiments is observed, showing the interest of reducing 3D CFD models to build predictive 0D models for engine system simulations

Case Report - Le kyste hydatique du cordon spermatique: Une localisation exceptionnelle

L’ hydatidose est une anthropo-zoonose due au développement chez l’homme de la forme larvaire du taenia Echinococcus granulosis. La plupart des kystes hydatiques se localisent dans le foie et les poumons. Le kyste hydatique du cordon spermatique est extrêmement rare avec seulement 4 cas rapportés dans la littérature. Les auteurs rapportent dans cet article un nouveau cas d’hydatidose du cordon spermatique. Il s’agissait d’un homme de 40 ans qui consultait pour des douleurs scrotales évoluant depuis huit mois. L’examen clinique a mis en évidence une tuméfaction mobile, inguino-scrotale, droite. L’échographie testiculaire a objectivé une hernie inguinale droite associée à deux kystes épididymaires bilatéraux. Le patient a été opéré pour cure de son hernie avec découverte en per-opératoire d’un kyste du cordon spermatique qui a été réséqué. L’examen anatomopathologique a conclu à une hydatidose du cordon spermatique

Effect of BaZrO3 additions on the microstructure and physical properties of melt-textured Y-123 superconducting materials

The effect of BaZrO3 additions on the microstructure and physical properties of melt-textured Y-123 have been investigated. The distribution of the 211 particles is strongly modified by the presence of such an additive. In fact, BaZrO3 is effective in reducing the size of the 211 particles. As a consequence, a strong interaction in terms of repulsion takes place between the 123 growth front and the 211 particles which are partially dissolved in the reactive liquid phase. New types of patterns are also reported in the microstructure of such materials and are related to the presence of BaZrO3 in the melt