Lichen Sclerosus et Atrophicus with Cutaneous Distribution Simulating Lichen Planus

Lichen sclerosus (LS) et atrophicus is a disease of unknown etiology, although hereditary, endocrine, and autoimmune factors are known to be involved. While the anal and genital regions are predominantly affected, only 2.5% of patients present with extragenital lesions, particularly of the trunk, neck, and upper limbs. The possible relationship between lichen sclerosus et atrophicus and both lichen planus (LP) and localized scleroderma (morphea) has not been clearly established, although in a number of cases, several of these conditions have been found simultaneously. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman with LS lesions affecting the neck, upper back, wrist and dorsum of the feet. The unusual character of this presentation is pointed out, along with its clinical similarity to LP

Cokéfaction et microcokage : outils d'évaluation et de développement d'additifs pour lubrifiants Coking and Microcoking Tests: Bench Screening Tools for the Development and Evaluation of Additives and Lubricants

Dans le cadre des travaux du groupe Essais laboratoire de présélectiondépendant du Groupement Français de Coordination (GFC), deux tests d'évaluation, de la tendance d'un lubrifiant pour moteur à former des dépôts à haute température, sont présentés : - Un nouveau test, le microcokage (fig. 1) qui est un essai statique de cokéfaction soumettant l'huile déposée sur une plaque en alliage d'aluminium à des gradients de température élevés et proches des conditions thermiques rencontrées dans la zone de segmentation d'un piston moteur. En fin d'essai, on détermine la température limite de stabilité de l'huile, exprimée par la température d'apparition de dépôts (fig. 2) et l'on évalue l'aspect et la quantité de dépôts existants sous forme de vernis, en attribuant une note, au mérite, à l'aide du système de cotation décrit dans la méthode d'évaluation de la propreté d'un moteur CEC M-02-A-78 (tableau 5 et fig. 5 et 10). L'association des deux méthodes d'appréciation permet de bien discriminer des huiles de différents niveaux. Des résultats d'essais inter-laboratoires concernant des huiles de référence européennes, pour 2 moteurs à essence et Diesel, sont présentés (tableau 7 et figs. 3 et 4). - Une amélioration d'un test de cokéfaction sur plaque inclinée (figs. 6 et 7) dans lequel un volume donné d'huile s'écoule en film mince sur une plaque en acier inoxydable portée à très haute température. Les dépôts formés en fin d'essai sont évalués, selon leur nature (carbone ou vernis) et leur importance, également suivant les principes de la méthode de cotation CEC (fig. 8 et 9). Par ailleurs, un système de cotation vidéo des plaques de microcokage par reconnaissance de couleur est présenté (fig. 11 et 12). Ce système, appelé Vidéo-Cotateur ,, permet de reproduire fidèlement la cotation visuelle (fig. 13), tout en éliminant les facteurs subjectifs de cette cotation. Les résultats obtenus avec ce système constituent une première étape sur la voie de la cotation de pièces de moteurs assistée par ordinateur (fig. 14). <br> Within the framework of the research done by the Essais laboratoire de présélectiongroup, which depends on the Groupement Français de Coordination (GFC), two evaluation tests are described of the tendency of an engine lubricant to form deposits at high temperature :- A new microcoking test (Fig. 1), which is a static coking test subjecting an oil deposited on an aluminium alloy plate to high temperature gradients that are close to the thermal conditions encountered in the piston-ring zone of an engine. At the end of the test, the maximum stability temperature of the oil is determined, as expressed by the temperature at which deposits appear (Fig. 2), and the aspect and quantity of deposits existing in the form of varnish are evaluated by determining a rating by means of the rating system described in the CEC M-02-A-78 method for evaluating the cleanness of a engine (Table 5 and Figs. 5 and 10). The association of the two assessment methods results in a effective discrimination between different level oils. Results of interlaboratory tests concerning European reference oils for gasoline and diesel engines are given (Table 7 and Figs. 3 and 4). - An improvement of a coking test on an inclined plate (Figs. 6 and 7), in which a given volume of oil flows as a thin film over a stainlesssteel plate heated to a very high temperature. The deposits formed at the end of testing are evaluated according to their nature (carbon or varnish), their amount and also according to the principles of the CEC rating method (Figs. 8 and 9). Likewise, a system of video rating of microcoking plates by color recognition is described (Figs. 11 and 12). This system, called Video-Cotateurcan accurately reproduce the visual rating (Fig. 13) while eliminating the subjective factors of this rating. The results obtained with this system make up the first phase in the route to the computer-assisted rating of engine parts (Fig. 14)

Prévision de la corrosion des coussinets et corrélation avec l'essai sur moteur Petter W1 L Predicting Bearing Wear and Correlation with the Petter W1 L Engine Test

Parmi les essais exigés par les spécifications européennes et américaines pour huiles de moteurs, il existe un essai de résistance à la corrosion des coussinets de bielles en cuivre-plomb (tableau 1). Ces essais sont effectués sur moteurs monocylindre Petter W1 L ou Labeco CLR (tableau 2). Des résultats de corrosion obtenus sur le moteur Petter W1 L, avec des huiles de calibrage, sont donnés (tableau 4) et les courbes de corrosion en fonction du temps d'essai sont représentées figure 1. En utilisant ces mêmes huiles, un groupe de travail du GFC*, chargé de développer des méthodes d'essai laboratoire de présélection, a mis au point un test basé sur le suivi de la corrosion d'une éprouvette de plomb, en présence de cuivre, immergée dans le lubrifiant à évaluer, lorsque celui-ci est soumis à des conditions d'oxydation sévères, en présence d'air, à haute température (fig. 2). Les résultats obtenus sont en parfaite concordance avec les résultats sur moteurs (tableau 5 et fig. 3). Par ailleurs, ces essais mettent en évidence une excellente répétabilité (fig. 4),et une excellente reproductibilité (fig. 5 et 6) de la méthode de laboratoire. * GFC : Groupement Français de Coordination, pour le développement des essais de performance des combustibles, des lubrifiants pour moteurs et autres fluides utilisés dans les transports. <br> Among the tests required by European and American specifications for motor oils, there is a test of the corrosion resistance of copper-lead bearings (Table 1). These tests are performed in single-cylinder Petter W1 L engines or Labeco CLR engines (Table 2). The corrosion results obtained with the Petter W1 L engine, for calibration oils, are given (Table 4), and the corrosion curves as a function of time are shown in Fig. 1. By using the same oils, a GFC working group responsible for developing laboratory preselection test methods has developed a test based on the determining of the corrosion of a lead coupon, in the presence of copper, submerged in the lubricant to be evaluated, when this lubricant is subjected to severe oxidation conditions, in the presence of air, at high temperature (Fig. 2). The results obtained are in excellent agreement with results obtained using engines (Table 5 and Fig. 3). Likewise, these tests highlight the excellent repeatability (Fig. 4) and the excellent reproductibility (Figs. 5 and 6) of the laboratory method

Brain connectivity correlates of cognitive dispersion in a healthy middle-aged population: influence of subjective cognitive complaints

Cognitive dispersion, representing intraindividual fluctuations in cognitive performance, is associated with cognitive decline in advanced age. We sought to elucidate sociodemographic, neuropsychological, and brain connectivity correlates of cognitive dispersion in middle age, and further consider potential influences of the severity of subjective cognitive complaints (SCC).Five hundred and twenty healthy volunteers from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative (BBHI) (aged 40-66 years; 49.6% females, 453 with magnetic resonance imaging acquisitions), were included and stratified into high and low SCC groups. Two analyses steps were undertaken, (i) for the whole sample and (ii) by groups. Generalized linear models and analysis of covariance were implemented to study associations between cognitive dispersion and performance (episodic memory, speed of processing, and executive function), white matter integrity, and resting-state functional connectivity (rs-FC) of the default mode network (DMN) and dorsal attentional networks (DAN).Across-domain dispersion was negatively related to cognitive performance, rs-FC within the DMN, and between the DMN and the DAN, but not to white matter integrity. The rs-FC values were not explained by cognitive performance. When considering groups, the above findings were significant only for those with high SCC.In healthy middle-aged individuals, high cognitive dispersion was related to poorer cognition and DMN dysregulation, being these associations stronger amongst subjects with high SCC. Present results reinforce the interest in considering dispersion measures within neuropsychological evaluations, as they may be more sensitive to incipient age-related cognitive and functional brain changes than traditional measures of performance.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: [email protected]

Passive stiffness of the gastrocnemius muscle in athletes with spastic hemiplegic cerebral palsy

The passive properties of the muscle–tendon unit are regularly assessed in individuals with cerebral palsy (CP). However, no information is available on the passive properties of adult muscle, and whether any differences exist between the paretic and control muscles. Eleven ambulant male athletes with spastic hemiplegic CP (21.2 ± 3.0 years) and controls without neurological impairment (age = 21.8 ± 2.2 years) completed two and one passive stretch session, respectively. During each session, the ankle was passively dorsiflexed until end range of motion (ROM), whilst recording passive ankle angle, torque and gastrocnemius medialis (GM) myotendinous junction (MTJ) displacement. In addition, GM cross-sectional area (CSA) and length were measured. Subsequently, in vivo stress and strain were determined to calculate elastic modulus. Passive stiffness, MTJ displacement and ROM of the paretic GM were not different from the control muscles. However, the elastic modulus of the paretic GM was two times stiffer than the control GM muscles. In conclusion, athletes with CP exhibit absolute passive muscle stiffness similar to the controls; however, the elastic modulus of the CP muscle was significantly greater. Therefore, throughout the same ROM a smaller GM CSA in CP athletes has to dissipate larger relative torque compared to the control muscles, consequently causing the muscle to elongate to the same extent as the non-paretic muscle under stretch