A united statement of the global chiropractic research community against the pseudoscientific claim that chiropractic care boosts immunity.

BACKGROUND: In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the International Chiropractors Association (ICA) posted reports claiming that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. These claims clash with recommendations from the World Health Organization and World Federation of Chiropractic. We discuss the scientific validity of the claims made in these ICA reports. MAIN BODY: We reviewed the two reports posted by the ICA on their website on March 20 and March 28, 2020. We explored the method used to develop the claim that chiropractic adjustments impact the immune system and discuss the scientific merit of that claim. We provide a response to the ICA reports and explain why this claim lacks scientific credibility and is dangerous to the public. More than 150 researchers from 11 countries reviewed and endorsed our response. CONCLUSION: In their reports, the ICA provided no valid clinical scientific evidence that chiropractic care can impact the immune system. We call on regulatory authorities and professional leaders to take robust political and regulatory action against those claiming that chiropractic adjustments have a clinical impact on the immune system

Superficial Siderosis Revealed by Isolated Cognitive Impairment

Superficial siderosis (SS) is a rare disorder due to chronic bleeding into the subarachnoid or intraventricular space. The most common clinical presentation is progressive ataxia and hearing loss. The authors report two patients who presented with dementia as the primary manifestation of SS. The cognitive impairment marked by cortical frontotemporoparietal dysfunction was consistent with the pattern of signal abnormalities seen on brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diagnosis of SS must be considered when T2*-weighted MRI shows typical signal hypointensity outlining the brain and spinal cord surfaces. Performing such MRI sequences appears to be of particular interest in the context of dementia etiological diagnosis

Oral involvement in sarcoidosis: report of 12 cases.

International audienceAIM: To assess the clinical features, treatment and outcome of oral sarcoidosis and to determine whether oral involvement is associated with a particular clinical phenotype of sarcoidosis. DESIGN: Multicentric retrospective study. METHODS: Retrospective chart review. Each patient was matched with four controls. RESULTS: Twelve patients (9 women, 3 men) were identified. Their median age at sarcoidosis diagnosis was 38 years. Oral involvement was the first clinical evidence of sarcoidosis in seven cases and was a relapse symptom in five cases. Clinical presentations were nodules (n = 7) or ulcers (n = 5) and were mostly solitary. The tongue was the commonest site affected (n = 4), followed by lips (n = 3), oral mucosa (n = 2), palate (n = 2) and gingiva (n = 1). Patients with oral sarcoidosis were significantly younger and had more frequent lacrimal or salivary glands and upper airway tract clinical involvement than the controls; increased angiotensin-converting enzyme was less frequent in oral sarcoidosis. Multiple treatments of oral sarcoidosis were used: no treatment (n = 3), surgery (n = 2), corticosteroids (n = 7), hydroxychloroquine (n = 3), methotrexate (n = 2), doxycycline (n = 1). Methotrexate was efficient in one patient, hydroxychloroquine showed benefit in only 1 out of 3 patients. Three patients presented oral relapses. After a mean follow-up of 6 years, 10 patients experienced a complete (n = 7) or partial (n = 3) remission of oral sarcoidosis; stability was observed in the remaining two cases. CONCLUSION: Although oral manifestations of sarcoidosis are unusual, physicians should be aware that this specific localization is frequently the first manifestation of the disease. Treatment modalities range from observation in asymptomatic patients to immunosuppressants for severe involvement

Mechanical behaviour of copper 15% volume niobium microcomposite wires

Cu-Nb microcomposites are attractive in magnet pulsed field technology applications due to their anomalous mechanism of mechanical strength and high electrical conductivity. In this sense, recently it was conceived the use of Cu 15% vol. Nb wires to operate as a high tensile strength cable for a diamond cutting tool (diamond wires) for marble and granite slabbing. The multifilamentary Cu 15% vol. Nb composite was obtained using a new processing route, starting with niobium bars bundled into copper tubes, without arc melting. Cold working techniques, such as swaging and wire drawing, combined with heat treatments such as sintering and annealing, and tube restacking were employed. The tensile property of the composite was measured as a function of the niobium filaments dimensions and morphology into the copper matrix, in the several processing steps. An ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 960 MPa was obtained for an areal reduction (R = Ao/A, with Ao-initial cross section area, and A-final cross section area) of 4x10(8) X, in which the niobium filaments reached thickness less than 20 nm. The anomalous mechanical strength increase is attributed to the fact that the niobium filaments acts as a barrier to copper dislocations