An Adolescent Patient with Scabies Mimicking Gottron Papules

Atypical features of scabies occur in infants and children and patients with prolonged use of corticosteroids or immunosuppression. We report a non-immunosuppressed 15-year-old female case of scabies showing scaly reddish papules over the proximal interphalangeal joints mimicking Gottron papules in classic dermatomyositis. Periungal erythema was also seen. Four months’ topical corticosteroids from previous clinics had been used. Dermoscopic findings were consistent with typical pictures of scabies. Scraping of hand crusts demonstrated scabies mites and ova. Skin lesions of the patient were cured with oral ivermectin and topical 10% crotamiton. This case suggests that a lesion resembling Gottron papules may be added to the panel of unusual presentations of scabies

Experimental Study on Liquid Film Thickness of Annular Flow in Microchannels

Recently, many studies were carried out to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics of two-phase flow in microchannels because of its advantage in improving heat exchange efficiency. In these studies, it has been well revealed that liquid film thickness and flow pattern play important roles in determining the heat transfer characteristics. However, these data is still limited to understanding properties of two-phase flow in microchannels because both the effect of tube size, geometry and physical property of working fluids have be taken into account. In this study, visual observation of flow pattern by using a high-speed camera and direct measurement of liquid film thickness by using a laser displacement meter for annular flow inside microchannels with inner diameter of 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm were conducted. 5 fluids with different surface tension and viscosity (water, ethanol, FC72, 2 different kinds of silicon oil) were selected to investigate the effect of physical properties on the flow pattern and liquid film thickness. Experimental resutls were compared with several existing correlation and numerical simulation results to provide better understanding of two phase flow and heat transfer characteristics at various tube scales and working fluid physical properties

A treatment case of Sotos syndrome

Sotos syndrome is a genetic disorder characterized by overgrowth in childhood, specific facial manifestations, advanced bone age, and mental retardation. Although only one case report of Sotos syndrome treated with surgical orthodontics has thus far been published, there have also been a few detailed reports of long-term observation of Sotos syndrome through total orthodontic treatment. This article aimed to present the case of a growing patient with skeletal mandibular protrusion and unilateral posterior crossbite as present in Sotos syndrome treated with a non-surgical orthodontic technique. A 10-year-old boy was diagnosed with skeletal mandibular protrusion and posterior crossbite associated with Sotos syndrome. After maxillary lateral expansion, the skeletal Class III relationship with an anterior crossbite improved owing to mandibular clockwise rotation, while the facemask had a marginal effect. At the completion of growth at 16 years, he had a skeletal Class I relationship, and thus, conventional orthodontic treatment with preadjusted edgewise appliances was initiated. After 41 months of multibracket treatment, acceptable occlusion with a functional Class I relationship was obtained. At 12 months postretention, no or few changes in occlusion and facial features were observed. Our results demonstrate that considering the maxillofacial vertical growth during peripubertal period associated with Sotos syndrome, much attention should be paid to the early orthopedic treatment with the facemask and/or chin cap

Melt-Mixing by Novel Pitched-Tip Kneading Disks in a Co-Rotating Twin-Screw Extruder

Melt-mixing in twin-screw extruders is a key process in the development of polymer composites. Quantifying the mixing performance of kneading elements based on their internal physical processes is a challenging problem. We discuss melt-mixing by novel kneading elements called "pitched-tip kneading disk (ptKD)". The disk-stagger angle and tip angle are the main geometric parameters of the ptKDs. We investigated four typical arrangements of the ptKDs, which are forward and backward disk-staggers combined with forward and backward tips. Numerical simulations under a certain feed rate and screw revolution speed were performed, and the mixing process was investigated using Lagrangian statistics. It was found that the four types had different mixing characteristics, and their mixing processes were explained by the coupling effect of drag flow with the disk staggering and pitched-tip and pressure flows, which are controlled by operational conditions. The use of a pitched-tip effectively to controls the balance of the pressurization and mixing ability

Identification of 45 New Neutron-Rich Isotopes Produced by In-Flight Fission of a 238U Beam at 345 MeV/nucleon

A search for new isotopes using in-flight fission of a 345 MeV/nucleon 238U beam has been carried out at the RI Beam Factory at the RIKEN Nishina Center. Fission fragments were analyzed and identified by using the superconducting in-flight separator BigRIPS. We observed 45 new neutron-rich isotopes: 71Mn, 73,74Fe, 76Co, 79Ni, 81,82Cu, 84,85Zn, 87Ga, 90Ge, 95Se, 98Br, 101Kr, 103Rb, 106,107Sr, 108,109Y, 111,112Zr, 114,115Nb, 115,116,117Mo, 119,120Tc, 121,122,123,124Ru, 123,124,125,126Rh, 127,128Pd, 133Cd, 138Sn, 140Sb, 143Te, 145I, 148Xe, and 152Ba

Biological mechanism and clinical effect of protein-bound polysaccharide K (KRESTIN®): review of development and future perspectives

The mechanism of action of protein-bound polysaccharide K (PSK; KRESTIN®) involves the following actions: (1) recovery from immunosuppression induced by humoral factors such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β or as a result of surgery and chemotherapy; (2) activation of antitumor immune responses including maturation of dendritic cells, correction of Th1/Th2 imbalance, and promotion of interleukin-15 production by monocytes; and (3) enhancement of the antitumor effect of chemotherapy by induction of apoptosis and inhibition of metastasis through direct actions on tumor cells. The clinical effectiveness of PSK has been demonstrated for various cancers. In patients with gastric or colorectal cancer, combined use of PSK with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy prolongs survival, and this effect has been confirmed in multiple meta-analyses. For small-cell lung carcinoma, PSK in conjunction with chemotherapy prolongs the remission period. In addition, PSK has been shown to be effective against various other cancers, reduce the adverse effects of chemotherapy, and improve quality of life. Future studies should examine the effects of PSK under different host immune conditions and tumor properties, elucidate the mechanism of action exhibited in each situation, and identify biomarkers