LIVEDO RETICULARIS: CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND TREATMENT

Author(s):  
Meral EKİM ◽  
Hasan EKİM

Livedo reticularis (LR) is a hyperpigmented discoloration of the skin characterized by a violet, reticulated cyanotic pattern, and is more common on the extremities and trunk. LR is in the form of intact circular networks. If the circular reticulated appearance is distorted and shows an irregular fracture pattern, it is defined as livedo racemosa (LRC). LR is a benign, primary disease that affects young and middle-aged women. LRC, on the other hand, is a secondary disease, pathological and permanent. In LR, the vivid cone discoloration is symmetrical, reversible, and uniform. In LRC, the vivid cone discoloration is irreversible, and fractured. Although it has been stated as a concept that the pathological livedoid form is LCR, there is no clear distinction between LR and LRC in clinical studies and generally 'livedo reticularis' is used to describe both. Our study includes eight patients diagnosed with livedo reticularis between January 2013 and May 2021. One of our patients was male and the other was female. Their ages ranged from 25 to 70 years and the mean age was 45.5±16.7 years. Although the main complaints were coldness, numbness and pain, aesthetic anxiety was prominent in all patients. On physical examination, violet-colored fishing net-like appearances were noted on the lower extremities of all patients. It was accompanied by venous insufficiency in six of the patients. As a result of the treatment we applied, there was improvement in venous insufficiency. However, as a result of the vasodilator treatment we applied for cosmological purposes, there was no obvious improvement in the reticulated appearances. Because of the risk of developing neurovascular and cardiovascular complications several years after the onset of livedoid vasculopathy, it is important to monitor these patients. Considering that LR may be seen before pulmonary symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic period, necessary tests should be performed to rule out the diagnosis of COVID-19 in these cases.

2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 401-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Lekich ◽  
Kurosh Parsi

Objectives Livedo racemosa is a reticulate eruption that presents with branched and partially blanchable incomplete rings. Livedo racemosa is distinct from livedo reticularis, a similar condition that presents with a diffuse and symmetrical blanchable eruption. In contrast to livedo reticularis which may be physiological, livedo racemosa is always associated with an underlying pathology. To our knowledge, this is the first report of panniculitis ossificans and heterotopic ossification of small saphenous vein (SSV) presenting with livedo racemosa. Methods We present a 70-year-old male referred for investigation and management of progressive pigmentation and ‘lipodermatosclerosis’ of lower limbs. There was no history of deep venous thrombosis but an earlier ultrasound had detected a non-occlusive thrombus in the left SSV. Examination and investigations revealed the skin eruption to be livedo racemosa and the associated subcutaneous induration and nodularity to be due to panniculitis ossificans. Biopsy of the SSV demonstrated segmental heterotopic ossification. Duplex ultrasound demonstrated bilateral superficial and deep venous incompetence but no evidence of an acute or chronic venous thrombosis. The patient was diagnosed with heterotopic ossification secondary to venous insufficiency and managed conservatively. Conclusion Livedo racemosa may be an early sign of panniculitis ossificans and its presence should trigger further diagnostic investigations.


VASA ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 413-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serge Couzan ◽  
Jean-François Pouget ◽  
Claire Le Hello ◽  
Céline Chapelle ◽  
Silvy Laporte ◽  
...  

Summary. Background: Theoretically progressive compression stockings, which produce a higher compression at the calf than at the ankle level, improve venous return flow without exacerbating peripheral arterial insufficiency (PAD). We aimed to evaluate the short-term tolerance of elastic progressive compression stockings on peripheral arterial vascularisation in patients with symptomatic PAD and associated mild venous insufficiency. Patients and methods: Monocentric, prospective, open pilot study of 18 patients (acceptability study, 6 x 6 plan) evaluating the short-term tolerance of progressive compression stockings (18 ± 2 mmHg at calf and 8 ± 2 mmHg at ankle level) in patients with PAD (ankle brachial index ABI > 0.60 < 0.75) and chronic venous insufficiency (C1s–C4 stages of the CEAP classification). Day 15 tolerance was evaluated by a composite primary criteria comprising: no decrease > 15 % of ABI on each side, no decrease > 15 % of toe brachial index (TBI) on each side and no decrease > 25 % of the number of active plantar flexions performed while standing. Results: The proportion of men was 77.8 %, mean age was 77.3 ± 7.5 years and no patient were diabetic. At inclusion, the mean low ABI was 0.60 ± 0.04 and the mean high ABI was 0.77 ± 0.18. The mean low TBI was 0.32 ± 0.09 and the mean high TBI 0.46 ± 0.15. The mean number of active standing plantar flexions was 33.0 ± 5.0. The majority of the patients were classified in CEAP C2s and C3 classes (class 2: 16.7 %, class C2s: 27.8 %, class C3: 44.4 %, class C4: 5.6 % and class C4s: 5.6 %). Poor tolerance occurred in no patient. By day 30, no patient had worsening of their arterial and venous symptoms. No adverse events occurred during the study. Conclusions: These results suggest a high tolerance of progressive elastic stockings (18 ± 2 mmHg at calf and 8 ± 2 mmHg at ankle level) in symptomatic PAD.


1993 ◽  
Vol 69 (01) ◽  
pp. 035-040 ◽  
Author(s):  
A M H P van den Besselaar ◽  
R M Bertina

SummaryFour thromboplastin reagents were tested by 18 laboratories in Europe, North-America, and Australasia, according to a detailed protocol. One thromboplastin was the International Reference Preparation for ox brain thromboplastin combined with adsorbed bovine plasma (coded OBT/79), and the second was a certified reference material for rabbit brain thromboplastin, plain (coded CRM 149R). The other two thromboplastin reagents were another rabbit plain brain thromboplastin (RP) with a lower ISI than CRM 149R and a rabbit brain thromboplastin combined with adsorbed bovine plasma (RC). Calibration of the latter two reagents was performed according to methods recommended by the World Health Organization (W. H. O.).The purpose of this study was to answer the following questions: 1) Is the calibration of the RC reagent more precise against the bovine/combined (OBT/79) than against the rabbit/plain reagent (CRM 149R)? 2) Is the precision of calibration influenced by the magnitude of the International Sensitivity Index (ISI)?The lowest inter-laboratory variation of ISI was observed in the calibration of the rabbit/plain reagent (RP) against the other rabbit/plain reagent (CRM 149R) (CV 1.6%). The highest interlaboratory variation was obtained in the calibration of rabbit/plain (RP) against bovine/combined (OBT/79) (CV 5.1%). In the calibration of the rabbit/combined (RC) reagent, there was no difference in precision between OBT/79 (CV 4.3%) and CRM 149R (CV 4.2%). Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the precision of the ISI of RC obtained with CRM 149R (ISI = 1.343) and the rabbit/plain (RP) reagent with ISI = 1.14. In conclusion, the calibration of RC could be performed with similar precision with either OBT/79 or CRM 149R, or RP.The mean ISI values calculated with OBT/79 and CRM 149R were practically identical, indicating that there is no bias in the ISI of these reference preparations and that these reference preparations have been stable since their original calibration studies in 1979 and 1987, respectively.International Normalized Ratio (INR) equivalents were calculated for a lyophilized control plasma derived from patients treated with oral anticoagulants. There were small but significant differences in the mean INR equivalents between the bovine and rabbit thromboplastins. There were no differences in the interlaboratory variation of the INR equivalents, when the four thromboplastins were compared.


1979 ◽  
Vol 42 (04) ◽  
pp. 1073-1114 ◽  

SummaryIn collaborative experiments in 199 laboratories, nine commercial thromboplastins, four thromboplastins held by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBS & C), London and the British Comparative Thromboplastin were tested on fresh normal and coumarin plasmas, and on three series of freeze-dried plasmas. One of these was made from coumarin plasmas and the other two were prepared from normal plasmas; in each series, one plasma was normal and the other two represented different degrees of coumarin defect.Each thromboplastin was calibrated against NIBS&C rabbit brain 70/178, from the slope of the line joining the origin to the point of intersection of the mean ratios of coumarin/normal prothrombin times when the ratios obtained with the two thromboplastins on the same fresh plasmas were plotted against each other. From previous evidence, the slopes were calculated which would have been obtained against the NIBS&C “research standard” thromboplastin 67/40, and termed the “calibration constant” of each thromboplastin. Values obtained from the freeze-dried coumarin plasmas gave generally similar results to those from fresh plasmas for all thromboplastins, whereas values from the artificial plasmas agreed with those from fresh plasmas only when similar thromboplastins were being compared.Taking into account the slopes of the calibration lines and the variation between laboratories, precision in obtaining a patient’s prothrombin time was similar for all thromboplastins.


1985 ◽  
Vol 54 (04) ◽  
pp. 739-743 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Delaini ◽  
Elisabetta Dejana ◽  
Ine Reyers ◽  
Elisa Vicenzi ◽  
Germana De Bellis Vitti ◽  
...  

SummaryWe have investigated the relevance of some laboratory tests of platelet function in predicting conditions of thrombotic tendency. For this purpose, we studied platelet survival, platelet aggregation in response to different stimuli, TxB2 and 6-keto-PGFlα production in serum of rats bearing a nephrotic syndrome induced by adriamycin. These animals show a heavy predisposition to the development of both arterial and venous thrombosis. The mean survival time was normal in nephrotic rats in comparison to controls. As to aggregation tests, a lower aggregating response was found in ADR-treated rats using ADP or collagen as stimulating agents. With arachidonic acid (AA) we observed similar aggregating responses at lower A A concentrations, whereas at higher AA concentrations a significantly lower response was found in nephrotic rats, despite their higher TxB2 production. Also TxB2 and 6-keto-PGFlα levels in serum of nephrotic rats were significantly higher than in controls. No consistent differences were found in PGI2-activity generated by vessels of control or nephrotic rats.These data show that platelet function may appear normal or even impaired in rats with a markedly increased thrombotic tendency. On the other hand, the significance of high TxB2 levels in connection with mechanisms leading to thrombus formation remains a controversial issue.


2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 38-47
Author(s):  
Geoffrey Squires

Modernism is usually defined historically as the composite movement at the beginning of the twentieth century which led to a radical break with what had gone before in literature and the other arts. Given the problems of the continuing use of the concept to cover subsequent writing, this essay proposes an alternative, philosophical perspective which explores the impact of rationalism (what we bring to the world) on the prevailing empiricism (what we take from the world) of modern poetry, which leads to a concern with consciousness rather than experience. This in turn involves a re-conceptualisation of the lyric or narrative I, of language itself as a phenomenon, and of other poetic themes such as nature, culture, history, and art. Against the background of the dominant empiricism of modern Irish poetry as presented in Crotty's anthology, the essay explores these ideas in terms of a small number of poets who may be considered modernist in various ways. This does not rule out modernist elements in some other poets and the initial distinction between a poetics of experience and one of consciousness is better seen as a multi-dimensional spectrum that requires further, more detailed analysis than is possible here.


2004 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Kim

This paper describes a Voronoi analysis method to analyze a soccer game. It is important for us to know the quantitative assessment of contribution done by a player or a team in the game as an individual or collective behavior. The mean numbers of vertices are reported to be 5–6, which is a little less than those of a perfect random system. Voronoi polygons areas can be used in evaluating the dominance of a team over the other. By introducing an excess Voronoi area, we can draw some fruitful results to appraise a player or a team rather quantitatively.


Author(s):  
Kassim R Dekhil ◽  
Ali abd-almer Jwad ◽  
Abbas Alyasiry

Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is an old & common childhood condition. It has been found that,there is a relationship between adenotonsillar hypertrophy in children & nocturnal enuresis. This study was conducted to see the effects of adenotonsillectomy on nocturnal enuresis in children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy.This study was conducted in Diwaniyah teaching hospital,Diwaniyah city,Iraq from May 2012 to August 2014. The total number of children admitted for adenotonsillectomy or tonsillectomy alone were 287. 76 children out of the total number were included in the study. The children were followed by the same questionnaire for four months postoperatively,including,age,the number of night bed wettings,type of enuresis and the results of urine examinationof total 287 children who were submitted for surgery,76 children were eligible for the study,48 (63.16%) of the total number included in the study were males and 28 (36.84%) were females. The mean age was 7.2 years. Adenotonsillectomy was performed in 64 children,and tonsillectomy in12 children. A complete improvement of nocturnal enuresis (NE) & daytime incontinence was achieved in 32 (42.11%) children. A mild to moderateimprovement was observed in 38 (50%),while no improvement seen in the remaining 6 (7.89%) children postoperatively.Nocturnal enuresis (NE) is an old & common childhood condition & there is a relation between nocturnal enuresis in children & adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Children with nocturnal enuresis should be evaluated by ENT surgeon to rule out any adenotonsillar hypertrophy for possible adenotonsillectomy effect. However,a wide base studies are needed to clarify these results.


1997 ◽  
Vol 35 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 131-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pirjo-Riitta Rantala ◽  
Hannu Wirola

The aim of the study was to determine if solid, slightly soluble compounds can be used as nutrient source in activated sludge treatment plants instead of liquid phosphoric acid. Four different solid materials were tested in lab-scale solubility tests to find compounds which are least soluble. Two materials were chosen for further studies: apatite and raw phosphate. The use of apatite and raw phosphate as nutrient source was studied in lab-scale activated sludge reactors along with a control reactor where phosphorus was added in liquid form. The phosphorus dosage, measured as elementary phosphorus, was the same for all three reactors. The reactors were fed with pre-clarified chemi-thermomechanical pulp mill (CTMP) wastewater. There were no significant differences in the reductions of organic matter between the three reactors. The mean effluent concentration of total phosphorus was 3 mg P/l in the control reactor and less than 1 mg P/1 in the other two reactors. The soluble phosphorus concentration was more than 2 mg P/l in the control reactor and less than 0.5 mg P/l in the other two. Apatite was an even better nutrient source than raw phosphate. Further lab-scale tests were conducted using two different grain sizes of apatite. No significant differences were found between the studied grain sizes (&lt;0.074 mm and 0.074 mm-0.125 mm). Apatite was then used in full-scale at a CTMP-mill two different times. The experiments showed that the mean concentrations of phosphorus can be reduced radically by using apatite as a nutrient source instead of liquid phosphorus. Solid phosphorus compounds are a viable alternative to reduce the phosphorus load from forest industry wastewater treatment plants.


Rheumatology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 60 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sheilla Achieng ◽  
John A Reynolds ◽  
Ian N Bruce ◽  
Marwan Bukhari

Abstract Background/Aims  We aimed to establish the validity of the SLE-key® rule-out test and analyse its utility in distinguishing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from other autoimmune rheumatic connective tissue diseases. Methods  We used data from the Lupus Extended Autoimmune Phenotype (LEAP) study, which included a representative cross-sectional sample of patients with a variety of rheumatic connective tissue diseases, including SLE, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), inflammatory myositis, systemic sclerosis, primary Sjögren’s syndrome and undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD). The modified 1997 ACR criteria were used to classify patients with SLE. Banked serum samples were sent to Immune-Array’s CLIA- certified laboratory Veracis (Richmond, VA) for testing. Patients were assigned test scores between 0 and 1 where a score of 0 was considered a negative rule-out test (i.e. SLE cannot be excluded) whilst a score of 1 was assigned for a positive rule-out test (i.e. SLE excluded). Performance measures were used to assess the test’s validity and measures of association determined using linear regression and Spearman’s correlation. Results  Our study included a total of 155 patients of whom 66 had SLE. The mean age in the SLE group was 44.2 years (SD 13.04). 146 patients (94.1%) were female. 84 (54.2%) patients from the entire cohort had ACR SLE scores of ≤ 3 whilst 71 (45.8%) had ACR SLE scores ≥ 4. The mean ACR SLE total score for the SLE patients was 4.85 (SD 1.67), ranging from 2 to 8, with mean disease duration of 12.9 years. The Sensitivity of the SLE-Key® Rule-Out test in diagnosing SLE from other connective tissue diseases was 54.5%, specificity was 44.9%, PPV 42.4% and NPV 57.1 %. 45% of the SLE patients had a positive rule-out test. SLE could not be ruled out in 73% of the MCTD patients whilst 51% of the UCTD patients had a positive Rule-Out test and &gt;85% of the inflammatory myositis patients had a negative rule-out test. ROC analysis generated an AUC of 0.525 illustrating weak class separation capacity. Linear regression established a negative correlation between the SLE-key Rule-Out score and ACR SLE total scores. Spearman’s correlation was run to determine the relationship between ACR SLE total scores and SLE-key rule-out score and showed very weak negative correlation (rs = -0.0815, n = 155, p = 0.313). Conclusion  Our findings demonstrate that when applied in clinical practice in a rheumatology CTD clinic setting, the SLE-key® rule-out test does not accurately distinguish SLE from other CTDs. The development of a robust test that could achieve this would be pivotal. It is however important to highlight that the test was designed to distinguish healthy subjects from SLE patients and not for the purpose of differentiating SLE from other connective tissue diseases. Disclosure  S. Achieng: None. J.A. Reynolds: None. I.N. Bruce: Other; I.N.B is a National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator and is funded by the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. M. Bukhari: None.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document