Uncommon differential diagnosis of a breast ulcer: a case study

Introduction: Spider bites are common worldwide. Frequently symptoms resolve without any adverse outcome, but in rare cases the bite can cause severe morbidity. The most typical presentation of Mediterranean recluse spider (Loxosceles Rufescens) bite is a dermatonecrotic lesion of the skin (skin loxoscelism). When the only manifestation of a spider bite is an ulcerated skin lesion, clinical suspicion and differential diagnosis strongly depend on its site. We present the case of an ulcerated wound of the breast, diagnosed as a Mediterranean recluse spider bite. Case presentation: A 79-year-old woman presented a 10cm-wide soft tissue ulceration of her left breast. At first, the diagnostic hypothesis of an ulcerated cancer was ruled out. Two family members revealed a recent history of Mediterranean recluse spider bite and the same clinical diagnosis was made for our patient. A wide excision was performed, with complete resolution of symptoms. Discussion: No specific diagnostic criteria for spider bites are available. Diagnosis is usually clinical. Skin loxoscelism could be easily mistaken for cellulitis, various types of skin infections, cutaneous anthrax, vasculitis, scorpion sting, pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema migrans of Lyme disease or prurigo nodularis. A thorough anamnestic interview is fundamental to raise the diagnostic hypothesis. When possible, a biopsy is recommended and it is extremely important when the ulcer can mimic a cancer, as is the case in breast tissue. Conclusion: We recommend a wide excision of the wound after failure of conservative treatment, in order to obtain local control and to perform histological examination on a more representative specimen.

Plasmopara viticola causing downy mildew on Vitis davidii in Korea

Vitis davidii (Rom.Caill.) Foëx, commonly known as spine grape, is a deciduous climber native to China. Its fruits are consumed fresh or used to make wine in South and Central China. In recent years, spine grape has been cultivated in Korea. In July 2020, downy mildew was detected on spine grape vines in Jeongeup (35°42′17″N, 126°54′02″E), Korea, with a disease incidence of 70%. The symptoms appeared as yellowish, brownish, or reddish, vein-limited, poly-angular adaxial leaf spots, correspond to dense, white downy growth abaxially. A representative specimen was deposited in the Kunsan National University Herbarium (KSNUH679). Sporangiophores were tree-like, hyaline, mostly straight, and monopodially branched in orders of three to six; they measured (219.4–)273.2 to 435.1(–546.6) × (4.8–)6.7 to 9.0(–10.0) μm (n = 50). Ultimate branchlets were bi or trifurcate, straight to slightly curved, with truncate or, rarely, a swollen tip and measured 2.9 to 9.7 μm long and 0.8 to 2.5 μm wide at the base (n = 50). Sporangia were hyaline, ovoidal or lemon-shaped; they measured (16.8–)20.0 to 28.8(–34.2) × (11.4–)13.1 to 17.0(–20.1) μm with a length to width ratio of (1.28–)1.46 to 1.78(–2.07) (n = 50). This morphology was as described for Plasmopara viticola (Berk. & M. A. Curtis) Berl. & De Toni (Hall, 1989). Genomic DNA was extracted directly from infected V. davidii leaves. Three regions were PCR-amplified and sequenced: cox2 mtDNA with primers cox2F and cox2-RC4 (Choi et al., 2015), actin with primers pve04815-F and pve04815-R, and beta-tubulin with primers pvc389-F3 and pvc389-R4 (Rouxel et al., 2013). The resulting sequences were deposited in GenBank (accession nos. MT834527 for cox2, MT834525 for actin, and MT834526 for beta-tubulin). A BLASTn search revealed that the Korean sample was identical to P. viticola clade aestivalis originating from Vitis species: MK215072 for cox2 sequence, KY933800 for actin, and MK358393 for beta-tubulin. In all phylogenetic analyses of the three genes (cox2, actin, and beta-tubulin), KSNUH679 came out as phylogenetically place within P. viticola clade aestivalis, which has recently been reported on V. coignetiae and V. ficifolia var. sinuata in Korea (Kim et al., 2019). A pathogenicity test was performed twice by inoculating the leaves of 10 healthy spine grape plants with a sporangial suspension (~1 × 106 sporangia·mL-1) and incubating them in a growth chamber at 25 °C, 12-h day/night cycle, and 90% relative humidity; five non-inoculated plants served as controls. After two weeks, all inoculated plants developed typical downy mildew symptoms could be observed, whereas the controls remained symptomless. Morphology and molecular features confirmed the identity of the pathogen of spine grape to be P. viticola. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of downy mildew caused by P. viticola on V. davidii in Korea. Recently, downy mildew outbreaks caused by P. viticola have been recorded in spine grape plantations in southern China (Yi et al., 2019). Considering the potential of spine grape as a novel crop for Korea, P. viticola appears to represent a significant threat to this industry.

Powdery Mildew of tall verbena Caused by Podosphaera xanthii in China

Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis) is widely used in landscape layout in sparse forests, botanical gardens and villa areas, and it is also a kind of Chinese herbal medicine. The flower and bud use as Chinese herbal medicine causing heat-clearing and detoxification. In August 2019, observed on tall verbena in Shangqiu, Henan Province, China. Symptoms white fungal growth observed on both sides of fresh and mature leaves of tall verbena grown on campus at Shangqiu Normal University. More than 60% plants were infected by this fungus and infected plants were observed to shed leaves early. One representative voucher specimen was deposited at the herbarium of Shangqiu Normal University (SQNU), Shangqiu, China, under the accession number of Vb01. Conidiophores of the fungus contained 5-6cells and measured 102.0-142.9μm (mean 126.2μm, n = 30) long, with foot-cells of conidiophores measured 36.5-46.9μm (mean 42.9μm, n = 30). Conidia produced in chains were variable in shape, ellipsoid to ovoid, and measured 24.8-30.7×12.0-17.9 μm (mean 27.35×15.08μm, n = 50), with a length/width ratio of 1.4 to 2.3. Fibrosin bodies were observed in the conidia. No chasmothecia were found. The morphological characteristics were consistent with the genus Podosphaera. To identify above powdery mildew fungus at species level using molecular markers, the complete ITS region of rDNA from the representative specimen was amplified with universal primer pair ITS1/ITS4 and directly sequenced. The resulting sequence of 567 bp was deposited in GenBank (Accession No. MT864007). A BLAST search of this sequence showed more than 99% sequence identity with P. xanthii isolates (AB046985, AB462804, AB936277 and KM260741) on various hosts (Hirata T, 2000; Meeboon, J., and Takamatsu, S. 2015; Tam L. T. T. 2016). Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ITS sequence from Vb01 isolate was grouped into a clade with P. xanthii s. lat.. A pathogenicity test was conducted through inoculation by gently pressing a diseased leaf onto five healthy leaves of a potted tall verbena. Five non-inoculated seedlings were used as controls. The plants were maintained in a greenhouse at 26 to 28 ℃, and relative humidity of 60 to 65%. Inoculated leaves developed symptoms after nine days, whereas the control plants remained symptomless. The fungus presented on the inoculated plant was morphologically identical to that originally observed on diseased plants, fulfilling Koch's postulates. P. xanthii s. lat. has been reported on several hosts in China (Braun & Cook, 2012). This is the first report of P. xanthii s. lat. on Verbena bonariensis outside of Japan (Meboon, 2015).

Characterisation of a Real-World Søderberg Electrode

Very little research on Søderberg electrodes has been published in the journal peer reviewed public domain. The main aim of this work is to characterise a Søderberg electrode that was cut off approximately 0.5 m below the contacts shoes of a submerged arc furnace. Additionally, the characterisation data can be used to verify if Søderberg electrode models accurately predict important electrode characteristics. The operational history (slipping, current, and paste levels) proved that the case study electrode was a representative specimen. The characterisation results indicated no significant electrical resistivity, degree of graphitisation (DOG), and bulk density changes from 0.7 to 2.7 m on the non-delta side (outward facing), while these characteristics changed relatively significantly on the delta side (inward facing) of the electrode. The area where the submerged arc would mostly like jump off the electrode had the lowest resistivity, as well as highest DOG and bulk density. No significant difference in porosity as a function of length below the contact shoes were observed; however, slight increases occurred near the perimeters. It was postulated that oxidation of carbon resulted in increased pore volumes near the electrode perimeter. No significant difference in compressive breaking strength was observed over the electrode area investigated.

A synoptical account on the flora of Dohar upazila under Dhaka district of Bangladesh

A taxonomic study on the flora of Dohar upazila (sub-district) under Dhaka district has been conducted that results in occurrence of 204 angiosperm taxa under 165 genera and 68 families. Magnoliopsida is represented by 158 taxa distributed in 129 genera and 53 families. In contrast, Liliopsida is constituted by 46 taxa under 36 genera and 15 families. Asteraceae appears to be the largest family in Magnoliopsida consisting of 16 species, whereas Poaceae is the largest family with 16 species in Liliopsida. In Magnoliopsida, 23 families are represented by a single species, while in Liliopsida, 7 families are symbolized by a single species. Vegetation analysis shows that herbs are represented by 133 taxa, shrubs by 23 and trees by 48 taxa. Dichotomous bracketed keys to the families, genera, species and varieties are provided for easy identification of the taxa. Each taxon is supplemented by updated nomenclature, habit and representative specimen. Bangladesh J. Plant Taxon. 27(2): 293-322, 2020 (December)

Parameterization of the Collection Efficiency of a Cylindrical Catching-Type Rain Gauge Based on Rainfall Intensity

Despite the numerous contributions available in the literature about the wind-induced bias of rainfall intensity measurements, adjustments based on collection efficiency curves are rarely applied operationally to rain records obtained from catching-type rain gauges. The many influencing variables involved and the variability of the results of field experiments do not facilitate the widespread application of adjustment algorithms. In this paper, a Lagrangian particle tracking model is applied to the results of computational fluid dynamic simulations of the airflow field surrounding a rain gauge to derive a simple formulation of the collection efficiency curves as a function of wind speed. A new parameterization of the influence of rainfall intensity is proposed. The methodology was applied to a cylindrical gauge, which has the typical outer shape of tipping-bucket rain gauges, as a representative specimen of most operational measurement instruments. The wind velocity is the only ancillary variable required to calculate the adjustment, together with the measured rainfall intensity. Since wind is commonly measured by operational weather stations, its use adds no relevant burden to the cost of meteo-hydrological networks.

Numerical Analysis of Machining Part Distortion in Aircraft Aluminum Structures

The inherent residual stresses in the raw materials of large monolithic structural components whereby machining procedures are needed to produce aircraft components, cause deviations, and distortions that are undesired and rise challenges for engineering design and engineering production teams of the aerospace companies. A numerical approach to address part distortion is proposed in this paper. An algorithm was developed and implemented as a finite element subroutine in the software ANSYS APDL, which uses the raw inherent residual stress parameters of the aluminum alloy and the machining locations of a structural specimen to simulate the machining distortion phenomenon in aircraft aluminum structures. This algorithm uses as inputs the finite element mesh of a component, the coefficients of residual stresses functions, and the machining location parameters from where a part is made of a raw material blank. The numerical results predicted the part distortion phenomenon with an Absolute Error of 2.79% with respect to initial experimental measurements of part distortion. Additionally, the proposed approach was used to develop part distortion curves by considering the machining location of the specimen. From these, numerical optimization techniques led to determine the machining location of the representative specimen that attained lower distortions. Such location corresponded to a vertical value around of 3.15 mm for the two simulated residual stresses conditions in the material. An additional measurement was carried out to validate the optimal numerical results and errors below 3% were obtained. Consequently, the proposed approach can be of use to determine, to reduce and to optimize part distortion without further experimental testing in structural aluminum 7050-T7451 alloy aircraft components.

Revisiting the taxonomy of Geranium rubifolium (Geraniaceae) with notes on its habitat and conservation status

Geranium rubifolium (Geraniaceae) has been rediscovered while conducting floristic sampling for the monographic studies on the genus Geranium from Indian Himalayan region. The species was described 179 years ago by John Lindley by using Iconotype, serving as the type and the only known material of the taxon. The locality of Lindley’s collection (collection made by Dr. Royle) is imprecisely described, as he only mentioned ‘the Himalaya’ where the taxon is found. Therefore any search attempt would require an extensive exploration of the Indian Himalayan region. Morphological variation of G. rubifolium has been poorly understood because of the non-availability of representative specimen. Consequently, after rediscovering the taxon, we provide here the detailed taxonomic description, notes on habitat, distribution and its conservation status.

First report of the lace bug Neoplerochila paliatseasi (Rodrigues, 1981) (Hemiptera: Tingidae) infesting cultivated olive trees in South Africa, and its complete mitochondrial sequence

Olive lace bugs are small phytophagous Hemipteran insects known to cause agricultural losses in olive production in South Africa. Plerochila australis (Distant, 1904) has been reported as the species responsible for damage to olive trees; however, the diversity of olive lace bug species in the region has lacked attention. Adult olive lace bugs were collected incidentally from wild and cultivated olive trees in the Western Cape Province, and identified as P. australis and Neoplerochila paliatseasi (Rodrigues, 1981). The complete mitochondrial genome of a representative specimen of N. paliatseasi was sequenced, and used for comparative mitogenomics and phylogenetic reconstruction within the family. Furthermore, the value of DNA barcodes for species identification in Tingidae was assessed using genetic clustering and estimates of genetic divergence. The patterns of genetic clustering and genetic divergence of COI sequences supported the morphological identification of N. paliatseasi, and the utility of DNA barcoding methods in Tingidae. The complete mitogenome sequence had the typical Metazoan gene content and order, including 13 PCGs, 22 tRNAs, two rRNAs, and an AT-rich non-coding region. A+T content was high, as commonly found in Tingidae. The phylogenetic reconstruction recovered Agramma hupehanum (Drake & Maa 1954) as basal to Tingini, and as a sister species to N. paliatseasi. Stephanitis Stål 1873 and Corythucha Stål 1873 were monophyletic, but Metasalis populi (Takeya 1932) was not recovered as sister to Tingis cardui (Linnaeus 1746), as expected. The mitochondrial phylogeny of the family Tingidae has been recovered inconsistently across different studies, possibly due to sequence heterogeneity and high mutation rates. Species diversity of olive lace bugs in South Africa was previously underestimated. The presence of P. australis was confirmed in both wild and cultivated olives, and N. paliatseasi is reported in cultivated olives for the first time. These results warrant further investigation on the diversity and distribution of olive lace bugs in the Western Cape to inform pest control strategies.

First Record of Mansonia dyari From Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands

ABSTRACT The first report of Mansonia dyari on Saint Croix, United States Virgin Islands (USVI), is confirmed. Adult and larval specimens were collected in 2018 and 2019 through adult surveillance and larval collections. Specimens were identified by microscopic methods, and a representative specimen was confirmed by DNA sequencing (mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I). Morphological features are reviewed and compared with Mansonia flaveola, a species previously reported in the USVI. Notes are provided on the locations, collection methods, and mosquito associates found with Ma. dyari in the USVI.