Warty cutaneous tuberculosis of the nose: A rare localization

Cutaneous tuberculosis is a rare, extra-pulmonary form of tuberculosis caused by mycobacteria of the tuberculosis complex. It is characterized by clinical polymorphism often posing a difficult diagnostic challenge. Herein, we report a case of cutaneous tuberculosis in its warty form located on the nose. This was a 57-year-old patient who was infected in the classroom three months previously while taking lessons from a woman with pulmonary tuberculosis. A facial examination revealed a blackish, papillomatous patch invading almost the entire nose, with a keratotic surface spreading over the wings of the nose. The diagnosis of verrucous tuberculosis was reached on the basis of epidemiological, clinical, and paraclinical arguments. Under anti-tuberculosis treatment for six months, the lesion had healed without sequelae. The diagnosis of verrucous cutaneous tuberculosis must be established in the presence of any chronic and crusty lesion. The management responds to the treatment protocol for all forms of tuberculosis.

Reappraisal of Nertera (Rubiaceae) in Taiwan

Only one species in the genus Nertera, N. granadensis, had been identified in Taiwan. This study discovered that there are two additional species in the genus endemic to Taiwan: N. nigricarpa and N. taiwanian. These species are both distinguishable from N. granadensis through an examination of their holotype and living individuals. N. nigricarpa is characterized by the unapparent or slightly convex leaf venation on the upper surface, spreading leaf margins, purple petals, black fruits, and dark-purple seeds with raised striate. N. taiwanian has leaves with distinctly convex veins on the upper surface, undulated margins, yellowish-green petals, red fruits, and yellow-white seeds without striate.

Low level of awareness among general practitioners – the reason for the late stages of superficial spreading melanoma of the skin

В статье описана клиническая картина поверхностно-распространяющейся меланомы – самой распространенной формы пигментной опухоли. Несмотря на то, что на ранней стадии эта форма опухоли имеет выраженные клинические признаки, поликлинические врачи не могут ее диагностировать своевременно – в фазе горизонтального роста. Врачи общего профиля ошибочно полагают, что меланома возникает в результате травмы доброкачественного невуса, в то время как Кларк в 1969 г. установил, что большинство меланом возникает на неизмененной коже и проходит длительную фазу поверхностного роста. Сделан вывод о том, что повышение уровня знаний поликлинических врачей о ранних симптомах поверхностно-распространяющейся меланомы будет способствовать своевременной диагностике опухоли и снижению смертности от этого заболевания. Существенную помощь в ранней диагностике меланом могут оказать памятки с цветными фотографиями поверхностно-распространяющейся меланомы в фазе горизонтального роста, которыми необходимо снабдить каждого поликлинического врача. Приведены клинические случаи и фотографии поверхностно-распространяющейся меланомы в ранней стадии развития – в фазе горизонтального роста. The article describes the clinical picture of surface-spreading melanoma – the most common form of pigmented tumor. Despite the fact that at an early stage this form of tumor has pronounced clinical signs, polyclinic doctors can not diagnose it in a timely manner - in the phase of horizontal growth. General practitioners mistakenly believe that melanoma occurs as a result of trauma to a benign nevus, while Clark in 1969 established that most melanomas occur on unaltered skin and go through a long phase of superficial growth. It is concluded that increasing the level of knowledge of polyclinic doctors about the early symptoms of surface-spreading melanoma will contribute to the timely diagnosis of the tumor and reduce mortality from this disease. A significant help in the early diagnosis of melanomas can be provided by memos with color photos of surface-spreading melanoma in the horizontal growth phase, which should be provided to each polyclinic doctor. The article presents clinical cases and photos of surface-spreading melanoma in the early stage of development – in the phase of horizontal growth.

Adsorption of Silicon-Containing Dendrimers: Effects of Chemical Composition, Structure, and Generation Number

We studied the conformational behavior of silicon-containing dendrimers during their adsorption onto a flat impenetrable surface by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Four homologous series of dendrimers from the 4th up to the 7th generations were modeled, namely, two types of carbosilane dendrimers differing by the functionality of the core Si atom and two types of siloxane dendrimers with different lengths of the spacers. Comparative analysis of the fractions of adsorbed atoms belonging to various structural layers within dendrimers as well as density profiles allowed us to elucidate not only some general trends but also the effects determined by dendrimer specificity. In particular, it was found that in contrast to the carbosilane dendrimers interacting with the adsorbing surface mainly by their peripheral layers, the siloxane dendrimers with the longer –O–Si(CH3)2–O spacers expose atoms from their interior to the surface spreading out on it. These findings are important for the design of functional materials on the basis of silicon-containing dendrimers.

Spider viscid silk sticks better to superhydrophobic surfaces

ABSTRACTIn a likely coevolutionary arms race, insects evolved a variety of counter strategies to avoid capture by spider webs, while spiders’ evolved innovations web structure and especially their adhesive silks. For instance, insects’ cuticles employ a variety of potential anti-adhesion mechanisms such as the detachable scales of moths and surface waxes and superhydrophobic structures that might resist spreading of glues. In contrast, the viscid capture threads of most spider orb webs are covered with aggregate glue droplets that absorb atmospheric water, tuning glue viscosity to balance the competing demands of surface spreading versus maintaining strong bulk cohesion. Here, we test the hypothesis that superhydrophobicity in insects acts as an anti-adhesion defense against spider silk. We used lotus leaves as a model substrate because its superhydrophobicity outperforms most known insect surfaces. The adhesion of spider capture silk from the web of Larinioides cornutus was studied against three substrates: raw lotus leaves, oxygen plasma treated lotus leaves (hydrophilic lotus), and smooth glass, differing in roughness and chemistry. We found that spider capture silk sticks better to the superhydrophobic lotus than to other surfaces. Both chemistry and physical properties of the leaves contribute to higher adhesion, as raw lotus showed a mean increase in adhesion of 74 % compared to glass, while the similar surface roughness of the hydrophilic lotus increased adhesion by 64 % compared to glass. Thus, evolving a hydrophobic cuticle is unlikely to be a defensive trait used to mitigate the effectiveness of spider webs.

Feed intake in Atlantic salmon fed with or without surface spreading of feed

In intensive salmon farming, it is common practice to spread the feed over a large surface area, assuming that spreading of the feed increases feed intake in the fish. However, the impact on the feed pellets during spreading results in feed loss due to pellet breakage. In this study, feed intake, growth and signs of aggressive behavior was compared in salmon fed without or with spreading of the feed on the surface area of the tanks. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) with initial body weight 0.6 kg were kept in 3.3 m 3 tanks supplied with sea water (salinity 32 %, mean temperature 11 °C) for one month. The salmon were fed one meal daily, either by dropping the feed from one point, or by spreading the feed over the water surface. Feed intake and growth was measured. Fin damage was given a score at termination of the trial as a measure of competitive behavior during feeding. The relative feed intake (i.e. percent of body weight per day) in salmon fed without spreading or with spreading of the feed was 0.63±0.05 and 0.64±0.02 %, respectively. The growth rate was identical in salmon fed without or with spreading of the feed, and no significant difference in variance in final weight was found. No difference in fin damage for salmon fed without or with spreading of the feed was revealed. The data showed that for the conditions used in this trial, spreading of feed had no influence on feed intake or growth of salmon.

Aplikasi Metode Geolistrik untuk Mengetahui Sebaran Batubara di Kabupaten Tulungagung Jawa Timur

Research has been conducted aiming to determine the distribution of coal below the surface in Tulungagung Regency. The survey conducted in this study used a Wenner configuration resistivity geoelectric survey. Retrieval of geolithic resistivity data in the field of four trajectories. The results of data collection in the field oneach track are processed using 2D modeling in Res2dinv software. The results of the processing of the two-dimensional modeling are then interpreted. The structure of rock layers containing coal is shown by a yellow, red to dark purple scheme with a resistivity value of 75-350 ohm meters on the inside varying from 0 meters to 6.91 meters below the surface, spreading erratically and patching on each track.