Secret History: Return of the Black Death Channel 4, 7-8pm In 1348 the Black Death swept through London, killing people within days of the appearance of their first symptoms. Exactly how many died, and why, has long been a mystery. This Secret History documentary follows experts as they pick through the evidence and reveal why the plague killed on such a scale. And they ask, what might be coming next?

Medscape

Impatti, adattamento e vulnerabilita Le cause e le responsabilita dei cambiamenti climatici sono state trattate sul numero di ottobre della rivista Cda. Approfondiamo l’argomento presentando il documento: “Cambiamenti climatici 2007: impatti, adattamento e vulnerabilita” votato ad aprile 2007 dal secondo gruppo di lavoro del Comitato Intergovernativo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). Si tratta del secondo di tre documenti che compongono il quarto rapporto sui cambiamenti climatici.

/pdf/climate-change-2007-impacts-adaptation-and-vulnerability-31xc1cf4d3.pdf

Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability.

Biochar is a carbon-rich coproduct resulting from pyrolyzing biomass. When applied to the soil it resists decomposition, effectively sequestering the applied carbon and mitigating anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Other promoted benefits of biochar application to soil include increased plant productivity and reduced nutrient leaching. However, the effects of biochar are variable and it remains unclear if recent enthusiasm can be justified. We evaluate ecosystem responses to biochar application with a meta-analysis of 371 independent studies culled from 114 published manuscripts. We find that despite variability introduced by soil and climate, the addition of biochar to soils resulted, on average, in increased aboveground productivity, crop yield, soil microbial biomass, rhizobia nodulation, plant K tissue concentration, soil phosphorus (P), soil potassium (K), total soil nitrogen (N), and total soil carbon (C) compared with control conditions. Soil pH also tended to increase, becoming less acidic, following the addition of biochar. Variables that showed no significant mean response to biochar included belowground productivity, the ratio of aboveground : belowground biomass, mycorrhizal colonization of roots, plant tissue N, and soil P concentration, and soil inorganic N. Additional analyses found no detectable relationship between the amount of biochar added and aboveground productivity. Our results provide the first quantitative review of the effects of biochar on multiple ecosystem functions and the central tendencies suggest that biochar holds promise in being a win-win-win solution to energy, carbon storage, and ecosystem function. However, biochar's impacts on a fourth component, the downstream nontarget environments, remain unknown and present a critical research gap.

https://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/gcbb.12037

Biochar and its effects on plant productivity and nutrient cycling: a meta‐analysis

https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(00)03540-6.pdf

Frequency of specific cancer types in dermatomyositis and polymyositis: a population-based study.

The present guideline summarizes all aspects of patch testing for the diagnosis of contact allergy in patients suspected of suffering, or having been suffering, from allergic contact dermatitis or other delayed-type hypersensitivity skin and mucosal conditions. Sections with brief descriptions and discussions of different pertinent topics are followed by a highlighted short practical recommendation. Topics comprise, after an introduction with important definitions, materials, technique, modifications of epicutaneous testing, individual factors influencing the patch test outcome or necessitating special considerations, children, patients with occupational contact dermatitis and drug eruptions as special groups, patch testing of materials brought in by the patient, adverse effects of patch testing, and the final evaluation and patient counselling based on this judgement. Finally, short reference is made to aspects of (continuing) medical education and to electronic collection of data for epidemiological surveillance.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/cod.12432

European Society of Contact Dermatitis guideline for diagnostic patch testing – recommendations on best practice

Pyoderma gangrenosum is a rare but significant cause of ulcerations. It is a diagnosis of exclusion. Herein, we suggest diagnostic criteria and some historical perspectives on the diagnosis of pyoderma gangrenosum.

Pyoderma gangrenosum: clinicopathologic correlation and proposed diagnostic criteria.

https://www.jidonline.org/article/S0022-202X(15)35933-9/pdf

Incidence of Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Associated Factors: A Population-Based Study of Olmsted County, Minnesota

Lifetime incidence risk of alopecia areata estimated at 2.1% by rochester epidemiology project, 1990-2009

Objective To describe the demographics, presentation, and outcome in patients with erythromelalgia—a rare and poorly understood clinical syndrome defined by the triad of red, hot, painful extremities. Design Retrospective medical record review with follow-up by survey questionnaire. Setting Large tertiary care medical center. Subjects Patients with erythromelalgia examined at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, between 1970 and 1994. Intervention The medical records of 168 patients were analyzed. Follow-up data, which consisted of answers to 2 survey questionnaires or the most recent information in the medical record from patients still alive and death certificates or reports of death for those deceased patients, were obtained for all but 13 patients. Main Outcome Measures Survival, morbidity, and quality of life. Results All patients were white; 122 (72.6%) were female, and 46 (27.4%) were male. At presentation, the patients' mean age was 55.8 years (age range, 5-91 years). Symptoms had been present since childhood in 7 patients (4.2%). Six patients (3.6%) had a first-degree relative with erythromelalgia. Symptoms were intermittent in 163 patients (97.0%) and constant in 5 (3.0%). Symptoms predominantly involved feet (148 patients [88.1%]) and hands (43 patients [25.6%]). Kaplan-Meier survival curves revealed a significant decrease in survival compared with that expected in persons of similar age and of the same sex ( P Conclusion Erythromelalgia is a syndrome with significantly increased mortality and morbidity compared with the US general population.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/articlepdf/190045/dst9040.pdf

Natural History of Erythromelalgia: Presentation and Outcome in 168 Patients

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare inflammatory neutrophilic disorder with prototypical clinical presentations. Its pathophysiology is complex and not fully explained. Recent information regarding the genetic basis of PG and the role of auto-inflammation provides a better understanding of the disease and new therapeutic targets. PG equally affects patients of both sexes and of any age. Uncontrolled cutaneous neutrophilic inflammation is the cornerstone in a genetically predisposed individual. Multimodality management is often required to reduce inflammation, optimize wound healing, and treat underlying disease. A gold standard for the management of PG does not exist and high-level evidence is limited. Multiple factors must be taken into account when deciding on the optimum treatment for individual patients: location, number and size of lesion/ulceration(s), extracutaneous involvement, presence of associated disease, cost, and side effects of treatment, as well as patient comorbidities and preferences. Refractory and rapidly progressive cases require early initiation of systemic therapy. Newer targeted therapies represent a promising pathway for the management of PG, and the main focus of this review is the management and evidence supporting the role of new targeted therapies in PG.

Mark D.P. Davis

Papers

Pyoderma gangrenosum: clinicopathologic correlation and proposed diagnostic criteria.

Incidence of Hidradenitis Suppurativa and Associated Factors: A Population-Based Study of Olmsted County, Minnesota

Lifetime incidence risk of alopecia areata estimated at 2.1% by rochester epidemiology project, 1990-2009

Natural History of Erythromelalgia: Presentation and Outcome in 168 Patients

Pyoderma Gangrenosum: An Update on Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment.