A case of cutaneous extravascular necrotizing granuloma without systemic manifestations

Cutaneous extravascular necrotizing granuloma, an unusual palisading dermal granuloma, was first described by Churg and Strauss in 1951 in association with the syndrome of allergic granulomatosis (Churg-Strauss syndrome), for which it was though to be pathognomonic. It has subsequently been described in association with a number of autoimmune and immunoreactive diseases, and is regarded as a cutaneous marker of systemic pathology. To our knowledge, only one patient has been reported with clinical features confined to the skin. We report a 46-year-old woman with recurrent cutaneous lesions over a 10-year period and the classic histopathological pattern, but no underlying systemic disease.     

Correction to: Social Determination of HIV: Women’s Relationship Work in the Context of Mass Incarceration and Housing Vulnerability

We contrast a typical “social determinants of health” framing with a more dynamic and complex “social determination of health” framing to analyze HIV-related sexual risk among women in low-income, segregated neighborhoods in New Haven, CT. Using an abductive approach, we analyze repeated, longitudinal qualitative interviews conducted over a 2-year period with a sample of 14 HIV-negative women who engaged in sex with men during the study period. Three case studies are presented to demonstrate how behaviors and sexual practices typically described as HIV “risks” can be understood as part of the work of establishing and maintaining monogamous committed relationships, which we call “relationship work,” shaped in a context characterized by housing vulnerabilities and the many manifestations of mass incarceration and the surveillance state. We conclude by suggesting that for these women, their relationship work is the work of HIV prevention and life in low-income segregated neighborhoods is their HIV-related risk.

     

Sauna Use by Competitive Athletes

Some competitive athletes use the sauna as a means to lose weight or to acclimatize to warm weather conditions. These practices, if used at all, should be carefully implemented to prevent health problems.     

Stool characteristics of infants receiving short-chain galactooligosaccharides and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides:A review

Human milk is considered to be the optimal source of infant nutrition. Some of the benefits of breastfeeding have been ascribed to human milk oligosaccharides(HMO). For instance, HMO can affect faecal characteristics such as stool consistency and stool frequency. Such effects on stool characteristics can be beneficial for young infants as hard stools and even constipation is common in that age group. Prebiotics in infant milk formulas have been introduced to exert similar functionalities. A specific mixture of prebiotics consists of a combination of short chain galacto-oligosaccharides and long-chain fructo-oligosaccharides(scGOS/lcFOS) in a ratio of 9:1. This specific mixture has been developed to closely resemble the molecular size composition of HMO. Many studies have been done with scGOS/lcFOS, and indicators for digestive comfort have often been included as secondary outcomes. This review summarizes the effects of scGOS/lcFOS(9:1) on stool consistency,stool frequency and transit time in healthy term and preterm infants. In several of the studies with scGOS/lcFOS in a ratio of 9:1 in infant milk formulas, positive effects of this mixture on stool characteristics such as stool consistency and stool frequency were observed. As stool consistency was shown to be correlated to whole gut transit time, scGOS/lcFOS can be hypothesised to have a role in reducing the risk of constipation.