This is a case report of lichen planus (LP) with multiple system involvement. A 35-year-old female patient was admitted in November 2014 with a 5-year history of painful/difficult sexual intercourse and loss of oral mucosa, and an 8-year history of focal hair loss. Earlier, the patient had been unable to adhere to corticosteroid therapy because of severe adverse side effects. In September 2014, labia minora mucosa defects and stricture of the urethral orifice (with dysuria), vaginal orifice, and vagina were identified. Biopsy was performed and a diagnosis of erosive LP was made. The patient was treated with an oral immunosuppressant (cyclosporine A) and urethral/vaginal dilatation. Urine flow rate and sex life were improved after 6 months and she discontinued medication. Four years later, the patient reported a good overall treatment efficacy. LP can involve multiple systems and should be considered in patients with dyspareunia. Immunosuppressive agents can achieve a satisfactory effect in patients with contraindication to corticosteroid.

Muitos habitats costeiros vêm sendo alterados substancialmente pela invasão de Spartina alterniflora no leste da China. Em 2007, em uma planície de maré situada em Wenzhou Bay, foram analisadas riqueza de espécies, densidade e diversidade da macrofauna bêntica em relação a diferentes estágios da invasão da gramínea e à estação do ano. Para as medidas de diversidade foram usados os índices de Margalef (R) e de Shannon (H'). Foram detectados efeitos significativos do estágio de invasão e época do ano sobre a macrofauna. As comunidades macrofaunais foram mais complexas nas manchas onde a invasão de S. alterniflora estava no seu início, quando considerados os locais onde as manchas estavam em estágios mais avançados. Através das análises de agrupamento e ordenação as comunidades puderam ser classificadas pelo tipo de habitat formado em cada estágio de invasão da Spartina. Os resultados indicaram que a biodiversidade aumentou no estágio de invasão inicial (idade de invasão de 1 a 2 anos), mas diminuiu gradativamente com os estágios intermediário (idade de invasão de 3 a 4 anos) e completo (idade de invasão de 5 a 6 anos), mostrando assim o efeito deletério de S. alterniflora sobre a estrutura da macrofauna presente no local.

Many coastal habitats in eastern China are being substantially altered by the invasion of Spartina alterniflora. The species richness, density, Margalef's diversity index (R) and Shannon's diversity index (H') of macrobenthic communities on a tidal flat in Wenzhou Bay, China, were analyzed with the factors of invasion stage and season, in 2007. A significant effect of invasion stage, season, and the interaction between them on communities was detected. The macrobenthic community was more complex in the patch of initial S. alterniflora invasion than in the patches of some other invasion stages. Macrobenthic communities were classified by cluster and ordination in accordance with the habitat character of the S. alterniflora invasion stage. Our research demonstrated that the S. alterniflora invasion stage affected the macrobenthic communities significantly. The results indicated that biodiversity increased in the initial stage of invasion (invasion age 1-2 years) and then decreased in the stage of invasion underway (invasion age 3-4 years) and in the stage of invasion completed (invasion age 5-6 years); this phenomenon was related to the change in the S. alterniflora canopy which accompanied the invasion stages.

The present study was conducted to obtain reference values for brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and to evaluate influencing factors of baPWV according to gender. Using automatic devices, baPWV was measured simultaneously in 2095 subjects. A total of 647 healthy subjects, none of whom presented atherosclerotic risk factors, were analyzed in the present study. Two different statistical methods were used to obtain reference values for baPWV according to subject gender and age. The association between baPWV value and gender, as well as other features, were analyzed. For male subjects, multiple stepwise analysis showed that age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), and plasma levels of triglycerides (TG) were independent predictors of baPWV. For female subjects, age, SBP, HR, and plasma levels of uric acid (UA) were independent predictors of baPWV. In male subjects, the upper limits of baPWV values were 1497.43/1425.00, 1518.67/1513.25, 1715.97/1726.50, 1925.20/1971.90, and 2310.18/2115.00 cm/s, obtained using two different statistical methods for the age ranges of 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 and older, respectively. For females, the upper limits of baPWV values were 1426.70/1411.13, 1559.15/1498.95, 1733.50/1739.00, 1958.63/1973.78, and 2720.80/2577.00 cm/s for the age ranges of 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70 and older, respectively. Aging is the most important influencing factor for baPWV value and its effect is more prominent in females. The reference values of baPWV according to age and gender may be useful for the clinical diagnosis and preventive therapy of cardiovascular diseases.