text:
Personal Guarantor Under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code 2016
admin June 2, 2021 Law, lawyers 0 Comments
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 ("Code") is one of the most significant legislative developments in recent years, resulting in a flurry of litigation, multiple legal interpretations, and regular modifications to deal with non-performing assets held by various Indian financial institutions.
Originally, banks requiring personal guarantees from Promoters to secure their 'skin in the game' would always demand them and ensure that the same is provided to them. The lack of an efficient forum to enforce the personal guarantees that go hand in hand with the insolvency of the company for which the personal guarantees were issued has come back to bite now that there is over-leverage.
The law doesn't envisage that the Insolvency resolution of the personal guarantor should follow only when the process of corporate insolvency resolution of the corporate debtor has come to an end. The purpose of initiating Insolvency and Bankruptcy proceedings against the Personal Guarantor is not only sensible but fair in the generality of cases to synchronize the two proceedings. That is not to say that when the proceedings against the Corporate debtor could be fruitfully decided the Personal Guarantor should also be proceeded against.
Lalit Kumar Jain v. Union of India
T.C.(C) No. 245/2020 dated 21.05.2021
Quorum: Hon'ble Justice L Nageswara Rao and Hon'ble Justice Ravindra Bhat
The constitutional validity of Insolvency and Bankruptcy (Application to Adjudicating Authority for Insolvency Resolution Process for Personal Guarantors to Corporate Debtors) Rules, 2019 (hereinafter referred to as 'impugned notification') was addressed in this case by the Supreme Court. The impugned notification was issued by the Central Government on 15.11.2019. The Supreme Court assessed petitions which were filed under Article 32 and petitions which were transferred from various High Courts under Article 139 of the Constitution.
Provisions Enforced: Section 2(e), Section 78, Section 79, Section 94-187; Section 239 (2) (g), (h), (i), Section 239(2)(m) to (zc); Section 239 (2)(zn) to (zs) and Section 249 of the IBC.
Following this, notices were issued to the petitioners to initiate insolvency proceeding as per Part III of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code of 2016 (hereinafter referred to as the 'Code').
Whether the Central Government can notify parts of the provisions or essentially limit its application to certain categories of people?
Whether the Central Government has the power to impose conditions through notifications?
Whether the issuance of the impugned notification by the Central Government was ultra vires?
ARGUMENTS (Petitioners):
Excessive Delegation:
The Central Government has no power to prescribe or impose conditions by way of the notification, and such enforcement was ultra vires to the powers granted to the Central Government. It was submitted by the petitioners that as per Section 1(3) of the Code, the Central Government cannot notify parts of the provisions or essentially limit its application to certain categories of people. The issuance of the impugned notification by the Central Government was, therefore, ultra vires to Section 1(3) of the Code. There exists no demarcation between an individual and a personal guarantor of the corporate debtor as per Part III of the Code and the enforcement of the impugned legislation is outside the scope of powers prescribed under Section 1(3) of the Code.
Provisions are not severable:
The provisions which were brought into effect were not severable as they dealt with individuals and partnership firms and did not solely apply to personal guarantors of corporate debtors. The Central Government has classified individuals wherein insolvency personal guarantors of corporate debtors are considered along with insolvency of corporate debtors. This power is vested with the legislative and not the executive.
Non-Application of Mind:
Firstly, the enforcement of Section 2(e) of the Code attracted non-application of mind. Section2(e) had come into force with retrospective effect from 23.11.2017, and the same was noted by the Supreme Court in the case of State Bank of India v. V. Ramakrishanan.
Secondly, the Central Government had failed to enforce Section 243 which would repeal Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909 and Provincial Insolvency Act, 1920. The aforementioned Acts deal with the insolvency proceedings of personal guarantors of corporate debtors. Without Section 243 not being enforced, there would exist two self-contradictory legal routes to initiate solvency proceedings against the personal guarantors of corporate debtors.
Ultra vires:
The impugned notification enforced provisions under Part III of the Code is specific to personal guarantors of corporate debtors. However, Part III governs the Insolvency and resolution procedure for individuals and partnership firms. It was contended that personal guarantors are to be excluded from the definition of individuals. This is supported by a joint reading of Section 2(e), 2(g) and Part III of the Code.
Furthermore, Section 95 of the Code states that a creditor can invoke insolvency resolution process against an individual only with respect to a partnership firm.
The enforcement of provisions through the impugned notification where Part III is brought into force only with respect to personal guarantors of corporate debtors results in it being ultra vires to the Objects and Reasons of the Code. The object of the code here is to focus on the revival of the company and to save it from liquidation. The Code here operates as beneficial legislation.
Enforcement of the
provisions are arbitrary and discriminatory in nature:
This was argued on two grounds:
That there is no intelligible differentia as to why personal guarantors of corporate debtors have been singled out as the Code and Part III of the Code does not specifically cater to personal guarantors of corporate debtors;
The impugned notification does not demarcate between operational and financial creditor. It is to be noted that there exist two sets of procedure for operational and financial creditors.
ARGUMENTS (Respondents):
The 2018 Amendment: Section 2(e) and Section 60 were amended to include the Insolvency or bankruptcy of a corporate/personal guarantor to a corporate debtor. NCLT would be deemed as the adjudicating authority.
There is no excessive legislation is this case as the executive has the power to enact provisions of a statute for a particular purpose at any given period of time. Furthermore, Section 1(3) of the Code empowers the Central Government to enforce provisions in order to meet the object of the Code. The impugned notification was published keeping in mind the recommendations put forth by the Bankruptcy Law Reforms Committee. It was recommended that insolvency proceedings were applicable to personal guarantors of the corporate debtor and there should exist a synchronous resolution process.
The term 'personal guarantor' was defined under Section 5(220) of the Code and that NCLT would be considered as the adjudicating authority as per Section 60(2) of the Code. Furthermore, the NCLT is vested with all powers similar to that of the DRT as per Section 60(4) of the Code. Lastly, that as per Section 179, the DRT would be considered as the adjudicating authority for insolvency resolution and this is subject to Section 60 of the Code. The Counsel for Respondents relied on the case of Embassy Property Developments (P) Ltd. v State of Karnataka
Section 2 is not to be considered as a definition clause by as a tool that provides a phased and limited interpretation of the Code. Additionally, Part II of the code applied to all categories of corporate entities who are debtors. Part III was enforced to establish a suitable mechanism for personal guarantors who constituted a class of individuals.
The liability of the guarantor was co-extensive, joint and several with that of the principal borrower unless the contrary is provided under the contract. This has been enumerated under Section 128 of the Indian Contract Act of 1872. Additionally, the guarantor's obligations are not absolved under Sections 133-136 of the Indian Contract Act of 1872. The rights of the creditor and guarantor will continue to exist in case of bankruptcy or liquidation.
Part III applies to individuals and partnership firms in a composite manner. The power of the vested by the Central Government under Section 1(3) should not be characterized as a conditional legislation. As per Section 1(3) the Central Government can determine the date on which the Code will come into force and it can also appoint different dates for different provisions of the Code. Literal rule of construction is not to be applied while reading Section 1(3) of the Code and the aforementioned section is not to be construed in isolation.
The scheme and the structure of the Code considers 'parliamentary hybridization and legislation fusion' wherein the NCLT is empowered deal with insolvency proceedings of personal guarantors of corporate debtors.
The Supreme Court analyzed all the notifications proposed by the Central Government. The Court went ahead and looked into every notification that was released and the subsequent provisions that it gave effect to. It highlighted that the Central Government sought to fulfil the object of the Code while passing notifications. The Court noted that the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India was set up to examine relevant issues and evolving standards of rules and regulations.
The Supreme Court on Part III of the Code and NCLT's role:
Prior to 2018 amendment, it was noted that all individuals i.e, personal guarantor to corporate debtors, partners of firms, partnership firm and other partners fell under the Section 2(e) of the Code. Section 60 stated that the adjudicating authority with respect to personal guarantors was NCLT.
Post 2018 amendment: Section 2(e) was further categorized into Section 2(f) and 2(g). Section 60 was altered wherein insolvency and bankruptcy proceedings w.r.t. liquidation and bankruptcy process were divided into three categories corporate debtors, corporate guarantors of corporate debtors and personal guarantors to corporate debtors wherein NCLT was considered the adjudicating body.
Manner of interpretation: It was noted that although the term 'personal guarantor' was not defined, it fell under the definition of 'individual' under the Code. The Supreme Court while interpreting Section 60 (2) applied the principle behind the maxim 'reddendo singular singulis' in the case of Rajendra K. Bhutta v. Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority. Section 60(2) applies three categories when it comes to insolvency resolution, bankruptcy or liquidation. It being corporate debtors, corporate and personal guarantors to corporate debtors.
The Supreme Court also assessed Sections 234 and 235 of the Code. As per the aforementioned Sections the overseas assets of a corporate debtor or its personal guarantor are to be dealt with in the same manner as insolvency proceedings.
The Court analysed Sections 79 and 94-187 where the former is a definitional Section and the latter lays down the initiation of resolution process before the adjudicating authority.
It was observed that the intent of the impugned legislation was to allow for pending proceedings to be adjudicated as per the Code. Although Section 243 had not been enforced (where it would repeal personal insolvency laws), Section 60(2) provided for resolution process or bankruptcy of a personal guarantor which would be filed under the NCLT. Therefore, the adjudicating authority would be the NCLT for personal guarantors, if there is a parallel resolution or liquidation process is pending. Furthermore, under Section 60(3) the aforementioned rule would be applicable.
On the Central Government not notifying Section 243:
The Court discussed the case of SBI. V. Ramakrishnan and noted that the rationale behind not notifying Section 243 would be that the non-obstante clause under Section 238 gives the Code an overriding effect over other prevailing enactments. Section 243 has not been enforced, the proceedings pending under the PIA and PTIAct will continue. In addition to the same, the impugned notification was a consequence of the non-obstante clause given under Section 238. Thus, if a proceeding were to be instituted against a personal guarantor, it would be done under the Code.
On Section 1(3) of the Code:
It was held that the court had no occasion to consider what could be the effective exercise of power under Section 1(3). The 2018 amendment inserted Sections 2(e) and 60(2) for the purpose of strengthening the corporate insolvency process. During this period of time the Code was not made applicable to individuals which included personal guarantors.
The arguments pertaining to insolvency process, application of moratorium and other provisions are incongruous in nature and were declared unsubstantial in nature.
On the intent of the Central Government:
It was noted that the intent of the Parliament was to treat personal guarantors as a different species of individuals wherein the they shared a common adjudicating authority with the corporate debtor. Part II of the Code is applicable to corporate persons and Part III is applicable to that of individuals and it was noted that there is no inconsistency.
[1]State Bank of India v Anil Dhirajlal Ambani, IA No. 1009/2020 in CP(IB)/916/(MB)/2020 & IA No. 1010/2020 in CP(IB)/917/(MB)/2020
[2] State Bank of India v. V. Ramakrishanan, (2018) 17 SCC 394.
[3] Embassy Property Developments (P) Ltd. v State of Karnataka, (2020) 13 SCC 308.
[4] Para 52 of the judgement.
[5] A rule of interpretation meaning 'to each to each' usually applied in matters relating to property. When a sentence has multiple antecedents and consequents, they are to be read distributively. Each phrase or expression is to be referred to its appropriate object. (Black's Interpretation of Laws – kindly refer to para 87 of the judgement).
[6] Rajendra K. Bhutta v. Maharashtra Housing and Area, (2020) 13 SCC 208.
[7] When a resolution process has been initiated against an individual 'A' before the DRT a where 'A' has sought personal guarantee from company 'B', and if a resolution process has been initiated against company 'B' at NCLT the proceedings against 'A' will transfer from DRT to NCLT. (kindly refer to para 95 Of the judgement).
[8] SBI. V. Ramakrishnan (2018) 17 SCC 394.
[9] Provincial Insolvency Act of 1920.
[10] Presidency Towns Insolvency Act of 1909.
1. The Central Government by publishing the notification has not selectively applied the provisions of the Code. It not a compulsion that the Code is to be made applicable to all individuals. The impugned notification through Section 1(3) of the Code enforces provisions that particularly deal with the personal guarantors of corporate debtor, and this forms a mere sub-category of persons to whom the Code is extended. The impugned notification was issued within the power of the Parliament, with valid exercise of power.
2. Liability of the corporate debtor: The Court held that involuntary act of the principal debtor leading to loss of security, would not absolve a guarantor of its liability. The approval of a resolution plan is a contract of guarantee. The release or discharge of a principal borrower is done via the operation of law and it arises from an independent contract.
3. The impugned notification was held constitutional and petitions were dismissed.
https://www.barandbench.com/news/litigation/supreme-court-upholds-provisions-insolvency-and-bankruptcy-code-insolvency-personal-guarantors.
https://www.scconline.com/blog/post/tag/excessive-delegation-of-powers/
State Bank of India v. V. Ramakrishanan, (2018) 17 SCC 394.
Embassy Property Developments (P) Ltd. v State of Karnataka, (2020) 13 SCC 308.
Rajendra K. Bhutta v. Maharashtra Housing and Area, (2020) 13 SCC 208.
SBI. V. Ramakrishnan (2018) 17 SCC 394.
Provincial Insolvency Act of 1920.
Presidency Towns Insolvency Act of 1909.
We hope you all get some knowledge from these articles, please subscribe and share to your friends. If you need any kind of legal support our DMA lawyers firm will help you. Feel free to contact us.
bankruptcyInsolvency and BankruptcyInsolvency and Bankruptcy 2016


text:
Q: Task Parallel library waiting for method in loop to finish (.NET 4.0) wonder if you can help.
I have a listview displaying a list of Customer EG (Customer1,Customer2,Customer3 etc..)
Now each customer can have 1000s of orders to process so
The problem I have is that I would like to wait for processcustomer to finish before starting with new one,and
I dont know how to code it to make my "ProcessCustomer" in the loop to finish before can proceed with the next one.
Psuedo code below:
    public class form1
    {
        private void StartProcessingCustomer_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            foreach (ListViewItem item in lvwCustomers.Items)
            {
                customerPresenter.ProcessCustomer(item.Tag as Customer);
            }
        }
    }

    public class CustomerPresenter
    {
            private void ProcessCustomer(Customer customer)
            {
                CustomerProcessor customerProcessor=new CustomerProcessor();
                customerProcessor.OrderProcessing += OnCustomerProcessing;
                customerProcessor.OrderProcessed += OnCustomerProcessed;
                customerProcessor.TaskCompleted += OnCustomerCompleted;

                customerProcessor.ProcessCustomer(customer);

            }
    }

     public class CustomerProcessor
    {
        public CustomerProcessor()
        {

        }

        public void ProcessCustomer(Customer customer)
        {
            //simplified version with psuedo code

            cancelToken = new CancellationTokenSource();
            var parOpts = new ParallelOptions();
            parOpts.CancellationToken = cancelToken.Token;
            parOpts.MaxDegreeOfParallelism = -1;

            const int index = 0;
            try
            {
                sw.Start();
                processResult.StartedAt = DateTime.Now;
                Task t1 = Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
                {
                    try
                    {
                        Parallel.ForEach(customer.Orders, parOpts, (order, loopState) =>
                        {
                            count = Interlocked.Increment(ref count);
                            ProcessOrder(order, count);
                        });
                    }
                    catch (OperationCanceledException)
                    {
                       //omitted code
                    }

                }, cancelToken.Token).ContinueWith(result => OnTaskCompleted(
                {
                   //omitted code
                }), new CancellationTokenSource().Token, TaskContinuationOptions.None, TaskScheduler.FromCurrentSynchronizationContext());
            }

            catch (AggregateException ae)
            {
                //omitted code
            }
        }

        private void ProcessOrder(Order order, int index)
        {
            //we process the order here
        }

    }
    }

A: If you make your ProcessCustomer method return a Task, you can asynchronously wait for it's completion:
public Task ProcessCustomer(Customer customer)
{
     return Task.Factory.StartNew(() =>
     {
            try
            {
                Parallel.ForEach(customer.Orders, parOpts, (order, loopState) =>
                {
                    count = Interlocked.Increment(ref count);
                    ProcessOrder(order, count);
                });
            }
            catch (OperationCanceledException)
            {
               //omitted code
            }

     }, cancelToken.Token).ContinueWith(result => OnTaskCompleted(
     {
       //omitted code
     }), new CancellationTokenSource().Token, TaskContinuationOptions.None,
         TaskScheduler.FromCurrentSynchronizationContext());
}

Now you can:
//I'm assuming this is an event handler.
private async void SomeEventHandler(object sender, EventArgs e)
{
    foreach (ListViewItem item in lvwCustomers.Items)
    {
        await customerPresenter.ProcessCustomer(item.Tag as Customer);
    }
}

As you're using .NET 4.0, you'll need to use Microsoft.Bcl.Async to make async-await available.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
package ab.shared;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.InputStreamReader;
import java.net.URI;
import java.net.URISyntaxException;
import java.net.URL;

import java.security.SecureRandom;
import java.security.cert.CertificateException;
import java.security.cert.X509Certificate;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.List;

import javax.net.ssl.SSLContext;
import javax.net.ssl.TrustManager;
import javax.net.ssl.X509TrustManager;
import org.apache.http.client.HttpClient;
import org.apache.http.conn.ClientConnectionManager;
import org.apache.http.conn.scheme.Scheme;
import org.apache.http.conn.scheme.SchemeRegistry;
import org.apache.http.conn.ssl.SSLSocketFactory;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.DefaultHttpClient;

import org.apache.http.HttpEntity;
import org.apache.http.HttpResponse;
import org.apache.http.NameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.client.ClientProtocolException;
import org.apache.http.client.CookieStore;
import org.apache.http.client.entity.UrlEncodedFormEntity;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpGet;
import org.apache.http.client.methods.HttpPost;
import org.apache.http.client.protocol.ClientContext;
import org.apache.http.impl.client.BasicCookieStore;
import org.apache.http.message.BasicNameValuePair;
import org.apache.http.protocol.BasicHttpContext;
import org.apache.http.protocol.HttpContext;
import org.codehaus.jettison.json.JSONArray;
import org.codehaus.jettison.json.JSONException;
import org.codehaus.jettison.json.JSONObject;
import org.json.simple.parser.ParseException;

import com.freebase.json.JSON;
import com.google.api.client.http.ByteArrayContent;
import com.google.api.client.http.GenericUrl;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpContent;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpHeaders;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequest;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpRequestFactory;
import com.google.api.client.http.HttpTransport;
import com.google.api.client.http.javanet.NetHttpTransport;

/**
 *
 * This class reads a URL and can initially return a string representation of
 * the contents of the passed in URL
 *
 * @author Jose Cruz-Toledo
 *
 */
public class URLReader {
	// get log4j handler
	// private static fi nal Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(URLReader.class);

	private URL url;

	String contents;
	public CookieStore cookieStore;
	public HttpContext localContext;

	public URLReader(String scheme, String host, String path, String query) {
		cookieStore = new BasicCookieStore();
		localContext = new BasicHttpContext();
		localContext.setAttribute(ClientContext.COOKIE_STORE, cookieStore);
		// url = new URL(scheme+"://"+host+path+"/"+query);
		contents = this.getStringFromURLGET(scheme, host, path, query);
	}

	public URLReader(String scheme, String host, String path, String query,
			String key) {
		cookieStore = new BasicCookieStore();
		localContext = new BasicHttpContext();
		localContext.setAttribute(ClientContext.COOKIE_STORE, cookieStore);
		contents = this.getStringFromPOST(scheme, host, path, query, key);
		// contents = this.getStringFromURLPOST(scheme, host, path, query, key);
	}

	private String getStringFromURLPOST(String scheme, String host,
			String path, String query, String key) {
		String rm = null;
		String uri = scheme + "://" + host + "/" + path;
		HttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();
		HttpPost post = new HttpPost(uri);
		try {
			List<NameValuePair> nvp = new ArrayList<NameValuePair>(2);
			nvp.add(new BasicNameValuePair("query", query));
			nvp.add(new BasicNameValuePair("key", key));
			post.setEntity(new UrlEncodedFormEntity(nvp));
			HttpResponse resp = client.execute(post);
			HttpEntity entity = resp.getEntity();
			if (entity != null) {
				InputStream is = entity.getContent();
				String s = convertinputStreamToString(is);
				rm = s;
				// Do not need the rest
				post.abort();
				return rm;
			}
		} catch (ClientProtocolException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		} catch (IOException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		}
		return rm;
	}

	private String getStringFromPOST(String scheme, String host, String path,
			String query, String key) {
		String rm = null;
		try {
			HttpTransport httpTransport = new NetHttpTransport();
			HttpRequestFactory httpRequestFactory = httpTransport
					.createRequestFactory();
			String data = "query=" + query + "&key=" + key;
			HttpContent content = new ByteArrayContent(
					"application/x-www-form-urlencoded", data.getBytes());
			GenericUrl url = new GenericUrl(
					"https://www.googleapis.com/freebase/v1/mqlread");
			HttpRequest request = httpRequestFactory.buildPostRequest(url,
					content);
			HttpHeaders headers = new HttpHeaders();
			headers.put("X-HTTP-Method-Override", "GET");
			request.setHeaders(headers);
			com.google.api.client.http.HttpResponse response = request
					.execute();
			InputStream is = response.getContent();
			if (is != null) {
				String s = convertinputStreamToString(is);
				rm = s;
				return rm;
			}
		} catch (IOException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		}
		return rm;
	}

	private String getStringFromURLGET(String scheme, String host, String path,
			String query) {
		String returnMe;
		try {
			URI uri = new URI(scheme, host, path, query, null);
			DefaultHttpClient client = new DefaultHttpClient();
			HttpGet get = new HttpGet(uri);
			try {
				HttpResponse response = client.execute(get, localContext);
				HttpEntity entity = response.getEntity();
				if (entity != null) {
					InputStream is = entity.getContent();
					String s = convertinputStreamToString(is);
					returnMe = s;
					// Do not need the rest
					get.abort();
					return returnMe;
				}
			} catch (ClientProtocolException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			} catch (IOException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			}

		} catch (URISyntaxException e) {
			e.printStackTrace();
		} catch (Exception e1) {
			e1.printStackTrace();
		}
		return null;
	}

	private DefaultHttpClient getSecuredHttpClient(HttpClient httpClient)
			throws Exception {
		final X509Certificate[] _AcceptedIssuers = new X509Certificate[] {};
		try {
			SSLContext ctx = SSLContext.getInstance("TLS");
			X509TrustManager tm = new X509TrustManager() {
				@Override
				public X509Certificate[] getAcceptedIssuers() {
					return _AcceptedIssuers;
				}

				@Override
				public void checkServerTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain,
						String authType) throws CertificateException {
				}

				@Override
				public void checkClientTrusted(X509Certificate[] chain,
						String authType) throws CertificateException {
				}
			};
			ctx.init(null, new TrustManager[] { tm }, new SecureRandom());
			SSLSocketFactory ssf = new SSLSocketFactory(ctx,
					SSLSocketFactory.ALLOW_ALL_HOSTNAME_VERIFIER);
			ClientConnectionManager ccm = httpClient.getConnectionManager();
			SchemeRegistry sr = ccm.getSchemeRegistry();
			sr.register(new Scheme("https", 443, ssf));
			return new DefaultHttpClient(ccm, httpClient.getParams());
		} catch (Exception e) {
			throw e;
		}
	}

	public String convertinputStreamToString(InputStream ists)
			throws IOException {

		if (ists != null) {
			StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder();
			String line;

			try {
				BufferedReader r1 = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(
						ists, "UTF-8"));
				while ((line = r1.readLine()) != null) {
					sb.append(line).append("\n");
				}
			} finally {
				ists.close();
			}
			return sb.toString();
		} else {
			return "";
		}
	}

	/**
	 * @return the url
	 */
	public URL getUrl() {
		return url;
	}

	/**
	 * @param url
	 *            the url to set
	 */
	public void setUrl(URL url) {
		this.url = url;
	}

	/**
	 * @return A string representation of the contents of the URL
	 */
	public String getContents() {
		return contents;
	}

	public JSON getJSONContents() {
		JSON returnMe = null;
		if (contents.length() > 0) {
			try {
				returnMe = JSON.parse(contents);
				return returnMe;
			} catch (ParseException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			}
		}
		return returnMe;
	}

	public JSONObject getJSON() {

		JSONObject rm = null;
		if (contents.length() > 0) {
			try {
				rm = new JSONObject(contents);
				return rm;
			} catch (JSONException e) {
				e.printStackTrace();
			}
		}

		return null;
	}

	/**
	 * @param contents
	 *            the contents to set
	 */
	public void setContents(String contents) {
		this.contents = contents;
	}

	@Override
	public String toString() {
		return "URLReader [url=" + url + ", contents=" + contents + "]";
	}

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


The European Commission is launching a resource for public sector organisations to share open source code and applications.
The uncatchily named OSOR (Open Source Observatory and Repository) aims to improve the return on investment of open source projects and to make applications more interoperable.
The resource is aimed purely at the public sector, and the Commission believes it will be successful because of the large number of similar projects being conducted by local and national governmental organisations across the European Union.
The main extension is the creation of a repository of source and object code, and information on the use of applications, licences and contract material.
Karel De Vriendt, head of the EU's e-government services unit and one of the driving forces behind the project, said: "The new OSOR should become the preferred co-operation tool to speed up software pooling among Member States."
Eddie Bleasdale, owner of consultancy NetProject, said: "I would question the need for a government initiative to manage the source code for open source projects. 'What's wrong with SourceForge?' is my view. It's got all the tools that you want."
Google has also set up an alternative resource, by creating a repository where programmers can host software projects.
GoogleCode allows discussions in much the same way as the European Commission is trying to encourage, but it does not host projects under all open source licences.
OSOR's format will be decided this year and it will be operational from late next year.


text:
Felixstowe News
Hadleigh News
Stowmarket News
Woodbridge News
Suffolk News
About Ipswich
History of Ipswich
Reasons to visit Ipswich
Days Out in Ipswich
Famous Ipswich People
Copy Deadlines & Publication Dates
Vacancies – Employment opportunities
Ipswich24 Magazine on Facebook Ipswich24 Magazine on Twitter Ipswich24 Magazine on YouTube RSS Feed
READ BACK ISSUES HERE»
12 Britannia Road
Ipswich IP4 4PE
Ipswich – Karen Hales murder, 25th anniversary appeal
Written by Ipswich24, 21/11/2018
Today (21st November) marks the 25th anniversary of the brutal murder of a young mother at her home in Ipswich, as police renew appeals for people to come forward with information.
Karen Hales' body was discovered at her home address in Lavenham Road by her parents at approximately 4.40pm, on Sunday 21 November 1993.
21-year-old Karen was found in the kitchen and had received multiple stab wounds and her body had been set alight. Her 18-month-old daughter was also in the house, but was fortunately unharmed.
A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was attributed to shock and haemorrhage, secondary to multiple stab wounds.
Suffolk Police immediately launched a murder inquiry, involving a dedicated team of around 50 officers. They interviewed witnesses, carried-out fingertip searches, forensically examined Karen's home and surrounding area, conducted house to house enquiries and questioned over 400 motorists in the hope that they might have seen something.
At the time, the investigation was one of the biggest murder hunts in Suffolk's criminal history.
Detectives involved in the investigation followed up more than 1,400 lines of enquiry and a major publicity campaign created a vast flow of information from members of the public to the incident room.
Karen had been living at her home address in Lavenham Road with her long term partner Peter and baby daughter Emily.
On the day Karen was murdered, Sunday, 21 November 1993, the day started ordinarily enough. Karen and Peter had spent the day visiting family and watching the television.
At 3pm Peter started getting ready for his afternoon shift at his place of work. Karen made him sandwiches and at 3.50pm, she and Emily waved goodbye from the window.
Ten minutes later Peter arrived at work. Soon after, Karen's parents Geraldine and Graham Hales came to talk to him about a problem they were having with their car. When he told them Karen was alone at home they decided to visit her.
At 4.40pm they knocked on her door, but there was no answer. Graham let himself in and could immediately smell smoke coming from the kitchen and it was there he found his daughter.
25 years on from Karen's death, detectives are renewing their appeal to the public in the hope that someone will come forward with vital information which could help solve this murder.
Detective Superintendent Andy Smith, who is now the senior investigating officer for this unsolved case, said:
"It is hard to find the right words to appropriately reflect the utterly depraved nature of this shocking murder.
"Karen was a 21-year-old mother when she was brutally murdered in her own home. She was stabbed multiple times and set fire to in the presence of her then 18-month-old daughter Emily. Tragically her parents discovered her body shortly after she had been murdered.
"25 years on Karen's murder continues to torment her family on a daily basis.
"It is for these reasons we will not give up in our efforts to pursue the person responsible for this horrendous crime.
"Following the initial murder inquiry, there have been a number of subsequent reviews including an ongoing focused re-investigation.
"As part of our current investigation, we have conducted a range of enquiries. This includes revisiting a number of witnesses, reviewing hundreds of items seized during the original inquiry and investing heavily in targeted forensic examinations utilising modern scientific techniques which were previously unavailable.
"This 25 year anniversary presents as another significant opportunity to make a renewed appeal for information which may lead us to the person responsible. In that regard I am making specific appeals for information.
"Whilst we have interviewed numerous people who knew Karen, I want to be absolutely sure we have spoken to everyone, especially those people who had some form of interaction with her, no matter how minor, in the weeks and days leading up to her murder on Sunday 21 November 1993.
"I would also appeal to the many people whom we have spoken to previously to carefully reflect on what they have told us and ask them to contact us if they have anything new, or additional, they would now like to tell us, again no matter how minor or seemingly unimportant.
"Another aspect of my appeal is to those who may know or have known the person responsible. Whilst the motive for Karen's murder remains unclear it is likely that someone close to the killer, a relative, friend or other acquaintance may have noticed unusual behaviour either before, or after, Sunday 21 November 1993.
"For whatever reason you may not have felt you could come forward at the time, but for the sake of Karen's family we would ask you to please come forward now."
Anyone who believes they may have information which could assist with the investigation into this murder should contact the Joint Norfolk and Suffolk Major Crime Review Team: either by uploading information to the online portal https://mipp.police.uk/operation/3637020114K39-PO1; by calling 01953 423819; or by emailing unsolvedcasereviews@norfolk.pnn.police.uk
Alternatively you can contact the charity Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111, or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously
More Stories From Ipswich News
Suffolk continue with 'inquisitive' approach
Review: Snow Queen Panto
New parents claiming Child Benefit reminded to register births
About Ipswich24
If you have a story for us please get in touch. We cannot guarantee to use everything but we will consider all submissions. For advertising options in our magazine you can call us on 01473 351270 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm)
Ipswich24 Magazine | Giornalismo | Copyright ©2021 | Log in

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Sophomore Jacob Toppin would like to think one day he could play in the NBA with his brother, Obi. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Toppin might have been right about brother's potential
By Winchester Sun
Published 9:08 am Tuesday, December 8, 2020
BY LARRY VAUGHT, Sports correspondent
Kentucky sophomore Jacob Toppin gave the nation a look at what he could do for UK this year when he got six second-half points in the loss to Kansas.
Maybe his brother, Obi Toppin — the best player in college basketball last season and the recent No. 8 pick in the NBA draft by the New York Knicks — was right about his younger brother's potential when he said he felt he could one day join him in the NBA.
"It means a lot because that's my brother and I look up to him. I'm just trying to work every day, getting better in the gym and hopefully one day that dream can come true," said Toppin, a transfer from Rhode Island.
The Knicks also have former UK players Kevin Knox, Julius Randle, Nerlens Noel, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist and Nick Richards on the roster.
"I'm from New York so I was always really a New York Knicks fan. And that's big for my brother because he was a Knicks fan too, so to be able to play for the Knicks, that's big time," Jacob Toppin said.
"I'm going to try to watch all the games because I want to see my brother play. I want to see his development and how he does. I'm definitely looking forward to that. I'm just going to keep working every day and hopefully I can get to that point."
The Toppin brothers got their athleticism from their father.
"I used to watch him play all the time when I was younger whether it was in street ball games or whether it was in the city playing at parks," Jacob Toppin said. "He is –- he was –- a great player. He was very energetic like me and my brother and he was very athletic."
Stoops hopes Wildcats can end challenging season 'the right way'
Mark Stoops is hopeful Kentucky can finish the season on a high note when the Wildcats play host to South... read more


text: eyePlorer map for 'Charles, Duke of Orléans': Amboise Duke of Orléans John the Fearless Louis I, Duke of Orléans Paris Asti Beaumont Blois Coucy Gian Galeazzo Visconti Italy Milan Valentina Visconti Valois List of French-language poets Bernard VII of Armagnac 1415 Battle of Agincourt Kingdom of England October 25 Wallingford Castle Henry V of England Isabella of Portugal (1397-1471) Philip the Good Order of the Golden Fleece Orléans Charles VI of France Compiègne Isabella of Valois Richard II of England Jeanne of Valois (1409-1432) John II, Duke of Alençon Bonne d'Armagnac Adolph I, Duke of Cleves Marie de Clèves (1426–1487) Marie of Orléans (1457–1493) Mazères, Ariège Saint Omer Fontevraud Abbey Louis XII of France Poitiers Hella Haasse Margaret Frazer Battle of Bosco Marengo Charles de Valois Charles, duc d'Orléans (disambiguation) 1460s in poetry Chant royal Is she not passing fair? John, Count of Angoulême


text:
Unknown 9:39 am Accumulation Of The Day,
Wigan Athletic have appointed Warren Joyce, the Manchester United Under-21 boss, as manager.
The 51-year-old former Bolton, Preston, Plymouth, Burnley and Hull City midfielder has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract with the struggling Championship club.
Chairman David Sharpe said: "Warren has everything we are looking for."
Joyce succeeds Gary Caldwell, who was sacked on 25 October, five months after winning promotion from League One.
Joyce, whose United team have finished top of the FA Professional U21 Development League for the past two seasons, will take charge of Wigan for the first time when they host Reading this Saturday.
Sharpe added: "He is an exceptional coach, who has a reputation within the game for being among the very best at bringing through young players, as his record at Manchester United shows.
"More than that, he has a winning mentality which transmits to his players and he has achieved great success in his time at United.
Arsenal Fc Vs Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool Fc Vs Watford Fc
Hull City Vs Southampton Fc
Southampton Fc Draw no bet
Swansea City Vs Manchester United
Leicester City Vs West Bromwich Albion


Ge Cafe French Door Oven Attractive The High End Trend Official Blog Of Elite Along With 19 | Puacomic.com ge cafe french door oven and microwave. ge cafe french door oven manual. ge cafe french door oven reviews.
Ge Cafe French Door Oven Motivate GE Caf Series 30 Built In Single Convection Wall Regarding 2. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Residence GE CT9070SHSS 30 Inch Single Electric Wall With Regarding 3. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Product Insight GE Wall Ovens Sears And Also 4. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Interesting GE Caf Series 30 Built In Single Convection Wall Along With 5. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Residence GE Wall YouTube Regarding 6. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Comfy CT9070SHSS GE 30 Built In Single Convection Wall Pertaining To 7. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Encourage GE CT9070SHSS Caf Series 30 Built In Along With 8. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Interesting Image Result For Wall In Corner Kitchen Addition To 9. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Aspiration Thoughtful Details Monogram S Wall YouTube Intended For 10. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Inspire Appliance Trend AJ Madison Learning Center Along With 11. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Incredible Doors And Silicon Valley Brains Fine Homebuilding As Well 12. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Encourage 3599 JcPenney GE Caf 30 Built In Single Wall Addition To 13. Ge Cafe French Door Oven GE CT9070SHSS Caf Series 30 Built In With Regard To 14. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Cozy Innovative Design That Will Blow You Away Friedman S Ideas For 15. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Awesome GE Refrigerator 36 Inch Black Stainless Steel Intended For 16. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Comfortable GE CT9800SHSS 30 Inch Built In Combination Wall With True Along 17. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Fantasy Lovely Wall Double Regarding 18. Ge Cafe French Door Oven Attractive The High End Trend Official Blog Of Elite Along With 19.


text:
Band To Watch: Young & Sick
Band To Watch January 28, 2014 3:52 PM By Chris DeVille
Here's what some Googling will tell you about Young & Sick, the self-described "music and art project" based out of New York and Los Angeles: It's the brainchild of a guy named Nick who grew up in Holland. He's done cover art for Foster The People, Maroon 5, Robin Thicke, and Mikky Ekko, and T-shirts he designed are sold at Urban Outfitters. He's well-connected enough to have a press photo shot by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, the French fashion photographer who directed iconic videos for Madonna, David Bowie, Sting, Björk, and Don Henley. Young & Sick released a song called "House Of Spirits" in October 2012 — at which point he had no social media presence — and followed that by releasing a second song, "Continuum," through the anonymous online underworld known as Tor as a statement about the value of privacy. That song eventually made its way to more traditional channels after Young & Sick signed to the Capitol subsidiary Harvest Records. He also guested on MMOTHS' single "For Her" last year. Two more songs, the gorgeous "Magnolia" and "Willow," emerged this month in advance of three Young & Sick live shows next week. The project is also playing Coachella in April.
Here's what some listening will tell you about Young & Sick: He's making some seriously wonderful music. The 26-year-old specializes in sleek liquid R&B that seals up gentle simmering soul under a widescreen '80s pop veneer. Nick's lyrics are about simple, universal subjects like taking time to appreciate natural beauty and giving yourself over to all-consuming love, but the nuanced music behind him is anything but basic. On first pass, I described it like so: "A voice that conjures the gentle crystalline coo of Hot Chip's Alexis Taylor is set against production that synthesizes Autre Ne Veut's damaged-psyche pop, How To Dress Well's ethereal R&B, and M83's big-dreams-big-sky new wave. In other words, he's familiar yet oh-so otherworldly." Upon further reflection, I shortened my assessment to "fucking magnificent."
The mystery around Young & Sick has been gradually dissipating, and things are about to become even clearer. The project plays its first live shows next week in Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and Washington D.C., and a Coachella appearance is booked for April. A self-titled debut album is also coming this spring, one that Nick suggests will be more uptempo than the four songs he's released so far. He spoke about the project's past, present, and future from frigid New York last week between rehearsals for that initial run of shows.
STEREOGUM: Your social media makes it clear that Young & Sick is an art project that covers a lot of different mediums, but did you get your start in one or the other? Did you start doing visual stuff and then move into music?
YOUNG & SICK: I remember always drawing and always either singing or playing the guitar. I don't know which one I dove into the deepest first. I think they kind've always started at the same time. You know, you start scribbling as a kid. You'll start drumming on things as a kid, or humming or whatever. So I don't know if there was ever one point when I decided that one was more important, but they've always… From the start, up to today, they take about 50/50 of my time, whether it is making a song or doing an album cover for someone or just drawing something for myself or whatever, anything in that sort. But it's always 50/50 time spent I think.
STEREOGUM: How did you get into doing artwork and video works for other musicians? What was your gateway into that?
YOUNG & SICK: My first client was this band from Petaluma near Santa Rosa, California, called the Velvet Teen. And they were friends with Mark Foster, who is the Foster The People singer. Then Mark was trying to do the same thing I do. He was trying to come up with music, and he was writing a lot of songs, and it was back in the day of MySpace, really. And I was doing stuff for him, and we became friends — talking more and more. And then at some point he got signed, and that got me to do the whole Foster The People thing because we were friends. That's why I'm still doing it, because we just enjoy each other's art. So I kept that contact. And through them, I got asked to do the Maroon 5 cover, and through Maroon 5 I got asked to do the Robin Thicke cover, and so on and so on. And then the most recent thing was, again, Foster The People, where we did that large-ass mural in Los Angeles.
STEREOGUM: Yeah I saw that. It's humongous. Is it that the biggest thing you've done, in terms of size?
YOUNG & SICK: Definitely. Definitely.
STEREOGUM: As you've already alluded to, I imagine that your visual art and your music are kind of interconnected.
YOUNG & SICK: Yeah. To me it takes away a lot of the vanity of music right now. I think if you can say it with some art, I think it speaks louder than any sort of photo where you're trying look sexy into a camera and become the big pop star. If you can keep all that vanity away and let the music and art speak for itself, I think it creates a much stronger image than anything.
STEREOGUM: So is that why you aren't showing your face and all that?
YOUNG & SICK: Yeah, I mean, it's not like I'm anonymous. I'm not trying to be interesting or hide behind anything. I just don't enjoy the whole vanity that music has taken on where it's become more of a fashion show and music comes in second place.
STEREOGUM: I know you have a couple live shows in a couple weeks and you're doing Coachella. Have there been live shows before with this project?
YOUNG & SICK: No. The show in Philadelphia on the 2nd, that's going to be the first ever show.
STEREOGUM: Can you give any sort of hint of what it's going to be like?
YOUNG & SICK: Right now it's the three of us — and this might extend, but at the moment we're playing as a little power trio. And there's some [parts] that we all sing, and I play bass and I sing. We're actually — I'm standing outside the rehearsal room right now, and it's freezing.
STEREOGUM: You're in New York right now, right?
YOUNG & SICK: I am in New York.
STEREOGUM: Are your bandmates from New York too?
YOUNG & SICK: Yeah, they're from around here.
STEREOGUM: Have you ever released any music under previous identities or anything? Do you have old records before Young & Sick was the name?
YOUNG & SICK: Well, I used to be in a lot of bands, and I've always switched between monitors and things. I've tried a lot of things, and I feel like I finally found my voice and I've finally found the sound I'm comfortable with and enjoy and I really feel strongly about. So yeah, I have done numerous things. I think I was in my first band when I was about 16 years old. There are numerous little demo tapes sprawled across various bedrooms for sure. But yeah, this will be the first real thing I guess.
STEREOGUM: You mentioned finally finding your voice. When you were kind of conceiving the musical side of Young & Sick, was there a specific vision for what you wanted it to sound like? What informed what you were doing?
YOUNG & SICK: No. I mean, I kind of closed myself off of a lot of new music, even though it may not sound like I did. I tried to look to much older projects and much older bands that I enjoy to conceive this whole thing and to get a sound. But I'm trying as much as possible to just look at myself for writing, then obviously taking some hints from older things such as, I don't know, Steely Dan or Horace Silver or even D'Angelo and anything with soul to it. And I was lucky to catch an early wave of this — I mean, it's silly. R&B has never really gone away, it's just gotten more interesting lately because it kind of sat still in the late '90s and early 2000s where it stayed in a certain form. Now that a lot of the ego is out of it, it can take on many new amazing forms. For Young & Sick, the sound that it has right now, the two EPs that are out do sound a lot different from the album, but the signature is still there. The album is quite a bit more uptempo. The album is coming out in spring — I'm not sure about the date just yet. We're just going to keep evolving. I don't think about the sound. It comes quite naturally.
STEREOGUM: I know you made a lot of references points on the musical side. I'm a lot less versed in art history and the visual side of things and design. But I guess, are there certain ideas that work in the visual side of what you're doing?"
YOUNG & SICK: I'm also not very versed in the art world, and I don't know enough about it. I get a lot of people that say that my stuff looks a lot like Keith Haring's, and I can see that. I like to take inspiration from a lot of tribes around the world, like their blunt tribal expressions are very simplistic and linear. And that line work of especially Native American tribes has definitely always spoken to me a lot. It's blunt simplicity, you know? All the art is very simple. So yeah I don't know either. I don't visit museums very often. I should, maybe.
STEREOGUM: Maybe, but it seems to be working out well enough without the background. I was wondering about some of the songs in particular. The lyrics to "Willow" talk a lot about stopping and observing and appreciating the world around you."
YOUNG & SICK: Yes, very much.
STEREOGUM: It's interesting to me because "stop and smell the roses" has always been an age old saying but it seems especially appropriate now with everyone tied to their devices and all that. That's a correct read on the song, right?
YOUNG & SICK: Yeah. I grew up in the middle of nowhere — you know, the forest always around us, all this beautiful nature. And when I moved to London for the first time, I was about 21, I kind of lost touch of that whole nature part, because you take it for granted because you grew up around it. But then when I moved to L.A. I became so much more involved in walking around places like Joshua Tree or even just Griffith Park or just any stretched-out piece of nature, or just going out to Zion or places like that. It's kind of like an eye opener, you know? Just really going back to just having nothing, turning your phone off, just walking around, and climbing a willow. It's a very simple song, but it's just about that appreciation. I don't know if you've ever been to Joshua Tree, but that was a massive eye opener for me, just to sleep there under the stars and really just listen to nothing.
STEREOGUM: Yeah, I haven't been, but I would love to sometime.
YOUNG & SICK: It's an amazing place, it's as if you landed on Mars. There's just nothing, no distractions. Take your guitar and some bourbon and you're good.
STEREOGUM: Man, that sounds great. So, in the "Magnolia" video, I noticed there was a lot of liquid imagery going on there, with the bubbles and the waves and all that. Can you unpack that a little bit?
YOUNG & SICK: It's actually my friend, DJ Dials in San Francisco, who made that with me. I only gave him my little drawings that are flowing through that, and I told him to do whatever he wanted. I just told him to see what the song says to you, and he made all of this mock-up imagery of tiny bubbles and oceans. The song is a very liquid-y song to me, and he got it right and very close in that way, you know? And he sent me back some early things, and we tweaked some, and it was such a quick process because I instantly loved what he did. And I just like that it could be a music video but it could also be a backdrop for a live set. It's very — I don't know, I like the psychedelic '70s. Yeah, so it was his idea, and I just love it.
STEREOGUM: Is there going to be kind of a visual side to the live show? Videos and all that?
YOUNG & SICK: Yeah, I think so. Right now we're just going to let the music speak for itself and just be a band first and not worry too much about presentation — just play music the best we can, and then fully build it out and let it grow slowly. By the end we want it to be a big visual stage show. That is going to grow over time.
STEREOGUM: Out of all of the visual projects you've done, do you have a favorite? Is there one that really sticks with you like, "Wow I'm really happy with the way that turned out"?
YOUNG & SICK: Well, I've enjoyed everything. You know, all the visuals were pleasures or I wouldn't have done them. But I must say that seeing the Foster The People mural come together was something else. I was in New York for all of it, and they made it in L.A. I made the art but they had a big team that just spent day after night, just shift after shift to get that whole building filled in. I still haven't seen it in person — which is just crazy to me — but I think that seeing that happen on such an ginormous scale is quite something. And [Foster The People] played a show in front of it last night, and the photos look amazing.
STEREOGUM: Yeah, I saw that. It was pretty crazy.
YOUNG & SICK: Yeah, that's not something I could've told you was going to happen at any point in my life.
STEREOGUM: How did you settle on the name Young & Sick?
YOUNG & SICK: It's quite a funny one. My manager Aaron, he and I used to live in London. And he moved back to New Orleans because he had another year going to school there. I used to design a lot of posters for him when I was a little younger, because he was throwing a load of parties over there. And one of them, I gave that name, Young & Sick, and made a poster. I sat with it, and it just started growing on me. I thought it was such a funny name. It almost sounds like a rapper. I always thought that was funny. And the dot-com was available, which is always a big sign in this day and age and is quite the factor. You know, did anyone come up with my idea? So it was sweet, and I went for it.
Young & Sick's album is coming this spring via Harvest. live dates:
02/02 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brendas
02/04 Brooklyn, NY @ Rough Trade
02/05 Washington, DC @ DC9
04/12 Indio, CA @ Coachella
[Photo by Jean-Baptiste Mondino]
Chris DeVille Staff chrisdeville
Young & Sick
more from Band To Watch


text:
IF: 0.644
REUTERS THOMSON
Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal
Monthly Publication of Iranian Hospital, Dubai
All Issues Current Issue In Press
Journal Information Boards and Committees Indexing and Listing Sources Journal Metrics Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement Contact Us
Successful Treatment of Pemphigus Vulgaris With the Extensive Mucocutaneous Lesions in an Elderly Patient
Mohsen Masjedi 1 , * , Ali Asilian 2 , Zabihollah Shahmoradi 2 , Parvin Rajabi Dehnavi 2 , Bahareh Abtahi Naeini 2 , 3
1 Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran
2 Department of Dermatology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran
3 Medicine Students' Research Committee, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran
* Corresponding Author: Mohsen Masjedi, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, IR Iran. Tel: +98-9132705806, Fax: +98-3117922431, E-mail: masjedi@med.mui.ac.ir
Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal: 16 (6); e13967
Article Type: Case Report
Received: August 3, 2013
Revised: October 31, 2013
Accepted: January 28, 2014
DOI : 10.5812/ircmj.13967
Introduction: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic and infrequent autoimmune mucocutaneous disease that is characterized by the loose blisters and erosions on the skin and mucous membrane. Middle-aged adults are affect most frequently and the elderly and juvenile cases are infrequent. Herein, we reported a case of pemphigus vulgaris in an elderly patient.
Case Presentation: We reported a case of pemphigus vulgaris in a 79-year-old patient with the extensive mucocutaneous lesions. We also reviewed the literature in MEDLINE with keywords such as pemphigus vulgaris, elderly, mucocutaneous lesions, oral lesions, and treatment.
Discussion: We have to stress that the importance of this case report is its presentation in an elderly patient, as the frequent age of presentation in the Iranian patients is the middle age. On the other hand, PV occurs rarely, thus, the reporting of any rare case with some exceptions is important.
Pemphigus Aged Therapeutics
Copyright © 2014, Iranian Red Crescent Medical Journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits copy and redistribute the material just in noncommercial usages, provided the original work is properly cited.
Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is an autoimmune vesiculobullous skin disease in which the immune system produces autoantibody against the specific proteins of the desmosomal adhesion complex that lead to the intraepidermal blister formation (1). The pathogenesis of this disease is not fully understood yet (2). PV is an infrequent disease; its incidence changes from 0.5 to 3.2 cases per 100000 individuals. Basically, PV covers an extensive age range with the peak frequency between the third and sixth decades of life (3). Although PV most frequently affects middle-aged adults, we report the case of a 79-year-old elderly patient with the extensive PV lesions who remitted completely with a combination therapy of oral prednisolone and azathioprine. Thus, we have to stress the importance of this case report in the elderly, as the mean age of presentation in the Iranian patients is the middle age, and not the elderly (4). On the other hand, PV occurs rarely (5); thus, reporting any rare case with some exceptions is of great importance.
2. Case Presentation
A 79-year-old man from Fereydunshahr Town, Isfahan Province, Iran, was referred to the Dermatology Clinic of Al-Zahra Hospital of Isfahan with the bullous lesions on his head. Two months before the development of these lesions, the patient had lesions on his trunk, face, and gingivae. Neither of the common sites in the oral cavity were affected except the gingivae. There was no evidence of tense blisters and itch. There was no history of urticarial lesions. He had no history of using any medication (Table 1). Intraoral examination showed erosions and desquamation with the erythematous areas on the gingivae, which were not healing. Crusted plaques were also seen on his scalp, face, and trunk (Figures 1 and 2). With the suspicion of PV, the biopsy specimen was taken from pemphigus lesions. Histopathological study of the skin lesion showed a suprabasal bulla containing some acantholytic cells. The basal cells rendered a tombstone appearance. In the dermis, there was a mild, superficial perivascular, lymphocytic infiltrate with a few eosinophils. The direct immunofluorescence (DIF) study also showed the characteristics deposition of IgG in the lace-like pattern. Hence, based on the clinical, histopathological, and immunofluorescence examination findings, the patient was diagnosed with PV (Table 1). Subsequently, he received systemic therapy with the oral prednisolone at an initial dosage of 70 mg/day (1 mg/kg/day), and azathioprine to reduce the inflammatory response and autoantibody production. He was advised to follow his treatment. Accordingly, the consent form was obtained from the patient and the study protocol conformed to the ethical guidelines of the 1975 Declaration of Helsinki as reflected in a prior approval by the Institution's Human Research Committee; the patient was followed for four years from October 2008 to October 2012. In October 2012, he was admitted to a local Clinic and the dose of prednisolone was slowly tapered down to 12.5 mg/day (a decrease of 5 mg every two weeks). Following physical examination, interestingly, the past lesions were completely healed (Figure 3) and it clearly demonstrated complete remission achieved four years from diagnosis. Accordingly, the skin biopsy was taken from the erythematous back, and the test showed the weak in vivo IgG deposition at the intercellular level in the stratum basale, stratum spinosum, and the basement membrane in the healed area of the skin (Figure 4). The patient remained under the treatment of 10 mg/day and 100 mg/day of prednisolone and azathioprine, respectively. He also received 1000-mg/day calcium and 400-IU/day vitamin D3 for the treatment of osteoporosis for the following two months.
Table 1. Different Variables of Pemphigus Vulgaris Reported in This Casea
Age, y 79
Patient's History No drug history, no urticarial lesions
Clinical Findings Lesions on the scalp; ulcer and hemorrhagic crust on the trunk
Mucosal Lesions Oral lesions: erosions and desquamation with the erythematous areas on the gingiva (desquamative gingivitis)
Pathological Findings A suprabasal bulla containing some acantholytic cells. The basal cells rendered a "tombstone" appearance. In the dermis, a mild, superficial perivascular, lymphocytic infiltrate with a few eosinophils were seen.
DIF and IIF IgG, in the dermis; deposition of IgG in the lace-like pattern
Diagnosis Pemphigus vulgaris
Treatment The initial low-dose 70-mg/d oral prednisolone, then tapered to 50 mg/d, subsequently a 5 mg reduction of prednisolone every two weeks led to complete remission of lesions, The patient remained under the treatment of 10mg/d and 100 mg/d of prednisolone and azathioprine, respectively.
Complication Osteoporosis
aAbbreviations: DIF, direct immunofluorescence; and IIF, indirect immunofluorescence.
Figure 1. Pemphigus Vulgaris Lesions (Ulcer and Heavy Crust) on the Scalp
Figure 2. Pemphigus Vulgaris Ulcer and Hemorrhagic Crust on the Trunk
Figure 3. Pemphigus Vulgaris Following Successful Treatment
Wound healing and tissue repair of the scalp and trunk in the patient following four-year successful treatment with prednisolone and azathioprine.
Figure 4. Direct immunofluorescence microscopy (DIF) of the cutaneous lesions revealed weak in vivo IgG deposition on the keratinocyte cell surface from the mid to upper epidermal layers (weakly positive lace-like pattern in the epidermis, original magnification x100).
3. Discussion
We reported a case of PV in an elderly patient with the extensive mucocutaneous lesions and his successful treatment. We have recently shown that the mean age of patients at PV onset is 40.19 years in the central provinces of Iran; the youngest patient in our study was 17 years old. Although Langan et al. have reported that the median age at presentation in the UK is 71 years old (range, 21-102) (6), our finding were consistent with the finding of Asilian et al. who have found the mean age at onset of 41.1 years in the central areas of Iran (4). On the other hand, Martel et al. reported that PV incidence displays two peak in the third and sixth decades of life (5). In addition, several other studies have shown that PV occurs most frequently at the fifth decade of life and not in the elderly (7, 8). Moreover, we must stress that the elderly people are prone to development of the blistering disorders, especially the autoimmune bullous disorders such as the bullous pemphigoid. Although the main reason is not fully known, it could be partially explained by the immunologic dysregulation that occurs with aging. Another potential reason is the differences in the skin of elderly patients in comparison with the younger adults' skin. In fact, one study suggested that chemical induction of early blisters occurs more readily in the elderly skin in comparison with the younger adults' skin (9).
PV is a serious disease that needs treatment as it is almost fetal if left untreated. Treatment consists of corticosteroids, gold-containing drugs, or immunosuppressor medications such as azathioprine and methotrexate. Plasmapheresis and the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody may be used in addition to the systemic drugs to decrease the concentration of antibodies in the bloodstream (10). Unfortunately, the use of high-dose systemic corticosteroids is associated with complications such as osteoporosis and corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia (11).
Prognosis is not very promising in the patients with the extensive PV and in the elderly patients. Our patient was an elderly man and used a combination of prednisolone and azathioprine for four years; however, he survived and only showed osteoporosis, which might be due to long-term consumption of prednisolone; however, aging is another important risk factor for osteoporosis. The osteoporosis in this patient would be due to a combination of prednisolone therapy and aging. In fact, there were two reasons for the complete remission of this patient. The first one was taking medication. The patient received the initial low-dose oral prednisolone at the concentration of 70 mg/day for ten days while he was hospitalized. Subsequently, the prednisolone dose was reduced to 50 mg/day until two months prior to readmission to the hospital. The reason for this decrease was minimizing the risk of potential side effects (3). Based on the clinical examinations, and laboratory tests, the patient experienced osteoporosis from his first visit (2008) through the follow-up visit (2012). He recently developed runny eyes; however, longer follow-up may reveal other side effects. As mentioned above, two months before readmission, a 5 mg reduction of prednisolone every two weeks was suggested by the local physician; however, a report has suggested a 50% reduction every two weeks once healing is induced and continued with healing of most lesions. In addition, Herman et al. have suggested a reduction of 5 to 10 mg of prednisolone per week and more slowly less than 20 mg prednisolone per day; however, the dosing schedules are vastly experimental and are adjusted on the practical experience and patients' situation (3). This means that the patient should be followed up. Ultimately, the treatment may be withdrawn if there is prolonged clinical healing.
The second probable reason was that the patient was very old and since the immune system is suppressed with age and PV is immune-mediated, we may also conclude that the disease has subsided in our case due to the age-related immune suppression.
The authors would like to thank the staff of the Clinical Dermatology and Laboratory Diagnostic of the Isfahan Al-Zahra Hospital for assisting in the preparation of this work. We would also like to thank the Research Deputy of the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Iran, for the financial support of this work. Finally, we are grateful to Mr. Ali Saffaei from the Pharmacy Students' Research Committee, School of Pharmacy, Isfahan University of Medical sciences, for his aid in the manuscript preparation.
Implication for health policy/practice/research/medical education: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a potentially fatal disease, particularly in the elderly. We presented a 79-year-old patient who went in remission following four-year successful corticosteroids therapy. It shows good management of the long-term corticosteroids therapy adverse effects in this patient. In addition, PV is an immune-mediated disease and the role of autoantibodies in its pathogenesis is supported. Thus, corticosteroids therapy in this patient in spite of adverse effects would be also indicated that one of the main reasons for patient's remission was the downregulation of the immune system in the elderly.
Authors' Contributions: Study concept and design: Mohsen Masjedi, Ali Asilian, and Zabihollah Shahmoradi. Analysis and interpretation of data: Mohsen Masjedi, Ali Asilian, Parvin Rajabi, and Bahareh Abtahi-Naeini. Drafting of the manuscript: Mohsen Masjedi, Parvin Rajabi, and Ali Asilian. Critical revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content: Bahareh Abtahi-Naeini, Mohsen Masjedi, Ali Asilian, and Parvin Rajabi.
Funding/Support: This study was supported by the grant No. 83404 from the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.
1. Duvert-Lehembre S, Joly P. [Autoimmune blistering diseases]. Rev Med Interne. 2014; 35(3) : 166 -73 [DOI][PubMed]
2. Ruocco V, Ruocco E, Lo Schiavo A, Brunetti G, Guerrera LP, Wolf R. Pemphigus: etiology, pathogenesis, and inducing or triggering factors: facts and controversies. Clin Dermatol. 2013; 31(4) : 374 -81 [DOI][PubMed]
3. Harman KE, Albert S, Black MM, British Association of D. Guidelines for the management of pemphigus vulgaris. Br J Dermatol. 2003; 149(5) : 926 -37 [PubMed]
4. Asilian A, Yoosefi A, Faghini G. Pemphigus vulgaris in Iran: epidemiology and clinical profile. Skinmed. 2006; 5(2) : 69 -71 [PubMed]
5. Martel P, Cordel N, Courville P, Gilbert D, Musette P, Joly P. Pemphigus with clinical, histological and immunological features of both vulgaris and foliaceus subtypes. Br J Dermatol. 2002; 147(6) : 1263 [PubMed]
6. Langan SM, Smeeth L, Hubbard R, Fleming KM, Smith CJ, West J. Bullous pemphigoid and pemphigus vulgaris--incidence and mortality in the UK: population based cohort study. BMJ. 2008; 337[DOI][PubMed]
7. Ikeda S, Imamura S, Hashimoto I, Morioka S, Sakuma M, Ogawa H. History of the establishment and revision of diagnostic criteria, severity index and therapeutic guidelines for pemphigus in Japan. Arch Dermatol Res. 2003; 295 Suppl 1 -6 [DOI][PubMed]
8. Shamim T, Varghese VI, Shameena PM, Sudha S. Pemphigus vulgaris in oral cavity: clinical analysis of 71 cases. Med Oral Patol Oral Cir Bucal. 2008; 13(10) -6 [PubMed]
9. Parker SR, MacKelfresh J. Autoimmune blistering diseases in the elderly. Clin Dermatol. 2011; 29(1) : 69 -79 [DOI][PubMed]
10. Kasperkiewicz M, Schmidt E, Zillikens D. Current therapy of the pemphigus group. Clin Dermatol. 2012; 30(1) : 84 -94 [DOI][PubMed]
11. Alavi A, Lowe J, Walsh S, Juurlink D, Mortaz-Hedjri S, Shear NH. Corticosteroid-induced hyperglycemia is increased 10-fold in patients with pemphigus. Int J Dermatol. 2012; 51(10) : 1248 -52 [DOI][PubMed]
Mohsen Masjedi: [PubMed] [Scholar]
Ali Asilian: [PubMed] [Scholar]
Zabihollah Shahmoradi: [PubMed] [Scholar]
Parvin Rajabi Dehnavi: [PubMed] [Scholar]
Bahareh Abtahi Naeini: [PubMed] [Scholar]


Little Venice is one of the most romantic places in the whole of Mykonos. Named after the popular Italian city with countless canals, Little Venice is a picturesque part of town that hangs over the sea. As the sun sets in Little Venice, the light shines off the buildings and bounces along the water, making it the perfect spot for a romantic night with your special someone.
Check out Mykonos party and Mykonos nightlife for more action videos and photos.


About RTI Surgical, Inc. RTI Surgical is a leading global surgical implant company providing surgeons with safe biologic, metal and synthetic implants. Committed to delivering a higher standard, RTI's implants are used in sports medicine, general surgery, spine, orthopedic, trauma and cardiothoracic procedures and are distributed in nearly 50 countries. RTI has four manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. and Europe. RTI is accredited in the U.S. by the American Association of Tissue Banks and is a member of AdvaMed. For more information, please visit www.rtix.com.
This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations, estimates and projections about our industry, our management's beliefs and certain assumptions made by our management. Words such as "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. In addition, except for historical information, any statements made in this communication about anticipated financial results, growth rates, new product introductions, future operational improvements, gaining market share and results or regulatory actions or approvals or changes to agreements with distributors also are forward-looking statements. Additionally, the statement relating to the expected size of the SIJF market in the United States in 2024 is a forward-looking statement. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties, including the risks described in public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Our actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results reflected in these forward-looking statements. Copies of the company's SEC filings may be obtained by contacting the company or the SEC or by visiting RTI's website at www.rtix.com or the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.


2motelsrates.com is a great place to find hotels in Lytle, TX! You will be able to find all the information you need while traveling to Lytle. Below is a list of all the hotels in Lytle, Texas. You will find information on the hotel such as the address, star rating and nightly rates. When you find the hotel you are searching for, simply click to get more information and check rates.