Assessing the Presence, Pattern, and Environmental Correlates of Seasonal Skin Thickening in Anurans.

In addition to providing extra flap size, the tissue expansion process also brings changes in flap thickness. This study aims to identify the changes in the forehead flap thickness during the tissue expansion period. Patients undergoing forehead expander embedment from September 2021 to September 2022 were included. The thickness of the forehead skin and subcutaneous tissue were measured with ultrasound before and 1, 2, 3, and 4 months after expansion. Twelve patients were included. The average expansion period was 4.6 months, and the mean expansion volume was 657.1 mL. The thickness of skin and subcutaneous tissue in the central forehead changed from 1.09 ± 0.06 to 0.63 ± 0.05 mm and from 2.53 ± 0.25 to 0.71 ± 0.09 mm, respectively. In the left frontotemporal region, skin and subcutaneous tissue thickness changed from 1.03 ± 0.05 to 0.52 ± 0.05 mm and 2.02 ± 0.21 to 0.62 ± 0.08 mm. On the right side, skin and subcutaneous tissue thickness changed from 1.01 ± 0.05 to 0.50 ± 0.04 mm and 2.06 ± 0.21 to 0.50 ± 0.05 mm. This study measured the dynamic changes in the thickness of the forehead flap during expansion. The thickness of the forehead flap decreased the fastest in the first 2 months of expansion, and the changes in skin and subcutaneous thickness slowed down in the third and fourth months and tended to a minimum value. Additionally, the thickness of subcutaneous tissue decreased greater in magnitude than the dermal tissue.

Objective To compare the changes of skin thickness and collagen content in mouse models of scleroderma after irradiated with different doses of UVA1, so as to seek the suitablc irradiation dose in the treatment for scleroderma. Methods Sixty mice were randomly and equally divided into 6 groups: blank control group (no injection and no irradiation), model control group (injected only and killed 2 days after the last injection), high-dose (HD) UVA1 group (injected with bleomycin and irradiated with UVA1 of 100 J/cm2), medium-dose (MD) UVA1 group (injected with bleomycin and irradiated with UVA1 of 60 J/cm2), low-dose (LD) UVA1 group (injected with bleomycin and irradiated with UVA1 of 20 J/cm2), and negative control group (injected only and killed until the end of irradiation). Experimental mouse models of scleroderma were established by subcutaneous injection of 100 μL bleomycin (BLM) at 400 μg/mL into the back of BALB/c mouse once a day for 4 weeks. Phototherapy was performed 3 times weekly for 10 weeks. Thereafter, skin specimens were obtained from the injected or irradiated back of mice, and subjected to an observation on pathological changes of skin tissue and thickness, as well as the measurement of collagen content. Results There was statistical differences between blank control group and model control group in both the skin thickness (t= 4.945, P<0.001) and collagen content (t=3.712, P<0.01). UVAI phototherapy improved the skin sclerosis and reduced the thickness in mouse models, but significant effect was only observed with HD-UVA1 in both the parameters(both P<0.05). There was significant difference among the 3 groups receiving phototherapy in the changes of skin thickness (F=14.853, P<0.01) and collagen content (F= 6.317, P<0.01), and HD-UVAI was significantly more effective than MD-UVA1 and LD-UVA1. Conclusion High-dose UVAI irradiation could significantly reduce the changes in skin thickness and col- lagen content in mouse model of sclerosis induced by bleomycin,which may be related to its inhibition on collagen fiber proliferation and decrease in collagen content. Key words: Sclerodelma, limited; Ultraviolet ray; Disease models, animal

Time-related changes in skin thickness have been evaluated in the pig using a noninvasive ultrasound technique after exposure to a range of single doses of 0.97 MeV beta particles from (170)Tm plaques. The reduction in relative skin thickness developed in two phases; the separation into two phases was statistically justified only after 120 Gy (P = 0.04). The first phase was between 12 weeks and 24 weeks after irradiation. No further changes were seen until 48-60 weeks after irradiation, when a second phase of skin thinning was observed. No further changes in relative skin thickness were seen in the follow-up period of 104 weeks. The timing of these phases of relative skin thinning was totally independent of the radiation dose; however, the severity of each phase of radiation-induced skin thinning was related to the dose. The pattern of changes was similar to that reported previously after irradiation with 2.27 MeV beta particles from (90)Sr/(90)Y, but the degree of dermal thinning was less for a similar skin surface dose. From a comparison of the depth-dose distribution of the beta particles from the two radionuclides, it was concluded that the target cell population responsible for both the first and second phase of skin thinning in pig skin after irradiation may be located at approximately 800 microm depth. This corresponds to an area in the reticular dermis in pig skin and may be the appropriate site at which to measure the average dose to the dermal tissue.

BackgroundSkin thickness in systemic sclerosis (SSc) may be measured by high frequency ultrasound. Most studies have a cross sectional design.ObjectivesThe aim of the study was to study the changes in...

Changes in skin thickness and echodensity during the spontaneous menstrual cycle, in women taking hormonal contraceptives and pregnant women were investigated by high-frequency (20 MHz) ultrasound. Women with a spontaneous ovulatory menstrual cycle (group I), women taking one-phase contraceptives (group II), women taking three-phase contraceptives (group III) and pregnant women (group IV) were measured at the following locations: proximal and distal forearm and lower leg on both sides. The skin was investigated during three phases of the menstrual cycle: days 2-4 (phase A), days 12-14 (phase B) and days 20-22 (phase C). Oestradiol and progesterone levels were determined at each phase. The pregnant women were investigated 2 weeks prepartal and 6 weeks after delivery. Group I showed a statistically significant increase in the skin thickness from phase A to phase B, but not from phase B to phase C. Group II showed no significant changes in skin thickness, whereas the skin thickness increased from phase A to phase B in group III. In group IV, the skin was significantly thicker prepartal than after delivery. The measured echodensity showed a negative correlation with skin thickness in group III and in pregnant women. We were able to demonstrate that the status of female sex hormones influences the thickness of the skin. These results can be explained by hormone-induced water retention in the skin. Sonography at 20 MHz is able to quantify these effects, which should be considered when performing ultrasound measurement in women.

Objective To investigate the value of the skin thickness changes measured by ultra-sound in the fluid therapy after D_2/D_3 radical surgery in gastric carcinoma. Methods Twenty-eight pa-tients who had received scheduled radical surgery in gastric carcinoma, were divided into two groups ac-cording to the extent of operation: 11 patients subject to total gastrectomy (D_3), and 17 patients subject to distal subtotal gastrectomy (D_2). Postoperatively, the change of skin thickness in forehead was monitored by 7. 5 MHz B type ultrasound device every 4 h, and the body weight was measured by using weigh-bed simultaneously. Differences between two groups were studied in the increased peak value of skin thickness and body weight, and the time to their peak values. The correlation of skin thickness and body weight was analyzed. Results Between two groups, there was significant difference in the peak values of skin thick-ness [D_3 group: (2. 4 ± 0. 6) mm, D_2 group: (1.4 ± 0. 2) mm, t = 7. 449, P < 0. 01] and body weight [D_3 group: (5.275±1.230) kg, D_2 group: (2.970 ±0.497) kg,t =7.768,P<0.01]. There was a positive correlation between skin thickness and body weight within in each group (D_3 group: r = 0. 99, P < 0. 01 ; D_2 group:r =0. 98 ,P <0. 01). The time to the peak value of skin thickness [D_3 group: (26. 8± 6. 1 ) h, D_2 group: (19.6 ± 5.2) h] was earlier than that of the body weight [D_3 group: (27.4 ± 5.4) h, D_2 group: (20.4±4.8) h] (t =18.856,P<0.01). Conclusion The skin thickness showed a strong positive correlation with body weight after scheduled radical surgery in gastric carcinoma, and this can di-rectly reflect the positive and negative balance in postoperative fluid therapy. The time to the peak value of skin thickness was earlier than that of the body weight. The measurement of skin thickness by ultrasound can sensitively and simply evaluate fluid balance after D_2/D_3 radical surgery in gastric carcinoma. Key words: Skin thickness; Fluid shift; Ultrasound; Gastric carcinoma

Background Fibrotic involvement of the skin is a cardinal feature of systemic sclerosis (SSc). The extent of skin involvement is associated with internal organ involvement with severe disease course and poor prognosis. SSc skin involvement is characterized by three phases in temporal sequence: edematous, fibrotic, and atrophic. A palpation-based semi- quantitative score, the modified Rodnan skin score (mRSS) is widely used for the assessment of skin involvement. It is a quick, noninvasive clinical assessment that correlates with histological grading of skin fibrosis. However, it lacks the sensitivity to differentiate between clinically indistinguishable pathological phases such as inflammatory edema vs. established fibrosis. More objective approaches to measure skin involvement imaging have been developed in the past decades.In our study, we review the use of ultrasound for the assessment of early changes in skin thickness and echogenicity in patients with SSc, focusing. mainly on high frequency ultrasound. Aim of the Work to evaluate the role of high frequency ultrasound (HFUS) of skin in assessment of early changes in skin thickness and echogenicity in patients with SSc. Patients and Methods Our study is a cross-sectional, observational study involving homogenous groups consisting of 23 SSc patients and 21 healthy age and sex matched controls. Patients who fulfilled the 2013 ACR/EULAR Classification Criteria for SSc. Results DT was evaluated by both mRSS and HFUS at 5 skin areas in both patients and control. We found statistically significant difference between the two studied groups as regards in area 1 longitudinal (P = 0.017) and area 1 in transverse (P = 0.038), tendency to significance in area 2 (P = 0.054). Subclinical dermal involvement was detected by HFUS even in the skin areas in patients who had a normal local MRSS ( These areas were not planned to be assessed by high frequency ultrasound but added to the five areas to be assessed to evaluate for ultrasound detected subclinical involvement of skin in SSc patients ). In particular, DT was highly significantly greater in patients with area with Rodnan zero score at dorsum of hand than in healthy subjects (longitudinal and transverse) (P &amp;lt; 0.001, 0.005 ) respectively. Similar changes at the level of echogenicity occurred in determination of the stage of the disease, with increased skin thickness and decreased echogenicity occurring early and during skin disease activity due to edema; and decrease skin thickness and increased echogenicity occurring late with skin atrophy Conclusion that high frequency ultrasound is a useful tool in assessment of skin pathologic changes (even subclinical changes) in terms of thickness and echogenicity in patients with SSc both at disease onset and during follow up of response to therapy and disease stage. Moreover, it could be a useful screening tool with definite cutoff values at certain areas that differentiate normal from pathologic skin thickness.

BackgroundThe objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy, safety, and subject satisfaction of the calcium hydroxylapatite-based dermal filler Radiesse® in a novel body vectoring technique to correct skin flaccidity in the thighs, abdomen, and brachial zones.MethodsFemale subjects with self-evaluated flaccidity scores ≥3 on a 6-point scale (0, no flaccidity; 5, very severe flaccidity) in the zones of interest were included. Radiesse was injected according to predesigned vector maps (3 mL per thigh, 1.5 mL per hemiabdomen or brachial zone). Clinical assessments (skin density and thickness) were made by an independent reviewer at an exact position before and 5 weeks after treatment using a cutometer and an ultrascan. Subjects rated skin flaccidity before and 5 weeks after treatment on the 6-point scale and performed a pinch test to self-assess changes in skin thickness. All adverse events were recorded.ResultsTwenty females (aged 28–67 years) were enrolled, contributing 36 treatment zones. Across all zones, 78% of flaccidity measurements improved after treatment. Improvements in skin flaccidity were most common in the thighs (82% of cases). An improvement in skin density versus baseline was observed in the majority across all zones, most frequently in the abdomen (88% of cases). Skin thickness in each zone also improved versus baseline for the majority, most frequently in the thighs (88% of cases). Mean self-assessed flaccidity scores at baseline were 3.6 (thighs), 3.7 (abdomen), and 3.8 (brachial zone), and 2.6, 2.7, and 3.0, respectively, posttreatment. All subjects reported a positive pinch test. In total, 47.0% of subjects had bruising after treatment, which resolved within a week. No serious adverse events were reported.ConclusionUsing this novel technique, Radiesse had notable results on skin flaccidity, density and thickness in the thighs, abdomen, and brachial zones, and was well tolerated.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the main factors that have a significant impact on skin thickness, and to further identify the genes and signaling pathways regulating skin growth by RNA-seq in Dezhou donkeys. Skin samples from different body regions of 15 slaughtered donkeys were obtained to study variations in skin thickness over the bodies. Skin thickness data for another 514 donkeys was obtained by minimally invasive skin sampling from the back, and measurements of the donkeys' body size traits and pedigree data were also collected. These data were used to analyze changes in skin thickness and estimate genetic parameters. In addition, transcriptomic analysis was conducted on the skin tissues of individuals from two groups with significant differences in skin thickness. Our results showed that skin thickness over the bodies ranged from 1.08 to 4.36mm. The skin from the back was the thickest and had the highest correlation with that of other regions of the body. The skin thickness decreased from the back to the side of the ventral abdomen, and the skin thickness on the limbs increased from the proximal end to the distal end. The results also showed that the skin from the same body regions of jacks was thicker than that of jennies in the same age group. The skin thickness of jennies increased from birth to the age of 2 and then clearly decreased after 2years of age. The estimated heritability of skin thickness was 0.15, and the genetic correlations between skin thickness and body size traits were negligible. Transcriptome analysis showed that the thick-skin group had 65 up-regulated genes and 38 down-regulated genes compared with the thin-skin group. The differentially expressed genes were highly enriched in epidermal development and cell adhesion molecule signaling pathways. We identified the candidate genes responsible for variations in skin thickness in the Dezhou donkey, including KRT10, KRT1, CLDN9, MHCII and MMP28. These results contribute to a better understanding of the growth and development of donkey skin, reveal the molecular mechanism responsible for donkey skin thickness and suggest directions for genetic selection in the Dezhou donkey population.

Ultrasound Imaging Accurately Detects Skin Thickening in a Mouse Scleroderma Model

The comparative cervical skin test for antemortem diagnosis of tuberculosis was done 169 times on 116 different white-tailed deer of known Mycobacterium bovis infection status. The sensitivity and specificity were 97 and 81%, respectively. The magnitude of change in skin thickness at test sites was not significantly influenced by dosage of inoculum, dissemination of the disease process, or repeated skin testing. However, the magnitude of change in skin thickness was significantly greater in deer infected for less than 109 days than in deer infected for more than 109 days. As used in the present study, the comparative cervical skin test is a sensitive method of antemortem diagnosis of M. bovis infection in white-tailed deer.

Automated Skin Segmentation in Ultrasonic Evaluation of Skin Toxicity in Breast Cancer Radiotherapy

The purpose of this study was to propose a standard for differentiation between normal dogs and patients with hyperadrenocorticism (HAC) by measuring skin thickness via ultrasonography in small breed dogs. Significant changes in skin thickness of patients treated with prednisolone (PDS) or patients with HAC treated with trilostane were evaluated. Skin thickness was retrospectively measured on three abdominal digital images obtained from small breed dogs weighing < 15 kg that underwent abdominal ultrasonography. Mean skin thickness of normal dogs was 1.03 ± 0.25 mm (mean ± SD). Both the HAC and PDS groups showed significantly thinner skin than that in the normal group. Seven of the 10 HAC patients treated with trilostane had increased skin thickness. The area under the curve value of 0.807 was based on the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve for differentiating normal dogs from HAC patients. Sensitivity was 76% and specificity was 73% when skin thickness was less than the 0.83 mm cutoff value. In conclusion, measurement of skin thickness in small breed dogs by using ultrasonography is likely to provide clinical information useful in differentiating HAC patients from normal dogs. However, exposure to PDS, trilostane, and other conditions may have a significant effect on skin thickness.

Purpose: Standard treatment for IBC includes preoperative systemic therapy (PST), followed by mastectomy (M) and adjuvant radiation (R). Determining the optimal sequencing of M and R after PST may be difficult when clinical changes suggest residual disease within breast skin. With the goal of selecting appropriate patients (pts) for M prior to R, we correlated pathologic disease response in breast skin with changes in skin thickness and enhancement determined by MRI. Methods: An IRB approved database of IBC pts evaluated at Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) from 1997-2013 was used for retrospective analysis. 40 pts met criteria: confirmed diagnosis of IBC, completed PST followed by M without preoperative R. Baseline and post-PST breast MRI imaging was reviewed. Using the ACR BI-RADS lexicon, we recorded skin thickness, qualitative enhancement and kinetic analysis using computer-aided detection post-processing software. Findings were correlated with pathologic response in skin found at M. Results: MRI showed baseline skin thickening in all 40 pts (median 6mm, range 3-13mm). Although 34 (85%) had persistent skin thickening post-PST (median 4 mm, range &amp;lt;3-13 mm), there was a significant overall reduction in skin thickness (p&amp;lt;0.001); median decrease =2mm, range 1-7mm. MRI showed qualitative skin enhancement at baseline in 39/40 pts. 29 (73%) had medium/fast initial phase kinetics: 25 persistent delayed phase kinetics, 2 wash-out, 2 plateau. 20 pts had residual qualitative skin enhancement post-PST; 11 pts (28%) had medium/fast initial phase kinetics, all persistent delayed kinetics. The decrease in skin thickness was significantly greater among the 19 pts achieving resolution of skin enhancement post-PST compared with the decrease in skin thickness among the 20 pts with residual skin enhancement (p=0.02). 8 pts (20%) had residual tumor within the skin at M. All 8 pts had thicker skin on post-PST MRI (median 5 mm, range 3-13mm) compared with pts without residual disease in the skin (median 3.5mm, range &amp;lt;3-11 mm). Qualitative skin enhancement post-PST was seen in 63% of pts (5/8) with residual skin disease compared with 47% of pts (15/32) without disease. Conclusion: Although IBC pts have skin thickening demonstrated by MRI at baseline, there is a statistically significant reduction in the skin thickness following successful PST. This correlates with a reduction in enhancement of the skin shown by MRI imaging. More substantial and persistent skin thickening with enhancement was seen in the setting of residual dermal lymphatic involvement following the completion of PST, though this study is too small to detect any significant correlation. Since an accurate assessment of residual disease in breast skin is vital in determining the optimal sequencing of M and R following PST in IBC pts, MRI evaluation of skin thickness and enhancement may be a useful tool to predict residual disease and guide surgical management of IBC. Citation Format: Yeh E, Rives A, Guo H, Regan M, Birdwell R, Nakhlis F, Bellon J, Warren L, Hirshfield-Bartek J, Jacene H, Dominici L, Overmoyer B. MRI changes in breast skin following preoperative therapy for inflammatory breast cancer (IBC). [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P4-02-08.

A study was performed in 2008 to estimate the prevalence of tuberculosis and brucellosis in traditionally reared cattle of Southern Province in Zambia in four districts. The single comparative intradermal tuberculin test (SCITT) was used to identify TB reactors, and the Rose Bengal test (RBT), followed by confirmation with competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (c-ELISA), was used to test for brucellosis. A total of 459 animals were tested for tuberculosis and 395 for brucellosis. The overall prevalence of BTB based on the 4 mm and 3 mm cutoff criteria was 4.8% (95% CI: 2.6–7.0%) and 6.3% (95% CI: 3.8–8.8%), respectively. Change in skin thickness on SCITT was influenced by initial skin-fold thickness at the inoculation site, where animals with thinner skin had a tendency to give a larger tuberculin response. Brucellosis seroprevalence was estimated at 20.7% (95% CI: 17.0–24.4%). Comparison between results from RBT and c-ELISA showed good agreement (84.1%) and revealed subjectivity in RBT test results. Differences in brucellosis and tuberculosis prevalence across districts were attributed to type of husbandry practices and ecological factors. High prevalence of tuberculosis and brucellosis suggests that control programmes are necessary for improved cattle productivity and reduced public health risk.