Skin Color Changes Research Articles

How Skin Color Depends on Tissue Oxygenation.

Skin color is essential to skin and wound assessment as it brings valuable information about skin physiology and pathology. An approach, which can help deconvolute and isolate various mechanisms affecting skin color, could be helpful to drive the remote photoplethysmography (rPPG) utility beyond its current applications. The present work aims to create a simple analytical framework that links skin color with blood oxygenation and perfusion. The model consists of two parts. First, the model's core connects changes in tissue chromophore concentrations with changes in tissue reflectance. In the second step, the tissue reflectance is convoluted with the response curves of a sensor (tristimulus response in the case of the human eye) and the light source's spectrum. The model allows linking changes in blood oxygenation and perfusion with changes in skin color. The model can be helpful for the interpretation of the amplitudes of various components of the rPPG signal.

Characterization and functional analysis of pax3 in body color transition of polychromatic Midas cichlids (Amphilophus citrinellus).

As the representative genetic and economic trait of ornamental fish, skin color has a strong impact on speciation and adaptation. However, the genetic basis of skin color pigmentation, differentiation and change is still not understood. The Midas cichlid fish with three typical body color transition stages of "black-gray‑gold" is an ideal model system for investigating the formation and change of fish body color. In this study, to investigate the regulatory role of the pair box 3 (pax3) gene in the early body color fading process of Midas cichlids, the complete cDNA sequence (3513bp) of pax3 was successfully isolated from Midas cichlids (Amphilophus Citrinellus), and found to encode polypeptides of 491 amino acids. Expression patterns of the pax3 gene in tissues of Midas cichlids during different periods, including embryonic development and body color fading stages were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The qRT-PCR analysis showed that pax3 was expressed in all tissues of adult fish, with a higher expression level in muscle and skin. The highest expression level in muscle tissue was significantly higher than that in other tissues (P<0.05). During embryonic development, the expression tendency of pax3 was first increased and then decreased. In the three typical stages of early skin color fading from black to gold, pax3 expression in skin, caudal fin and scales all showed a downward trend. The expression level in the black stage was significantly higher than that in other stages (P<0.05). Positive signal of pax3 protein was detected in the three typical skin color conversion stages, and the highest positive signal intensity was detected in the black stage, which was consistent with qRT-PCR results. After pax3 RNA interference, pax3 and the downstream genes mitf and tyr all decreased, while dct mRNA expression increased in the skin of fish. Western blotting also showed a decrease in pax3 protein concentration. Those results suggest that pax3 plays an important role in skin color formation, distribution and change in Midas cichlids through the melanogenesis pathway.

Noncontact Blood Pressure Estimation Using BP-Related Cardiovascular Knowledge: An Uncalibrated Method Based on Consumer-Level Camera

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Objective</i> : The tiny change of skin color, caused by heartbeat, can be captured with consumer-level cameras by using the imaging photoplethysmography (iPPG) technique, offering a non-contact way of extracting pulse signals. The pulse signals have been demonstrated to contain information of human physiological characteristics and have been used for blood pressure (BP) estimation in recent years. According to BP-related cardiovascular knowledge, this paper presents a new method for BP estimation based on the iPPG pulse signals, featured by incorporating cardiovascular characteristics including heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), elasticity of vessel walls (EVW), and peripheral vascular resistance (PVR). Correlations between the systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), pulse pressure (PP), and the cardiovascular characteristics are extracted, which facilitates the selection of pulse features consistent with BP properties. Based on the selected features, two Bayesian neural network (BNN) models are constructed for the estimation of SBP and DBP respectively, where the machine learning (ML) uncertainty of the estimation is also evaluated. This method is uncalibrated that means it can work without additional information except for the videos from the camera. The proposed method has been tested on 220 patients with a history of cardiovascular diseases. Errors of the BP estimation are 9±13 (MAE±STD) mmHg for SBP, 7±10 (MAE±STD) mmHg for DBP, and the ML uncertainty of the estimation indicates reliability of the proposed method.

Cardiac complexities: all we have to know about our heart

The leading cause of death worldwide is cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 2019, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs, or 32% of all deaths worldwide. Over 75% of deaths from cardiovascular disease occur in low- and middle-income countries. Many CVDs can be prevented by identifying behavioural risk factors like poor diet, smoking, tobacco use, hyperlipedema, obesity, harmful alcohol use, and lack of physical activity. A group of ailments known as cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) include myocardial infarction, cerebrovascular disease, coronary heart disease, rheumatic heart disease, congenital heart disease, and other conditions. Additionally, heart attacks and strokes account for four out of every five CVD deaths, and one-third of these deaths occur in people under the age of 70. Frequently, the basic blood vessel disease goes unnoticed for years. A heart attack or stroke could be the first symptom of an underlying condition. Pain or discomfort in the middle of the chest, as well as discomfort or pain in the left shoulder, arms, jaw, elbows, or back, numbness, and weakness, are all signs of a heart attack. Additionally, the individual could experience respiratory problems or fatigue, numbness, and back pain. Additionally, the person may have shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, nausea or vomiting, faintness and light-headedness, sweating, shivering, and a change in skin colour. Women are more likely than men to have nausea, breathlessness, jaw or back discomfort, and vomiting. An array of imaging studies and laboratory testing are used to diagnose CVDs. The patient's medical history and family history, physical examination, risk factors, and combining these findings with the outcomes of treatments and tests make up the majority of a diagnosis The World Health Organization (WHO) encourages governments to manage, prevent, and monitor cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) by increasing global strategies to minimise the incidence, mortality, and morbidity of these diseases. Some of the typical tests performed to diagnose cardiovascular diseases include: Blood tests and chest X-rays include ECG or EKG, Echocardiogram, Coronary angiogram, MRI, CCTA, and other tests. Reduced risk factors, the cessation of tobacco use, reduced salt intake, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, well planned physical activity, and abstinence from alcohol abuse have all been demonstrated to reduce the incidence of CVDs . Increasing the capacity of the health system to care for people with CVD, distributing standards of care, and monitoring disease patterns and trends to inform national and international initiatives. The consequences of behavioural risk factors, which are linked to important socioeconomic determinants and drivers including income, ageing, and urbanisation, may manifest in people as raised blood sugar, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood lipids, obesity, and overweight.

Taisho-Sanshoku koi have hardly faded skin and show attenuated melanophore sensitivity to adrenaline and melanin-concentrating hormone.

Koi carp, an ornamental fish derived from the common carp Cyprinus carpio (CC), is characterized by beautiful skin color patterns. However, the mechanism that gives rise to the characteristic vivid skin coloration of koi carp has not been clarified. The skin coloration of many teleosts changes in response to differences in the background color. This change in skin coloration is caused by diffusion or aggregation of pigment granules in chromatophores and is regulated mainly by sympathetic nerves and hormones. We hypothesized that there would be some abnormality in the mechanism of skin color regulation in koi carp, which impairs skin color fading in response to background color. We compared the function of melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), noradrenaline, and adrenaline in CC and Taisho-Sanshoku (TS), a variety of tri-colored koi. In CC acclimated to a white background, the skin color became paler and pigment granules aggregated in melanophores in the scales compared to that in black-acclimated CC. There were no clear differences in skin color or pigment granule aggregation in white- or black-acclimated TS. The expression of mch1 mRNA in the brain was higher in the white-acclimated CC than that in the black-acclimated CC. However, the expression of mch1 mRNA in the brain in the TS did not change in response to the background color. Additionally, plasma MCH levels did not differ between white- and black-acclimated fish in either CC or TS. In vitro experiments showed that noradrenaline induced pigment aggregation in scale melanophores in both CC and TS, whereas adrenaline induced pigment aggregation in the CC but not in the TS. In vitro administration of MCH induced pigment granule aggregation in the CC but not in the TS. However, intraperitoneal injection of MCH resulted in pigment granule aggregation in both CC and TS. Collectively, these results suggest that the weak sensitivity of scale melanophores to MCH and adrenaline might be responsible for the lack of skin color change in response to background color in the TS.

Delayed hair cycle in mnd2 mutant mice lacking HtrA2 serine protease activity

The premature death and degeneration of striatal neurons are typical hallmarks of HtrA2-inactivated motor neuron degeneration 2 (mnd2) mice. Although HtrA2 has been extensively studied in relation to the regulation of apoptosis using mnd2 mice, little is known about the other physiological functions of HtrA2. In this study, we found that the skin color of wild-type (WT) and mnd2 mice was black and pink on postnatal day 32. Using histological and molecular assays (i.e., assessing the activation of MAPK and expression patterns of PCNA), we demonstrated that this differential skin color change is consistent with the delay in the telogen − to − anagen phase of the hair cycle in mnd2 mice. We also examined adipocytes in the subcutaneous skin layer, finding that HtrA2 inactivation leads to the growth retardation of adipocytes, thereby delaying the hair cycle of mnd2 mice. Collectively, these findings show for the first time that HtrA2 plays an essential role in regulating the adipogenesis-associated hair cycle.

Hematological, Genotoxic and Oxidative Stress Response in Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia) Exposed to Varying Concentrations of Ethanolic Extract of Commelina benghalensis

This study evaluated the hematological, genotoxic and oxidative stress biomarkers of Oreochromisniloticus exposed to different concentrations of ethanolic extract of Commelina benghalensis(Dayflower). Sublethal exposure at 1% and 10% LC50 was done for twenty-one (21) days with physico-chemical parameters of cultured water and behavioral responses assessed. Hematological; genotoxic; antioxidant enzyme and non-enzyme activities studies were analyzed using standard methods. Results showed increase in the levels of Red blood cells; heamoglobin and white blood cells across extract concentrations compared to control. The number of micronucleated cells increased compared to control; though not significant difference (p&gt;0.05). Superoxide dismutase (SOD); reduced glutathione (GSH) and glutathionde-S-transferase (GST) activities were inhibited by the plant extract; while the level of lipid peroxidation as expressed by malondialdehyde (MDA) increased compared to control. Skin colour change; erratic swimming and mortality were observed at both higher concentration (10%) and lower concentration (1%) of the extract; though behavioral response at 10% extract concentration was higher than 1% extract concentration. In conclusion; the plant C.benghalensis has the potential to exert stress and promote cellular damage in contrast to its ability to boost the blood status of O. niloticus at varying concentration.

Robust Pulse Rate Measurements from Facial Videos in Diverse Environments

Pulse wave and pulse rate are important indicators of cardiovascular health. Technologies that can check the pulse by contacting the skin with optical sensors built into smart devices have been developed. However, this may cause inconvenience, such as foreign body sensation. Accordingly, studies have been conducted on non-contact pulse rate measurements using facial videos focused on the indoors. Moreover, since the majority of studies are conducted indoors, the error in the pulse rate measurement in outdoor environments, such as an outdoor bench, car and drone, is high. In this paper, to deal with this issue, we focus on developing a robust pulse measurement method based on facial videos taken in diverse environments. The proposed method stably detects faces by removing high-frequency components of face coordinate signals derived from fine body tremors and illumination conditions. It optimizes for extracting skin color changes by reducing illumination-caused noise using the Cg color difference component. The robust pulse wave is extracted from the Cg signal using FFT-iFFT with zero-padding. It can eliminate signal-filtering distortion effectively. We demonstrate that the proposed method relieves pulse rate measurement problems, producing 3.36, 5.81, and 6.09 bpm RMSE for an outdoor bench, driving car, and flying drone, respectively.

The meaning and indication of "Rou Ji"

"Rou Ji", as a name of disease syndrome, played an important role with its relevant theories and clinical experiences in historical recordings. However, it was treasured neither in modern archives nor by clinical physicians. The concept of "Rou Ji" started in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period (770 B.C. - 221 B.C.), and its name was first found in Shan Fan Fang in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420-589). The symptoms of this disease mainly suggested weakness of limbs caused by exogenous factors. It was gradually developed into following symptoms, such like emaciation or muscle atrophy, fatigue, skin color change, abnormal skin sensation, poor digestion and absorption function of spleen and stomach. Its etiology was changed from exogenous factors into internal injuries and deficiency of congenital Qi. Its treatment was also changed with the change of the understanding of diseases. The dialectical thinking in its treatment in ancient medical materials may have reference value for current clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Validating a Novel Device to Improve Skin Color Matching for Face Transplants.

A prospective study of 100 individuals was conducted. All participants were photographed and scanned with the Nix Color Sensor. Sixty pairwise comparisons were randomly generated. Skin color analysis was performed using photographs and the Nix Color Sensor. Delta E2000 values were compared to mean evaluator ratings using a Spearman correlation analysis. One hundred patients were included. A Spearman's correlation demonstrated a strong inverse correlation between Delta E2000 values and the mean evaluator ratings. The higher the mean evaluator rating for likeness, the lower the delta. A correlation coefficient of -0.850 demonstrates a statistically significant relationship (P < 0.01). When the Delta E2000 rises above 5 there is a significant drop in the mean evaluator ratings. As mean evaluator ratings of 5 and above would be considered adequate for face transplant amongst most plastic surgeons, an E2000 value of 5 or lower should be targeted when matching donors with recipients for face transplant. The Nix Color Sensor positively correlates to the plastic surgeon's perception of skin color and can serve as an adjunct in donor selection for facial VCAs.

Effects of Hard and Soft Scalding on Defeathering and Carcass Quality of Different Breeds of Chickens.

Current soft scalding in broilers is not applicable to various strains of chickens with different market weights and ages. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of soft (57 °C for 120 s) and hard (60 °C for 60 s) scalding on defeathering and carcass quality of the local strain of Red Feather (RF) country chickens and determine age, breed, and body weight factor in accounting for the defeathering effectiveness using adult layers and juvenile broilers as a reference. Results showed no differences between soft and hard scalding in broilers with 60% and 80% of acceptable defeathering scores, respectively, while a significantly better effect by hard scalding was observed in adult layers, young and old RF chickens with more than 70% of birds exhibiting desirable scores and less than 20% by soft scalding. In contrast to soft scalding, hard scalding had no significant effects on breast meat color but impaired skin color in broilers as assessed by L*, a*, and b* value analysis. Interestingly, hard scalding increased breast skin yellowness and lightness in young RF chickens and lightness in old RF chickens, while there were no significant changes in layers. However, hard scalding decreased skin elasticity in layers and old RF chickens. The effectiveness of defeathering by scalding method was governed by the age to reach a certain threshold in the development of dermal architecture and feather richness, irrelevant to body weight. The alteration of carcass color primarily depends on age, body weight/breed, and their interaction. In conclusion, current soft scalding is suitable for broiler chickens for desirable defeathering effect and carcass color, whereas layers and RF chickens scaled at 60 °C for 60 s showed a better defeathering effect without unfavorable changes of breast meat and skin color.

ODP342 Panhypopituitarism Induced by CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1 Inhibitor Immunotherapy

Abstract Background Breakthroughs in oncology have led to the incorporation of immunotherapy to improve the prognosis in patients with advanced malignancies. Checkpoint inhibitors are immunomodulatory antibodies that enhance the immune system using PD-1/PD-L1 and CTLA-4 as primary targets. Pharmacologic disruption in checkpoints can trigger autoimmune-like manifestations in various organs systems, known as immune-related adverse effects. Endocrinopathies of the pituitary, thyroid, or adrenal glands have been described; with the most common being hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism and hypophysitis. We report a case of hypophysitis induced by immunotherapy in a patient treated with ipilimumab and nivolumab for renal cell carcinoma with bone metastases. Clinical case Case of a 63-year-old male patient with left renal cell carcinoma treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab, who presented with general weakness, malaise, disorientation, slow mentation and severe hyponatremianine weeks after immunotherapy initiation. Denied headache, loss of consciousness, dizziness, involuntary movements, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, swelling of skin or changes in skin color, decreased libido or erectile dysfunction, hair loss, polyuria, polydipsia, mood changes or hypoglycemia. Laboratory results showed serum sodium levels of 117mEq/L, inappropriately normal ACTH (18.8 pg/mL), low serum cortisol in early morning (1.97µg/dL), low TSH (0.17 mIU/mL) and low total T4 (4.39µg/dL). Serum sodium levels improved to 136 mEq/L after administration of 3% NaCl and glucocorticoids, that were given due to concerns for adrenal insufficiency. Patient was discharged home on oral hydrocortisone and immunotherapy was discontinued. Repeated hormonal workup revealed previously identified central hypothyroidism and secondary adrenal insufficiency. Additionally, had an inappropriate lynormal FSH (11.10 mIU/L) and LH (2.62 IU/L), in view of a low total testosterone (&amp;lt; 2.5 pg/mL), suggestive of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. Since the patient was asymptomatic for sexual dysfunction, hormonal work up was repeated later on, and found with normal gonadotropins and normal total testosterone levels (444 ng/dL; 93-740 ng/dL), with no evidence of hypogonadism. There was no indication for growth hormone therapy in view of anormal IGF-1 for age (236 ng/mL). He is currently clinically stable on replacement therapy with hydrocortisone and levothyroxine. Conclusion Immunotherapy-induced endocrinopathies are important adverse effects that clinicians should be aware of and monitored routinely in patients treated with checkpoint inhibitors. Hypophysitis typically manifests with fatigue and headache in the presence of adrenal insufficiency, hypothyroidism and hypogonadism with preservation of growth hormone. It This condition has been described with different immune checkpoint inhibitors, although incidence is higher with ipilimumab, as reported in this case. Recovery of some pituitary function is common, but persistent deficiences can occur, particularly adrenal insufficiency that rarely resolves. Complications associated with hormonal deficiencies can be life-threatening and prompt recognition is warranted. Presentation: No date and time listed

Postinflammatory pigment changes.

After the skin is irritated or injured, the color of the skin can change. The skin may become darker or lighter than the natural skin color. This skin color change is called postinflammatory pigment alteration. The color change is temporary but can be worrisome for families.

Skin color change due to peripherally inserted central catheter leakage.

A girl weighing 564 g at 27 weeks of gestation was born by cesarean section due to fetal dysfunction. After birth, a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC; Argyle™ PI Catheter Kit II 27G, Double Lumen, Covidien Japan, Tokyo, Japan) was indwelled from the right radial vein.

Quality changes of acerola fruit harvested at different maturity stages and exposed to external ethylene

Although acerola (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) has been suggested to be a climacteric fruit, little is known about its sensitivity to exogenous ethylene. The objective of the study was to evaluate the quality changes of acerola fruit at two harvest maturity stages in response to external ethylene application. ‘Flor Branca’ and ‘Junko’ acerolas were harvested at the maturity stages 1 (green fruit with density>1 g cm-3) and 2(green fruit with density <1 g cm-3) and were treated with 0 or 1,000 µL L-1 of ethylene for 24 hours at 12 ºC.The fruit were stored at 12 ºC with relative humidity of 90-95% for 14 days. Both cultivars harvested at the maturity stage 2 showed skin color change from green to red during storage, which was not observed in fruit harvested at the maturity stage 1.External ethylene had no effect on 'Flor Branca' and 'Junko' acerolas respiration rate, flesh firmness, skin color, weight loss, soluble solids (SS), titratable acidity (AT), SS/AT ratio, and ascorbic acid contents. The classification of green acerolas by density was an effective approach to determine fruit harvest maturity for fresh consumption.

P PENGARUH RELAKSASI PERNAFASAN TERHADAP INTENSITAS NYERI PERSALINAN KALA 1 DI KLINIK KASIH IBU KECAMATAN DELI TUA KABUPATEN DELI SERDANG TAHUN 2022

ABSTRACT Childbirth is the most awaited thing by pregnant women, but on the other hand it is a thrilling thing. Pain that makes the desired happiness filled with fear and anxiety. Several studies have shown that primitive people experience longer and painful labor, while people who have advanced give birth without pain and most (90%) deliveries are accompanied by pain (Elly S, 2017). Pain during labor has an impact on increasing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system which results in nausea and vomiting, excessive sweating, and changes in blood pressure, pulse, breathing, and skin color. One effort to minimize labor pain is to use breathing relaxation techniques. This study aims to determine the effect of breathing relaxation techniques on reducing labor pain in the first stage of the active phase. The type of design used in this study was pre-experimental with one group pretest-posttest design. The number of samples is 10 respondents. The technique of collecting sample data using purposive sampling method. Data collection techniques used a questionnaire and a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) pain scale. From the results of the data before being given the deep breathing relaxation technique with a score of 2.60 (SD: 0.699) (min: 2) (max: 4) while after being given the breathing relaxation technique the score was 2.50 (SD: 0.707) (min: 1) (max: 3) means that inpartu mothers experience a decrease in labor pain in the active phase of the 1st stage. Wilcoxon test results obtained a Z value of 2.598 with a significant value of 0.009 &lt; (0.05). So that H0 is rejected and Ha is accepted, this shows that there is an effect of deep breathing relaxation techniques on reducing labor pain in the active phase of the 1st stage at the Kasih Ibu Clinic, Deli Tua District, Deli Serdang Regency in 2022. Keywords: Breathing Relaxation Technique, First Stage of Labor Pain, Active Phase.

Cold intolerance and associated factors: a population study

Cold intolerance has been defined as a set of symptoms including pain, tingling, numbness, chills, stiffness, weakness, swelling or skin color changes on exposure to cold. Cold intolerance may have a profound effect on health-related quality of life. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated primarily the prevalence of cold intolerance and secondly associated factors in the general population of Tabriz. Simple random sampling of individuals aged ≥ 18 was performed from the population covered by Emamieh health center under the supervision of Tabriz University of Medical Sciences. A telephone interview was conducted with the participants by the general physician of that center. In participants with a positive response to each of two questions “I am oversensitive to cold” and “I experience pain or discomfort when exposed to cold” a Cold Intolerance Symptom Severity (CISS) questionnaire was filled. We used a cut off value 50 for defining cold intolerance. Of the 353 person who received telephone calls, 322 answered questions. Cold related symptoms and cold intolerance were reported in 144 (44.7%) and 38 (11.1%) persons, respectively. Cold intolerance was significantly more common in females and people with comorbidities. Cold intolerance led to a decrease in quality of job in 27 (8.4%) and a change in job in 6 (1.9%) persons. In conclusion, cold intolerance is a common problem in the general population of Tabriz.

Safety and Feasibility of Simultaneous Integrated Boost in Extreme 1-Week Hypofractionated Radiotherapy for Early Breast Cancer

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> The phase 3 FAST-Forward trial reported that 26 Gy in 5 fractions (fx) over 1 week for early-breast cancer patients after breast conserving surgery was non-inferior to the standard 40 Gy in 15fx over 3 weeks for local tumor control and normal tissue effects. In this study, a sequential tumor bed boost was allowed (10 or 16 Gy in 2 Gy/fx) if required. The aim of our study is to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) up to 29/30 Gy over 5fx in order to avoid treatment lengthening when a boost is indicated. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> From March 2020 to December 2021, 126 patients eligible for 5fx-RT schedule were referred to our institution and selected for the analysis. A SIB to the tumor bed up to 29 Gy in 5fx of 5,8 Gy was indicated when any of the following criteria appeared: Age < 60 years, high-grade tumors and lymphovascular or perineural invasion. When positive margins were observed in the histological exam, a SIB up to 30 Gy in 5fx of 6 Gy was prescribed. Patient´s toxicity was assessed at 4 different points: During RT and at 1-, 6- and 12-months follow-up. Toxicity was evaluated using CTCAE 5.0 criteria. <h3>Results</h3> Mean follow-up was 6.25 months and mean age was 56 years (32-83). During RT course, no toxicities were observed. G1-2 dermatitis was observed in 9 patients at first month assessment, but all of them had disappeared at 6 months after RT. According to skin-color changes, 11% of the patients presented skin hyperpigmentation at first month assessment but in most cases was not observed in subsequent evaluations. Only 4% of the patients presented G1 fatigue and skin induration in the first medical visit after RT. No severe toxicities were found in any patient at any time during follow-up. Complete details are shown in table 1. In addition, one patient developed mastitis during the first month after RT but was easily solved with oral antibiotics. <h3>Conclusion</h3> According to our data, administration of SIB up to 29/30 Gy in 5fx is safe and feasible for early-breast cancer patients requiring adjuvant RT after breast conserving surgery. SIB could replace sequential boost in these patients shortening the RT treatment and improving patients' compliance and comfort. Further follow-up is needed in order to assess chronic toxicity.

Reliability analysis of a novel measurement system for quantifying human skin color.

Precision is crucial in determining the appropriate procedure for implementing further trials. We conducted a study to explore the reliability of a novel measuring system for human skin color. The novel skin color measuring system was used to capture the skin color of four volunteers (2 males and 2 females) from the same location on each subject by the same operator. The measurement was repeated for different poses and instrument factors (camera and shooting protocol) in the red, green, and blue (RGB) system. The average color depth in each image was calculated and converted from 0 to 255. The spread of measures and the Bland-Altman plot was displayed to determine each variance source's random error, with the interclass correlation coefficients applied to reflect the reliability. The RGB color depth in the experiment ranged from 190, 152, and 122 to 208, 170, and 142. The 95% confidential interval of the differences from the means in RGB colors for the different protocols were ±2.8, ±2.6, and ±2.1, respectively. The largest variation in the replicate trials was observed when subjects were in a supine position (standard deviation: 2). The interclass correlation coefficients were greater than 90%, suggesting that the developed system is highly precise. This study demonstrated that the developed device could stably and reliably detect human skin color across different common sources of variation, and thus could be applied clinically to explore relationships between health/disease and skin color changes.

Ultra-Hypofractionation for Whole-Breast Irradiation in Early Breast Cancer: Interim Analysis of a Prospective Study.

We report on the early clinical outcomes of a prospective series of early breast cancer (EBC) patients treated with ultra-hypofractionated post-operative whole-breast irradiation (WBI) after breast-conserving surgery (BCS) and axillary management. Primary endpoints were patient’s compliance and acute toxicity. Secondary endpoints included physician-rated cosmesis and ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR). Acute toxicity was evaluated at the end of WBI, 3 weeks and 6 months thereafter, according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (v. 5.0). Patients were treated between September 2021 and May 2022. The treatment schedule for WBI consisted of either 26 Gy in 5 fractions over one week (standard approach) or 28.5 Gy in 5 fractions over 5 weeks (reserved to elders). Inverse planned intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was used employing a static technique. A total of 70 patients were treated. Fifty-nine were treated with the 26 Gy/5 fr/1 w and 11 with the 28.5 Gy/5 fr/5 ws schedule. Median age was 67 and 70 in the two groups. Most of the patients had left-sided tumours (53.2%) in the 26 Gy/5 fr/1 w or right-sided lesions (63.6%) in the 28.5 Gy/5 fr/5 ws group. Most of the patients had a clinical T1N0 disease and a pathological pT1pN0(sn) after surgery. Ductal invasive carcinoma was the most frequent histology. Luminal A intrinsic subtyping was most frequent. Most of the patients underwent BCS and sentinel lymph node biopsy and adjuvant endocrine therapy. All patients completed the treatment program as planned. Maximum detected acute skin toxicities were grade 2 erythema (6.7%), grade 2 induration (4.4%), and grade 2 skin colour changes. No early IBTR was observed. Ultra-hypofractionated WBI provides favourable compliance and early clinical outcomes in EBC after BCS in a real-world setting.