Subcutaneous Fat Layer Research Articles

Non-invasive Quantitative Analysis of Specific Fat Accumulation in Subcutaneous Adipose Tissues using Raman Spectroscopy.

Subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), visceral adipose tissue (VAT), and fat beneath the dermis layer were investigated using a ball lens top hollow optical fiber Raman probe (BHRP). Hamsters were fed with trilinolein (TL) and tricaprin (TC) for six weeks and measurements were carried out every two weeks. The BHRP with an 800 μm diameter fused-silica ball lens was able to obtain information on the subcutaneous fat in a totally non-invasive manner. Changes in the concentration of TL and TC during the treatment were analyzed, and the relationship between fat accumulation and dietary fat was studied. It was found that SAT had, in general, a higher degree of unsaturation than VAT. The accumulation rate of TC found in SAT and VAT was 0.52 ± 0.38 and 0.58 ± 0.4%, respectively, while the TL accumulation rate was 4.45 ± 1.6 and 4.37 ± 2.4%, respectively. The results suggest different metabolic pathways for TC, a typical medium-chain fatty acid, and TL, a long-chain unsaturated fatty acid. Raman subsurface spectra were successfully obtained and used to analyze the subcutaneous fat layer. The accumulation rates of TL and TC found in skin fat were 5.01 ± 3.53% and 0.45 ± 0.36%, respectively. The results demonstrate the high feasibility of Raman spectroscopy for non-invasive analysis of adipose tissue.

Strategy of sellar floor reconstruction of resection of pituitary adenoma via neuroendoscopic transsphenoidal approach

Objective To investigate the methods and effect of sellar floor reconstruction after resection of pituitary adenoma via neuroendoscopic transsphenoidal approach. Methods From August 2006 and August 2014, the clinical data of 115 patients with pituitary adenoma admitted to the Department of Neurosurgery, Inner Mongolia People’s Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. All patients underwent resection of pituitary adenoma via single nostril neuroendoscopic transsphenoidal approach. Ninety-seven patients with no obvious cerebrospinal fluid leakage during the operations were treated with artificial dural reconstruction of the sellar floor dura (simple repair). Subcutaneous fat, muscle, fascia, and artificial dura layer repair were used to reconstruct the sellar floor dura in 18 patients with cerebrospinal fluid leakage (complex repair). The follow-up time ranged from 6 to 36 months (mean, 25.5 months). Results The pituitary adenomas of 97 patients (84.3%) were resected completely and 18 (15.7%) were resected subtotally. A total of 86 patients completed follow-up and 29 lost to follow up. None of the patients experienced cerebrospinal fluid leakage within the follow-up period. Conclusions For patients whose pituitary adenomas were resected via single nostril neuroendoscopic transsphenoidal approach, taking the corresponding sellar floor reconstruction strategy can effectively prevent postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage and reduce postoperative complications according to whether occurring cerebrospinal fluid leakage or not during the operations. Key words: Pituitary neoplasms; Neuroendoscopy; Cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea; Neurosurgical procedures; Sellar floor reconstruction

Efficacy of Kaempferia parviflora in a mouse model of obesity-induced dermatopathy.

Obesity results from excessive energy intake and physical inactivity, and predisposes one to various diseases. One of these reasons is that enlargement of adipocytes raises the lipid metabolic abnormalities that affect various organs. The skin is one such organ, and it has been reported that subcutaneous adipocyte cells secrete various factors and these factors are involved in reduction of dermal collagen fibers and fragility of the skin in obesity. The present study explored the efficacy of Kaempferia parviflora (KP) in preventing obesity-induced dermatopathy. We used Tsumura Suzuki obese diabetes (TSOD) mice as an obesity model. TSOD mice were fed a standard diet (MF) mixed with either an ethanol extract from KP (KPE), polymethoxyflavonoid-rich extract from KP (PMF), or polymethoxyflavonoid-poor extract from KP (X). We then evaluated the effect of these three KP fractions on aging-like skin damage induced by UVB irradiation. KPE and PMF caused a significant decrease of mouse body weight, and suppressed the increase in the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer. In addition, KPE shifted the frequency of subcutaneous adipocyte sizes towards smaller cells possibly via its polypharmacological actions. Scanning electron microscopy revealed that the stereostructure of the collagenous fibers in the dermis was better retained in the KPE and PMF groups, in that order. These results offer the first evidence that KPE can attenuate obesity-induced dermatopathy more effectively than PMF, suggesting that KPE (or KP) might be a candidate supplement for preventing obesity-related skin disorders.

Improved methods for evaluating pre-clinical and histological effects of subcutaneous fat reduction using high-intensity focused ultrasound in a porcine model.

Non-invasive body sculpting procedures are becoming increasingly popular. High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment is a non-surgical fat reduction procedure that permanently destroys unwanted abdominal fat. Despite its increasing popularity, evaluation methods for the procedure have not yet been fully developed. The objective of this study was to develop evaluation methods for HIFU for non-surgical, permanent fat reduction in the anterior abdomen using a porcine model. The abdomens of female pigs (Sus scrofa, n = 7) were treated with a HIFU device (SCIZER™ , Classys Inc, Seoul, Korea). We examined treatment effects using photography, ultrasound, gross and microscopic pathology, and serum lipid and liver function level analysis, carbon tracer test, and histological examination in order to determine the mechanism of action, efficacy, and safety of the procedure. HIFU treatment effectively reduced abdominal fat in a porcine model; it accurately treated the target subcutaneous fat layer and the subcutaneous fat was reduced effectively via ultrasonic measurement after HIFU treatment. On histological staining (H&E, toluidine blue, oil red O and immunohistochemistry), we found that subcutaneous fat reduction occurred effectively via accurate treatment of the targeted subcutaneous fat layer. On hematological assay, there were changes within normal range, and values remained stable after 48 h. Via carbon tracer test, the migration of activated macrophages was identified within the axillary lymph node (LN). PPAR-delta, a protein defined by immunohistochemistry staining, was overexpressed in the early stage on days 1 and 7, but a gradual decreasing pattern was confirmed. We successfully used a HIFU device for body contouring and fat reduction in a pre-clinical study. These results provide that the essential clues toward the effective evaluation, guiding selection of the appropriate diagnostic investigations.

Numerical analysis of stress distribution in the upper arm tissues under an inflatable cuff: Implications for noninvasive blood pressure measurement

An inflatable cuff wrapped around the upper arm is widely used in noninvasive blood pressure measurement. However, the mechanical interaction between cuff and arm tissues, a factor that potentially affects the accuracy of noninvasive blood pressure measurement, remains rarely addressed. In the present study, finite element (FE) models were constructed to quantify intra-arm stresses generated by cuff compression, aiming to provide some theoretical evidence for identifying factors of importance for blood pressure measurement or explaining clinical observations. Obtained results showed that the simulated tissue stresses were highly sensitive to the distribution of cuff pressure on the arm surface and the contact condition between muscle and bone. In contrast, the magnitude of cuff pressure and small variations in elastic properties of arm soft tissues had little influence on the efficiency of pressure transmission in arm tissues. In particular, it was found that a thickened subcutaneous fat layer in obese subjects significantly reduced the effective pressure transmitted to the brachial artery, which may explain why blood pressure overestimation occurs more frequently in obese subjects in noninvasive blood pressure measurement.

Impact of Contactless Apoptosis-Inducing RF on Temperature of Human Skin Surface and Subcutaneous Layer as well as Porcine Histology: A Pilot Study

Radiofrequency (RF) technology has been developed as a noninvasive method to reduce subcutaneous abdominal fat. The aim of this study was to measure the changes of human skin surface temperature and human subcutaneous fat layer temperature, as well as to evaluate the histologic change in porcine adipocytes during and after treatment with contactless apoptosis-inducing RF device.

How to prevent the infection of contaminated abdominal incisions.

Surgical site infection is one of the most common complications of conventional laparoscopic surgery. Preventing infection of the incision is particularly important. To discuss how to prevent the occurrence of surgical site infection after contaminated abdominal surgery. Five hundred and fifty-one surgery patients with ``contaminated abdominal incisions'' from January 2011 to May 2013 were analyzed in terms of the preventative treatment, and summarized for surgical site infection. Subcutaneous tissue flushed with normal saline + hydrogen peroxide before suturing in the intervention 1 group; subcutaneous tissue flushed with normal saline + 0.5% povidone-iodine before suturing in the intervention 2 group. When subcutaneous fat was contaminated to a depth of ≤ 2.5 cm, the rates of surgical site infection in the control group and the intervention groups showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). When subcutaneous fat was contaminated to a depth of ≥ 3.0 cm, the rate of surgical site infection in the control group compared with the intervention one group was not statistically different (P > 0.05). The rate of surgical site infection in the control group compared with the intervention two group was statistical significant (P < 0.05). The rate of surgical site infection in the intervention one group compared with the intervention two group was statistical significant (P < 0.05). Preoperative control of the blood sugar; correction of anemia and the hypoalbuminemia; use of intraoperative the high-frequency electrotome; irrigation of the incision with plenty of physiological saline +$ iodophor before suturing the subcutaneous fat layer were key to effectively preventing infection in contaminated abdominal incisions.

The Effect of Subcutaneous Fat on Electrical Impedance Myography: Electrode Configuration and Multi-Frequency Analyses.

This study investigates the impact of the subcutaneous fat layer (SFL) thickness on localized electrical impedance myography (EIM), as well as the effects of different current electrodes, varying in distance and direction, on EIM output. Twenty-three healthy subjects underwent localized multi-frequency EIM on their biceps brachii muscles with a hand-held electrode array. The EIM measurements were recorded under three different configurations: wide (or outer) longitudinal configuration 6.8 cm, narrow (or inner) longitudinal configuration 4.5 cm, and narrow transverse configuration 4.5 cm. Ultrasound was applied to measure the SFL thickness. Coefficients of determination (R2) of three EIM variables (resistance, reactance, and phase) and SFL thickness were calculated. For the longitudinal configuration, the wide distance could reduce the effects of the subcutaneous fat when compared with the narrow distance, but a significant correlation still remained for all three EIM parameters. However, there was no significant correlation between SFL thickness and reactance in the transverse configuration (R2 = 0.0294, p = 0.434). Utilizing a ratio of 50kHz/100kHz phase was found to be able to help reduce the correlation with SFL thickness for all the three configurations. The findings indicate that the appropriate selection of the current electrode distance, direction and the multi-frequency phase ratio can reduce the impact of subcutaneous fat on EIM. These settings should be evaluated for future clinical studies using hand-held localized arrays to perform EIM.

Shape estimation of subcutaneous adipose tissue using an articulated statistical shape model

The quantification of adipose tissue can give insights into obesity and the associated diseases. The segmentation of this tissue is however difficult, particularly due to the complex geometry and the local appearance similarities between the subcutaneous and visceral types. Shape priors can be used to regularise the segmentation of geometries with small variation in shape. However, human bodies are articulated and substantially different across subjects. In this paper, a novel method is proposed for the segmentation of the subcutaneous fat layer in full-body magnetic resonance imaging scans. The proposed method is based on a statistical shape model of the whole body surface, which is learned from geometric scans. The body model is factorised into pose and shape deformations, which allows a compact parametrisation of large variations in human shape. The proposed method is applied in the segmentation of five magnetic resonance imaging data-sets. The experiments show that the proposed model can be used to effectively segment the subcutaneous fat geometry in subjects with different body mass indices. The incorporation of the statistical model in the algorithm regularises the segmentation, and establishes correspondences between the subcutaneous fat layer of the geometries across subjects. The registration of the fat layer with a common geometry could facilitate the statistical analysis of the shape distribution across the different geometries.

Influence of Subcutaneous Fat Layer in Skin Temperature

The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between the subcutaneous fat layer and the temperature variation (core - skin) in two body regions, measured by infrared sensors. This study involved 43 volunteers selected among undergraduate students in physical education. The thermal images and skinfold thickness were acquired from subscapular region (SB) for male and triceps region (TR) for female volunteers, of right side. In this study, subscapular skinfold thickness was inversely correlated with skin temperature (r = -0.638, p = 0.004) and directly correlated with ΔT [core – skin] (r = 0.653, p = 0.003). However, the results for the triceps region showed no significant correlation between triceps skinfold thickness and skin temperature or ΔT [core – skin]. When the sample was separated into two groups by skinfold thickness, with cut off at 12mm, average comparison tests for ΔT [core – skin] shows statistically significant difference between groups for the subscapular site (Student t test for independent sample, p value = 0.023), but not for the triceps site (Wilcoxon Signed Ranks and the Mann-Whitney tests, p value = 0.268). In short, the findings suggest that subcutaneous fat layer correlates negatively with skin temperature in subscapular region.

Iatrogenic Calcinosis Cutis of the Upper Limb Arising from the Extravasation of Intravenous Anticancer Drugs in a Patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Iatrogenic Calcinosis Cutis of the Upper Limb Arising from the Extravasation of Intravenous Anticancer Drugs in a Patient with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Relationship between BMI and Postoperative Complications with Free Flap in Anterolateral Craniofacial Reconstruction

Background:Although we have seen tremendous advancement in microsurgery over the last 2 decades and free tissue transfer has become standard for head and neck reconstruction, surgeons still struggle to prevent postoperative complications. We examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and postoperative complications in patients undergoing rectus abdominis free flap transfer after anterolateral craniofacial resection.Methods:This was a retrospective review of reconstructive surgery using rectus abdominis musculocutaneous free flap in patients with locally advanced maxillary sinus carcinoma from 2003 to 2014 (n = 35, 27 men and 8 women; average age, 60.9 ± 7.8 years). All patients underwent craniofacial reconstruction after anterior and middle cranial fossa skull base resection and maxillectomy (class IV, subtype a) with palatal resection. Patients were categorized based on sex, BMI, and other parameters.Results:Recipient-site infection occurred in 11 patients (31.4%), cerebrospinal fluid leakage in 6 (17.1%), partial flap necrosis in 2 (5.7%), total flap necrosis in 1 (2.9%), and facial fistula in 4 (11.4%). Women showed partial flap necrosis significantly more frequently (P = 0.047), probably owing to poor vascular supply of the subcutaneous fat layer. Patients with low BMI (<20 kg/m2) showed recipient-site infection (P = 0.02) and facial fistula (P = 0.01) significantly more frequently owing to insufficient tissue volume and poor vascular supply.Conclusion:Postoperative recipient-site infection and facial fistula occurred mainly in low-BMI patients. Surgeons should take care to achieve sufficient donor tissue on low-BMI patients. Using a prosthetic obturator in low-BMI patients for craniofacial reconstruction can be a good alternative option to reduce postoperative complications due to insufficient donor tissue volume.

Thickness estimation of the subcutaneous fat using coaxial probe.

In this Letter, a non-invasive method for thickness estimation of the subcutaneous fat layer of abdominal wall is presented by using a coaxial probe. Fat layer has the highest impact on the averaged attenuation parameter of the abdominal wall due to its high thickness and low permittivity. The abdominal wall is modelled as a multi-layer medium and an analytical model for the probe is derived by calculation of its aperture admittance facing to this multi-layer medium. The performance of this model is then validated by a numerical simulation using finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) analysis. Simulation results show the high impact of the probe dimension and fat layer thickness on the sensitivity of the measured permittivity. The authors further investigate this sensitivity by statistical analysis of the permittivity variations. Finally, measuring in different locations relative to the body surface is presented as a solution to estimate the fat layer thickness in the presence of uncertainty of model parameters.

Tumor volume is a better predictor of post-operative wound complications compared to tumor size in soft tissue sarcomas of the proximal lower extremity.

BackgroundWide local excision with or without radiation therapy (RT) and chemotherapy is widely accepted as appropriate management for soft tissue sarcomas (STS) of the extremity. Although survival and local control rates are comparable to amputation, post-operative wound complications (WC) following limb salvage can result in significant morbidity for the patient. Certain risk factors such as location, pre-operative RT, and age have been shown to increase the risk of WCs. Somewhat surprisingly, size has not consistently been shown to impact WC rates. The goal of this study is to assess whether tumor volume, as opposed to the traditional measurement of the largest dimension in one plane, correlates with the development of post-operative WCs.MethodsBetween 2000 and 2013, 81 patients with STS of the proximal lower extremity, buttock and pelvis were retrospectively identified from our prospective database. We reviewed the impact of patient, tumor, and treatment variables on postoperative WC. Predictors for WC were evaluated using the Fisher exact test for univariate analysis and logistic regression for multivariate analysis. Tumor volume was determined using the medical image merge (MIM) ® software program (version 6.5.4, MIM Software, Cleveland, OH). Tumor size (diameter) was determined the historical way of measuring the widest dimension on the sagittal, coronal, and axial planes from the MRI scan at midplane.ResultsThe overall WC rate within 6 months of tumor resection was 32 %. WC were more likely to occur with larger tumor volumes (p = 0.015), although not with tumor diameters ≥10 cm (p = 0.55). Neither volume of subcutaneous fat (p = 0.34) or depth of the subcutaneous fat layer (p = 0.82) significantly impacted WC rates. Tumor proximity to skin surface also did not significantly impact WC risk (p = 0.73).ConclusionsIncrease in tumor volume led to a higher risk of post-operative WCs. Assessing tumor volume may allow clinicians to better counsel patients on their risk of post-operative WCs. Tumor volume, as opposed to size alone, should be considered in future sarcoma outcome studies.

Development and Validation of a High Anatomical Fidelity FE Model for the Buttock and Thigh of a Seated Individual.

Current practices for designing new cushions for seats depend on superficial measurements, such as pressure mapping, which do not provide sufficient information about the condition of sub-dermal tissues. Finite element (FE) modelling offers a unique alternative to integrate assessment of sub-dermal tissue condition into seat/cushion design and development processes. However, the development and validation of such FE models for seated humans requires accurate representation of the anatomy and material properties, which remain challenges that are yet to be addressed. This paper presents the development and validation of a detailed 3D FE model with high anatomical fidelity of the buttock and thigh, for a specific seated subject. The developed model consisted of 28 muscles, the pelvis, sacrum, femur, and one layer of inter-muscular fat, subcutaneous fat and skin. Validation against in vivo measurements from MRI data confirmed that the FE model can simulate the deformation of soft tissues under sitting loads with an accuracy of (mean±SD) 4.7±4.4mm. Simulation results showed that the maximum strains (compressive, shear and von-Mises) on muscles (41, 110, 79%) were higher than fat tissues (21, 62, 41%). The muscles that experienced the highest mechanical loads were the gluteus maximus, adductor magnus and muscles in the posterior aspect of the thighs (biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles). The developed FE model contributes to the progression towards bio-fidelity in modelling the human body in seated postures by providing insight into the distribution of stresses/strains in individual muscles and inter-muscular fat in the buttock and thigh of seated individuals. Industrial applications for the developed FE model include improving the design of office and household furniture, automotive and airplane seats and wheelchairs as well as customisation and assessment of sporting and medical equipment to meet individual requirements.

Feasibility of boar taint classification using a portable Raman device

The feasibility of Raman spectroscopy for boar taint detection and classification was investigated using tainted and untainted backfat samples of 46 boars. For this exploratory study, backfat samples were selected according to their levels of androstenone and skatole as determined by gas chromatography and their sensory score by a trained panel. Raman spectra were collected with a portable device at freshly cut surfaces of frozen–thawed samples. Both inner and outer layers of subcutaneous fat were studied. Their varying level of unsaturation was reflected in the Raman spectra. Partial least squares regression discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) was applied to the spectra together with various pre-processing methods. A model using only spectra obtained at the inner layer resulted in the highest classification accuracy for boar taint (81% of samples correctly classified). The discrimination is shown to reflect differences in the degree of fatty acid saturation between tainted and untainted boars. In conclusion, the findings suggest that with further development Raman spectroscopy may be used to classify boar taint.

Implantable venous ports in pediatric oncology: experience of single institution in Russia.

To review our experience with implantable venous port-systems (IVPs) in pediatric cancer patients. From 2010 to 2015 we were monitoring the treatment of 163 children (aged 3 months to 17 years) with oncologic diseases. These patients underwent venous port implantations. During insertion of 163 IVPs the following complications and technical difficulties were present: unintended puncture of the common carotid artery (CCA) during the puncture of the internal jugular vein (IJV) - 7 cases (4.3%); retrograde positioning of the distal end of the guidewire in the IJV - 17 cases (14.4%); placement of the distal end of the guidewire into the punctured subclavian vein (SV) - 12 cases (7.6%); difficulties driving the guidewire into the IJV after successful puncture - 15 cases (9.3%). The use of 163 IVPs was complicated by the following: venous port contamination - 4 cases (2.5%); occlusion of the IVPs by a clot - 8 cases (5%); withdrawal of the Huber needle bevel from the port chamber - 22 cases (13.6%); subcutaneous fat layer thinning above the port chamber - 3 cases (1.7%). There are many complications, but they can be reduced by proper choice of materials and methodology.

Author Reply

We would like to thank the reviewers for their thoughtful comments. 1 Wilson S.K. Subcutaneous placement of inflatable penile prosthesis reservoirs [Editorial Comment]. Urology. 2015; (in press) PubMed Google Scholar On April 13, 2015, Coloplast Corp. received U.S. FDA approval for ectopic reservoir placement. This approval was based on FDA review of 9 published references. 2 Smaldone MC Cannon GM Benoit RM Subcutaneous reservoir placement during penile prosthesis implantation. Can J Urol. 2006; 13: 3351-3352 PubMed Google Scholar , 3 Perito PE Ectopic reservoir placement–no longer in the space of Retzius. J Sex Med. 2011; 8: 2395-2398 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (29) Google Scholar , 4 Perito PE Wilson SK Traditional (retroperitoneal) and abdominal wall (ectopic) reservoir placement. J Sex Med. 2011; 8: 656-659 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (56) Google Scholar , 5 Hartman RJ Jr., Helfand BT McVary KM Outcomes of lateral retroperitoneal reservoir placement of three-piece penile prosthesis in patients following radical prostatectomy. Int J Impot Res. 2010; 22: 279-283 Crossref PubMed Scopus (26) Google Scholar , 6 Chung PH Morey AF Tausch TJ et al. High submuscular placement of urologic prosthetic balloons and reservoirs: 2-year experience and patient-reported outcomes. Urology. 2014; 84: 1540-1545 Google Scholar , 7 Stember DS Garber BB Perito PE Outcomes of abdominal wall reservoir placement in inflatable penile prosthesis implantation: a safe and efficacious alternative to the space of Retzius. J Sex Med. 2014; 11: 605-612 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (63) Google Scholar , 8 Karpman E Brant WO Kansas B et al. Reservoir alternate surgical implantation technique: preliminary outcomes of initial PROPPER study patients consecutively implanted with low profile or spherical reservoir in submuscular location or traditional prevesical space. J Urol. 2014; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2014.007.082 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar , 9 Karpman E et al. Current opinions on alternative reservoir placement for inflatable penile prosthesis among members of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America. J Sex Med. 2013; 10: 2115-2120 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (48) Google Scholar , 10 Tausch TJ et al. High submuscular versus space of Retzius placement of inflatable penile prosthesis reservoirs: results of a surgeon survey. Can J Urol. 2014; 21: 7465-7469 PubMed Google Scholar In our series, we have expanded the published literature on ectopic reservoirs, specifically involving subcutaneous reservoir placement (SRP). We used this technique on <1% of patients, specifically those with a thick subcutaneous fat layer, which would be capable of concealing the reservoir. However, we do not yet feel that ectopic placement should be considered a paradigm shift. There is a large amount of literature reporting on traditional space of Retzius (SOR) placement, and a much smaller amount concerning ectopic placement. Ectopic placement does not conceal the reservoir as well as SOR placement in thin individuals. We believe that more patients, more authors, and longer follow-up are required before we come to any final conclusions about these issues. We continue to prefer SOR reservoir placement in uncomplicated cases, and have published recommendations on how to avoid visceral injury. 11 Garber BB Morris A Intravesical penile implant reservoir: case report, literature review, and strategies for prevention. Int J Imp Res. 2012; 25: 41-44 Crossref PubMed Scopus (17) Google Scholar However, for those patients with anatomic issues (eg, hernia repair with mesh, prior pelvic surgery, morbid obesity, etc.) we freely use ectopic placement. Ectopic sites we have safely used include the space immediately subjacent to: the rectus muscle, the anterior rectus fascia, the external oblique muscle, the external oblique fascia, and Scarpa's fascia. Rather than considering ectopic placement as a paradigm shift, we prefer to consider these techniques as additional reservoir placement options that implanting urologists now have at their disposal.

18F-FDG PET/CT Imaging in Detection of Intravascular Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma (IVLBCL) is a rare type of extranodal large B-cell lymphoma. Now, it remains a diagnostic challenge, because of non-specific findings on clinical, laboratory, and imaging studies. Here we present a case of an IVLBCL patient, who presented with fever of unknown origin and had skin involvement, that 18F-FDG PET/CT showed increased metabolism on systemic subcutaneous fat layer with a SUVmax of 1.29. After five courses of R-CHOP, 18F-FDG PET/CT showed disappearance of the diffuse FDG accumulation on systemic subcutaneous fat layer with a SUVmax of 0.55. These features make this case unique.

Prediction precision for lean meat percentage in Norwegian pig carcasses using ‘Hennessy grading probe 7’: Evaluation of methods emphasized at exploiting additional information from computed tomography

ABSTRACTThe present study aims at improving the prediction of lean meat percentage (LMP) for pig carcasses based on on-line measurements from the slaughterhouses using the ‘Hennessy Grading Probe 7’ (HGP7) and auxiliary information such as gender and breed. The prediction performance is evaluated using an empirical Bayes method capable of utilizing information from a surrogate variable, that is, LMP from computed tomography. HGP7 measures thicknesses of fat and meat layers. The HGP7 measurements of subcutaneous fat, sirloin height and interior fat layer should be included as predictor variables together with gender. For efficiency at the slaughter-line gender might be omitted. The empirical Bayes method improved prediction precision only marginally compared with the standard ordinary least-squares method when applied to the full set of data. However, simulations show that the empirical Bayes method enables a considerable reduction of the data sample size without appreciable loss of prediction precision.