Quantitative model of cellulite: three‐dimensional skin surface topography,biophysical characterization,and relationship to human perception*

Regional Meeting of the International Society for Bioengineering and the Skin, Orlando, Florida, October 28–30, 2004. Gynoid lipodystrophy (cellulite) is the irregular, dimpled skin surface of the thighs, abdomen, and buttocks in 85% of post‐adolescent women. The distinctive surface morphology is believed to result when subcutaneous adipose tissue protrudes into the lower reticular dermis, thereby creating irregularities at the surface. The biomechanical properties of epidermal and dermal tissue may also influence severity. Cellulite‐affected thigh sites were measured in 51 females with varying degrees of cellulite, in 11 non‐cellulite controls, and in 10 male controls. A non‐contact high‐resolution three‐dimensional laser surface scanner was used to quantify the skin surface morphology and determine specific roughness values. The scans were evaluated by experts and naїve judges (n = 62). Body composition was evaluated via dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry; dermal thickness and the dermal‐subcutaneous junction were evaluated via high‐resolution 3D ultrasound and surface photography under compression. Biomechanical properties were also measured. The roughness parameters Svm (mean depth of the lowest valleys) and Sdr (ratio between the roughness surface area and the area of the xy plane) were highly correlated to the expert image grades and, therefore, designated as the quantitative measures of cellulite severity. The strength of the correlations among naїve grades, expert grades, and roughness values confirmed that the data quantitatively evaluate the human perception of cellulite. Cellulite severity was correlated to BMI, thigh circumference, percent thigh fat, architecture of the dermal‐subcutaneous border (ultrasound surface area, red‐band SD from compressed images), compliance, and stiffness (negative correlation). Cellulite severity was predicted by the percent fat and the area of the dermal‐subcutaneous border. The biomechanical properties did not significantly contribute to the prediction. Comparison of the parameters for females and males further suggest that percent thigh fat and surface area roughness deviation are the distinguishing features of cellulite.     

French wheel tracking round robin test on a polymer modified bitumen mixture

In the framework of the RILEM TC 206-ATB TG3, a Round Robin Test (RRT) has been performed in order to evaluate the reproducibility of the French Wheel Tracking Test (FWTT) on a mix made with Polymer Modified Bitumen (PmB). For this mixture, some particular problems had been reported, such as excessive heating of the sample due to friction and sticking of the binder to the wheel. Two procedures, called anti-overheating and anti-sticking procedures, have been proposed by the group in order to improve the reproducibility of the wheel tracking tests. These procedures are assessed. Causes of scattering are discussed. Differences between the tyres used during this RRT as a possible origin of scattering are discussed, as well as temperature peaks and over-compaction of specimens.     

A project to reduce the burden of diabetes in the African-American Community: Project DIRECT

Project DIRECT (Diabetes Interventions Reaching and Educating Communities Together) is the first comprehensive community diabetes demonstration project in the United States in an African-American community. This article describes its intervention components and evaluation design. The development and implementation of Project DIRECT has included the community since the project's beginning. Interventions are targeted in three areas: health promotion (improving diet and physical activity levels), outreach (improving diabetes awareness, detection of undiagnosed diabetes, and ensuring that persons with diabetes who are not receiving continuing diabetes care are integrated into the health-care system), and diabetes care (improving self-care, increasing access, and improving the quality of diabetes preventive care received within the health-care system). Evaluation will be internal (conducted by Project DIRECT staff to assess process outcomes in persons directly exposed to each specific intervention) and external (review of outcomes to assess the impact of the multi-intervention program at the level of the entire community). Because diabetes exacts a disproportionate toll among African Americans, the findings from this project should aid in developing strategies to lessen the burden of this disorder, particularly among minority populations.     

Absorption of hydrogen in reduced nickel oxide

By repeated oxidation and reduction of nickel in alkaline solution an oxide film is formed on nickel which cannot be reduced further. In this film hydrogen is absorbed during cathodic polarization. The absorbed hydrogen is manifest in the voltammogram as an anodic peak before the Ni(OH)₂ peak. This was proved by H-diffusion experiments through nickel foils. From experiments with Ni electrodes covered with- or-Ni(OH)₂ films, it can be concluded that the reduced nickel oxide layer on nickel is most likely a-Ni(OH)₂ layer.     

Interaction of zinc deposited from an alkaline solution with a polycrystalline silver substrate

The interaction of zinc electrodeposited from an alkaline solution with a polycrystalline silver substrate is studied with cyclic voltammetry, microprobe technique and ellipsometry. Zinc forms alloys with the substrate via diffusion. Two phases are identified: one as the ε-phase (AgZn₃) and the other as the ζ-phase (AgZn). A penetration coefficient (k) of 7 × 10^?4 cm² s^?1 is calculated. Transformations into phases with lower zinc content take place continuously, probably resulting in the formation of the α-phase.     

Differences between coagulase-negative Staphylococcus species in persistence and in effect on somatic cell count and milk yield in dairy goats

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are the most commonly isolated bacteria from goat milk. The goal of this study was to explore and describe differences between CNS species in persistence of intramammary infection (IMI) and in effect on somatic cell count (SCC) and milk yield (MY). Milk samples were collected from 530 does from 5 Dutch dairy goat herds on 3 occasions during 1 lactation. Coagulase-negative staphylococci species were identified at the species level by transfer RNA-intergenic spacer PCR (tDNA-PCR) followed by capillary electrophoresis. The most prevalent CNS species were Staphylococcus caprae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus simulans, and Staphylococcus xylosus, but large differences were seen in species distribution between herds. Staphylococcus caprae and Staph. xylosus appeared to be more persistent than other species, but confidence intervals were overlapping. The effect of IMI caused by the 4 most prevalent CNS species on SCC and on MY was determined with linear regression models, and Staph. aureus and Corynebacterium bovis were included in the analyses as reference organisms. Most species were associated with a significantly higher SCC than noninfected udder halves, but the effect of CNS species on SCC was much smaller than the effect of Staph. aureus on SCC. We found a significant positive association between infection with Staph. caprae and MY. Intramammary infection caused by Staph. xylosus, on the other hand, had a negative association with milk yield, comparable to the effect of Staph. aureus, but these effects were not significantly different from zero. Intramammary infections with CNS species have a high prevalence in goats and are persistent, but have a limited effect on SCC compared with IMI with Staph. aureus. The effect of CNS species on MY differed between species, but differences were nonsignificant because limited numbers per species were available for analysis. Therefore, CNS species appear to behave as minor pathogens in goats, but larger studies are needed to give better estimates for the effect on MY.     

Multiple-marker mapping for selective DNA pooling within large families

Selective DNA pooling is a very powerful method for quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping. It considerably reduces genotyping costs while maintaining high statistical power. Applied to a daughter design, milk samples of offspring with extreme phenotypic values for a trait of interest are assigned to high and low groups, respectively, and within each group the pooled DNA is used for densitometric estimation of allele frequencies in the 2 groups. A single-marker test for linkage between marker and QTL considers marker allele frequency differences between high and low groups. Single-marker across-sire test statistics are strongly affected by the number of sires that are heterozygous for a given marker and the QTL status (homozygous or heterozygous) of these sires, which decreases the accuracy of QTL mapping. Here we propose a simple method to deal with this problem by taking information from multiple linked markers into account. In particular, given the single-marker test statistics, a multiple-marker method was developed to predict test statistics for markers for which a sire was homozygous (or at any other location on the chromosome). Power and map resolution of the proposed method were assessed by simulation, and we show that for the same data set, multiple-marker mapping performed better than the commonly used single-marker analyses.     

An estimate of the cost of in vitro fertilization services in the United States in 1995

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the cost of adding IVF treatment to a standard health care benefits package. In vitro fertilization cost is defined as the average charge for a single cycle of treatment in an existing IVF program. DESIGN: Cost analysis. SETTING: Two hundred sixty IVF centers active in the United States in 1993. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: In vitro fertilization utilization and outcomes for 1993 were estimated from data in an existing registry. In vitro fertilization charges were determined from a 1993 survey of IVF clinics. The resulting expenditures for benefits and premiums were projected to 1995 together with the additional cost if utilization were to increase by 300% or 500%. RESULTS: In the United States in 1993 there were 31,718 IVF cycles for which the average charge was $6,233, leading to a total expenditure of approximately $197.70 million for IVF services in 1993. The projected cost of adding IVF services to a typical employer health plan in 1995 would be $2.79 per annum and the premium would be $3.14. Benefits and premium costs for a 300% utilization increase were $8.37 and $9.41, respectively, and for a 500% increase, $13.95 and $15.69, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The cost of IVF services would be a minute fraction of the annual cost of a typical family benefits program ($3,393). Savings from reduced utilization of alternative treatments would offset a portion of this increase. Increases in utilization rates should be controlled by clinical criteria.