Skin Sensitive Difference of Human Body Sections under Clothing - Multiple Analysis of Skin Surface Temperature Changes

A new researching method on clothing comfort perception is developed.By it the skin surface temperature changes and subjective psychological perception of human body sections stimulated by the same cold stimulation are studied.With the multiple comparison analysis method the changing laws of skin temperature of main human body sections is obtained.

Skin Characteristics of Sites Predisposed to Pressure Ulcers among Bedridden Elderly Patients in Japan

Background: Previous studies have not specifically measured skin characteristics at common sites of pressure ulcers in high-risk elderly patients. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the physiological skin characteristics at common pressure ulcer sites and their relationship with pressure ulcer risk and demographic/laboratory data in bedridden elderly Japanese patients. Methods: This study involved 55 elderly Japanese patients in a long-term care hospital and 25 female Japanese university students. Skin surface temperature, epidermal water content, transepidermal water loss, skin erythema/redness, skin elasticity, and skin thickness were measured using noninvasive devices. The sacral and both heel areas (sites predisposed to pressure ulcers) and mid-to-lower back area (control site) were observed. Results: Elderly patients showed a low epidermal water content at both heels (right heel, 14.8 ± 9.1 arbitrary units, AU.;left heel, 14.4 ± 8.3 AU). Transepidermal water loss remained acceptable at all sites in older patients despite the presence of dry skin (back, 7.1 ± 1.8 g/hm2;sacrum, 7.4 ± 3.0 g/hm2;right heel, 17.7 ± 7.1 g/hm2;left heel, 19.4 ± 8.1 g/hm2). Back (0.61 ± 0.13 AU) and sacral (0.67 ± 0.11 AU) skin elasticity and sacral skin thickness (0.97 ± 0.56 cm) were significantly lower than those of healthy young people (0.86 ± 0.04 AU, 0.87 ± 0.05 AU, and 2.27 ± 0.84 cm, respectively;p < 0.001 for all sites). Moderate positive correlations were observed between back skin elasticity and serum albumin level (r = 0.445, p < 0.001), and between sacral skin thickness and BMI (r = 0.506, p < 0.001) in older patients. Conclusions: Our findings showed that skin thickness and elasticity should be prioritized when evaluating pressure ulcer risk at the sacral region in bedridden elderly Japanese patients. Moreover, skin moisturization should be considered to minimize the risk at the heels in such patients.

Skin Sensitive Difference of Human Body Sections under Clothing — Comparative Judging of Body Sections' Cold Sensitivity Sequence

Skin seasitive difference of human body sections under clothing is the theoretic foundation of thermal insulation clothing design. By a new psychological ＆ physical researching method, the subjective psychological perception of human body sections affected by the same cold stimulus are studied, and with Thurstone comparative judgement the main human body sections＇ cold sensitivity sequences are obtained. Furthermore the physiological causes for skin sensitive difference of human body sections under clothing are suggested.

The influence of different methods of acupuncture on skin surface perfusion

OBJECTIVE:To compare the effects on the body surface of different kinds of placebo/sham acupuncture with that of traditional needling sensation acupuncture.METHODS:Point Neiguan(PC 6) of 29 healthy subjects,19 males and 10 females,was stimulated with needling sensation,shallow,placebo and deep acupuncture at the non-acupoint.After stimulation with different methods of acupuncture,the change in perfusion of the micrangium in the skin surface around the elbow joint,with Point Quze(PC 3) as its center,was observed with laser Doppler blood-flow imaging.RESULTS:Judging from the absolute value of perfusion of the skin surface micrangium,several methods of acupuncture can cause change in blood flow.The ratio of blood-flow perfusion in the meridian area in and around Quze declined before and after needling insertion in needling sensation acupuncture and shallow acupuncture.This observation did not occur in placebo and non-acupoint acupuncture.Needling sensation acupuncture at an acupoint can relatively reduce the perfusion ofthe micrangium in the projective area of the meridian where the acupoint is located on the body surface(P<0.05),indicating the specificity of meridians.CONCLUSIONS:Stimulation of an acupoint or a point on the body surface with any type of acupuncture can cause change in blood flow in the skin near the needling point.However,the biological mechanism underlying this phenomenon needs to be further explored.

Between Algorithm and Model:Different Molecular Surface Definitions for the Poisson-Boltzmann Based Electrostatic Characterization of Biomolecules in Solution

The definition of a molecular surface which is physically sound and computationally efficient is a very interesting and long standing problem in the implicit solvent continuum modeling of biomolecular systems as well as in the molecular graphics field.In this work,two molecular surfaces are evaluated with respect to their suitability for electrostatic computation as alternatives to the widely used Connolly-Richards surface:the blobby surface,an implicit Gaussian atom centered surface,and the skin surface.As figures of merit,we considered surface differentiability and surface area continuity with respect to atom positions,and the agreement with explicit solvent simulations.Geometric analysis seems to privilege the skin to the blobby surface,and points to an unexpected relationship between the non connectedness of the surface,caused by interstices in the solute volume,and the surface area dependence on atomic centers.In order to assess the ability to reproduce explicit solvent results,specific software tools have been developed to enable the use of the skin surface in PoissonBoltzmann calculations with the DelPhi solver.The results indicate that the skin and Connolly surfaces have a comparable performance from this last point of view.