Skin thickness varies considerably between different races and age-groups, between men and women, and between different regions of the body surface. A few authors reported the skin thickness of different regions of the body, but no detailed study have been performed on Asian. We performed 452 biopsies on 28 different regions of the normal skin of Korean men and women. The specimens were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and measured microscopically. The thickness of the skin (epidermis plus dermis) ranged from 521 to 1977 microm; the eyelid, prepuce, and inguinal skin was thinnest (521-626 microm), and the back was thickest (1977 microm). The thickness of the epidermis varied from 31 to 637 microm; skin thickness in the prepuce, eyelid, supraclavicular region, postauricular region, and axilla ranged from 31 to 71 microm; the buttock, dorsum of the hand, and dorsum of the foot were relatively thick (138-189 microm); the palm and sole were thickest (601-637 microm). The thickness dermis varied from 469 to 1942 microm; skin thickness in the eyelid, prepuce, inguinal region, and postauricular region ranged from 469 to 645 microm; the buttock, chest, and anterior neck were relatively thick (1318-1586 microm); the back was thickest (1942 microm). The epidermis accounted for 3.7-16.8% of the entire skin in most regions, except in the palm and sole (40.6-44.6%). Thickness data may be useful in harvesting full- or split-thickness skin grafts.
In biometrical genetic analyses of binary traits, the use of family data overcomes some limitations of twin studies, particularly in terms of sample size and types of genetic or environmental factors that can be estimated. However, because of computational problems, recent methods in the application of generalized linear mixed models for family data structure have limited the ability to handle large data sets with general covariates. In this paper, we investigate the use of the hierarchical likelihood approach to the analysis of binary traits from family data. In a simulation study, the method is shown to be highly accurate for the estimation of both the variance components and fixed regression parameters, even for small family sizes. For illustration, we analyze a real data set of familial aggregation of preeclampsia, a pregnancy-induced hypertension. When possible, the analysis is compared with the exact maximum likelihood approach. Genet. Epidemiol. 30: 37-47, 2006. r 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Purpose
Medicare claims data is commonly used in research studies to identify hip fractures, but there is no universally accepted definition of fracture. Our purpose was to describe potential misclassification when hip fractures are defined using Medicare Part A (inpatient) claims without considering Part B (outpatient and provider) claims and when inconsistent diagnostic and procedural codes occur at contiguous fracture sites (e.g., femoral shaft or pelvic).
Methods
Participants included all long-stay nursing home residents enrolled in Medicare Parts A and B fee-for-service between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2009 with follow-up through 12/31/2011. We compared the number of hip fractures identified using only Part A claims to, 1) Part A plus Part B claims, and 2) Part A and Part B claims plus discordant codes at contiguous fracture sites.
Results
Among 1,257,279 long-stay residents, 40,932 (3.2%) met the definition of hip fracture using Part A claims, and 41,687 residents (3.3%) met the definition using Part B claims. 4,566 hip fractures identified using Part B claims would not have been captured using Part A claims. An additional 227 hip fractures were identified after considering contiguous fracture sites.
Conclusions
When ascertaining hip fractures, a definition using outpatient and provider claims identified 11% more fractures than a definition with only inpatient claims. Future studies should publish their definition of fracture and specify if diagnostic codes from contiguous fracture sites were used.
A preference trial is a special form of cross-over trial where clinical conditions determine when patients change treatment, in a prescribed order. This leads to binary responses with variable lengths. In cross-over trials with normal responses, patient effect may be treated as either fixed or random. However, with binary responses, random- and fixed-effect assumptions may lead to very different conclusions, so that one is no longer an alternative to the other.
e20525 Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Clino-san on vaginal symptoms and atrophy in breast cancer survivors treated with chemotherapy or endocrine therapy. Methods: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Breast cancer survivors who experienced menopause after chemotherapy or endocrine therapy were enrolled voluntarily and randomly applied vaginal topical lactic acid, Clino-san or placebo three times per week for 12 weeks. Vaginal dryness and dyspareunia measured by visual analogue scale, vaginal health index, vaginal pH, and the effect on endometrium or ovary were evaluated. Results: Among 89 enrolled women, 81 were evaluated. Forty-two received Clino-san treatment, and the remaining 39 received placebo. Vaginal dryness and dyspareunia in Clino-san treatment group improved compared with placebo group (p=0.012). Clino-san increased vaginal health index, however it is not statistically significant (p=0.058). Vaginal pH decreased more in Clino-san treatment group (p=0.025). There was no significant difference of adverse effects between two groups other than mild irritation at the early time of Clino-san use. Conclusions: Vaginal topical Clino-san could relieve the vaginal symptoms and improve the vaginal health in breast cancer survivors who experienced menopause after cancer treatment. No significant financial relationships to disclose.
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