1,720,964 research outputs found
Is it important to model the impact of blood flow on the dose of drugs delivered transcutaneously?
Data - Time-dependent Behavior of Microvascular Blood Flow and Oxygenation: a Predictor of Functional Outcomes
This data is supplied in support of the the article "Time-dependent Behavior of Microvascular Blood Flow and Oxygenation: a Predictor of Functional Outcomes" by Katarzyna Z. Kuliga, Rodney Gush, Geraldine F. Clough and Andrew J. Chipperfield published in IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering, 2017.
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Evaluation of a new high power, wide separation laser Doppler probe: potential measurement of deeper tissue blood flow
Objective: to compare the output from a novel high power, wide separation laser Doppler flow probe (DP1-V2-HP, 4mm with IRLD20) with that of a standard flow probe (DP1-V2, 0.5mm, with DRT4) (Moor UK) and to explore its potential for use in the nonivasive measurement of blood flow in deeper tissues in humans.Methods: Monte Carlo modeling was used to predict depths of light scattering in skin with each probe, geometry. Experimentally, forearm blood flow was measured at rest and during local warming of the skin surface and post occlusion reactive hyperaemia (PORH). Laser Doppler blood flus (LDF) and the power spectral density of its component frequency intervals were compared.Results: Monte Carlo modeling indicated that while the majority of wide probe LD signal derives from deeper tissue, a significant portion is from superficial (dermal) tissue (and vice versa for standard probe). Perturbation of local blood flow differentially increased LDF and spectral power as measured by the two probes, with the standard skin probe showing a significantly greater response to local skin warming.Conclusions: these differences support our hypothesis that the wide probe is recording predominantly blood flux within the vasculature of sub-dermal tissue. This is in agreement with Monte Carlo simulation
Dynamics of microvascular blood flow and oxygenation measured simultaneously in human skin
Objective: to evaluate the dynamics of skin microvascular blood flow (BF) and tissue oxygenation parameters (OXY) measured simultaneously at the same site using a combined non-invasive BF+OXY+temperature probe.Methods: skin BF, oxygenated (oxyHb) and deoxygenated (deoxyHb) haemoglobin and mean oxygen saturation (SO2) were measured in 50 healthy volunteers at rest and during perturbation of local blood flow by post-occlusive reactive hyperaemia, sympathetic nervous system-mediated vasoconstriction (deep inspiratory breath-hold) and local skin warming. Signals were analysed in time and frequency domains.Results: the relationship between BF and SO2 over the range of flows investigated was described by a non-linear equation with an asymptote for SO2 of 84% at BF >50 PU. SO2 was independently associated with BF, skin temperature, BMI and age, which together identified 59% of the variance in SO2 (p<0.0001). Fourier analysis revealed periodic low frequency fluctuations in both BF and SO2, attributable to endothelial (~0.01 Hz), neurogenic (~0.04 Hz) and myogenic (~0.1Hz) flow motion activity. The frequency coherence between the BF and SO2 signals was greatest in the endothelial and neurogenic frequency bands.Conclusions: the simultaneous evaluation of microvascular blood flow and oxygenation kinetics in healthy skin provides a platform from which to investigate microvascular impairment in the skin and more generally the pathogenesis of microvascular diseas
Time-dependent behavior of microvascular blood flow and oxygenation: a predictor of functional outcomes
This study investigates the timedependent behaviour and algorithmic complexity of low frequency, periodic oscillations in blood flux and oxygenation signals from the microvasculature. Methods: Microvascular blood flux (BF) and oxygenation (OXY: oxyHb, deoxyHb, totalHb and SO2%) was recorded from 15 healthy young adult males using combined laser Doppler fluximetry and white light spectroscopy with local skin temperature clamped to 33°C and during local thermal hyperaemia (LTH) at 43°C. Power spectral density (PSD) of the BF and OXY signals was evaluated within the frequency range (0.0095-1.6Hz). Signal complexity was determined using the Lempel-Ziv (LZ) algorithm. Results: Foldincrease in BF during LTH was 15.6 (10.3,22.8) and in OxyHb 4.8 (3.5,5.9) (median, range). All BF and OXY signals exhibited multiple oscillatory components with clear differences in signal power distribution across frequency bands at 33°C and 43°C. Significant reduction in the intrinsic variability and complexity of the microvascular signals during LTH was found, with mean LZ complexity of BF and OxyHb falling by 25% and 49%, respectively (p<0.001). Conclusion: These results provide corroboration that in human skin microvascular blood flow and oxygenation are influenced by multiple, time-varying oscillators that adapt to local influences and become more predictable during increased haemodynamic flow. Significance: Recent evidence strongly suggests that the inability of microvascular networks to adapt to an imposed stressor is symptomatic of disease risk which might be assessed via BF and OXY via the combination signal analysis techniques des
An evaluation of mechanical and biophysical skin parameters at different body locations
Background: Skin is the largest organ in the body, representing an important interface to monitor health and disease. However, there is significant variation in skin properties for different ages, genders and body regions due to the differences in the structure and morphology of the skin tissues. This study aimed to evaluate the use of non-invasive tools to discriminate a range of mechanical and functional skin parameters from different skin sites. Materials and methods: A cohort of 15 healthy volunteers was recruited following appropriate informed consent. Four well-established CE-marked non-invasive techniques were used to measure four anatomical regions: palm, forearm, sole and lower lumbar L3, using a repeated measures design. Skin parameters included trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL), pH (acidity), erythema, stratum corneum hydration and stiffness and elasticity using Myoton Pro (skin and muscle probe). Differences between body locations for each parameter and the intra-rater reliability between days were evaluated by the same operator. Results: The results indicate that parameters differed significantly between skin sites. For the Myoton skin probe, the sole recorded the highest stiffness value of 1006 N/m (SD ± 179), while the lower lumbar recorded the least value of 484 N/m (SD ± 160). The muscle indenter Myoton probe revealed the palm's highest value of 754 N/m (± 108), and the lower lumbar recorded the least value of 208 N/m (SD ± 44). TEWL values were lowest on the forearm, averaging 11 g/m2/h, and highest on the palm, averaging 41 g/m2/h. Similar skin hydration levels were recorded in three of the four sites, with the main difference being observed in the sole averaging 13 arbitrary units. Erythema values were characterised by a high degree of inter-subject variation, and no significant differences between sites or sides were observed. The Myoton Pro Skin showed excellent reliability (intra-class correlation coefficients > 0.70) for all sites with exception of one site right lower back; the Myoton pro muscle probes showed good to poor reliability (0.90–017), the corneometer showed excellent reliability (>0.75) among all the sites tested, and the TEWL showed Good to poor reliability (0.74–0.4) among sites. Conclusion: The study revealed that using non-invasive methods, the biophysical properties of skin can be mapped, and significant differences in the mechanical and functional properties of skin were observed. These parameters were reliably recorded between days, providing a basis for their use in assessing and monitoring changes in the skin during health and disease.</p
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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