11 research outputs found
Development of a deep learning-based tool to assist wound classification
This paper presents a deep learning-based wound classification tool that can
assist medical personnel in non-wound care specialization to classify five key
wound conditions, namely deep wound, infected wound, arterial wound, venous
wound, and pressure wound, given color images captured using readily available
cameras. The accuracy of the classification is vital for appropriate wound
management. The proposed wound classification method adopts a multi-task deep
learning framework that leverages the relationships among the five key wound
conditions for a unified wound classification architecture. With differences in
Cohen's kappa coefficients as the metrics to compare our proposed model with
humans, the performance of our model was better or non-inferior to those of all
human medical personnel. Our convolutional neural network-based model is the
first to classify five tasks of deep, infected, arterial, venous, and pressure
wounds simultaneously with good accuracy. The proposed model is compact and
matches or exceeds the performance of human doctors and nurses. Medical
personnel who do not specialize in wound care can potentially benefit from an
app equipped with the proposed deep learning model
The Effects of Hypothermia on the Intracellular pH of Erythrocytes Studied Using 31P NMR and Endogenous Compounds
Peer Reviewe
Evaluating Pull-Out Strength of Barbed Suture In Vitro by Using Porcine Tissue and Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)
Using barbed thread lifting for facial rejuvenation has become popular these days due to its minimally invasive procedures with reduced complications. However, only limited studies regarding its mechanical properties for face suspension were published. The aim of this study was to evaluate suture-holding ability regarding its facelift property, and different specimens were tested in order to establish an in vitro model. Fresh porcine tissue and the synthetic material polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were selected to simulate human skin for evaluating barbed suture pull-out strength by the universal material testing machine. The results showed that the pull-out strength of barbs between different porcine tissues varied without consistency. By contrast, PDMS (30:1) showed more consistent pull-out strength in each testing, and the average maximum load force was close to porcine tissue. Furthermore, after submerging barbed sutures in PBS for 0 days (T0), 7 days (T7) and 14 days (T14), a trend of decreased average maximum load force, displacement and force of 1.5 mm/2 mm/3 mm displacement could be detected by in vitro testing with PDMS (30:1). These results provide support for using PDMS (30:1) to evaluate suture pull-out strength and holding/lifting capacities in vitro to obtain consistent and objective information for evaluating substantial equivalence of devices. The established in vitro method could be used for the future development of barbed thread lifting technology
Facial recontouring with autologous cryopreserved fat graft
Background: Autologous fat graft is a well established technique for soft tissue augmentation and the most significant drawback remains the unpredictability of the absorption rate and the possible repeating fat harvest procedures. In our basic study, we found evidence to support that fat cryopreservation is a practical method of storing fat tissue and several anecdotal clinical experiences suggest its clinical efficacy.
Methods: Thirty two patients who received autologous cryopreserved fat grafts for facial deficiencies were retrospectively reviewed. Autologous cryopreserved fat grafts were transplanted for “touch up” or augmentation of other soft tissue deficiencies at least three months after fresh fat grafting, The patients' satisfaction was evaluated by a study-specific questionnaire.
Results: 84 autologous fresh fat graft and 178 autologous cryopreserved fat graft procedures for the face were performed in 32 patients. There was no infection, skin retraction, fibrosis or necrosis identified except one patient complained of lump formation in the left upper lid (1/178, 0.6%). The self-assessment questionaaire revealed no statistical difference of effectiveness rating between the fresh and cryopreserved fat grafting results (mean± standard deviation: 8.64±1.09 vs 8.73±0.985; P > 0.05) but there was significant statistical difference of convenience rating between the fresh and cryopreserved fat grafting (mean± standard deviation: 2.68±1.07 vs 8.41±1.05; P < 0.05). Of the twenty-two patients who returned the questionnaire, all reported willing to have the treatment in the future (9.73±0.456) and all said that they would like to recommend this treatment to their friends (9.82±0.395).
Conclusions: Autologous cryopreserved fat graft is a safe, simple, and convenient technique to restore facial soft tissue defects with acceptable patient satisfaction rate.
Clinical Question/Level of Evidence: Therapeutic, IV