In search of a universal and objective method to assess facial aging: The new face objective photo-numerical assessment scale

Most patients who undergo cosmetic rejuvenation treatment hope to appear younger and healthier. Although a number of scales have been put forward to assess facial aging, to date none has focused on predicting patients’ age. The purpose of our study was to validate a more complete version of the face - Objective assessment scale previously developed by the authors. Since patients with a photo-damaged skin can look older than others we created a new sub-scale: the facial photo-aging scale, in order to provide a more comprehensive method for the overall assessment of facial aging. The Rasch model was used as part of the validation process. We assigned a score to each patient based on the scales we have developed. The correlation between a patient's actual age and the obtained scores was analyzed; we also analyzed the inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability. All the scales exceeded criteria for acceptability, reliability and validity. The facial aging scale we have developed may prove to be a valuable tool to assess patients before and after facial rejuvenation treatment or surgery, as well as for clinical research in the field of facial skin regeneration

Using “isotopic spike” from tropical storm to understand water exchange on large scale: case study of Hurricane Rafael in the Lesser Antilles archipelago, October 2012.

International audienceRATIONALE:Studies of wetland eco-hydrology in tropical coastal area are scarce, and the use of water stable isotopes can be of great help. Key constraints for their analysis are (i) the small difference in δ18 O values between seawater and old evaporated freshwater, and (ii) the fact that the presence of old brackish water limits the determination of the water origin and dynamic.METHODS:The water of tropical storms displays distinctively depleted heavy stable isotopes, in comparison with usual tropical rainfall without strong convective thunderstorms. During tropical storms, such as Hurricane Rafael in mid-October 2012, the rainfall δ18 O signal can be decreased by many units. This effect is called an "isotopic spike", and it could be used as a temporal marker of the water fluxes.RESULTS:Water samples, with δ18 O values as low as = -8.9 ‰, were collected in the islands of Guadeloupe and Saint-Martin during Hurricane Rafael, whereas the usual range of groundwater or mean rainfall δ18 O values is around -2.8 ± 0.5 ‰, as measured from 2009 to 2012. These water "isotopic spikes" allow us to show a surface fresh water uptake by mangrove trees in Guadeloupe, and in Saint-Martin, to calculate the water renewal of the salt ponds and pools.CONCLUSIONS:The "isotopic spikes" generated by tropical storms, are generally used to track back past storm events, as recorded in trees and stalagmites. Here, the propagation of isotopic spike is followed to improve the understanding of the freshwater circulation and the water dynamic within coastal ecosystems influenced by seawater