Exploring Indicators of Subcutaneous Tissue Fluid Accumulation in Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema Patients Using Fractal Analysis with Virtual Volume.

Breast cancer treatment sometimes causes a chronic swelling of the arm called breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). Its progression is believed to be irreversible and is accompanied by tissue fibrosis and lipidosis, so preventing lymphedema from progressing by appropriate intervention at the site of fluid accumulation at an early stage is crucial. The tissue structure can be evaluated in real time by ultrasonography, and this study aims at assessing the ability of fractal analysis using virtual volume in detecting fluid accumulation within BCRL subcutaneous tissue via ultrasound imaging.

A Pilot Study of Determining the Reliability of a New Three-Dimensional Scanning System for Measuring Truncal Thickness After Breast Cancer Surgery.

Lymphedema often affects the trunk after breast cancer surgery. Measuring volume baseline can help detect lymphedema-related changes early, thereby allowing for early intervention efforts. However, there is no quantitative method for detecting truncal lymphedema.

The Correlation Between Fluid Distribution and Swelling or Subjective Symptoms of the Trunk in Lymphedema Patients: A Preliminary Observational Study.

Manual lymph drainage (MLD) is one of the common treatments for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). Although the primary goal of MLD is to drain the excessive fluid accumulated in the affected upper limb and trunk to an area of the body that drains usually, the use of MLD is decided based on swelling and subjective symptoms, without assessing whether there is fluid accumulated in the affected region. The purpose of this study was to examine truncal fluid distribution in a sample of BCRL patients and investigate any correlation between such fluid distribution and swelling or subjective symptoms.

Health Information Sharing Among Muslim Women in a Japanese Mosque.

With the increase of foreign residents in Japan, most of them are suffering from inadequate health information. In reference to an ethnography, we conducted fieldwork using a participant observation and an interview with 36 foreign Muslim women. Our study clarified they especially needed health information on childcare because of a lack of such information in their native languages, and needed the support of Japanese Muslims because of problems in communication with healthcare personnel.

Relationship between the distribution of myofibroblasts, and stellar and circular scar formation due to the contraction of square and circular wound healing.

Square skin wounds can heal to form a stellar scar with four protrusions at the four angles, whereas circular wounds can heal to form an ellipsoid scar. It is not clear why these differences occur and the aim of the present study was to clarify this phenomenon. Two square or circular full-thickness skin wounds were made on the dorsum of mice, and covered with hydrocolloid dressing.