Skin adaptation in lower limb amputees assessed through Raman spectroscopy and mechanical characterization.

Following lower limb amputation residuum skin from the lower leg is used to reconstruct the residual limb. Unlike skin on the sole of the foot (plantar skin), leg skin is not inherently load bearing. Despite this, leg skin is required to be load bearing in the prosthetic socket.

High resolution three-dimensional strain measurements in human articular cartilage.

An unresolved challenge in osteoarthritis research is characterising the localised intra-tissue mechanical response of articular cartilage. The aim of this study was to explore whether laboratory micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and digital volume correlation (DVC) permit non-destructive quantification of three-dimensional (3D) strain fields in human articular cartilage. Human articular cartilage specimens were harvested from the knee, mounted into a loading device and imaged in the unloaded and loaded states using a micro-CT scanner.

Identifying high users of healthcare in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba.

This paper describes efforts to identify high users of healthcare in British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba. British Columbia's Ministry of Health adopted a population segmentation approach that segments the province's population into 14 matrix populations. The approach has been used to inform strategic planning, especially for populations with frailty or chronic conditions.