Treatment of Post-mastectomy Lymphedema with Herbal Medicine: An Innovative Pilot Study.

Background: Lymphedema of the arms or legs is a difficult clinical problem yet devoid of effective treatment. Lymphedema is the result of obstructed lymphatic flow secondary to chronic infection, parasitic infestation, or postsurgical obstruction (eg, after axillary dissections). We arranged this clinical trial to investigate whether patients with limb lymphedema can benefit from a standard dose of plus to improve the symptomatology, functional capacity, and quality of life (QOL).

Severe Generalized Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex in Two Hong Kong Children due to Variants in and .

We report two Hong Kong children with severe generalized epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS), the most severe form of EBS, without a family history of EBS. EBS is a rare genodermatosis usually inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion although rare autosomal recessive cases have been reported. Genetic studies in these patients showed that the first case was due to a novel heterozygous variant, c.

terahertz imaging to evaluate scar treatment strategies: silicone gel sheeting.

Silicone gel sheeting (SGS) is widely used for scar treatment; however, studies showing its interaction with skin and efficacy of scar treatment are still lacking. THz light is non-ionizing and highly sensitive to changes in water content and thus skin hydration. In this work, we use THz imaging to monitor how SGS affects the THz response of human skin during occlusion, and the associated THz reflectivity and refractive index changes are presented.

THz measurements: the effects of pressure on skin reflectivity.

Terahertz (THz) light is non-ionizing and highly sensitive to subtle changes in water concentration which can be indicative of disease. The short THz penetration depth in bio-samples restricts measurements to be in a reflection geometry and the sample is often placed onto an imaging window. Upon contacting the imaging window, occlusion and compression of the skin affect the THz response.

In vivo estimation of water diffusivity in occluded human skin using terahertz reflection spectroscopy.

Water diffusion and the concentration profile within the skin significantly affect the surrounding chemical absorption and molecular synthesis. Occluding the skin causes water to accumulate in the top layer of the skin (the stratum corneum [SC]) and also affects the water diffusivity. Scar treatments such as silicone gel and silicone sheets make use of occlusion to increase skin hydration.

A validation study of scar vascularity and pigmentation assessment using dermoscopy.

Introduction: Vascularity and pigmentation are two important indicators of the maturing status of hypertrophic scars. We used the dermoscope to measure vascularity and pigmentation of hypertrophic scars to examine its validity and reliability.

Materials And Method: Eighteen subjects were assessed using the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS), spectrocolorimeter and dermoscope.