Age-dependent skin texture analysis and evaluation using mobile camera image.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate skin condition, expensive equipment is required, continuous skin care is difficult. Therefore, we obtain the skin image using mobile camera, and propose a new algorithm that easily and simply extracts skin features. METHODS: We analyze skin features, extracting the wrinkle length, cell area, and the number of cells. To get accurate skin features, we obtain a new skin binary image, and apply Watershed segmentation to it. So, we improve the accuracy of skin analysis. Therefore, we compare and analyze the degree of matching distribution of wrinkles, the shape of the cell, etc., using similarity between the ground truth and the proposed algorithm result image. RESULTS: We extract skin surface features using a mobile camera image, and verify the change in skin features with age. Also, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed algorithm through the similarity between the ground truth and proposed result image. CONCLUSION: The proposed method in this study shows that the skin surface can be quantitatively evaluated by the similarity with ground truth. We also propose a method to diagnose and manage individual skin condition using a mobile camera in real life.

Comparison of inflammatory markers and angiographic outcomes after implantation of sirolimus and paclitaxel-eluting stents.

OBJECTIVE: We compared the degree of systemic inflammation and its relation to the angiographic outcomes after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantations. METHODS: We implanted a single DES in 79 stable angina patients (50 men; 60.4 (9.5) years of age; sirolimus-eluting stent (SES), n = 38; paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES), n = 41). The high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels were determined before and at 24 hours, 72 hours, and 4 weeks after the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). An angiography and intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) were performed. RESULTS: The hs-CRP and IL-6 levels at baseline did not differ between the two groups. The hs-CRP increased significantly from baseline at 24 hours and 72 hours after the PCI in both groups and there was a significant increase in the IL-6 level at 24 hours after the PCI in both groups. However, there was no significant difference between the two groups in any of the hs-CRP or IL-6 measurements. At follow-up, the late lumen loss was significantly higher in the PES group than in the SES group (0.57 (0.56) mm vs 0.28 (0.58) mm, respectively, p = 0.020). The neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) volume in the PES group was significantly higher than that in the SES group (23.1 (22.7) vs 3.8 (7.1) mm(3), respectively, p = 0.000). The percentage luminal volume reduction was higher in the PES group than in the SES group (18.9 vs 3.9%, p = 0.002). The absolute values or change in the inflammatory markers did not correlate with the NIH or stent volume reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Our study showed that the benefits obtained from the SES, which reduce neointimal proliferation, are not probably mediated by the attenuation of the systemic inflammatory markers hs-CRP or IL-6.