Aim: Ear reconstruction is a challenge for plastic and reconstructive surgeons. The ear requires sufficient skin coverage and a three-dimensional (3D) cartilage framework. In this paper, the authors present their 10-year experience in microtia reconstruction using tissue expansion and an autogenous rib cartilage framework. Methods: Ear reconstruction was performed in 3 operative stages. During ...

Background: In medical image analysis, the diagnosis of skin lesions remains a challenging task. Skin lesion is common type cancer that exists worldwide. Dermoscopy one latest technologies used for cancer. Challenges: Many computerized methods have been introduced in literature to classify cancers. However, challenges remain such as imbalanced datasets, low contrast lesions, and extraction irre...

Deep learning techniques have shown their superior performance in dermatologist clinical inspection. Nevertheless, melanoma diagnosis is still a challenging task due to the difficulty of incorporating useful knowledge into process. In this paper, we propose novel knowledge-aware deep framework that incorporates some collaborative two important tasks, i.e., skin lesion segmentation and recogniti...

The Skin Cancer Prevention Team (SCPT) required a comprehensive approach for guiding its efforts in population-level skin cancer prevention. After identifying and reviewing several models, it concluded that an appropriate population-level model applicable to the Alberta context did not exist. Thus, the SCPT, under the Alberta Health Services - Cancer Prevention Program, developed and evaluated ...

BACKGROUND Total auricular reconstruction in congenital lobule type microtia is one of the most challenging problems faced by a reconstructive surgeon as it demands precise surgical technique combined with artistic creativity. Ear reconstruction requires carefully planned procedures. METHODS We present a simple method for auricular reconstruction consisting of three stages. The first stage is...

Three-point bend (TPB) and wedge splitting (WS) tests have been conducted on three different concretes and the specific fracture energy GF determined on the basis of the concept of local fracture energy. The latter is influenced by the free back surface of a notched test specimen, as explained by Hu and Wittmann. Tests on three or four specimen sizes with four notch to depth ratios confirm the ...

Microneedles array is a new transdermal drug delivery technique designed to create holes in 15 the epidermis and penetrate the stratum corneum, thus avoiding the high resistance of this barrier. Microneedles have been shown to increase the skin permeability of drugs with no or little pain. However, the skin permeability of epidermis while using microneedle arrays has yet to be fully studied. In...

The technology of fabricating microneedle arrays to deliver high molecular weight drugs across skin in a minimally invasive manner is receiving increasing attention. Microneedle arrays with different geometries have been manufactured using materials such as glass, polymer, metal, etc. However, a framework that can identify the optimum designs of these arrays seems to be lacking. This is importa...