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Introduction: Neck skin aging is of particular interest to skin scientists and dermatologists because of the increasing demand for neck wrinkle improvement. This study aimed to determine the neck aging features of Chinese women and to investigate the clinical alterations and mechanical, topographical, and biophysical properties of neck skin., Methods: A total of 450 Chinese women (age range: 16-66 years) were clinically examined and graded by the same dermatologist using standardized photographs. The skin properties were assessed by noninvasive skin measuring devices., Results: The results showed that different neck aging signs, including the horizontal neck fold, neck sagging, hollowing of emaciated neck, platysmal bands, and neck texture, appeared in different ages, and all of them worsened age-dependently since they manifested. The skin elasticity markedly changed before the onset of most of the aging signs and showed a negative correlation with both age and the severity of these signs. Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was positively correlated with age, whereas hydration and pH were not significantly correlated with age. We also found that wrinkles (SEw) and average roughness (Ra) were significantly correlated with age. SEw, smoothness, the average depth of roughness (Rz), TEWL, and erythema index were significantly and positively correlated with the severity of the horizontal neck fold, neck sagging, hollowing of emaciated neck, and platysmal bands., Conclusion: This is the first study to emphasize that age causes diverse changes in Chinese women's neck skin. The changes in skin elasticity may effectively predict neck aging before the onset of most of the neck aging signs., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background/objective: Epidermal structure, function, and composition are different in white infants and adults. We investigated whether ethnicity and location contribute to differences in functional and clinical measurements of skin barrier function during the first years of life and in adults., Methods: Children (n = 397, ages 3-49 mos) and women (n = 117, mean age 31 yrs) were enrolled at independent centers in Beijing, China (ethnic Chinese), Skillman, New Jersey (white, African American), and Mumbai, India (ethnic South Asian). Water barrier properties of the stratum corneum were assessed using high-frequency conductance and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) on the dorsal forearm and upper inner arm. Digital imaging was used to evaluate facial erythema and scaling., Results: Despite differences in local climate, TEWL was similar in adults. In children, conductance and TEWL decreased monotonically from age 3 months to 4 years. In children from Beijing, TEWL values were higher in both arm locations than in children in Mumbai and Skillman. No significant differences were observed in TEWL or conductance between the white and African American groups., Conclusion: In general, TEWL and conductance were greater on the upper inner arm than the dorsal forearm. Erythema and scaling were observed most often in subjects from Beijing and most infrequently in subjects from Mumbai. Stratum corneum water barrier properties were different in children and adults. Although there may be differences in these properties between ethnic groups in childhood, TEWL values were similar in adults across the three geographic locations and four ethnicities., (© 2016 Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, Inc. Pediatric Dermatology published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Background: There are ethnic differences in the skin characteristics, also the skin is susceptible to be influenced by the external environment such as UV radiation and the climates. It can be shown that the skin in same race or twins varies by the environment., Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the skin characteristics and the early wrinkles of young Chinese women from four different regions, and to identify the correlation among the wrinkles, the other skin characteristics, and environmental conditions., Methods: A total of 441 healthy Chinese women aged between 20 and 35 years participated in the study: 110 from Beijing, 110 from Shanghai, 111 from Wuhan, and 110 from Guangzhou. The skin hydration, sebum contents, TEWL, pH, elasticity, and wrinkles were measured on the crow's feet area., Results: There were regional differences in the skin characteristics and the wrinkles. Beijing women had dry skin and more wrinkles, but Guangzhou women had high sebum contents, low pH, and less wrinkles (P < 0.01). Shanghai women's TEWL and Wuhan's women's skin elasticity were higher compared with that of women from other regions. The wrinkles' form (area, depth, and length) was different from region to region. Beijing women's wrinkles were deep and large, but Guangzhou women's wrinkles were shallow and small. The skin physical parameters that influenced the wrinkles were low sebum content and hydration, high TEWL, and pH (P < 0.05)., Conclusion: In the Chinese women aged 20-35 years, the skin was influenced by the climates, so they had regionally a different skin. The skin hydration, sebum contents, TEWL, and pH can affect the early wrinkle formation than skin elasticity., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background and Objectives: Studies have demonstrated that some cutaneous biophysical properties vary with age, gender and body sites. However, the characteristics of the skin friction coefficient in different genders and age groups have not yet been well established. In the present study, we assess the skin friction coefficient in a larger Chinese population., Methods: A total of 633 subjects (300 males and 333 females) aged 0.15-79 years were enrolled. A Frictiometer FR 770 and Corneometer CM 825 (C&K MPA 5) were used to measure the skin friction coefficient and stratum corneum hydration, respectively, on the dorsal surface of the hand, the forehead and the canthus., Results: In the females, the maximum skin friction coefficients on both the canthus and the dorsal hand skin were observed around the age of 40 years. In the males, the skin friction coefficient on the dorsal hand skin gradually increased from 0 to 40 years of age, and changed little afterward. Skin friction coefficients on some body sites were higher in females than in age-matched males in some age groups. On the canthus and the dorsal hand skin of females, a positive correlation was found between skin friction coefficient and stratum corneum hydration (p < 0.001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). In contrast, in males, the skin friction coefficient was positively correlated with stratum corneum hydration on the forehead and the dorsal hand skin (p < 0.05 and p < 0.0001, respectively)., Conclusion: The skin friction coefficient varies with age, gender and body site, and positively correlates with stratum corneum hydration on some body sites., (Copyright © 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Background: The mortality rate of peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients is still high and controversies persist regarding the mortality predictor. This study was designed to identify the predictability of the extracellular water/intracellular water ratio (E/I) on mortality in PD patients., Methods: 227 incident PD patients were included. Time-dependent Cox proportional hazard regression was used to investigate the predictability of E/I on mortality., Results: The 2- and 3-year survival was 74 and 65%, respectively. Univariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis showed that the significant predictors of mortality were age, sex, Charlson Comorbidity Index, total Kt/V, serum albumin, pulse pressure, presence of malnutrition, and E/I. However, the final Cox proportional hazard models revealed that E/I was the only significant predictor. For every increase of 0.1 in the E/I value, the relative risk of death was 1.368., Conclusions: E/I is a strong independent predictor of mortality in incident PD patients., (Copyright 2007 S. Karger AG, Basel.)

Objective: To examine total energy expenditure (TEE) in relation to occupation and reported leisure time activities in free-living Chinese adults, and to determine whether measured TEE values differ from current international dietary energy recommendations., Setting and Subjects: Seventy three weight-maintaining adults aged 35-49 y, leading unrestricted lives in urban Beijing, with a wide variety of occupations., Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study in which TEE was determined by doubly labeled water, body composition by deuterium oxide ((2)H(2)O) dilution, resting energy expenditure (pREE) by prediction equations, and occupational and leisure time activities by questionnaire., Results: For men and women respectively, TEE averaged 12.10+/-0.32 and 9.53+/-0.23 MJ/day (P<0.001), and physical activity level (PAL=TEE/pREE) was 1.77+/-0.04 and 1.66+/-0.02 (P<0.05). Fat-free mass (FFM) was the single best predictor of TEE (adjusted r(2)=0.71, P<0.001). Occupational category (light, moderate and heavy) further predicted TEE, independent of FFM (adjusted multiple r(2)=0.82, P<0.001). Both TEE adjusted for weight and PAL increased with occupational category. Measured TEE was slightly but significantly higher than the 1985 FAO/WHO/UNU estimates for women with light occupations, but did not differ from estimates for men with light occupations, or for adults with moderate or heavy occupations., Conclusion: Level of occupational activity, but not duration or type of leisure activity, significantly predicted TEE in free-living urban Chinese adults. Current energy requirement recommendations slightly underestimated the energy needs of women with light occupations but were accurate for men and women with moderate and heavy occupations., Sponsorship: NIH grants DK53404 and F32-DK09747.

There is little information on the accuracy of simple body composition methods in non-Western populations. We determined the percentage of body fat (%BF) by isotope dilution [oxygen-18 (H(2)(18)O) and deuterium oxide ((2)H(2)O)] and anthropometry in 71 healthy, urban Chinese adults aged 35-49 y [body mass index (BMI) 18-35 kg/m(2)]. The accuracy of several prediction equations for assessment of %BF from skinfold measurements was evaluated against %BF determined by H(2)(18)O dilution. We also assessed the relationship between BMI and %BF, and the fat-free mass (FFM) hydration coefficient for our population. All skinfold equations yielded means within approximately 2%BF of H(2)(18)O-derived %BF. However, on the basis of residual plot analysis and the 95% confidence interval (CI) for the mean difference between methods, the equations of Durnin and Womersley (for assessment of body density from skinfolds) coupled with that of Brozek et al. (for assessment of %BF from body density) provided the most valid assessment for individuals. In addition, the FFM hydration coefficient averaged 0.734 +/- 0.002 (SEM), indicating that the usually assumed value of 0.732 is appropriate for this population. Finally, although BMI had high specificity (90%) for classifying individuals as having body fat within the normal range (<24%BF for men, and <35%BF for women), it had poor sensitivity (66%) for identifying individuals as having high body fat. We conclude that compared with H(2)(18)O dilution, skinfold thickness can provide an accurate and reliable assessment of body composition in healthy Chinese adults. Furthermore, using the equation of Brozek et al. may be preferable to using Siri's equation to predict %BF from body density in populations in which individuals have >30%BF.

Objective: Observations on nutritional disorders were made by a physician inmate in a concentration camp before and during the Great Starvation in China., Methods/results: Based on therapeutic response, many unique abnormalities should be considered as a part of clinical picture of malnutrition, such as mucocutaneous pigmentation, nail layering phenomena and intranail hemorrhage, palmar/plantar fissures, vegetative system crisis, a avitaminostic fevers, multiple premature beats, and enlargement of cartilage, lymph nodes, and submandibular glands., Discussion: Thiamin deficiency should be also considered as one, if not the only, etiologic factor of several common disorders, including submandibular gland cyst, Baker's cyst, stenosing tenosynovitis, direct inguinal hernia, among others.