Abdominal skin subcutaneous fat thickness over the gestational period in Korean pregnant women: a descriptive observational study

Purpose: Although insulin is usually injected into the abdominal subcutaneous fat, in pregnancy women tend to avoid abdominal injections due to concern about fetal damage. Prior studies have been limited to only measuring skin-subcutaneous fat thickness (S-ScFT) at one site at specific pregnancy points. This study aimed to measure S-ScFT across several abdominal sites and over the gestational period in Korean pregnant women. This can identify which site would be relatively safe for subcutaneous injection during pregnancy. Methods: Healthy women over 24 weeks of pregnancy in Korea were invited to voluntarily participate in this descriptive study. For the 142 women, S-ScFT of 12 sites in the abdomen were measured by ultrasound, several times over the pregnancy. Each incidence was treated as a case and a total of 262 cases were analyzed.Results: The mean S-ScFT during pregnancy was 1.14±0.47 cm (1.25±0.54 cm at 24+0–27+6 weeks; 1.17±0.48 cm at 28+0–31+6 weeks; 1.09+0.40 cm at 32+0–35+6 weeks; and 1.06±0.47 cm at 36+0–40 weeks of pregnancy). Most S-ScFT were thicker than 10 mm. But S-ScFTs in the lateral abdomen and some sites were suboptimal (<6 mm), especially in the pre-pregnancy underweight body mass index group, who had a high rate of suboptimal thickness (27.1% overall and 33.9% in the lateral side). Conclusion: The whole abdomen seems to be appropriate for subcutaneous injection in most pregnant Korean women, with a 4 to 5-mm short needle. However, for the lateral abdomen, making the skin fold might be needed for fetal safety.

Subcutaneous Fat Thickness Remarkably Influences Contact Pressure and Load Distribution of Buttock in Seated Posture

Spinal cord injury patients are prone to develop deep tissue injury (DTI) as they may spend half their time per day in sitting postures, which produce excessive load in their buttocks. However, the impact of fat thickness on the biomechanical response of buttock in sitting posture remained unclear. This study aimed to investigate the influence of subcutaneous fat thickness on the interface pressure and load distribution of buttock of seated humans. To achieve this goal, a 3-dimensional finite element model of male buttock was constructed and the contact pressure on a rigid cushion was evaluated against experimental results. The modified models, which had various fat thicknesses under ischial tuberosity, were built and used to simulate the sitting conditions with different cushion stiffnesses. In the models simulating sitting on the rigid cushion, the peak contact pressure ranges from 0.052 MPa to 0.149 MPa. In the simulation of sitting on the soft cushion, the peak stress of muscle underneath ischial tuberosity in the model with the thickest fat tissue was slightly higher than that of the other models. The results demonstrate that the fat tissue in the buttock could reduce the contact pressure when sitting on the rigid seat. However, contact pressure solely could not be used to estimate the internal tissue stress of seated buttock, especially in subjects with thicker fat tissue.

Comparative Growth Performance and Carcass Traits of Calves of Different Cattle Breeds Fed Pasture and Concentration

The aim of the current study was to explore growth performance and carcass traits using ultrasound measurements of calves of different cattle breeds under pasture and concentration feeding system. A total of 25 male cattle calves between the ages of 6 to 7 months with an average body weight of 162.37 ± 7.7 kg were fed two separate fattening trials for seven months (pasture and finishing period). Animals were divided into five groups (five of each breed): Kurdi, Rustaki, Jenoubi, Herford and Friesian crossbred. The average daily weight gain was similar (P > 0.05) for calves of different cattle breeds during growth (pasture) period, while these values were significantly higher in Kurdi, Rustaki and Friesian crossbred calves during finishing period. The body size measurements were similar among calves of different cattle breeds. The highest increase in Longissimus muscle area and subcutaneous fat thickness was observed in Kurdi, Rustaki and Friesian crossbred calves. In conclusion, In conclusion, Kurdi, Rustaki and Friesian crossbred calves possess the promising potential for beef production under the barn rearing or finishing period.

Effect of high-concentrate diets with calcium lignosulfonate and cottonseed processing method on quantitative traits and non-carcass components of feedlot cull ewes

This study examined the effects of cottonseed processing form and the inclusion of calcium lignosulfonate in high-concentrate diets for feedlot cull ewes on carcass traits and non-carcass components. Thirty Santa Inês cull ewes with an average body weight of 44.2 ± 5.2 kg and an average age of 50 months were distributed into collective stalls in a completely randomized design. The treatments consisted of diets including whole cottonseed, crushed cottonseed, whole cottonseed treated with lignosulfonate (100 g/kg, as fed), crushed cottonseed treated with lignosulfonate (100 g/kg, as fed), and a control diet without cottonseed. The experimental diets did not influence (P>0.05) average daily weight gain (0.195 kg/day), slaughter weight (51.74 kg), or in vivo biometric and on-carcass measurements. There was no difference (P>0.05) in loin-eye area or subcutaneous fat thickness as evaluated in vivo by ultrasound. There was no diet effect on hot carcass weight and yield (24.8 kg and 47.8 %), cold carcass weight and yield (24.2 kg and 46.8 %), or chilling loss (2.1 %). Non-carcass components did not differ in response to the diets (P>0.05). Dietary inclusion of calcium lignosulfonate increases the proportions of udder and liver relative to empty body weight (P<0.05). Neither the cottonseed processing method nor the inclusion of calcium lignosulfonate in high-concentrate diets for cull ewes affects their performance, biometric or morphometric measurements, non-carcass components, or qualitative traits of their carcass.

Subcutaneous Fat Thickness and the Risk of Superficial Incisional Surgical Site Infection Following Open Appendectomy

Obesity is a known risk factor for surgical site infection (SSI). Recent studies have demonstrated that fat burden at the incisional site rather than body mass index (BMI) is a more precise and sensitive measure to predict the risk of SSI. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the correlation between subcutaneous fat thickness (SCFT) at the level of Mc Burney’s point and the occurrence of superficial incisional SSI among the patients undergoing open appendectomy. A total of 120 patients who underwent open appendectomy were included in the study. SCFT was measured preoperatively with ultrasonography (USG). The occurrence of superficial incisional SSI was evaluated in relation to SCFT. Previously identified well established risk factors for the development of SSI were also considered by the study. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 17. Overall, superficial incisional SSI was observed in 27 (22.5%) participants. Mean SCFT at the level of Mc Burney’s point among male and female population was 2.26 cm ± 0.74 (SD) and 2.02 cm ± 0.83 (SD) respectively. Patients with superficial incisional SSI had a mean fat thickness of 2.80 cm and those without SSI had mean fat thickness of 1.97 cm. The difference in SCFT was statistically significant (p=.001). More interestingly, the area under the ROC curve was more for SCFT, in comparison to BMI among the patients who developed superficial incisional SSI (81% vs. 73%). Furthermore, we analysed the occurrence of superficial incisional SSI with SCFT cut off at 2.80 cm, which was statistically significant. As majority of the study population were young adults, risk factors like smoking, diabetes mellitus and nutritional status failed to demonstrate significant correlation with post appendectomy wound site complications. The study demonstrated that the thickness of subcutaneous fat at the site of inci sion is a good predictor of superficial incisional SSI following open appendectomy and the risk of superficial wound site infection increases as the thickness of subcutaneous fat at the site of incision increases.