Background Light skin pigmentation is a known risk factor for skin cancer. Objective Skin color parameters and Fitzpatrick phototypes were evaluated in terms of their usefulness in predicting the ...risk of skin cancer. Methods A case-control study involved 133 individuals with skin cancer (100 with basal cell carcinoma, 21 with squamous cell carcinoma, 12 with melanoma) and 156 healthy individuals. All of them had skin phototype determined and spectrophotometric skin color measurements were done on the inner surfaces of their arms and on the buttock. Using those data, prediction models were built and subjected to 17-fold stratified cross-validation. Results A model, based on skin phototypes, was characterized by area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.576 and exhibited a lower predictive power than the models, which were mostly based on spectrophotometric variables describing pigmentation levels. The best predictors of skin cancer were R coordinate of RGB color space (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.687) and melanin index (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve 0.683) for skin on the buttock. Limitations A small number of patients were studied. Models were not externally validated. Conclusions Skin color parameters are more accurate predictors of skin cancer occurrence than skin phototypes. Spectrophotometry is a quick, easy, and affordable method offering relatively good predictive power.
Background The aim of this research was to assess the neurologic status of patients a year after endarterectomy with the use of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the degree of ...disability using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and to examine the patients' subjective evaluation of their health. Methods One hundred two patients with symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis who underwent endarterectomy and attended a 1-year follow-up examination were enrolled in the study. The material comprised 72 (70.6%) men and 30 (29.4%) women. Before the surgery, the patients' neurologic status was assessed according to the NIHSS, and their functional status was rated with the mRS. Additionally, the patients were asked to assess their life quality on a 10-point Likert scale. Results The mean NIHSS score before the operation was 2.76 points (SD 2.47), whereas a year after it was 2.05 points (SD 1.84) ( P < .0001). The NIHSS scores that improved significantly a year after endarterectomy were level of consciousness-questions and commands, motor leg, and sensory ( P < .05). Conclusions The patients' neurologic status assessed with the NIHSS improved significantly 1 year after carotid endarterectomy mostly because of the improvement in their verbal and motor communication ability, physical condition and agility, and reduction in sensory disturbances. The observed changes in the neurologic status were reflected in the functional status and subjective life quality assessment, which appeared to be significantly better a year after the surgical treatment.
