Lasers in Medical Science最新文献

Human umbilical cord matrix Wharton's jelly mesenchymal stem cells (WJ-MSCs) are commonly utilized in regenerative medicine due to their therapeutic benefits. However, the microenvironmental stress present in patients with hyperglycemia can significantly reduce mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) viability under high-glucose conditions in the body, ultimately reducing their therapeutic effectiveness. Enhancing the survival rate of MSCs following cell transplantation remains a crucial challenge. This study investigates whether Quantum Hyperlight (QHL) can counteract the detrimental effects of high glucose (HG), thereby improving MSC survival, proliferation, and mitochondrial function. We aimed to evaluate the effect of QHL on cellular viability, proliferation, and mitochondrial activity in WJ-MSCs exposed to HG. MSCs were cultured in a medium containing normal glucose (NG) (1 g/L) and HG (4.5 g/L). MSCs in the HG medium were exposed to QHL for 90 s or 180 s with an energy density of 2.4 Joules/cm²/minute and an average power density of 40 mW/cm². Then, proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), MTT assays, and Mitotracker Green staining were performed to evaluate cell viability and proliferation. The viability of MSCs was significantly increased in the QHL-treated groups (84% in QHL-90 s and 86% in QHL-180 s) compared to the untreated HG group (65%, p < 0.001). PCNA expression in QHL-90 s and QHL-180 s groups showed significant increases (p < 0.001) compared to the untreated HG group. MitoTracker staining intensity was significantly higher in the QHL-treated groups compared to the untreated HG group (p < 0.001). The HG environment reduced viability, proliferation, and mitochondrial staining. In the context of the NG environment, MSCs exhibited notable differences. However, the viability, proliferation, and mitochondrial staining rates of MSCs were significantly higher in the HG conditions when treated with QHL compared to the group that did not receive QHL. This study introduces QHL as a novel approach to enhance the therapeutic potential of WJ-MSCs under HG conditions, demonstrating its ability to improve cellular viability, proliferation, and mitochondrial activity. This study highlights its potential as a pretreatment to improve clinical outcomes in regenerative medicine.

To find and assess the effectiveness and safety of short-term Photobiomodulation (PBM) treatment in children with low-to-moderate myopia. Children with low-to-moderate myopia were recruited and divided into PBM or control groups based on whether they received PBM treatment. The PBM group underwent a three-month treatment with a 650 nm low-energy semiconductor laser, while the control group did not receive any therapeutic intervention. At the end of the trial, the changes in spherical equivalent refractive (SER) and axial length (AL) before and after treatment were compared between the PBM group and the control group to evaluate the effectiveness of PBM in preventing myopia. The best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), ganglion cell layer thickness (GCLT), central point retinal thickness (CPRT), 3-mm subfield central retinal thickness (3 mm-CRT), superficial retinal vascular density (SCP), and central choroid thickness (CCT) were self-compared to assess the safety of PBM. A total of 57 subjects were prospectively followed from October 2020 to September 2021, comprising 28 participants (56 eyes) in the PBM group and 29 participants (58 eyes) in the control group. After three months of treatment, the AL decreased by 0.07 ± 0.11 mm, and the SER decreased by -0.12 ± 0.39 D in the PBM group. However, both SER and AL increased in the control group. Furthermore, there were statistically significant differences between the PBM and control groups (p < 0.01). The BCVA, RNFLT, GCLT, CPRT, and 3 mm-CRT remained almost unchanged in the PBM group; The SCP decreased from 0.37 ± 0.03 to 0.35 ± 0.02 in the PBM group with a statistically significant difference before and after treatment (p = 0.045). The CCT increased from 255 ± 41 µm to 274 ± 29 µm in the PBM group without any significant difference before and after treatment. The administration of PBM significantly suppresses the elevation of AL and SER following a three-month duration. No significant adverse effects were observed on visual function and retinal morphology.Trial Registration: This study is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (registration number: NCT04604405).

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pulsed dye laser (PDL) alone, the combination of PDL and botulinum toxin type A (BTA) injection, and the combination of PDL and triamcinolone injection in the treatment of hypertrophic scars and keloids. In this three-arm, single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial, 10 patients over 18 years old with hypertrophic scars or keloids were enrolled. Each patient had at least 3 lesions, each measuring at least 10 × 10 square centimeters or 10 centimeters long. In the first treatment session, each of the 3 lesions was randomly assigned to one of three interventions: PDL (control), PDL with BTA injection (at a concentration of 2 units/cm²), or PDL with triamcinolone injection (20 mg/cc). All the interventions carried out in the groups have been repeated in three sessions. One follow-up visit took place one month after the last session, without any intervention. Clinical images of the lesions were collected during the treatment sessions. A blinded dermatologist assessed the effectiveness of the treatment using a physician global assessment score and the Vancouver Scar Scale (VSS). Patient satisfaction and any side effects were recorded during follow-up visits. The average age of the cases under consideration was 36.00 ± 13.23 years. In terms of gender, 4 out of the cases (40.00%) were females. During the initial session, the mean VSS scores in the PDL, PDL-BTA, and PDL-Triamcinolone groups were 7.90 ± 1.52, 7.10 ± 0.56, and 7.30 ± 0.24, subsequently. These scores decreased to 7.30 ± 1.34, 4.90 ± 1.37, and 4.30 ± 0.95 in the PDL, PDL-BTA, and PDL-Triamcinolone groups, respectively (P = 0.001). The group that received both PDL and BTA showed the most significant enhancement in pliability (P = 0.001) and regarding scar vascularity and height the most improvement was related to PDL-triamcinolone group (P = 0.01 and 0.001, respectively). In addition, the level of physician's satisfaction in the PDL-BTA and PDL-Triamcinolone groups were significantly higher than in the PDL group (P = 0.004). However, no significant difference was seen between the combined treatments. Finally, no significant side effects were observed in the studied methods during various treatment sessions. The findings of the study revealed that utilizing a combination of two modalities yielded better outcomes compared to a single treatment approach. Specifically, the combination of PDL and BTA demonstrated greater improvement in scar pliability. On the other hand, when considering scar vascularity and height, the combination of PDL with triamcinolone exhibited more significant enhancement.

To evaluate the efficacy and safety of ultra-pulsed CO2 fractional laser (UP) in the treatment of periorbital static wrinkles in Asians, and to follow up on its long-term efficacy. This was a prospective, self-controlled study conducted at the Dermatological Cosmetic Center of Xijing Hospital from June 2021 to June 2022. A total of 30 Asian patients aged 30-65 years with periorbital static wrinkles were enrolled (both genders, signed informed consent, and had not received treatment in the previous 6 months. Patients were excluded if they were pregnant or lactating, had facial dermatitis, or had received neuromodulator injections in the treatment area recently). All patients underwent one session of ultra-pulsed CO2 fractional laser treatment. Before treatment, the periorbital area was cleaned and topical anesthesia with compound lidocaine ointment (Beijing Ziguang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., lidocaine concentration of 5%, containing prilocaine and lidocaine, 25 mg of each per gram, synergistically enhancing the anesthetic effect with minimal skin irritation) was applied for 1 h. After anesthesia, the treatment area was disinfected, and a metal heat-insulating intraocular shield was placed to protect the cornea. The periorbital area (energy 10 mj, density 10%), forehead, and nasal root (energy 17.5 mj, density 5%) were treated with different energy and density settings. Post-treatment, ice compresses were applied for 20-30 min, and strict sun protection was advised. Photographs were taken before treatment, immediately after treatment, and at 2 weeks, 1 month, 2 months, and 3 months post-treatment to assess efficacy. Skin wrinkle assessment was performed using Think View skin analysis. Pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) during treatment. Telephone follow-ups were conducted on days 1, 3, and 5 post-treatment to record adverse reactions. The Antera3D skin image analysis system was used to evaluate overall periorbital wrinkle scores, average wrinkle depth, average wrinkle width, and maximum wrinkle depth. All 30 patients tolerated the intraoperative pain, with a VAS pain score of 5.67 ± 1.15. 93% of the subjects were satisfied with the treatment outcomes. The Fitzpatrick wrinkle grading scores decreased after treatment compared to before treatment in all subjects. 3D skin analysis revealed a reduction in overall wrinkle scores post-treatment, with a significant decrease in average wrinkle depth at 3 months post-treatment (p < 0.001). Maximum wrinkle depth improved at 1 month post-treatment (p < 0.05) and decreased significantly at 2 and 3 months post-treatment (p < 0.001). No significant adverse reactions were observed post-treatment.Ultra-pulsed CO2 fractional laser (UP) is effective in improving periorbital static wrinkles in Asians with high safety and tolerability.

The aim of this study is to quantitatively evaluate the effect of irrigation activation performed with standard needle irrigation (SNI) and laser activated irrigation (LAI) tips of different geometric designs on organic tissue loss in the periapical area of teeth with immature apex. Fifteen single-rooted and canal teeth and seventy-five bovine mucosae were used in this study. An experimental model was constructed, and bovine mucosae were placed in the periapical area. Samples were randomly divided into five groups according to the irrigation activation method (n = 15): SNI, PIPS-flat (F), PIPS-radial (R), SWEEPS-flat (F) and SWEEPS-radial (R). Root canals were irrigated with totally 15 mL of 2% NaOCl for three irrigation cycles. Bovine mucosae were weighed before and after the irrigation activation protocols. The difference between the initial and final weights measured organic tissue loss. One-way analysis of variance was performed, followed by post-hoc Tukey significant difference test (p < 0.05). The amount of organic tissue loss in PIPS-R was found to be significantly higher compared to PIPS-F (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the amount of periapical organic tissue loss among all other tested irrigation activation methods (p > 0.05). All irrigation activation methods caused organic tissue loss. PIPS-R caused more organic tissue loss than PIPS-F, while no difference was found between SWEEPS-F and SWEEPS-R used at the same power setting.

Dental procedures often require the use of local anesthetic injections, which can be a big challenge in dentistry. Dental practice aims to ensure that patients receive treatment with no pain. This study evaluated the effect of Low-Level Therapy (LLLT) on pain caused by local anesthesia injection in dentistry. A split-mouth study using a Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) design was performed on 35 patients. In group A, patients received photobiomodulation followed by a standard local anesthetic agent. The level of pain experienced by patients with the use of photobiomodulation was evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). In group B, photobiomodulation was applied to the mucosa but not activated, and local anesthesia was administered. Pain levels were assessed in both groups using VAS. A comparison between the two groups was done. Persons in the photobiomodulation group reported significantly less pain compared to the other group (P-value = 0.0001). Additionally, there was a significant statistical difference between the two groups regarding patient pain, including differences among each gender and age group (P-value < 0.05). Based on this study's findings, low-level laser light therapy (LLLT) using a 980-nm diode laser before local infiltration anesthesia has been shown to reduce injection pain in adults. It can be used as an effective adjuvant treatment. Additional research is necessary to refine laser parameters and assess their efficacy in various dental procedures.

Conventional acne treatments are associated with side effects from medication and antibiotic resistance, leading to the search for alternative therapeutic modes of action, such as lasers. The considered bibliometric and visual analysis was designed to present the research publications related to the application of lasers in the treatment of acne from 1986 to 2022, identifying the trends and foremost contributing countries, institutions, and journals. The Scopus database was used to explore publications related to the use of lasers for the treatment of acne. The publications were reviewed based on predefined criteria, including the year of publication, study type, country of origin, affiliated institutions, journals, and citation patterns, employing descriptive analysis. The data were subsequently entered into Microsoft Excel 2016. Furthermore, for the creation of visualization maps depicting international collaborations and research hotspots, we employed VOSviewer software version 1.6.20. A total of 469 documents were retrieved from the Scopus database for analysis. Of those, 74.41% were original articles, 12.15% were reviews, 3.84% were letters, and 9.59% were other forms of publications. Since 2003, the number of publications has shown a consistent positive trend, with a slight plateau between 2012 and 2019. The United States was the most contributing country (33.26%), followed by South Korea (10.23%) and China (10.02%). The emerging research hotspots were "fractional laser therapy and carbon dioxide (CO2) lasers", "types of laser therapy and combination therapies for acne treatment", and "the effectiveness of laser treatments". This study is the first bibliometric analysis of the use of lasers in acne management. These findings indicate an increasing interest in this emerging field, especially in exploring the efficacy of various types and combinations of lasers. This study can help researchers and policymakers understand research trends and gaps to guide future research, collaboration, and decision-making.

A port-wine stain (PWS) is a congenital capillary abnormality with an incidence of 0.3-0.5%. Although several other types of lasers have been used to treat PWSs, few studies have focused on the factors that affect the outcome of 577-nm yellow lasers. We aimed to assess the efficacy and prognostic factors affecting the PWS treatment by 577-nm yellow laser. This study was carried out on 42 patients with PWS. Each patient received 6-10 treatment sessions with a 577-nm yellow laser at 4-week intervals. Treatment efficacy was considered adequate when improvement of ≥ 80% of the lesion occurred. After treatment, marked improvement occurred in 7 (16.7%) patients, moderate improvement in 17 (40.5%) patients, mild improvement in 10 (23.8%) and 8 (19%) patients showed poor improvement. There was a significant association between improvement and gender of the patients and site of lesion (p = 0.028, p = 0.001, respectively). However, linear regression analysis showed that the site of the lesion can significantly predict the improvement (p < 0.001), while other baseline characteristics were not associated and cannot act as predictors for improvement. Yellow laser is a successful therapy choice for PWS, with a statistically significant improvement and minimal adverse effects. No significant association was found between improvement following laser therapy and baseline parameters, except for the location of PWS.

This study aims to assess the in vitro durability of Nitinol retainers, manufactured using computer-aided methods with hydrophilic or superhydrophilic surfaces to reduce debonding, alongside a commonly used composite adhesive. The 112 lower incisor teeth were embedded in blocks in pairs. Retainer wires were made up of 0.018 × 0.018 inch Nickel Titanium alloy(G4™ Nickel Titanium G&H Orthodontics, USA) by bending a robot arm. A total of 16 teeth(8 blocks) were used for each of the mentioned 7 groups Ni-Ti Retainer; Laser Textured Ni-Ti Retainer; Laser Texturing and Atmospheric Plasma Applicated Ni-Ti Retainer; Atmospheric Plasma Applicated Ni-Ti Retainer; Laser Texturing and Atmospheric Plasma Applicated Ni-Ti Retainer*2; Laser Texturing and Atmospheric Plasma Applicated Ni-Ti Retainer*3; SS-0.0018"(Morelli, Brazil). Transbond LR(3 M Unitek, California) was used. The shear bond strength tests were conducted. The Kruskal-Wallis H test was employed, pairwise comparisons followed by Dunn's test with Bonferroni correction as a post-hoc analysis. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups for maximum force and maximum stress(p > 0.05). However, a significant difference was found in maximum elongation (p:0.0023). Pairwise comparisons highlighted significantly higher elongation values in the SS-0.0018" group. The stainless-steel wire demonstrated higher elongation values, which may offer clinical advantages in cases with higher occlusal forces and periodontal problems due to its material flexibility. Laser Texturing and Atmospheric Plasma Applied Ni-Ti Retainers exhibited higher test performance. Surface treatments applied to CAD/CAM retainers can provide an advantage by enhancing bond strength, potentially reducing the risk of debonding. These findings underline the importance of material selection and surface treatments in optimizing fixed retention strategies for long-term clinical success.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of six sessions of High-Intensity Laser Therapy (HILT), administered twice a week over three weeks, in reducing pain and improving function in patients with mild to moderate symptomatic osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Forty patients were randomly assigned to either the HILT group (n = 20) or a sham control group (n = 20). The HILT group received two initial sessions of analgesic mode HILT with a total energy of 600 J at the medial and lateral joint lines, followed by four sessions of biostimulation mode with 3000 J at the medial joint line. Both groups also participated in a supervised home exercise program. The visual analog scale (VAS) of pain, the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) and timed up and go test (TUG) were evaluated before treatment and at 3 and 6 weeks after the initial treatment. The VAS and the WOMAC improved significantly in both groups. However, there were no significant differences in any of the measured outcomes between the two groups. Both groups showed no significant improvement in TUG. In treating mild to moderate OA knee, integrating twice a week, 6 sessions (2 sessions of analgesic and 4 sessions of biostimulation mode) HILT to exercise program is not superior to exercise alone.