Quantitative Analysis of Skin Erythema Due to Laser Hair Removal: A Diffusion Optical Spectroscopy Analysis

 Introduction: Laser hair removal needs an accurate understanding of tissue structure and chromophores content in order to optimize the selection of laser irradiation parameters. None of the optimized laser therapy might lead to side effects in skin tissue such as severe erythema, burn, scar etc. Therefore, guidance by a noninvasive real-time diagnostic method like optical spectroscopy technique is beneficial. The purpose of this survey is to analysis the skin hemoglobin spectrum quantitatively before and after hair removal laser irradiation to minimize the side effects of the procedure.Methods: To carry out a spectroscopy study, a halogen-tungsten light source was used in the wavelength region of 400-700 nm on an ocean optic device. The measurements were made on the facial area under identical conditions. Total 19 volunteers for laser hair removal by gentle laser Candela, ranging 14- 49 years old, were included in the study. A total of 18 spectra were taken from each person, 9 spectra before hair removal as a reference and 9 subsequent spectra. Colorimetry was done for all acquired before and after spectrums using Origin software (version 8.6). Then, the erythema index derived for each spectrum. Statistical analysis of correlation and normalization in colorimetry data were done using data analysis by SPSS (version 16).Results: Spectra analysis, before and after optical reflectance spectrums in laser hair removal procedure, revealed the subpeak derivation, and concentration on special visible wavelength 510-610 nm. We studied the changes of skin chromophores absorption. The derived erythema index [E] and colorimetry parameters a*, b*, l* were compared and correlated statistically. There was a statistically considerable direct linear correlation between a* and E while inverse linear correlation was observed for l* and E and no correlation for b* and E.Conclusion: Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy showed its potency as an accurate, noninvasive real-time as complementary method for laser treatment to detect erythema as a complication of the method, in order to optimize the parameters based on the tissue characteristics in various candidates

Quantitative Autofluorescence Imaging of A375 Human Melanoma Cell Samples: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Skin cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy worldwide. Human skin naturally contains several endogenous fluorophores, as potential sources that can emit inherent fluorescence, called intrinsic autofluorescence (AF). The melanin endogenous fluorophore in the basal cell layer of the epidermis seems to have a strong autofluorescence signal among other ones in the skin. This pilot study aimed to investigate the feasibility of the detection of autofluorescence signals in the A375 human melanoma cell line in the cell culture stage using the FluoVision optical imaging system.Methods: The human skin melanoma cell line (A375) donated as a gift from Switzerland (University Hospital Basel) was cultured. For the imaging of the A375 human melanoma cell sample in this pilot study, the FluoVision optical imaging device (Tajhiz Afarinan Noori Parseh Co) was applied. The proposed clustering image processing code was developed based on the K-mean segmentation method, using MATLAB software (version 16).Results: The quantification of color pixels in the color bar along with the intensity score of the autofluorescence signal ranged between 0 and 70 was written in the image processing code execution and a threshold higher than 40%, proportional to the ratio of autofluorescent cells. The percentage of the signal of A375 autofluorescent melanoma cells in the 3 studied cell samples was calculated as 3.11%±0.6.Conclusion: This imaging method has the advantage of no need for fluorophore labels over the existing fluorescence imaging methods, and it can be regarded as one of the important choices of label-free imaging for this A375 melanoma cell line containing the intrinsic endogenous fluorophore in cell studies. DOI: 10.34172/jlms.2021.0

The Immediate Pain-Relieving Effects of Non-Thermal CO2 Laser Therapy on Genital Ulcers of Behcet’s Disease: A Case Report

Behçet’s disease (BD) is a chronic, relapsing, systemic vasculitis of unknown etiology. Oral and genital aphthous ulcers are considered as the hallmarks of BD. The genital ulcers of BD may be extremely painful and often refractory to multiple treatments. In addition, they exert a negative impact on the patient’s quality of life. Some investigations have demonstrated the significant and immediate pain-relieving effects of NTCLT (non-thermal CO2 laser therapy) on some oral lesions with no visible adverse effects. In this paper, we report a case of BD whose painful genital ulcers were irradiated with NTCLT and the patient’s pain caused by the ulcers relieved immediately and significantly with no visible complications

Relieving Pain in Oral Lesions of Pemphigus Vulgaris Using the Non-ablative, Non-thermal, CO2 Laser Therapy (NTCLT): Preliminary Results of a Novel Approach

Introduction: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a chronic, serious autoimmune mucocutaneous bullous disease. Oral lesions in PV may be extremely painful. This pain may adversely affect the patients’ oral intake and quality of life. This before-after clinical trial was designed to assess the pain relieving effects of single session of non-ablative, non-thermal CO2 laser therapy (NTCLT) in oral lesions of PV.Methods: Fifty painful oral lesions of fourteen patients with PV were illuminated by CO2 laser (power: 1 W, scanning the lesions with rapid circular motion of the handpiece) passing through a thick layer of transparent gel with high water content. The pain severity of the oral lesions was reported by the patients up to the fourth postoperative day. They were also asked to continue their existing systemic treatment during the course of this study as a precondition for the participation.Results: The severity of contact and non-stimulate (non-contact) pain declined immediately and significantly after NTCLT (P < 0.001). The pain relieving effect was sustained during the four successive days of follow-up. The procedure was pain free and no kind of analgesics was required. Following NTCLT, there were no visible thermal complications such as destruction, ablation or irritation of the oral lesions.Conclusion: The results of the trial proposed that single session of NTCLT could immediately and significantly relieve pain in oral lesions of PV, without any visible thermal complications

A Brief Review of Low-Level Light Therapy in Depression Disorder: LLLT in depression

Introduction: Low-level laser therapy (LLLT), also called Photobiomodulation, has gained widespread acceptance as a mainstream modality, particularly in the form of photobiostimulation (PBM). Here in our review, we aim to present the application of LLLT to help with depression, explore potential action mechanisms and pathways, discuss existing limitations, and address the challenges associated with its clinical implementation.Methods: In biological systems, visible light with a wavelength range of 400–700 nm activates photoreceptors involved in vision and circadian rhythm regulation. The near-infrared (NIR) light with a wavelength range of 800-1100 nm exhibits superior tissue penetration capabilities compared to visible light, which enables the non-invasive application of LLLT to various tissues.Results: By enhancing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production using the respiratory chain, LLLT is able to enhance blood flow, reduce inflammation, support repair and healing, and enhance stem cell growth and proliferation. Preclinical studies using animal models have shown promising neuroprotective effects of the LLLT method on central nervous system (CNS) diseases, suggesting potential improvements in brain function for patients suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. In addition, it helps Parkinson’s patients with their movement problems and ameliorates mental disorders in individuals with depression.Conclusion: patients’ quality of life can be significantly enhanced. A comprehensive understanding of the protective effects and underlying mechanisms of LLLT will facilitate its therapeutic application in the future

Detection of Melanoma Skin Cancer by Elastic Scattering Spectra: A Proposed Classification Method

Introduction: There is a strong need for developing clinical technologies and instruments for prompt tissue assessment in a variety of oncological applications as smart methods. Elastic scattering spectroscopy (ESS) is a real-time, noninvasive, point-measurement, optical diagnostic technique for malignancy detection through changes at cellular and subcellular levels, especially important in early diagnosis of invasive skin cancer, melanoma. In fact, this preliminary study was conducted to provide a classification method for analyzing the ESS spectra. Elastic scattering spectra related to the normal skin and melanoma lesions, which were already confirmed pathologically, were provided as input from an ESS database. Materials and Methods: A program was developed in MATLAB based on singular value decomposition and K-means algorithm for classification. Results: Accuracy and sensitivity of the proposed classifying method for normal and melanoma spectra were 87.5% and 80%, respectively. Conclusion: This method can be helpful for classification of melanoma and normal spectra. However, a large body of data and modifications are required to achieve better sensitivity for clinical applications

A review on terahertz non‑destructive applications for wound and diabetic foot screening

By advances in the treatments of diabetes in the last few decades, diabetic foot problems, wounds and ulcerations continue to be a major global burden for patients and the health care systems. For monitoring wound healing, it is essential to use an accurate wound measurement method, which is able to detect small changes in the wound size. The terahertz (THz) radiation was discovered to cover the gap of the frequency range between the mid-infrared (IR) and the microwave in the electromagnetic spectrum. THz radiation as safe radiation is increasingly being used in medical, sensing, communication applications since its generation and detection technology appeared. Due to its non-ionizing non-destructive characteristic, it is generally considered to be harmless, and safe to the body tissues. Based on the mentioned characteristics, there has been an increasing interest in terahertz imaging and spectroscopy for biomedical applications. The recent development of THz technology has stimulated interest in studying biological effects associated with this frequency range and its special applications in medical diagnosis as valuable types of basic and applied research areas. Here we aim to review various fundamentals related to THz, and physical aspects including its interaction mechanisms with skin tissue, generation, detection and specifications, THz imaging, spectroscopy, and finally THz application in wound and repair monitoring and diabetic foot screening

Clinical effect of Non-Thermal CO2 Laser Therapy (NTCLT) on Pain Relief of Oral Aphthous Ulcers of Behçet’s Disease: Pain Relieving Effects of NTCLT on Oral BD Ulcers

Introduction: Behçet’s disease (BD) is a debilitating and chronic vasculitis that can affect multiple organs. Recurrent oral aphthosis is the most common clinical feature of BD. The remarkable pain associated with painful oral ulcers can exert a major impact on the patients’ quality of life. Non-thermal CO2 laser therapy (NTCLT) as a novel photobiomodulative approach has recently been used for significant and immediate pain reduction of some types of painful oral lesions such as recurrent aphthous stomatitis, pemphigus Vulgaris, and so on. In this procedure by some considerations, the conventional CO2 laser is used as a non-surgical, non-thermal, photobiomodulative laser without any visible thermal adverse effects. In this article, we report ourexperiences about the analgesic effects of NTCLT on painful oral aphthous ulcers of BD.Case Presentation: We report four cases of BD, whose painful oral aphthous ulcers were irradiated with NTCLT. Immediately after NTCLT, the pain of the lesions was significantly relieved with no visible complications.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that NTCLT could be proposed as a hopeful procedure for significant and instant pain relief of oral aphthous ulcers of BD without any visible thermal adverse effects. DOI:10.34172/jlms.2021.72

Systemic Photodynamic Therapy With Chlorine e6 as a Photosensitizer for the Treatment of Nodular BCC: A Case Report: PDT with Chlorine e6

Introduction:  Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is an established therapeutic method for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). BCC is the most common human cancer and also convenient cancer to treat using PDT. This is our experienced case report about Systemic Photodynamic Therapy with Chlorine e6 as a Photosensitizer for BCC Treatment. Case Report: A 78-year-old man was diagnosed with a 4-year history of nodular BCC on the nose area. The patient had under control and treatment for hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Chlorine e6 was injected intravenously at a dose of 0.08 mg/kg in 500cc normal saline within 20 minutes. After 3 hours of injection, Laser irradiation was performed with the wavelength of 665 nm, a dose of 150 j/cm2, the irradiance of 150 mW/cm2. His nodular BCC has been completely cured after 1 session of PDT with chlorin e6 without any side effects. Conclusion: Systemic PDT with Chlorine e6 as a Photosensitizer has been safe and effective in the removal of BCC lesions due to the data achieved in a two-month follow-up

Effect of a Low-Level Laser on Liposomal Doxorubicin Efficacy in a Melanoma Cell Line: Doxorubicin Delivery Enhancement in Response to Lasers Effect

Introduction: The cytotoxicity of chemotherapy drugs is a significant challenge in the way of surmounting cancer. Liposomal drug delivery has proven to be efficacious in increasing the function of the drugs. Its potential to accumulate drugs in the target site and enhance the efficiency of anticancer agents with lower doses hinders their cytotoxicity on normal healthy cells. Since the release of drugs from liposomes is not generally on a controlled basis, several studies have suggested that external stimuli including lasers could be used to induce controlled release and boost the efficiency of liposomal drug delivery systems (LDDSs).Methods: The A375 cancer cell line was used and exposed to the liposomes containing doxorubicin in the presence of a low-level laser beam to investigate its effect on the liposomal stimuliresponsiveness release and its toxicity on cancer cells. So as to achieve that goal, Annexin V/PI was employed to analyze the number of cells that underwent apoptosis and necrosis.Results: Here, we report the effect of laser irradiation on LDDSs. According to the results obtained from the annexin V/PI assay, the pattern of viability status has shifted, so that the number of preapoptotic cells treated with liposomal doxorubicin and a laser beam was more than that of cells treated with only liposomal doxorubicin.Conclusion: The use of stimuli-responsive LDDSs, in this case, laser-responsive, has led to favorable circumstances in the treatment of cancer, offering enhanced cancer cell cytotoxicity DOI:10.34172/jlms.2021.2