mohammad reza razzaghi

 The management of chronic groin and scrotal content pain (orchialgia) is a complex condition after varicocelectomy that is encountered by most practicing clinicians. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in orchialgia after varicocelectomy surgery.

 This study was performed as a double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial in which sixty patients with orchialgia after varicocelectomy were randomly divided into three groups of 20 as follows: (1) low-level laser group with red (650 nm, 50 mW), (2) low-level laser group with infrared (IR) (820 nm, 100 mW), and (3) laser placebo group. The treatment protocol consisted of 15 minutes, three times a week, for only 12 sessions. Then, the patients were evaluated for pain and sexual satisfaction during the 12-week follow-up.

 The pain score in the two groups of low-level laser with red light and IR spectra showed a significant relief (P<0.05) 6 and 12 weeks after starting the treatment, In addition, a significant increase was observed in the level of sexual satisfaction in the red and infrared spectra LLLT groups (P<0.05).

 We concluded that the use of LLLT with red light (650 nm, 50 mW)/IR (820 nm, 100 mW) spectra with a power of 6-25 J/cm²/day in 15 minutes, three times a week, for 12 sessions can significantly reduce pain and increase sexual satisfaction in these patients.

 The treatment of endocrine problems like thyroid disease, diabetes mellitus (DM), and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) faces significant challenges so medical professionals worldwide are trying to find a new therapeutic approach. However, along with common treatments which include medications, hormone replacement therapy, and surgery; there is a growing interest in alternative therapies like laser therapy, which offers a non-invasive and unique technique for treating endocrine disorders alone or in combination with traditional methods. The main goal of this review was to do a systematic review of the role of the laser and Microwave in the treatment of endocrine disorders.

 In the present systematic review, the most important databases, including PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched for studies examining the effect of lasers on the treatment of endocrine problems by using appropriate keywords and specific strategies from 1995 to 2023. All the studies that were not about lasers and endocrine were excluded.

 Based on 51 reviewed studies, lasers and radiofrequency ablation such as RFA are effective in the treatment of thyroid diseases, hyperparathyroidism, pancreatic disorders, and sexual dysfunctions. Laser-induced interstitial thermal therapy (LITT) and microwave ablation (MWA) are genuine minimally invasive methods for the treatment of benign nodules, adenomas, and tumor ablation including pancreatic carcinomas and adrenal tumors. Intravenous laser blood irradiation (ILBI) which uses red, UV, and blue light could be effective in treating various metabolic disorders, such as DM.

 Laser as a cutting-edge and minimally invasive approach could treat various endocrine disorders. It has great potential to treat and regulate hormonal imbalances, decrease inflammation, and relieve symptoms of various ailments, such as endocrine disorders.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was extended to the entire population in China and around the world, and its mortality rate was about 3.4%. The impact of laser therapy on chronic respiratory diseases has been shown in previous studies. This study was aimed at examining the effects of laser acupuncture (LA) on patients with severe COVID-19.

In the present study, 60 patients with a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test were assigned to the intervention and control groups (30 patients in each group). The intervention group was treated with LA, that is, laser light with low energy on acupuncture points, once a day for five consecutive days.

The participants’ mean age in the intervention and control groups was 48.96 ± 12.65 and 53.16 ± 12.28 respectively; 70% of the patients were male and 30% of them were female. IL6 had a significant reduction in the intervention group (P value = 0.038) in comparison with the control group (P value = 0.535). Furthermore, the mean admission time in the control group was significantly higher than that in the intervention group (P value = 0.047). However, the mortality rate in the intervention group was zero, but three patients in the control group died.

Our study showed that LA can be used as supportive therapy for routine treatment in patients with severe COVID-19. Moreover, due to LA safety and it’s low cost, it could be recommended as an adjuvant to conventional therapy in patients interested in treating their disease with such a method.

The most common adjuvant therapy known for non-invasive muscle bladder cancer (NMIBC) is intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG). Intravesical chemotherapy drugs like gemcitabine can also be used post-TURBT, which is considered as a good alternative for BCG, or can be used as a second-line treatment. Due to the common side effects of BCG, the use of chemotherapy drugs as intravesical treatments is currently increasing.

117 intermediate-risk NMIBC cases were included in this study. All the patients underwent TURBT surgery and received 1 gr intravesical gemcitabine immediately after performing the surgery. The patients were then divided into two groups, either receiving intravesical gemcitabine or intravesical BCG weekly for 6 weeks. The patients were followed up with cystoscopy.

Most patients were men who had smoking risk factors. The youngest patient was 36 years old and the oldest one was 88 years old. The rate of side effects in the group receiving gemcitabine (13.6%) was much lower than the group receiving BCG (44.8%). (P-value = 0.016). The recurrence rate during a one year period was lower in the group consisting of patients receiving gemcitabine compared to the group receiving BCG (19 patients vs. 23 patients) (p-value = 0.401)

The efficacy of intravesical gemcitabine and intravesical BCG was almost equal in the treatment of intermediate-risk NMIBCs. The adverse effects of gemcitabine were found to be significantly lower than BCG. Due to causing fewer complications, gemcitabine can be known as a good alternative, especially among elderly patients with comorbidities.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the common causes of injuries, claims, and decisions related to laser therapy medical malpractice during a nine-year survey.

The legal documents in the Coroner’s Office of Forensic Medicine were investigated in a national database from 2012 to 2020 in Tehran, Iran. The frequency and nature of the cases, including the year of litigation, the location and certificate of the provider, the injury sustained, and the cause of legal action and judgment were collected.

Three hundred and eighty-three cases related to injury from laser therapy were registered in the coroner’s Office of Forensic Medicine during the study period. The incidence of litigation related to laser surgery showed an increasing trend, with a peak occurrence in 2020. Laser hair removal was the most common (51.2%) litigated procedure. General practice operators (48%) recorded the highest rate of laser-related medical complaints. Lack of skill was the most common reason for failure. Among 383 cases with public decisions, 62.4% of them were fault liability in paid judgment.

Medical claims related to laser application are increasing. However, as it is clear, the growth of laser technology and the increasing demand for lasers in medical science require more surveillance to avoid probable injuries and improve patient safety, especially surveillance of the physicians who work outside the scope of their specialty.

Many studies have recognized the importance of new methods in wound healing. This study aims to investigate the healing effects of allograft extra embryonic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with and without low-level diode laser irradiation when grafted into full-thickness skin defects in diabetic animal models.

In this experimental study, in order to make the rats diabetic, we used an intra-peritoneal injection of streptozotocin. Human amniotic membrane derived mesenchymal stem cells (hAMSCs) were irradiated with a low-level diode laser. Two full-thickness excisions were made on the backs of the rats. Next, the rats were divided into the following groups: group 1: low-level laser (LLL) irradiated hAMSCs and group 2: hAMSCs alone transplanted into skin wound. Histopathologic, ultrasound and elasticity evaluations were performed 7, 14 and 21 days after grafting.

In the evaluated rats, epithelial formation was on day 7 and increased until day 14. On days 7, 14 and 21, the percentage of epithelial formation in the irradiated cell group was significantly higher than that in the cell group, so that, on day 21, the epithelium in this group completely covered the wound surface while in the control group the wound surface was still not completely covered. In terms of angiogenesis, on day 7, the irradiated cells were significantly lower than the cells. Also, the formation of collagen in the cellular hydrogel group could confirm the effectiveness of amniotic MSCs in collagen production and thus accelerate the wound healing process. In comparison with hAMSCs alone, irradiated hAMSCs increased the thickness and elasticity of the skin.

Low-power laser along with MSCs can be effective in improving chronic wound condition in the animal model.

Synovial Sarcoma (SS) is a rare soft-tissue malignancy. Only about 15% of SS originates from the retroperitoneum. Retroperitoneal SS (RSS) is usually diagnosed incidentally due to the anatomy of the retroperitoneum. The most common complaints of patients are abdominal and low back pain. Other common symptoms of RSS are palpable abdominal mass, weight loss, and anemia. In this study, we will describe a 29-year-old white Asian man with a diagnosis of RSS after radical nephrectomy. He was admitted to the Urology Department of Shohada-e Tajrish hospital, Tehran, Iran in March 2019. The distinguishing feature of this case is the size of the mass, which has never been reported so much for retroperitoneal synovial sarcoma.  Radiologic imaging showed a huge retroperitoneal mass originating from the kidney. Based on the pathologic features and immunohistochemistry (IHC) study, the diagnosis was consistent with synovial sarcoma. Accurate diagnosis of RSS is usually based on the pathological findings. Therefore, in case of doubt, a biopsy can be employed. Surgical resection of the tumor and lymph nodes dissection is the main and most important part of the treatment. Aggressive resection with free margin is recommended. The role of adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy in RSS is not certain to date, but it is recommended according to the patient’s condition.

The current study aimed to determine the common dysregulated proteins between esophageal, gastric, and intestinal cancers.

Though there are several documents about the role of AKT1 in promoting of esophageal, gastric, and intestinal cancers, there is not enough evidence about the dominant role of AKT1 relative to the other oncogene genes in the promotion of the three studied cancer types.

One hundred proteins related to each of esophageal, gastric, or intestinal cancer were retrieved from the STRING database and interacted by Cytoscape software v 3.2.7. 2 to create the correlated interactomes. The network was analyzed by the “NetworkAnalyzer” application of Cytoscape to find the centrality parameters of the nodes. Results of network analysis and action map assessment were used to determine the common critical proteins between the three studied cancers.

Results: 

One hundred proteins were extracted for each of the studied cancers. Among 42 common dysregulated proteins, 36 individuals were selected through network analysis and were screened through action map assessment. Eighteen proteins were introduced as the important common proteins. Finally, AKT1 was a candidate for the crucial dysregulated proteins common in the three analyzed diseases.

The findings indicate that AKT1, relative to the other oncogene genes, is a suitable candidate to be evaluated in patients as a prediagnostic tool to reduce endoscopy and colonoscopy rates.

This meta-analysis was designed to reassess the prognostic and clinicopathologic values of the microRNA-125 family in GC patients.

The miR-125 family (including miR-125a, miR-125b) has been reported as being pivotal prognostic biomarkers of gastric cancer (GC). However, there is controversy about the role of the miR-125 family in predicting the progression of GC.

The miR-125 family (including miR-125a, miR-125b) has been reported as being pivotal prognostic biomarkers of gastric cancer (GC). However, there is controversy about the role of the miR-125 family in predicting the progression of GC.

The electronic databases of PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were systematically searched for relevant studies. Overall survival (OS) rate as the primary outcome from each study was extracted. The overall hazard ratio (HR or survival rate in patients with GC) and odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated to evaluate the association between miR-125 family expression and prognosis and susceptibility to gastric cancer. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottava Scale (NOS). The extracted data was combined based on the random-effects model.

The low expression of miR-125 family predicts poor OS in GC patients. Thus, the miR-125 family may be helpful as a potential biomarker for the prognosis of gastric cancer.

The liver plays a principal role in the human body as a metabolic and detoxifying unit. Liver diseases are the world’s major health problems and affect millions of people worldwide. Early detection of liver diseases is certainly effective in timely treatment and prevention of their progression .Liver injury is associated with significant alterations in immune responses and pattern changes in various tissue-related gene expressions and cytokine production. Increasing or decreasing the specific spectrum of non-coding RNAs in different phases of liver disease can be a criterion for diagnosis. Novel diagnostic biomarkers are needed for liver diseases. Currently, micro-RNAs (miRNAs) are known to play important roles in the diagnosis of liver diseases. Circulating biomarkers such as miRNA-assisted diagnosis can conceivably be helpful for the early treatment of liver diseases. In this review, we look at miRNAs and their potential applications in liver diseases as diagnostic biomarkers were investigated.

To evaluate the safety and efficacy of holmium LASER resection of the bladder tumor (HoLRBT) vs. transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) as the first treatment modality for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC).

Eighty-eight patients with primary non-muscle invasive bladder cancer were allocated randomly in two groups who were treated with HoLRBT or TURBT. The intraoperative and postoperative char-acteristics and complications of the HoLRBT and TURBT groups were compared. The data of operation time, obturator nerve reflex rate, bladder perforation, bladder irrigation, catheterization time, hospital stay, and 1, 3, 6, 12, 18 months recurrence free survivals were considered in two groups.

There was no significant difference in operative duration among the two groups. Compared with the TURBT group, HoLRBT group had fewer intraoperative and postoperative complications, including obturator nerve reflex, transient hematuria, and postoperative bladder irritation. There were no significant differences among the two groups in the transfusion rate and occurrence of urethral strictures. Patients in the HoLRBT group had less catheterization and hospitalization time in comparison to those in the TURBT group. There were no significant differences in the overall recurrence rate among the TURBT and HoLRBT groups.

HoLRBT can be regarded as a safe and efficient method with several advantages over TURBT. HoLRBT can be used as an alternative procedure for TURBT in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Molecular pathophysiology of COVID-19 is not completely known. Expression changes in pa-tients’ plasma proteins have revealed new information about the disease. Introducing the key targeted plasmaprotein in fatal conditions of COVID-19 infection is the aim of this study.

Significant differentiallyexpressed proteins (DEPs) in the plasma of cases with a fatal condition of COVID-19 were extracted from anoriginal article. These proteins were included in a network via STRING database along with 100 first neighborproteins to determine central nodes of the network for analyzing.

Queried and added proteins wereincluded in a scale free network. Three hub nodes were identified as critical target proteins. The top queriedhub proteins were chains of fibrinogen; Fibrinogen Alpha chain (FGA), Fibrinogen gamma chain (FGG), andFibrinogen beta chain (FGB), which are related to the coagulation process.

It seems that fibrinogendysregulation has a deep impact on the fatality of COVID-19 infection.

Many proteomics-based and bioinformatics-based efforts are made to detect the molecularmechanism of COVID-19 infection. Identification of the main protein targets and pathways of severe cases ofCOVID-19 infection is the aim of this study.

Published differentially expressed proteins were screenedand the significant proteins were investigated via protein-protein interaction network using Cytoscape softwareV. 3.7.2 and STRING database. The studied proteins were assessed via action map analysis to determine therelationship between individual proteins using CluePedia. The related biological terms were investigated usingClueGO and the terms were clustered and discussed.

Among the 35 queried proteins, six of them (FGA,FGB, FGG, and FGl1 plus TLN1 and THBS1) were identified as critical proteins. A total of 38 biological terms,clustered in 4 groups, were introduced as the affected terms. “Platelet degranulation” and “hereditary factor Ideficiency disease” were introduced as the main class of the terms disturbed by COVID-19 virus.

Itcan be concluded that platelet damage and disturbed haemostasis could be the main targets in severe cases ofcoronavirus infection. It is vital to follow patients’ condition by examining the introduced critical differentiallyexpressed proteins (DEPs).

Wound healing can have a very important impact on the patients’ quality of life. For its treatment, wound dressings have vital and effective uses. Indeed, the use of a proper wound dressing can improve the healing process and duration. Recently, wound dressings with unique properties have been prepared using natural hydrogels. In addition to the general wound characteristics, new generations of wound dressings, such as those lasting longer on the wound, can have specific properties such as transferring allogeneic cells to enhance the healing effect and speed up the healing process. The present study aimed to prepare a gelatin-based hydrogel and to characterize it for therapeutic purposes.

In this experimental-laboratory study, a gelatin hydrogel was made using a microbial transglutaminase (mTG) enzyme. The prepared hydrogel was evaluated in terms of appearance, physical, and chemical properties. To investigate the biological properties of the hydrogel, cells were cultured on it and the toxicity of the hydrogel for the cells was investigated. The location of the cells on the hydrogel was imaged via an electron microscope. The absorption and reflectance characteristics of the hydrogel were recorded by optical spectroscopy. Data were collected and statistical analysis was performed.

The results showed that the mTG gelatin hydrogel had a uniform pore size and good physical, chemical, and mechanical properties for use in wound healing. Cell experiments showed evident cell proliferation and high viability. The results also revealed that the cells grew vigorously and adhered tightly to the hydrogel.

The preparation of a gelatin hydrogel under GMP conditions can be considered in the healing of diabetic wounds and burns.

Spectroscopic properties of Xeloda chemodrug have been studied over varying concentrations ranging between 0.001 and 10 mg/mL, using laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectroscopy. The alternative photoluminescence (PL) and near infrared (NIR) measurements are carried out to authenticate the obtained results by the LIF method.

The XeCl laser as the excitation coherent source with 160 mJ/pulse at 308 nm is employed for LIF measurements of the fluorophore of interest in the modular spectroscopic set-up.

Xeloda as a significant chemodrug acts as a notable fluorophore. LIF, PL and NIR spectroscopy techniques are employed to investigate the spectral properties of the chemodrug in terms of concentration. The maximum LIF peak intensity of Xeloda is achieved at λmax=410.5 nm and the characteristic concentration of CP1=0.05 mg/mL. PL signals are in good agreement with the data given by the LIF measurements. The characteristic NIR spectra of Xeloda as solid evidence of chemical bonding formation attest to fluorescence quenching at the fluorophore concentration of ~ 0.2 mg/mL. Besides, the spectral shift of fluorescence signals which is obtained in terms of fluorophore concentration- demonstrating as a diagnostic marker for the purpose of optimized chemotherapy.

Xeloda exhibits outstanding fluorescence properties over the allowable concentration in human serum (Cmax). These characteristics could benefit potential advantage of simultaneous laser-based imaging of cell-chemodrug interaction over in-vivo studies.

Currently,infertility is a main concern, and it is estimated that 15% of couples are considered infertile. Conventional therapies such as vitamins, antioxidants and supplements have been used widely, but they may not be sufficiently effective. This study evaluated the effect of laser acupuncture on semen parameters in infertile patients with oligospermia.

This study is a clinical trial with a double-blind control group. 35 patients in the intervention group underwent laser acupuncture twice a week for consecutive 5-weeks. In the control group, sham laser acupuncture was performed. The two groups were compared in terms of semen parameters including semen volume, sperm concentration, sperm motility and sperm morphology as the primary outcome. The secondary outcome was a successful pregnancy rate. After data collection, statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 20.

The mean age of all patients was 27.46 ± 2.88 years; in the intervention group, their age was 27.82 ± 2.6 years, and in the control group, it was 27.11 ± 2.96 years, and there was no significant difference (P = 0.396). During the study, 4 patients (5.4%) reported adverse effects; three patients in the control group complained of mild weakness and itching, and one patient in the intervention group reported dizziness. The volume of semen and sperm morphology did not differ significantly in both control and intervention groups (P˃ 0.05), while sperm motility and sperm concentration had a significant difference (P = 0.0001).

Laser acupuncture as a non-invasive procedure is effective in improving sperm mobility and concentration in infertile patients with oligospermia. Due to the surface contact of the laser probe with the skin and the lack of need to insert needles in the skin, laser acupuncture is more convenient and better tolerated by patients.

Cancer is one of the most important problems in the world. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been emerged as a new approach, having both stimulation and inhibition effects on cellular function. The goal of this study was to analyze and compare the different concentrations of cisplatin and wavelengths of laser therapy on the LnCap cell lines.

LnCap cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations of cisplatin (0.1, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 2 μg/mL for 24 hours) and wavelengths of laser therapy (610, 630 and 810 nm) (0.45 J/cm2) separately. The viability of cells was examined by MTT assay and IC50 was also calculated. Furthermore, a combination of cisplatin IC50 (24 hours) and different wavelengths of the laser was examined.

The results of this study showed that 2 μg/mL of cisplatin has the most significant reduction effect on the cell viability of the LnCap cell line. Cisplatin decreased the viability of cells in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, IC50 of cisplatin was 1.24 μg/mL. On the other hand, LLLT with wavelengths of 610, 630 and 810 nm did not show notable biological effects on cell viability.

As known, cisplatin has the capability to reduce the viability of LnCap cell lines. However, LLLT cannot be a remarkable option for the treatment of prostate cancer. Therefore, although laser therapy showed praiseful therapeutic activity against some cancer cell lines, in this study the results indicated that defined laser wavelengths had no inhibitory effects against the prostate cancer cell line.

The clinical and economic burden of kidney stones is a challenge for the healthcare system. There is a limited bibliometric project exploring the literature trends on ‘urolithiasis’ and its related management.

A systematic review was conducted to discover the related abstracts regarding each specific issue, investigated year by year from May 2000 to May 2020 (20 years). To make an effective comparison, the statistics resulting from every single study were allocated to two 10-year periods: period 1 (2000 to 2010) and period 2 (2010 to 2020). In this study, we included all English language articles, all non-English articles with English abstracts, and studies in which interventions were used for stone removal, including laser technology. Also, we excluded the studies without a published abstract, an intervention or a laser, animal and in vitro studies, and case reports.

These articles are about ureteroscopy (URS) (n=10360, 33.45%), percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCN) (n =10790, 34.84%) and extra-corporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) (n=9846, 31.76%). When evaluating the two time periods, there were 9912 studies available in period one, which increased by ×2.12 times (112.71% rise) to 21 084 studies in period two (P = 0.001). The increase was 133%, 103.51%, and 70.4% for URS, PCN, and SWL respectively. A total of 855 studies on Laser application via URS were published on PubMed over a 20-year period. There was an increasing trend toward using laser application via URS over the study period. Also, there were 230 articles published in period one, which increased by nearly 2.71 times (rise of 171.73%) to 625 papers in period two (P < 0.001). There was an increasing trend toward using laser application via PCN; 126 papers were published in period one, which increased by nearly 3.05 times (rise of 205.5%) to 385 papers in period two (P = 0.002).

The minimal invasive interventions for stone removal, including URS and PCN, increased dramatically in the last decade, and the use of lasers in stone treatment increased significantly in the last decade.

ntroduction: 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 anti-cancer 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).

TheA375 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 stimuli-responsiveness 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.

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 pre-apoptotic cells treated with liposomal doxorubicin and a laser beam was more than that of cells treated with only liposomal doxorubicin.

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.

Radiofrequency (RF)-based stress urinary incontinence (SUI) treatment, which has quickly attracted attention, is administered in an office setting. This pilot-safety study assessed the efficacy of transvaginal RF treatment in the quality of life (QOL) and frequency of incontinence episodes in women with SUI.

Twenty-eight women suffering from SUI were treated with an intravaginal quadric applicator while a grounding pad was attached in front of their pubes. The first phase is thermic, which will heat up the vaginal wall up to 40°C for 10 minutes. The second step is contraction to stimulate an aerobic exercise of pelvic floor muscles for 20 minutes (pulsed contractile RF at 20-40 watts and 1000-300 kHz with a modulation of 1 to 300 Hz for muscle exercise). It was scheduled for one session per week for 3 sessions. Patients had follow-up visits before and 1, 6 and 12 months following the treatment for one-day voiding diary, Persian version of urinary incontinence QOL questionnaire (I-QOL), Q-tip test, 24 hours-pad test and daily incontinence episodes’ number.

The patients’ mean age, duration of incontinence and median vesical leak point pressure were 41.6 ± 9.6 years, 5.48 ± 6.84 years and 140 cm H2O respectively. Significant changes were observed in the mean I-QOL total score and the pad test. Also, a notable reduction was observed in the number of daily leakage episodes and the Q-tip test at any follow-up visit (P = 0.001).

Preliminary results suggest that transvaginal RF is a convenient method of SUI treatment. Significant changes were observed in the mean I-QOL total score and the pad test. Also, a notable reduction was observed in the number of daily leakage episodes.

Although intravascular laser irradiation of blood (ILIB) is deemed an innocuous and useful technique for laser therapy, particularly when systemic effects are required, no study, to our knowledge, has been conducted on the effectiveness and innocuousness of ILIB in treating acute kidney injury (AKI).

This study aimed to assess the feasibility and outcomes of ILIB in the management of patients with AKI and comparing them with the Sham-laser group.

Twenty-six patients with intra-renal AKI (24-95 years old) at Tajrish Hospitals were evaluated for enrollment eligibility in this clinical trial study. This study was conducted at the nephrology department of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran, between 2018 and 2019. Based on the treatment method, the patients’ assignment to two groups (ILIB or Sham-laser) was randomly done. Demographic characteristics, need for dialysis, hemoglobin and serum biochemistry changes, serum and urine neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) changes, laser complications, and the hospitalization period were recorded.

In terms of the baseline characteristics and biochemistry serum level, no differences were seen between the two groups. All post-treatment parameters, except the hemoglobin value, significantly improved in both groups. Urine NGAL and serum NGAL show declines from the baseline in both groups; however, the reduction slope of these parameters occurred faster in the laser group in a statistically significant manner.

A decline in NGAL levels in the laser group during the treatment may suggest that the ILIB can help patients with AKI recover better.

Currently, a laser is a popular technology in urological surgeries. The important laser-related issue is the time when a surgeon reaches an acceptable level of safety and efficacy using laser technology.

In this review, we aimed to assess the learning curves of three types of surgeries in urology, including photoselective vaporization of the prostate (PVP), holmium laser enucleation of the prostate (HoLEP) and retrograde intra-renal surgeries (RIRSs). Here, we searched Medline, Web of Science, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and Scopus for such keywords as Urology, laser, laser vaporization, prostate, nephrolithiasis, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), and learning curve.

We evaluated 14 studies about PVP, 17 about RIRS, and 29 studies about HoLEP. Also, we separately discussed the learning curves of these three kinds of surgeries in detail.

All the urologists, even expert surgeons, should attend a formal training course and have a skilled tutor present at their first cases

Currently, the COVID-19 pandemic is an important health challenge worldwide. Due to the cytokine storm, the mortality rate in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is high, but until now no therapy for these patients was approved. The aim of this review was to discuss the possible anti-inflammatory effect of photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) on ARSD patients and present the potential role of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) in the improvement of respiratory symptoms associated with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

Studies about PBMT in inflammation and ARSD patients were examined. A primary search with reviewing English-language citations between 2005 and 2020 using the keywords COVID-19, ADRS, cytokine storm, low-level laser therapy, anti-inflammatory, and photobiomodulation was performed. The initial search yielded 818 articles; however, 60 articles were selected and discussed in the present study.

The results of the selected studies showed the usefulness of PBMT in the treatment of inflammation and ARSD in patients with COVID-19 infection. This therapy is non-invasive and safe to modulate the immune responses in ARSD patients.

PBMT can potentially reduce the viral load and bacterial super-infections in patients with COVID-19 infection and control the inflammatory response. Therefore, the use of PBMT could be an efficient strategy for preventing severe and critical illness in SARS-COV2 infection

Although the application of ultraviolet B (UVB) in phototherapy of human skin is a common therapeutic method, it is known as a risk factor for skin cancer. This study aims to assess the role of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) to find the critical one that is mainly responsible for skin protection against UVB radiation.

The gene expression profiles of irradiated mice by UVB that issued skin protection against exposure are extracted from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and analyzed by GEO2R. The significant DEGs are assessed via gene ontology (GO) analysis and the critical individuals are investigated via action mapping.

Thirty-eight significant DEGs that provide skin resistance against UVB irradiation were determined. Among the query DEGs, 26 individuals were related to 43 biological terms. Flt4, F3, Tspan6, Cblb, and Itgb6 were highlighted as the critical DEGs to promote skin protection against UVB irradiation.

The finding indicates that Flt4 is the key DEG that is mainly responsible for protecting skin from UVB exposure

The present study aimed to identify human protein–host protein interactions of SARS-CoV-2 infection in the small intestine to discern the potential mechanisms and gain insights into the associated biomarkers and treatment strategies.

Deciphering the tissue and organ interactions of the SARS-CoV-2 infection can be important to discern the potential underlying mechanisms. In the present study, we investigated the human protein–host protein interactions in the small intestine.

Public databases and published works were used to collect data related to small intestine tissue and SARS-CoV-2 infection. We constructed a human protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and showed interactions of host proteins in the small intestine. Associated modules, biological processes, functional pathways, regulatory transcription factors, disease ontology categories, and possible drug candidates for therapeutic targets were identified.

Thirteen primary protein neighbors were found for the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2. ACE2 and its four partners were observed in a highly clustered module; moreover, 8 host proteins belonged to this module. The protein digestion and absorption as a significant pathway was highlighted with enriched genes of ACE2, MEP1A, MEP1B, DPP4, and XPNPEP2. The HNF4A, HNF1A, and HNF1B transcription factors were found to be regulating the expression of ACE2. A significant association with 12 diseases was deciphered and 116 drug-target interactions were identified.

The protein-host protein interactome revealed the important elements and interactions for SARS-CoV-2 infection in the small intestine, which can be useful in clarifying the mechanisms of gastrointestinal symptoms and inflammation. The results suggest that antiviral targeting of these interactions may improve the condition of COVID-19 patients.