Long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd: YAG laser ameliorates LL-37-induced rosacea-like skin lesions through promoting collagen remodeling in BALB/c mice

POSTN Silencing Ameliorates LL37-Induced Rosacea and Inhibits the JAK2/STAT3 and NF-κB Pathways

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory skin disease and its pathogenesis remains unclear. Key genes were screened in the GSE155141 and GSE65914 datasets through a bioinformatics approach. To establish a rosacea-like mouse model with periostin (POSTN) knockdown, mice were subcutaneously injected with lentivirus-packaged Lv-shPOSTN, followed by LL37 treatment on the dorsal skin. Skin tissues were collected for the assessment of skin lesion area, skin thickness, redness score, as well as for hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, toluidine blue staining, and immunofluorescence staining. The inflammatory factors and chemokine levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Wound healing and Transwell assays were performed to assess cell migration and invasion. Phosphorylation levels of JAK2, STAT3, IKKβ, and p65 were evaluated via western blotting. Hub genes, including COL1A2, POSTN, LOX, BGN, COL3A1, DCN, and COL1A1 were screened. POSTN was highly expressed in rosacea and POSTN silencing ameliorated pathological changes and suppressed inflammation, immune infiltration, and angiogenesis. The levels of inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6) and chemokines (CCL2, CXCL10, and CXCL2), as well as the KLK5, CAMP, TLR2, and VEGF expression levels were reduced after POSTN knockdown. POSTN silencing inhibited migration and invasion of LL37-induced human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Importantly, POSTN silencing suppressed the JAK2/STAT3 and NF-κB pathways both in vivo and in vitro. POSTN knockdown suppresses inflammation and angiogenesis in rosacea possibly by obstructing the JAK2/STAT3 and NF-κB pathways, which offers a potential therapeutic strategy for rosacea.

Fractional CO2 laser versus 1064-nm long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser for inflammatory acne vulgaris treatment: a randomized clinical trial

Acne vulgaris is challenging to treat for several individuals. Laser therapy may be a desirable alternative to traditional therapies with limited success. This study aimed to assess efficacy of fractional CO2 laser versus Nd:YAG laser for acne vulgaris therapy. Thirty cases with acne vulgaris underwent both fractional CO2 laser and Nd: YAG laser treatments in a randomized split face design at a 14-day interval for four sessions. The clinical efficacy was evaluated by counting acne lesions and utilizing the Global Acne Severity Scale (GEA Scale). GEAs decreased significantly after both fractional CO2 and Nd:YAG modalities after treatment and at a 3-month follow-up; fractional CO2 demonstrated significant more decrease in GEAs with (P = 0.006, 0.00 (respectively. Moreover, fractional CO2 showed a significantly higher satisfaction level (P = 0.004) and a better clinical improvement percentage regarding inflammatory and noninflammatory acne lesions (P = 0.007 and 0.000, respectively) after 3 months of follow-up. Apart from transient erythema, there were insignificant adverse effects concerning both treated sides. Fractional CO2 and Nd:YAG lasers are efficient physical modalities of acne treatment. However, fractional CO2 laser was more effective and more satisfying to the patients.

Fractional treatment of rosacea by LBO 532 nm laser with “one shot” procedure: A preliminary study

Rosacea is a chronic skin disease prevalently affecting the center of the face. The permanent erythema of skin face represents its typical sign. Further common features are face flushing, telangiectasias, and inflammatory presence of oedema, papules and pustules. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of LBO 532nm laser in the treatment of this disease. Ten subjects of both sex and middle age affected by rosacea in erithemato/teleangectatic stage were treated by a LBO 532nm laser single session. Discomfort evaluation during and after the treatment, one session results as well as incidence of the side effects were evaluated, with 6 months follow up. Positive results were obtained after only one session in total safety with minimal patients discomfort and without undesired effects during treatment. The study confirmed International literature data suggesting the use of laser and light devices as elective treatment of this disease. IPL, dye lasers and 532nm laser are the devices more used and the last seems to represent the gold standard for 1,2,3 phototypes. This clinical trial, with the limitations due to the small number of patients, indicated that “one session LBO 532nm laser treatment” represents an interesting and innovative approach in the therapy of the erythemato/telangectatic rosacea.

A randomized split-face comparative study of long-pulsed alexandrite plus low-fluence Nd:YAG laser versus pulsed-dye laser in the treatment of rosacea

OBJECTIVES

To compare the effectiveness of long-pulsed alexandrite laser (LPAL) with that of pulsed-dye laser (PDL) for rosacea.

METHODS

This was a single-blind randomized controlled trial on 27 patients who were clinically diagnosed with rosacea. Randomly assigned split face in each patient received four times monthly treatment of LPAL plus low-fluence Nd:YAG with the contralateral side serving as the control treated with PDL. At every visit, the erythema index (EI) was measured with skin analysis systems, and two independent dermatologists evaluated digital photographs for five-point global aesthetic improvement scale (GAIS).

RESULTS

The EI significantly decreased on both treated sides (LPAL 366.5 ± 101.0 vs. 295.8 ± 90.2, p < 0.001, PDL 369.0 ± 124.3 vs. 302.7 ± 92.1, p < 0.001) 1 month after fourth treatment (visit 5). Also 3 months after the fourth treatment (visit 6), the reduction in the EI was well maintained on both sides (LPAL 360.3 ± 96.8 vs. 282.0 ± 89.2, p < 0.001, PDL 364.3 ± 121.6 vs. 281.6 ± 97.8, p < 0.001). When comparing the improvement in the EI between the two groups, the percentage reduction in the EI on the LPAL-treated side was not inferior to the PDL-treated side (visit 5: LPAL 18.7 ± 15.7% vs. PDL 16.4 ± 12.9%, p = 0.501 and visit 6: LPAL 21.7 ± 13.9% vs. PDL 21.9 ± 15.2%, p = 0.943). The GAIS and patient satisfaction were comparable between the LPAL and PDL sides and did not show any significant difference. No serious adverse events occurred on either of the treated sides.

CONCLUSION

This study showed that the decrease in EI in the treatment of rosacea was comparable between PDL and LPAL. Therefore, LPAL could be a promising alternative treatment option with good merits for rosacea, considering no consumables are required for device maintenance.

Efficacy and safety of 1565-nm non-ablative fractional laser versus long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser in treating enlarged facial pores

Facial pores are visible openings of pilosebaceous follicles, and they are one of the major factors influencing facial skin appearance. This article aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy and safety of 1565-nm non-ablative fractional laser (NAFL) and long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser (LPNY) in treating enlarged facial pores. All subjects were treated with NAFL on their left faces and LPNY on their right. Five treatments were administered at 2-week intervals, with one follow-up session 2 months after the final treatment. Treatment efficacy was evaluated by subjective (pore improvement and subject satisfaction ratings) assessments and objective (pore number) assessments. At each appointment, any side effects or complications were recorded to evaluate the safety of the two lasers. A total of 18 individuals participated in this study. At the 2-month follow-up, NAFL and LPNY sides had significant reduction in pores (p < 0.0001 and p < 0.0001, respectively). However, there was no statistically significant difference in the mean number of pore reductions on either side (p > 0.05). There was no significant difference in pore improvement ratings and satisfaction ratings between the two sides (p > 0.05 and p > 0.05, respectively). Both lasers showed minimal side effects. Both lasers effectively treated enlarged facial pores and were well tolerated. The side effects of the 1064-nm LPNY were less severe than those of the 1565-nm NAFL. ClinicalTrial.gov Identifier: NCT05360043.

Rosacea: Treatment targets based on new physiopathology data

Over the past 15 years, numerous clinical, epidemiological and physiopathological articles have been published on rosacea. There is now increasing evidence that rosacea is an inflammatory disease characterised by abnormal innate immune response, major vascular changes, and increased colonisation by Demodex mites, along with a genetic predisposition and multiple external aggravating factors. It is thus possible to define treatment targets and possible treatments: 1) permanent vascular changes (medical and instrumental treatments); 2) flushing (betablockers, botulinum toxin); 3) innate immunity (antibiotics, nonspecific antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules); 4) a neurovascular component (analgesics, antidepressants); 5) Demodex (antiparasitic drugs); 6) microbiome; 7) skin barrier impairment (cosmetics and certain systemic drugs); 8) sebaceous glands (isotretinoin, surgery); 9) environmental factors (alcohol, coffee, UV exposure). Treatment recommendations are now available in many countries and benefit from the new phenotypic approach to rosacea, in which every sign or symptom is considered separately rather than having to deal with overlapping subtypes. Since the 2000s, many good quality clinical trials have been published in the field of rosacea and many others are still ongoing. Rosacea is a complex disease involving many different mechanisms and with numerous possible treatments, but there are still some important unmet needs with regard to optimal care.

Light-based therapies in the management of rosacea: a systematic review with meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The current scenario and position of laser and light-based therapies (LLBT) in the therapeutic rosacea scheme are lacking evidence-based recommendations and comparisons on efficacy and tolerability among different devices. This article aimed to systematically compare the efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of the pulsed dye laser (PDL) versus other devices.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted in March 2020. Four domains were analyzed throughout the following six outcomes: Spectrophotometer erythema index and percentage of reduction for background erythema, telangiectasia grading scale for telangiectasias, visual analog scale for pain, and physician's assessment and patient's satisfaction for treatment success.

RESULTS

Our search yielded 423 potentially relevant studies. After removing the excluded and duplicated records, 12 records were assessed for eligibility in the meta-analysis. Erythema (RR:0.38 95%CI: -0.20-0.95), telangiectasias (RR:0.54 95%CI: -0.87-1.94), and the treatment success throughout the physician's assessment (RR:1.23 95%CI: 0.74-2.04) and the patient's satisfaction (RR:1.15 95%CI: 0.73-1.82) were not significantly different between pulsed dye laser and other LLBT. In the pain domain, PDL was as painful as other LLBT (RR:-0.23 95%CI: -0.96-0.49) but more painful than neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser (RR:0.84 95%CI: 0.53-1.14) and less than intense pulsed light (RR:-1.18 95%CI: -1.56-0.80).

CONCLUSION

This work based on previously published literature demonstrates that the quality of evidence to support any recommendation on LLBT in rosacea is low-to-moderate. Among all the available devices, PDL holds the most robust evidence, although in the meta-analysis the effectiveness was comparable to other LLBT, such as neodymium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser (Nd-YAG) or IPL.

Murine models of rosacea: a review

Rosacea is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by facial flushing, erythema, telangiectasia, papules, and pustules. Its pathogenesis has not been fully understood. In 2017, the global ROSacea COnsensus (ROSCO) panel updated the diagnosis, classification, and assessment of rosacea. Phenotype-based treatments and long-term managements have also been recommended. Murine models are a powerful tool in unveiling and dissecting the mechanisms of human diseases. Here, we summarized murine models of rosacea developed or used in previous research, including LL-37 intradermal injection model, KLK-5-induced inflammation model, croton oil inflammation model, 12-O-Tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate inflammation model, arachidonic acid inflammation model, RTX-induced vasodilation model, and UVB-induced model. LL-37 injection model has become the most intensively used model in rosacea research. Each model could show the pathophysiological and clinical features of rosacea to some extent. However, no model can show the full picture of the characteristics of rosacea. Improving existed murine models, developing new murine models, and applying them to pathogenesis and treatment research on rosacea are highly warranted in the future.

Photobiomodulation Therapy on Myocardial Infarction in Rats: Transcriptional and Posttranscriptional Implications to Cardiac Remodeling

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Induction of myocardial infarction (MI) in rats by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery is an experimental model used in research to elucidate functional, structural, and molecular modifications associated with ischemic heart disease. Photobiomodulation therapy (PBMT) has become a therapeutic alternative by modulating various biological processes eliciting several effects, including anti-inflammatory and pro-proliferative actions. The main objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of PBMT in the modulation of transcriptional and post-transcriptional changes that occurred in myocardium signal transduction pathways after MI.

STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS

Continuous wave (CW) non-thermal laser parameters were: 660 nm wavelength, power 15 mW, with a total energy of 0.9 J, fluence of 1.15 J/cm² , spot size of 0.785 cm² , and time of 60 seconds. Using in silico analysis, we selected and then, quantified the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) of 47 genes of 9 signaling pathways associated with MI (angiogenesis, cell survival, hypertrophy, oxidative stress, apoptosis, extracellular matrix, calcium kinetics, cell metabolism, and inflammation). Messenger RNA expression quantification was performed in myocardial samples by polymerase chain reaction real-time array using TaqMan customized plates.

RESULTS

Our results evidenced that MI modified mRNA expression of several well-known biomarkers related to detrimental cardiac activity in almost all signaling pathways analyzed. However, PBMT reverted most of these transcriptional changes. More expressively, PBMT provoked a robust decrease in mRNA expression of molecules that participate in post-MI inflammation and ECM composition, such as IL-6, TNF receptor, TGFb1, and collagen I and III. Global microRNA (miRNA) expression analysis revealed that PBMT decreased miR-221, miR-34c, and miR-93 expressions post-MI, which are related to deleterious effects in cardiac remodeling.

CONCLUSION

Thus, the identification of transcriptional and post-transcriptional changes induced by PBMT may be used to interfere in the molecular dynamics of cardiac remodeling post-MI.