Search

Purpose: Photobiomodulation therapy (PBM) is a versatile technique for treating skin diseases. Melasma, a chronic hyperpigmentation condition, has recently been associated with vascular features and dermal photoaging and poses significant management challenges. We review the recent literature on melasma etiology and the evidence supporting PBM as a therapeutic modality for melasma treatment., Methods: We conducted a comprehensive literature search in three different databases from May to August 2023, focusing on studies published in the past 10 years. The inclusion criteria comprised full-text studies investigating low-power lasers and/or light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in in vitro or in vivo models, as well as clinical trials. We excluded studies discussing alternative melasma therapies or lacking experimental data. We identified additional studies by searching the reference lists of the selected articles., Results: We identified nine relevant studies. Clinical studies, in agreement with in vitro experiments and animal models, suggest that PBM effectively reduces melasma-associated hyperpigmentation. Specific wavelengths (red: 630 nm; amber: 585 and 590 nm; infrared: 830 and 850 nm) at radiant exposures between 1 and 20 J/cm 2 exert modulatory effects on tyrosinase activity, gene expression, and protein synthesis of melanocytic pathway components, and thus significantly reduce the melanin content. Additionally, PBM is effective in improving the dermal structure and reducing erythema and neovascularization, features recently identified as pathological components of melasma., Conclusion: PBM emerges as a promising, contemporary, and non-invasive procedure for treating melasma. Beyond its role in inhibiting melanogenesis, PBM shows potential in reducing erythema and vascularization and improving dermal conditions. However, robust and well-designed clinical trials are needed to determine optimal light parameters and to evaluate the effects of PBM on melasma thoroughly., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Photobiomodulation (PBM) has been suggested as an alternative treatment for melasma. In vitro studies have shown PBM with amber light inhibits the tyrosinase enzyme, induces autophagy and reduces the melanin content, but randomised controlled clinical trials are still needed. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of amber PBM (590 nm) in the treatment of melasma compared with liposomal tranexamic acid., Methods and Analysis: This study is a controlled, randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial. This study will be performed in two centres (Universidade Nove de Julho Facility, Campus Vergueiro, and Galache Odontology Clinic, São Caetano do Sul, both in São Paulo State, Brazil). The sample (54 participants) will be divided into two groups in a 1:1 ratio; one group will receive active PBM and a placebo cosmetic and the other will receive sham PBM and liposomal tranexamic acid. Women presenting facial melasma, aged 35-50 years, with skin phototypes II-IV, will be eligible for inclusion. Women who use oral contraceptives, intrauterine devices, hormone replacement or photosensitive drugs, those with autoimmune disease and those who have undergone facial treatments in the last 3 months will be excluded from the study. The participants will receive PBM weekly for 12 weeks and will use the cosmetic two times per day at home during this period. The severity of melasma will be evaluated through the Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI) as the primary outcome; pigmentation of the epidermis evaluated by corneomelametry, the photographic records, the global diagnosis of the face and the quality-of-life questionnaire (Brazilian Portuguese version of the Melasma Quality of Life Questionnaire) will assessed as secondary outcomes. All assessments will be made before starting the study (week 0), mid-study at 6 weeks and at the completion of treatment (week 12). MASI will also be evaluated during follow-up (weeks 16 and 20). The data will be analysed based on the intention-to-treat analysis using a generalised mixed model, and α <0.05 will be considered statistically significant., Ethics and Dissemination: The protocol was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Universidade Nove de Julho (5 332 384). All participants will fill out the patient informed consent form. The results obtained in this trial will be presented at conferences and submitted for publication., Trial Registration Number: ClinicalTrials.gov Registry (NCT05326997)., Competing Interests: Competing interests: TRG is speaker for Rennova in Brazil and received the products to be used in the project: Sunscreen SPF 60 Facial Toning Rennova Soleil, Rennova Beauté micellar water, cleansing foam and moisturising mist. None of the other authors have disclosures to declare., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2023. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The objective of this study is to clarify whether PBM for measures reduction can cause significant changes in the lipid profile. This is an integrative review and only original articles, both in vivo and clinical trials, that were published between 2010 and 2022 were selected. The article references were also analyzed to identify additional studies. A total of 15 articles were critically analyzed. The wavelength used ranged from 532 nm (green) to 956 nm (near infrared), and many authors failed to describe dosimetric parameters properly, as well as other important characteristics for the reproducibility of those found. Although it is not fully clear about the PBM interference level on the lipid profile, in general, there was no significant difference in lipid parameters when PBM was used alone, and when associated with techniques that promote beta-oxidation, there was an improvement in these biochemical variables. PBM use for localized fat reduction do not affect lipid serum levels. Clinical trials using standardized parameters are crucial to obtain more reliable results., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most frequent etiological agent sexually transmitted. In the context of the immune response, NF-kB pathway plays an important role controlling the expression of several genes essential to cellular activity and structural and/or functional changes in components of this pathway can promote the development of several tumors. Thus, the study purpose was to evaluate the influence of NFKB1 rs28362491 and NFKBIA rs696 genetic variants on HPV infection and cervical lesions development. In this study 334 patients were recruited, of whom 48.8% (n = 163) were HPV infected, and considered our case group. HPV-DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the genetic variants were assessed in blood cells and tumor tissues paraffin embedded samples through restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. Among women who were recruited for this study who were infected, 37.4% presented precursor lesions and 16.8% were diagnosed with cervical cancer (CC). The present study did not observe significant effects of the interaction between such genetic variants on HPV infection, nor on the development of lesions and progression to CC. Further studies will be important to investigate if under some circumstance the NFKB1 rs28362491 and NFKBIA rs696 genetic variants influence the progression of HPV-associated lesions., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an immunoregulatory cytokine and its cervical and serum concentrations have been associated with a poor prognosis of cervical cancer. The rs1800872 polymorphism (c.-592C>A) in the promotor region of the IL-10 gene affects the production and expression of IL-10 and thus is able to determine the immune response profile in the cervix. Therefore, the aim of this work is to state the association between IL-10 c.-592C>A polymorphism and cervical cancer., Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from patient's peripheral blood and tumor biopsy. Socio-demographic, sexual behavior and reproductive characteristics data were collected using a questionnaire., Results: Co-dominant model in logistic binary regression adjusted for confounders, showed that patients presenting with C/A genotype had 2.15 times more chances for developing cervical cancer (OR 2.15; CI 95% 1.02-4.56). The dominant model, C/A + A/A, was also independently associated with 2.71 times more chances for cervical cancer development when compared to control patients (OR 2.71; CI 95% 1.05-4.47)., Conclusion: Our study analyses show the association between cervical cancer and IL-10 c.-592C>A polymorphism, demonstrating that the allele A presence was independently associated with higher risks of cervical cancer development.

Purpose: FOXP3 is a marker of the T regulatory (Treg) cell subset and drives its function and homeostasis. Its expression maintains the host immunosuppressive state that favors persistence of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) appearance. The present study evaluated the effects of the rs3761548 and rs2232365 intronic single-nucleotide variants (SNVs) and their haplotypes on HPV infection and SIL diagnosis in HPV-infected and -uninfected women., Methods: HPV DNA-based detection in cervical specimens was performed by PCR. FOXP3 variants were genotyped by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism and haplotype recombination sites were inferred for 208 HPV-infected and 218 HPV-uninfected women diagnosed or not with low- or high-grade intraepithelial lesions of cervix. Case-control analyses were carried out by logistic regression adjusted for several socio-demographic, sexual lifestyle, and clinical data., Results: The homozygous genotype of the rs3761548 variants (A/A) (related to decreased FOXP3 expression) may exert a protective role against HPV infection in women (OR Aj : 0.60; 95% CI 0.36-0.99; p = 0.049) and was an independent predictor of protection against HSIL development (OR Adj : 0.28; 95% CI 0.11-0.68; p = 0.006). In addition, the homozygous genotype (G/G) of the rs2232365 variants (related to increased FOXP3 expression) was independently associated with the HPV infection (OR Adj : 2.10; 95% CI 1.06-4.15; p = 0.033). Haplotype analysis revealed no significant associations in our study., Conclusions: Our results reveal the significant and independent associations between FOXP3 genetic variants and susceptibility to HPV infection and SIL diagnosis and their role as biomarkers of HPV infection and cervical lesion management.

The main purpose was to assess the effect of c.29C>T and c.74G>C polymorphisms in the TGFB1 signal peptide on HPV infection and development of cervical lesions. Cervical swabs and blood samples were obtained from 349 outpatient women, along with socio-demographic and sexual behavioral data. The study population was stratified by absence or presence of HPV DNA, as tested by PCR, as well as by lesion grade. TGFB1 signal peptide polymorphisms were genotyped using PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism. HPV DNA was detected in 172 (49.3%) patients. c.74GC and the combined c.29CC+CT/c.74GC genotype were more frequent in infected patients (35.1 and 15.7%) than in uninfected women (6.2 and 14.7%). Accordingly, these genotypes were associated with a higher risk of HPV infection, with odds ratio and 95% confidence interval of 2.81 and 1.35-5.86 (P = 0.004) for c.74GC and 3.14 and 1.42-6.94 (P = 0.004) for the combined genotype, respectively. High-grade lesions were also 2.48 times more likely to occur in c.29CC patients than in c.29TT patients, with a 95% confidence interval of 1.01-6.08 (P = 0.047). The data demonstrate that c.74G>C and c.29C>T polymorphisms are significantly associated with risk of HPV infection and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, respectively. Thus, TGFB1 signal peptide polymorphisms are potential susceptibility markers.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted virus in women worldwide. The persistence of the virus may cause warts that are considered benign lesions and low or high grade intraepithelial lesions (LSIL/HSIL). Immunological system plays an important role in the resolution of infections. In this context, we highlight the chemokines, which are important regulators in the development of viral infections and inflammation. Among which CXCL12 stands out, due to its pro-inflammatory features, acting as chemoattractant recruiting immune cells. Several polymorphisms were identified in CXCL12 gene including rs1801157 in the 3'-untranslated region, which is characterized by a substitution of a guanine for an adenine., Methods: In this study, 195 women were classified as HPV non-infected and 169 as HPV-infected. HPV-DNA was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the polymorphism was assessed in blood cells through restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis., Results: HPV infection was more incident in women who had more than 4 sexual partners during lifetime (p = 0.007), among those who presented lower number of pregnancies (p = 0.017). HPV was more prevalent among allele A carriers confirmed by logistic regression analysis adjusted for several confounding factors [OR ADJ  = 4.985; CI 95% (2.85-8.72), p < 0.001]. An association between allele A carriers and HSIL development (p = 0.003) was also observed., Conclusions: In the present study, we demonstrated that CXCL12 rs1801157 is independently associated with HPV infection and exerts influence in HSIL development, suggesting it as a promising susceptibility biomarker for HPV infection and lesions development.

The WT1 gene encodes a transcription factor involved in regulation of many cellular processes, including proliferation, differentiation, mRNA processing and apoptosis, besides acting as a transcription repressor of growth factors and their receptors' genes. This gene is expressed at high levels in several types of cancers, including acute leukemias. In this regard, many studies have identified WT1 protein as a tumor antigen, considered a target molecule for clinical application in human acute leukemias. Immunotherapy using WT1 antigen has been effective in stimulating immune responses against leukemic cells. Regarding adoptive immunotherapy, the use of dendritic cells (DCs) for the WT1-specific cytotoxic T cells generation proved to be efficient in the development and maintenance of immunologic cells. Therefore, these therapeutic methods, that provided enthusiasm for moving ahead, highlight several opportunities and challenges to be used in clinical practice for managing acute leukemias., (Copyright© 2016 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved.)