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Objective: To compare the long-term effectiveness and safety of long-pulsed Nd:YAG and alexandrite lasers, individually and in combination, in long-term leg hair reduction., Design: Randomized, single-center, within-participant, investigator-blinded, active-controlled clinical trial., Setting: Private skin laser center., Participants: Twenty individuals aged 16 to 50 years with skin phototypes III and IV., Interventions: The medial and lateral sides of each participant's legs were randomly assigned to receive 1 of the following laser treatments: (1) long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser (12-mm spot size); (2) long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser (12-mm spot size); (3) long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser (18-mm spot size); and (4) a combination of long-pulsed 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser and long-pulsed 755-nm alexandrite laser (treatments 1 and 2). Identified areas were treated for a total of 4 sessions at 8-week intervals., Main Outcome Measures: Hair reduction from baseline based on hair counting with digital photography by 2 blinded assessors, 8 and 18 months after the last treatment session., Results: Fifteen participants completed the trial. The mean (SD) hair reduction 18 months after the last treatment, as measured by the assessors from digital photographs, were 75.9% (19.0%) for the 12-mm spot size alexandrite laser, 84.3% (12.4%) for the 18-mm spot size alexandrite laser, 73.6% (11.4%) for the Nd:YAG laser, and 77.8% (15.9%) for the combination therapy (analysis of variance, P > .05). The incidence of adverse effects (hyperpigmentation) and pain severity were significantly greater in areas that received combination therapy (P = .001)., Conclusions: After 18 months of follow-up, alexandrite and Nd:YAG lasers were efficacious for leg hair removal. Combination therapy did not have any additional benefit and caused more adverse effects.

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of imiquimod in combination with meglumine antimoniate in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis., Design: Prospective, randomized, assessor-blind, parallel-design, placebo-controlled trial., Setting: Two primary care health clinics., Patients: One hundred nineteen patients (59 patients in the imiquimod group and 60 in the placebo group) were included in the study., Interventions: Patients were randomly assigned to receive a combined 4-week course of imiquimod or placebo with meglumine antimoniate treatment (20 mg/kg of pentavalent antimony daily for 2 weeks) in an endemic area of Leishmania tropica., Main Outcome Measures: The primary end point was clinical cure, defined as more than 75% reduction in the size of lesions compared with baseline at week 8., Results: At the end of the 4-week treatment period, clinical cure was similar in both groups (11 patients [18.6%] in the imiquimod-treated group vs 18 patients [30.0%] in the placebo group) (P = .15). Four weeks after the end of treatment, 26 patients (44.1%) and 29 patients (48.3%) in the imiquimod-treated and placebo groups, respectively, were cured (P = .64). Pruritus and burning sensation were reported by 3 patients treated with imiquimod and by no patients treated with placebo., Conclusion: This study showed no beneficial effect of combining a 4-week course of treatment with 5% imiquimod cream and a standard course of treatment with meglumine antimoniate in patients with cutaneous leishmaniasis in an endemic area of L tropica., Trial Registration: isrctn.org Identifier:ISRCTN77659407 and Cochrane Skin Group Identifier: CSG Trial No. 32.