Search

To compare the efficacy and safety of 755-nm picosecond alexandrite laser and topical tranexamic acid (TTA) combination therapy with laser monotherapy, for the treatment of melasma and facial rejuvenation. This multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, split-face study enrolled 37 patients who presented with melasma and photoaging. Facial halves were randomized to receive either laser and TTA combination therapy or laser monotherapy. Three treatments were delivered at 4-5 weeks intervals. Patients were followed up for 1, 3, and 6 months post-final treatment and evaluated by blinded investigators for hemi-Melasma Area and Severity Index (hemi-MASI), facial dyschromia, skin texture, laxity, and rhytids. Daily diaries rating healing progress for 7 days posttreatment and satisfaction grading were performed by all patients. Adverse events were recorded. Thirty-six patients completed the follow-up. Compared with the baseline, hemi-MASI, dyschromia, and skin texture on both halves improved significantly through the follow-up (p = 0.000). A significant difference in hemi-MASI and dyschromia between combination therapy halves and monotherapy halves was noticed at 1- and 3-month follow-ups (p < 0.05). The laser monotherapy halves displayed significantly less redness and sensitivity during the 7-day posttreatment recovery period (p < 0.05). Patients' satisfaction ratings for the combination therapy halves were higher than the monotherapy halves at 1-month follow-up (p < 0.05). No severe adverse events were observed. The picosecond alexandrite laser and TTA combination therapy demonstrated synergistic efficacy for hemi-MASI and dyschromia improvements over laser monotherapy. The optimization of the picosecond laser and TTA combination regimen needs further investigation., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag London Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: To determine the clinical significance of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-reverse dot blot (RDB) human papillomavirus (HPV) genotyping assay in cervical cancer screening., Methods: A total of 10,442 women attending the Fujian Provincial Maternity and Children's Health Hospital were evaluated using the liquid-based cytology (thinprep cytologic test [TCT]) and the PCR-RDB HPV test. Women with HPV infection and/or abnormal cytology were referred for colposcopy and biopsy. For HPV DNA sequencing, 120 specimens were randomly selected. Pathological diagnosis was used as the gold standard., Results: Using the PCR-RDB HPV test, overall HPV prevalence was 20.57% (2,148/10,442) and that of high-risk (HR)-HPV infection was 18.68% (1,951/10,442). There was 99.2% concordance between HPV PCR-RDB testing and sequencing. In this studied population, the most common HR-HPV types were HPV-16, -52, -58, -18, -53, -33, and -51, rank from high to low. HPV-16, -18, -58, -59, and -33 were the top 5 prevalent genotypes in cervical cancer but HPV-16, -18, -59, -45, and -33 were the top 5 highest risk factors for cancer (odds ratio [OR]=34.964, 7.278, 6.728, 6.101, and 3.658; all p<0.05, respectively). Among 10,442 cases, 1,278 had abnormal cytology results, of which, the HR-HPV positivity rate was 83.02% (1,061/1,278). To screen for cervical cancer by PCR-RDB HPV testing, when using CIN2+, CIN3+, and cancer as observed endpoints, the sensitivity was 90.43%, 92.61%, and 94.78% and the negative predictive value (NPV) was 99.06%, 99.42%, and 99.78%, respectively. PCR-RDB HPV and TCT co-testing achieved the highest sensitivity and NPV., Conclusion: For cervical cancer screening, the PCR-RDB HPV test can provide a reliable and sensitive clinical reference., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (Copyright © 2017. Asian Society of Gynecologic Oncology, Korean Society of Gynecologic Oncology)