Photodynamic therapy in management of cutaneous leishmaniasis: A systematic review.

This systematic review evaluated the efficacy and safety of photodynamic therapy (PDT) in the management of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL). The electronic search for identification of relevant studies, adhered to the PICOS (Population, Intervention, Comparator, Outcomes and Study type) framework, was conducted through PubMed, Google scholar, Dimensions, X-mol, and Semantic Scholar till December 2023. All types of studies reporting PDT in the management of CL with no language restriction were included. Methodological quality appraised of the selected studies was performed using Jadad index. Of the 317 identified studies, 21 reported PDT for the treatment of CL lesions, consisting of two randomized controlled trials (RCTs), four single-center open study, one case series and 14 case reports. Collectively, these studies presented a total of 304 patients with ages ranging from 1 to 82 years, undergoing varying number of PDT sessions (3-28) and follow-up durations spanning 4 weeks to 24 months. The CL lesions predominantly manifested on the exposed body areas, such as face, limbs, neck, ear and nose, and characterized with the use of clinical variables, such as plaques, papules, erythema and ulceration. PDT protocols differed in the photosensitizer type, incubation time, light source characteristics (e.g., wavelength, output power, and energy density), duration of light illumination, number of PDT sessions and their respective frequencies. Treatment response was assessed through the clinical presentation (i.e., at the baseline and after PDT completion) or by the absence of Leishmania parasites. Adverse effects comprised of pain, burning and tingling sensation experienced during PDT, followed by erythema, pigmentation changes and edema post-treatment. This systematic review revealed that PDT is an efficacious and safe modality for the treatment of CL, with mild and transient side effects.

Passively mode-locked red Pr:LiYF4 laser based on a two-dimensional palladium diselenide saturable absorber.

We report a passively mode-locked Pr:LiYF4 (Pr:YLF) visible laser using a palladium diselenide (PdSe2) as a saturable absorber (SA) for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. The nonlinear optical properties of two-dimensional (2D) PdSe2 nanosheets in the visible band were studied by the open-aperture Z-scan technique. The results indicate the significant saturable absorption properties of PdSe2 nanosheets in the visible region. Furthermore, the continuous wave mode-locked (CWML) visible laser based on PdSe2 SA was successfully realized. Ultrashort pulses as short as 35 ps were obtained at 639.5 nm with a repetition rate of 80.3 MHz and a maximum output power of 116 mW. The corresponding pulse energy was 1.44 nJ and peak power was 41.3 W. These results indicate that 2D PdSe2 SA is a promising high stability passively mode-locked device for ultrafast solid-state visible lasers.

Autogenous, alloplastic, or hybrid for total mandibular reconstruction; is here an optimal path?

For less fit patients, total reconstruction of the mandible (TRM) is an elucidated alternative for severe maxillofacial defects. This study aimed to comprehensively review and analyze the existing evidence, irrespective of the underlying pathologies, to provide a consolidated overview of the current state of TRM. An electronic search was performed on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar to identify studies reporting TRM without restrictions on patient age, type of pathology underlying the mandibular defect, and study type. Electronic search identified 390 studies; only 21 met the inclusion criteria, documenting 7 (33.3%) autogenous, 6 (28.6%) alloplastic, and 8 (38.1%) hybrid TRMs. All studies reported one clinical case, except for two studies that reported two patients treated with TRM. The mean age of the patients was 39.0 ± 19.4 years, and the mean follow-up was 22.3 ± 14.7 months. Osteomyelitis was the most common pathology. Bilateral condyles were preserved in only two cases. The TRM has been reported in clinical cases only and no large cohort study is available. Functional and aesthetic parameters have either not been reported or have been reported in heterogeneous formats, thus hampering comparisons of autogenous, alloplastic, and hybrid TRMs. Overall, TRM in patients presenting with severe maxillofacial defects achieved promising clinical outcomes endowed with acceptable function and aesthetics. Large cohort studies are needed to validate these results.

SnS2 as a Saturable Absorber for Mid-Infrared Q-Switched Er:SrF2 Laser.

Two-dimensional (2D) materials own unique band structures and excellent optoelectronic properties and have attracted wide attention in photonics. Tin disulfide (SnS2), a member of group IV-VI transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), possesses good environmental optimization, oxidation resistance, and thermal stability, making it more competitive in application. By using the intensity-dependent transmission experiment, the saturable absorption properties of the SnS2 nanosheet nearly at 3 µm waveband were characterized by a high modulation depth of 32.26%. Therefore, a few-layer SnS2 was used as a saturable absorber (SA) for a bulk Er:SrF2 laser to research its optical properties. When the average output power was 140 mW, the passively Q-switched laser achieved the shortest pulse width at 480 ns, the optimal single pulse energy at 3.78 µJ, and the highest peak power at 7.88 W. The results of the passively Q-switched laser revealed that few-layer SnS2 had an admirable non-linear optical response at near 3 µm mid-infrared solid-state laser.

Influence of biosynthesized nanoparticles exposure on mortality, residual deposition, and intestinal bacterial dysbiosis in Cyprinus carpio.

Nanotechnology has revealed profound possibilities for the applications in applied sciences. The nanotechnology works based on nanoparticles. Among nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles largely introduced into aquatic environments during fabrication. Which cause severe contamination in the environment specially in freshwater fish. Therefore, the current study was a pioneer attempt to use the animal blood to fabricate AgNPs and investigate their toxicity in Cyprinus carpio (C. carpio) by recording mortality, tissue bioaccumulation, and influence on intestinal bacterial diversity. For this purpose, fish groups were exposed to different concentrations of B-AgNPs including 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09 mg/L beside the control group for 1, 10, and 20 days. Initially, the highest concentration caused mortality. The results revealed that B-AgNPs were significantly (p < 0.005) accumulated in the liver followed by intestines, gills, and muscles. In addition, the accumulation of B-AgNPs in the intestine led to bacterial dysbiosis in Cyprinus carpio. At the phylum level, Tenericutes, Bacteroidetes, and Planctomycetes were gradually decreased at the highest concentration of B-AgNPs (0.09 mg/L) on days 1, 10, and 20 days. The genera Cetobacterium and Luteolibactor were increased at the highest concentration on day 20. Moreover, the principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) based on Bray-Curtis showed that the B-AgNPs had led to a variation in the intestinal bacterial community. Based on findings, the B-AgNPs induced mortality, and residual deposition in different tissues, and had a stress influence on intestinal homeostasis by affecting the intestinal bacterial community in C. carpio which could have a significant effect on fish growth.

Contribution analysis of different electron transfer pathways to methane production in anaerobic digestion coupled with bioelectrochemical system.

The contribution analysis of different electron transfer pathways to CH4 production was investigated in bioelectrochemical anaerobic digestion (BEAD). It demonstrates that the indirect interspecies electron transfer (IIET) pathway and the direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) pathways contributed to 41.7 % and 58.3 % of the CH4 production in the BEAD reactor, respectively. The DIET pathway was further divided into DIET via electrode (eDIET) and biological DIET (bDIET) in the bulk solution, and contributed 11.1 % and 47.2 % of CH4 production, respectively. This indicates that the dominant electron transfer pathway for CH4 production is from the bulk solution, rather than on the polarized electrode. The electroactive microorganisms were well enriched in the bulk solution by the electric field generated between anode and cathode. The enriched electroactive microorganisms significantly improved the CH4 production in the bulk solution through the bDIET pathway.