Effect of Non-Ablative Non-Thermal CO2 Laser on Drug-Resistant Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Pilot Study.

Background: Trigeminal neuralgia is one of the most severe pain conditions that humans experience. Drug resistance is a challenging event during treatment that results in using higher doses of drugs or referring for neurosurgical treatment. Laser therapy is also an effective method for pain control. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of non-ablative non-thermal CO2 laser (NANTCL) on reducing pain in patients with drug-resistant trigeminal neuralgia (DRTN) for the very first time. Materials and methods: Twenty-four patients with DRTN were randomly divided into laser and placebo groups. Patients in the laser group received NANTCL (10,600 nm, 1.1 W, 100 HZ, 20 sec) on trigger points that were covered with lubricant gel 3 days in a week for 2 weeks. The placebo group received sham laser. The patients were requested to grade their pain on a visual analog scale (VAS) immediately, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after treatment. Results: In the laser group, the results revealed a significant decrease between the initial pain and the pain in all follow-up sessions. Only in three patients, 3 months after completion of laser therapy, pain returned to the initial level. In the control group, a significant difference was seen only between the pain of baseline and final session of laser irradiation. In laser group, the mean of pain (VAS) was lower than the placebo group in all follow-up sessions; however, it was only significant for 1 week after laser therapy. Conclusions: This study revealed that short-period application of NANTCL is effective for pain relief in patients with DRTN, especially those with extraoral trigger points. Clinical trial registration number: IRCT2013052113406N1.

Topical Olive Leaf Extract Improves Healing of Oral Mucositis in Golden Hamsters.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Oral mucositis (OM) is a common side effect of anti-cancer drugs and needs significant attention for its prevention. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the healing effects of olive leaf extract on 5-fluorouracil-induced OM in golden hamster. MATERIALS AND METHOD: OM was induced in 63 male golden hamsters by the combination of 5-fluorouracil injections (days 0, 5 and 10) and the abrasion of the cheek pouch (days 3 and 4). On day 12, hamsters were received topical olive leaf extract ointment, base of ointment, or no treatment (control) for 5 days. Histopathology evaluations, blood examinations, and tissue malondialdehyde level measurement were performed 1, 3 and 5 days after treatments. RESULTS: Histopathology score and tissue malondialdehyde level were significantly lower in olive leaf extract treated group in comparison with control and base groups (p= 0.000). Significant decreases in white blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit , and mean corpuscular volume and an increase in mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were observed in olive leaf extract treated group in comparison with control and base groups (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated that daily application of olive leaf extract ointment had healing effect on 5-fluorouracil induced OM in hamsters. Moreover, the beneficial effect of olive leaf extract on OM might be due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.