Identification of biomarkers in diabetic nails by Raman spectroscopy.

BACKGROUND: The growth of Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a serious public health issue which is more prevalent in developing countries. The main problems related to DM are the gradual changes in the structural and functional integrity of tissues caused by hyperglycemia, which calls for early diagnosis and periodic monitoring exams. Recent studies suggest that the quality of the nail plate has great potential to assess the secondary complications of DM. Hence, this study aimed to determine the biochemical characteristics of the nails of individuals with DM2 by Raman confocal spectroscopy (CRS). METHODS: We collected fragments from the distal region of the fingernails of 30 healthy volunteers and 30 volunteers with DM2. The samples were analyzed by CRS (Xplora - Horiba) coupled to a 785 nm laser. RESULTS: Alterations in different biochemical components, such as proteins, lipids, amino acids, and final agents of advanced glycation, and alterations in the disulfide bridges, which are important in stabilizing keratin in nails were identified. CONCLUSION: The spectral signatures and new DM2 markers in nails were identified. Therefore, the possibility of acquiring biochemical information by evaluating the nails of diabetics, a simple and easily acquired material associated with the CRS technique, may allow health complications to be detected quickly.

Intense Pulsed Light on skin rejuvenation: a systematic review.

Aged skin is characterized by appearance of wrinkles, vascular lesions, hyperpigmentation, lentignes, texture, rhytides, and pores. These changes occur under the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, as hormone alterations and exposure to ultraviolet light (UV) irradiation, respectively. Skin changes associated with aging have been assuming an important role in nowadays and bring to affect the quality of life. Intense Pulsed Light (ILP) is a noncollimated, polychromatic, and noncoherent non-surgical cosmetic therapy to skin rejuvenation. This is the first systematic review evaluating ILP treatment on skin rejuvenation evaluated by digital photographs and self-reported treatment efficacy. A PRISMA compliant review includes a search of the databases Scopus and PubMed. Sixteen studies treating 637 participants (with Fitzpatrick skin types I to IV and age varying from 21 to 80 years) were included. Patients were treated a mean of 4.29 sessions (range 3-7). The most studies results showed the efficacy of IPL treatment in telangiectasia, wrinkles, pore, erythema, rhytids, texture, lentigines, hiperpigmentation, and photoaging score. Six studies showed IPL-positive effects in association with other treatment and seven studies showed superior effect of other treatment or association to IPL with other treatment related to IPL alone. Nine studies showed low methodological quality. In conclusion, ILP treatment is effective on skin rejuvenation. However, there is no consensus about the parameters and future studies are needed to sample size limitations, made RCTs with low risk of bias, and improve the methodological quality its. Trial registration: Prospero Systematic Review Registration ID: CRD42021237817.

Effects of photobiomodulation and a physical exercise program on the expression of inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers and functional capacity in women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized blinded study.

BACKGROUND: The knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease characterized by degradation of articular cartilage that leads to chronic inflammation. Exercise programs and photobiomodulation (PBM) are capable of modulating the inflammatory process of minimizing functional disability related to knee OA. However, their association on the concentration of biomarkers related to OA development has not been studied yet. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of PBM (via cluster) with a physical exercise program in functional capacity, serum inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in patients with knee OA. METHODS: Forty-two patients were randomly allocated in 3 groups: ESP: exercise + sham PBM; EAP: exercise + PBM and CG: control group. Six patients were excluded before finished the experimental period. The analyzed outcomes in baseline and 8-week were: the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) and the evaluation of serum biomarkers concentration (IL-1ß, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 e TNF-α, and CTX-II). RESULTS: An increase in the functional capacity was observed in the WOMAC total score for both treated groups (p < 0.001) and ESP presents a lower value compared to CG (p < 0.05) the 8-week post-treatment. In addition, there was a significant increase in IL-10 concentration of EAP (p < 0.05) and higher value compared to CG (p < 0.001) the 8-week post-treatment. Moreover, an increase in IL-1ß concentration was observed for CG (p < 0.05). No other difference was observed comparing the other groups. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the physical exercise therapy could be a strategy for increasing functional capacity and in association with PBM for increasing IL-10 levels in OA knee individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ReBEC (RBR-7t6nzr).

Effects of photobiomodulation and a physical exercise program on the expression of inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers and functional capacity in women with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized blinded study

Abstract Background: The knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a joint disease characterized by degradation of articular cartilage that leads to chronic inflammation. Exercise programs and photobiomodulation (PBM) are capable of modulating the inflammatory process of minimizing functional disability related to knee OA. However, their association on the concentration of biomarkers related to OA development has not been studied yet. The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of PBM (via cluster) with a physical exercise program in functional capacity, serum inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in patients with knee OA. Methods: Forty-two patients were randomly allocated in 3 groups: ESP: exercise + sham PBM; EAP: exercise + PBM and CG: control group. Six patients were excluded before finished the experimental period. The analyzed outcomes in baseline and 8-week were: the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis (WOMAC) and the evaluation of serum biomarkers concentration (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10 e TNF-α, and CTX-II). Results: An increase in the functional capacity was observed in the WOMAC total score for both treated groups (p < 0.001) and ESP presents a lower value compared to CG (p < 0.05) the 8-week post-treatment. In addition, there was a significant increase in IL-10 concentration of EAP (p < 0.05) and higher value compared to CG (p < 0.001) the 8-week post-treatment. Moreover, an increase in IL-1β concentration was observed for CG (p < 0.05). No other difference was observed comparing the other groups. Conclusion: Our data suggest that the physical exercise therapy could be a strategy for increasing functional capacity and in association with PBM for increasing IL-10 levels in OA knee individuals. Trial registration: ReBEC (RBR-7t6nzr).

Low-level laser therapy modulates demyelination in mice.

There are no effective therapies for remyelination. Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has been found advantageous in neurogenesis promotion, cell death prevention, and modulation of inflammation in central and peripheral nervous system models. The purpose of this study was to analyse LLLT effects on cuprizone-induced demyelination. Mice were randomly distributed into three groups: Control Laser (CTL), Cuprizone (CPZ), and Cuprizone Laser (CPZL). Mice from CPZ and CPZL groups were exposed to a 0.2% cuprizone oral diet for four complete weeks. Six sessions of transcranial laser irradiation were applied on three consecutive days, during the third and fourth weeks, with parameters of 36 J/cm2, 50 mW, 0.028 cm2 spot area, continuous wave, 1 J, 20 s, 1.78 W/cm2 in a single point equidistant between the eyes and ears of CTL and CPZL mice. Motor coordination was assessed by the rotarod test. Twenty-four hours after the last laser session, all animals were euthanized, and brains were extracted. Serum was obtained for lactate dehydrogenase toxicity testing. Histomorphological analyses consisted of Luxol Fast Blue staining and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that laser-treated animals presented motor performance improvement, attenuation of demyelination, increased number of oligodendrocyte precursor cells, modulated microglial and astrocytes activation, and a milder toxicity by cuprizone. Although further studies are required, it is suggested that LLLT represents a feasible therapy for demyelinating diseases.