Effects of 1064-nm Nd:YAG long-pulse laser on polidocanol microfoam injected for varicose vein treatment: a controlled observational study of 404 legs, after 5-year-long treatment.

Sclerotherapy continues to be the treatment of choice for varicose veins in the legs. However, isolated treatment using microfoam or lasers requires a high number of sessions to eliminate them. In 2013, we published results about the efficacy and safety 3 years after the combined treatment with microfoam injections and subsequent application of Nd:YAG laser. The aim of this paper is to clinically evaluate the treatment of varices in a control visit after 5 years, when polidocanol microfoam is used and is immediately irradiated in the tissue with 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser beam. The outcome persistence after 5 years was studied in the legs that had received combined treatment and had been studied 3 years after treatment. Patients were contacted by phone, interviewed, and examined with echo-Doppler. Out of the 259 patients who were contacted, 221 agreed to make the appointment, although in the end, only 202 came, which meant analysing 404 legs. At 5 years, the clearance rates were very high: patients were included in class CEAP C1 showing vessels of from 0.5 to 3 mm diameter. The patients showed a high level of satisfaction. Regarding adverse effects, only 4 cases of hypopigmentation described in the previous publication persisted. Although the action mechanisms between the microfoam and the Nd:YAG laser must still be elucidated, it is notable that combining microfoam with laser exposure obtained a complete, effective treatment of legs in only 2 sessions, with high clearance rates and high level of satisfaction among patients.

High performance thin layer chromatography-densitometry method based on picosecond laser-induced fluorescence for the analysis of thioridazine and its photoproducts.

A densitometry method based on steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence assessments for thioridazine and its photoproducts applied on HPTLC plates has been developed. The excitation source was a picosecond diode laser emitting at 375 nm. This method was used for the analysis of the photoproducts resulted from thioridazine irradiation with 266 nm nanosecond-pulsed laser. The validation of the developed method was performed for thioridazine in terms of linearity, precision, limits of detection and quantification. Furthermore, analysis of the photoproducts of irradiated thioridazine was performed by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence. The fluorescence spectra and fluorescence lifetime of each photoproduct were obtained and the horizontal chromatograms of fluorescence maxima were generated.

1064 nm Nd:YAG long pulse laser after polidocanol microfoam injection dramatically improves the result of leg vein treatment: a randomized controlled trial on 517 legs with a three-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of a new method of clearing varicose veins in the long term. It consists of applying the long-pulsed Nd:YAG laser following the injection of polidocanol microfoam, in two consecutive sessions, treating both legs in full in each session. METHOD: Randomized, Polidocanol-controlled, blind evaluation clinical trial comparing the results between 79 legs treated with Polidocanol and 517 treated with Polidocanol + Laser. Photographs were taken preoperatively and at three months, two years and three years after treatment, as well as patient self-assessments. RESULTS: Polidocanol + Laser is much more effective than polidocanol microfoam in clearing venulectasias with a diameter under 4 mm (p < 0.001). After three years, clearing percentages of 89% (Class I veins), 94% (Class II veins) and 95% (Class III veins) are observed, in comparison to 15%, 18% and 17%, respectively when only polidocanol was applied. No unexpected adverse effects were found and 86% of patients stated they were Satisfied or Very Satisfied. CONCLUSION: The method leads to safe, fast and apparently permanent results. The treatment session lasts less than 1 h, and could become a first-choice treatment for the removal of all types of varicose veins with a diameter under 4 mm.

Rapid, laser-induced conversion of 20-hydroxyecdysone - a follow-up study on the products obtained.

We have recently reported the set-up of an experimental system for the laser-induced photochemical modification of bioactive substances, where two ecdysteroids, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) and its diacetonide derivative served as probes. As a direct continuation of our previous work, three new compounds together with five other ecdysteroid derivatives, have been identified from the novel, laser-induced photo-transformation reaction of 20E. The structures and NMR signal assignment were established by comprehensive one- and two-dimensional NMR spectroscopy supported by mass spectroscopy. Possible ways for the formation of each species is also discussed. Similar to their parental compound, the products obtained are potentially bioactive and worthy for further investigations; due to the low yields, however, a different approach for their higher scale production is suggested.

Quinazoline derivatives are efficient chemosensitizers of antibiotic activity in Enterobacter aerogenes, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa resistant strains.

Amongst the three series of quinazoline derivatives synthesised and studied in this work, some molecules increase the antibiotic susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria presenting multidrug-resistant phenotypes. N-alkyl compounds induced an increase in the activity of chloramphenicol, nalidixic acid and sparfloxacin, which are substrates of the AcrAB-TolC and MexAB-OprM efflux pumps in clinical isolates. These molecules are able to increase the intracellular concentration of chloramphenicol in efflux pump-overproducing strains. Their activity depends on the antibiotic structure, suggesting that different sites may be involved for the recognition of substrates by a given efflux pump. Quinazoline molecules exhibiting a nitro functional group are more active, and structure-activity relationship studies may be undertaken to identify the pharmacophoric group involved in the AcrB and MexB affinity sites.