Metastatic parathyroid carcinoma treated with radiofrequency ablation: A novel therapeutic modality

Parathyroid carcinoma (PCA), accounting for less than one per cent of all endocrine malignancies, is a rare cause of primary hyperparathyroidism. A diagnosis of parathyroid carcinoma may be challenging in the presence of localised disease and involves a histological diagnosis based on capsular, vascular, or perineural invasion or the presence of metastasis. Distant metastasis remains a rare presentation, with the lung being the most common site. Surgery remains the treatment of choice as radiotherapy and chemotherapy have proved to be of limited benefit in metastatic disease. This case reports suggests that radiofrequency ablation has the potential to be a novel and effective treatment option in these patients.     

房颤射频消融术术后AF早期复发的预测因素

房颤(AF)是临床上最常见的一种心律失常。AF射频消融术作为一种非药物治疗AF的手段正被广泛利用,但术后AF的复发率较高。早期有研究显示,高龄、超重和肥胖、病程、左房内径、左房疤痕和纤维化等为预测AF消融术术后AF复发的相关因素。最新研究显示,阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停综合征、伴有慢性肾脏疾病、4q25等位基因多态性等对AF早期复发的预测具有一定的意义。     

射频热凝与伽玛刀治疗原发性三叉神经痛的疗效比较

 目的 比较立体定向射频热凝术与立体定向放射技术(伽玛刀)治疗原发性三叉神经痛的疗效。方法 回顾性分析2014-01至2016-01收治的46例原发性三叉神经痛患者临床资料,其中立体定向射频热凝术21例(射频组),伽玛刀治疗25例(伽玛刀组)。对比两组治疗后疼痛控制率、并发症和复发情况,评定疗效。结果 46例随访时间12～36个月,平均25.6个月。根据巴罗(BNI)疼痛量表评定,射频组术后Ⅰ级17例(81.0%),Ⅱ级2例(9.5%),Ⅲ级1例(4.8%),Ⅳ～Ⅴ级1例(4.8%),有效Ⅰ～Ⅲ级20例(95.2%);伽玛刀组术后Ⅰ级12例(48.0%),Ⅱ级4例(16.0%),Ⅲ级6例(24.0%),Ⅳ～Ⅴ级3例(12.0%),有效Ⅰ～Ⅲ级22例(88.0%)。术后两组比较,射频组Ⅰ级优于伽玛刀治疗组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05),Ⅱ、Ⅲ级及有效率差异无统计学意义。术后射频组面部麻木发生率(81.0%)明显高于伽玛刀组(9.5%),咀嚼肌力下降、口角流涎、角膜炎发生率等两组对比,差异无统计学意义。射频组、伽玛刀组复发各1例。结论 射频热凝和伽玛刀治疗三叉神经痛疗效肯定,射频治疗起效快,恢复优良率高,但有一定的侵袭性和并发症;伽玛刀治疗无创,并发症少且轻,相对更安全,缺点是起效较慢。     

Treatment of acne vulgaris with fractional radiofrequency microneedling

Fractional radiofrequency microneedling is a novel radiofrequency technique that uses insulated microneedles to deliver energy to the deep dermis at the point of penetration without destruction of the epidermis. It has been used for the treatment of various dermatological conditions including wrinkles, atrophic scars and hypertrophic scars. There have been few studies evaluating the efficacy of fractional radiofrequency microneedling in the treatment of acne, and none measuring objective parameters like the number of inflammatory and non‐inflammatory acne lesions or sebum excretion levels. The safety and efficacy of fractional radiofrequency microneedling in the treatment of acne vulgaris was investigated. In a prospective clinical trial, 25 patients with moderate to severe acne were treated with fractional radiofrequency microneedling. The procedure was carried out three times at 1‐month intervals. Acne lesion count, subjective satisfaction score, sebum excretion level and adverse effects were assessed at baseline and at 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the first treatment as well as 4, 8 and 12 weeks after the last treatment. Number of acne lesions (inflammatory and non‐inflammatory) decreased. Sebum excretion and subjective satisfaction were more favorable at every time point compared with the baseline values (P < 0.05). Inflammatory lesions responded better than non‐inflammatory lesions (P < 0.05). Adverse effects such as pinpoint bleeding, pain and erythema were noted, but were transient and not severe enough to stop treatment. Fractional radiofrequency microneedling is a safe and effective treatment for acne vulgaris.     

Hair removal with a novel,low fluence,home-use intense pulsed light device

Objective: To evaluate the reduction in unwanted body and facial hair at various body sites of Fitzpatrick skin types I–III and the efficacy, comfort and safety of this treatment intended for home-use by the general public. Methods: In this non-randomized study, 29 individuals were given three sequential weekly treatments on a total of 31 body and facial areas including the axilla, bikini area, abdomen, neck, chin and upper lip using a novel intense pulsed light device. All participants completed a simple self-assessment questionnaire, as well as an evaluation of pain/discomfort. Results: The mean reduction in terminal hair counts was 47% at 4 weeks' follow-up and 41% at 6 months' follow-up after completing three sequential weekly treatments. Overall, 84% of participants showed a significant percentage of hair reduction (p<0.01) at the 6-month follow-up, with a mean of 51% (range 25–86%). No treatment-related side effects were reported, with little or no discomfort reported during the treatment. Only mild erythema was noted immediately post-treatment. In total, 85% of the participants were either pleased or very pleased with the results 1 month after the third treatment. Conclusions: In simulated consumer use, this home-use IPL demonstrated a significant, quantifiable and sustainable reduction in unwanted body and facial hair with minimal side effects.     

极低频高压脉冲电场对萌发绿豆干旱伤害的缓解作用

采用峰值场强为100 kV·m^-1、脉宽80 ms、脉冲频率为1 Hz的极低频高压脉冲电场（ELF-PEF）处理-0.1 MPa的PEG-6000溶液中萌发的绿豆种子，研究了绿豆在萌发过程中鲜重、自发发光、延迟发光、丙二醛（MDA）含量和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性的变化。结果表明，ELF-PEF对PEG胁迫下萌发的绿豆鲜重、自发发光和延迟发光积分强度促进作用分别达到了28.58%、78.35%和40.6%，说明ELF-PEF可以有效促进绿豆种子萌发过程中的生理代谢，缓解干旱胁迫对细胞的伤害作用。ELF-PEF通过提高PEG胁迫下萌发绿豆中SOD活性，降低MDA含量，缓解干旱胁迫对萌发绿豆的氧化损伤，ELF-PEF对细胞毛细吸水和代谢吸水的促进可能是其缓解干旱伤害的原因。     

Evaluating the safety profile of focused ultrasound and microbubble-mediated treatments to increase blood-brain barrier permeability

Introduction: Treatment of several diseases of the brain are complicated by the presence of the skull and the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Focused ultrasound (FUS) and microbubble (MB)-mediated BBB treatment is a minimally invasive method to transiently increase the permeability of blood vessels in targeted brain areas. It can be used as a general delivery system to increase the concentration of therapeutic agents in the brain parenchyma.

Areas covered: Over the past two decades, the safety of using FUS+MBs to deliver agents across the BBB has been interrogated through various methods of imaging, histology, biochemical assays, and behavior analyses. Here we provide an overview of the factors that affect the safety profile of these treatments, describe methods by which FUS+MB treatments are controlled, and discuss data that have informed the assessment of treatment risks.

Expert opinion: There remains a need to assess the risks associated with clinically relevant treatment strategies, specifically repeated FUS+MB treatments, with and without therapeutic agent delivery. Additionally, efforts to develop metrics by which FUS+MB treatments can be easily compared across studies would facilitate a more rapid consensus on the risks associated with this intervention.