Background and aim: Although there are some studies reporting the benefits of using laser to improve wound closure, there were a few studies in a model of oral mucosa. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare immediate tensile strength of the wound closure between suture alone and suture combined with CO₂ laser welding.
Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 40 samples of the tissue blocks from ventral sides of pig tongues. A 20 mm-length and 5 mm-depth incision was made in each sample. The samples were randomly allocated into 2 groups namely: the control group and the experimental group. The samples of the control group were sutured with 3- stitch of 4-0 black silk. The samples of the experimental group were irradiated with CO₂ laser (ultrapulse mode, 800 Watt peak power, 10 Hz, 0.2 ms pulse duration and 2,262.62 J/cm² energy density) before sutured. The immediate tensile strength of the wound was measured by using customized tensiometer under stereomicroscope.
Results: The median of tensile strength of the control group and the experimental group were 30.40 g/cm² and 40.50 g/cm², respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups (P value = 0.58). The proportions of the samples without wound dehiscence at the maximum limit of the tensiometer (120 g/cm²) were 0.15 (3/20) in the control group and 0.35 (7/20) in the experimental group.
Conclusion: The CO₂ laser welding used in this study failed to show a greater immediate tensile strength but had a higher proportion of the wound without dehiscence at the 120 g/cm² tensile strength by comparison with the suture alone.

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Background and aims: Our hospital has used LLLT in the treatment of athletes since 1990. We had a good result about LLLT for sports injuries. However, few articles have attempted to evaluate the efficacy of LLLT for sports injuries. The aims of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of LLLT for sports injuries.
Materials (Subjects) and Methods: Forty one patients underwent LLLT in our hospital. These patients included 22 men and 19 women with an average age of 38.9 years old. Patients were irradiated by diode laser at points of pain and/or acupuncture points. Patients underwent LLLT a maximum treatment of 10 times (mean 4.1 times). We evaluated the efficacy of LLLT using a Pain relief score (PRS). A score of 2 to 5 after treatment was regarded as very good, 6 to 8 as good, and 9 to 10 as poor. A PRS score of less than 5 was regarded as effective.
Results: The rate of effectiveness (PRS of 5 or less) after LLLT was 65.9% (27/41 patients).
Discussion: In this study, the resulting rate of effectiveness was 65.9% for all sports injuries. However, we have a high rate of effectiveness for Jumper's knee, tennis elbow and Achilles tendinitis and cases that were irradiated laser by a physician.
Conclusions: LLLT is an effective treatment for sports injuries, particularly jumper's knee, tennis elbow and Achilles tendinitis.

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Background and aims: This study on healthy test subjects intends to show whether one-off Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) has an instant effect on the perfusion or the oxygenation of the skin tissue. These possible instant effects may have an influence on the accelerated wound healing which is often observed after application of LLLT, in addition to the usual postulated effects of LLLT which occur with a time delay normally.
Study design/materials and methods: The study was carried out double-blind and placebo-controlled in two batches of testing. The test subjects received one-off LLLT on a defined area of the arch of the foot. Simultaneously a placebo treatment was carried out on the corresponding contralateral area. In the first batch of tests, the blood flow was measured immediately before and after treatment using thermography and LDI. In the second batch of tests, the blood flow and the oxygen saturation were determined immediately before and after the treatment using an O2C device.
Results: No evidence that the LLLT has a significant instant effect on the circulation or the oxygen saturation could be found.
Conclusion: No immediate effect of an LLLT on the perfusion or oxygenation situation is to be expected with physiologically normal starting conditions. An additional investigation should be carried out in which either the radiation dose is varied or the starting conditions are pathological (e.g. chronic wounds) in order to rule out immediate effects on circulation or oxygen saturation as the cause of the improved wound healing which is often observed.

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The notion of utilizing laser technology in conservative dentistry was proposed in 1990 by Hibst and Keller, who introduced the possibility of using an Er:YAG laser as alternative to conventional instruments such as the turbine and micro-motor. In subsequent years a continuing effort has been made by clinicians, researchers and commercial companies to improve the technology.

The aim of this clinical study is to demonstrate, by the description of different clinical cases, the possibilities and the advantages of using Er:YAG lasers in conservative dentistry and to show that better results may be achieved in terms of stronger adhesion, less invasiveness, reduced pain as well as greater comfort and satisfaction of patients.

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Background and aims: Raman spectroscopy is a vibrational technique which provides information about the chemical structure. Nevertheless, since many chemicals are present in a cell at very low concentration, the Raman signal observed from a single cell is extremely weak. In surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), Raman signals can be enhanced by many orders of magnitude when nanoparticles are incorporated into the cell.
Materials (subjects) and methods: The tumor biopsies were obtained from 5 patients who were clinically diagnosed with breast cancer. Breast cancer cells isolated from the biopsy were washed, centrifuged and seeded out. Cultivation took place in DMEM at 37°C in a humidified of 5% CO₂ in air with addition of colloidal silver nanoparticles of 40 nm into the cell by sonication. Immediately, the washed cells were analyzed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) at pH 7. Raman analysis was carried out on the Jobin-Yvon LabRAM HR800 microscope system, with a NIR 830 nm laser excitation source.
Results: The strongly enhanced Raman signals allow Raman measurements of a single cell in the 200-1800 cm^-1 range in relatively short collection times (5 second) using 17 mW near-infrared excitation. Observed spectral features differed across the cell, but chemical constituents in the cell nucleus and cytoplasm, such as DNA, RNA, and amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine can be identified.
Conclusions: Particularly strong field enhancement can be observed when nanoparticles form colloidal clusters. The results suggest that SERS could be a new technique for the identification of breast cancer cell.

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Background and aims: The application of light-emitting diodes in a number of clinical fields is expanding rapidly since the development in the late 1990_s of the NASA LED. Wound healing is one field where low level light therapy with LEDs (LED-LLLT) has attracted attention for both accelerating wound healing and controlling sequelae. The present study evaluated LED-LLLT in 5 wounds of various etiologies.
Subjects and methods: There were 5 patients with ages ranging from 7 to 54 years, comprising 2 males and 3 females. The study followed 5 wounds, namely 2 acute excoriation wounds; 1 acute/subacute dog bite with infection; 1 subacute post-filler ulcerated wound with necrotic ischemic tissue and secondary infection; and 1 subacute case of edema and infection of the lips with herpes simplex involvement after an illegal cosmetic tattoo operation. All patients were in varying degrees of pain. All wounds were treated with multiple sessions (daily, every other day or twice weekly) using an LED-LLLT system (830 nm, CW, irradiance of 100 mW/cm² and fluence of 60 J/cm²) till improvement was achieved.
Results: Full wound healing and control of infection and discomfort were achieved in all patients, with wound condition-mediated treatment periods ranging from 1 to 8 weeks. No recurrence of the herpes simplex case was seen in a 4-month follow-up.
Conclusions: 830 nm LED-LLLT successfully brought about accelerated healing in wounds of different etiologies and at different stages, and successfully controlled secondary infection. LED-LLLT was easy and pain-free to apply, and was well-tolerated by all patients. The good results warrant the design of controlled studies with a larger patient population.

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Background and aims: Molluscum contagiosum is caused by the molluscum contagiosum virus (MCV) and is a very common skin disorder mainly involving young children Cryotherapy, curettage or some topical therapies have been applied for MC, but all of these treatments need several sessions, can be somewhat ineffective, and very painful. The present study assessed the impact of a single session of pulsed dye laser treatment of MC lesions which had proved resistant to other approaches
Subjects and methods: Fifteen children comprised the study subjects, 11 boys and 4 girls, 3-5 years of age (mean 4.2 yr) with recalcitrant MC. Lesions were counted at baseline, and a single shot from a 585 nm pulsed dye laser was applied to each lesion (3 mm, 300 ms, 8.0 J/cm²). Lesions were counted again at 1 week post-treatment and followed for up to 3 months thereafter.
Results: All patients completed the study and no patient dropped out through pain or discomfort. Purpura was seen at each treated lesion immediately after irradiation, but at 1 week after treatment, lesion clearance was virtually complete which was maintained for 1 month, and no recurrence was seen at 3 months in 8 of the 15 patients who remained available for followup.
Conclusions: A single treatment of MC lesions with the pulsed dye laser successfully cured even recalcitrant lesions with no recurrence on follow up, and was well tolerated by the young subjects.

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