Efficacy of 577 nm pro-yellow laser in the treatment of melasma: a prospective split-face study.

We aimed to study the effectiveness of 577 nm pro-yellow laser in the treatment of melasma. A total of 82 patients with melasma were included in this comparative study. A detailed medical history, examination, and calculation of Melasma Area and Severity Index were done for all patients. All participants were treated with topical sunscreen and hydroquinone 4% cream on both sides of the face. In addition, the left side of the face was subjected to a single pass of 577-nm pro-yellow laser at a monthly interval for three sessions. Follow up was done by comparing the Melasma area and severity index at 0, 3 and 6 months. At baseline, there is no significant difference in the Melasma area and severity index score between both sides of the face. At 3 months, MASI score was statistically significantly decreased on both sides of the face compared to pretreatment (P < .05). At 6 months, the mean MASI score at the laser-treated side was statistically significantly decreased compared to the non-laser-treated side (P < .05). we concluded that the addition of 577 nm pro-yellow laser in the treatment of melasma leads to maintain the improvement and reduction of the recurrence rate.

The Clinical Effectiveness of Intralesional Injection of 2% Zinc Sulfate Solution in the Treatment of Common Warts.

Objective. To investigate the clinical efficacy and safety of intralesional injection of 2% zinc sulfate solution in the treatment of common warts. Patients and Methods. One hundred and twenty patients (78 females and 42 males) aged 5-55 years with 225 common warts participated in this prospective monocentric randomized study. All lesions were treated with intralesional injection of 2% zinc sulfate. Results. From 225 warts injected, 135 warts (60%) cured from the first session, 51 warts (22.67%) cured from the second session, and 12 warts (5.33%) cured from the third session. There is no significant relation between improvement and patient's ages, duration, or number of warts (P > 0.05). All patients complained from pain during injection, and all treated lesions showed redness, tenderness, and swelling in the first 3 days after injection. Late complications were postinflammatory hyperpigmentation in 90 patients (75%), scaring in 9 patients (7.5%), and ulceration in 3 patients (2.5%). Recurrence occurred in 3 lesions (1.33%). Conclusion. The clinical data indicate that intralesional injection of 2% zinc sulfate is an effective maneuver in the treatment of common warts; however, its associated complications limit its use.

Trichoscopic changes in hair during treatment of hirsutism with 1064-nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser.

BACKGROUND: Laser hair removal has become an accepted form of long-term hair reduction and is now one of the most common dermatologic procedures. Trichoscan is a validated method of assessing hair length, thickness, and density and growth rate using dermoscopy. OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to evaluate the trichoscopic changes during treatment of hirsutism with 1064-nm neodymium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser. METHODS: Seventy patients with idiopathic facial hirsutism referring to the laser centers of Al-Azhar University hospital (Asyut and Cairo) between December 2012 and October 2014 were enrolled in this open-label, multicentric study. All participants received six sessions of 1064-nm Nd:YAG laser at 4-week intervals. Mean hair density/cm(2) , percentage of terminal/vellus hair ratio, and hair thickness (mm) were assessed at baseline and 1 month after each session for six sessions using trichoscan. RESULTS: Seventy female patients completed the study protocol. At the final visit, mean hair density, terminal/vellus hair ratio, and hair thickness were significantly decreased from baseline (73.7 + 20.6, 72.5 + 14.7, 0.095 + 0.02, respectively) to (19.4 + 5.6, 21.3 + 5.2, 0.02 ± 0.007, respectively) (P < 0.05 for each). CONCLUSION: One thousand and sixty-four-nm Nd:YAG laser is an effective and safe method in the reduction of unwanted facial hair. Trichoscan is an easy and more accurate method in monitoring the treatment of hair disorders.

Effect of sperm chromatin condensation on the outcome of intrauterine insemination in patients with male factor infertility.

OBJECTIVE: To study the effect of sperm nuclear chromatin condensation on pregnancy rates and rates of abortion in infertile couples with male factor infertility undergoing intrauterine insemination. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 195 infertile couples with male factor infertility undergoing intrauterine insemination (IUI) were included in this prospective study. They were divided into two groups according to sperm chromatin staining by aniline blue stain. The first group included 109 patients having a positive aniline blue staining in < 30% of sperm. The second group included 86 infertile couples in whom > or = 30% spermatozoa were positively stained. All cases were assessed clinically and underwent semen analysis and assessment of chromatin condensation by aniline blue staining. IUI with the partner's sperm was done after semen processing and induction of ovulation; pregnancy rate and rate of abortion were recorded. RESULTS: The pregnancy rate in the first group was 21.6% (24/111), and abortions occurred in 29.2% (6/24). In the second group the pregnancy rate was 18.6% (16/84) and abortions occurred in 56.3% (9/16). There was no statistically significant difference in pregnancy rate between the two groups, while the rate of abortion increased with increased sperm chromatin decondensation. CONCLUSION: Our study concluded that sperm chromatin condensation has no effect on the pregnancy rate, but it has a profound effect on fertilization failure after IUI, therefore assessment of sperm chromatin condensation may be useful as a predictive test for successful pregnancy after intrauterine insemination.