Valentina Rottigni

A new highly viscoelastic hyaluronic acid gel: rheological properties, biocompatibility and clinical investigation in esthetic and restorative surgery.

Nowadays there is an increased demand for safe and effective volume enhancing fillers to achieve soft tissue augmentation in order to overcome tissue defects and aging-associated skin changes. In the present study we characterized the rheological and biological properties of Variofill(®), a new highly viscoelastic hyaluronic acid gel, by investigating the local effects following subcutaneous implantation in the rat to detect the host-tissue reactions and biodegradation over 18 months. We also investigated, for the first time, the application of Variofill(®) in esthetic and restorative surgery in two medical case reports. In the first case report we successfully performed Variofill(®) treatment to improve facial scars in a patient previously involved in a car crash. In the second case report we carried out a novel procedure involving a high-dose (1000 ml) injection of Variofill(®) into the dermis and subcutis of the abdominal quadrants in order to allow a classic reconstructive procedure of the abdominal wall in a patient presenting a wide incisional hernia.

Preliminary study of highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid-based combination therapy for management of knee osteoarthritis-related pain.

Background Hyaluronic acid has been extensively used for treatment of knee osteoarthritis due to its anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to act as a synovial lubricant. Furthermore, it has found application in combination with other drugs in the dermatological field and in pre-clinical studies in animal models of osteoarthritis. Experimental evidence suggests that a combination of this macromolecule with other drugs may act as a slow-release depot. However, to date, to the best of our knowledge, no one has tested local intra-articular delivery of highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid combined with bisphosphonate or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for management of knee osteoarthritis pain in the clinical setting. The aim of the present randomized double-blind study was to investigate, for the first time, the effect of a highly cross-linked hyaluronic acid, Variofill®, alone or in combination with diclofenac sodium or sodium clodronate, for management of bilateral knee osteoarthritis-related pain. Methods Sixty-two patients with symptomatic bilateral medial tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis (Kellgren–Lawrence grade II and III) and pain in both knees corresponding to a daily visual analog scale (VAS) score ≥ 30 in the month before the beginning of the study were included in this investigation. Patients were divided into three groups: group 1, treated with an injection of hyaluronic acid alone (66 mg) into each knee; group 2, treated with an injection of hyaluronic acid (49.5 mg) plus diclofenac sodium (5 mg) into each knee; group 3, treated with an injection of hyaluronic acid (49.5 mg) plus sodium clodronate (5 mg) into each knee. Patients also underwent blood tests for measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) immediately before and at 6-month follow-up. Results Hyaluronic acid alone and in combination with sodium clodronate or diclofenac sodium produced a significant improvement in mean VAS pain score at 3 and 6-month follow-up. At 6-month follow-up, therapy with hyaluronic acid plus sodium clodronate was the most beneficial in terms of percentage improvement in VAS pain score. A significant improvement in ESR and CRP was observed at 6-month follow-up in each treatment group. No significant difference was observed when the percentage change from baseline related to these parameters was compared among the groups. No dropout was observed in any group. No serious adverse events were observed. Conclusion Further studies are necessary to determine the effect of a therapy based on hyaluronic acid combined with diclofenac sodium or sodium clodronate in larger cohorts of patients affected by knee osteoarthritis and in longer-term follow-up.

Pulsed electromagnetic field therapy for management of osteoarthritis-related pain, stiffness and physical function: clinical experience in the elderly

Background Pulsed electromagnetic field (PEMF) therapy has shown promising therapeutic effectiveness on bone- and cartilage-related pathologies, being also safe for management of knee osteoarthritis. Aim The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy of a PEMF device for management of knee osteoarthritis in elderly patients. Materials and methods A total of 33 patients were screened, and 28 patients, aged between 60 and 83 and affected by bilateral knee osteoarthritis, were enrolled in this study. They received PEMF therapy on the right leg for a total of three 30-minute sessions per week for a period of 6 weeks, while the left leg did not receive any treatment and served as control. An intravenous drip containing ketoprofen, sodium clodronate, glucosamine sulfate, calcitonin, and ascorbic acid, for a total volume of 500 mL, was administered during PEMF therapy. At baseline and 3 months post-PEMF therapy, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) was used to assess knee pain and Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) was used to measure knee pain, stiffness and physical function. Results Changes in VAS and WOMAC scores were calculated for both knees as baseline minus post-treatment. A two sample Student’s t-test, comparing change in knee-related VAS pain for PEMF-treated leg (49.8 ± 2.03) vs control leg (11 ± 1.1), showed a significant difference in favor of PEMF therapy (P < 0.001). A two sample Student’s t-test comparing change in knee-related WOMAC pain, stiffness, and physical function for PEMF-treated leg (8.5 ± 0.4, 3.5 ± 0.2, 38.5 ± 2.08, respectively) vs control leg (2.6 ± 0.2; 1.6 ± 0.1; 4.5 ± 0.5 respectively), also showed a significant difference in favor of PEMF therapy (P < 0.001). No adverse reactions to therapy were observed. Conclusion The present study shows that PEMF therapy improves pain, stiffness and physical function in elderly patients affected by knee osteoarthritis.

Role of free radicals and antioxidant defences in oral cavity-related pathologies

Free radicals play a key role in the development of several pathological conditions. Therefore, several methods have been developed to measure oxidative stress from bodily fluids including blood, urine and, more recently, saliva. Free radical and antioxidant defences within the oral cavity may play a key role in odontostomatological pathologies. This review provides an update of the literature concerning the association of oxidative stress with pathological conditions associated with the oral cavity. It focuses on the diagnostic and therapeutic importance of the tests based on saliva specimens in a preventive perspective.

Clinical and experimental use of probiotic formulations for management of end-stage renal disease: an update

Nowadays kidney transplantation and dialysis are the only available therapies for end-stage renal disease management. They imply a considerable increase in plasma concentration of uremic wastes including creatinine, urea and uric acid. These invasive procedures impose high social costs that prevent many low-income countries from adequately treating the patients affected by renal insufficiency. For years, many studies on uremic waste removal through the gut lumen have been published with conflicting results. More recently, microencapsulation of probiotic bacteria has been performed by different research groups. This evidence has opened a new perspective on therapeutic modification of gut bacterial flora in the context of renal disease. This review gives an overview of the experimental and clinical use of probiotic formulations in the context of end-stage renal disease.

Bisphosphonates: focus on inflammation and bone loss.

Bisphosphonates are pharmacological compounds that have been used for the prevention and treatment of several pathological conditions including osteoporosis, primary hyperparathyroidism, osteogenesis imperfecta, and other conditions characterized by bone fragility. Many studies have been performed to date to analyze their effects on inflammation and bone remodelling and related pathologies. The aim of this review is, starting from a background on inflammatory processes and bone remodelling, to give an update on the use of bisphosphonates, outlining the possible side effects and proposing new trends for the future. Starting from a brief introduction on inflammation and bone remodelling, we collect and analyze studies involving the use of bisphosphonates for treatment of inflammatory conditions and pathologies characterized by bone loss. Selected articles, including reviews, published between 1976 and 2011, were chosen from Pubmed/Medline on the basis of their content. Bisphosphonates exert a selective activity on inflammation and bone remodelling and related pathologies, which are characterized by an excess in bone resorption. They improve not only skeletal defects, but also general symptoms. Bisphosphonates have found clinical application preventing and treating osteoporosis, osteitis deformans (Pagets disease of bone), bone metastasis (with or without hypercalcaemia), multiple myeloma, primary hyperparathyroidism, osteogenesis imperfecta, and other conditions that feature bone fragility. Further clinical studies involving larger cohorts are needed to optimize the dosage and length of therapy for each of these agents in each clinical field in order to be able to maximize their properties concerning modulation of inflammation and bone remodelling. In the near future, although “old” bisphosphonates will reach the end of their patent life, “new” bisphosphonates will be designed to specifically target a pathological condition.

Combination therapy of hyaluronic acid mesotherapic injections and sclerotherapy for treatment of lower leg telangiectasia without major venous insufficiency: A preliminary clinical study

Background. Telangiectasia is the dilation of dermal capillaries mainly due to hypertension and vein insufficiency. Treatments of choice for this condition are sclerotherapy with foam liquid or intradermal fiber optic laser energy delivery. Aim. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of a new therapeutic approach consisting in the use of polymerized hyaluronic acid mesotherapic injections following sclerotherapy in the areas of the skin affected by telangiectasia in patients without major vein insufficiency. Materials and Methods. A total of 20 women, aged between 19 and 64 years, affected by recurrent lower leg telangiectasia, were included in this study. Patients were preliminarily submitted to echo color Doppler sonography to rule out severe saphenofemoral valve and lower limb major vein insufficiency. All patients underwent 3 sessions a month of polidocanol 1% capillary injections for 2 months. This was followed by 0.1 ml cross-linked hyaluronic acid introduction in the polidocanol 1% needle track. A total of 50 mesotherapic injections (0.05 ml each) were performed on the skin surface where an ice pack was previously applied for 4 to 5 minutes. A follow-up visit was performed at 3 months. The results, based on photographic examination, were rated as follows: poor improvement (0%-50%), good improvement (51%-75%), and very good improvement (76%-100%). The side effects of the clinical procedure, in terms of pain, itching, paresthesia, ecchymosis, and relapse of telangiectasia over the treated skin surface, as well as a persisting pigmentation in the injection spots and induced benefits related to leg heaviness and comfort, were recorded. Results. In total, 6 patients displayed a slight venous insufficiency, 3 patients displayed patent venous insufficiency, and 11 patients did not show any venous insufficiency. Before treatment, itching was present in 18 out of 20 patients, paresthesia in 15 out of 20 patients, ecchymosis in 16 out of 20 patients, and leg heaviness in 15 out of 20 patients. At the 3-month follow-up, an improvement of 0% to 50% was observed in 4 patients who had a relapse in telangiectasia. A 51% to 75% improvement was observed in 3 patients and a 76% to 100% improvement occurred in 13 patients. At the 3-month follow-up, itching persisted only in 4 patients; paresthesia was absent in 12 patients, while 3 patients still presented this symptom; ecchymosis was absent in 16 patients; 15 patients reported a feeling of lightweight legs. Among the patients with relapsing telangiectasia, 2 patients reported pigmentation due to hemosiderin deposit in the skin at the 3-month follow-up. The slight venous insufficiency, observed at the beginning of the study, improved in 5 out of 6 patients. The patients’ compliance with the procedure was high and 16 out of 20 patients declared their willingness to repeat the whole clinical procedure, if necessary. Conclusions. This pilot clinical study supports the use of hyaluronic acid mesotherapic injections following sclerotherapy for treatment of lower leg telangiectasia without major venous insufficiency. We propose that the prolonged persistence of cross-linked hyaluronic acid, across the microvascular venous areas, is able to induce a stronger stromal tissue, thus preventing relapse. Further clinical studies, comparing this new approach with existing clinical procedures, are needed in a larger number of patients.

Nd:YAG laser bloodless tonsillectomy by fiber optic doppler coupled handpiece beam delivery

Laser ablation of palatine tonsils is a relatively new technique recently performed in head and neck surgery departments, in order to treat recurrent tonsillar infections or obstructions from enlarged tonsils. In our study, we have investigated a new procedure using the fiber optic laser beam Nd:YAG to remove up to the 89% of tonsillar tissue, and leaving in place the capsule avoiding any hemorrhagic complication and limiting the pain.

The Feasibility of a Fiber Optic Laser Approach to Relieving Lymphedematous Syndrome: A Case Report

Here we report a case of successful fiber optic laser treatment of lymphedema in a swollen arm post mastectomy. At the moment, this procedure has only anecdotal evidence to justify its use, but in our experience is a feasible, minimally invasive day-stay procedure which has been demonstrated to be safe and effective. Further nonhomogeneous case pooling and follow-up would enable guidelines and definite surgical protocols for its use to be implemented.

Laser in dentistry: Biostimulation and surgery

Laser therapy has achieved an important rule in cosmetic dentistry especially in the treatment of several complications such as leukoplakia, oral lichen planus, glossitis, oral mucositis, labial herpes virus, stomatitis, frenulum and oral hemangioma. In our study we enrolled 40 patients affected by these diseases to treat them with a new infrared dental laser demonstrating that it is extremely safe and effective in pain and postoperative discomforts reduction.