Quality of life is an important integrative indicator of treatment effectiveness in oncology and reflects patients’ subjective physical, psychological, and social well-being. Data regarding the impact of systemic photodynamic therapy on quality of life in patients with metastatic prostate cancer remains limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of systemic photodynamic therapy on quality-of-life outcomes in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. A prospective longitudinal study was conducted involving 14 patients with a mean age of 69 years. Quality of life was assessed before and after treatment using the Quality of Life-Cancer Survivor (QOL-CS) questionnaire. Internal consistency of the scales was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha. Changes in quality-of-life scores were analyzed using the paired Student’s t-test, and effect sizes were calculated using Cohen’s d. The QOL-CS questionnaire demonstrated high reliability (α = 0.91). After treatment, statistically significant improvements were observed in the physical, psychological, and social domains, as well as in the overall quality-of-life score (p < 0.001), with large effect sizes (Cohen’s d > 1.8). Changes in spiritual well-being did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.134). Systemic photodynamic therapy is associated with clinically meaningful improvements in quality of life among patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
The role of prophylactic central neck dissection in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer without clinically evident lymph node involvement remains controversial despite its importance for staging and risk stratification. In this context, intraoperative lymphatic mapping may provide an opportunity to reduce the extent of surgical intervention. The study included 125 patients with cN0 differentiated thyroid cancer who underwent thyroidectomy or hemityroidectomy. Central neck dissection was performed in 98 patients, while 27 patients underwent fluorescence-guided lymphatic mapping using indocyanine green with selective lymph node removal. The mean number of removed lymph nodes was significantly lower in the ICG group (3.67 vs 10.3; p < 0.001), while the rate of metastatic node detection did not differ between groups (33.3% vs 34.7%; p = 0.62). The incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism was comparable (14.8% vs 13.3%; p = 0.74), whereas permanent hypoparathyroidism was observed only in the central neck dissection group (17.3% vs 0%; p = 0.02). However, in the subgroup of patients undergoing thyroidectomy, no difference in transient hypoparathyroidism was found (15.5% vs 15.4%; p = 1.00). Permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy occurred in 4.1% of patients in the control group and was not observed in the ICG group. These findings suggest that fluorescence-guided lymphatic mapping allows selective lymph node removal with a reduced extent of dissection while maintaining a comparable rate of metastatic detection. The differences in postoperative complications appear to be primarily related to the extent of surgery. Further studies are required to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and long-term outcomes of this approach.
Tuberculosis remains a leading cause of mortality among infectious diseases, with drug resistance posing a major challenge to effective treatment. Macrophages serve as the primary cellular reservoir for M. tuberculosis (MTB), which upon interaction with this pathogen may acquire a complex phenotype with predominantly anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive properties and establish a metabolically privileged niche that supports intracellular persistence and survival of MTB. In this review, the phenotype of such macrophages is referred to as M2 (alternatively activated macrophages). This review systematizes current strategies for targeted delivery of anti-tuberculosis agents to MTB-infected macrophages using macromolecular and nanoscale carriers. Passive and active targeting approaches are examined, including the engineering of vector properties through ligand conjugation to M2 macrophage receptors. Strategies for reprogramming macrophage functional phenotype and the development of nanoscale biomimetics are discussed. Special emphasis is placed on targeted delivery of photosensitizers to infected cells for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy. The summarized evidence indicates that combined nanotherapeutic approaches, integrating direct antimicrobial activity with modulation of local immune responses, offer promising strategies for overcoming drug resistance and achieving eradication of MTB.
The study is devoted to the development of an early preclinical method for the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration using timecorrelated fluorescence microscopy and visible spectroscopy data for the analysis of fluorescence lifetimes and spectra for lipofuscin granules. Lipofuscin granules were obtained from cells of the retinal pigment epithelium of human cadaveric eyes without signs of pathology. To research the fluorescence lifetimes of lipofuscin granules we used the fluorescence excitation method with time-correlated single photon counting technique and the fluorescence lifetimes imaging microscopy (FLIM) method in combination with a superconducting single-photon detector. Photo-oxidized granules were used as a model of age-related macular degeneration. A comparative analysis of the fluorescence lifetimes and spectra before and after photooxidation of lipofuscin granules showed significant differences in the characteristic lifetimes, as well as a shift of the maximum of the fluorescence spectrum to the short-wavelength region. Analysis of the obtained data confirms the possibility of developing a comprehensive method for the spectral and lifetime characterization of fundus autofluorescence. It is necessary to take into account the changes in the contribution of the τlifetime and the shift in the peak of the fluorescence spectrum. This approach will make it possible to determine diagnostic criteria for norm and 2 and τ3 components of the decomposition of the lifetimes curve of fluorescence decay with the longest characteristic pathology in the diagnosis of degenerative diseases of the retina and retinal pigment epithelium. Analysis of the data obtained showed that the FLIM method might become promising for the development of an early preclinical method for the diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration of the retina.
The study evaluated various types of low-intensity photobiomodulatory therapy (PBMT) in reducing acute pain after complex tooth extraction. Complex extraction of maxillary molars and premolars (no more than two teeth, on one side) was performed in 119 patients (aged 18-44 years). In Group 1 (n = 28), PBMT was not performed. In Group 2 (n = 32), pulsed infrared laser radiation in combination with a magnetic mirror tip was used. In Group 3 (n = 30), dental tips with a pulsed infrared laser emitting head were used in the area of the socket formed after tooth extraction. In Group 4 (n = 29), a laser head with a continuous red spectrum was used. The exposure time of the tips and heads in all groups was 3 minutes in the projection of the extracted tooth. All patients underwent PBMT at 1, 24, and 48 hours after surgery. At these same times, acute pain was assessed using a visual analog scale (VAS) and a numerical rating scale (NRS) in millimeters. Acute pain was lowest already on the first postoperative day in the pulsed infrared laser group with a mirror magnetic head. Among the PBMT groups, the continuous red laser demonstrated the worst pain results. In the group without PBMT, pain requiring medical management persisted for up to 48-72 hours after tooth extraction.
