Realtime video of cellular response to pulsed near infrared “Light”

Cell signalling governs basic cellular activities and coordinates cell actions. Cells respond to their local microenvironment and these signals may prompt tissue repair or immune response as well as normal tissue homeostasis. Guenter Albrecht-Buehler has conducted a series of experiments on cells with near-infrared light (NIR) and reports on how cells might be communicating with pulsed NIR. He also demonstrates with video how cell motility responds to a pulsed light stimulus .

click here for YouTube look for the movie “Realtime video of cellular responsed to pulsed near infrared “Light”"

Literature Watch

Here is my selection for the April 2008 Photomedicine and Laser Surgery

Continue reading Literature Watch…

“The wonders of medical science”

Here is yet another study demonstrating the effect of LLLT for patents suffering from Oral Mucositis - how much longer can oncologists ignore this procedure ?

IF YOU ARE AN ONCOLOGIST READ THIS

Continue reading “The wonders of medical science”…

PMLS - free edition for download

 If you are not already a subscriber  how about you download this edition for free
Click here:  Photomedicine and Laser Surgery

ECI meeting in Tomar, Portugal papers published

If you missed the ECI meeting last year (2007) then you can buy related articles here:
Proceedings of Light-Activated Tissue Regeneration and Therapy

I have attended two ECI meetings now and will declare them my favourite on the conference calender. They are only every 2 - 3 years, they are one week long and in a remote location. Watch this space for the announcement of the next event.

Task Force on Neck Pain supports use of laser

Results of the Bone and Joint Decade 2000-2010 Task Force on Neck Pain and Its Associated Disorders.

It is nice to see LLLT making it into mainstream medical recommendations.

Published in the journal Spine; a systematic review of the literature 1980 - 2006 on the use, effectiveness and safety of noninvasive interventions for neck pain and associated disorders. 139 papers admitted into this review.

CONCLUSIONS: For whiplash-associated disorders, evidence suggests that educational videos, mobilization, and exercises appear more beneficial than usual care or physical modalities. For other neck pain, the evidence suggests that manual and supervised exercise interventions, low-level laser therapy, and perhaps acupuncture are more effective than no treatment, sham, or alternative interventions.

Continue reading Task Force on Neck Pain supports use of laser…

LESS IS MORE

Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy and Eccentric Exercises in the Treatment of Recreational Athletes With Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy.
Stergioulas et al Am J Sports Med. 2008.

This study demonstrates that a 30mW 830nm laser with a 0.5cm2 beam (= only 60mW/cm2 intensity) applied over 6 points along the Achilles tendon for 180 seconds per point accelerates recovery from chronic Achilles tendonitis.

Note the relatively large spot size of this 30mW laser (hence rather low intensity), and long treatment times used.

All the dose rate studies that I have read indicate that intensities in the tens of mW/cm2 range work best for anti inflammatory and healing effects in superficial tendon injuries, whereas the higher intensities (1,000 mW/cm2) are probably only suitable for analgesic effects.

Continue reading LESS IS MORE…

REMEMBER TO READ THIS

Infrared light may reverse dementia and memory loss

That was the big claim British researchers made last month in what appears to be a global PR / news story that was covered substantially by the popular press.The news / PR reports claim that regular exposure to low-level infra-red light can improve learning performance and trigger regeneration of the cognitive function of the brain.

Our attempts to find the related published research produced by this group led us to just one paper showing that IR light improves “acquisition of working memory spatial navigation” in CD1 mice. The headlines that have been generated are quite bold given the limited published material but we cautious welcome this news.

Human testing is due to start summer 2008 they say. Read More here>>

Read research here

Continue reading REMEMBER TO READ THIS…

TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE

Low-level laser therapy for zymosan-induced arthritis in rats: Importance of illumination time
Lasers Surg Med. 2007 Jul;39(6):543-50
Castano AP et al

This fluence rate study demonstrates good results from surprisingly low radiances with best results found at 5mW/cm2 in this animal model .

Continue reading TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE…