Hyperpigmentation of the skin is often refractory to conventional therapies, but has significant cosmetic implications if located on visible areas. Because laser systems are capable of removing pigment deposits caused by selective photothermolysis, we addressed the issue of whether the Q-switched ruby laser could be a useful alternative in the treatment of nonmelanotic hyperpigmented skin lesio...

The limits of Henriques' "overarching conceptions" approach to defining psychology is first tested by comparing and contrasting his conceptions to two burgeoning movements within psychology: qualitative research and spiritual therapy strategies. These movements were selected because they represent many other fragments of a fragmented psychology that could fall outside Henriques' disciplinary ma...

BACKGROUND Integrative oncology uses both conventional and complementary medicine to meet the needs of individual patients and to focus on the whole person. The core principles of integrative oncology include individualization, holism, dynamism, synergism, and collaboration, but the nature of the evidence to guide the development of integrative oncology has been given little attention. OBJECT...

The relationship between negative affectivity (NA, i.e. the Neuroticism trait and transient distress), self-reported medical condition and somatic complaints was assessed in structural equation models also including personality (the Big Five personality domains), socio-demographic, and health behaviour variables. The results indicated that the individual's current distress level and medical con...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Both infrared and low-power laser have been applied to improve circulation, wound repair, and pain control. Infrared and low-power laser therapies have the potential for stimulating enzyme activities which might contribute to increased glutathione (GSH) concentration and provide protection against oxidative damage. This study investigated cell viability, and GSH and its r...

BACKGROUND Patients with atrophic scars commonly seek treatment for their removal but are often concerned about the prolonged recovery, short-lived results, and/or ineffectiveness of available therapies. A novel treatment using a 1,550-nm erbium-doped fiber laser to induce fractional photothermolysis of treated skin has been used to resurface photodamaged skin but has not been studied previousl...

A systematic review of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies was conducted to evaluate data for the effects of minimally invasive procedures for treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) on male sexual function. The studies searched were trials that enrolled men with symptomatic BPH who were treated with laser surgeries, transurethral microwave therapy (TUMT), transu...

This paper deals with the experimental results of a xenon flash-lamp pumped passively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser using Cr4+:YAG saturable absorber. The need of a laser cavity to be integrated into a time-of-flight laser range finder is of great interest as an experimental investigation of several laser resonators. Two types of laser resonator, with different lengths, have been studied: the flat-fl...

BACKGROUND The use of complementary and alternative therapies by children with cancer is common. Up to 84% of children have used complementary therapies along with conventional medical treatment for cancer. METHODS We reviewed the PubMed and CINAHL databases for studies published between 1994 and 2004 on the use of complementary and alternative therapies by children with cancer and reports fr...