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INTRODUCTION: Intranasal low-level laser therapy (LLLT) has already proven its immunosuppressive effects on allergic rhinitis (AR) in experimental studies; however, there is a dearth of clinical evidence supporting its effects in treating AR. The aim of this study was to assess the safety and effectiveness of intranasal LLLT in the treatment of AR compared with acupuncture. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with AR participated and were randomly assigned to the intranasal LLLT or acupuncture treatment (AT) group. They were given each treatment for 20 min 3 times a week for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Both groups improved the total nasal symptom score (TNSS), rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire (RQLQ) score, and nasal endoscopy index in patients with AR after 4 weeks of treatment, and these effects extended 4 weeks after the end of treatment. Intranasal LLLT was noninferior to AT in regard to the TNSS. The estimated outcome difference between baseline and the 5th week was -0.38 points (upper 97.5% confidence limit 1.06 points), which was within the noninferiority margin of 2 points. The effect size of the TNSS at the 5th week was 0.19, which was close to Cohen's small effect size. There were no significant differences between two groups regarding the RQLQ, nasal endoscopy index, total serum immunoglobulin E level or absolute eosinophil count. CONCLUSION: This study showed that intranasal LLLT is noninferior compared to AT in terms of the TNSS; thus, it may be used as an alternative or adjunctive treatment option for relieving symptoms of AR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at the Korean National Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0004079).

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INTRODUCTION: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an immunoglobulin E (Ig E)-mediated inflammatory disease. Intranasal phototherapy is a promising treatment modality because it has a profound immunosuppressive effect, but the available evidence of its use for AR is insufficient. Therefore, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed. Our objective is to describe the protocol for a feasibility trial to assess the effects and safety of intranasal phototherapy for the treatment of AR. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a study protocol for a single-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled, investigator-initiated pilot study. A total of 40 patients with AR will be randomly assigned to the medical device or sham device group in a 1:1 ratio. The participants will receive intranasal phototherapy with a medical or sham device for 20 min 5 times a week for 2 weeks. The primary outcome will be the mean change in the Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) from baseline to 2 weeks. The secondary outcomes will include the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) score, Nasal Endoscopy Index, total serum Ig E level, and eosinophil count. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study will provide the basis for subsequent large-scale definitive RCTs to confirm the effects and safety of intranasal phototherapy for the treatment of nasal symptoms in patients with AR who do not respond well to conventional therapy. This study may assist in the development of noninvasive treatment for patients with AR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at the Korean National Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0003253).

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INTRODUCTION: Allergic rhinitis (AR) is an immunoglobulin E (Ig E)-mediated inflammatory disease. Intranasal phototherapy is a promising treatment modality because it has a profound immunosuppressive effect, but the evidence of its use for AR is insufficient. Therefore, rigorously designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are needed. Our objective is to describe the protocol for an RCT to assess the effects and safety of intranasal phototherapy for the treatment of AR. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a study protocol for a single-center, randomized, parallel (acupuncture-controlled), open-label, investigator-initiated, pilot study. A total of 80 patients with AR will be randomly assigned to the intranasal phototherapy or acupuncture group at a 1:1 ratio. The participants will receive intranasal phototherapy with medical or acupuncture treatment for 20 minutes, 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The primary outcome will be the mean change in the total nasal symptom score (TNSS) from baseline to 4 weeks. The secondary outcomes will include the Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) score, Nasal Endoscopy Index, total serum immunoglobulin E (Ig E) level and eosinophil count. DISCUSSION: The findings of this study will provide the basis for the design and implementation of RCTs investigating the effects and safety of intranasal phototherapy for AR. Additionally, it will provide preliminary evidence of intranasal phototherapy for use in AR. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at the Korean National Clinical Trial Registry, Clinical Research Information Service (KCT0004079).

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Correction for 'Engineered phage nanofibers induce angiogenesis' by So Young Yoo et al., Nanoscale, 2017, 9, 17109-17117.

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OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness and clinical feasibility of Biyeom-go for the treatment of nasal symptoms associated with rhinitis. DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: This study was conducted at the Woosuk Korean Medicine Medical Center in South Korea. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-eight patients with rhinitis participated in this study. All patients received Biyeom-go treatment >3 times daily for a total of 4 weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome was the total nasal symptom score. Mini-rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire, nasal endoscopy index, total serum immunoglobulin E levels and immunologic factors in nasal lavage fluid were also measured. RESULTS: Biyeom-go administration was associated with significant improvements in total nasal symptoms scores (P < .0001) and mini-rhinoconjunctivitis quality of life questionnaire scores (P < .0001) in a time-dependent manner. The nasal endoscopy index also significantly improved at weeks 2 (P = .0049), 3 (P < .0001) and 4 (P = .0001) after Biyeom-go treatment. Significantly, increased interleukin-2 levels (P = .005) and decreased interleukin-8, chemokine (C-C motif) ligand (CCL) 5, chemokine (C-X-C motif) ligand (CXCL) 9, CCL2 and CXCL10 levels were observed in the nasal lavage fluid. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that Biyeom-go may be beneficial for the management of rhinitis symptoms and rhinitis-associated quality of life. Further well-designed randomised controlled trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of Biyeom-go for rhinitis.

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Here, we demonstrated chimeric adeno-associated virus (chimeric AAV), AAV-DJ-mediated cardiovascular reprogramming strategy to generate new cardiomyocytes and limit collagen deposition in cardiac fibroblasts by inducing synergism of chimeric AAV-expressing Gata4, Mef2c, Tbx5 (AAV-GMT)-mediated heart reprogramming and chimeric AAV-expressing thymosin ß4 (AAV-Tß4)-mediated heart regeneration. AAV-GMT promoted a gradual increase in expression of cardiac-specific genes, including Actc1, Gja1, Myh6, Ryr2, and cTnT, with a gradual decrease in expression of a fibrosis-specific gene, procollagen type I and here AAV-Tß4 help to induce GMT expression, providing a chimeric AAV-mediated therapeutic cell reprogramming strategy for ischemic heart diseases.

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Herein, we demonstrate an engineered phage mediated matrix for osteogenic differentiation with controlled stiffness by cross-linking the engineered phage displaying Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) and His-Pro-Gln (HPQ) with various concentrations of streptavidin or polymer, poly(diallyldimethylammonium)chloride (PDDA). Osteogenic gene expressions showed that they were specifically increased when MC3T3 cells were cultured on the stiffer phage matrix than the softer one. Our phage matrixes can be easily functionalized using chemical/genetic engineering and used as a stem cell tissue matrix stiffness platform for modulating differential cell expansion and differentiation.

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Herein, we exploited a bioinspired M13 bacteriophage as an angiogenic nanofiber for soft tissue engineering applications. We demonstrated that engineered phage nanofibers induce angiogenesis with specific biochemical and topological cues. Specifically, nanofibrous phage structures provided a novel therapeutic platform for stem cell technologies in ischemic diseases.

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