Far-Infrared Therapy Decreases Orthotopic Allograft Transplantation Vasculopathy

The Effect of Increasing the Body's Core Temperature and Improving Blood Flow by Using Far-Infrared Rays Emitted from Functional Loess Bio-Balls

BACKGROUND

Low-energy far-infrared rays (FIRs) are widely used in the treatment of wounds, lymphedema, and various vascular diseases, and various types of products that emit infrared rays are being used at home for patients with blood flow-related diseases without experimental evidence.

METHODS

Blood flow and epidermal temperature were measured while applying conductive heat and FIRs via an electric mat (non-intervention) or a loess bio-ball mat (intervention).

RESULTS

In the control group (n = 30), there was a minimal change in blood flow and epidermal temperature in the right and left middle fingers (LMF, RMF) as the mat temperature gradually increased. In the experimental group (n = 30), when the mat temperature increased from 25 °C to 50 °C, the blood flow increased by 39.80% in the LMF and by 41.83% in the RMF. In addition, the epidermal temperature increased by 8.78% in the LMF and by 8.44% in the RMF.

CONCLUSIONS

The FIRs emitted from loess bio-balls can be applied to alleviate symptoms not only in patients with blood flow problems in medical settings but also in people who complain of discomfort due to blood flow disorders or cold hands and feet during their daily life and sleep.

Effects of far infrared therapy in hemodialysis arterio-venous fistula maturation: A meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Hemodialysis patients rely on stable vascular access to perform effective hemodialysis and reach good dialysis quality. However, an obstructed or under-matured arteriovenous fistula (AVF) may increase infection rate and mortality in hemodialysis patients. Far infrared (FIR) therapy might help to promote AVF maturation and reduce obstruction rate. Therefore, this meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effect of FIR therapy on AVF obstruction rate and maturation.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and other databases which provide publications in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of FIR to improve AVF in patients with CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease) or HD (hemodialysis) were used to collect articles which published before February 2023. Two authors selected relevant articles independently based on pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, and assessed the quality of the articles by using the Cochrane Handbook before performing a meta-analysis in Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 software.

RESULTS

Four RCTs with 475 patients were included. The results of the meta-analysis showed that the FIR therapy groups had better physiological maturation at 3 months (RR = 1.22; 95% CI = 1.07 to 1.39; p = .002) and clinical maturation at 12 months (RR = 1.35; 95% CI = 1.14 to 1.60; p < .001) than the control groups without FIR therapy. The obstruction rates within 12 months were much lower in the FIR therapy groups than in the control groups (RR = 0.24; 95% CI = 0.08 to 0.68; p = .007), also, there was no statistical heterogeneity.

CONCLUSIONS

FIR could promote fistula maturation and reduce the incidence of AVF obstruction.

Far-infrared radiation and its therapeutic parameters: A superior alternative for future regenerative medicine?

In future regenerative medicine, far-infrared radiation (FIR) may be an essential component of optical therapy. Many studies have confirmed or validated the efficacy and safety of FIR in various diseases, benefiting from new insights into FIR mechanisms and the excellent performance of many applications. However, the lack of consensus on the biological effects and therapeutic parameters of FIR limits its practical applications in the clinic. In this review, the definition, characteristics, and underlying principles of the FIR are systematically illustrated. We outline the therapeutic parameters of FIR, including the wavelength range, power density, irradiation time, and distance. In addition, the biological effects, potential molecular mechanisms, and preclinical and clinical applications of FIR are discussed. Furthermore, the future development and applications of FIR are described in this review. By applying optimal therapeutic parameters, FIR can influence various cells, animal models, and patients, eliciting diverse underlying mechanisms and offering therapeutic potential for many diseases. FIR could represent a superior alternative with broad prospects for application in future regenerative medicine.

Animal Models for Heart Transplantation Focusing on the Pathological Conditions

Cardiac transplant recipients face many complications due to transplant rejection. Scientists must conduct animal experiments to study disease onset mechanisms and develop countermeasures. Therefore, many animal models have been developed for research topics including immunopathology of graft rejection, immunosuppressive therapies, anastomotic techniques, and graft preservation techniques. Small experimental animals include rodents, rabbits, and guinea pigs. They have a high metabolic rate, high reproductive rate, small size for easy handling, and low cost. Additionally, they have genetically modified strains for pathological mechanisms research; however, there is a lacuna, as these research results rarely translate directly to clinical applications. Large animals, including canines, pigs, and non-human primates, have anatomical structures and physiological states that are similar to those of humans; therefore, they are often used to validate the results obtained from small animal studies and directly speculate on the feasibility of applying these results in clinical practice. Before 2023, PubMed Central^® at the United States National Institute of Health's National Library of Medicine was used for literature searches on the animal models for heart transplantation focusing on the pathological conditions. Unpublished reports and abstracts from conferences were excluded from this review article. We discussed the applications of small- and large-animal models in heart transplantation-related studies. This review article aimed to provide researchers with a complete understanding of animal models for heart transplantation by focusing on the pathological conditions created by each model.

Photodynamic Therapy

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