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Aim: Cesarean scar pregnancy (CSP) is a rare but life‐threatening type of ectopic pregnancy. This study's aim is to investigate the clinical characteristics and possible risk factors for cesarean scar pregnancy. Methods: A clinically randomized, unpaired and retrospective case–control study was implemented. A study group of 291 CSP patients and a control group of 317 full‐term pregnant women with a history of cesarean section (CS) were recruited in our hospital from May 2013 to October 2018. Their demographic characteristics and medical and obstetric history were collected. Results: Only symptoms suggestive of an impending abortion, such as vaginal bleeding with or without abdominal pain, were identified as the clinical characteristics of CSP. Maternal age older than 35 years, gravidity higher than 3 (especially gravidity higher than 5), more than two induced abortions (especially more than five abortions), an interval of less than 5 years (especially less than 2 years) between the current pregnancy and the last CS, history of CS performed in a rural hospital, history of induced abortions after CS and retroposition of the uterus were possible independent risk factors for CSP. Conclusion: CSP is a result of a combination of multiple factors associated with CS. There are no unique early clinical features of CSP. As a unique type of ectopic pregnancy, early diagnosis, early termination and early clearance should be the treatment principles. Further research is needed to evaluate the relationship between the cesarean scar defect and CSP in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a debilitating disease characterized by continuous, intense pain following an outbreak of herpes zoster. The pain associated with PHN can severely affect a patient's quality of life, quality of sleep, and ability to participate in activities of daily living. The aim of this study was to explore the clinical efficacy of the subcutaneous injection of botulinum toxin-A (BTX-A) for the treatment of PHN. Thirteen patients with PHN were enrolled in this study and treated once with BTX-A. The effects of BTX-A on pain were measured with the visual analogue scale (VAS) 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks after administration. Compared with pretreatment scores, VAS pain scores decreased at 2 weeks post-treatment in all patients. All patients felt varying degrees of pain relief but remained comfortable. Compared with oral analgesic drugs, VAS scores were significantly different at 2, 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks post-treatment (p < .05). These results demonstrated that subcutaneous administration of BTX-A can decrease pain in patients with PHN., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Condyloma acuminatum (CA) is a type of mucosal benign hyperplasia skin disease that is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, which mainly occurs in the genitalia and anus. The aim of the present study was to explore the clinical efficacy underlying the traditional Chinese medicine paiteling in the treatment of CA via the detection of HPV. One hundred CA patients were enrolled in the current study and were externally treated with paiteling for 5 weeks. HPV subtypes were examined both before the treatment and at 6 months after the treatment. After the external paiteling therapy, 92 cases were cured, and the apparent efficiency was 92.0% (92/100), while 8 cases exhibited recurrence. Before the external paiteling therapy, the numbers of cases of low-risk, high-risk, and mixed types of HPV were 40, 35, and 25, respectively. At 6 months after treatment, the numbers of negative cases of low-risk, high-risk, and mixed types of HPV were 38, 32, and 20, respectively. The results demonstrated that external paiteling treatment has a good curative effect on the treatment of CA., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Vitiligo is a disease pathologically characterized by specific damage to melanocytes. The aim of this study was to explore the mechanism underlying CO2 fractional laser treatment of vitiligo by detecting the levels of Th1 cytokines (IL-2 and IFN-γ), Th2 cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10), and Th17 cytokines (IL-17 and IL-23) in peripheral blood. Twenty five vitiligo patients were enrolled in this study and were treated with a CO2 fractional laser four to eight times. The cytokines of 25 vitiligo patients and 20 healthy volunteers were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After CO2 fractional laser therapy, six cases were cured, and the apparent efficiency was 72.0% (18/25), while the efficiency was 92.0% (23/25). Before CO2 fractional laser therapy, IL-2 and IFN-γ levels in vitiligo patients were higher than those in the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > .05). IL-4, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23 levels were also higher in vitiligo patients than those in the control group (p < .05). After treatment, IL-2 and IFN-γ levels in vitiligo patients were lower than before treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > .05), while IL-4, IL-10, IL-17, and IL-23 levels were significantly lower compared with before treatment (p < .05). The results show that CO2 fractional laser treatment has a good curative effect in the treatment of vitiligo., (© 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)