Clinical trials

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate whether adding platelet-rich plasma (PRP) to fractional CO₂ laser resurfacing improves the treatment of moderate-to-severe acne scars compared with laser alone. Seventy adults aged 18-40 years will be recruited from the Dermatology Department of Gujranwala Medical College Teaching Hospital. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either fractional CO₂ laser combined with topical PRP or fractional CO₂ laser alone, with three treatment sessions delivered four weeks apart. The primary outcome is the change in acne scar severity measured using the Goodman and Baron Quantitative Acne Scar Scale. Secondary outcomes include redness, edema, pain scores, and patient satisfaction assessed using Likert and numeric rating scales. The study is single-blinded, with patients unaware of treatment allocation. PRP will be prepared using a standardized double-spin centrifugation process. Data will be analyzed using appropriate statistical tests with a significance level of p \< 0.05. The study aims to determine whether PRP enhances laser efficacy, reduces side effects, and improves patient-reported outcomes.

Breast abscess, marked by localized collection of pus, frequently follows mastitis. Its prevalence soars up to 16% in the developing world. It usually presents in lactating mothers but also develops in prepubertal females as well. Conventionally it has been treated by surgical incision and drainage with antibiotic coverage, whether oral, intramuscular or intravenous. This approach requires hospital stay and general anesthesia but also have complications like scarring and disfigurement. With the financial and emotional impacts of this technique , surgeons have opted needle aspiration of breast abscess as a standardized treatment. It has been very successful in the management of breast abscess as it spares the patients from long hospital stays and the cosmetic complications. It may require to repeat the procedure till the complete resolution of symptoms which can be effectively assessed by the clinical symptoms of the patient like redness of the skin, pain, tenderness and ultrasonographical evidence of pus accumulation. Systemic antibiotics are still frequently administered for prophylactic and therapeutic purposes. It has been shown in previous studies that systemic antibiotics may not be as effective as deemed earlier due to local pathogenesis. The use of local antibiotics is not a novel concept but a firmly established fact , whether its the earliest sterilization of the operative field or treating open wounds and fractures . Studies have shown great effect of local use of antibiotics in different scenarios and this may help in limit the use of antibiotics and providing the systemic bypass with maximum local impact. In patients of breast abscess, along with ultrasound guided aspiration the inclusion of locally injecting the antibiotics may reduce the frequency of procedure till the absolute resolution of symptoms and also markedly decrease the failure rate of this technique , which usually resorts to the conventional incision and drainage.