Background Laser pulses with nanosecond duration (NSL) have been the golden standard to destroy the pigment particles in skin. It is still controversially discussed whether picosecond pulses (PSL) are superior for tattoo removal.Objectives To compare the efficacy and the adverse reactions of nanosecond and picosecond laser pulses in a comparative study.Methods The prospective study included 23 subjects with 30 black or coloured tattoos, which were split into two halves treated with either a new PSL (532, 1064 nm) or standard NSL (694 nm). The lasers were applied at regular time intervals of 4 weeks for up to eight treatments. Tattoo clearance (primary endpoint), pain and adverse reactions (secondary endpoints) were appraised by physicians, blinded observers, and by subjects. The extent and duration of adverse reactions were additionally assessed by using a questionnaire and photo-documentation after each treatment session. ResultsThe tattoo clearance appeared to be more effective for PSL compared to NSL but without statistical significance (P > 0.05). Pretreated tattoos responded better to laser treatments than previously untreated tattoos. Subjects felt significantly less pain with PSL than with NSL (P < 0.001). Transient adverse reactions were statistically less pronounced lasting shorter for PSL as for NSL, especially blistering, pruritus, and burning sensation. Hypopigmentation appeared after NSL treatments only, whereas hyperpigmentation was caused by both lasers. No scarring was detected with either laser.Conclusions Both laser systems enable acceptable clearance of most tattoos in the present study. PSL cause less collateral skin damage as compared to NSL.

The Internet has revolutionized communication among companies and clients. New possibilities for global collaboration among companies on a project basis are possible with virtual enterprises. Virtual enterprises enable new ways of collaboration with clients and their participation in creative and inventive activities ofindividual products. Furthermore project work with clients allows tight bonds to them and goes beyond traditional forms of customer relationship management. In this paper we start with an overview of some basic concepts. We then present our approach of web-based project management that can be used for various forms of collaborative activities over the Internet, including customer relationship management. We have successfully used our approach for projects of a digital photography and a middle-class marketing agency. Currently, we are working on an extended platform for virtual enterprises in the area of facility management with many customers as well as subcontractors. 38 relationship management and depict consequences to virtual enterprises, respectively. In Section 6, we describe new collaborative CRM approaches. An example is presented in Section 7. In Section 8 we describe a prototype. In Section 9, we draw conclusions and outline future work. Basic Concepts Office communication. groupware and workflow management comprise the basic foundation of our webbased approach to project management and CRM. They will briefly be described subsequently.

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Dieser Artikel ist der Beginn einer Reihe über den Themenbereich Apherese in der Dialyse aktuell („Apherese A–Z“). Er definiert, was unter dem Begriff „Apherese“ zusammengefasst wird und welche Therapieoptionen möglich sind.