Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41765759›Full record

ArticleLasers in surgery and medicine2026

Comparative Evaluation of R134a and HFO-1234ze Cryogen Spray Cooling Using a Mouse Model With Controllable Epidermal Pigmentation.

Wangcun Jia, Yurie Jeong, Crystal Huynh, Oswald Lai, Emily Nguyen, Grant Swajian, Jade Niu, Ayana Kashikar, Joshua Khaw, Hong Pu and 4 more

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Lasers in surgery and medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors.

Wangcun JiaDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5021-3827
Yurie JeongDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Crystal HuynhDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Oswald LaiDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Emily NguyenDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Grant SwajianDepartment of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7518-3743
Jade NiuDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Ayana KashikarDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Joshua KhawDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Hong PuDepartment of Pediatrics, The Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
Bernard ChoiDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
John D'OrazioDepartment of Pediatrics, The Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1008-6234
J Stuart NelsonDepartment of Surgery, Beckman Laser Institute, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.
Bahman AnvariDepartment of Bioengineering, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2511-5854

Funding

Erythrocyte-derived particles for near infrared phototherapy of port wine stains.R01AR068067 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA RIVERSIDE · PI Bahman V Anvari, JOHN STUART NELSON · 2016 to 2026
$3.3M
American Society for Laser Medicine and SurgeryArnold and Mabel Beckman FoundationNIAMS NIH HHS 2R01-AR068067NIAMS NIH HHS R01 AR068067
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesCryogen spray cooling (CSC) is critical for protecting the epidermis during laser dermatologic procedures. The widely used cryogen, R134a, has a high global warming potential (GWP), motivating interest in environmentally favorable alternatives such as HFO-1234ze. This study evaluated whether HFO-1234ze provides epidermal protection comparable to R134a during laser exposure and investigated the mechanistic basis underlying any differences in cooling performance.

methodsLaser-induced epidermal injury in conjunction with two cryogens was assessed in K14-SCF Mc1r

resultsMean hypopigmentation scores did not differ significantly between R134a- and HFO-1234ze-cooled sites across the full range of pigmentation and fluence studied (p = 0.46). Heat-map analysis and regression modeling confirmed that hypopigmentation increased with fluence and darker pigmentation but was independent of cryogen type. Surface temperature measurements using skin phantom revealed that R134a produced more aggressive transient cooling than HFO-1234ze, reaching approximately 10°C lower minimum temperatures. However, numerical modeling of skin cooling using heat flux inferred from phantom measurement showed that this surface advantage decayed rapidly with depth, resulting in ≤ 2°C-3°C differences within the viable epidermis.

conclusionsDespite differences in surface cooling magnitude, R134a and HFO-1234ze provided equivalent epidermal protection under clinically relevant conditions. These findings support HFO-1234ze as an effective, lower-GWP alternative to R134a for CSC in laser dermatologic applications.

Indexed as

EpidermisSkin PigmentationAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalFemaleMicedermatologic laser surgeryhydrofluoroolefinmelanintemperature measurementtransgenic mice

Identifiers

PMID41765759
PMCPMC13005689

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.