WorldWideScience

Sample records for psoriasis vulgaris pv

  1. Coincident systemic lupus erythematosus and psoriasis vulgaris: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Y; Da, G; Yu, Y; Han, J; Li, H

    2015-12-01

    Psoriasis vulgaris is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory skin disease, but its association with other typical autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus has only occasionally been reported. We presented a 25-year-old female who developed systemic lupus erythematosus associated with psoriasis vulgaris. Her conditions were in good control after she got administration of prednisolone (5 mg/day) and Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook (20 mg/day). It is necessary to integrate past history and physical examination to diagnose coincident SLE and psoriasis, and combined treatment with prednisolone and Tripterygium Wilfordii Hook proves effective.

  2. Notch1 Signaling Regulates the Th17/Treg Immune Imbalance in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Lei; Xue, HaiBo; Gao, Tianqin; Gao, MeiLan; Zhang, YuJie

    2018-01-01

    To evaluate the regulating effect of Notch1 signaling on Th17/Treg immune imbalance in psoriasis vulgaris (PV). Notch1, Hes-1, ROR γ t, Foxp3, IL-17, and IL-10 mRNA expression, as well as Th17 and Treg cell percentages in peripheral CD4 + T cells, were detected by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and flow cytometry, and serum concentrations of IL-17 and IL-10 were detected by ELISA in 36 PV patients and 32 healthy controls. Additionally, CD4 + T cells from 12 PV patients were treated with γ -secretase inhibitor DAPT, and the above indexes were measured. PV patients presented distinct Th17/Treg immune imbalance and highly expressed Notch1 and Hes-1 mRNA levels, which were positively correlated with psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and the ratios of Th17/Treg and ROR γ t/Foxp3. DAPT treatment resulted in the obvious downregulation of Th17 cell percentage in cocultured CD4 + T cells, ROR γ t and IL-17 mRNA levels, and IL-17 concentration in cell-free supernatant from cocultured CD4 + T cells of PV patients in a dose-dependent manner, while there was no significant influence on Treg cell percentage, Foxp3, and IL-10 expression, therefore leading to the recovery of Th17/Treg immune imbalance. Notch1 signaling may contribute to the pathogenesis of PV by regulating Th17/Treg immune imbalance.

  3. Tinea manuum misdiagnosed as psoriasis vulgaris: A case of tinea incognito

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Funda Tamer

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Tinea incognito is a dermatophyte infection with altered clinical appearance which is usually caused by the use of immunosuppressive agents such as topical corticosteroids. Hereby, we present a 59-year-old Caucasian male patient with tinea manuum on the dorsum of his left hand. The lesion was formerly misdiagnosed as psoriasis vulgaris and treated with topical corticosteroids. However, the symptoms were worsened. Moreover, new papules and pustules appeared within the lesion. The past medical history was remarkable for psoriasis vulgaris and he had an erythematous and squamous plaque on his lower back resembling psoriasis vulgaris. In order to reach a definitive diagnosis, the skin lesion on the dorsum of the patient’s left hand was examined by light microscopy after the application of 10% potassium hydroxide solution. Detection of septate hyphae confirmed dermatophytosis. The lesion was completely healed with oral terbinafine 250 mg daily for four weeks. Dermatophyte infections in early stages may be misdiagnosed as psoriasis vulgaris and thus, prolonged use of corticosteroids can lead to tinea incognito. Therefore, cutaneous lesions unresponsive to topical corticosteroid treatment should be evaluated with microscopic examination and fungal culture to confirm a suspected dermatophyte infection. Past medical history can provide useful information but a complete dermatological examination should be performed before the final diagnosis is made.

  4. Serum peptides as putative modulators of inflammation in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuura, Tetsuhiko; Sato, Masaaki; Nagai, Kouhei; Sato, Toshiyuki; Arito, Mitsumi; Omoteyama, Kazuki; Suematsu, Naoya; Okamoto, Kazuki; Kato, Tomohiro; Soma, Yoshinao; Kurokawa, Manae S

    2017-07-01

    Psoriasis is a refractory inflammatory disease, however, its pathophysiology is still not fully understood. We tried to identify novel serum peptides associated with the pathophysiology of psoriasis. Serum peptides from 24 patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV), 10 patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), 14 patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), and 23 healthy control (HC) subjects were analyzed by mass spectrometry. The effects of some peptides on the secretion of humoral factors from dermal cells were investigated by cytokine arrays and ELISAs. A total of 93 peptides were detected. 24, 20, 23, and 2 peptides showed at least 1.2-fold difference in ion intensity between the psoriasis (PV+PsA) and HC groups, between the PV+PsA and AD groups, between the PV and PsA groups, and between patients with severe-to-moderate PV (n=6) and those with mild PV (n=18), respectively (ppsoriasis, regulating the secretion of inflammatory chemokines and an antimicrobial protein. The modulation of serum peptides may be a potential therapeutic strategy for psoriasis. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Calcipotriene/betamethasone dipropionate for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: an evidence-based review

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Nupur U; Felix, Kayla; Reimer, Danielle; Feldman, Steven R

    2017-01-01

    While topical medications remain the cornerstone of the psoriasis treatment paradigm, they also come with the risk of multiple side effects. An alternative topical treatment option, calcipotriene or calcipotriol, is a vitamin D derivative that is thought to work by inhibiting keratinocyte proliferation and enhancing keratinocyte differentiation. Multiple studies have demonstrated its efficacy and safety in improving psoriasis when used in combination with topical corticosteroids. Given the effectiveness and side effect profile seen with this combination of topical steroid and calcipotriene, the US Food and Drug Administration approved a calcipotriene/betamethasone dipropionate product for use in psoriasis patients over the age of 12 in 2006. Our paper seeks to review clinical trial evidence of this combination medication and its use in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. While assessment of available evidence indicates that the topical medication is both safe and effective for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris, addressing limitations of what is known, such as tolerability, adherence, and patient preference, of this combination drug in future high-impact studies is needed. PMID:29033598

  6. Wound Healing in a Patient with Psoriasis Vulgaris and Femur Megaprosthesis Implantation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Markus Nottrott

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Extraskeletal mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is extremely rare and, in combination with psoriasis, it has never been described before. We report a case of wide resection of an extraskeletal chondrosarcoma of the thigh and reconstruction with a femoral megaprosthesis in a patient with psoriasis vulgaris. Special emphasis has been laid to postoperative wound healing in psoriatic skin which did not show any problems.

  7. Geographic Tongue and Fissured Tongue in 348 Patients with Psoriasis: Correlation with Disease Severity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruna L. S. Picciani

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Geographic tongue (GT and fissured tongue (FT are the more frequent oral lesions in patients with psoriasis. The aims of this study were to compare the prevalence of GT/FT between psoriasis group (PG and healthy controls (HC and investigate the correlation between GT/FT and psoriasis severity using the PASI and age of psoriasis onset. Three hundred and forty-eight PG and 348 HC were selected. According to the age of psoriasis onset, the individuals were classified as having early psoriasis and late psoriasis. The severity of vulgaris psoriasis was determined according to PASI. A follow-up was conducted in patients with psoriasis vulgaris (PV with GT to evaluate the progression of oral and cutaneous lesions. The FT and GT were more frequent in PG than in HC. The incidence of GT was higher in patients with early psoriasis and that of FT in late-psoriasis. There is association between psoriasis intensity and GT; and a higher monthly decrease of PASI score in patients without GT. The presence of GT and FT is higher in PG than in the HC. GT is associated with disease severity and may be a marker of the psoriasis severity.

  8. The acitretin and methotrexate combination therapy for psoriasis vulgaris achieves higher effectiveness and less liver fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Jingang; Zhang, Dingwei; Wu, Jiawen; Li, Jiong; Teng, Xiu; Gao, Xiaomin; Li, Ruilian; Wang, Xiuying; Xia, Linlin; Xia, Yumin

    2017-07-01

    Both acitretin and methotrexate are effective in ameliorating psoriatic lesion. However, their combination has been seldom reported in the treatment of psoriasis because of the warning regarding the potential hepatotoxicity of the drug interactions. This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of such combination therapy for psoriasis vulgaris, and the potential benefit as well as side effect during the treatment. Thirty-nine patients with psoriasis vulgaris were treated with acitretin, methotrexate or their combination or as control. Similarly, K14-VEGF transgenic psoriasis-like mice were treated with these drugs. Human primary keratinocytes and hepatic stellate cells were used for analyzing their effect in vitro. The results showed that the combination therapy exhibited higher effectiveness in remitting skin lesion, but did not significantly affect the liver function of both patients and mice. Moreover, the combination groups showed less elevation of profibrotic factors in sera when compared with methotrexate alone groups accordingly. Furthermore, primary keratinocytes expressed more involucrin as well as loricrin and proliferated more slowly on the combined stimulation. Interestingly, such combination treatment induced lower expression of profibrotic factors in hepatic stellate cells. In conclusion, the acitretin-methotrexate combination therapy for psoriasis vulgaris can achieve higher effectiveness and result in less liver fibrosis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. Manifestations and intensity of indirect self-destructiveness in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wojciech Bienias

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic systemic disease which often significantly reduces the quality of life in extreme situations can provide to severe depression and even suicide. Indirect self-destructiveness is a generalized trend of behavior consisting of taking steps to increase the likelihood of negative and reduce the likelihood of positive consequences for the entity within a general manifestations such as transgression of norms and risk, addictions, poor health maintenance, personal and social neglect, lack of planfulness, helplessness and passiveness. Polish and world literature has no publications on indirect self-destructiveness in psoriasis nor in any skin diseases. The main aim of this study was to investigate the intensity and symptoms of indirect self-destructiveness in population of patients with psoriasis vulgaris Material and methods: The material consisted of 82 patients with psoriasis vulgaris hospitalized in the Department of Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology and Oncology in 2013-2014. For the achievement of the objectives of the research socio-demographic questionnaire (own authorship and Indirect Chronic Self-Destructiveness Scale by Kelley in Polish adaptation of Suchańska (version for men and women – each containing 52 issues was used. Results: The results showed that in a population of people with psoriasis overall severity of indirect self-destructiveness was in the lower range of the average results. The dominant class of indirect self-destructiveness was helplessness and passivity that preceded the poor health maintenance and lack of planning. Conclusions: The results will enrich the existing knowledge about the harmful conduct of psoriasis and a better approach to the patient.

  10. Frequency, and magnitude of anxiety and depression in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nasreen, S.; Ahmed, I.; Effendi, S.

    2008-01-01

    To determine the frequency of anxiety and depression in patients with psoriasis. All patients presenting with psoriasis vulgaris above the age of 15 years, of either gender, fulfilling the selection criteria were included in the study. Clinical diagnosis was confirmed by biopsy and histopathology. Documentation of disease severity as mild, moderate and severe was done, using Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). Patients were asked to fill AKUADS for their psychiatric assessment and scoring was done on this basis. Patients scoring equal to or above 19 were labeled as having anxiety or depression. There were 56 males (62%) and 33 females (38%), aged 20 to 65 years in the study. Out of those, 52 (58%) were married; while 37 (42%) were unmarried. The minimum duration of illness was 6 months and maximum 15 years. Thirty-four patients (38%) were suffering from mild disease, 31 (35%) from moderate and the remaining 24 (27%) from severe psoriasis. Twenty-four (27%) were on topical therapy while the other 65 (73%) were receiving systemic as well as topical therapy. Joint involvement was seen in 25 patients (28%) and nail changes in 31 (35%). Psychiatric illness was positive in 34 patients (38%, p<0.05) i.e. 20 males (59%) and 14 females (41%). Twenty-six patients (76%) were married (p<0.05). Anxiety and depression was seen irrespective of the disease duration. The mean AKUADS scores in accordance with disease severity were mild psoriasis 20, moderate psoriasis 22 and severe psoriasis 25. Twenty-one patients (62%, p=0.05) with joint involvement and another 23 (68%, p<0.05) with nail involvement had a score above 19. Thirty-one patients (91%) were receiving systemic as well as local therapy, while 3 patients (9%) were on topical treatment (p<0.05). There is an association of psoriasis vulgaris with anxiety and depression. The magnitude of this anxiety and depression can be influenced by variables of disease and life. (author)

  11. Based on Molecular Profiling of Gene Expression, Palmoplantar Pustulosis and Palmoplantar Pustular Psoriasis Are Highly Related Diseases that Appear to Be Distinct from Psoriasis Vulgaris.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert Bissonnette

    Full Text Available There is a controversy surrounding the existence of palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP and palmoplantar pustular psoriasis (PPPP as separate clinical entities or as variants of the same clinical entity. We used gene expression microarray to compare gene expression in PPP and PPPP.Skin biopsies from subjects with PPP (3, PPPP (6, psoriasis vulgaris (10 and acral skin from normal subjects (7 were analyzed using gene expression microarray. Principal component analysis showed that PPP and PPPP were different from psoriasis vulgaris and normal acral skin. However gene expression of PPP and PPPP clustered together and could not be used to differentiate PPP from PPPP. Gene-wise comparison between PPP and PPPP found no gene to be differentially expressed at a false discovery rate lower than 0.05. Surprisingly we found a higher expression of several genes involved in neural pathways (e.g. GPRIN and ADAM23 in PPP/PPPP as compared to psoriasis vulgaris and normal acral skin. Immunohistochemistry confirmed those findings and showed a keratinocyte localization for those proteins.PPP and PPPP could not be differentiated using gene expression microarray suggesting that they are not distinct clinical entities. Increased expression of GPRIN1, and ADAM23 in keratinocytes suggests that these proteins could be new therapeutic targets for PPP/PPPP.

  12. Role of anti-depressant fluoxetine in the puva treatment of psoriasis vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitra A

    2001-11-01

    Full Text Available Severity of psoriasis vulgaris is known to be modified by psychological stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of fluoxetine in the PU VA treatment of psoriasis. Twenty patients with progressive disease having more than thirty per cent body area involvement were included in a randomized, double blinded, placebo- controlled, age and sex matched study. All patients were on PUVA treatment, half of patients were given fluoxetine 20 mgs daily whereas the ten were given placebo. Assessment was done by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI scoring after every 5 exposures of PUVA treatment till 20 treatments. All ten patients who took fluoxetine along with PUVA treatment showed better response and quicker remission. Fluoxetine may be used as an adjuvant in PUVA treatment of psoriasis.

  13. Role of anti-depressant fluoxetine in the puva treatment of psoriasis vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mitra A

    2003-03-01

    Full Text Available Severity of Psoriasis Vulgaris is known to be modified by psychological stress. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of Fluoxetine in the PUVA treatment of Psoriasis. Twenty patients with progressive disease having more than thirty per cent body area involvement were included in a randomized, double blinded, placebo-controlled, age and sex matched study. All patients were on PUVAtreatment; half of the patients were given Fluoxetine 20 mgms daily whereas the other ten were given placebo. Assessment was done by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI scoring after every 5 exposures of PUVA treatment till 20 treatments. All ten patients who took Fluoxetine along with PUVA treatment showed better response and quicker remission. Fluoxetine may be used as an adjuvant in PUVA treatment of Psoriasis.

  14. The role of candida albicans in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris: a systematic literature review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sona Sepahi

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease that is related to many genetic, and environmental factors, as well as infectious pathogens. Findings suggest that the Candida species, particularly Candida albicans, may play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris. In this study, we aimed to systematically review the possible association between C. albicans and the prevalence of psoriasis. Methods: A systematic search of existing literature was performed in the PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar databases and the Google search engine using the following search strategy ((Candida albicans OR C. albicans OR Candida AND (psoriasis vulgaris OR plaque psoriasis OR psoriasis to find relevant articles that described a possible positive or negative association between C. albicans and the incidence or progression of psoriasis. The search was not limited to articles that were published within a specific time period; however, only those written in the English language were included in the review.Result: Of the 499 articles in total that were identified during the initial database search, 491 were excluded from the review because they failed to meet the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The total number of people involved in the selected studies, including both patients and healthy controls, was 1260. The analysis of the results of the included documents showed that the colonization of C. albicans is more prevalent in biological specimens taken from psoriatic patients.Conclusion: Studies show that C. albicans, opportunistic yeast, like diploid fungus, may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

  15. The frequency of cigarette smoking in patients with psoriasis vulgaris: a comparative study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ashkevari Sh

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available "n 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the skin. Recently, nicotinic cholinergic receptors have been demonstrated on keratinocytes, stimulating calcium influx and accelerating cell differentiation. Therefore, smoking and nicotine seem to influence inflammatory processes in psoriatic skin. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of cigarette smoking as an independent risk factor in patients with psoriasis who attended the department of dermatology at Razi Hospital in Rasht during the years 2008 and 2009. "n"nMethods : In this descriptive-inferential study, we recruited 96 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 96 individuals as the controls. The participants were adjusted for sex, age and body mass index. The collected data related to smoking status, duration of smoking habit, smoking intensity, pack-year smoking history, and passively exposure to smoking were documented in a researcher-devised questionnaire. Subsequently, the data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics such as χ2, t-test and Mann-Whitney U test by SPSS software."n"nResults : The smoking rate was 33.3% in the patients and 19.4% in the controls. Pack-year history, regarded as the intensity and duration (years of smoking, significantly increased the risk of psoriasis vulgaris (P<0.05, OR=2.07, 95% CI=1.17-3.68. Being a passive smoker did not make significant differences between the cases and the controls. "n"nConclusion: Our study demonstrated that psoriasis vulgaris had a

  16. Effects of excimer laser irradiation on the expression of Th17, Treg, TGF-beta1, and IL-6 in patients with psoriasis vulgaris

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Guo-Xin; Li, Xin-Zhong

    2017-11-01

    The effects of laser irradiation on the expression of T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T (Treg) cells and their related cytokines, transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) and interleukin-6 (IL-6), respectively, in the peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis vulgaris were investigated. 38 patients with psoriasis vulgaris in the stable state were selected as the treatment group that was treated twice a week for eight weeks. Another 38 healthy persons were chosen as the control group. Before and after treatment, the percentages of Th17 cells and Treg cells in the patients’ peripheral blood were detected using flow cytometry, the content of TGF-β1 and IL-6 in the patients’ sera were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the extent and severity of lesions were determined by weighing the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). After laser treatment, the percentage of Th17 cells, the Th17/Treg cell ratio and the level of IL-6 in the peripheral blood of patients with psoriasis in the treatment group were significantly lower than those of the same patients before the treatment (P  psoriasis vulgaris was 84.21%, and the PASI score was significantly lower (P  psoriasis vulgaris.

  17. Deciphering metabonomics biomarkers-targets interactions for psoriasis vulgaris by network pharmacology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Jiangyong; Li, Li; Wang, Dongmei; Zhu, Wei; Han, Ling; Zhao, Ruizhi; Xu, Xiaojie; Lu, Chuanjian

    2018-06-01

    Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory and immune-mediated skin disease. 44 metabonomics biomarkers were identified by high-throughput liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry in our previous work, but the roles of metabonomics biomarkers in the pathogenesis of psoriasis is unclear. The metabonomics biomarker-enzyme network was constructed. The key metabonomics biomarkers and enzymes were screened out by network analysis. The binding affinity between each metabonomics biomarker and target was calculated by molecular docking. A binding energy-weighted polypharmacological index was introduced to evaluate the importance of target-related pathways. Long-chain fatty acids, phospholipids, Estradiol and NADH were the most important metabonomics biomarkers. Most key enzymes belonged hydrolase, thioesterase and acyltransferase. Six proteins (TNF-alpha, MAPK3, iNOS, eNOS, COX2 and mTOR) were extensively involved in inflammatory reaction, immune response and cell proliferation, and might be drug targets for psoriasis. PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and five other pathways had close correlation with the pathogenesis of psoriasis and could deserve further research. The inflammatory reaction, immune response and cell proliferation are mainly involved in psoriasis. Network pharmacology provide a new insight into the relationships between metabonomics biomarkers and the pathogenesis of psoriasis. KEY MESSAGES   • Network pharmacology was adopted to identify key metabonomics biomarkers and enzymes.   • Six proteins were screened out as important drug targets for psoriasis.   • A binding energy-weighted polypharmacological index was introduced to evaluate the importance of target-related pathways.

  18. Chinese herbal Pulian ointment in treating psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome: a multi-center, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Nuo; Zhao, Wenbin; Xing, Jianmin; Liu, Jianping; Zhang, Guangzhong; Zhang, Yunbi; Li, Yuanwen; Liu, Wali; Shi, Fei; Bai, Yanping

    2017-05-15

    Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. We aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Chinese herbal Pulian ointment in treating psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome. A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted. Participants with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome were blinded and randomized to receive Pulian ointment or placebo ointment twice daily for 4 weeks, with follow-up 8 weeks after treatment. Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores, severity of each symptom and area of skin lesion and quality of life were assessed at baseline, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. Adverse events were recorded during the study. SAS 9.4 software and SPSS 17.0 software was applied for data analysis. A total of 300 participants with psoriasis vulgaris of blood-heat syndrome were assessed for eligibility, and 294 were randomly assigned to the Pulian ointment and placebo group from six study centers. Full analysis set (FAS): after 4 weeks of treatment, there were significant differences between groups in PASI score and the separate score of skin lesion area, favoring Pulian ointment group (P  0.05). Per protocol set (PPS): There was no statistically significant difference in PASI score and separate score of each symptom and area of skin lesion between two groups (P > 0.05). Quality of life measured by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) and 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) improved after treatment in both groups, but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). After being followed up for 8 weeks, the total relapse rates of the Pulian Ointment group and placebo group were 5.88 and 8.45%, respectively, and the difference was not statistically significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). No adverse event was observed in both groups throughout the study. Pulian Ointment seems effective and well tolerated in improving the

  19. Malaysian Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Psoriasis Vulgaris: Summary of recommendations for management in primary healthcare setting

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Choon Siew Eng

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a genetically determined, systemic immune-mediated chronic inflammatory disease that affects primarily the skin and joints. It has been estimated to affect 1-3% of the general population worldwide. There are several distinctive clinical sub-types of psoriasis. Psoriasis vulgaris (Figure 1, the most common type, is seen in 89% of the 6895 patients registered in the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry.1 Psoriatic arthritis is present in 15%. Patients with psoriasis, particularly those with severe disease, are more prone to depression, metabolic syndrome or the individual component of metabolic syndromes namely obesity, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and hypertension.2-6 Young adults with severe psoriasis have a 3-fold increased risk of developing myocardial infarction (MI and a reduction of 3-4 years in life expectancy.3,4,7 There is also increasing evidence that controlling chronic inflammation of psoriasis with systemic agents or biologics reduces cardiovascular co-morbidity.3,7-10

  20. SEZARY SYNDROME MIMICKING GENERALIZED PSORIASIS VULGARIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eko Rianova Lynoora

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Sezary syndrome is the leukemic variant of cutaneous T cell lymphoma. This disease is characterized by some reddish patches or plaques all over the skin which extends to the whole body into erythroderma, lymphadenopathy. It is also indicated by the presence of atypical lymphocytes called Sezary cells. This case report is aimed to know clinical manifestation, examination and management of Sezary syndrome which clinically resembles generalized psoriasis. A 60 years old man came with scaly reddish brown plaques almost all over his body. It was accompanied by lymphadenopathy on the supraclavicular lymph node right and left as well as intense itchy. Other clinical features were alopecia, palmoplantar hyperkeratosis, onychodysthropy, facies leonine without anesthesia on the lesion and enlargement of peripheral nerve. From a laboratory test, an increase in the number of leukocytes and, Sezary cells were found in peripheral blood smear examination; while the histopathology showed focal athrophy and acanthosis of the epidermis and dense infiltration of lymphocytes in the dermo-epidermal junction and superficial dermis. Patient received 3 x 5 mg (1 cycle of methotrexate (MTX with 0,1% cream mometasone furoate and 3x1 tablet of CTM for adjunctive therapy. Methotrexate was discontinued because there was a disturbance in liver function and deterioration of patient’s condition. After 25 days of treatment, the patient got sepsis and then passed away. Early onset of Sezary syndrome in this case is difficult to know because the clinical manifestation is similar with psoriasis vulgaris. Supporting examination such as laboratory test, blood smears and histopathology examination could help the diagnosis. The presence of lymphadenopathy, and atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and the extensive skin involvement reflect the poor prognosis. The most common cause of death was sepsis.

  1. Relapsing polychondritis associated with psoriasis vulgaris successfully treated with adalimumab: A case report with published work review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuo, Haruka; Asahina, Akihiko; Fukuda, Takeshi; Umezawa, Yoshinori; Nakagawa, Hidemi

    2017-07-01

    Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is a rare autoimmune-mediated disease characterized by inflammation involving cartilaginous tissues. We report here a case of RP in a 38-year-old Japanese man with 13-year duration of psoriasis vulgaris treated with topical steroids and vitamin D 3 . The patient presented with tender swelling and erythema of both auricles, and the antibody to type II collagen was detected. The biopsy specimen revealed a dense mixed cell infiltration over the auricular cartilage. We reviewed eight cases with the association of RP and psoriasis, and in all cases the clinical course of psoriasis did not correlate with that of RP. The severity of RP was mild in the majority of cases, and our case was unique in that the patient had no joint symptoms. Adalimumab treatment was effective for both RP and psoriasis. Fat-suppressed contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging was beneficial, not only to demonstrate subclinical inflammation in the nasal septum, but also to subjectively assess the improvement of RP. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  2. Calcipotriene plus betamethasone dipropionate topical suspension for the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis vulgaris on the body: a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Menter, Alan; Gold, Linda Stein; Bukhalo, Michael; Grekin, Steven; Kempers, Steven; Boyce, Brent M; Ganslandt, Cecilia; Villumsen, John; Lebwohl, Mark

    2013-01-01

    A combination topical suspension/gel containing calcipotriene plus betamethasone dipropionate has been developed as a safe and effective treatment for patients with psoriasis vulgaris of the scalp. This same preparation has the potential to be a convenient, effective, and cosmetically appealing formulation for psoriasis on the body. This trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of a topical suspension containing calcipotriene plus betamethasone dipropionate compared with its constituent components and topical suspension vehicle in the treatment of mild to moderate psoriasis on the trunk and limbs. This was a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, 4-arm trial in 1,152 subjects. The co-primary efficacy end points were the proportion of subjects achieving controlled disease based on the Investigators' Global Assessment of disease severity at weeks 4 and 8. Adverse events, vital signs, and clinical laboratory measurements were also assessed. At week 4, a greater proportion of subjects in the calcipotriene plus betamethasone group achieved controlled disease compared with subjects in the calcipotriene-only and vehicle-only treatment groups. At week 8, a statistically significantly (Psuspension containing calcipotriene plus betamethasone dipropionate traditionally used for scalp psoriasis is also a safe and effective once-daily treatment for psoriasis vulgaris on the body.

  3. The investigation of antimicrobial peptides expression and its related interaction with methotrexate treatment in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ozlu, Emin; Karadag, Ayse Serap; Ozkanli, Seyma; Oguztuzun, Serpil; Akbulak, Ozge; Uzuncakmak, Tugba Kevser; Demirkan, Serkan; Akdeniz, Necmettin

    2017-12-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic, inflammatory and immune-mediated disease. Recently, the role of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) such as human beta defensins (hBDs) in the pathogenesis of psoriasis has been investigated. We aimed to evaluate the expression profiles of hBD-1 and hBD-2 in psoriatic skin before and after methotrexate (MTX) therapy and to compare healthy controls. Immunohistochemical expressions of hBD-1 and hBD-2 were assessed in 16 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 20 normal skin biopsies from healthy controls. The patients were administered a 12 week of MTX and skin biopsy samples were obtained from the lesional skin of the patients pre-/posttreatment and normal body of the healthy controls. The median (range) Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) value was 21.6 (8.2-27.7) before the treatment whereas; 3.05 (1-23.4) after the treatment. hBD-1 expression in psoriasis patients was significantly higher as compared to the healthy controls before treatment (p psoriasis patients and healthy controls in terms of hBD-2 expression before treatment (p > 0.05). No significant difference was observed between before-after MTX treatment in terms of hBD-1 and hBD-2 expression levels in psoriasis patients (p > 0.05). These findings suggest a role for hBD-1 in psoriasis pathogenesis. But MTX treatment does not affect on hBD-1 and hBD-2 expressions. Further studies are needed to assess the roles of these AMPs in psoriasis etiopathogenesis.

  4. Oral Curcumin (Meriva Is Effective as an Adjuvant Treatment and Is Able to Reduce IL-22 Serum Levels in Patients with Psoriasis Vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emiliano Antiga

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Curcumin is a complementary therapy that may be helpful for the treatment of psoriasis due to its anti-inflammatory, antiangiogenic, antioxidant, and antiproliferative effects. In the present study we performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial to assess the effectiveness of a bioavailable oral curcumin in the treatment of psoriasis. Sixty-three patients with mild-to-moderate psoriasis vulgaris (PASI < 10 were randomly divided into two groups treated with topical steroids and Meriva, a commercially available lecithin based delivery system of curcumin, at 2 g per day (arm 1, or with topical steroids alone (arm 2, both for 12 weeks. At the beginning (T0 and at the end of the therapy (T12, clinical assessment and immunoenzymatic analysis of the serum levels of IL-17 and IL-22 were performed. At T12, both groups achieved a significant reduction of PASI values that, however, was higher in patients treated with both topical steroids and oral curcumin than in patients treated only with topical steroids. Moreover, IL-22 serum levels were significantly reduced in patients treated with oral curcumin. In conclusion, curcumin was demonstrated to be effective as an adjuvant therapy for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris and to significantly reduce serum levels of IL-22.

  5. TRB3 is elevated in psoriasis vulgaris lesions and mediates HaCaT cells proliferation in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xiao-Jing; Song, Tie-Jun; Zhang, Lu-Wei; Su, Ying; Wang, Ke-Yu; Sun, Qing

    2017-10-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease characterized by abnormal keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation, inflammation, and angiogenesis. Overexpression of tribbles homolog3 (TRB3), which belongs to the tribbles family of pseudokinases, has been found in several human tumors and metabolic diseases, but its role in psoriasis has not been fully clarified. The aim of this study is to investigate the expression of TRB3 in psoriasis and explore its roles in the proliferation of keratinocytes. Twenty-four patients with psoriasis vulgaris were recruited for the study. Diagnosis of psoriasis was based on clinical and histologic examinations. Immunohistochemistry and real-time reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) were performed to determine protein and messenger RNA (mRNA) expression of TRB3 in psoriasis lesions. 5-Bromo-2-deoxyUridine (BrdU) incorporation assay were performed for cell proliferation. Cell cycle distribution was assessed by flow cytometry analysis. The levels of TRB3 is elevated in psoriatic lesions compared with psoriatic non-lesions. The HaCat cells expressed the TRB3 gene. We found TRB3 silencing to significantly inhibit HaCat cell proliferation. Furthermore, the specific knockdown of TRB3 slowed down the cell cycle at the gap 0/first gap phase. In conclusion, our data suggest that TRB3 is overexpressed in lesions of patients with psoriasis and may be involved in the abnormal proliferation of keratinocytes. Therefore, TRB3 may be a potential therapeutic target for psoriasis. © American Federation for Medical Research (unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  6. Patient Adherence to Biologic Agents in Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hsu, Der Yi; Gniadecki, Robert

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Low adherence to therapies in psoriasis decreases treatment outcomes and increases the total health care costs. In spite of the wide use of biologic agents, patients' adherence to these drugs has not been extensively investigated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to measure adherence...... to the biologic drugs in a population of patients treated for psoriasis vulgaris using the medication possession ratio (MPR) index and to survey patients' attitudes to the treatment. METHODS: This is a single-center study on 247 patients with psoriasis vulgaris treated with adalimumab (n = 113), etanercept (n...... = 39), and ustekinumab (n = 95). MPR calculation was calculated monthly based on the hospital records documenting the dispensing of biologics to the patients. Clinical data [Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), presence of psoriatic arthritis, concomitant...

  7. Tailoring psoriasis therapy: Towards a safer and more effective systemic treatment

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Menting, S.P.

    2016-01-01

    Plaque type psoriasis, the focus of this thesis, is by far the most common clinical form of psoriasis with 80% of psoriasis patients suffering from it. Plaque type psoriasis, also known as psoriasis vulgaris, can occur everywhere on the skin and is characterized by well-defined, indurated

  8. Therapy of moderate and severe psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Werfel, Thomas

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective and methods: This health technology assessment (HTA report synthesises systematically randomized controlled studies (RCT on the therapy of moderate and severe psoriasis vulgaris which were published between 1999 and 2004; it includes some important clinical studies which have been published after 2004 and thus updates the English HTA report by Griffiths et al. [1]. The major objective is the evaluation of the medical effectiveness of different therapeutical approaches and the cost effectiveness with relevance for Germany. Results: The major conclusions from the results of medical RCT on moderate and severe psoriasis vulgaris are: Oral fumarates are effective in the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis vulgaris. However, fumarates quiet frequently cause moderate side effects. Cyclosporine and methotrexate are both effective in the treatment of severe psoriasis vulgaris. Both substances have a different spectrum of side effects which may limit the individual applicability. Acetritin is only moderately effective in the treatment of severe psoriasis of the plaque type. Calcipotriol or UV-radiation used at the same time can increase the clinical effectiveness of acetritin. Systemic PUVA, balneo-PUVA and UVB therapy are all effective for the treatment of severe psoriasis. The combination of UV therapy with vitamin D3 analogues or with topical steroids is more effective than the treatment with UV radiation alone. Saltwater baths increase the effectiveness of UVB therapy. No RCT on the therapeutical effects of topical tar or of dithranol in combination with UV therapy have been published so far. A continuous therapy with PUVA should not be applied due to its proven photocarcinogenicity. Three substances from the group of biologicals (Efalizumab, Etanercept, and Infliximab are now available in Europe and a further substance (Alefacept is available in the USA for the treatment of moderate to severe psoriasis. All biologicals have been

  9. Selective amplification of T-cell receptor variable region species is demonstrable but not essential in early lesions of psoriasis vulgaris: analysis by anchored polymerase chain reaction and hypervariable region size spectratyping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vekony, M A; Holder, J E; Lee, A J; Horrocks, C; Eperon, I C; Camp, R D

    1997-07-01

    Several groups have investigated the role of T cells in the pathogenesis of psoriasis by determination of T-cell receptor (TCR) B-chain variable (V) region usage, both in chronic plaque (psoriasis vulgaris) and guttate forms, with various results. Because there are no data on TCR expression in early psoriasis vulgaris, when specific cellular immune events may be expected to be most pronounced, we have analyzed early lesions (less than 3 wk old) of ten patients, with highly reproducible results. We have developed a highly controlled anchored polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method in which TCR beta chain species are all amplified with the same primer pair and products are quantified by dot blot hybridization with BV family-specific oligonucleotide probes. Overexpression of certain TCR BV genes was observed in the majority of lesional biopsies, but in samples in which the expanded BV family formed more than 10% of total lesional BV (half of the samples analyzed), BV2 and BV6 predominated. The consistency of overexpression of these BV species between patients was much less than in previous studies of TCRBV usage in established chronic plaque psoriasis lesions. Complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) size spectratyping demonstrated evidence for selective clonal T cell accumulation in less than half of the lesional samples showing BV expansion. These results indicate that selective amplification of TCRBV species occurs in early psoriasis vulgaris but is not essential to the pathogenic process and may be more important in the maintenance or expansion of chronic lesions.

  10. A study examining inter-rater and intrarater reliability of a novel instrument for assessment of psoriasis: the Copenhagen Psoriasis Severity Index.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berth-Jones, J.; Thompson, J.; Papp, K.

    2008-01-01

    BACKGROUND: There is a perceived need for a better method for clinical assessment of the severity of psoriasis vulgaris. The most frequently used system is the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), which has significant disadvantages, including the requirement for assessment of the percentage of

  11. Evidence to support IL-13 as a risk locus for psoriatic arthritis but not psoriasis vulgaris.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Bowes, John

    2011-06-01

    There is great interest in the identification of genetic factors that differentiate psoriatic arthritis (PsA) from psoriasis vulgaris (PsV), as such discoveries could lead to the identification of distinct underlying aetiological pathways. Recent studies identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the interleukin 13 (IL-13) gene region as risk factors for PsV. Further investigations in one of these studies found the effect to be primarily restricted to PsA, thus suggesting the discovery of a specific genetic risk factor for PsA. Given this intriguing evidence, association to this gene was investigated in large collections of PsA and PsV patients and healthy controls.

  12. The skin in psoriasis: assessment and challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oji, Vinzenz; Luger, Thomas A

    2015-01-01

    The coexistence of psoriasis arthritis (PsA) and psoriasis vulgaris in about 20% of patients with psoriasis leads to a need for rheumatologic-dermatologic team work. We summarise the role of dermatologists in assessment of the skin in psoriasis. Chronic plaque psoriasis must be differentiated from other subtypes such as generalised pustular psoriasis (GPP) or palmoplantar pustulosis (PPP). Therapeutic management is based on the evaluation of the disease severity. Quantitative scoring of skin severity includes calculation of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA) as well as the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). These scoring systems do not replace the traditional dermatologic medical history and physical examination of the patient. The skin should be examined for additional skin diseases; moreover, patients should be monitored for comorbidity, most importantly PsA and cardiovascular comorbidity.

  13. Eosinophils are rare in biopsy specimens of psoriasis vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosa, Gabriela; Fernandez, Anthony P; Schneider, Sarah; Billings, Steven D

    2017-12-01

    Histological features of lesional biopsies can be helpful in distinguishing psoriasis subtypes from disease mimickers. However, occasionally, classic histological features are not sufficient for distinction, and additional clues would be useful. There is a common belief that the presence of eosinophils in skin biopsies argues against psoriasis, but actual literature is scant. Skin biopsies with a diagnosis of psoriasis from 2013 to 2016 were reviewed. For inclusion, both histological and clinical features were required to be consistent with psoriasis. For biopsies meeting inclusion criteria, a detailed evaluation for typical histological parameters of psoriasis, as well as presence of dermal eosinophils, was performed. Of 85 cases meeting inclusion criteria, all had either individual or grouped intracorneal neutrophils and dilated papillary blood vessels. Diminished or complete loss of the granular cell layer was seen in 83 cases (98%), and parakeratosis was seen in 84 cases (99%). Alternatively, dermal eosinophils were seen in only 15 cases (18%). Of cases with eosinophils, none had more than 3 eosinophils upon examination of the entire dermis. Active treatment did not appear to impact presence/absence or numbers of eosinophils. Eosinophils are uncommon in psoriasis biopsies, and when present, they are found in small numbers. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Investigating the potential of Oxymatrine as a psoriasis therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Qian; Zhou, Hui; Yang, Yinxue; Chi, Mingwei; Xie, Nan; Zhang, Hong; Deng, Xingwang; Leavesley, David; Shi, Huijuan; Xie, Yan

    2017-06-01

    Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory skin disease, stubbornly intractable, with substantial consequences for patient physical and mental welfare. Approaches currently available to treat psoriasis are not satisfactory due to undesirable side-effects or expense. Psoriasis is characterized by hyperproliferation and inflammation. Oxymatrine, an active component extracted from Sophora flavescens, has been demonstrated to possess anti-proliferation, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumorigenic, immune regulation and pro-apoptotic properties. This investigation presents a detailed retrospective review examining the effect of Oxymatrine on psoriasis and investigates the mechanisms underlying patient responses to Oxymatrine. We confirm that Oxymatrine administration significantly reduced the Psoriasis Area Severity Index score, with high efficacy compared to the control group. In addition, we have found that Oxymatrine significantly inhibits the viability, proliferation and differentiation of human keratinocyte in vitro. Immunohistochemical analysis indicates Oxymatrine significantly suppresses the expression of Pan-Cytokeratin, p63 and keratin 10. The results indicate that the suppression of p63 expression may lead to the anti-proliferation effect of Oxymatrine on human skin keratinocytes. Oxymatrine does not affect the formation of basement membrane, which is very important to maintain the normal function of human skin keratinocytes. In summary, Oxymatrine offers an effective, economical, and safe treatment for patients presenting with intractable psoriasis vulgaris. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Novel methotrexate soft nanocarrier/fractional erbium YAG laser combination for clinical treatment of plaque psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramez, Shahenda A; Soliman, Mona M; Fadel, Maha; Nour El-Deen, Faisal; Nasr, Maha; Youness, Eman R; Aboel-Fadl, Dalea M

    2018-02-15

    Psoriasis is a commonly encountered chronic dermatological disease, presenting with inflammatory symptoms in patients. Systemic treatment of psoriasis is associated with several adverse effects, therefore the development of a customized topical treatment modality for psoriasis would be an interesting alternative to systemic delivery. The therapeutic modality explored in this article was the comparative treatment of psoriatic patients using nanoparticulated methotrexate in the form of jojoba oil-based microemulsion with or without fractional erbium YAG laser. Assessment parameters included follow-up photography for up to 8 weeks of treatment, estimation of the psoriasis severity [TES (thickness, erythema, scales)] score, and histopathological skin evaluation. The prepared methotrexate microemulsion was clinically beneficial and safe in treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. The concomitant use of the fractional laser provided improvement in the psoriatic plaques within shorter time duration (3 weeks compared to 8 weeks of treatment), presenting an alternative topical treatment modality for psoriasis vulgaris.

  16. Chimeric monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor alpha (infliximab in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sridhar J

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Insights into the pathogenesis of psoriasis have provided opportunities to target key steps in the disease process. Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a being crucial to the pathogenesis of psoriasis, monoclonal antibodies against this cytokine have proved useful in its treatment. Aim: To study the efficacy of chimeric monoclonal antibody to TNF-a (infliximab in Indian patients with recalcitrant psoriasis vulgaris. Materials and Methods: Three patients with recalcitrant psoriasis vulgaris were studied. Baseline haemogram, biochemical parameters, chest radiograph and Mantoux skin test were performed. A loading dose regimen of 5 mg/kg infliximab was administered at weeks 0, 2 and 6. PASI assessment, adverse drug event monitoring and laboratory assessments were carried out at 2-week intervals until week 10. Patients were followed up until week 22 for relapse. Results: Infliximab was well tolerated. The mean PASI was 25.4 at presentation and declined to 5.5 at 10 weeks. PASI 75 was attained at a mean of 9.6 weeks. Relapse occurred at a mean of 18.6 weeks after the first infusion. Conclusions: This study on Indian patients brings out the importance of cytokine-based therapies in psoriasis. Indigenous production could make these therapies a viable therapeutic option for psoriasis patients in the near future.

  17. The Coexistence of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Psoriasis: Is It Possible?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hendra Gunawan

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease with various clinical disorders and frequent exacerbations. Psoriasis vulgaris is a common skin disorder which affect 1-3% of general populations. The pathophysiology regarding the coexistence of these diseases is not fully understood. Therapeutic challenges arise since the treatment one of these diseases may aggravate the other. We reported two cases of SLE with psoriasis vulgaris with clinical manifestations as recurrent erythroderma with photosensitivity. Improvement in clinical condition was observed after treating the patients with methylprednisolone combined with methotrexate. The coexistence SLE and psoriasis are considered very rare. The presence of this overlap syndrome may precede one another or occur simultaneously and is closely related with the presence of anti-Ro/SSA. Thus, it raises new challenge regarding its relationships, diagnosis, therapeutic, and management.

  18. The management of psoriasis through diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duarte G

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Gleison Duarte,1 Luan Oliveira Barbosa,2 Maria Elisa A Rosa11Dermatology Division, Alergodermoclin, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil; 2Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública Salvador, Bahia, BrazilAbstract: Diet is an important factor in the management of several dermatological diseases, such as dermatitis herpetiformis, acne vulgaris, gout, phrynoderma, pellagra, psoriasis, and acrodermatitis enteropathica. New concepts have emerged concerning the influence of diet on psoriasis. For example, diet has an adjuvant role in the management of several cardiovascular comorbidities that exhibit a higher-than-expected prevalence in psoriatic patients. Functional foods, such as yellow saffron and fish oil, may exert favorable effects on immune and cardiovascular functions. A gluten-free diet may promote significant clinical and histologic improvement. Folate supplementation may induce clinical improvement of psoriasis, but side effects may also occur. Diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables are associated with a lower prevalence of psoriasis, and vegetarian diets were associated with clinical improvement. Additionally, many drug-diet interactions (retinoids, methotrexate, cyclosporine must be considered in patients with psoriasis. Therefore, in addition to current nutritional advice given to psoriasis patients, further studies are necessary in the role of diet in psoriasis therapy.Keywords: diet, lifestyle, psoriasis, recommendations, supplementation

  19. Immunology of Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lowes, Michelle A.; Suárez-Fariñas, Mayte; Krueger, James G.

    2014-01-01

    The skin is the front line of defense against insult and injury and contains many epidermal and immune elements that comprise the skin-associated lymphoid tissue (SALT). The reaction of these components to injury allows an effective cutaneous response to restore homeostasis. Psoriasis vulgaris is the best-understood and most accessible human disease that is mediated by T cells and dendritic cells. Inflammatory myeloid dendritic cells release IL-23 and IL-12 to activate IL-17-producing T cells, Th1 cells, and Th22 cells to produce abundant psoriatic cytokines IL-17, IFN-γ, TNF, and IL-22. These cytokines mediate effects on keratinocytes to amplify psoriatic inflammation. Therapeutic studies with anticytokine antibodies have shown the importance of the key cytokines IL-23, TNF, and IL-17 in this process. We discuss the genetic background of psoriasis and its relationship to immune function, specifically genetic mutations, key PSORS loci, single nucleotide polymorphisms, and the skin transcriptome. The association between comorbidities and psoriasis is reviewed by correlating the skin transcriptome and serum proteins. Psoriasis-related cytokine-response pathways are considered in the context of the transcriptome of different mouse models. This approach offers a model for other inflammatory skin and autoimmune diseases. PMID:24655295

  20. Immunologic prediction of relapse in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) in clinical remission.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daneshpazhooh, Maryam; Zafarmand Sedigh, Vahid; Balighi, Kamran; Hosseini, S Hamed; Ramezani, Ali; Kalantari, Mohammad-Sadegh; Ghandi, Narges; Ghiasi, Maryam; Nikoo, Azita; Chams-Davatchi, Cheyda

    2016-06-01

    Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is characterized by multiple relapses, occurring especially in patients on minimal therapy or off therapy. To identify immunologic predictors (anti-desmoglein [Dsg] 1 and 3 antibodies; direct immunofluorescence [DIF]) for relapse in PV patients. Eighty-nine patients in complete clinical remission for at least 6 months and receiving less than or equal to 10 mg prednisolone daily and no immunosuppressive drugs were evaluated using DIF (n=89) and Dsg ELISA (n=46). They were followed until relapse or for at least 18 months. DIF was positive in 44 of 89 patients (49.5%); anti-Dsg 3 antibodies were detected in 18 of 46 patients (39.1%) and anti-Dsg 1 antibodies were detected in 4 of 46 patients (8.7%). Relapse occurred in 38 patients (42.7%). Mean relapse-free time was significantly shorter in anti-Dsg 3-positive patients compared to anti-Dsg 3- negative patients (P = .015) and in DIF-positive patients compared to DIF-negative patients (P = .047), but not in anti-Dsg 1- positive patients compared to anti-Dsg 1-negative patients (P = .501). Sensitivity and predictive values of neither of these tests were high. Small number of anti-Dsg 1-positive patients and use of conventional ELISA. Positive anti-Dsg 3 ELISA and, to a lesser degree, positive DIF are predictors of relapse in PV patients in clinical remission. Decision on discontinuing treatment should be based on the results of these tests as well as on clinical findings. Copyright © 2015 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. The Class II trehalose 6-phosphate synthase gene PvTPS9 modulates trehalose metabolism in Phaseolus vulgaris nodules.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aarón Barraza

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Legumes form symbioses with rhizobia, producing nitrogen-fixing nodules on the roots of the plant host. The network of plant signaling pathways affecting carbon metabolism may determine the final number of nodules. The trehalose biosynthetic pathway regulates carbon metabolism and plays a fundamental role in plant growth and development, as well as in plant-microbe interactions. The expression of genes for trehalose synthesis during nodule development suggests that this metabolite may play a role in legume-rhizobia symbiosis. In this work, PvTPS9, which encodes a Class II trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, was silenced by RNA interference in transgenic nodules. The silencing of PvTPS9 in root nodules resulted in a reduction of 85% (± 1% of its transcript, which correlated with a 30% decrease in trehalose contents of transgenic nodules and in untransformed leaves. Composite transgenic plants with PvTPS9 silenced in the roots showed no changes in nodule number and nitrogen fixation, but a severe reduction in plant biomass and altered transcript profiles of all Class II TPS genes. Our data suggest that PvTPS9 plays a key role in modulating trehalose metabolism in the symbiotic nodule and, therefore, in the whole plant.

  2. Current Pathophysiological Aspects and Therapeutic Modalities for Pemphigus Vulgaris : A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J Raviraj

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Pemphigus vulgaris (PV is an autoimmune disorder manifesting primarily as blisters involving the mucocutaneous systems. The current medical literature indicates many breakthroughs in the research of pathophysiology and treatment aspects of PV. This article tries to describe some of the novel aspects briefing the role of nondesmoglein antibodies and the role of TNF-alpha in the etiopathogenesis of pemphigus vulgaris and the role of newer therapeutic modalities like Rituximab, Etanercept, intravenous Immunoglobulins, cholinergic drugs, arid the like in the treatment of PV.

  3. Epidemiology and treatment of psoriasis: a Chinese perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pan R

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Ran Pan, Jianzhong Zhang Department of Dermatology, Peking University People's Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that has a negative impact on quality of life. Prevalence and management of psoriasis varies among different ethnic groups. Objectives: To evaluate the epidemiology and treatment of psoriasis from a Chinese perspective. Methods: A systematic search was performed on PubMed and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure using the following MeSH terms: "psoriasis" and ("prevalence" or "epidemiology" and "risk factor" and ("management" or "treatment". The search included all citations from 1975 to 2013. Data were sorted by prevalence, age of onset, sex distribution, type, severity, risk factors, and management and treatment. Severity of psoriasis was classified as mild, moderate, or severe. The studies cited in this review involved Chinese subjects. Results: The prevalence of psoriasis in the People's Republic of China ranged from 0.11% to 0.47%. Genetic and environmental factors played an important role in initiation and exacerbation of psoriasis. Results showed that psoriasis can occur at any age but is more common in young and middle-aged individuals and occurs more often in men and earlier in women. Psoriasis vulgaris accounted for 82.6%–97.1% of psoriasis patients. More than 90% of patients with psoriasis were classified as mild or moderately severe. Risk factors are numerous. Management and treatment was based on classification level. Conclusion: The prevalence of psoriasis in Chinese patients is lower than that in Caucasians. A cold and dry climate, bacterial infection, diet, and stress are important risk factors for developing psoriasis. There are a variety of management and treatment options available. As such, Chinese patients with psoriasis can receive effective, safe, and individualized treatment. Keywords: psoriasis, epidemiology, risk factors

  4. Methotrexate treatment provokes apoptosis of proliferating keratinocyte in psoriasis patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elango, Tamilselvi; Thirupathi, Anand; Subramanian, Swapna; Ethiraj, Purushoth; Dayalan, Haripriya; Gnanaraj, Pushpa

    2017-08-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by hyper proliferation of keratinocytes. Recent data show that the epidermis thickening in psoriasis may be related to imbalance of homeostasis caused by abnormal apoptotic process. Maintenance of keratinocyte apoptotic process is very important in psoriasis. Methotrexate (MTX) has been used for many years to restore the normal skin in psoriasis condition. However, the exact mechanism of MTX in psoriasis condition is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to examine the role of MTX on keratinocyte apoptosis pathway in psoriasis patients. A total of 58 psoriasis vulgaris patients were recruited for this study. Nonlesional skin biopsies served as control. Skin biopsies of psoriatic patients were collected and analyzed for cytosolic, mitochondria and total cytochrome c by ELISA. Expression of caspase-9, NFκBp65, pAkt1 by western blot, real-time PCR and immunohistochemical analysis of c-FLIP protein was analyzed in nonlesional and lesional skin biopsies before (day 0) and after (at the end of 6 and 12 weeks) MTX treatment. After MTX treatment, a significant increase in cytochrome c was observed when compared with before MTX treatment in psoriasis patients (p psoriasis by controlling the acanthosis.

  5. Vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mukaddes Kavala

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Thyroid disorders may affect all of the organ systems of the body and they are also highly associated with a wide variety of skin disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of thyroid function abnormalities and thyroid autoimmunity in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV and to determine the association between thyroid disorders and clinical involvement and systemic corticosteroid treatment in patients with PV. Methods. The study consisted of eighty patients with PV and eighty healthy individuals. Thyroid functions (fT3, fT4, and TSH and thyroid autoimmunity (anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO, and anti-thyroglobulin (anti-Tg antibodies were investigated in both groups. Primary thyroid disease (PTD was diagnosed with one or more of the following diagnostic criteria: (i positive antithyroid antibodies, (ii primary thyroid function abnormalities. Results. Significant changes in the serum thyroid profile were found in 16% (13/80 of the PV group and 5% (4/80 of the control group. Positive titers of antithyroid antibodies (anti-TPO and anti-Tg were observed in 7 patients (9% with PV and one in the control group (1,2%. Hashimoto thyroiditis was diagnosed in 9% of PV patients and it was found to be more prevalent in the mucosal form of PV. PTD was found in 13 of (%16 PV patients which was significantly high compared to controls. PTD was not found to be associated with systemic corticosteroid use. Free T3 levels were significantly lower in PV group compared to the control group and free T4 levels were significantly higher in PV group compared to the controls. Conclusions. PV may exist together with autoimmune thyroid diseases especially Hashimoto thyroiditis and primer thyroid diseases. Laboratory work-up for thyroid function tests and thyroid autoantibodies should be performed to determine underlying thyroid diseases in patients with PV.

  6. Low Vitamin D in psoriasis: Reality or myth?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Preethi B Nayak

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic disease with the beneficial effect of topical vitamin D3 analogs, known for a long time. Low levels of vitamin D are increasingly found to be associated with the initial development of some autoimmune diseases. There are contradictory reports of low serum levels of vitamin D3 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Aims: (1 To determine the serum levels of vitamin D, calcium and C-reactive protein (CRP in patients with psoriasis vulgaris, (2 To compare these levels with the serum levels of controls, and (3 To correlate them with the severity of the disease. Subjects and Methods: A hospital-based case–control study with 61 patients of psoriasis and 61 age- and sex-matched controls was undertaken. A detailed history was taken and examination including body mass index, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI was done. Estimations of serum vitamin D, serum calcium, and CRP levels were done. Results: Mean 25(OH vitamin D level was not significantly different between persons with and without psoriasis. Mean vitamin D level in cases was 18.41±9.41 and that in controls was 17.24±13.03 (P=0.63. However, vitamin D level were significantly lower in females than in males in both cases (P=0.02 and controls (P=0.006. There was no significant correlation between the severity of psoriasis and serum levels of vitamin D, serum calcium, and CRP. Conclusions: Serum level of vitamin D did not correlate with the severity of psoriasis in our study.

  7. Psoriasis Uncovered – Comorbid Conditions with Special Reference to Metabolic Syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belliappa Pemmanda Raju

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-inflammatory-mediated disease affecting approximately 1-3% of the population worldwide. All around the world, there is growing evidence of the association between psoriasis and comorbidities, especially metabolic syndrome which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Co-morbidities are likely linked to underlying chronic inflammatory nature of psoriasis. Aim: The objectives of our study were to determine the prevalence of diabetes, lipid abnormalities, and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with plaque psoriasis, and also to investigate metabolic syndrome associated with plaque psoriasis. Material and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients with psoriasis vulgaris diagnosed clinically and histopathologically were recruited. A detailed history and examination was recorded for all study subjects, including the age and gender of the patients, extent of psoriasis, duration, and age at onset. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed in the presence of three or more criteria of abdominal obesity, blood pressure >130/85 mmHg, fasting blood glucose ≥100 mg/dl, hypertriglyceridemia >150 mg/dl, and low HDL cholesterol (<40 mg/dl for males, <50mg/dl for females. Results: Prevalence of various comorbidities was: central obesity (58.3%, hypertension (46.79%, dyslipidaemia (43.3%, diabetes mellitus (26.7%, metabolic syndrome (25%, ischaemic heart disease (5% and stroke (2.4%. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was more in patients who had longer mean disease duration of psoriasis. Conclusions: The perception of psoriasis being merely ‘skin deep’ has to change among clinicians. Active screening for these cardiovascular comorbidities in all psoriasis patients is highly recommended..

  8. Patient benefit index (PBI) in the treatment of psoriasis--results of the National Care Study "PsoHealth".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, Marc Alexander; Schäfer, Ines; Blome, Christine; Augustin, Matthias

    2013-04-01

    Psoriasis vulgaris is a common disease that follows a chronic course. So far, few studies have addressed outcome methods which evaluate the benefits of drugs and medical devices by measuring patient preferences. Assessment of patients' outcomes using the "Patient benefit index" (PBI), a validated goal attainment scaling tool, in the treatment of psoriasis. Data were obtained within an epidemiological study in 2,009 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and/or psoriatic arthritis. Cross-sectional study in 133 nationwide German dermatological practices and hospital departments. The following were recorded a) in the doctors' questionnaire--previous treatments and diseases, clinical characteristics and psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), b) in the patients' questionnaire--quality of life (LQ), patient-relevant therapeutic benefits and satisfaction with care. On average, patients achieved a total PBI of 2.5±1.1. 86.7% of patients showed a more than minimum benefit (PBI>1). Patients treated with biologicals had a higher benefit (mean PBI 3.0) than patients in other groups (e.g. PBI 2.6 in systemics). PBI values indicate that systemic agents and biologics are of high therapeutic benefit to the vast majority of patients. The development of the PBI has enabled a decisive step to be taken in the area of scientifically-based outcome assessments.

  9. Fixed Combination Aerosol Foam Calcipotriene 0.005% (Cal) Plus Betamethasone Dipropionate 0.064% (BD) is More Efficacious than Cal or BD Aerosol Foam Alone for Psoriasis Vulgaris

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyring, Stephen; Bukhalo, Michael; Alonso-Llamazares, Javier; Olesen, Martin; Lowson, David; Yamauchi, Paul

    2016-01-01

    Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of fixed combination aerosol foam calcipotriene 0.005% (Cal) plus betamethasone dipropionate 0.064% (BD). Design: Patients were randomized (100:101:101) to receive Cal/BD foam, Cal foam, or BD foam once daily for four weeks. Setting: Twenty-eight United States centers. Participants: 302 patients (≥18 years) with Psoriasis vulgaris (plaque Psoriasis; ≥mild disease severity by physicians global assessment). Measurements: Treatment success of the body (“clear”/”almost clear” from baseline moderate/severe disease; “clear” from baseline mild disease). Involved scalp treatment success was an additional endpoint. Results: Most patients (76%) had moderate Psoriasis of the body (66% for scalp). At Week 4, 45 percent of Cal/BD foam patients achieved treatment success, significantly more than Cal foam (14.9%; OR 4.34 [95%CI 2.16,8.72] Pfoam (30.7%; 1.81 [1.00,3.26] P=0.047). Fifty-three percent of Cal/BD foam patients achieved treatment success of the scalp, significantly greater than Cal foam (35.6%; 1.91 [1.09,3.35] P=0.021), but not BD foam (47.5%; 1.24 [0.71,2.16] P=0.45). Mean modified Psoriasis area and severity index (population baseline 7.6) improved in all groups, with statistically significant differences in Week 4 Cal/BD foam score (2.37) versus Cal foam (4.39; mean difference -2.03 [-2.63][-1.43] Pfoam (3.37; -1.19 [-1.80][-0.59] Pfoam was significantly more effective than Cal foam and BD foam in providing treatment success at Week 4 and effective on involved scalp. Trial registration: NCT01536938. PMID:27313822

  10. Budget impact model in moderate-to-severe psoriasis vulgaris assessing effects of calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate foam on per-patient standard of care costs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Asche, Carl V; Kim, Minchul; Feldman, Steven R; Zografos, Panagiotis; Lu, Minyi

    2017-09-01

    To develop a budget impact model (BIM) for estimating the financial impact of formulary adoption and uptake of calcipotriene and betamethasone dipropionate (C/BD) foam (0.005%/0.064%) on the costs of biologics for treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis vulgaris in a hypothetical US healthcare plan with 1 million members. This BIM incorporated epidemiologic data, market uptake assumptions, and drug utilization costs, simulating the treatment mix for patients who are candidates for biologics before (Scenario #1) and after (Scenario #2) the introduction of C/BD foam. Predicted outcomes were expressed in terms of the annual cost of treatment (COT) and the COT per member per month (PMPM). At year 1, C/BD foam had the lowest per-patient cost ($9,913) necessary to achieve a Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI)-75 response compared with etanercept ($73,773), adalimumab ($92,871), infliximab ($34,048), ustekinumab ($83,975), secukinumab ($113,858), apremilast ($47,960), and ixekizumab ($62,707). Following addition of C/BD foam to the formulary, the annual COT for moderate-to-severe psoriasis would decrease by $36,112,572 (17.91%, from $201,621,219 to $165,508,647). The COT PMPM is expected to decrease by $3.00 (17.86%, from $16.80 to $13.80). Drug costs were based on Medi-Span reference pricing (January 21, 2016); differences in treatment costs for drug administration, laboratory monitoring, or adverse events were not accounted for. Potentially confounding were the definition of "moderate-to-severe" and the heterogeneous efficacy data. The per-patient cost for PASI-75 response at year 1 was estimated from short-term efficacy data for C/BD foam and apremilast only. The introduction of C/BD foam is expected to decrease the annual COT for moderate-to-severe psoriasis treatable with biologics by $36,112,572 for a hypothetical US healthcare plan with 1 million plan members, and to lower the COT PMPM by $3.00.

  11. Pediatric psoriasis: Should we be concerned with comorbidity? Cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelati, Awatef; Baybay, Hanane; Najdi, Adil; Zinoune, Safae; Mernissi, Fatima Z

    2017-08-01

    Similarly to psoriasis in adults, recent research has linked psoriasis to several comorbidities in children. The aim of this study was therefore to describe comorbidities associated with pediatric psoriasis, to investigate their relationship with psoriasis characteristics and severity, and to perform a review of the literature. A cross-sectional study was performed on a sample of Moroccan children with psoriasis, in 2014-2016. A total of 64 pediatric psoriasis patients had metabolic comorbidities in association with psoriasis; 20 children had non-metabolic comorbidities; and 76 children had no comorbidity. The metabolic comorbidities were as follows: abdominal obesity, 40% (n = 64); overweight, 12.5% (n = 20); metabolic syndrome, 3.7% (n = 6); and dyslipidemia, 3.1% (n = 5); the non-metabolic comorbidities were atopy, 4.3% (n = 7); epilepsy, 3.1% (n = 5); celiac disease, 1.8% (n = 3); vitiligo, 1.8% (n = 3); alopecia ariata, 0.6% (n = 1); and valvular cardiopathy, 0.6% (n = 1). No cases of diabetes mellitus, obesity, or high blood pressure were recorded. Significant factors associated with metabolic comorbidity were extended psoriasis vulgaris >10% (P = 0.01; OR, 2.19), severe psoriasis especially pustular and erythroderma (P = 0.018; OR, 2), nail involvement (P = 0.016; OR, 1.5), face involvement (P = 0.01; OR, 1,59), resistance to topical treatment (P = 0.003; OR, 2.5) and alteration of quality of life (P = 0.02; OR, 1,7). There was no significant risk factor associated with non-metabolic comorbidity. Given the frequent association of pediatric psoriasis with many disorders, these comorbidities should be investigated and identified so that they can be taken into account in the management of psoriasis in order to avoid treatment failure. Regular follow up should be carried out in patients at risk of metabolic comorbidity. © 2017 Japan Pediatric Society.

  12. Management of Suspected Pemphigus Vulgaris in Elderly Patient with Chronic Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ayu M. Prihanti

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available 72 1024x768 Pemphigus vulgaris (PV is a group of vesicobullous disease affecting skin and mucous membranes. PV is associated with autoimmune diseases, characterized by binding of IgG autoantibodies to desmoglein 3. PV lesion is a thin-walled bulla arising on the skin or mucosa. Oral mucous bulla are fragile and easily breakdown, forming irreguler ulcers. There are several factors that trigger PV, including genetic factors, age, drugs and food. This paper aimed to report treatment of suspected pemphigus vulgaris in elderly patient with history of chronic diseases. A 75-year-old woman with 2 months history of bulla formation on skin and history of persistent oral ulceration. Ulcers were covered with fibrin and erosive erythematous on labial, buccal and gingival mucosa. History of hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hepatitis was revealed. Routine complete blood count showed thrombocytopenia. Diagnosis was confirmed by anamnesis, clinical examination and complete blood investigation. PV should be distinguished from other vesicobullous disease. Systemic corticosteroid was given concurrently with hepato-protector, mouthwash, supportive therapy and topical lip cream. Bulla on skin and persistent erosive ulcers of the oral mucosa are the manifestations of PV. Elderly patient with history of chronic diseases showed a complex care of PV requiring more intensive and comprehensive treatment.DOI: 10.14693/jdi.v20i1.129

  13. Characteristics of psoriasis in Greece: an epidemiological study of a population in a sunny Mediterranean climate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigopoulos, Dimitris; Gregoriou, Stamatis; Katrinaki, Aimilia; Korfitis, Chrysovalantis; Larios, Giorgos; Stamou, Christos; Mourellou, Olympia; Petridis, Athanasios; Rallis, Efstathios; Sotiriadis, Dimitris; Katsambas, Andreas D; Antoniou, Christina

    2010-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with important socioeconomic consequences. Data on psoriasis prevalence in Greece is scarce and circumstantially reported. The aim of this study was the recording of psoriatic patients' demographic data, clinical characteristics of the disease, and exacerbating factors. Seven hundred and eighty four patients were enrolled in 6 centres (4 in Athens and 2 in Thessaloniki) in a multicenter epidemiologic prospective study. The mean age of patients was 43.2 (standard deviation, SD 17.44) years (median 42 years), while the men: women ratio was 1.8:1. Additionally, 35% of patients reported a positive family history of psoriasis. The mean age of patients at the first episode of psoriasis was 31.3 (SD 16.39) years (median 28 years). Psoriasis vulgaris was the most common form of psoriasis in the population participating in this study. Flares of psoriasis occurred 2.6 times per year on average. The patients considered stress as the main cause for psoriasis exacerbation. Most frequent target points of psoriasis included elbows, legs, scalp and knees. The most common symptoms reported were scaling, and itching. On average, patients visited dermatologists 2.4 times per year for issues related to psoriasis. This study provides epidemiological information regarding psoriasis in Greece. Results of this survey could assist in delineation of patient profiles, and improve communication between doctors and patients.

  14. Cutaneous blood flow in psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klemp, P.; Staberg, B.

    1983-01-01

    The disappearance rate of 133 Xe was studied in 20 patients with psoriasis vulgaris, using an epicutaneous labeling technique in involved skin lesions or normal-appearing skin of the proximal extensor site of the forearm. Control experiments were performed in 10 normal subjects. Calculations of the cutaneous blood flow (CBF) in psoriatic skin lesions were performed using a tissue-to-blood partition coefficient for 133 Xe, lambda c,pso, of 1.2 ml/100 g/min. lambda c,pso was estimated after the relative content of water, lipids, and proteins had been analyzed in psoriatic skin biopsies of 6 patients with untreated psoriasis. The mean relative content of water was markedly reduced to 23.5 +/- 1.5% (SEM), and lipids and proteins were markedly increased to 2.5 +/- 0.7% and 74.0 +/- 2.2, respectively, compared to previously published data for normal skin (water 72.5%, lipids 1%, proteins 26.5%). Mean CBF in untreated psoriatic skin was 63.5 +/- 9.0 ml/100 g/min. This was significantly higher than the mean CBF in 10 normal subjects, 6.3 +/- 0.5 ml/100 g/min (p much less than 0.0001). Mean CBF in normal-appearing skin in patients with psoriasis was 11.0 +/- 1.3 ml/100 g/min. This was significantly higher than CBF in normal subjects (p less than 0.0002)

  15. The coexistence of oral lichen planus and psoriasis vulgaris – a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paulina Kiluk

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Introduction . Psoriasis and lichen planus are common dermatological conditions, whose coexistence is rarely described. Although the exact etiopathogenesis of both diseases is still unknown, autoimmune factors play an important role in their development. A common feature is also the occurrence of the Köbner phenomenon. The principal differences concern the clinical, histological and immunological events. Objective. To present a patient with oral lichen planus, in whom psoriasis developed. Case report. A 75-year-old patient, with a 3-year history of oral lichen planus, presented itchy erythematous skin lesions initially located in the intertriginous area. Outpatient treatment consisting of topical and oral antifungal medications did not bring significant improvement. Skin biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of psoriasis. Treatment with tar ointment and topical tacrolimus was carried out, resulting in gradual improvement. Conclusions . A review of the literature indicates the existence of possible, but still unexplained, linkages between these two diseases.

  16. Clinic characteristics of psoriasis in China: a nationwide survey in over 12000 patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kun; Wang, Gang; Jin, Hongzhong; Xu, Jinhua; Zhu, Xuejun; Zheng, Min; Gu, Heng

    2017-07-11

    Psoriasis is a worldwide chronic inflammatory disease, involving both skin and joints. In order to characterize psoriasis in Han Chinese population, we conducted this nationwide prospective and hospital based survey, in which 56 hospitals with departments of dermatology participated, located in 33 cities across China. A total of 12,031 outpatients with psoriasis were registered during 2009 to 2010, which the data was collected by standard questionnaires. The main data acquisition included demographics, family history, disease status and other comorbidities. Physical and dermatological examination, including body surface area (BSA) and psoriasis area severity index (PASI) were applied to evaluate the disease severity. Descriptive statistics, 2 tailed t-test and chi-square test were used appropriately for the statistical analysis. From the study, we found that the male and female ratio of the patients was 1.49:1. Mean age of onset was 30.2 ± 14.5 years for males and 27.1 ± 15.6 years for females (P psoriasis and the majority was psoriasis vulgaris (96.5%). Among 12,031 patients, 23.1% had a family history of psoriasis,16.1% had comorbidities, and 29.9% had nail changes. The most important aggravation factor was season change (60.2%), followed by psychological stress (34.5%), and there significant differences between genders on trigger factors. In conclusion, this study characterizing psoriasis in Han Chinese population, could be used as basic data for future study.

  17. Putting together the psoriasis puzzle: an update on developing targeted therapies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leanne M. Johnson-Huang

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis vulgaris is a chronic, debilitating skin disease that affects millions of people worldwide. There is no mouse model that accurately reproduces all facets of the disease, but the accessibility of skin tissue from patients has facilitated the elucidation of many pathways involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and highlighted the importance of the immune system in the disease. The pathophysiological relevance of these findings has been supported by genetic studies that identified polymorphisms in genes associated with NFκB activation, IL-23 signaling and T helper 17 (Th17-cell adaptive immune responses, and in genes associated with the epidermal barrier. Recently developed biologic agents that selectively target specific components of the immune system are highly effective for treating psoriasis. In particular, emerging therapeutics are focused on targeting the IL-23–Th17-cell axis, and several agents that block IL-17 signaling have shown promising results in early-phase clinical trials. This review discusses lessons learned about the pathogenesis of psoriasis from mouse-and patient-based studies, emphasizing how the outcomes of clinical trials with T-cell-targeted and cytokine-blocking therapies have clarified our understanding of the disease.

  18. A critical appraisal of evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris: 'AGREE-ing' on a common base for European evidence-based psoriasis treatment guidelines

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Nast, A.; Spuls, Ph; Ormerod, A. D.; Reytan, N.; Saiag, P. H.; Smith, C. H.; Rzany, B.

    2009-01-01

    BACKGROUND: To further improve the standard of care provided to psoriasis patients in Europe, the European Dermatology Forum and the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology have initiated a project to develop common European psoriasis guidelines. OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to assess the

  19. Contribution of myeloperoxidase and inducible nitric oxide synthase to pathogenesis of psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nursel Dilek

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Introduction : Histological changes of psoriasis include invasion of neutrophils into the epidermis and formation of Munro abscesses in the epidermis. Neutrophils are the predominant white blood cells in circulation when stimulated; they discharge the abundant myeloperoxidase (MPO enzyme that uses hydrogen peroxide to oxidize chloride for killing ingested bacteria. Aim: To investigate the contribution of neutrophils to the pathogenesis of psoriasis at the blood and tissue levels through inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS and MPO. Material and methods: A total of 50 adult patients with a chronic plaque form of psoriasis and 25 healthy controls were enrolled to this study. Serum MPO and iNOS levels were measured using ELISA method. Two biopsy specimens were taken in each patient from the center of the lesion and uninvolved skin. Immunohistochemistry was performed for MPO and iNOS on both normal and psoriasis vulgaris biopsies. Results: While a significant difference between serum myeloperoxidase levels were detected, a similar statistical difference between participants in the serum iNOS levels was not found. In immunohistochemistry, intensely stained leukocytes with MPO and intensely staining with iNOS in psoriatic skin was observed. Conclusions : Neutrophils in psoriasis lesions are actively producing MPO and this indirectly triggers the synthesis of iNOS. Targeting of MPO or synthesis of MPO in the lesion area may contribute to development of a new treatment option.

  20. Guttate psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Psoriasis - guttate; Group A streptococcus - guttate psoriasis; Strep throat - guttate psoriasis ... Guttate psoriasis is a type of psoriasis . Guttate psoriasis is usually seen in people younger than 30, especially in ...

  1. [Lymphocyte transformation test following stimulation with a protein factor from neutrophilic granulocytes (PMNL) in psoriasis patients].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruszczak, Z; Ciborska, L; Kaszuba, A

    1988-12-01

    The lymphocyte transformation test (LTT) was given to 20 healthy subjects and 43 patients with generalized psoriasis vulgaris: it was given right after stimulation with PHA (spontaneous) and after stimulation with allogenic and autogenic protein factor (NPF). NPF was isolated from secondary lysosome granules of peripheral blood neutrophils. The results were analyzed using computer statistic tests. No distinct differences were noticed between the spontaneous transformation test in psoriatic patients compared to the controls. After stimulation with PHA, the percentage of blast cells was significantly lower in patients with psoriasis. When allogenic and autogenic NPF was used for stimulation, the LTT values were significantly higher in the psoriasis group than in the control subjects. This fact points out the increase in sensitivity of lymphocytes to NPF in active psoriasis and the possibility of abnormal neutrophil-lymphocyte interactions in vivo. This phenomenon may be intensified when under the influence of bacterial or viral agents, or medicaments; the degranulation of secondary lysosome granules of neutrophils occurs, causing the release of NPF. These investigations support our opinion that psoriasis is a systemic disease and that NPF plays a considerable role in the psoriatic reaction.

  2. [Hepatobiliary System Diseases as the Predictors of Psoriasis Progression].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smirnova, S V; Barilo, A A; Smolnikova, M V

    2016-01-01

    To assess the state of the hepatobiliary system in psoriasis andpsoriatic arthritis in order to establish a causal relationship and to identify clinical and functional predictors of psoriatic disease progression. The study includedpatients with extensive psoriasis vulgaris (n = 175) aged 18 to 66 years old and healthy donors (n = 30), matched by sex and age: Group 1--patients with psoriasis (PS, n = 77), group 2--patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA, n = 98), group 3--control. The evaluation of functional state of the hepatobiliary system was performed by the analysis of the clinical and anamnestic data and by the laboratory-instrumental methods. We identified predictors of psoriasis: triggers (stress and nutritionalfactor), increased total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, eosinophilia, giardiasis, carriers of hepatitis C virus, ductal changes andfocal leisons in the liver, thickening of the walls of the gallbladder detected by ultrasound. Predictors ofpsoriatic arthritis: age over 50 years, dyspeptic complaints, the presence of hepatobiliary system diseases, the positive right hypochondrium syndrome, the clinical symptoms of chronic cholecystitis, excess body weight, high levels of bilirubin, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein, hepatomegaly, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. High activity of hepatocytes cytolysis, cholestasis, inflammation, metabolic disorders let us considerpsoriatic arthritis as a severe clinical stage psoriatic disease when the hepatobiliary system, in turn, is one of the main target organs in systemic psoriatic process. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and chronic cholecystitis are predictors of psoriatic disease progression.

  3. Familial association of pseudohypoparathyroidism and psoriasis: case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renan Magalhães Montenegro Junior

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available CONTEXT: The association between psoriasis and hypoparathyroidism has been reported by several authors, and it has been suggested that abnormalities in calcium homeostasis may be involved in the development or exacerbation of psoriasis. However, so far there have only been two reports of pseudohypoparathyroidism associated with psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To describe the familial occurrence of this association for the first time. CASE REPORTS: Two siblings with psoriasis associated with pseudohypoparathyroidism were presented. The first patient was a 24-year-old white male with disseminated erythrodermic pustular psoriasis that began 2 months before admission. He had had a history of mental retardation, recurrent otitis, seizures and arthralgia from the age of 11 years onwards. He presented the characteristic phenotype of Albright osteodystrophy: short stature, obesity, round facies, broad forehead, short neck and brachydactylia. He adopted a position of flexed limbs and showed proximal muscle weakness and a positive Trousseau sign. He had clinical signs of hypocalcemia (0.69 mmol/l ionized calcium and 3.2 mg/dl total calcium, hyperphosphatemia (6.6 mg/dl, hypomagnesemia (1.0 mEq/l, hypoalbuminemia (3.1 g/dl, normal serum intact PTH levels (45.1 pg/ml, primary hypothyroidism (13.2 mU/ml TSH, and 4.7 mg/dl total T4, hypergonadotrophic hypogonadism (116.0 ng/ml LH, 13.2 mU/ml FSH and 325.0 ng/dl testosterone, osteoporosis, and diffuse calcifications in soft tissues and in the central nervous system. The second case was a 14-year-old white girl with a history of psoriasis vulgaris from the age of five years onwards, and antecedents of mental retardation. She presented signs of Albright osteodystrophy (short stature, round facies, obesity, short neck, brachydactylia, hypocalcemia (ionized calcium of 1.08 mmol/l and total calcium of 6.7 mg/dl hyperphosphatemia (9.4 mg/dl, elevated serum PTH levels (223.0 pg/ml, osteoporosis, and hypergonadotrophic

  4. Does the choice of tariff matter?: A comparison of EQ-5D-5L utility scores using Chinese, UK, and Japanese tariffs on patients with psoriasis vulgaris in Central South China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yue; Li, Shun-Ping; Liu, Liu; Zhang, Jiang-Lin; Chen, Gang

    2017-08-01

    There is an increasing trend globally to develop country-specific tariffs that can theoretically better reflect population's preferences on health states for preference-based health-related quality-of-life instruments, also known as multiattribute utility instruments. This study focused on the most recently developed 5-level version of EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) questionnaire, 1 of the world's most well-known multiattribute utility instruments, and aimed to empirically explore the agreements and known-group validities of applying the country-specific tariff versus tariffs developed from other countries using a sample of psoriasis vulgaris patients in Mainland China.A convenience sampling framework was adopted to recruit patients diagnosed with psoriasis vulgaris from Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, China, between May 2014 and February 2015. The 5-level EuroQol-5 dimensions (EQ-5D-5L) utilities were scored by using the Chinese, Japanese, and UK tariffs. Health state utilities were compared using a range of nonparametric test. The intraclass correlation coefficients and Bland-Altman plots were used to examine the agreements among the 3 EQ-5D-5L scores. Health state utility decrements between known groups were investigated using both effect size and a regression analysis.In all, 350 patients (aged 16 years or older) were recruited. There were significant differences among the 3 national tariff sets. Overall, 3 tariffs showed excellent agreements (intraclass correlation coefficient >0.90); however, the wide limits of agreement from the Bland-Altman plots suggest that these tariffs cannot be used interchangeably. The EQ-5D-5L scores using the Chinese-specific tariff showed the best known-group validity than the other 2 tariffs in this Chinese patient sample. The evidence from this study supports the choice of the country-specific tariff to be used in Mainland China.

  5. Mean platelet volume, neutrophil to lyphocyte ratio and platelet to lymphocyte ratio in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Ünal

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: It has been demonstrated that ratio of neutrophil and platelet count systemic inflammation and is associated with prognosis of many cardiovascular diseases, malignates and chronic inflammatory diseases.As far as it is known, there are no studies investigating neutrophil/lymphocyeratio(NLR, platelet/lymphocyte ratio(PLR and mean platelet volume(MPV values together within the context of psoriasis, a chronic and systemic inflammatory disease. Materials and Methods: 320 patients followed up in our polyclinic with psoriasis vulgaris and 200 healthy persons were evaluated in the study. Results: Leukocyte, neutrophil, platelet, MPV, NLR and PLR values in patients with psoriasis were significantly higher, and lymphocyte count, on the other hand, was significantly lower than those of the control group. No significant difference was found between MPV, NLR and PLR values of patients with or without a family history, nail and joint involvement. Conclusions: These parameters may be made use of as cheap and easily applicable methods in predicting which psoriasis patients are under the risk of cardiovascular disease. PLR is a better inflammation marker than MPV and NLR in patients with psoriasis. We did not observe a significant relationship between MPV, NLR and PLR values and such disease characteristics as severity of disease, joint involvement, nail involvement and duration of disease in patients with psoriasis. So, we believe that there is little information on the extent to which MPV,NLR and PLR might be useful regarding these characteristics.

  6. The Oesophageal Involvement of Pemphigus Vulgaris Patients and Comparison with Skin Findings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sıla Şeremet

    2008-10-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: The pemphigus family includes a number of disease which feature intraepidermal blisters with acantholysis. Pemphigus vulgaris(PV is the most common form of pemphigus, affects the skin and mucous membranes. Although oral mucosa is the most commonly affected site, all stratified squamous epithelium can be involved like pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, conjunctiva, vaginal, penile, and anal mucosa. We planned our study aiming to find frequency of oesophagus involvement in PV patients and to compare them immunohistopathologically with skin findings.Material and Method: Twenty three female and seven male patients, who were admitted to The Health Ministry Vakıf Gureba Education and Research Hospital, Dermatology Clinic, in between January 2004 and March 2005, and were accepted as PV according to clinical and immunohistopathological findings. Mucosal biopsies were taken by oesophagoscopy from patients in the same time with skin biopsies for DIF examination. Antibody titers in serum was detected by indirect immunofluorescein method.Results: DIF was positive in twenty eight patients while two patients had negative results. During oesophagoscopy, macroscopically nine patients (%30 had esophageal lesions supporting pemphigus vulgaris.When a relationship were examined between dysphagia with endoscopic pemphigus vulgaris findings, skin involvement, oral mucosal involvement, genital mucosal involvement, skin DIF positivity, oesophagus DIF positivity, IIF positivity, no meaningful difference was found istatistically. In our study, four patients had endoscopic findings and nineteen patients had positive DIF results although they did not have gastrointestinal symptoms. When relationship between oesophageal DIF positivity and skin DIF positivity was examined, there was a positive correlation meaningfully. Conclusion: According to our article we believe that upper GI endoscopy is a useful and neccessary diagnostic method in pemphigus vulgaris

  7. Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics in psoriasis treatment: current challenges and future prospects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutherland, Alison; Power, Rebecca J; Rahman, Proton; O'Rielly, Darren D

    2016-08-01

    Topical, systemic, oral disease modifying, and biologic agents are part of the armamentarium to manage psoriatic disease. The choice of therapy depends upon disease severity, relevant co-morbidities and patient preference. There is great variability in patient response with these agents, and there is still no clear method of selecting the preferred therapeutic agent for efficacy or lack of adverse events. This article will review the pharmacogenetic and pharmacogenomic targets that are currently known with respect to psoriasis vulgaris, and the most frequent co-morbidity of psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis. Presently, no clinically actionable biomarker exists for any therapeutic agent used to treat psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis. The lack of validated outcome measures and conflicting results of open-label studies conducted may be attributed to a multitude of issues that confound discovery. Consequently, studies have been underpowered to identify genes or genetic variants worth translating to clinical practice. In order to achieve a pharmacogenetic/pharmacogenomic signature, improvements in study design of future investigations are required, including carefully designed prospective studies. It is imperative to combine known clinical, serological, and molecular markers with consistent outcomes and an adequate health economic evaluation before they can be adopted widely in clinical practice.

  8. Subcutaneous blood flow in psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Klemp, P.

    1985-01-01

    The simultaneously recorded disappearance rates of 133 xe from subcutaneous adipose tissue in the crus were studied in 10 patients with psoriasis vulgaris using atraumatic labeling of the tissue in lesional skin (LS) areas and symmetrical, nonlesional skin (NLS) areas. Control experiments were performed bilaterally in 10 younger, healthy subjects. The subcutaneous washout rate constant was significantly higher in LS, 0.79 +/- 0.05 min-1 x 10(2) compared to the washout rate constant of NLS, 0.56 +/- 0.07 min-1. 10(2), or the washout rate constant in the normal subjects, 0.46 +/- 0.17 min-1 x 10(2). The mean washout rate constant in NLS was 25% higher than the mean washout rate constant in the normal subjects. The difference was, however, not statistically significant. Differences in the washout rate constants might be due to abnormal subcutaneous tissue-to-blood partition (lambda) in the LS--and therefore not reflecting the real differences in the subcutaneous blood flow (SBF). The lambda for 133 Xe was therefore measured--using a double isotope washout method ( 133 Xe and [ 131 I]antipyrine)--in symmetrical sites of the lateral crus in LS and NLS of 10 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and in 10 legs of normal subjects. In LS the lambda was 4.52 +/- 1.67 ml/g, which was not statistically different from that of NLS, 5.25 +/- 2.19 ml/g, nor from that of normal subcutaneous tissue, 4.98 +/- 1.04 ml/g. Calculations of the SBF using the obtained lambda values gave a significantly higher SBF in LS, 3.57 +/- 0.23 ml/100 g/min, compared to SBF in the NLS, 2.94 +/- 0.37 ml/100 g/min. There was no statistically significant difference between SBF in NLS and SBF in the normal subjects. The increased SBF in LS of psoriatics might be a secondary phenomenon to an increased heat loss in the lesional skin

  9. Protoplast isolation, transient transformation of leaf mesophyll protoplasts and improved Agrobacterium-mediated leaf disc infiltration of Phaseolus vulgaris: tools for rapid gene expression analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nanjareddy, Kalpana; Arthikala, Manoj-Kumar; Blanco, Lourdes; Arellano, Elizabeth S; Lara, Miguel

    2016-06-24

    Phaseolus vulgaris is one of the most extensively studied model legumes in the world. The P. vulgaris genome sequence is available; therefore, the need for an efficient and rapid transformation system is more imperative than ever. The functional characterization of P. vulgaris genes is impeded chiefly due to the non-amenable nature of Phaseolus sp. to stable genetic transformation. Transient transformation systems are convenient and versatile alternatives for rapid gene functional characterization studies. Hence, the present work focuses on standardizing methodologies for protoplast isolation from multiple tissues and transient transformation protocols for rapid gene expression analysis in the recalcitrant grain legume P. vulgaris. Herein, we provide methodologies for the high-throughput isolation of leaf mesophyll-, flower petal-, hypocotyl-, root- and nodule-derived protoplasts from P. vulgaris. The highly efficient polyethylene glycol-mannitol magnesium (PEG-MMG)-mediated transformation of leaf mesophyll protoplasts was optimized using a GUS reporter gene. We used the P. vulgaris SNF1-related protein kinase 1 (PvSnRK1) gene as proof of concept to demonstrate rapid gene functional analysis. An RT-qPCR analysis of protoplasts that had been transformed with PvSnRK1-RNAi and PvSnRK1-OE vectors showed the significant downregulation and ectopic constitutive expression (overexpression), respectively, of the PvSnRK1 transcript. We also demonstrated an improved transient transformation approach, sonication-assisted Agrobacterium-mediated transformation (SAAT), for the leaf disc infiltration of P. vulgaris. Interestingly, this method resulted in a 90 % transformation efficiency and transformed 60-85 % of the cells in a given area of the leaf surface. The constitutive expression of YFP further confirmed the amenability of the system to gene functional characterization studies. We present simple and efficient methodologies for protoplast isolation from multiple P

  10. Psoriasis inversa

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Omland, Silje Haukali; Gniadecki, Robert

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder affecting approximately 2% of the European and American population. The most common form of psoriasis is the chronic plaque type. Inverse psoriasis, also named flexural or intertriginous psoriasis, is not considered a separate disease entity but rather a special...... site of involvement of plaque psoriasis, characterized by its localization to inverse/intertriginous/flexural body sites. We review current evidence and establish whether inverse psoriasis is a separate disease entity based on characteristics in terms of epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical...

  11. Skin Microbiome in Patients With Psoriasis Before and After Balneotherapy at the Thermal Care Center of La Roche-Posay.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Richard; Henley, Jessica B; Sarrazin, Patrick; Seité, Sophie

    2015-12-01

    Changes in the composition of microbial communities that colonize skin have been linked to several diseases including psoriasis. Nevertheless, the intra-individual dynamics and how these communities respond to balneotherapy remain poorly understood. This open label study was conducted between July and September 2012. Microbial communities of patients with psoriasis vulgaris were characterized prior and post a 3-week selenium-rich water balneotherapy treatment at the thermal care center La Roche-Posay (La Roche-Posay, France). Balneotherapy consisted of high-pressure filiform showers, baths, facial, and body spray treatments as well as La Roche-Posay thermal spring water (LRP-TSW) consumption. Swabs were taken from affected and proximal unaffected skin and the 16S rRNA bacterial gene was used to analyze the composition of bacterial communities. Using the same 16S rRNA gene tool, we tried to describe the LRP-TSW bacterial landscape. This study included 54 patients diagnosed with moderate to severe forms of psoriasis vulgaris. After eliminating individuals lacking paired samples from both visits, 29 individuals were analyzed for their microbiome profile. Shannon Diversity Index and global bacterial landscape indicate similar microbial communities on both unaffected and adjacent affected skin. PASI values decreased post-balneotherapy implying improvement of disease severity. No significant change in the Shannon Diversity Index was noticed at the end of the third week. The average taxonomic composition of skin microbial communities associated with unaffected and affected skin of psoriatic patients post-balneotherapy shows that treatment with LRP-TSW significantly increased the level of Xanthomonas genus and, to a lesser extent, Corynebacterium genus. The Xanthomonas genus belongs to the main Xanthomonadaceae family found in LRP-TSW and also on healthy skin. In psoriatic patients, a poor bacterial biodiversity was noticed and the bacterial communities were similar on

  12. Healthcare costs in psoriasis and psoriasis sub-groups over time following psoriasis diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Sawah, Sarah; Foster, Shonda A; Goldblum, Orin M; Malatestinic, William N; Zhu, Baojin; Shi, Nianwen; Song, Xue; Feldman, Steven R

    2017-09-01

    To quantify healthcare costs in patients with psoriasis overall and in psoriasis patient sub-groups, by level of disease severity, presence or absence of psoriatic arthritis, or use of biologics. Administrative data from Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Research Database were used to select adult patients with psoriasis from January 2009 to January 2014. The first psoriasis diagnosis was set as the index date. Patients were required to have ≥6 months of continuous enrollment with medical and pharmacy benefits pre-index and ≥12 months post-index. Patients were followed from index until the earliest of loss to follow-up or study end. All-cause healthcare costs and outpatient pharmacy costs were calculated for the overall psoriasis cohort and for the six different psoriasis patient sub-groups: (a) patients with moderate-to-severe disease and mild disease, (b) patients with psoriatic arthritis and those without, and (c) patients on biologics and those who are not. Costs are presented per-patient-per-year (PPPY) and by years 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 of follow-up, expressed in 2014 US dollars. A total of 108,790 psoriasis patients were selected, with a mean age of 46.0 years (52.7% females). Average follow-up was 962 days. All-cause healthcare costs were $12,523 PPPY. Outpatient pharmacy costs accounted for 38.6% of total costs. All-cause healthcare costs were highest for patients on biologics ($29,832), then for patients with psoriatic arthritis ($23,427) and those with moderate-to-severe disease ($21,481). Overall, all-cause healthcare costs and outpatient pharmacy costs presented an upward trend over a 5-year period. Psoriasis is associated with significant economic burden, which increases over time as the disease progresses. Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, those with psoriatic arthritis, or use of biologics contributes to higher healthcare costs. Psoriasis-related pharmacy expenditure is the largest driver of healthcare costs in patients with psoriasis.

  13. Prevalence of antigliadin IgA antibodies in psoriasis vulgaris and response of seropositive patients to a gluten-free diet

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kolchak NA

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Nikolai A Kolchak,1 Maria K Tetarnikova,2 Maria S Theodoropoulou,3 Alexandra P Michalopoulou,4 Demetrios S Theodoropoulos5 1Department of Hematology, Omsk State Medical Academy, Omsk, Russia; 2Dermatology Private Practice, Chelyabinsk, Russia; 3Department of Pharmacy, Trikala General Hospital, Trikala, Greece; 4Department of Philosophy and Social Studies, School of Philosophy, University of Crete, Rethymnon, Greece; 5Allergy Associates of La Crosse, Onalaska, WI, USA Introduction: The course of psoriasis relies on a variety of metabolic and immunological parameters. Identification of underlying pro-inflammatory conditions and their control is desired for optimal management. Background: Increased prevalence of serum markers for celiac disease has been reported among patients with psoriasis. The likelihood of occult celiac disease in a subpopulation of patients has been postulated and gluten-free diets have been reported to be effective. Patients and methods: The prevalence of gliadin IgA antibodies was assessed among patients with psoriasis in an urban population. The clinical effects of a strict gluten-free diet were followed. Results: Over a 2-year period, 97 patients with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index greater than 2.4 were recruited from a population followed in a dermatology clinic. Gliadin IgA antibodies were assessed in all participants and in 91 controls. Elevated gliadin IgA antibodies were found in 13 patients (14% and two controls (2%. Values in five patients were assessed as greater than 30.0 U/mL or “strong positive” according to the manufacturer of the assay. All 13 patients were placed on a strict gluten-free diet without any other modifications in their ongoing treatment of psoriasis. Improvement of psoriatic lesions was observed in all patients with positive gliadin IgA antibodies but the decline in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score and the scaling down of pharmaceutical treatment was more pronounced in the five

  14. Optical coherence tomography imaging of psoriasis vulgaris: correlation with histology and disease severity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Morsy, Hanan; Kamp, Søren; Thrane, Lars

    2010-01-01

    Epidermal thickness (ET) has been suggested as a surrogate measure of psoriasis severity. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a recent imaging technology that provides real-time skin images to a depth of 1.8 mm with a micrometre resolution. OCT may provide an accurate in vivo measure of ET. It ...

  15. About Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Submit a Question | Learn More | En Español About Psoriasis « Psoriasis News, Advocacy & Life: Advance Next Topic: Causes & Triggers » Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease that causes raised, ...

  16. Replication of LCE3C-LCE3B CNV as a risk factor for psoriasis and analysis of interaction with other genetic risk factors.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Huffmeier, U.; Bergboer, J.G.M.; Becker, T.; Armour, J.A.; Traupe, H.; Estivill, X.; Riveira-Munoz, E.; Mossner, R.; Reich, K.; Kurrat, W.; Wienker, T.F.; Schalkwijk, J.; Zeeuwen, P.L.J.M.; Reis, A.

    2010-01-01

    Recently, a deletion of two late cornified envelope (LCE) genes within the epidermal differentiation complex on chromosome 1 was shown to be overrepresented in 1,426 psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) patients of European ancestry. In this study, we report a confirmation of this finding in 1,354 PsV patients

  17. Life satisfaction and beliefs about self and the world in patients with psoriasis: a brief assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Solovan, Caius; Marcu, Mirona; Chiticariu, Elena

    2014-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that can decrease the level of self-esteem, leading to self-devaluation, emotional distress, irrational beliefs and discomfort in everyday life. In this study, we aimed to provide a deeper understanding of lifestyle satisfaction and to identify the nature and magnitude of irrational beliefs in patients with psoriasis. A two-year case-control study was carried out between 2010 and 2012. The study enrolled 100 consecutive patients with psoriasis vulgaris, admitted to a dermatology clinic and 101 healthy volunteers with similar demographic characteristics, willing to subject themselves to the testing. A series of standardized questionnaires were used, including: The Anamnestic Questionnaire, The General Attitudes and Beliefs Scale - Short version, The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, The Self-Efficacy Scale and The Unconditional Self-Acceptance Questionnaire. The tests revealed a strong correlation between the presence of the disease and the decrease of subject's satisfaction regarding: body satisfaction, sexual satisfaction, social satisfaction, family satisfaction, professional satisfaction and satisfaction concerning their own health condition; p 0.35). The focus on psychological impacts of the disease provides important data for a holistic approach to patients with psoriasis. Effective cooperation between all the parties involved (physicians, family and social network) is necessary to improve the patient's psychological status.

  18. Psoriasis (For Parents)

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Staying Safe Videos for Educators Search English Español Psoriasis KidsHealth / For Parents / Psoriasis What's in this article? ... treatment doesn't work, another probably will. About Psoriasis Psoriasis (suh-RYE-uh-sus) is a non- ...

  19. Successful adalimumab treatment of a psoriasis vulgaris patient with hemodialysis for renal failure: A case report and a review of the previous reports on biologic treatments for psoriasis patients with hemodialysis for renal failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kusakari, Yoshiyuki; Yamasaki, Kenshi; Takahashi, Toshiya; Tsuchiyama, Kenichiro; Shimada-Omori, Ryoko; Nasu-Tamabuchi, Mei; Aiba, Setsuya

    2015-07-01

    The efficacy and safety of biologic treatments have been established in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, but there are few reports on biologic therapy for patients with psoriasis complicated by end-stage renal failure on hemodialysis (HD). In this report, we demonstrated the efficacy and safety of adalimumab for patients with severe psoriasis on HD. A 46-year-old Japanese man with a 14-year history of psoriasis was referred to our clinic in September 2009. He had developed hypertension and renal failure during a 7-year history of cyclosporin treatment. With the infliximab treatment, he achieved 75% improvement of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score within 3 months from the PASI of 42.3 before the treatment. However, his renal failure gradually deteriorated, and HD was initiated at 1 year after the introduction of infliximab. Because of hydration during the i.v. injection of infliximab, he developed pulmonary edema with every infliximab treatment after starting HD. We switched to ustekinumab treatment, but his psoriasis was not improved. Then, we switched to adalimumab and achieved a PASI-100 response within 2 months. The patient received adalimumab treatment for more than a year without any adverse effects. In addition to our case, five articles reported cases of psoriasis patients with renal failure on HD who were treated with biologics. The psoriatic lesions were improved by biologics in these cases, and no severe adverse effects on the renal function were reported. Thus, biologics are a reasonable treatment option for patients with severe psoriasis with renal failure on HD. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  20. Eosinophils, pruritus and psoriasis: effects of treatment with etretinate or cyclosporin-A.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schopf, R E; Hultsch, T; Lotz, J; Bräutigam, M

    1998-11-01

    The antipsoriatic drugs cyclosporin A (CyA) and etretinate have been found to influence proinflammatory eosinophilic leukocytes and pruritus. We compared the number of blood eosinophils, concentration of serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), and pruritus in patients with psoriasis treated with either CyA or etretinate. Patients with psoriasis vulgaris were randomly assigned to treatment for 10 weeks with either CyA (n = 21) or etretinate (n = 10). The psoriasis area-and-severity index (PASI-score) and pruritus (according to a 0-3 scale) served as clinical parameters, the blood esosinophil counts (Coulter Counter) and the serum ECP (RIA, Pharmacia) as laboratory parameters. After CyA treatment the PASI-score amounted to 24 +/- 4%, after etretinate to 56 +/- 6% of the initial values (mean +/- SEM). One week after CyA treatment, esosinophils dropped from 190 +/- 21 to 137 +/- 16/microliter (P = 0.038, Wilcoxon test), after 10 weeks to 127 +/- 18/microliter (P = 0.006). By contrast, under etretinate blood eosinophil counts only changed marginally. Before treatment, ECP concentrations of 15.71 +/- 1.30 (CyA) and 15.3 +/- 5.53 micrograms/l (etretinate) were measured (normal range 3-16 micrograms/l), ECP remained constant under both CyA and etretinate or tended to increase after 10 weeks; about 50% of the patients exhibited elevated ECP concentrations. Pruritus diminished more with CyA than etretinate therapy. PASI-scores and pruritus were directly proportional. We conclude that treatment of psoriasis with CyA leads to a rapid drop of blood eosinophils and that the activation state of eosinophils does not decrease after antipsoriatic treatment. Pruritus in psoriasis is coupled to disease severity. The underlying antipsoriatic mechanisms of CyA may be linked to lowering the number of blood eosinophils.

  1. Functional specialization of one copy of glutamine phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase in ureide production from symbiotically fixed nitrogen in Phaseolus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coleto, Inmaculada; Trenas, Almudena T; Erban, Alexander; Kopka, Joachim; Pineda, Manuel; Alamillo, Josefa M

    2016-08-01

    Purines are essential molecules formed in a highly regulated pathway in all organisms. In tropical legumes, the nitrogen fixed in the nodules is used to generate ureides through the oxidation of de novo synthesized purines. Glutamine phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase (PRAT) catalyses the first committed step of de novo purine synthesis. In Phaseolus vulgaris there are three genes coding for PRAT. The three full-length sequences, which are intron-less genes, were cloned, and their expression levels were determined under conditions that affect the synthesis of purines. One of the three genes, PvPRAT3, is highly expressed in nodules and protein amount and enzymatic activity in these tissues correlate with nitrogen fixation activity. Inhibition of PvPRAT3 gene expression by RNAi-silencing and subsequent metabolomic analysis of the transformed roots shows that PvPRAT3 is essential for the synthesis of ureides in P. vulgaris nodules. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Genotipos de frijol (Phaseolus Vulgaris l. resistentes a Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli de Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosa Navarrete

    2000-01-01

    Full Text Available Genotipos de frijol (Phaseolus vulgaris L. resistentes a Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli de México. Durante 1995 se evaluó la reacción de genotipos de frijol de diversos origenes a Xcp, bajo condiciones de invernadero en el Campo Experimental del Valle de México, del INIFAP. Se realizaron tres experimentos con a120, b44 y csiete genotipos de frijol. Las plantas se inocularon por corte con navajas en la etapa V3, a y b con una mezcla de nueve cepas de Xcp y el c, con cada una de siete cepas con diferente grado de patogenicidad. La severidad se evaluó 20 días después de la inoculación, por comparación con una escala visual de nueve grados. Los datos se analizaron bajo un diseño completamente al azar. En a, los genotipos que mostraron reacción de resistencia a Xcp fueron: A 36, A 475, G 5686, G 11867, Harowood, SEA 14, XAN 266, MCD 4012 y REN 27. En b los genotipos resistentes fueron: Sequía Durango, Taylor y XAN 30. En los experimentos anteriores la severidad de la enfermedad mostró una distribución normal, con el máximo número de genotipos en el grado de severidad cinco en a y seis en b. Los resultados obtenidos indican que el uso de mezclas de cepas de bacterias con diferente patogenicidad es eficiente para identificar genotipos de frijol resistentes a Xcp. Los genotipos resistentes identificados en el último experimento, mostraron respuesta diferencial e interacciones genotipo por cepa. REN 27 y SEA 14 mostraron resistencia a las cepas utilizadas

  3. Beyond Psoriasis: Novel Uses for Biologic Response Modifiers in Pediatric Dermatology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bellodi-Schmidt, Fernanda; Shah, Kara N

    2016-01-01

    Dermatologists have witnessed the increasing availability of novel biologic response modifiers for the treatment of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases in recent years. The most common dermatologic indication for the use of biologic response modifiers in adults is psoriasis, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any of these agents for use in any dermatologic disease in children with the exception of omalizumab, and as such, use in this population is considered off-label. In this review, we focus on the use of these agents in children to treat inflammatory skin diseases other than psoriasis, including atopic dermatitis, hidradenitis suppurativa, pemphigus vulgaris, bullous pemphigoid, and toxic epidermal necrolysis, with an emphasis on the use of etanercept, infliximab, rituximab, omalizumab, and ustekinumab. By highlighting novel uses of these agents, particularly for the treatment of dermatologic conditions for which optimal therapies are yet to be established, we hope to raise awareness of the potential use of this class of medications to treat inflammatory skin diseases in children. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Psoriasis and Obesity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Peter; Skov, Lone

    2017-01-01

    Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease with a complex pathogenesis consisting of a genetic component, immune dysfunction, and environmental factors. It is associated with numerous comorbidities including psoriatic arthritis, cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and obesity....... Evidence suggests that obesity is a risk factor for incident psoriasis, aggravates existing psoriasis, and that weight reduction may improve the severity of psoriasis in overweight individuals. Excess body weight may interfere with the medical treatment used in psoriasis and adds to the cardiovascular risk...... profile in these patients, which underscores the importance of effective weight control regimens. In this review we examine the current literature with regard to the association between obesity and psoriasis....

  5. Autoantibodies other than anti-desmogleins in pemphigus vulgaris patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marwah Adly Saleh

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Pemphigus vulgaris (PV is an immunoglobulin G-mediated autoimmune bullous skin disease. Nonorgan-specific antibodies were detected in Tunisian and Brazilian pemphigus patients with different prevalence. Materials and Methods: Fifty PV patients and fifty controls were screened for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs, anti-smooth muscle antibodies (ASMAs, anti-parietal antibodies (APAs, anti-mitochondrial antibodies, and Anti-nuclear cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA by indirect immunofluorescence. Results: Thirty-nine patients were female and 11 were male. Fifteen patients did not receive treatment before while 35 patients were on systemic steroid treatment ± azathioprine. Twenty (40% of the PV patients and 1 (2% control had positive ANA. ANA was significantly higher in PV patients than controls, P< 0.0001. ASMAs were detected in 20 (40% PV patients and none of the controls. ASMA was significantly higher in PV patients than controls, P< 0.0001. No significant difference was detected between treated and untreated regarding ANA, P - 0.11. However, there was a significant difference between treated and untreated regarding ASMA, P- 0.03. Six patients (12% and none of the controls had positive APA. There was a significant difference between the patients and the controls in APA. P- 0.027. Conclusion: Egyptian PV patients showed more prevalent ANA, ASMA, and APA than normal controls. Follow-up of those patients is essential to detect the early development of concomitant autoimmune disease. Environmental factors might account for the variability of the nonorgan-specific antibodies among different populations.

  6. Skin-infiltrating, interleukin-22-producing T cells differentiate pediatric psoriasis from adult psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordoro, Kelly M; Hitraya-Low, Maria; Taravati, Keyon; Sandoval, Priscila Munoz; Kim, Esther; Sugarman, Jeffrey; Pauli, Mariela L; Liao, Wilson; Rosenblum, Michael D

    2017-09-01

    Evidence from adult psoriasis studies implicates an imbalance between regulatory and effector T cells, particularly T H -17-producing T cells, in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Little is known about the immunopathology of psoriasis in children. We sought to functionally characterize the inflammatory cell profiles of psoriatic plaques from pediatric patients and compare them with healthy, age-matched controls and adult psoriasis patients. Skin samples from pediatric psoriasis patients and healthy controls were analyzed by multiparameter flow cytometry to determine the dominant immune cell subsets present and cytokines produced. Lesional tissue from pediatric psoriasis patients had significantly increased interleukin (IL) 22 derived from CD4 + and CD8 + cells compared with the tissues from healthy pediatric controls and adult psoriasis patients. Tissue from pediatric psoriasis patients had significantly less elevation of IL-17 derived from CD4 + and CD8 + cells compared with the tissue from adult psoriasis patients. In contrast with the lesions from adult patients, lesional skin in pediatric patients with psoriasis did not have increases in regulatory T cells. This is a pilot study, thus the sample size is small. Significant differences in IL-17 and IL-22 expression were observed in the pediatric psoriasis patients compared with pediatric healthy controls and adult psoriasis patients. IL-22 might be relevant in the pathogenesis of pediatric psoriasis and represents a potential treatment target unique to pediatric psoriasis. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Psoriasis and Obesity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Ali Gürer

    2012-03-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, it has been thought that a strong association exists between metabolic syndrome, specifically obesity, and psoriasis. Obesity is a multifactorial disease affected by both genetic and environmental factors. Adipokines (e.g. leptin secreted by the adipose tissue are believed to play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The main role of leptin is to adjust metabolism by controlling appetite. Serum leptin levels in patients with severe and moderate psoriasis were found to be higher than in normal control groups. In many similar studies, leptin secretion has been found to stimulate keratinocyte proliferation, which is one of the characteristics of psoriasis. Although many studies showed increased prevalence of obesity in psoriasis patients, few others reported development of obesity in psoriasis patients. Additionally, obesity was found to affect treatment responses not only in classical systemic/topical treatment approaches in psoriasis, but also in newer biological treatments. Overall, increasing epidemiological evidence suggests strong association between obesity and psoriasis, increase in serum leptin levels is thought to have a major role, and weight loss may have significant impact on response to treatment.

  8. Feasibility study for clinical application of caspase-3 inhibitors in Pemphigus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hariton, William V J; Galichet, Arnaud; Vanden Berghe, Tom; Overmiller, Andrew M; Mahoney, My G; Declercq, Wim; Müller, Eliane J

    2017-12-01

    The potentially severe side effects of systemic corticosteroids and immunosuppressants used in Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) call for novel therapeutic approaches. In this context, pharmacological inhibition of major pathogenic signalling effectors represents a promising alternative. However, we have also shown that overinhibition of effectors required for epidermal homeostasis can exacerbate PV pathophysiology implicating transepidermal keratinocyte fragility. A feedforward target validation therefore preferentially includes studies on knockout mouse models. We previously reported on successful amelioration of PV blisters following inhibition of non-apoptotic, low-level caspase-3. Here, we use conditional, keratinocyte-specific caspase-3-deficient mice (casp3 EKO ) to demonstrate (i) absence of keratinocyte fragility upon injection of the potent Dsg3-specific antibody AK23 and (ii) amelioration of blistering on the background of known signalling effectors. Our results provide the experimental proof of concept justifying translation of the caspase-3 inhibitor approach into PV clinical trials. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Psoriasis in the pediatric population; Psoriasis en la poblacion pediatrica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vindas Calderon, Wendy

    2013-07-01

    A scientific and updated bibliographic review is realized for handling and care of a pediatric patient with psoriasis disease. Health personnel related with this pathology must to know the different perspectives and angles of psoriasis, as well as clinical criteria, therapeutic and emotional in the treatment of patients. The incidence of psoriasis is recognized globally. Ethnic groups have developed with most frequently this disorder. The different clinical faces of psoriasis are studied. The morphological and topographical manifestations have presented a variety very similar to that of adults, and have made for the doctor difficult to make the diagnostic. Clinical studies that were realized in the last years, have reported etiological and pathogenic evidence, both genetic and immunological of this illness. Children with psoriasis usually have presented a mild illness, where psoriasis type plaque has been the predominant variant. Psoriasis in the population has required a special attention in triggers or aggravating factors of this disease such as infections, exposure to snuff, obesity, stress and interactions with other drugs. The discovery and use of new drugs have led to different etiological factors for the handling of psoriasis; so it is important to know the function, availability and adverse effects that can to cause new therapies. Treatments must to include the provision of a safe and effective therapy for the maintenance for free long periods of lesions, reducing the severity of the disease, and inhibiting structural damage of joints. The topical treatment has been the therapy of first choice in mild psoriasis and localized. An interrogatory is recommended to decide objectively a systemic treatment, because the infant population has been a sensitive group of possible adverse effects. Methotrexate has been the treatment of choice for psoriasis related to arthropathy both adults and children. Phototherapy, including UVB, PUVA light and excimer laser is

  10. Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola isolated from weeds in bean crop fields.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fernández-Sanz, A M; Rodicio, M R; González, A J

    2016-04-01

    Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola, the causative agent of halo blight in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), was isolated from weeds associated with bean crops in Spain. The bacterium was recovered from Fumaria sp, Mercurialis annua, Solanum nigrum and Sonchus oleraceus. Ps. s. pv. phaseolicola had previously been isolated from leguminous plants and S. nigrum, but to our knowledge, this is the first time it was recovered from the other three species. The isolates were phenotypically and genetically characterized, and they were compared with isolates recovered from common beans. Five different genotypic profiles were detected by PmeI-PFGE, two of them being of new description. Weed isolates were as pathogenic on bean plants as bean isolates, but they were not pathogenic on S. nigrum. Regarding the survival of the pathogen in weeds, Ps. s. pv. phaseolicola was isolated from So. oleraceus 11 weeks after the end of the bean crop. These results strongly support the idea of weeds as a potential source of inoculum for halo blight in bean. It has traditionally been considered that the main source of inoculum of Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola causing halo blight disease in Phaseolus vulgaris are the bean seeds, and that the host range of the bacterium is almost restricted to leguminous plants. In this study, the bacterium was recovered from four nonleguminous weed species collected in bean fields, and its permanence in weeds for at least 11 weeks after the harvesting of the beans was demonstrated. We have also proved that the strains isolated from weeds were pathogenic on bean plants. Accordingly, the host range of Ps. s. pv. phaseolicola could be broader than previously thought and weeds appear to be acting as a reservoir of the pathogen until the next crop. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

  11. Psoriasis and comorbidities. Epidemiological studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    as well. Indeed, approximately one-third of patients with psoriasis develop psoriatic arthritis, and patients with severe psoriasis have a shortened life expectancy. Although our knowledge of the pathogenesis of psoriasis has advanced significantly in the past decade, as have the pharmacological treatment......, the relationship between psoriasis and uveitis, and the risk of incident multiple sclerosis (MS) following the onset of psoriasis, respectively. The main results were a significantly increased risk of myocardial infarction, stroke, and CVD death in patients with psoriasis during stages of acute depression....... Moreover, we found a bidirectional relationship between psoriasis and uveitis, where the occurrence of either disease significantly increased the risk of the other. Perhaps most notably, however, was that we found a psoriasis-severity dependent increased risk of MS. In conclusion, psoriasis...

  12. Turkey Psoriasis Treatment Guide-2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melih Akyol

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a common, chronic, recurrent, inflammatory disease of the skin with unknown etiology. In addition to skin involvement, joint involvement is often seen in psoriasis; however as comorbidities including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular diseases, psychological/psychiatric disorders and inflammatory bowel disease accompany psoriasis, the inflammatory process underlying has been shown to damage several organs. It is also known that the risk of mortality is increased in patients with severe psoriasis. What’s more, psoriasis significantly affects the patients quality of life. According to physical/psychological examinations, the quality of life is affected from psoriasis as much as other chronic diseases like cancer or diabetes. Psoriasis leads to massive performance loss because of time and work loss at business and daily life as a result of either disease itself or its treatment. Psoriasis has several treatment modalities either topical or systemic. Topical treatment is sufficient and successful for mild psoriasis but early systemic therapy is recommended for moderate and severe psoriasis to prevent comorbidites due to increased inflammatory effect and to manage psoriatic arthritis. Topical treatment is usually applied alone for mild cases and in combination with systemic therapy or phototherapy for moderate or severe cases. Indications for the systemic therapy includes erythrodermic psoriasis, generalized pustular psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and moderate-severe plaque psoriasis that causes serious decrease at quality of life which is irresponsive-incompatible to topical modalities or phototherapy. As the role of the immunology in pathophysiology of psoriasis is better understood, new generation of biological therapies affecting molecular mechanisms which take role at onset of psoriasis have been developed. Today, cyclosporine, methotrexate, and acitretin are used systemically; etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab or ustekinumab are

  13. Highlighting Interleukin-36 Signalling in Plaque Psoriasis and Pustular Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furue, Kazuhisa; Yamamura, Kazuhiko; Tsuji, Gaku; Mitoma, Chikage; Uchi, Hiroshi; Nakahara, Takeshi; Kido-Nakahara, Makiko; Kadono, Takafumi; Furue, Masutaka

    2018-01-12

    Plaque psoriasis and pustular psoriasis are overlapping, but distinct, disorders. The therapeutic response to biologics supports the pivotal role of the tumour necrosis alpha (TNF-?)/ interleukin (IL)-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis in the pathogenesis of these disorders. Recently, functional activation of the IL-36 receptor (IL-36R) was discovered to be another driving force in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. This was first highlighted by the discovery that a loss-of-function mutation of the IL-36R antagonist (IL-36Ra) causes pustular psoriasis. Although the TNF-?/IL-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis and the functional activation of IL-36R are fundamentally involved in plaque psoriasis and pustular psoriasis, respectively, the 2 pathways are closely related and mutually reinforced, resulting in full-blown clinical manifestations. This review summarizes current topics on how IL-36 agonists (IL-36?, IL-36?, IL-36?) signal IL-36R, the pathological expression of IL-36 agonists and IL-36Ra in plaque and pustular psoriatic lesions, and the cross-talk between the TNF-?/IL-23/IL-17/IL-22 axis and the functional activation of IL-36R in the epidermal milieu.

  14. Treating Psoriasis During Pregnancy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bangsgaard, Nannie; Rørbye, Christina; Skov, Lone

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease with a well-documented negative effect on the quality of life of affected patients. Psoriasis often occurs in the reproductive years, during which the issue of pregnancy needs to be addressed. The course of psoriasis during pregnancy is unpredictable......, and many patients face the challenge of needing treatment during pregnancy. In this review we provide an overview of the key considerations for managing psoriasis in pregnant women, covering the potential effects of active psoriasis and co-morbid conditions on the health of the mother and fetus, as well...

  15. Psoriasis: the visible killer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torres, Tiago; Bettencourt, Nuno

    2014-02-01

    Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory disease associated with serious comorbidities. In recent years, increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease (myocardial infarction and stroke) has been documented in patients with severe psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis have a higher prevalence of traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia and obesity, but it has been suggested that the chronic inflammatory nature of psoriasis is also a contributing and potentially an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. The authors highlight the need for early identification and treatment of psoriasis-related comorbidities and cardiovascular disease, as well as effective treatment of psoriasis, in order to reduce the underlying systemic inflammation, and also the importance of a multidisciplinary approach of severe psoriasis patients to optimize the diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of various comorbidities, so as to prevent cardiovascular events. Copyright © 2013 Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

  16. Pediatric psoriasis: an update

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nanette B Silverberg

    2009-10-01

    Full Text Available Nanette B SilverbergPediatric and Adolescent Dermatology, St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center, New York, NY, USAAbstract: Pediatric psoriasis consists broadly of 3 age groups of psoriatic patients: infantile psoriasis, a self-limited disease of infancy, psoriasis with early onset, and pediatric psoriasis with psoriatic arthritis. About one-quarter of psoriasis cases begin before the age of 18 years. A variety of clinical psoriasis types are seen in childhood, including plaque-type, guttate, erythrodermic, napkin, and nail-based disease. Like all forms of auto-immunity, susceptibility is likely genetic, but environmental triggers are required to initiate disease activity. The most common trigger of childhood is an upper respiratory tract infection. Once disease has occurred, treatment is determined based on severity and presence of joint involvement. Topical therapies, including corticosteroids and calcipotriene, are the therapies of choice in the initial care of pediatric patients. Ultraviolet light, acitretin and cyclosporine can clear skin symptoms, while methotrexate and etanercept can clear both cutaneous and joint disease. Concern for psychological development is required when choosing psoriatic therapies. This article reviews current concepts in pediatric psoriasis and a rational approach to therapeutics. Keywords: psoriasis, autoimmunity, Streptococcus, etanercept, calcipotriene, topical corticosteroids

  17. Loss of normal anagen hair in pemphigus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daneshpazhooh, M; Mahmoudi, H R; Rezakhani, S; Valikhani, M; Naraghi, Z S; Mohammadi, Y; Habibi, A; Chams-Davatchi, C

    2015-07-01

    Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a known cause of loss of 'normal' anagen hair; that is, shedding of intact anagen hairs covered by root sheaths. However, studies on this subject are limited. To investigate anagen hair shedding in patients with PV, and ascertain its association with disease severity. In total, 96 consecutive patients with PV (new patients or patients in relapse) who were admitted to the dermatology wards of a tertiary hospital were enrolled in this study. Demographic data, PV phenotype, disease severity and presence of scalp lesions were recorded. A group of 10-20 hairs were pulled gently from different areas of the scalp (lesional and nonlesional skin) in all patients, and anagen hairs were counted. Disease severity was graded according to Harman score. Anagen hair was obtained by pull test in 59 of the 96 patients (61.5%), of whom 2 had normal scalp. The mean ± SD anagen hair count was 5.9 ± 7.6 (range 0-31). In univariate analysis, anagen hair loss (P hair count was significantly higher in the severe (mean 6.83 ± 7.89) than the moderate (mean 1.06 ± 1.94) subgroup (P hair loss (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.05-1.28, P hair loss was an independent predictor of the disease severity. © 2015 British Association of Dermatologists.

  18. Childhood psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dogra Sunil

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a common dermatosis in children with about one third of all patients having onset of disease in the first or second decade of life. A chronic disfiguring skin disease, such as psoriasis, in childhood is likely to have profound emotional and psychological effects, and hence requires special attention. Psoriasis in children has been reported to differ from that among adults being more frequently pruritic; plaque lesions are relatively thinner, softer, and less scaly; face and flexural involvement is common and guttate type is the characteristic presentation. Whether onset in childhood predicts a more severe form of psoriasis is a matter of controversy, it may cause significant morbidity particularly if it keeps relapsing. Most children have mild form of psoriasis which can be generally treated effectively with topical agents such as emollients, coal tar, corticosteroids, dithranol, calcipotriol etc. according to age and the sites affected. Narrow band UVB is the preferred form of phototherapy in children for moderate to severe disease or in patients not responding to topical therapy alone. Systemic therapies are reserved for more severe and extensive cases that cannot be controlled with topical treatment and/or phototherapy such as severe plaque type, unstable forms like erythrodermic and generalized pustular psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. There are no controlled trials of systemic therapies in this age group, most experience being with retinoids and methotrexate with favorable results. Cyclosporine can be used as a short-term intermittent crisis management drug. There is an early promising experience with the use of biologics (etanercept and infliximab in childhood psoriasis. Systemic treatments as well as phototherapy have limited use in children due to cumulative dose effects of drugs, low acceptance, and risk of gonadal toxicity. More evidence-based data is needed about the effectiveness and long-term safety of topical

  19. Drug-induced psoriasis: clinical perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Balak DMW

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Deepak MW Balak, Enes Hajdarbegovic Department of Dermatology, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands Abstract: Exposure to certain drugs can elicit an induction or exacerbation of psoriasis. Although well-conducted systematic studies on drug-related psoriasis are mostly lacking, traditionally strong associations have been documented for beta-blockers, lithium, antimalarial drugs such as (hydroxychloroquine, interferons, imiquimod, and terbinafine. More recently, new associations have been reported for monoclonal antibody- and small-molecule-based targeted therapies used for oncological and immunological indications, such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha antagonists and anti-programmed cell death protein 1 immune checkpoint inhibitors. Recognizing potential drug-related psoriasis is of clinical relevance to allow an optimal management of psoriasis. However, in clinical practice, identifying medication-related exacerbations and induction of psoriasis can be challenging. The clinical and histopathological features of drug-provoked psoriasis may differ little from that of “classical” nondrug-related forms of psoriasis. In addition, the latency period between start of the medication and onset of psoriasis can be significantly long for some drugs. Assessment of the Naranjo adverse drug reaction probability scale could be used as a practical tool to better differentiate drug-related psoriasis. The first step in the management of drug-related psoriasis is cessation and replacement of the offending drug when deemed clinically possible. However, the induced psoriasis skin lesions may persist after treatment withdrawal. Additional skin-directed treatment options for drug-related psoriasis follows the conventional psoriasis treatment guidelines and includes topical steroids and vitamin D analogs, ultraviolet phototherapy, systemic treatments, such as acitretin, methotrexate, and fumaric acid esters, and biological treatments

  20. Dynamics of a Novel Highly Repetitive CACTA Family in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongying Gao

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Transposons are ubiquitous genomic components that play pivotal roles in plant gene and genome evolution. We analyzed two genome sequences of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris and identified a new CACTA transposon family named pvCACTA1. The family is extremely abundant, as more than 12,000 pvCACTA1 elements were found. To our knowledge, this is the most abundant CACTA family reported thus far. The computational and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH analyses indicated that the pvCACTA1 elements were concentrated in terminal regions of chromosomes and frequently generated AT-rich 3 bp target site duplications (TSD, WWW, W is A or T. Comparative analysis of the common bean genomes from two domesticated genetic pools revealed that new insertions or excisions of pvCACTA1 elements occurred after the divergence of the two common beans, and some of the polymorphic elements likely resulted in variation in gene sequences. pvCACTA1 elements were detected in related species but not outside the Phaseolus genus. We calculated the molecular evolutionary rate of pvCACTA1 transposons using orthologous elements that indicated that most transposition events likely occurred before the divergence of the two gene pools. These results reveal unique features and evolution of this new transposon family in the common bean genome.

  1. Psoriasis: new comorbidities*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Machado-Pinto, Jackson; Diniz, Michelle dos Santos; Bavoso, Nádia Couto

    2016-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with several comorbidities. A few decades ago, it was considered an exclusive skin disease but today it is considered a multisystem disease. It is believed that 73% of psoriasis patients have at least one comorbidity. Studies have demonstrated the association of psoriasis with inflammatory bowel disease, uveitis, psychiatric disorders, metabolic syndrome and its components and cardiovascular diseases. The systemic inflammatory state seems to be the common denominator for all these comorbidities. This work aims at presenting a review of the current literature on some new comorbidities that are associated with psoriasis as osteoporosis, obstructive sleep apnea and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. While there is still controversy, many studies already point to a possible bone involvement in patients with psoriasis, especially in the male group, generally less affected by osteoporosis. Psoriasis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease present some risk factors in common as obesity, smoking and physical inactivity. Besides, both diseases are associated with the metabolic syndrome. These factors could be potential confounders in the association of the two diseases. Further prospective studies with control of those potential confounders should be developed in an attempt to establish causality. Existing data in the literature suggest that there is an association between obstructive sleep apnea and psoriasis, but studies performed until now have involved few patients and had a short follow-up period. It is, therefore, premature to assert that there is indeed a correlation between these two diseases. PMID:26982772

  2. Reliability of the MDi Psoriasis® Application to Aid Therapeutic Decision-Making in Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreno-Ramírez, D; Herrerías-Esteban, J M; Ojeda-Vila, T; Carrascosa, J M; Carretero, G; de la Cueva, P; Ferrándiz, C; Galán, M; Rivera, R; Rodríguez-Fernández, L; Ruiz-Villaverde, R; Ferrándiz, L

    2017-09-01

    Therapeutic decisions in psoriasis are influenced by disease factors (e.g., severity or location), comorbidity, and demographic and clinical features. We aimed to assess the reliability of a mobile telephone application (MDi-Psoriasis) designed to help the dermatologist make decisions on how to treat patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. We analyzed interobserver agreement between the advice given by an expert panel and the recommendations of the MDi-Psoriasis application in 10 complex cases of moderate to severe psoriasis. The experts were asked their opinion on which treatments were most appropriate, possible, or inappropriate. Data from the same 10 cases were entered into the MDi-Psoriasis application. Agreement was analyzed in 3 ways: paired interobserver concordance (Cohen's κ), multiple interobserver concordance (Fleiss's κ), and percent agreement between recommendations. The mean percent agreement between the total of 1210 observations was 51.3% (95% CI, 48.5-54.1%). Cohen's κ statistic was 0.29 and Fleiss's κ was 0.28. Mean agreement between pairs of human observers only, excluding the MDi-Psoriasis recommendations, was 50.5% (95% CI, 47.6-53.5%). Paired agreement between the recommendations of the MDi-Psoriasis tool and the majority opinion of the expert panel (Cohen's κ) was 0.44 (68.2% agreement). The MDi-Psoriasis tool can generate recommendations that are comparable to those of experts in psoriasis. Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  3. Psoriasis and New-onset Depression

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Peter; Ahlehoff, Ole; Egeberg, Alexander

    2016-01-01

    Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of depression, but results are inconsistent. This study examined the risk of new-onset depression in patients with psoriasis in a nationwide Danish cohort including some 5 million people in the period 2001-2011. A total of 35,001 patients with mild...... psoriasis and 7,510 with severe psoriasis were identified. Incidence rates per 1,000 person-years and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated. Incidence rates for depression were 20.0 (95% confidence interval 19.9-20.0), 23.9 (23.1-24.7) and 31.6 (29.5-33.8) for the reference population, mild......, the risk of new-onset depression in psoriasis is mediated primarily by comorbidities, except in younger individuals with severe psoriasis, in whom psoriasis itself may be a risk factor....

  4. Molecular and Cellular Profiling of Scalp Psoriasis Reveals Differences and Similarities Compared to Skin Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruano, Juan; Suárez-Fariñas, Mayte; Shemer, Avner; Oliva, Margeaux

    2016-01-01

    Scalp psoriasis shows a variable clinical spectrum and in many cases poses a great therapeutic challenge. However, it remains unknown whether the immune response of scalp psoriasis differs from understood pathomechanisms of psoriasis in other skin areas. We sought to determine the cellular and molecular phenotype of scalp psoriasis by performing a comparative analysis of scalp and skin using lesional and nonlesional samples from 20 Caucasian subjects with untreated moderate to severe psoriasis and significant scalp involvement and 10 control subjects without psoriasis. Our results suggest that even in the scalp, psoriasis is a disease of the inter-follicular skin. The immune mechanisms that mediate scalp psoriasis were found to be similar to those involved in skin psoriasis. However, the magnitude of dysregulation, number of differentially expressed genes, and enrichment of the psoriatic genomic fingerprint were more prominent in skin lesions. Furthermore, the scalp transcriptome showed increased modulation of several gene-sets, particularly those induced by interferon-gamma, compared with that of skin psoriasis, which was mainly associated with activation of TNFα/L-17/IL-22-induced keratinocyte response genes. We also detected differences in expression of gene-sets involving negative regulation, epigenetic regulation, epidermal differentiation, and dendritic cell or Th1/Th17/Th22-related T-cell processes. PMID:26849645

  5. Genetic polymorphisms associated with psoriasis and development of psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Loft, Nikolai Dyrberg; Skov, Lone; Rasmussen, Mads Kirchheiner

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Psoriasis (PsO) is a chronic inflammatory disease with predominantly cutaneous manifestations. Approximately one third of patients with PsO develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), whereas the remaining proportion of patients has isolated cutaneous psoriasis (PsC). These two phenotypes share...... (rs6887695) was associated with PsO. CONCLUSION: Among a cohort of Danish patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis, two SNPs in the IL12B and TNF genes were associated with susceptibility of psoriasis. None of the SNPs were specifically associated with isolated cutaneous psoriasis or psoriatic...

  6. Stem cells in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hou, Ruixia; Li, Junqin; Niu, Xuping; Liu, Ruifeng; Chang, Wenjuan; Zhao, Xincheng; Wang, Qiang; Li, Xinhua; Yin, Guohua; Zhang, Kaiming

    2017-06-01

    Psoriasis is a complex chronic relapsing inflammatory disease. Although the exact mechanism remains unknown, it is commonly accepted that the development of psoriasis is a result of multi-system interactions among the epidermis, dermis, blood vessels, immune system, neuroendocrine system, metabolic system, and hematopoietic system. Many cell types have been confirmed to participate in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Here, we review the stem cell abnormalities related to psoriasis that have been investigated recently. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  7. Psoriasis in children

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pinson R

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Roxanne Pinson,1 Bahman Sotoodian,2 Loretta Fiorillo2,3 1School of Medicine, 2Division of Dermatology and Cutaneous Sciences, Department of Medicine, 3Division of Pediatric Dermatology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada Abstract: The clinical presentation, disease associations, and diverse treatment modalities in overcoming the challenges of managing pediatric psoriasis have been extensively summarized in this article. An extensive literature review revealed the differences in presentation of psoriasis during infancy, childhood, and adolescence. We also summarized the latest topical, systemic, and biological modalities in treating recalcitrant psoriasis. The association of psoriasis with juvenile arthritis and obesity and the significant influence of the disease on the children's quality of life were explored. The clinical presentation of psoriasis can evolve during the child's lifespan. While many treatment modalities already exist for treating pediatric psoriasis, some of the new biologics that are approved for adult patients have not been investigated in the pediatric population and no algorithm exists for their use in this population. Large clinical studies in the future will enhance our understanding with regards to their safety and potential implications in pediatric populations. Keywords: pediatric, epidemiology, juvenile arthritis, topical treatment, systemic treatment, phototherapy, biologics

  8. PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index in the evaluation of the clinical manifestations of psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. A. Kubanov

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is one of the most prevalent chronic inflammatory skin diseases. The severity of its clinical manifestations can vary greatly. Objective assessment of psoriasis severity is required to select an adequate therapy. One of the simplest and most consistent methods used to determine psoriasis severity is to calculate the PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. This index is based on the doctor’s determination of the sum of indices showing the intensity of the main symptoms of psoriasis: erythema, infiltration and peeling in view of the affected skin area. The PASI can also be used to assess the efficacy of treatment for psoriasis patients.

  9. Pathogenic seedborne viruses are rare but Phaseolus vulgaris endornaviruses are common in bean varieties grown in Nicaragua and Tanzania.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Noora Nordenstedt

    Full Text Available Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris is an annual grain legume that was domesticated in Mesoamerica (Central America and the Andes. It is currently grown widely also on other continents including Africa. We surveyed seedborne viruses in new common bean varieties introduced to Nicaragua (Central America and in landraces and improved varieties grown in Tanzania (eastern Africa. Bean seeds, harvested from Nicaragua and Tanzania, were grown in insect-controlled greenhouse or screenhouse, respectively, to obtain leaf material for virus testing. Equal amounts of total RNA from different samples were pooled (30-36 samples per pool, and small RNAs were deep-sequenced (Illumina. Assembly of the reads (21-24 nt to contiguous sequences and searches for homologous viral sequences in databases revealed Phaseolus vulgaris endornavirus 1 (PvEV-1 and PvEV-2 in the bean varieties in Nicaragua and Tanzania. These viruses are not known to cause symptoms in common bean and are considered non-pathogenic. The small-RNA reads from each pool of samples were mapped to the previously characterized complete PvEV-1 and PvEV-2 sequences (genome lengths ca. 14 kb and 15 kb, respectively. Coverage of the viral genomes was 87.9-99.9%, depending on the pool. Coverage per nucleotide ranged from 5 to 471, confirming virus identification. PvEV-1 and PvEV-2 are known to occur in Phaseolus spp. in Central America, but there is little previous information about their occurrence in Nicaragua, and no information about occurrence in Africa. Aside from Cowpea mild mosaic virus detected in bean plants grown from been seeds harvested from one region in Tanzania, no other pathogenic seedborne viruses were detected. The low incidence of infections caused by pathogenic viruses transmitted via bean seeds may be attributable to new, virus-resistant CB varieties released by breeding programs in Nicaragua and Tanzania.

  10. In psoriasis, levels of hope and quality of life are linked.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawro, Tomasz; Maurer, Marcus; Hawro, Marlena; Kaszuba, Andrzej; Cierpiałkowska, Lidia; Królikowska, Monika; Zalewska, Anna

    2014-09-01

    Psychological resources such as hope have been suggested to positively influence quality of life (QoL) in chronic disorders. Here, we determined hope levels of psoriasis vulgaris in-patients and analyzed their relation to QoL. A total of 60 (29 male) patients were assessed for their QoL with a generic tool (WHOQOL-BREF) and a skin disease-specific instrument, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Hope levels were determined by use of the Basic Hope Inventory. We found a positive correlation between hope and all domains of WHOQOL-BREF (physical: r = 0.446, p = 0.000; psychological r = 0.464, p = 0.000; social r = 0.302, p = 0.019; environmental r = 0.480, p = 0000; and global r = 0.501, p = 0.000) and a negative correlation with DLQI (r = -0.281, p = 0.030) indicating higher QoL in patients with high hope. Hope was not correlated with disease severity or duration. Hope may play a substantial role in preventing QoL impairment in psoriasis. Psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at strengthening hope could improve QoL in this condition.

  11. Psoriasis and high blood pressure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salihbegovic, Eldina Malkic; Hadzigrahic, Nermina; Suljagic, Edin; Kurtalic, Nermina; Sadic, Sena; Zejcirovic, Alema; Mujacic, Almina

    2015-02-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin ailment which can be connected with an increased occurrence of other illnesses, including high blood pressure. A prospective study has been conducted which included 70 patients affected by psoriasis, both genders, older than 18 years. Average age being 47,14 (SD= ±15,41) years, from that there were 36 men or 51,43 and 34 women or 48,57%. Average duration of psoriasis was 15,52 (SD=±12,54) years. Frequency of high blood pressure in those affected by psoriasis was 54,28%. Average age of the patients with psoriasis and high blood pressure was 53,79 year (SD=±14,15) and average duration of psoriasis was 17,19 years (SD=±13,51). Average values of PASI score were 16,65. Increase in values of PASI score and high blood pressure were statistically highly related (r=0,36, p=0,0001). Psoriasis was related to high blood pressure and there was a correlation between the severity of psoriasis and high blood pressure.

  12. Influence of psoriasis on work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mattila, Kalle; Leino, Mauri; Mustonen, Anssi; Koulu, Leena; Tuominen, Risto

    2013-04-01

    Previous research indicates that psoriasis has an impact on early retirement, sick leave days and reduced work performance. To evaluate the disadvantages at work caused by psoriasis. The sample was based on patients visiting the dermatology outpatient clinic in Turku University Hospital. 262 returned a mailed questionnaire. The subjects were asked how many hours they were on a sick leave (absenteeism) and working while sick (presenteeism) due to psoriasis and other health reasons. Of the retired, 17.0% felt they were retired due to psoriasis. Those in the active work force reported on average 4.5 hours absenteeism and 8.3 hours of presenteeism due to psoriasis during the last 4 weeks. Psoriasis caused 27.0% of the total absenteeism and 39.0% of presenteeism. More than a quarter (28.9%) had been forced to modify their work due to psoriasis, most frequently to make the work less irritating for the skin. Psoriasis has a negative effect on patients' work in many ways, causing early retirement from work, sick leave days, change of occupation and work modifications.

  13. National Psoriasis Foundation

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... 723-9166 | Submit a Question | Learn More National Psoriasis Foundation provides you with the help you need to best manage your psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis, while promoting research to find ...

  14. Management of psoriasis in adolescence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fotiadou C

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Christina Fotiadou, Elizabeth Lazaridou, Demetrios Ioannides First Department of Dermatology–Venereology, Aristotle University Medical School, Thessaloniki, Greece Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory cutaneous disorder affecting 2%–4% of the world's population. The prevalence of the disease in childhood and adolescence ranges between 0.5% and 2%. The management of psoriasis in adolescence is an intriguing and complicated task. Given the paucity of officially approved therapies, the very limited evidence-based data from randomized controlled trials, and the absence of standardized guidelines, physicians must rely on published experience from case reports both from the field of dermatology as well as from the application of these drugs for other pediatric conditions coming from the disciplines of rheumatology, gastroenterology, and oncology. Psoriatic adolescents deal with a potentially disfiguring and lifelong disease that could permanently impair their psychological development. It must be clarified to them that psoriasis does not have a permanent cure, and therefore the main goal of treatments is to establish disease control and prolonged periods between flares. The majority of adolescents suffer from mild psoriasis, and thus they are treated basically with topical treatment modalities. Phototherapy is reserved for adolescents with mild-to-moderate plaque disease and/or guttate psoriasis when routine visits to specialized centers do not create practical problems. Systemic agents and biologics are administered to patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis, pustular psoriasis, or erythrodermic psoriasis. Keywords: adolescent psoriasis, pediatric psoriasis, treatment, systemic treatment, biologic agents

  15. Nucleotide sequence of Phaseolus vulgaris L. alcohol dehydrogenase encoding cDNA and three-dimensional structure prediction of the deduced protein.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amelia, Kassim; Khor, Chin Yin; Shah, Farida Habib; Bhore, Subhash J

    2015-01-01

    Common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are widely consumed as a source of proteins and natural products. However, its yield needs to be increased. In line with the agenda of Phaseomics (an international consortium), work of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) generation from bean pods was initiated. Altogether, 5972 ESTs have been isolated. Alcohol dehydrogenase (AD) encoding gene cDNA was a noticeable transcript among the generated ESTs. This AD is an important enzyme; therefore, to understand more about it this study was undertaken. The objective of this study was to elucidate P. vulgaris L. AD (PvAD) gene cDNA sequence and to predict the three-dimensional (3D) structure of deduced protein. positive and negative strands of the PvAD cDNA clone were sequenced using M13 forward and M13 reverse primers to elucidate the nucleotide sequence. Deduced PvAD cDNA and protein sequence was analyzed for their basic features using online bioinformatics tools. Sequence comparison was carried out using bl2seq program, and tree-view program was used to construct a phylogenetic tree. The secondary structures and 3D structure of PvAD protein were predicted by using the PHYRE automatic fold recognition server. The sequencing results analysis showed that PvAD cDNA is 1294 bp in length. It's open reading frame encodes for a protein that contains 371 amino acids. Deduced protein sequence analysis showed the presence of putative substrate binding, catalytic Zn binding, and NAD binding sites. Results indicate that the predicted 3D structure of PvAD protein is analogous to the experimentally determined crystal structure of s-nitrosoglutathione reductase from an Arabidopsis species. The 1294 bp long PvAD cDNA encodes for 371 amino acid long protein that contains conserved domains required for biological functions of AD. The predicted deduced PvAD protein's 3D structure reflects the analogy with the crystal structure of Arabidopsis thaliana s-nitrosoglutathione reductase. Further study is required

  16. Genome-Wide Association Study of Anthracnose Resistance in Andean Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuiderveen, Grady H; Padder, Bilal A; Kamfwa, Kelvin; Song, Qijian; Kelly, James D

    2016-01-01

    Anthracnose is a seed-borne disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, and the pathogen is cosmopolitan in distribution. The objectives of this study were to identify new sources of anthracnose resistance in a diverse panel of 230 Andean beans comprised of multiple seed types and market classes from the Americas, Africa, and Europe, and explore the genetic basis of this resistance using genome-wide association mapping analysis (GWAS). Twenty-eight of the 230 lines tested were resistant to six out of the eight races screened, but only one cultivar Uyole98 was resistant to all eight races (7, 39, 55, 65, 73, 109, 2047, and 3481) included in the study. Outputs from the GWAS indicated major quantitative trait loci (QTL) for resistance on chromosomes, Pv01, Pv02, and Pv04 and two minor QTL on Pv10 and Pv11. Candidate genes associated with the significant SNPs were detected on all five chromosomes. An independent QTL study was conducted to confirm the physical location of the Co-1 locus identified on Pv01 in an F4:6 recombinant inbred line (RIL) population. Resistance was determined to be conditioned by the single dominant gene Co-1 that mapped between 50.16 and 50.30 Mb on Pv01, and an InDel marker (NDSU_IND_1_50.2219) tightly linked to the gene was developed. The information reported will provide breeders with new and diverse sources of resistance and genomic regions to target in the development of anthracnose resistance in Andean beans.

  17. Genome-Wide Association Study of Anthracnose Resistance in Andean Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Grady H Zuiderveen

    Full Text Available Anthracnose is a seed-borne disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. caused by the fungus Colletotrichum lindemuthianum, and the pathogen is cosmopolitan in distribution. The objectives of this study were to identify new sources of anthracnose resistance in a diverse panel of 230 Andean beans comprised of multiple seed types and market classes from the Americas, Africa, and Europe, and explore the genetic basis of this resistance using genome-wide association mapping analysis (GWAS. Twenty-eight of the 230 lines tested were resistant to six out of the eight races screened, but only one cultivar Uyole98 was resistant to all eight races (7, 39, 55, 65, 73, 109, 2047, and 3481 included in the study. Outputs from the GWAS indicated major quantitative trait loci (QTL for resistance on chromosomes, Pv01, Pv02, and Pv04 and two minor QTL on Pv10 and Pv11. Candidate genes associated with the significant SNPs were detected on all five chromosomes. An independent QTL study was conducted to confirm the physical location of the Co-1 locus identified on Pv01 in an F4:6 recombinant inbred line (RIL population. Resistance was determined to be conditioned by the single dominant gene Co-1 that mapped between 50.16 and 50.30 Mb on Pv01, and an InDel marker (NDSU_IND_1_50.2219 tightly linked to the gene was developed. The information reported will provide breeders with new and diverse sources of resistance and genomic regions to target in the development of anthracnose resistance in Andean beans.

  18. Psychological differences between early- and late-onset psoriasis: a study of personality traits, anxiety and depression in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remröd, C; Sjöström, K; Svensson, A

    2013-08-01

    Onset of psoriasis may occur at any age. Early negative experiences often influence personality development, and may lead to physical disease, anxiety and depression in adulthood. Knowledge about onset of psoriasis and psychopathology is limited. To examine whether patients with early-onset psoriasis differ psychologically from patients with late-onset psoriasis, regarding personality traits, anxiety and depression. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 101 consecutively recruited outpatients with psoriasis. A psychosocial interview was performed followed by self-assessment of validated questionnaires: Swedish Universities Scales of Personality (SSP), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Beck Depression Inventory. Psoriasis severity was assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. Patients with early-onset psoriasis (age personality traits: SSP-embitterment, -trait irritability, -mistrust and -verbal trait aggression. Our results indicate that early detection of psychological vulnerability when treating children and adolescents with psoriasis seems to be of great importance. Traits of psychological vulnerability and pessimistic personality traits were found to be significantly associated with the early onset of psoriasis, but not with disease duration in this study. These traits may be seen as a consequence of psoriasis, and/or as individual traits modulating and impairing clinical course and efforts to cope with psoriasis. © 2013 The Authors BJD © 2013 British Association of Dermatologists.

  19. Psoriasis og aterotrombotisk sygdom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlehoff, Ole; Gislason, Gunnar H; Skov, Lone

    2010-01-01

    Psoriasis and atherosclerosis share immunoinflammatory mechanisms and patients with psoriasis may carry an excess of cardiovascular risk factors (hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, smoking etc.) and increased risk of atherothrombotic disease....... The current review summarises the available evidence in this area of research and calls for increased awareness of cardiovascular risk assessment and treatment in patients with psoriasis....

  20. Whole Exome Sequencing in Psoriasis Patients Contributes to Studies of Acitretin Treatment Difference

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xingchen Zhou

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis vulgaris is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. Although acitretin is a widely used synthetic retinoid for moderate to severe psoriasis, little is known about patients’ genetics in response to this drug. In this study, 179 patients were enrolled in either the discovery set (13 patients or replication set (166 patients. The discovery set was sequenced by whole exome sequencing and sequential validation was conducted in the replication set by MassArray assays. Four SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms (rs1105223T>C in CRB2, rs11086065A>G in ANKLE1, rs3821414T>C in ARHGEF3, rs1802073 T>G in SFRP4 were found to be significantly associated with acitretin response in either co-dominant or dominant models via multivariable logistic regression analysis, while CRB2 rs1105223CC (OR = 4.10, 95% CI = 1.46–11.5, p = 0.007 and ANKLE1 rs11086065AG/GG (OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.42–5.37, p = 0.003 were associated with no response to acitretin after 8-week treatment. Meanwhile, ARHGEF3 rs3821414CT/CC (OR = 0.25, 95% CI = 0.10–0.68, p = 0.006 and SFRP4 rs1802073GG/GT (OR = 2.40, 95% CI, 1.23–4.70, p = 0.011 were associated with a higher response rate. Four new genetic variations with potential influences on the response to acitretin were found in this study which may serve as genetic markers for acitretin in psoriasis patients.

  1. HLA-C and guttate psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallon, E; Bunce, M; Savoie, H; Rowe, A; Newson, R; Gotch, F; Bunker, C B

    2000-12-01

    Psoriasis is a heterogeneous disease in its clinical expression. Both genetic and environmental factors are thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of the inflammatory and hyperproliferative components of the typical skin lesions. Predisposing genetic influences include associations with human leucocyte antigens (HLA) of which that with HLA-Cw6 is the strongest. Guttate psoriasis is a specific clinical manifestation of psoriasis frequently associated with group A beta-haemolytic streptococcal throat infection. We set out to determine whether further clinical subdivision of psoriasis is associated with tighter correlation with HLA-C alleles. We determined the HLA-C locus genotype of 29 caucasian patients with guttate psoriasis presenting consecutively with guttate psoriasis associated with a history of a sore throat and/or an antistreptolysin O titre > 200 IU mL-1. Polymerase chain reaction typing using sequence-specific primers was used to detect all known HLA-C alleles. These data were compared with a control population of 604 random caucasian cadaver donors. All patients (100%) with guttate psoriasis carried the Cw*0602 allele compared with 20% of the control population (odds ratio = infinity; 95% confidence limits 25.00-infinity; Pcorrected < 0.0000002). This result is consistent with HLA-Cw*0602 playing a part directly in the pathogenesis of guttate psoriasis.

  2. Living with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bak, Kirsten Tarri

    2004-01-01

    Living with psoriasis is a considerable burden and quality of life in patients is deeply affected, yet compliance with therapy is a major problem. The literature is abundant in quantitative studies stating the incidence of decrease in quality of life and related, measurable terms, and in efforts...... directed at the improvement of therapies. However, it is sparse concerning the experiences of patients. This study aims to promote an understanding of the daily life of patients with psoriasis with particular regard to how they manage the disease, ultimately to improve nursing care to these patients....... A qualitative, collective case study design was applied. The participants were 4 adult patients with a long and complicated psoriasis history. They were interviewed in depth focusing on their experiences related to psoriasis and its treatment. The patients suffered physically from itch and pain. However...

  3. Molecular cloning and characterization of a gene encoding the proline transporter protein in common bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jibao; Chen; Jing; Wu; Yunfeng; Lu; Yuannan; Cao; Hui; Zeng; Zhaoyuan; Zhang; Lanfen; Wang; Shumin; Wang

    2016-01-01

    As a typical compatible solute, proline is accumulated in plants under environmental stresses. Proline transporter(Pro T) plays an important role in proline distribution between plant organs. Using a candidate gene approach, we cloned a c DNA sequence for Pro T from common bean(Phaseolus vulgaris L.) and designated the gene Pv Pro T. The deduced amino acid sequence of Pv Pro T showed high similarity to Bet/Pro T proteins from other leguminous plants, and the highest similarity was observed with mothbean(Vigna aconitifolia L.) Vu Pro T.Relative quantification of the m RNA level of Pv Pro T using real-time PCR analysis showed that the Pv Pro T transcript level was higher in leaves than in stems and roots of common bean plants subjected to drought and salt stress. Under 20%(w/w) PEG-6000 treatment,drought-resistant plants expressed a higher level of Pv Pro T transcripts than droughtsensitive plants. Although heterologous expression of Pv Pro T in the Escherichia coli mutant mkh13 showed that Pv Pro T exhibited uptake activities for proline and betaine, no betaine content was detected in the common bean. These findings suggest that Pv Pro T plays an important role in the transportation of proline in common bean plants exposed to drought and salt stress.

  4. Psoriasis: classical and emerging comorbidities*

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, Maria de Fátima Santos Paim; Rocha, Bruno de Oliveira; Duarte, Gleison Vieira

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease. Evidence shows an association of psoriasis with arthritis, depression, inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, several other comorbid conditions have been proposed as related to the chronic inflammatory status of psoriasis. The understanding of these conditions and their treatments will certainly lead to better management of the disease. The present article aims to synthesize the knowledge in the literature about the classical and emerging comorbidities related to psoriasis. PMID:25672294

  5. Insight into psoriasis management: commercial perspectives for the U.S. psoriasis market.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tran, Bryant; Feldman, Steven R

    2011-02-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition that has a significant impact on quality of life, self-esteem and comorbidities. Management of this condition is complicated and heavily influenced by psychosocial and economic realities. Addressing psychosocial and treatment education issues can be facilitated by use of the National Psoriasis Foundation. Localized disease is generally treated with topical treatment for which good generic medications are available. Somewhat higher priced branded vehicles are helpful for enhancing patients' treatment adherence, and may help avoid the need for far more toxic and expensive systemic treatment. Patients with extensive disease are best managed with phototherapy as a first-line option, and there is room for improvement in how insurers promote the use of this approach. Biologic treatments continue to offer new, safer options for patients with severe disease, albeit at higher cost. This review addresses practical issues in psoriasis management that would be of interest to organizations that are involved in the delivery of care for patients with psoriasis, such as managed care pharmacists and pharmaceutical companies that develop products for psoriasis.

  6. Psoriasis lesions are associated with specific types of emotions. Emotional profile in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martín-Brufau, Ramón; Romero-Brufau, Santiago; Martín-Gorgojo, Alejandro; Brufau Redondo, Carmen; Corbalan, Javier; Ulnik, Jorge

    2015-01-01

    At present there is still controversy about the relationship between emotional stress and psoriasis lesions. Most of the published literature does not include the broad spectrum of emotional response. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between skin lesions and emotional state in a large sample of patients with psoriasis. 823 psoriasis patients were recruited (mean age 45.9 years, 55.7% female) and answered two online questionnaires: lesion severity and current extension were evaluated using a self-administered psoriasis severity index (SAPASI); emotional state was assessed using the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS). Second order factors were calculated and correlated with the SAPASI. We found positive associations between the extent and severity of skin lesions and the negative and submissive emotions, a negative correlation with dominance emotions and no association with positive emotions. Our data supports the relationship between emotions and skin lesions. It also allows for discrimination of the associations between psoriasis lesions and the specific type of emotions.

  7. Human papilloma virus infection and psoriasis: Did human papilloma virus infection trigger psoriasis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Sonia P; Gulhane, Sachin; Pandey, Neha; Bisne, Esha

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is an autoimmune chronic inflammatory skin disease known to be triggered by streptococcal and HIV infections. However, human papilloma virus infection (HPV) as a triggering factor for the development of psoriasis has not been reported yet. We, hereby report a case of plaque type with inverse psoriasis which probably could have been triggered by genital warts (HPV infection) and discuss the possible pathomechanisms for their coexistence and its management.

  8. Deciphering psoriasis. A bioinformatic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melero, Juan L; Andrades, Sergi; Arola, Lluís; Romeu, Antoni

    2018-02-01

    Psoriasis is an immune-mediated, inflammatory and hyperproliferative disease of the skin and joints. The cause of psoriasis is still unknown. The fundamental feature of the disease is the hyperproliferation of keratinocytes and the recruitment of cells from the immune system in the region of the affected skin, which leads to deregulation of many well-known gene expressions. Based on data mining and bioinformatic scripting, here we show a new dimension of the effect of psoriasis at the genomic level. Using our own pipeline of scripts in Perl and MySql and based on the freely available NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database: DataSet Record GDS4602 (Series GSE13355), we explore the extent of the effect of psoriasis on gene expression in the affected tissue. We give greater insight into the effects of psoriasis on the up-regulation of some genes in the cell cycle (CCNB1, CCNA2, CCNE2, CDK1) or the dynamin system (GBPs, MXs, MFN1), as well as the down-regulation of typical antioxidant genes (catalase, CAT; superoxide dismutases, SOD1-3; and glutathione reductase, GSR). We also provide a complete list of the human genes and how they respond in a state of psoriasis. Our results show that psoriasis affects all chromosomes and many biological functions. If we further consider the stable and mitotically inheritable character of the psoriasis phenotype, and the influence of environmental factors, then it seems that psoriasis has an epigenetic origin. This fit well with the strong hereditary character of the disease as well as its complex genetic background. Copyright © 2017 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Psoriasis and psoriasic arthritis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cortes Vera, Sandra Liliana; Iglesias Gamarra, Antonio; Restrepo Suarez, Jose Felix

    2003-01-01

    The psoriasis is an skin inflammatory disease characterized by chronic and recurrent red skin covered with silver scales. In their pathogenesis, immunogenetic and environmental factors are conjugated. Psoriatic arthritis. That is a seronegative arthropathy. In the greater part of cases follow to a chronic course of cutaneous psoriasis. In this paper, we analyzed the most frequent forms of presentation of cutaneous psoriasis and we revised the psoriatic arthropathy, with some indications about its treatment

  10. Implementation of Instrument Based on Eight Health Related Quality of Life Domains for Measuring of Willingness to Pay for Psoriasis Treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dobrev, Hristo P; Atanasov, Nikolay G; Dimitrova, Donka D

    2017-09-01

    Psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) is a chronic skin condition that has a major impact on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). To determine the individual burden of PsV on HRQOL using willingness to pay (WTP) instrument. Fifty-one consecutive PsV patients were asked to evaluate their overall health and psoriasis affected health by visual analogue scale (VAS), and interviewed on 8 domains (physical, emotional, sleep, work, social, self-care, intimacy, and concentration) of HRQOL and WTP for a hypothetical cure in each domain. Two additional questions proposing 6 alternatives for therapy were also asked. The analysis is performed with descriptive and frequency statistics, Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The domains ranked highly were: physical comfort (90%), social comfort (77%), emotional health (75%) and work (53%). The following tendencies concerning WTP for top four impacted domains were found: the median WTP were the highest in the top impacted domains; the younger patients were willing to pay more than the older ones; the highest median WTP amounts appear in the lowest income group; the highest median WTP is associated with smaller psoriasis affected health VAS scores. The largest proportion and number of patients (37.3%, n=19) stated preferences for the systemic therapy. The second preferred choice was the thalassotherapy (29.4%, n=15). The utility and reliability of the instrument based on the assessment of WTP stated preferences for 8 domains of HRQOL for evaluation the individual burden of psoriasis were strongly supported.

  11. Effect of weight loss on the severity of psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, P; Zachariae, Claus; Christensen, R

    2013-01-01

    Psoriasis is associated with adiposity and weight gain increases the severity of psoriasis and the risk of incident psoriasis. Therefore, we aimed to measure the effect of weight reduction on the severity of psoriasis in obese patients with psoriasis.......Psoriasis is associated with adiposity and weight gain increases the severity of psoriasis and the risk of incident psoriasis. Therefore, we aimed to measure the effect of weight reduction on the severity of psoriasis in obese patients with psoriasis....

  12. Laserbehandeling bij psoriasis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sewbaransingh. A., [No Value

    2000-01-01

    Aan de Wetenschapswinkel Geneeskunde en Volksgezondheid werd een vraag voorgelegd van de Nederlandse Bond van Psoriasis Patiënten Verenigingen (NBPV) betreffende een folder genaamd 'de behandeling van psoriasis met laser' (zie Bijlage I). De vraag van de NBPV was om na te gaan in hoeverre de in de

  13. Psoriasis herpeticum due to Varicella zoster virus: A Kaposi′s varicelliform eruption in erythrodermic psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geeta Garg

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Kaposi′s varicelliform eruption (KVE or eczema herpeticum is characterized by disseminated papulovesicular eruption caused by a number of viruses like Herpes simplex virus I and II, Coxsackie virus, and Vaccinia and Small pox viruses in patients with pre-existing skin disease. The occurrence of KVE with psoriasis has been reported recently as a new entity psoriasis herpeticum. The rare causation of psoriasis herpeticum due to Varicella zoster virus in a patient with underlying psoriasis is being reported for the first time.

  14. Management of scalp psoriasis: current perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blakely K

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Kim Blakely,1 Melinda Gooderham2 1Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; 2Skin Centre for Dermatology, Peterborough, ON, Canada Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory condition. The age of onset, chronicity, physical, and psychosocial consequences of the disease cause psoriasis to have a significant impact on patient quality of life. Scalp psoriasis is no different, and effective treatment results in an improvement in quality of life. Successful management of scalp psoriasis includes topical therapies that are acceptable to the patient for mild-to-moderate disease, and systemic therapies for recalcitrant or moderate-to-severe disease. The most effective topical therapies are corticosteroid products, or combination products with calcipotriol and corticosteroid. Newer vehicle options provide more attractive and pleasing products for patients and may improve adherence. The current perspectives for management of scalp psoriasis are discussed including available data for systemic therapy of severe disease. Keywords: psoriasis, scalp psoriasis, topical therapies, systemic therapies, biologics

  15. Moderate Psoriasis: A Proposed Definition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llamas-Velasco, M; de la Cueva, P; Notario, J; Martínez-Pilar, L; Martorell, A; Moreno-Ramírez, D

    2017-12-01

    The Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) is the most widely used scale for assessing the severity of psoriasis and for therapeutic decision making. On the basis of the PASI score, patients have been stratified into 2 groups: mild disease and moderate-to-severe disease. To draft a proposal for the definition and characterization of moderate psoriasis based on PASI and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores. A group of 6 dermatologists with experience in the treatment of psoriasis undertook a critical review of the literature and a discussion of cases to draft a proposal. In order of priority, PASI, DLQI, and body surface area (BSA) are the parameters to be used in daily practice to classify psoriasis as mild, moderate, or severe. Severity should be assessed on the basis of a combined evaluation and interpretation of the PASI and DLQI. And 3, PASI and DLQI should carry equal weight in the determination of disease severity. On this basis, psoriasis severity was defined using the following criteria: mild, PASI15, independently of the DLQI score. A more precise classification of psoriasis according to disease severity will improve the risk-benefit assessment essential to therapeutic decision making in these patients. Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  16. Psoriasis in the pediatric population

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vindas Calderon, Wendy

    2013-01-01

    A scientific and updated bibliographic review is realized for handling and care of a pediatric patient with psoriasis disease. Health personnel related with this pathology must to know the different perspectives and angles of psoriasis, as well as clinical criteria, therapeutic and emotional in the treatment of patients. The incidence of psoriasis is recognized globally. Ethnic groups have developed with most frequently this disorder. The different clinical faces of psoriasis are studied. The morphological and topographical manifestations have presented a variety very similar to that of adults, and have made for the doctor difficult to make the diagnostic. Clinical studies that were realized in the last years, have reported etiological and pathogenic evidence, both genetic and immunological of this illness. Children with psoriasis usually have presented a mild illness, where psoriasis type plaque has been the predominant variant. Psoriasis in the population has required a special attention in triggers or aggravating factors of this disease such as infections, exposure to snuff, obesity, stress and interactions with other drugs. The discovery and use of new drugs have led to different etiological factors for the handling of psoriasis; so it is important to know the function, availability and adverse effects that can to cause new therapies. Treatments must to include the provision of a safe and effective therapy for the maintenance for free long periods of lesions, reducing the severity of the disease, and inhibiting structural damage of joints. The topical treatment has been the therapy of first choice in mild psoriasis and localized. An interrogatory is recommended to decide objectively a systemic treatment, because the infant population has been a sensitive group of possible adverse effects. Methotrexate has been the treatment of choice for psoriasis related to arthropathy both adults and children. Phototherapy, including UVB, PUVA light and excimer laser is

  17. Hepcidin expression in psoriasis patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nursel Dilek

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Iron is an essential nutrient for mammals. Accelerated loss of nutrients through hyperproliferation and desquamation from the skin in psoriasis is known. Hepcidin is an important and recently discovered regulator of iron homeostasis. Aims and Objectives: The present study was undertaken to investigate the hepcidin expression in psoriasis patients. Materials and Methods: We examined peripheral blood cell counts, serum Fe, ferritin, interleukin-6 (IL-6 and hepcidin levels using respectively automated hematology analyzer, Iron assay on the AEROSET system, chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay with automated analyzer, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: The independent comparison of Fe, ferritin, IL-6 and hepcidin levels in psoriasis patients and control group (healthy volunteers revealed lower Fe and higher IL-6, hepcidin levels in psoriasis patients. No significant difference was seen in the ferritin level between the psoriasis and the control group. Conclusions: We think that studies on hepcidin expression in psoriatic plaques will contribute to our understanding the role of iron and hepcidin in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

  18. Genetics Home Reference: generalized pustular psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Home Health Conditions Generalized pustular psoriasis Generalized pustular psoriasis Printable PDF Open All Close All Enable Javascript ... view the expand/collapse boxes. Description Generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a severe form of a skin ...

  19. Psoriasis og aterotrombotisk sygdom

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlehoff, Ole; Gislason, Gunnar H; Skov, Lone

    2010-01-01

    Psoriasis and atherosclerosis share immunoinflammatory mechanisms and patients with psoriasis may carry an excess of cardiovascular risk factors (hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, metabolic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, smoking etc.) and increased risk of atherothrombotic disease...

  20. Epidemiology and comorbidity of psoriasis in children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Augustin, M; Glaeske, G; Radtke, M A; Christophers, E; Reich, K; Schäfer, I

    2010-03-01

    Psoriasis is a common disease affecting all age groups. In contrast to adult psoriasis, only few studies on the epidemiology of childhood psoriasis have been published. Assessment of prevalence and comorbidities of juvenile psoriasis in Germany based on health insurance data. Data were collected from a database of about 1.3 million nonselected individuals from a German statutory health insurance organization which covers all geographical regions. Individuals with psoriasis were identified by ICD-10 codes applied to all outpatient and inpatient visits. The present analysis consists of all patients who were enlisted throughout the year 2005. The diagnosis of psoriasis was registered whenever there was at least one documented patient contact using code L40.* and subcodes. Comorbidities were also evaluated by ICD-10 diagnoses. In total, 33 981 patients with the diagnosis of psoriasis were identified. The prevalence in 2005 was 2.5%. The total rate of psoriasis in children younger than 18 years was 0.71%. The prevalence rates increased in an approximately linear manner from 0.12% at the age of 1 year to 1.2% at the age of 18 years. The overall rate of comorbidity in subjects with psoriasis aged under 20 years was twice as high as in subjects without psoriasis. Juvenile psoriasis was associated with increased rates of hyperlipidaemia, obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn disease. Psoriasis is a common disease in children. Like in adults, it is associated with significant comorbidity. Increased attention should be paid to the early detection and treatment of patients affected.

  1. Molecular cloning and characterization of a gene encoding the proline transporter protein in common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jibao Chen

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available As a typical compatible solute, proline is accumulated in plants under environmental stresses. Proline transporter (ProT plays an important role in proline distribution between plant organs. Using a candidate gene approach, we cloned a cDNA sequence for ProT from common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. and designated the gene PvProT. The deduced amino acid sequence of PvProT showed high similarity to Bet/ProT proteins from other leguminous plants, and the highest similarity was observed with mothbean (Vigna aconitifolia L. VuProT. Relative quantification of the mRNA level of PvProT using real-time PCR analysis showed that the PvProT transcript level was higher in leaves than in stems and roots of common bean plants subjected to drought and salt stress. Under 20% (w/w PEG-6000 treatment, drought-resistant plants expressed a higher level of PvProT transcripts than drought-sensitive plants. Although heterologous expression of PvProT in the Escherichia coli mutant mkh13 showed that PvProT exhibited uptake activities for proline and betaine, no betaine content was detected in the common bean. These findings suggest that PvProT plays an important role in the transportation of proline in common bean plants exposed to drought and salt stress.

  2. Psoriasis and Sleep Apnea

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Khalid, Usman; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar

    2015-01-01

    STUDY OBJECTIVES: Psoriasis and sleep apnea are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although both diseases have been linked with systemic inflammation, studies on their potential bidirectional association are lacking. We investigate the potential association between psoriasis...... and sleep apnea. METHODS: All Danish citizens age 18 y or older between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2011 (n = 5,522,190) were linked at individual level in nationwide registries. Incidence rates (IRs) per 10,000 person-years were calculated and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) adjusted for age, sex......, socioeconomic status, smoking history, alcohol abuse, medication, and comorbidity were estimated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: There were 53,290, 6,885, 6,348, and 39,908 incident cases of mild psoriasis, severe psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and sleep apnea, respectively. IRRs (95% confidence interval...

  3. Psoriasis and Sleep Apnea

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Khalid, Usman; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar

    2016-01-01

    STUDY OBJECTIVES: Psoriasis and sleep apnea are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Although both diseases have been linked with systemic inflammation, studies on their potential bidirectional association are lacking. We investigate the potential association between psoriasis...... and sleep apnea. METHODS: All Danish citizens age 18 y or older between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2011 (n = 5,522,190) were linked at individual level in nationwide registries. Incidence rates (IRs) per 10,000 person-years were calculated and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) adjusted for age, sex......, socioeconomic status, smoking history, alcohol abuse, medication, and comorbidity were estimated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: There were 53,290, 6,885, 6,348, and 39,908 incident cases of mild psoriasis, severe psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, and sleep apnea, respectively. IRRs (95% confidence interval...

  4. Smoking and risk for psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lønnberg, Ann Sophie; Skov, Lone; Skytthe, Axel

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Smoking is a potential risk factor for psoriasis. Both psoriasis and smoking habits are partly explained by genetic factors. However, twin studies investigating the association between these traits are limited. METHODS: Questionnaire-based data on smoking habits and psoriasis were...... collected for 34,781 twins, aged 20-71 years, from the Danish Twin Registry. A co-twin control analysis was performed on 1700 twin pairs discordant for lifetime history of smoking. Genetic and environmental correlations between smoking and psoriasis were estimated using classical twin modeling. RESULTS......: After multivariable adjustment, age group (50-71 vs. 20-49 years) and childhood exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) were significantly associated with psoriasis in the whole population (odds ratio [OR] 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.29 [P = 0.021] and OR 1.28, 95% CI 1.10-1.49 [P...

  5. Improving outcomes in patients with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tidman, Michael J

    2013-01-01

    Psoriasis is a heterogeneous inflammatory disorder that targets the skin and joints. It affects 1.3-2% of the population. The diagnosis of plaque psoriasis is usually straightforward, a helpful diagnostic clue is the tendency for silver scales to appear after gentle scratching of a lesion. Stress, streptococcal infection and drugs including beta-blockers, antimalarials and lithium may precipitate or exacerbate psoriasis. Psoriasis, especially when severe, predisposes to metabolic syndrome, and patients with psoriasis are at increased risk of ischaemic heart disease, hypertension, stroke, type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidaemia. Additionally, psoriasis sufferers appear at increased risk of uveitis, inflammatory boweldisease, lymphoma, non-melanoma skin cancer, COPD and venous thromboembolism. Psoriasis should be assessed on the basis of: severity, impact on physical, psychological and social wellbeing, symptoms of arthritis and the presence of comorbidities. Poor response to topical therapy may be as much to do with lack of compliance as with lack of efficacy. The number of treatments each day should be kept to a minimum, and patients should be reviewed after four weeks when initiating or changing topical therapy to improve adherence to treatment and assess response. The majority of patients with psoriasis can be managed in primary care, although specialist care may be necessary at some point in up to 60% of cases. Patients with erythrodermic or generalised pustular psoriasis should be referred for a same day dermatological opinion, and if psoriatic arthritis is suspected, early referral for a rheumatological opinion is recommended.

  6. Biosimilars for psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cohen, A. D.; Wu, J. J.; Puig, L.

    2017-01-01

    The introduction of biological drugs for the treatment of patients with psoriasis has revolutionized treatment paradigms and enabled numerous patients to achieve disease control with an acceptable safety profile. However, the high cost of biologics limits access to these medications for the major......The introduction of biological drugs for the treatment of patients with psoriasis has revolutionized treatment paradigms and enabled numerous patients to achieve disease control with an acceptable safety profile. However, the high cost of biologics limits access to these medications...... for the majority of patients worldwide. In recent years, the introduction of biosimilars for inflammatory diseases has become a fast evolving field. The future use of biosimilars offers the potential for decreased cost and increased access to biologics for patients with psoriasis. For approval of biosimilars...... in patients with psoriasis; spontaneous reporting, registries and use of ‘big data’ should facilitate this process on a global basis. The current article describes biosimilar regulatory guidelines and examples of biosimilar uptake in clinical practice in several countries around the world. As it is apparent...

  7. Psoriasis and comorbidities: links and risks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni C

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Catherine Ni, Melvin W Chiu Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2% of the population worldwide. In the past decade, many studies have drawn attention to comorbid conditions in psoriasis. This literature review examines the epidemiological evidence, pathophysiological commonalities, and therapeutic implications for different comorbidities of psoriasis. Cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, cancer, anxiety and depression, and inflammatory bowel disease have been found at a higher prevalence in psoriasis patients compared to the general population. Because of the wide range of comorbid conditions associated with psoriasis, comprehensive screening and treatment must be implemented to most effectively manage psoriasis patients. Keywords: cardiovascular, metabolic syndrome

  8. Altered [125I]epidermal growth factor binding and receptor distribution in psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nanney, L.B.; Stoscheck, C.M.; Magid, M.; King, L.E. Jr.

    1986-01-01

    Stimulation of growth and differentiation of human epidermis by epidermal growth factor (EGF) is mediated by its binding to specific receptors. Whether EGF receptors primarily mediate cell division or differentiation in hyperproliferative disease such as psoriasis vulgaris is unclear. To study the pathogenesis of psoriasis, 4-mm2 punch biopsy specimens of normal, uninvolved, and involved psoriatic skin were assayed for EGF receptors by autoradiographic, immunohistochemical, and biochemical methods. Using autoradiographic and immunohistochemical methods, basal keratinocytes were found to contain the greatest number of EGF binding sites and immunoreactive receptors as compared to the upper layers of the epidermis in both normal epidermis and psoriatic skin. No EGF receptor differences between normal and psoriatic epidermis were observed in this layer. In the upper layers of the epidermis, a 2-fold increase in EGF binding capacity was observed in psoriatic skin as compared with normal thin or thick skin. Biochemical methods indicated that [ 125 I]EGF binding was increased in psoriatic epidermis as compared with similar thickness normal epidermis when measured on a protein basis. Epidermal growth factor was shown to increase phosphorylation of the EGF receptor in skin. EGF receptors retained in the nonmitotic stratum spinosum and parakeratotic stratum corneum may reflect the incomplete, abnormal differentiation that occurs in active psoriatic lesions. Alternatively, retained EGF receptors may play a direct role in inhibiting cellular differentiation in the suprabasal layers

  9. Bone scintigraphy in psoriasis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hahn, K.; Thiers, G.; Eissner, D.; Holzmann, H.

    1980-08-01

    Since 1973 bone scintigraphy using sup(99m)Tc-phosphate-complexes was carried out in 382 patients with psoriasis. For comparison with the results of nuclear medicine, roentgenologic and clinical findings a group af 121 patients with psoriasis aged between 11 and 74 years was compared to a group of 42 patients aged between 20 and 49 years without roentgenologic and clinical signs of psoriasis arthritis. We found by means of isotope investigation that an essentially greater part of the bones adjacent to the joints was involved than was expected according to X-ray and clinical findings. In addition, in 205 patients with psoriasis whole-body scintigraphy, using sup(99m)Tc-MDP, was carried out since 1977/78. In 17 patients we found an increased accumulation of activity in the region of extraarticular structures of the skull as well as of the skeletal thorax. According to these results we conclude that in addition to the clinically and roentgenologically defined psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis an osteopathy may exist, which can only be demonstrated by skeletal scintigraphy and which is localized in bones adjacent to the joints but can also be demonstrated in the region of extraarticular bones.

  10. Building Integrated PV and PV/Hybrid Products - The PV:BONUS Experience: Preprint

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, H.; Pierce, L. K.

    2001-10-01

    Presented at the 2001 NCPV Program Review Meeting: Successes and lessons learned from PV:BONUS (Building Opportunities in the United States in PV). This program has funded the development of PV or PV/hybrid products for building applications.

  11. Oral candidiasis in patients with psoriasis: correlation of oral examination and cytopathological evaluation with psoriasis disease severity and treatment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picciani, Bruna Lavinas Sayed; Michalski-Santos, Bruna; Carneiro, Sueli; Sampaio, Ana Luisa; Avelleira, Joao Carlos Regazzi; Azulay, David Rubem; Pinto, Jane Marcy Neffa; Dias, Eliane Pedra

    2013-06-01

    Infections are known to trigger and exacerbate psoriasis. Although oral candidiasis is often clinically diagnosed, it is not always confirmed by laboratory tests such as oral cytopathology. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of oral candidiasis in patients with psoriasis through clinical and cytopathological diagnosis and to investigate the association between oral candidiasis and psoriasis with regards to the severity of the clinical presentation and the type of treatment for psoriasis. A total of 140 patients with psoriasis and 140 healthy control subjects received an oral examination. Scrapings of the tongue were also obtained for a cytopathological examination. The oral examination and the results of the cytopathological smear revealed 37 (26%) cases of candidiasis in the patients with psoriasis and no cases of candidiasis in the healthy control subjects. There was no correlation between the type of psoriasis treatment and the presence of oral candidiasis (P = .616). There was a statistically significant association (P = .033) between the clinical severity of psoriasis and the presence of Candida. This study was limited by the small number of subjects and the lack of follow-up to determine the development of psoriasis after treatment for oral candidiasis. The presence of oral candidiasis is higher in patients with psoriasis and it is associated with disease severity. This increased presence of oral candidiasis was apparent despite any type of treatment for the psoriasis. Cytopathology to rule out oral candidiasis should be used in the routine medical workup of patients with psoriasis. Copyright © 2012 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Misbehaving macrophages in the pathogenesis of psoriasis

    OpenAIRE

    Clark, Rachael A.; Kupper, Thomas S.

    2006-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease unique to humans. In this issue of the JCI, 2 studies of very different mouse models of psoriasis both report that macrophages play a key role in inducing psoriasis-like skin disease. Psoriasis is clearly a polygenic, inherited disease of uncontrolled cutaneous inflammation. The debate that currently rages in the field is whether psoriasis is a disease of autoreactive T cells or whether it reflects an intrinsic defect within the skin — or both....

  13. Association of Streptococcus with Plaque Type of Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Akram Hossain

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Guttate psoriasis has a well-known association with streptococcal throat infections, but the effects of these infections in patients with chronic plaque type of psoriasis remains to be evaluated. In Bangladesh several studies were done on psoriasis but no data about association between streptococcal throat infection and plaque type psoriasis are available so far. Considering the co-morbidities of psoriasis patients, it might be justifiable to find out the events that provoke the initiation or exacerbation of psoriatic disease process. Objective: To observe the association of streptococcus with plaque type of psoriasis. Materials and Methods: This observational study was conducted in the department of Dermatology and Venereology, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka. Forty seven patients clinically and histopathologically diagnosed as having plaque psoriasis were selected as cases and patients with skin diseases other than psoriasis were selected as controls. Results: In this study majority of subjects (55% were diagnosed as chronic plaque psoriasis. Among the subjects with guttate flare of chronic plaque psoriasis 64.2% gave a positive history of sore throat. ASO titer was raised (>200 IU/mL in 28 (59.5% patients of chronic plaque psoriasis and 7 (17.9% patients of non-psoriatic respondents. The difference between two groups was significant (p0.05. Conclusion: This study shows that streptococcal throat infections are associated with plaque psoriasis and early treatment of throat infections may be beneficial for plaque type of psoriasis patients.

  14. Psoriasis in those planning a family, pregnant or breast-feeding. The Australasian Psoriasis Collaboration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rademaker, Marius; Agnew, Karen; Andrews, Megan; Armour, Katherine; Baker, Chris; Foley, Peter; Frew, John; Gebauer, Kurt; Gupta, Monisha; Kennedy, Debra; Marshman, Gillian; Sullivan, John

    2017-05-23

    The Australasian Psoriasis Collaboration has reviewed the evidence for managing moderate to severe psoriasis in those who are pregnant or are breast-feeding, or planning a family. The severity of the psoriasis, associated comorbidities and specific anti-psoriasis treatment, along with other exposures, can have a deleterious effect on pregnancy outcomes. Psoriasis itself increases the risk of preterm and low birthweight babies, along with spontaneous and induced abortions, but no specific birth defects have been otherwise demonstrated. The baseline risk for a live born baby to have a major birth defect is 3%, and significant neuro-developmental problem is 5%. In Australia, pregnant women with psoriasis are more likely to be overweight or obese, depressed, or smoke in their first trimester, and are also less likely to take prenatal vitamins or supplements. Preconception counselling to improve maternal, pregnancy and baby health is therefore strongly encouraged. The topical and systemic therapies commonly used in psoriasis are each discussed separately, with regards to pregnancy exposure, breast-feeding and effects on male fertility and mutagenicity. The systemic therapies included are acitretin, adalimumab, apremilast, certolizumab, ciclosporin, etanercept, infliximab, ixekizumab, methotrexate, NBUVB, prednisone, PUVA, secukinumab and ustekinumab. The topical therapies include dithranol (anthralin), calcipotriol, coal tar, corticosteroids (weak, potent and super-potent), moisturisers, salicylic acid, tacrolimus, and tazarotene. As a general recommendation, effective drugs that have been widely used for years are preferable to newer alternatives with less foetal safety data. It is equally important to evaluate the risks of not treating, as severe untreated disease may negatively impact both mother and the foetus. © 2017 The Australasian College of Dermatologists.

  15. Psoriasis : implications of biologics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lecluse, L.L.A.

    2010-01-01

    Since the end of 2004 several specific immunomodulating therapies: ‘biologic response modifiers’ or ‘biologics’ have been registered for moderate to severe psoriasis in Europe. This thesis is considering the implications of the introduction of the biologics for psoriasis patients, focusing on safety

  16. Clinical characteristics of patients with facial psoriasis in Malaysia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Syed Nong Chek, Sharifah Rosniza; Robinson, Suganthy; Mohd Affandi, Azura; Baharum, Nurakmal

    2016-10-01

    Psoriasis involving the face is visible and can cause considerable emotional distress to patients. Its presence may also confer a poorer prognosis for the patient. This study sought to evaluate the characteristics of facial psoriasis in Malaysia. A cross-sectional study conducted using data from the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry from 2007 to 2011. Specific risk factors, i.e., age, age of onset, gender, duration of disease, obesity group, body surface area, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), family history of psoriasis, nail involvement, psoriatic arthritis, phototherapy, systemic therapy, clinic visit, days of work/school, and hospital admission due to psoriasis in the last 6 months were analyzed. A total of 48.4% of patients had facial psoriasis. Variables significantly associated with facial psoriasis are younger age, younger age of onset of psoriasis of ≤ 40 years, male, severity of psoriasis involving >10% of the body surface area, higher DLQI of >10, nail involvement, and history of hospitalization due to psoriasis. This study found that facial psoriasis is not as rare as previously thought. Ambient ultraviolet light, sebum, and contact with chemicals from facial products may reduce the severity of facial psoriasis, but these factors do not reduce the prevalence of facial psoriasis. The association with younger age, younger age of onset, higher percentage of body surface area involvement, higher DLQI of > 10, nail involvement, and hospitalization due to psoriasis support the notion that facial psoriasis is a marker of severe disease. © 2016 The International Society of Dermatology.

  17. Bone scintigraphy in psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hahn, K.; Thiers, G.; Eissner, D.; Holzmann, H.; Frankfurt Univ.

    1980-01-01

    Since 1973 bone scintigraphy using sup(99m)Tc-phosphate-complexes was carried out in 382 patients with psoriasis. For comparison with the results of nuclear medicine, roentgenologic and clinical findings a group af 121 patients with psoriasis aged between 11 and 74 years was compared to a group of 42 patients aged between 20 and 49 years without roentgenologic and clinical signs of psoriasis arthritis. We found by means of isotope investigation that an essentially greater part of the bones adjacent to the joints was involved than was expected according to X-ray and clinical findings. In addition, in 205 patients with psoriasis whole-body scintigraphy, using sup(99m)Tc-MDP, was carried out since 1977/78. In 17 patients we found an increased accumulation of activity in the region of extraarticular structures of the skull as well as of the skeletal thorax. According to these results we conclude that in addition to the clinically and roentgenologically defined psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis an osteopathy may exist, which can only be demonstrated by skeletal scintigraphy and which is localized in bones adjacent to the joints but can also be demonstrated in the region of extraarticular bones. (orig.) [de

  18. Palmoplantar psoriasis is associated with greater impairment of health-related quality of life compared to moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Jina; Duffin, Kristina Callis; Takeshita, Junko; Shin, Daniel B.; Krueger, Gerald G.; Robertson, Andrew D.; Troxel, Andrea B.; Van Voorhees, Abby S.; Edson-Heredia, Emily; Gelfand, Joel M.

    2014-01-01

    Background The impact of palmoplantar psoriasis on health-related quality of life (QoL) is largely unknown. Objective To compare clinical characteristics and patient-reported outcomes between patients with palmoplantar psoriasis and moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with plaque psoriasis (N=1,153) and palmoplantar psoriasis (N=66) currently receiving systemic or light treatment for psoriasis. Results Patients with palmoplantar psoriasis were more likely to report Dermatology Life Quality Index scores that correspond to at least a moderate impact on QoL (odds ratio [OR] 2.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.20-3.61); problems with mobility (OR 1.98; 95% CI, 1.10-3.58), self-care (OR 3.12; 95% CI, 1.24-7.86), and usual activities (OR 2.47; 95% CI, 1.44-4.22) on the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions questionnaire; and heavy topical prescription use of at least twice daily in the preceding week (OR 2.81; 95% CI, 1.63-4.85) than those with plaque psoriasis. Limitations Our assessment tools may not account for all dimensions of health-related QoL affected by palmoplantar disease, and these results may not be generalizable to patients with milder forms of psoriasis. Conclusion Patients with palmoplantar psoriasis suffer from greater health-related QoL impairment and are more likely to report heavy use of topical prescriptions than those with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. PMID:24894455

  19. Psoriasis or not? Review of 51 clinically confirmed cases reveals an expanded histopathologic spectrum of psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chau, Thinh; Parsi, Kory K; Ogawa, Toru; Kiuru, Maija; Konia, Thomas; Li, Chin-Shang; Fung, Maxwell A

    2017-12-01

    Psoriasis is usually diagnosed clinically, so only non-classic or refractory cases tend to be biopsied. Diagnostic uncertainty persists when dermatopathologists encounter features regarded as non-classic for psoriasis. Define and document classic and non-classic histologic features in skin biopsies from patients with clinically confirmed psoriasis. Minimal clinical diagnostic criteria were informally validated and applied to a consecutive series of biopsies histologically consistent with psoriasis. Clinical confirmation required 2 of the following criteria: (1) classic morphology, (2) classic distribution, (3) nail pitting, and (4) family history, with #1 and/or #2 as 1 criterion in every case RESULTS: Fifty-one biopsies from 46 patients were examined. Classic features of psoriasis included hypogranulosis (96%), club-shaped rete ridges (96%), dermal papilla capillary ectasia (90%), Munro microabscess (78%), suprapapillary plate thinning (63%), spongiform pustules (53%), and regular acanthosis (14%). Non-classic features included irregular acanthosis (84%), junctional vacuolar alteration (76%), spongiosis (76%), dermal neutrophils (69%), necrotic keratinocytes (67%), hypergranulosis (65%), neutrophilic spongiosis (61%), dermal eosinophils (49%), compact orthokeratosis (37%), papillary dermal fibrosis (35%), lichenoid infiltrate (25%), plasma cells (16%), and eosinophilic spongiosis (8%). Psoriasis exhibits a broader histopathologic spectrum. The presence of some non-classic features does not necessarily exclude the possibility of psoriasis. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  20. Pulmonary function in subjects with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, P. R.; Isaksen, Jonas Lynggaard; Jemec, G. B.

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory disease associated with comorbidities, e.g. cardiometabolic diseases, inflammatory bowel disease, and depression that may share an inflammatory origin. Smoking increases the risk of psoriasis and the disease has also been linked to chronic obstructive...... pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, with evidence of shared inflammatory cytokine-mediated mechanisms. Moreover, subjects with psoriasis display increased risk of infections, especially respiratory infections including pneumonia. However, only a small single-center study of pulmonary function in subjects...... with psoriasis is available. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved....

  1. Acupuncture as a Complementary Method of Traditional Psoriasis Treatment: Myth or Reality?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahović, Darija; Mrsić, Fanika

    2016-08-01

    Dear Editor, the practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine described psoriasis some 2000 years ago (1). Psoriasis vulgaris is a common, chronic inflammatory skin disease whose worldwide prevalence ranges from 0.1-3% (2,3). Understanding the role of the immune system in psoriasis and the interplay between the innate and adaptive immune system has helped to manage this complex disease, which affects patients far beyond the skin changes themselves (2). In addition to the usual and widely accepted methods of treatment of psoriasis, including topical therapies, phototherapy, and conventional and biological systemic therapies, data can be found in the literature that suggest a favorable effect of acupuncture on the course of psoriasis (4,5). Despite that, this complementary method of traditional treatment of various diseases is not yet widely accepted worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), acupuncture has been an officially recognized method of treatment for more than 50 diseases from 1979 (5). At the Department of Neurology at the University Hospital Center Zagreb, acupuncture has been used since 2011 for the treatment of various types of headaches, trigeminal neuralgia, and spinal pain syndromes. We report the case of a patient with a known history of psoriasis who was treated for chronic migraines with acupuncture. The 49-year-old female patient was examined for headache of a pulsating character that she had had for 16 years. The headache was mainly located on the left side of head and accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and both photophobia and phonophobia, and there was a worsening of symptoms upon exertion. The headaches were occurring once a week with an average duration of 2-3 continuous days. The patient also had frequent mild headaches. Additionally, the patient was diagnosed with psoriasis at the age of 29 and was occasionally treated with phototherapy. Systemic therapy for psoriasis had not been given to the patient thus far. After the

  2. An adult passive transfer mouse model to study desmoglein 3 signaling in pemphigus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schulze, Katja; Galichet, Arnaud; Sayar, Beyza S; Scothern, Anthea; Howald, Denise; Zymann, Hillard; Siffert, Myriam; Zenhäusern, Denise; Bolli, Reinhard; Koch, Peter J; Garrod, David; Suter, Maja M; Müller, Eliane J

    2012-02-01

    Evidence has accumulated that changes in intracellular signaling downstream of desmoglein 3 (Dsg3) may have a significant role in epithelial blistering in the autoimmune disease pemphigus vulgaris (PV). Currently, most studies on PV involve passive transfer of pathogenic antibodies into neonatal mice that have not finalized epidermal morphogenesis, and do not permit analysis of mature hair follicles (HFs) and stem cell niches. To investigate Dsg3 antibody-induced signaling in the adult epidermis at defined stages of the HF cycle, we developed a model with passive transfer of AK23 (a mouse monoclonal pathogenic anti-Dsg3 antibody) into adult 8-week-old C57Bl/6J mice. Validated using histopathological and molecular methods, we found that this model faithfully recapitulates major features described in PV patients and PV models. Two hours after AK23 transfer, we observed widening of intercellular spaces between desmosomes and EGFR activation, followed by increased Myc expression and epidermal hyperproliferation, desmosomal Dsg3 depletion, and predominant blistering in HFs and oral mucosa. These data confirm that the adult passive transfer mouse model is ideally suited for detailed studies of Dsg3 antibody-mediated signaling in adult skin, providing the basis for investigations on novel keratinocyte-specific therapeutic strategies.

  3. Interventions for nail psoriasis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Vries, Anna Christa Q.; Bogaards, Nathalie A.; Hooft, Lotty; Velema, Marieke; Pasch, Marcel; Lebwohl, Mark; Spuls, Phyllis I.

    2013-01-01

    Psoriasis is a common skin disease that can also involve the nails. All parts of the nail and surrounding structures can become affected. The incidence of nail involvement increases with duration of psoriasis. Although it is difficult to treat psoriatic nails, the condition may respond to therapy.

  4. Interventions for nail psoriasis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vries, A.C. de; Bogaards, N.A.; Hooft, L.; Velema, M.; Pasch, M.C.; Lebwohl, M.; Spuls, P.I.

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a common skin disease that can also involve the nails. All parts of the nail and surrounding structures can become affected. The incidence of nail involvement increases with duration of psoriasis. Although it is difficult to treat psoriatic nails, the condition may respond

  5. Patients with psoriasis are insulin resistant

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gyldenløve, Mette; Storgaard, Heidi; Holst, Jens Juul

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriasis have increased risk of type 2 diabetes. The pathophysiology is largely unknown, but it is hypothesized that systemic inflammation causes insulin resistance. Insulin sensitivity has only been sparsely investigated in patients with psoriasis, and previous studies...... with healthy control subjects. This supports that psoriasis may be a prediabetic condition....

  6. Increased Incidence of Critical Illness in Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marrie, Ruth Ann; Bernstein, Charles N; Peschken, Christine A; Hitchon, Carol A; Chen, Hui; Garland, Allan

    Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk of comorbid disease. Despite the recognition of increased morbidity in psoriasis, the effects on health care utilisation remain incompletely understood. Little is known about the risk of intensive care unit (ICU) admission in persons with psoriasis. To compare the incidence of ICU admission and post-ICU mortality rates in a psoriasis population compared with a matched population without psoriasis. Using population-based administrative data from Manitoba, Canada, we identified 40 930 prevalent cases of psoriasis and an age-, sex-, and geographically matched cohort from the general population (n = 150 210). We compared the incidence of ICU admission between populations using incidence rates and Cox regression models adjusted for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and comorbidity and compared mortality after ICU admission. Among incident psoriasis cases (n = 30 150), the cumulative 10-year incidence of ICU admission was 5.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.3%-5.8%), 21% higher than in the matched cohort (incidence rate ratio, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.15-1.27). In the prevalent psoriasis cohort, crude mortality in the ICU was 11.5% (95% CI, 9.9%-13.0%), 32% higher than observed in the matched population admitted to the ICU (8.7%; 95% CI, 8.3%-9.1%). Mortality rates after ICU admission remained elevated at all time points in the psoriasis cohort compared with the matched cohort. Psoriasis is associated with an increased risk for ICU admission and with an increased risk of mortality post-ICU admission.

  7. In vitro psoriasis models with focus on reconstructed skin models as promising tools in psoriasis research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desmet, Eline; Ramadhas, Anesh; Lambert, Jo; Van Gele, Mireille

    2017-06-01

    Psoriasis is a complex chronic immune-mediated inflammatory cutaneous disease associated with the development of inflammatory plaques on the skin. Studies proved that the disease results from a deregulated interplay between skin keratinocytes, immune cells and the environment leading to a persisting inflammatory process modulated by pro-inflammatory cytokines and activation of T cells. However, a major hindrance to study the pathogenesis of psoriasis more in depth and subsequent development of novel therapies is the lack of suitable pre-clinical models mimicking the complex phenotype of this skin disorder. Recent advances in and optimization of three-dimensional skin equivalent models have made them attractive and promising alternatives to the simplistic monolayer cultures, immunological different in vivo models and scarce ex vivo skin explants. Moreover, human skin equivalents are increasing in complexity level to match human biology as closely as possible. Here, we critically review the different types of three-dimensional skin models of psoriasis with relevance to their application potential and advantages over other models. This will guide researchers in choosing the most suitable psoriasis skin model for therapeutic drug testing (including gene therapy via siRNA molecules), or to examine biological features contributing to the pathology of psoriasis. However, the addition of T cells (as recently applied to a de-epidermized dermis-based psoriatic skin model) or other immune cells would make them even more attractive models and broaden their application potential. Eventually, the ultimate goal would be to substitute animal models by three-dimensional psoriatic skin models in the pre-clinical phases of anti-psoriasis candidate drugs. Impact statement The continuous development of novel in vitro models mimicking the psoriasis phenotype is important in the field of psoriasis research, as currently no model exists that completely matches the in vivo psoriasis

  8. A clinical review of phototherapy for psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ping; Wu, Mei X

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis is an autoimmune inflammatory skin disease. In the past several decades, phototherapy has been widely used to treat stable psoriatic lesions, including trunk, scalp, arms and legs, and partial nail psoriasis. A variety of light/lasers with different mechanisms of action have been developed for psoriasis including ultraviolet B (UVB), psoralen ultraviolet A (PUVA), pulsed dye laser (PDL), photodynamic therapy (PDT), intense pulsed light (IPL), light-emitting diodes (LED), and so on. Because light/laser each has specific therapeutic and adverse effects, it is important to adequately choose the sources and parameters in management of psoriasis with different pathogenic sites, severities, and duration of the disorder. This review aims at providing most updated clinic information to physicians about how to select light/laser sources and individual therapeutic regimens. To date, UV light is primarily for stable plaque psoriasis and PDL for topical psoriatic lesions with small area, both of which are safe and effective. On the other hand, PUVA has better curative effects than UVB for managing refractory psoriasis plaques, if its side effects can be better controlled. PDL provides optimal outcomes on nail psoriasis compared with other lasers. Although the trails of low-level light/laser therapy (LLLT) are still small, the near infrared (NIR) and visible red light with low energy show promise for treating psoriasis due to its strong penetration and encouraging photobiomodulation. IPL is rarely reported for psoriasis treatment, but PDT-IPL has been found to offer a moderate effect on nail psoriasis. In brief, various phototherapies have been used either in different combinations or as monotherapy. The modality has become a mainstay in the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis without systemic adverse events in today's clinical practice.

  9. Biologics in pediatric psoriasis - efficacy and safety.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dogra, Sunil; Mahajan, Rahul

    2018-01-01

    Childhood psoriasis is a special situation that is a management challenge for the treating dermatologist. As is the situation with traditional systemic agents, which are commonly used in managing severe psoriasis in children, the biologics are being increasingly used in the recalcitrant disease despite limited data on long term safety. Areas covered: We performed an extensive literature search to collect evidence-based data on the use of biologics in pediatric psoriasis. The relevant literature published from 2000 to September 2017 was obtained from PubMed, using the MeSH words 'biologics', 'biologic response modifiers' and 'treatment of pediatric/childhood psoriasis'. All clinical trials, randomized double-blind or single-blind controlled trials, open-label studies, retrospective studies, reviews, case reports and letters concerning the use of biologics in pediatric psoriasis were screened. Articles covering the use of biologics in pediatric psoriasis were screened and reference lists in the selected articles were scrutinized to identify other relevant articles that had not been found in the initial search. Articles without relevant information about biologics in general (e.g. its mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics and adverse effects) and its use in psoriasis in particular were excluded. We screened 427 articles and finally selected 41 relevant articles. Expert opinion: The available literature on the use of biologics such as anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α agents, and anti-IL-12/23 agents like ustekinumab suggests that these are effective and safe in managing severe pediatric psoriasis although there is an urgent need to generate more safety data. Dermatologists must be careful about the potential adverse effects of the biologics before administering them to children with psoriasis. It is likely that with rapidly evolving scenario of biologics in psoriasis, these will prove to be very useful molecules particularly in managing severe and recalcitrant

  10. Association between Contact allergy and Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bangsgaard, Nannie

    2011-01-01

    6. SUMMERY 6.1 Summery in English Allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) and psoriasis are the two most prevalent skin diseases in the western world. ACD is the clinical manifestation of contact allergy. Contact allergy and psoriasis are both due to inflammatory mechanisms involving the innate...... and adaptive immune system. Psoriasis is conceived to be an autoimmune disease. Recent studies have suggested an inverse relation between contact allergy and autoimmune diseases. The association between contact allergy and psoriasis could reveal mechanistic insights into both inflammatory processes....... The overall aim of this PhD study was to investigate the association between contact allergy and autoimmune disease, with focus on psoriasis. The work was done in three study parts. Part I Epidemiological studies. Part II Sensitization study and Part III Experimental studies. In part I the association between...

  11. PV-CAD: an integrated tool for designing PV facades; PV-CAD - Ein integriertes Werkzeug zur Auslegung von PV-Fassaden

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giese, H.; Viotto, M. [Inst. fuer Solare Energieversorgungstechnik (ISET) e.V., Kassel (Germany); Esser, M.; Pukrop, D. [Univ. Oldenburg (Germany). Abt. Energie- und Halbleiterforschung; Stellbogen, D. [Zentrum fuer Sonnenergie- und Wasserstoff-Forschung, Stuttgart (Germany)

    1997-12-31

    PV-CAD provides PV system planners with a practice-oriented tool for an efficient design of PV facades. Being compatible with the standard programmes of the architects` and electrical engineering sectors it can be used on already existing systems and allows the user to draw on previously acquired knowedge. Its open interfaces permit the integration of further design tools. PV CAD works under Microsoft Windows for which it has the necessary graphic user interface. Its compliance to PC standards opens up a wide range of applications and permits its use also on inexpensive computers. Thanks to its promotion by the Federal Ministry for Education, Science, Research, and Technology under the research project ``Computer programmes for the design of photovoltaic facades`` PV-CAD is available at a moderate price. PV-CAD permits an efficient planning of solar facades and therefore has the potential to stimulate the use of PV on buildings. (orig.) [Deutsch] Mit PV-CAD steht dem Anlagenplaner ein anwendungsorientiertes Werkzeug zur Verfuegung, das eine rationelle Auslegung von PV-Fassaden ermoeglicht. Die Kompatibilitaet zu Standardprogrammen aus dem Architektur- und Elektrosektor erlaubt die Nutzung bereits vorhandener Systeme und damit erworbener Kenntnisse. Offene Schnittstellen gestatten die Einbindung weiterer Entwurfswerkzeuge. PV-CAD arbeitet unter Microsoft-Windows und verfuegt ueber die entsprechende grafische Benutzerschnittstelle. Die Kompatibilitaet zum PC-Standard eroeffnet eine sehr breite Anwenderbasis und ermoeglicht den Einsatz des Programms auch auf preiswerten Rechnern. Aufgrund der Foerderung durch das Bundesministerium fuer Bildung, Wissenschaft, Forschung und Technologie im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts `Rechnerprogramm zur Auslegung von Photovoltaik-Fassaden` steht PV-CAD preiswert zur Verfuegung. PV-CAD ermoeglicht eine effiziente Planung von Solarfassaden und kann daher dem PV-Einsatz in Gebaeuden weitere Impulse geben. (orig.)

  12. PV-WEB: internet-based PV information tool

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cowley, P.

    2003-01-01

    This report gives details of a project to create a web-based information system on photovoltaic (PV) systems for the British PV Association (PV-UK) for use by decision makers in government, the utilities, and the housing and construction sectors. The project, which aims to provide an easily accessible tool for UK companies, promote PV technology, increase competitiveness, and identify market opportunities, is described. The design of the web site and its implementation and the evolution are discussed, along with the maintenance of the site by PV-UK and the opportunities offered to PV-UK Members

  13. PV-WEB: internet-based PV information tool

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cowley, P

    2003-07-01

    This report gives details of a project to create a web-based information system on photovoltaic (PV) systems for the British PV Association (PV-UK) for use by decision makers in government, the utilities, and the housing and construction sectors. The project, which aims to provide an easily accessible tool for UK companies, promote PV technology, increase competitiveness, and identify market opportunities, is described. The design of the web site and its implementation and the evolution are discussed, along with the maintenance of the site by PV-UK and the opportunities offered to PV-UK Members.

  14. Oral Lesions: The Clue to Diagnosis of Pemphigus Vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuriachan, Diana; Suresh, Rakesh; Janardhanan, Mahija; Savithri, Vindhya

    2015-01-01

    Pemphigus is a group of potentially fatal dermatoses with both cutaneous and oral manifestations. Characterized by the appearance of vesicle or bullae, their manifestations in the oral cavity often precede those on the skin by many months or may remain as the only symptoms of the disease. It is therefore important that the oral manifestations of the disease are recognized on time, to make a proper diagnosis and initiate timely treatment. Here we present a case of Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) that presented with oral lesions at multiple sites including tongue, to highlight the importance of timely recognition of the oral lesions during routine dental practice for the diagnosis and management of this disease.

  15. Oral Lesions: The Clue to Diagnosis of Pemphigus Vulgaris

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana Kuriachan

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Pemphigus is a group of potentially fatal dermatoses with both cutaneous and oral manifestations. Characterized by the appearance of vesicle or bullae, their manifestations in the oral cavity often precede those on the skin by many months or may remain as the only symptoms of the disease. It is therefore important that the oral manifestations of the disease are recognized on time, to make a proper diagnosis and initiate timely treatment. Here we present a case of Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV that presented with oral lesions at multiple sites including tongue, to highlight the importance of timely recognition of the oral lesions during routine dental practice for the diagnosis and management of this disease.

  16. The role of IL-17 in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Malakouti, Mona; Brown, Gabrielle Elena; Wang, Eva; Koo, John; Levin, Ethan C

    2015-02-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition traditionally believed to involve the Th1 pathway. Recently, the IL-23/Th17/IL-17 pathway has been highlighted in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and other autoimmune inflammatory conditions. From a clinician's perspective, we sought to review the basic science data relevant to IL-17's role in psoriasis pathogenesis. We performed a Pubmed and Web of Knowledge search for English articles starting from 1990 that discussed the Th17 pathway. Search terms such as "IL-17" and "psoriasis" were utilized. The IL-17 pathway is regulated by IL-23, a cytokine that is vital for the expansion and maintenance of the Th17 cell population. Th17 derived cytokines (IL-17A, IL-17F, IL-17A/F and IL-22) were elevated in both psoriasis-like murine models and human psoriatic lesional biopsies. Ixekizumab (anti-IL-17A) treatment of psoriasis was found to normalize levels of IL-17 downstream gene products. Both preclinical and clinical studies support the central role of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

  17. Review of U.S. registries for psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Mina; No, Daniel J; Wu, Jashin J

    2017-12-01

    Patient registries are databases comprised of standardized clinical data for a specific population of patients with a particular disease or medical condition. Information from patient registries allows clinicians to assess long-lasting outcomes in patients with a specific disease, such as psoriasis. Our primary objective was to identify available psoriasis registries in the United States (U.S.) and evaluate the application of patient registries compared to clinical trials. We searched Google, the Registry of Patient Registries, Orphanet and ClinicalTrials.gov to create a list of U.S. psoriasis registries. We also performed a literature review on the application of psoriasis registries using PubMed. We identified 6 psoriasis patient registries in the United States. Patient registries are frequently used for psoriasis in the U.S. and provide important information about the safety, efficacy and long-term effects of systemic therapies.

  18. Preclinical studies identify non-apoptotic low-level caspase-3 as therapeutic target in pemphigus vulgaris.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camille Luyet

    Full Text Available The majority of pemphigus vulgaris (PV patients suffer from a live-threatening loss of intercellular adhesion between keratinocytes (acantholysis. The disease is caused by auto-antibodies that bind to desmosomal cadherins desmoglein (Dsg 3 or Dsg3 and Dsg1 in mucous membranes and skin. A currently unresolved controversy in PV is whether apoptosis is involved in the pathogenic process. The objective of this study was to perform preclinical studies to investigate apoptotic pathway activation in PV pathogenesis with the goal to assess its potential for clinical therapy. For this purpose, we investigated mouse and human skin keratinocyte cultures treated with PV antibodies (the experimental Dsg3 monospecific antibody AK23 or PV patients IgG, PV mouse models (passive transfer of AK23 or PVIgG into adult and neonatal mice as well as PV patients' biopsies (n=6. A combination of TUNEL assay, analyses of membrane integrity, early apoptotic markers such as cleaved poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP and the collapse of actin cytoskeleton failed to provide evidence for apoptosis in PV pathogenesis. However, the in vitro and in vivo PV models, allowing to monitor progression of lesion formation, revealed an early, transient and low-level caspase-3 activation. Pharmacological inhibition confirmed the functional implication of caspase-3 in major events in PV such as shedding of Dsg3, keratin retraction, proliferation including c-Myc induction, p38MAPK activation and acantholysis. Together, these data identify low-level caspase-3 activation downstream of disrupted Dsg3 trans- or cis-adhesion as a major event in PV pathogenesis that is non-synonymous with apoptosis and represents, unlike apoptotic components, a promising target for clinical therapy. At a broader level, these results posit that an impairment of adhesive functions in concert with low-level, non-lethal caspase-3 activation can evoke profound cellular changes which may be of relevance for other

  19. Sarcoidosis in Patients with Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khalid, Usman; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar; Hansen, Peter Riis

    2014-01-01

    PURPOSE: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by a systemic immunological response which is mainly driven by activated T helper (Th) 1 and Th17 lymphocytes. Like psoriasis, sarcoidosis is a chronic inflammatory disorder with Th1/Th17-driven inflammation. Therefore, we...... investigated the risk of sarcoidosis in patients with psoriasis compared to the background population in a nationwide cohort. METHODS: The study included the entire Danish population aged ≥10 years followed from 1st January 1997 until diagnosis of sarcoidosis, death or 31st December 2011. Patients...... with a history of psoriasis and/or sarcoidosis at baseline were excluded. Information on comorbidity and concomitant medication was identified by individual-level linkage of administrative registers. Incidence rates of sarcoidosis were calculated and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated by multivariable...

  20. Pathovars of Pseudomonas syringae Causing Bacterial Brown Spot and Halo Blight in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Are Distinguishable by Ribotyping

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Ana J.; Landeras, Elena; Mendoza, M. Carmen

    2000-01-01

    Ribotyping was evaluated as a method to differentiate between Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola and pv. syringae strains causing bacterial brown spot and halo blight diseases in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Ribotyping, with restriction enzymes BglI and SalI and using the Escherichia coli rrnB operon as the probe, differentiated 11 and 14 ribotypes, respectively, and a combination of data from both procedures yielded 19 combined ribotypes. Cluster analysis of the combined ribotypes differentiated the pathovars phaseolicola and syringae, as well as different clonal lineages within these pathovars. The potential of ribotyping to screen for correlations between lineages and factors such as geographical region and/or bean varieties is also reported. PMID:10653764

  1. Psoriasis and suicidality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Sanminder; Taylor, Catherine; Kornmehl, Heather; Armstrong, April W

    2017-09-01

    Psoriasis is associated with psychiatric comorbidities; however, the relationship between psoriasis and suicidality is not well understood. To perform a systematic review and meta-analysis that elucidates the relationship between psoriasis and suicidality. Applying the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, we systematically searched the PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Cochrane databases. We searched literature published between 1946 and 2017. We identified 18 studies with a total of 1,767,583 participants, of whom 330,207 had psoriasis. On the basis of random effects modeling, the pooled odds ratio (OR) for suicidal ideation among patients with psoriasis was 2.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54-2.74). Patients with psoriasis were more likely to exhibit suicidal behaviors (combined attempted and completed suicides) with a pooled OR of 1.26 (95% CI, 1.13-1.40). Subgroup analysis showed that patients with psoriasis were more likely to attempt suicides (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.14-1.54) and complete suicide (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.04-1.39) than those without psoriasis. More severe psoriasis and younger age were associated with greater likelihood of suicidality. There are few studies examining suicidality in conjunction with psoriasis severity. Patients with psoriasis have a significantly higher likelihood of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, and completed suicides. Among patients with psoriasis, those who are younger and whose psoriasis is more severe are at particular risk for suicidality. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  2. Natural killer cells in psoriasis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Tobin, A M

    2012-02-01

    Psoriasis is one of the most common immune-mediated disorders. There is evidence that it is mediated by Th1 and, more recently, Th17 cells. The cytokine pattern, particularly the dominance of TNF-alpha, implicates the innate immune system in psoriasis pathogenesis. Of the many components of the innate immune system known to be involved in psoriatic lesions, natural killer and natural killer T cells appear to have a unique role. We review the evidence supporting a role for natural killer cells in psoriasis.

  3. TREATMENT OF PSORIASIS WITH HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Molochkov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Psoriasis is a disease with growing incidence predominantly affecting young and middle-aged patients. It is characterized by frequent exacerbations, insufficient efficacy of the routine therapy and common adverse effects. Thus, use of alternative therapies is of great importance. Aim: To assess efficacy and safety of homeopathic medicine Loma Lux Psoriasis in patients with different forms of psoriasis. Materials and methods: 45 patients with progressive (n=17 and stable (n=28 psoriasis and mean PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index value 17.3 (5–30 were treated with homeopathic medicine Loma Lux Psoriasis in combination with topical medicines: salicylic Vaseline 2%, tar and naphthalane preparations, ointments with fluocinolone acetonide and mometasone, betametasone/salicylic acid combinations. Diet was also recommended. Results: After 12 weeks, significant improvement (PASI decrease 75–100% was demonstrated in 40%  of the patients including completely absent skin desquamation, resorption of psoriatic papules and patches with residual hyper- or depigmentation. 57.8% of the patient had moderate improvement (PASI decrease 25–75%. In one patient with only slight improvement (PASI decrease less than 25% treatment was prolonged for 4  weeks and significant improvement was achieved. Therapy was well tolerated in all patients. No side effects or treatment-related complications were reported. Clinical recover was associated with marked tendency to improvement of blood biochemistry and immunology: elevation of immunoregulatory index up to 1.6 and T-helpers content up to 44.3%. Conclusion: Homeopathic medicine Loma Lux Psoriasis is characterized by good efficacy and safety profile and may be recommended as addon to comprehensive treatment of stable and progressing psoriasis.

  4. Balneotherapy in Psoriasis Rehabilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Péter, Iván; Jagicza, Anna; Ajtay, Zénó; Boncz, Imre; Kiss, István; Szendi, Katalin; Kustán, Péter; Németh, Balázs

    2017-01-01

    This study aimed to report a balneotherapy-based psoriasis rehabilitation protocol and assess its effectivity. Eighty psoriatic patients who underwent a 3-week-long inward balneotherapy-based rehabilitation were enrolled. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP) were determined on admission and before discharge. The mean PASI score and CRP level -determined on admission and before discharge-decreased significantly after the 3-week-long rehabilitation 7.15±7.3 vs. 2.62±3.05 (p<0.001) and 4.1±3.8 vs. 3.5±3.1 (p=0.026). A negative correlation was found between PASI delta and the number of spa therapies received (r=-0.228). After completing the 3-week-long spa therapy based rehabilitation, both PASI score and CRP levels showed improvement of psoriasis. The complex spa therapy used during the rehabilitation is an effective tool to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis and improve the patient's well-being. Copyright© 2017, International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. George J. Delinasios), All rights reserved.

  5. Psoriasis: epidemiology, natural history, and differential diagnosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Basko-Plluska JL

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Juliana L Basko-Plluska, Vesna Petronic-RosicDepartment of Medicine, Section of Dermatology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USAAbstract: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated, inflammatory disease which affects primarily the skin and joints. It occurs worldwide, but its prevalence varies considerably between different regions of the world. Genetic susceptibility as well as environmental factors play an important role in determining the development and prognosis of psoriasis. Genome-wide association studies have identified many genetic loci as potential psoriasis susceptibility regions, including PSORS1 through PSORS7. Histocompatibility antigen (HLA studies have also identified several HLA antigens, with HLA-Cw6 being the most frequently associated antigen. Epidemiological studies identified several modifiable risk factors that may predispose individuals to developing psoriasis or exacerbate pre-existing disease. These include smoking, obesity, alcohol consumption, diet, infections, medications and stressful life events. The exact mechanism by which they trigger psoriasis remains to be elucidated; however, existing data suggest that they are linked through Th1-mediated immunological pathways. The natural history of psoriasis varies depending on the clinical subtype as well as special circumstances, including pregnancy and HIV infection. In general, psoriasis is a chronic disease with intermittent remissions and exacerbations. The differential diagnosis is vast and includes many other immune-mediated, inflammatory disorders.Keywords: psoriasis, epidemiology, natural history, differential diagnosis

  6. Quality of life and work productivity impairment among psoriasis patients: findings from the National Psoriasis Foundation survey data 2003-2011.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, April W; Schupp, Clayton; Wu, Julie; Bebo, Bruce

    2012-01-01

    To ascertain impairment in quality of life and work productivity among patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. From 2003 through 2011, the National Psoriasis Foundation collected survey data from patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis via email and telephone correspondences. Survey data were collected from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients in the general community in the U.S. Quality of life focusing on emotional impact (anger, frustration, helplessness, etc.) and physical impact (pain, pruritus, physical irritation, etc.); employment status. The surveys were performed through random sampling of participants from a database of over 75,000 patients. From 2003 to 2011, 5,604 patients completed the surveys. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affected overall emotional wellbeing in 88% of patients, and they interfered with enjoyment of life in 82%. Most patients reported experiencing anger (89%), frustration (89%), helplessness (87%), embarrassment (87%), and self-consciousness (89%). Many patients also actively concealed physical manifestations of their diseases (83%), and experienced pain (83%) and pruritus (93%) regularly. Of note, 12% of patients were unemployed, and 11% worked part-time. Among unemployed patients, 92% cited psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis as the sole reasons for not working. Among working patients, 49% missed work days regularly due to psoriasis. Compared to patients with mild psoriasis, patients with severe psoriasis have 1.8 times greater odds to be unemployed after adjusting for age and gender (Adjusted OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.4-2.3). Patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis continue to experience significant impairment of quality of life and work productivity.

  7. Zeitlicher Verlauf der avaskulären Nekrose des Hüftkopfes bei Patienten mit Pemphigus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balighi, Kamran; Daneshpazhooh, Maryam; Aghazadeh, Nessa; Saeidi, Vahide; Shahpouri, Farzam; Hejazi, Pardis; Chams-Davatchi, Cheyda

    2016-10-01

    Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) wird in der Regel mit systemischen Corticosteroiden und Immunsuppressiva behandelt. Avaskuläre Nekrose (AVN) des Hüftkopfes ist eine gut bekannte schwerere Komplikation einer Corticosteroid-Therapie. Die Charakteristika dieser schweren Komplikation bei PV sind nach wie vor unbekannt. Nicht kontrollierte, retrospektive Untersuchung aller PV-bedingten AVN-Fälle, die in einer iranischen Klinik für bullöse Autoimmunerkrankungen zwischen 1985 und 2013 diagnostiziert wurden. Anhand der Krankenakten von 2321 untersuchten PV-Patienten wurden 45 Fälle (1,93 %) von femoraler AVN identifiziert. Dreißig davon waren Männer. Das mittlere Alter bei der Diagnose der AVN betrug 47,4 ± 14,2 Jahre. Der mittlere Zeitraum zwischen der Diagnose des PV und dem Einsetzen der AVN lag bei 25,3 ± 18,3 Monaten. Mit Ausnahme von acht Fällen (17,8 %) setzte die AVN bei der Mehrheit der Patienten innerhalb von drei Jahren nach Diagnose des PV ein. Die mittlere kumulative Dosis von Prednisolon bei Patienten mit AVN betrug 13.115,8 ± 7041,1 mg. Zwischen der Prednisolon-Gesamtdosis und dem Zeitraum bis zum Einsetzen der AVN bestand eine starke Korrelation (p = 0,001). Bei Patienten mit Alendronateinnahme in der Vorgeschichte war dieser Zeitraum signifikant kürzer (p = 0,01). Die AVN ist eine schwere Komplikation einer Corticosteroid-Behandlung bei Patienten mit PV. Sie wird bei 2 % der Patienten beobachtet und tritt vor allem in den ersten drei Behandlungsjahren auf. Bei Patienten, die höhere Dosen von Prednisolon erhalten, setzt die AVN tendenziell früher ein. © 2016 Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft (DDG). Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  8. Genetic polymorphisms associated with psoriasis and development of psoriatic arthritis in patients with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Loft, Nikolai Dyrberg; Skov, Lone; Rasmussen, Mads Kirchheiner; Gniadecki, Robert; Dam, Tomas Norman; Brandslund, Ivan; Hoffmann, Hans Jürgen; Andersen, Malene Rohr; Dessau, Ram Benny; Bergmann, Ann Christina; Andersen, Niels Møller; Abildtoft, Mikkel Kramme; Andersen, Paal Skytt; Hetland, Merete Lund; Glintborg, Bente; Bank, Steffen; Vogel, Ulla; Andersen, Vibeke

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis (PsO) is a chronic inflammatory disease with predominantly cutaneous manifestations. Approximately one third of patients with PsO develop psoriatic arthritis (PsA), whereas the remaining proportion of patients has isolated cutaneous psoriasis (PsC). These two phenotypes share common immunology, but with different heredity that might in part be explained by genetic variables. Using a candidate gene approach, we studied 53 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 37 genes that regulate inflammation. In total, we assessed 480 patients with PsO from DERMBIO, of whom 151 had PsC for 10 years or more (PsC10), 459 patients with PsA from DANBIO, and 795 healthy controls. Using logistic regression analysis, crude and adjusted for age and gender, we assessed associations between genetic variants and PsO, PsC10, and PsA, as well as associations between genetic variants and development of PsA in PsO. Eleven polymorphisms in 10 genes were nominally associated with PsO and/or PsC and/or PsA (P psoriasis, two SNPs in the IL12B and TNF genes were associated with susceptibility of psoriasis. None of the SNPs were specifically associated with isolated cutaneous psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis.

  9. Nail Psoriasis: A Review of Treatment Options.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasch, Marcel C

    2016-04-01

    Nail involvement affects 80-90 % of patients with plaque psoriasis, and is even more prevalent in patients with psoriatic arthritis. This review is the result of a systemic approach to the literature and covers topical, intralesional, conventional systemic, and biologic systemic treatments, as well as non-pharmacological treatment options for nail psoriasis. The available evidence suggests that all anti-tumor necrosis factor-α, anti-interleukin (IL)-17, and anti-IL-12/23 antibodies which are available for plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are highly effective treatments for nail psoriasis. Conventional systemic treatments, including methotrexate, cyclosporine, acitretin, and apremilast, as well as intralesional corticosteroids, can also be effective treatments for nail psoriasis. Topical treatments, including corticosteroids, calcipotriol, tacrolimus, and tazarotene, have also been shown to have a position in the treatment of nail psoriasis, particularly in mild cases. Finally, non-pharmacological treatment options, including phototherapy, photodynamic therapy, laser therapy, and several radiotherapeutic options, are also reviewed but cannot be advised as first-line treatment options. Another conclusion of this review is that the lack of a reliable core set of outcomes measures for trials in nail psoriasis hinders the interpretation of results, and is urgently needed.

  10. Self-management in patients with psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pathak SN

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Swetha Narahari Pathak,1 Pauline L Scott,1 Cameron West,1 Steven R Feldman,1–3 1Center for Dermatology Research, Departments of Dermatology, 2Center for Dermatology Research, Departments of Pathology, 3Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder effecting the skin and joints. Additionally, multiple comorbidities exist, including cardiovascular, metabolic, and psychiatric. The chronic nature of psoriasis is often frustrating for both patients and physicians alike. Many options for treatment exist, though successful disease management rests largely on patients through the application of topical corticosteroids, Vitamin D analogs, and calcineurin inhibitors, amongst others and the administration of systemic medications such as biologics and methotrexate. Phototherapy is another option that also requires active participation from the patient. Many barriers to effective self-management of psoriasis exist. Successful treatment requires the establishment of a strong doctor-patient relationship and patient empowerment in order to maximize adherence to a treatment regimen and improve outcomes. Improving patient adherence to treatment is necessary in effective self-management. Many tools exist to educate and empower patients, including online sources such as the National Psoriasis Foundation and online support group, Talk Psoriasis, amongst others. Effective self management is critical in decreasing the physical burden of psoriasis and mitigating its multiple physical, psychological, and social comorbidities, which include obesity, cardiovascular disease, alcohol dependence, depression, anxiety, and social anxiety. Keywords: psoriasis, adherence, self management, compliance

  11. Sleep disturbance in psoriasis - a case-controlled study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, P; Zachariae, C; Skov, L; Zachariae, R

    2018-04-28

    Sleep is essential for daytime functioning and health. Given the physical symptoms of psoriasis, a higher prevalence of sleep disorders could be expected. So far, the studies examining sleep disturbance in psoriasis have been of less-than-optimal methodological quality and with mixed results. We aimed to: 1) examine the prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with plaque psoriasis compared to controls, 2) evaluate associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL), and 3) examine possible disease-related predictors of disturbed sleep. We used a cross-sectional, case-controlled design. Participants included 179 consecutively recruited patients with plaque psoriasis and 105 controls. Measures included psoriasis severity (Psoriasis Area and Severity index [PASI]); HRQoL (Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]); insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]); sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index [PSQI]); stress (Perceived Stress Scale [PSS]); Itch (Itch Severity Scale [ISS]); and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory [BDI]). Analyses included group comparisons and regression analyses to identify predictors of sleep disturbance. Twenty-five per cent of patients with psoriasis reported clinical insomnia (ISI > 15), compared with 10.5% of controls. In all, 53.9% of patients with psoriasis were poor sleepers (PSQI > 5), compared with 21.9% of controls. Itch was statistically significantly associated with all sleep-related outcomes. A higher proportion of patients with psoriasis suffer from poor sleep than controls from the general population. Itch was the main predictor of impaired sleep. Improved control of psoriasis with decreased itch may improve sleep disturbance in psoriasis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  12. Psoriasis and New-Onset Diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khalid, Usman; Hansen, Peter Riis; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar

    2013-01-01

    OBJECTIVE Psoriasis is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular events and increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality that may be associated with psoriasis, but conflicting results have been...

  13. I Live with Psoriasis | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Living with Psoriasis I Live with Psoriasis Past Issues / Fall 2013 Table of Contents Kristin ... equally. "Know as much as you can about psoriasis..." —Kristin Donahue Psoriasis first flared into Kristin Donahue's ...

  14. Enfermedad coronaria en pacientes con psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Walter Masson

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Comunicaciones previas asociaron la psoriasis con la enfermedad coronaria. Desconocemos si en nuestro país o región existe dicha asociación. Se realizó un estudio transversal analizando los datos de la historia clínica electrónica de un sistema de salud de Buenos Aires. Analizamos todos los pacientes mayores de 18 años con diagnóstico de psoriasis entre el 1 de enero de 2003 y el 31 de julio de 2011 y los comparamos con un grupo control, en una relación 2:1, obtenido en forma aleatoria del mismo sistema de salud, apareados por edad y sexo. Determinamos la prevalencia de los factores de riesgo cardiovascular y de enfermedad coronaria. Analizamos la asociación entre la enfermedad coronaria y la psoriasis mediante análisis uni y multivariado. Se incluyeron 3 833 sujetos (1 286 pacientes con psoriasis y 2 547 controles. La prevalencia de hipertensión arterial (50% vs. 38%, p < 0.001, tabaquismo (25% vs. 17%, p < 0.001, diabetes (12% vs. 8%, p < 0.001 y enfermedad coronaria (4.98% vs. 3.06%, p = 0.003 fue mayor en los sujetos con psoriasis en comparación con el grupo control. Independientemente de la edad, la presencia de diabetes, hipertensión arterial o tabaquismo, hubo una asociación significativa entre la enfermedad coronaria y la psoriasis (OR 1.48, IC95% 1.04-2.11, p = 0.03. En conclusión, en esta población de Buenos Aires, los pacientes con psoriasis tuvieron una mayor prevalencia de diabetes, hipertensión arterial, tabaquismo y enfermedad coronaria. La asociación entre la psoriasis y la enfermedad coronaria fue independiente de los factores de riesgo explorados.

  15. How Is Psoriasis Treated? | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... page please turn Javascript on. Feature: Living with Psoriasis How Is Psoriasis Treated? Past Issues / Fall 2013 Table of Contents ... nih.gov/ Clinical Trials — www.clinicaltrials.gov National Psoriasis Foundation — www.psoriasis.org American Academy of Dermatology — ...

  16. Possible Triggering Effect of Influenza Vaccination on Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ali Tahsin Gunes

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent, immune-mediated inflammatory disease and it can be provoked or exacerbated by a variety of different environmental factors, particularly infections and drugs. In addition, a possible association between vaccination and the new onset and/or exacerbation of psoriasis has been reported by a number of different authors. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of influenza vaccination on patients with psoriasis. Here, we report the findings from 43 patients suffering from psoriasis (clinical phenotypes as mixed guttate/plaque lesions, palmoplantar or scalp psoriasis whose diseases had been triggered after influenza vaccination applied in the 2009-2010 season. The short time intervals between vaccination and psoriasis flares in our patients and the lack of other possible triggers suggest that influenza vaccinations may have provocative effects on psoriasis. However, further large and controlled studies need to be carried out to confirm this relationship.

  17. Skin cancer in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, A; Thyssen, Jacob Pontoppidan; Gislason, G. H.

    2016-01-01

    Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that is commonly treated with ultraviolet phototherapy and systemic immunosuppressant drugs, which may confer a risk of skin cancer. Previous studies on the risk of skin cancer in patients with psoriasis have shown conflicting results....... Objectives: We investigated the risk of new-onset melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC), respectively, in a large cohort of patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Methods: Data on all Danish individuals aged ≥18 years between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2012 were linked at individual...... of skin cancer is only modestly increased in patients with psoriasis, clinicians should remain vigilant. © 2016 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology...

  18. The effect of topical application of the platelet-activating factor-antagonist, Ro 24-0238, in psoriasis vulgaris--a clinical and immunohistochemical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elbers, M E; Gerritsen, M J; van de Kerkhof, P C

    1994-11-01

    Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is considered to be one of the most potent lipid mediators in allergic and inflammatory reactions. Suggestions that PAF is produced by cutaneous cells, and cells infiltrating the skin from the blood, have been reported. PAF has been identified in allergic cutaneous reactions and also in psoriatic lesions. The biological activity of PAF is thought to be mediated by cell membrane receptors. Studies revealed that PAF-antagonists can be active in animal models of cutaneous inflammation. In humans PAF-antagonists showed minimal therapeutic improvement in studies of antigen-induced cutaneous responses in atopic subjects. No data are available on the effects of PAF-antagonists in psoriasis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of a potent PAF-antagonist (Ro 24-0238, 10% solution in diethylene glycol monoethyl ether) in 10 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis, a placebo-controlled double-blind study. Clinical response was evaluated and markers of inflammation, differentiation and proliferation were studied immunohistochemically on punch biopsies taken from actively treated and placebo-treated lesions, before and after treatment. This study demonstrated that a 10% solution of the PAF-antagonist Ro 24-0238 was not effective at the clinical or cell biological level after a 4-week treatment period. The most likely explanation for these negative observations is that PAF is not a significant factor in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

  19. Epidemiology and treatment of psoriasis: a Brazilian perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Duarte, Gleison V; Porto-Silva, Larissa; de Oliveira, Maria de Fátima Paim

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated systemic disease that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors, is associated with comorbidities, and has a negative impact on the quality of life of affected individuals. The prevalence of psoriasis varies among different ethnic groups, but this topic has not been studied in Brazil to date. In this review, we evaluate the epidemiology and treatment of psoriasis from a Brazilian perspective. We focused on studies that involved Brazilian subjects. The prevalence of psoriasis in Brazil is estimated to be 2.5%, but no population study has been performed previously. Environmental factors, such as tropical climate, in association with genetic factors, such as miscegenation, may exert a beneficial impact on the course and frequency of psoriasis in Brazil. A number of studies have advanced our understanding of the cardiovascular, ophthalmic, and oral comorbidities that are associated with psoriasis. Concerns about biological therapy, such as endemic leprosy, human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV), and tuberculosis infections, are discussed. The nonavailability of treatment options for psoriasis in the public health system contradicts the Brazilian Society of Dermatology guidelines, stimulating the judicialization of access to medicines in psoriasis care.

  20. Et liv med psoriasis - et litteratur review

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kjær, Lone; Glasdam, Stinne

    2011-01-01

    Psoriasis is a non-contagious skin disease affecting the patient’s physical, mental and social well-being. But what do we know about living with psoriasis? The aim of this article is to review published research literature dealing with the impact psoriasis has on a patient’s life in general...

  1. Psoriasis and Diabetes Millitus

    OpenAIRE

    J A Sundharam; Ratan Singh; P S Agarwal

    1980-01-01

    Twenty uncomplicated cases of psoriasis and an equal number of matched controls were evaluated using the oral and steroid primed glucose tolerance test. Six of the twenty psoriatics (30%) studied showed an abnormal glucose tolerancewhereas only one of the twenty control subjects (5 %) showed abnormality (p < 0.05). A relationship was found between abnormal glucose tolerance and surface area involved by psoriasis.

  2. Psoriasis and Diabetes Millitus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundharam, J A; Singh, Ratan; Agarwal, P S

    1980-01-01

    Twenty uncomplicated cases of psoriasis and an equal number of matched controls were evaluated using the oral and steroid primed glucose tolerance test. Six of the twenty psoriatics (30%) studied showed an abnormal glucose tolerancewhereas only one of the twenty control subjects (5 %) showed abnormality (p < 0.05). A relationship was found between abnormal glucose tolerance and surface area involved by psoriasis.

  3. Isotypes and antigenic profiles of pemphigus foliaceus and pemphigus vulgaris autoantibodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hacker, Mary K; Janson, Marleen; Fairley, Janet A; Lin, Mong-Shang

    2002-10-01

    In this study we systematically characterized isotype profiles and antigenic and tissue specificity of antidesmoglein autoantibodies from patients with pemphigus foliaceus (PF) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV) using enzyme-linked immunoabsorbent assays (ELISA), indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) staining, and immunoblotting (IB). In PF, we found that IgG1 antidesmoglein-1 (Dsg1) reacts with a linear epitope(s) on the ectodomain of Dsg1, while its IgG4 counterpart recognizes a conformational epitope(s). These two subclasses of anti-Dsg1 are both capable of recognizing tissues from monkey esophagus and adult human skin, but IgG1 is not able to react with mouse skin, which may explain why this isotype of anti-Dsg1 failed to induce PF-like lesions in the passive transfer animal model. In mucosal PV patients, we found that both IgG1 and IgG4 only recognized monkey esophagus tissue by IIF, except in one patient, indicating that these antibodies react with a unique conformational epitope(s) that is present in mucosal but not skin tissue. In generalized PV, IgG1 anti-Dsg3 autoantibodies appeared to recognize a linear epitope(s) on the Dsg3 ectodomain. In contrast, IgG4 anti-Dsg3 antibodies recognized both linear and conformational epitopes on the Dsg3 molecule. Interestingly, the IgG1 anti-Dsg3 antibodies failed to react with human and mouse skin tissues, suggesting that this subclass of autoantibodies may not play an essential role in the development of PV suprabasilar lesions. In summary, we conclude that this study further elucidates the pathological mechanisms of PF and PV autoantibodies by revealing their distinct isotype and antigenic profiles. This information may help us to better understand the autoimmune mechanisms underlying the development of pemphigus.

  4. Evaluation of functional impairment in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaikwad Rohini

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Psoriasis is a chronic disease, the course of which is punctuated by exacerbations and remissions. The impact of a chronic, relapsing, and disfiguring disease such as psoriasis on occupational, social, and other areas of functioning is substantial and needs attention. Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the level and nature of functional impairment in psoriasis. Methods: Forty-three consecutive patients attending the dermatology clinic of a rural hospital were studied for psychiatric comorbidity and the level of functioning, using a semistructured questionnaire. Results: Psoriasis affected social functioning of 48% patients, led to decreased work efficiency in 51.1%, and to subjective distress at work in 62.8% of patients. Stress in home environment and interpersonal relationships was reported by 69.8%. Social and occupational functioning worsened with increasing severity of psoriasis after 1-year duration of illness. Patients complaining of pruritis frequently had anxiety disorders. Psychiatric comorbidity was detected in 67.4% cases. Conclusion : Substantial proportion of patients suffered deterioration of functioning, especially with increasing duration of illness. Thus, timely attention by dermatologists is needed in order to limit the disability caused by psoriasis. To achieve this, liaison with psychiatrist would be crucial along with illness education and emotional support.

  5. Psoriasis er associeret med type 2-diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gyldenløve, Mette; Knop, Filip Krag; Vilsbøll, Tina

    2013-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with a global prevalence of 2-3%. In recent years it has been established that patients with psoriasis carry an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain unclear. The association is most likely due...... to a combination of shared genes, immunoinflammatory mechanisms and a number of diabetes risk factors in patients with psoriasis. The current review summarises the evidence in the field and calls for attention on diabetes risk assessment, preventive measures and treatment in patients with psoriasis....

  6. Psoriasis-associated vascular disease: the role of HDL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paiva-Lopes, Maria Joao; Delgado Alves, José

    2017-09-14

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory systemic disease with a prevalence of 2-3%. Overwhelming evidence show an epidemiological association between psoriasis, cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Cardiovascular disease is the most frequent cause of death in patients with severe psoriasis. Several cardiovascular disease classical risk factors are also increased in psoriasis but the psoriasis-associated risk persists after adjusting for other risk factors.Investigation has focused on finding explanations for these epidemiological data. Several studies have demonstrated significant lipid metabolism and HDL composition and function alterations in psoriatic patients. Altered HDL function is clearly one of the mechanisms involved, as these particles are of the utmost importance in atherosclerosis defense. Recent data indicate that biologic therapy can reverse both structural and functional HDL alterations in psoriasis, reinforcing their therapeutic potential.

  7. PV and PV/hybrid products for buildings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, H. P.; Hayter, S. J.; Martin, R. L., Pierce, L. K.

    2000-05-15

    Residential, commercial, and industrial buildings combined are the largest consumers of electricity in the United States and represent a significant opportunity for photovoltaic (PV) and PV/hybrid systems. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a phased research and product development program, Building Opportunities in the United States for Photovoltaics (PV:BONUS), focused on this market sector. The purpose of the program is to develop technologies and foster business arrangements integrating cost-effective PV or hybrid products into buildings. The first phase was completed in 1996 and a second solicitation, PV:BONUS2, was initiated during 1997. These projects are resulting in a variety of building-integrated products. This paper summarizes the recent progress of the seven firms and collaborative teams currently participating in PV:BONUS2 and outlines planned work for the final phase of their work.

  8. Optimal management of nail disease in patients with psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Piraccini BM

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Bianca Maria Piraccini, Michela Starace Division of Dermatology, Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy Abstract: Psoriasis is a common skin disease, with nail involvement in approximately 80% of patients. Nail psoriasis is often associated with psoriatic arthropathy. Involvement of the nails does not always have relationship with the type, gravity, extension, or duration of skin psoriasis. Nail psoriasis can occur at any age and all parts of the nails and the surrounding structures can be affected. Two clinical patterns of nail manifestations have been seen due to psoriasis: nail matrix involvement or nail bed involvement. In the first case, irregular and deep pitting, red spots of the lunula, crumbling, and leukonychia are seen; in the second case, salmon patches, onycholysis with erythematous border, subungual hyperkeratosis, and splinter hemorrhages are observed. These clinical features are more visible in fingernails than in toenails, where nail abnormalities are not diagnostic and are usually clinically indistinguishable from other conditions, especially onychomycosis. Nail psoriasis causes, above all, psychosocial and aesthetic problems, but many patients often complain about functional damage. Diagnosis of nail psoriasis is clinical and histopathology is necessary only in selected cases. Nail psoriasis has an unpredictable course but, in most cases, the disease is chronic and complete remissions are uncommon. Sun exposure does not usually improve and may even worsen nail psoriasis. There are no curative treatments. Treatment of nail psoriasis includes different types of medications, from topical therapy to systemic therapy, according to the severity and extension of the disease. Moreover, we should not underestimate the use of biological agents and new therapy with lasers or iontophoresis. This review offers an investigation of the different treatment options for nail

  9. Ixekizumab for treatment of psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyring-Andersen, Beatrice; Skov, Lone; Zachariae, Claus

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Recent advances in understanding the pathogenesis of psoriasis suggest that IL-17 is a key proinflammatory mediator present in the skin. Several agents targeting IL-17 or its receptor are in clinical trials...... for the treatment of psoriasis. This review focuses on the biological rationale and the results of clinical trials with ixekizumab, a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody. Ixekizumab binds the IL-17A homodimer, thereby blocking the binding of IL-17A to the IL-17 receptor. The currently available Phase I-III data...

  10. Cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jensen, Peter; Thyssen, Jacob P; Zachariae, Claus

    2013-01-01

    Background Epidemiological data have established an association between cardiovascular disease and psoriasis. Only one general population study has so far compared prevalences of cardiovascular risk factors among subjects with psoriasis and control subjects. We aimed to determine the prevalence...... of cardiovascular risk factors in subjects with and without psoriasis in the general population. Methods During 2006-2008, a cross-sectional study was performed in the general population in Copenhagen, Denmark. A total of 3471 subjects participated in a general health examination that included assessment of current...... between subjects with and without psoriasis with regard to traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions Our results contrast with the hitherto-reported increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome in subjects with psoriasis in the general US population. However, our results agree with those of other...

  11. Familial association of pseudohypoparathyroidism and psoriasis: case report

    OpenAIRE

    Montenegro Junior,Renan Magalhães; Paula,Francisco José Albuquerque de; Foss,Norma Tiraboshi; Foss,Milton Cesar

    2002-01-01

    CONTEXT: The association between psoriasis and hypoparathyroidism has been reported by several authors, and it has been suggested that abnormalities in calcium homeostasis may be involved in the development or exacerbation of psoriasis. However, so far there have only been two reports of pseudohypoparathyroidism associated with psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To describe the familial occurrence of this association for the first time. CASE REPORTS: Two siblings with psoriasis associated with pseudohypop...

  12. A Comparison of the Molecular Organization of Genomic Regions Associated with Resistance to Common Bacterial Blight in Two Phaseolus vulgaris Genotypes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregory E. Perry

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Resistance to common bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. phaseoli, in Phaseolus vulgaris is conditioned by several loci on different chromosomes. Previous studies with OAC-Rex, a CBB-resistant, white bean variety of Mesoamerican origin, identified two resistance loci associated with the molecular markers Pv-CTT001 and SU91, on chromosome 4 and 8, respectively. Resistance to CBB is assumed to be derived from an interspecific cross with Phaseolus acutifolius in the pedigree of OAC-Rex. Our current whole genome sequencing effort with OAC-Rex provided the opportunity to compare its genome in the regions associated with CBB resistance with the v1.0 release of the P. vulgaris line G19833, which is a large seeded bean of Andean origin, and (assumed to be CBB susceptible.. In addition, the genomic regions containing SAP6, a marker associated with P. vulgaris-derived CBB-resistance on chromosome 10, were compared. These analyses indicated that gene content was highly conserved between G19833 and OAC-Rex across the regions examined (>80%. However, fifty-nine genes unique to OAC Rex were identified, with resistance gene homologues making up the largest category (10 genes identified. Two unique genes in OAC-Rex located within the SU91 resistance QTL have homology to P. acutifolius ESTs and may be potential sources of CBB resistance. As the genomic sequence assembly of OAC-Rex is completed, we expect that further comparisons between it and the G19833 genome will lead to a greater understanding of CBB resistance in bean.

  13. Risk of aortic aneurysm in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    No, D J; Amin, Faisal Mohammad; Duan, L

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis has been associated with cardiovascular disease and major adverse cardiovascular events. Studies suggests that the overexpression of inflammatory mediators contribute to the shared pathogenesis of psoriasis and atherosclerotic changes. Moreover, the aberrant inflammation in psoriasis ma...

  14. The role of lipids in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Baran

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis, affecting 2–4% of the world’s population, is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease. Its multifactorial aetiopathogenesis consists of, for example, abnormal epidermal proliferation, immune disturbances, and genetic, psychosomatic, environmental and hormonal factors. Psoriasis is also considered to be a systemic disorder closely associated with cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, obesity or metabolic syndrome. Lipids have a variety of biological functions. They participate not only in energy storage and expenditure or the formation of cell membranes, but also in inflammatory and metabolic signalling pathways. Disturbances in their homeostasis lead to the development of immunometabolic disorders, including psoriasis. Based on the available literature, this article presents selected molecular and clinical aspects involved in the multidirectional effect of lipids on psoriasis.

  15. Psoriasis and Diabetes Millitus

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J A Sundharam

    1980-01-01

    Full Text Available Twenty uncomplicated cases of psoriasis and an equal number of matched controls were evaluated using the oral and steroid primed glucose tolerance test. Six of the twenty psoriatics (30% studied showed an abnormal glucose tolerancewhereas only one of the twenty control subjects (5 % showed abnormality (p < 0.05. A relationship was found between abnormal glucose tolerance and surface area involved by psoriasis.

  16. Epidemiology and treatment of psoriasis: a Brazilian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duarte GV

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Gleison V Duarte,1 Larissa Porto-Silva,2 Maria de Fátima Paim de Oliveira1 1Dermatology Department, Federal University of Bahia, Salvador, 2Escola Bahiana de Medicina e Saúde Pública, Salvador, BA, Brazil Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated systemic disease that is influenced by genetic and environmental factors, is associated with comorbidities, and has a negative impact on the quality of life of affected individuals. The prevalence of psoriasis varies among different ethnic groups, but this topic has not been studied in Brazil to date. In this review, we evaluate the epidemiology and treatment of psoriasis from a Brazilian perspective. We focused on studies that involved Brazilian subjects. The prevalence of psoriasis in Brazil is estimated to be 2.5%, but no population study has been performed previously. Environmental factors, such as tropical climate, in association with genetic factors, such as miscegenation, may exert a beneficial impact on the course and frequency of psoriasis in Brazil. A number of studies have advanced our understanding of the cardiovascular, ophthalmic, and oral comorbidities that are associated with psoriasis. Concerns about biological therapy, such as endemic leprosy, human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV, and tuberculosis infections, are discussed. The nonavailability of treatment options for psoriasis in the public health system contradicts the Brazilian Society of Dermatology guidelines, stimulating the judicialization of access to medicines in psoriasis care. Keywords: psoriasis, epidemiology, comorbidities, health services accessibility, health care disparities, insurance, health care costs

  17. Psoriasis y dermatomicosis Psoriasis ad dermatomycosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria E. Vargas

    1994-01-01

    Full Text Available

    Se realizó estudio micológico a 52 pacientes que tenían diagnóstico clínico e histopatológico de psoriasis, pertenecientes al servicio de dermatología del Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, de Medellín, entre agosto de 1991 y febrero de 1993. Se tomaron 109 muestras a partir de las placas psoriáticas y de las lesiones sospechosas de dermatomicosis. En 10 casos (19.2% se corroboró el diagnóstico de dermatomicosis; en 5 de ellos se encontró onicomicosis por Candida albicans sin asociación con la edad, el sexo, el oficio O el tratamiento de los pacientes. En 4 hombres se aisló E. floccosum de diferentes localizaciones y en una mujer 7: tonsurans de lesiones interdigitales en los pies. Se demostró una asociación estadísticamente significativa entre la Infección por dermatofitos y el uso de esteroides sistémlcos (p = 0.021 . No se obtuvo crecimiento de dermatofitos a partir de las placas psoriáticas ni se vieron cambios histológicos típicos de la enfermedad en las lesiones producidas por los hongos. En conclusión, es baja la frecuencia de dermatomicosis en personas con psoriasis; usualmente la piel comprometida por los hongos está libre de cambios psoriáticos y el riesgo de contraer la dermatofitomicosis se incrementa en unas 30 veces en los pacientes tratados con esteroides sistémicos.

    Mycological study was performed on 52 patients with clinical and histopathological diagnosis of psoriasis; they were attending the Dermatology Service at Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl, Medellín, Colombia, between August 1991 and February 1993. One hundred and nine specimens were obtained from either psoriatic plaques or lesions suggestive of dermatomycosis. The diagnosis of dermatomycosis  was established in 10 patients (19.2%; 5 of them had Candida albicans

  18. Getting under the skin: Report from the International Psoriasis Council workshop on the role of stress in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia eSchwartz

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with significant physical and psychosocial comorbidity. A workshop of leading experts in dermatology and psychology with the purpose of better understanding the current role of psychological comorbidities in psoriasis was held by the International Psoriasis Council in November 2013. The role of stress reactivity with a focus on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis was emphasized. While cognitive behavioral therapy remains the most extensively studied and successful treatment strategy in patients with psoriasis and various psychological comorbidities, new and innovative interventions such as online-based therapies have recently emerged. Strategies and recommendations towards approaching psychological comorbidities are discussed.

  19. A dramatic response to a single dose of infliximab in a patient with prolonged pustular psoriasis derived from inverse psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Mengmeng; Dai, Weiwei; Yan, Wei; Liu, Yuanzhen; Wang, Lian; Li, Wei

    2017-07-01

    We report a case of a 25-year-old Chinese man with an exceptionally prolonged history of pustular psoriasis derived from inverse psoriasis who was unsatisfied with conventional treatment and was successfully treated with a single dose of infliximab without noticeable adverse effects. No recurrence or flaring was observed after 3 months of follow-up. This case illustrates that infliximab may be an effective and safe therapeutic option for patients with refractory pustular psoriasis derived from inverse psoriasis. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Quality of Life and Work Productivity Impairment among Psoriasis Patients: Findings from the National Psoriasis Foundation Survey Data 2003–2011

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, April W.; Schupp, Clayton; Wu, Julie; Bebo, Bruce

    2012-01-01

    Objective To ascertain impairment in quality of life and work productivity among patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Design From 2003 through 2011, the National Psoriasis Foundation collected survey data from patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis via email and telephone correspondences. Setting Survey data were collected from psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis patients in the general community in the U.S. Main Outcome Measures Quality of life focusing on emotional impact (anger, frustration, helplessness, etc.) and physical impact (pain, pruritus, physical irritation, etc.); employment status. Patients The surveys were performed through random sampling of participants from a database of over 75,000 patients. Results From 2003 to 2011, 5,604 patients completed the surveys. Psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis affected overall emotional wellbeing in 88% of patients, and they interfered with enjoyment of life in 82%. Most patients reported experiencing anger (89%), frustration (89%), helplessness (87%), embarrassment (87%), and self-consciousness (89%). Many patients also actively concealed physical manifestations of their diseases (83%), and experienced pain (83%) and pruritus (93%) regularly. Of note, 12% of patients were unemployed, and 11% worked part-time. Among unemployed patients, 92% cited psoriasis and/or psoriatic arthritis as the sole reasons for not working. Among working patients, 49% missed work days regularly due to psoriasis. Compared to patients with mild psoriasis, patients with severe psoriasis have 1.8 times greater odds to be unemployed after adjusting for age and gender (Adjusted OR = 1.7, 95% CI 1.4–2.3). Conclusion Patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis continue to experience significant impairment of quality of life and work productivity. PMID:23285231

  1. Psoriasis: snapshots of the unspoken: using novel methods to explore patients' personal models of psoriasis and the impact on well-being.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bundy, C; Borthwick, M; McAteer, H; Cordingley, L; Howells, L; Bristow, P; McBride, S

    2014-10-01

    People with psoriasis report high levels of undermanaged distress. This is compounded by the problem that some patients find it difficult to discuss their emotions. Distress prevents optimal self-management, which may exacerbate psoriasis flares, thereby creating a vicious cycle. To offer people with psoriasis a novel way of expressing their personal models of psoriasis in order to gain a better understanding of their experiences of living with the condition. We used a qualitative technique - asking people with psoriasis to complete a postcard entitled 'Dear Psoriasis...' - to collect survey data on their personal models of psoriasis. One hundred and four returned postcards provided new insights into the extent of and reasons for distress in psoriasis. Seven dominant themes emerged: identity and relationships; battleground; control; emotional consequences; hypervigilance; coping; treatment burden. Reports of distress were common, and for many it was long-standing. Some reported low self-esteem and self-denigration bordering on self-loathing, and described being hypervigilant and in a constant battle with their skin. Many people did not expect to have intimate relationships, resulting in reduced social support for patients in the future. This research underscores the need for patient support and psychological treatment to be made available as part of routine care. © 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

  2. Targeting IL-17 with ixekizumab in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dyring Andersen, Beatrice; Skov, Lone; Zachariae, Claus

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of psoriasis has evolved and identified IL-17 as a key pro-inflammatory mediator in psoriasis creating new medical avenues. Several agents targeting IL-17 or its receptor are in c......Psoriasis is a multifactorial chronic inflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Knowledge of the pathophysiology of psoriasis has evolved and identified IL-17 as a key pro-inflammatory mediator in psoriasis creating new medical avenues. Several agents targeting IL-17 or its receptor...... are in clinical trials for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This review focuses on the biological rationale and the results of clinical trials with ixekizumab, a humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody. The currently available Phase I to III data indicate that ixekizumab is a well-tolerated promising...

  3. Tailor systemic therapy to the patient with severe psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van de Velde, Vanessa; Tidman, Michael J

    2016-02-01

    There is no standard definition regarding the severity of psoriasis, and a number of factors should be considered, including the extent and stability of skin disease, involvement of joints, response to treatment, and impact on quality of life. Erythrodermic psoriasis and pustular psoriasis are severe conditions and the patient may be systemically unwell and febrile. NICE recommends that four key areas should be evaluated and recorded when assessing patients: severity, using the static Physician's Global Assessment (sPGA); disease impact on physical, psychological and social wellbeing using the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI); the presence of psoriatic arthritis; and comorbidities. Ideally, patients should be assessed annually for psoriatic arthritis: the Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool is a validated tool to screen for psoriatic arthritis in primary and secondary care. Patients with severe psoriasis should undergo cardiovascular risk assessment at presentation and every five years, or more frequently if indicated. Referral to secondary care should be made for patients with any type of psoriasis with poor response to topical therapy (after 2 or 3 months according to SIGN) and for extensive psoriasis. Cases where the psoriasis is having a significant physical or psychological impact on an individual's quality of life warrant early referral, as do those where the diagnosis is uncertain. Patients with generalised pustular psoriasis or erythroderma should be referred urgently for same-day specialist input. Patients with acute guttate psoriasis who may require phototherapy should also be referred. Children and adolescents with any type of psoriasis should be referred to a specialist at initial presentation.

  4. Internalized stigma in psoriasis: A multicenter study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alpsoy, Erkan; Polat, Mualla; FettahlıoGlu-Karaman, Bilge; Karadag, Ayse Serap; Kartal-Durmazlar, Pelin; YalCın, Basak; Emre, Selma; Didar-Balcı, Didem; Bilgic-Temel, Asli; Arca, Ercan; Koca, Rafet; Gunduz, Kamer; Borlu, Murat; Ergun, Tulin; Dogruk-Kacar, Seval; Cordan-Yazici, Ayca; Dursun, Pınar; BilgiC, Ozlem; Gunes-Bilgili, Serap; Sendur, Neslihan; Baysal, Ozge; Halil-Yavuz, Ibrahim; Yagcioglu, Gizem; Yilmaz, Ertan; Kavuzlu, Ufuk; Senol, Yesim

    2017-08-01

    Internalized stigma is the adoption of negative attitudes and stereotypes of the society regarding a person's illness. It causes decreased self-esteem and life-satisfaction, increased depression and suicidality, and difficulty in coping with the illness. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the internalized stigma state of psoriatic patients and to identify the factors influencing internalized stigma. The secondary aim was to identify the correlation of internalized stigma with quality of life and perceived health status. This multicentre, cross-sectional study comprised 1485 patients. There was a significant positive correlation between mean values of Psoriasis Internalized Stigma Scale (PISS) and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, Body Surface Area, Dermatological Life Quality Index and General Health Questionnaire-12 (P psoriasis (P = 0.016), family history of psoriasis (P = 0.0034), being illiterate (P psoriasis. Involvement of scalp, face, hand, genitalia and finger nails as well as arthropathic and inverse psoriasis were also related to significantly higher PISS scores (P = 0.001). Our findings imply that psoriatic patients experience high levels of internalized stigma which are associated with psoriasis severity, involvement of visible body parts, genital area, folds or joints, poorer quality of life, negative perceptions of general health and psychological illnesses. Therefore, internalized stigma may be one of the major factors responsible from psychosocial burden of the disease. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  5. Diminished ovarian reserve in patients with psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burcu Tuğrul Ayanoğlu

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Psoriasis is a multi-systemic chronic inflammatory skin disease. Previous data suggests that women with some chronic inflammatory diseases have diminished ovarian reserve. This study explores ovarian reserve in patients with psoriasis. Materials and methods: We prospectively analyzed 14 female patients with psoriasis and 35 healthy age and body mass index matched controls. An interview explored demographic characteristics, obstetrical history and menstrual characteristics. Psoriatic area severity index (PASI in patients was assessed. Estrogen, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH, luteinizing hormone (LH, thyroid stimulating hormone and with gynecologic ultrasonography, ovarian volume and antral follicular count (AFC were measured in both study and control groups. These values were analyzed with changes of the PASI in the patient group. Results: Patients with psoriasis had significantly higher levels of FSH and FSH/LH ratio than healthy controls (p = 0.039, p = 0.005 respectively. AFC of psoriasis patients were significantly lower than healthy controls (p = 0.002.There were no significant difference among other hormone levels and ovarian volumes (p > 0.05. The hormone levels, ovarian volume and AFC were not correlated with PASI of the patients. Conclusion: The results of the study suggest that patients with psoriasis may have diminished ovarian reserve. Keywords: Psoriasis, Ovarian reserve, Psoriatic area severity index, Antral follicular count, Follicle-stimulating hormone

  6. Asthma in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lønnberg, A S; Skov, L; Skytthe, A

    2015-01-01

    We read with interest the report by Fang and colleagues of the relationship between psoriasis and asthma in a large retrospective case-control study from Taiwan [1]. The study found a 1.38-fold increased risk of asthma among patients with psoriasis, and with an increasing risk according to higher...

  7. Secukinumab treatment in new-onset psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iversen, L; Eidsmo, L; Austad, J

    2018-01-01

    BACKGROUND: To date, biologic treatments have been assessed in subjects with a long-term history of psoriasis and previous failures to systemic and topical therapies. In rheumatoid arthritis and other immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, early intensive systemic treatment prolongs treatment......-free remission. We hypothesize that by treating patients with psoriasis early with an effective systemic therapy, we may be able to alter the clinical outcome and the natural course of the disease. The STEPIn study (NCT03020199) investigates early intervention with secukinumab versus narrow-band ultraviolet B...... (nb-UVB) phototherapy in subjects with new-onset psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To determine if early intervention with either nb-UVB treatment or secukinumab in subjects with new-onset plaque psoriasis might modify the natural course of the disease.. METHODS: One-hundred and sixty subjects aged 18-50 years...

  8. Contemporary management of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jashin J

    2017-12-01

    Psoriasis is a multisystem inflammatory disease that is often underdiagnosed, leaving many patients untreated. Plaque psoriasis, the most common form of the disease, affects approximately 80% to 90% of patients with psoriasis. Formulating a treatment plan can be complicated when various factors are considered. For example, type of therapy is dependent on the severity of the disease. Topical agents are preferred for mild disease, while phototherapy alone or in combination with systemic agents is recommended for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Traditional systemic agents have the convenience of oral dosing; however, their toxicity profile can be a limiting factor. Newer biologic agents haven proven efficacious, if not superior to traditional oral agents, but their high cost can be a substantial disadvantage. Psoriasis has also been associated with increased risk of developing comorbidities, such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, and psoriatic arthritis, all of which increase the patient's overall mortality and further worsen their overall physical well-being. Management of these comorbidities is often overlooked. Moreover, psoriasis may affect a patient's psychological and social well-being. Patients with psoriasis are at a higher risk of developing clinical depression than patients without psoriasis. Inadequate management of comorbidities inevitably leads to poor outcomes, which increases the economic burden to the patient and society. Prevention and management of comorbidities, including cardiovascular and mental health, must be addressed as a part of a patient's overall treatment plan. Specialist coordination may be beneficial for patients with psoriasis. Improved patient care may lead to better clinical and economical outcomes.

  9. Economic considerations in psoriasis management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, Marc Alexander; Augustin, Matthias

    2008-01-01

    With a prevalence of 2% to 3%, psoriasis is a very common chronic disease worldwide and generates therapy costs and continuing cost for health insurance and patients and their families. Cost-political changes in health care and the ever increasing health-economic demands in all areas of the health system make it necessary to differentiate between the two when recording the expenses for a disease. The main characteristics of the pharmacoeconomic evaluation are the record of costs, the cost-benefit and cost-effectiveness ratio, and efficiency of various treatment forms. Numerous publications discuss the cost of individual forms of therapy in the treatment of psoriasis, but there are fewer studies on the total cost of psoriasis therapy, especially studies that take both direct and indirect costs into account. The scientific articles on pharmacoeconomy and quality of life in psoriasis have proven (without a doubt) that, despite the lack of a vital threat, psoriasis is highly important to the national economy and to those who have the disease. This justifies appropriate monetary expenditure for treatment. Studies that address the cost of therapies (especially for chronic diseases) will be necessary in the future and will create the required transparency to guarantee reasonable medical care that takes the cost-benefit ratio and the best outcome for the patient's quality of life into account.

  10. Association analysis identifies ZNF750 regulatory variants in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Birnbaum Ramon Y

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Mutations in the ZNF750 promoter and coding regions have been previously associated with Mendelian forms of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis. ZNF750 encodes a putative zinc finger transcription factor that is highly expressed in keratinocytes and represents a candidate psoriasis gene. Methods We examined whether ZNF750 variants were associated with psoriasis in a large case-control population. We sequenced the promoter and exon regions of ZNF750 in 716 Caucasian psoriasis cases and 397 Caucasian controls. Results We identified a total of 47 variants, including 38 rare variants of which 35 were novel. Association testing identified two ZNF750 haplotypes associated with psoriasis (p ZNF750 promoter and 5' UTR variants displayed a 35-55% reduction of ZNF750 promoter activity, consistent with the promoter activity reduction seen in a Mendelian psoriasis family with a ZNF750 promoter variant. However, the rare promoter and 5' UTR variants identified in this study did not strictly segregate with the psoriasis phenotype within families. Conclusions Two haplotypes of ZNF750 and rare 5' regulatory variants of ZNF750 were found to be associated with psoriasis. These rare 5' regulatory variants, though not causal, might serve as a genetic modifier of psoriasis.

  11. STUDY ON PSYCHIATRIC CO - MORBIDITY IN PSORIASIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shrikant B.

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is relatively common , chronic inflammatory and hyper - proliferative skin disease that affects 1.4% to 2.0% of the population. Presence of itching , chronic recurrent course of disease and incomplete cure may contribute to great deal of psychiatric co - morbidity in these patients. the most persuasive indications of a link between stress and psoriasis comes from patients themselves , with studies illustrating that the majority of patients believe that stress or psychological distress is a factor in the manifestations of their condition . Depression and anxiety are the most common disorders that are associated with psoriasis , but the proportion of patient also having other psychiatric co - morbid diseases which include social phobia , generalize anxiety disorder , panic disorder , psychotic diso rder , etc. Moreover , symptoms of psoriasis , especially pruritus , are related to depression. OBJECTIVES : To evaluate different psychiatric illnesses their prevalence and severity in psoriasis patients. METHODOLOGY : This was cross - sectional observational stu dy comprised of 70 consecutive patients of psoriasis attending the out - patient department of Dermatology. All the patients were subjected to detailed examinations including the elicitation of dermatological and psychiatric profile after getting written con sent for study . Data was collected using self - developed , pre tested , semi structured Pro format by interview method. RESULTS : The profile of psychiatric diagnoses obtained in the present study depressive disorder 31.4% {18.57% depression , 12.85% Depression with anxiety symptoms} , anxiety disorder 25.7% (7.14% GAD , 8.17% panic disorder , 5.71% social phobia , 4.28 specific phobia. Severity of major depressive disorder was determined with HAM - D score 53.8% had mild depression , 30.7% moderate depression and 15. 5% severe depression. Similarly when HAM - A scale was used to determined severity of generalized

  12. Epidemiology and Clinical Features of Adult Patients with Psoriasis in Malaysia: 10-Year Review from the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry (2007–2016

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Azura Mohd Affandi

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting 2-3% of the general population. Aim. To evaluate the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of patients with psoriasis who seek treatment in outpatient dermatology clinics throughout hospitals in Malaysia. Materials and Methods. Data were obtained from the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry (MPR. All patients (aged 18 and above who were notified to the registry from July 2017 to December 2017 were included in this study. Results. Among 15,794 patients, Malays were the most common (50.4%, followed by Chinese (21.4%, Indian (17.6%, and others (10.6%. The mean age onset of psoriasis for our study population was 35.14 ± 16.16 years. Male to female ratio was 1.3 : 1. 23.1% of patients had positive family history of psoriasis. The most common clinical presentation was chronic plaque psoriasis (85.1%, followed by guttate psoriasis (2.9%, erythrodermic psoriasis (1.7%, and pustular psoriasis (1.0%. Majority of our patients (76.6% had a mild disease with BSA < 10%. 57.1% of patients had nail involvement, while arthropathy was seen in 13.7% of patients. Common triggers of the disease include stress (48.3%, sunlight (24.9%, and infection (9.1%. Comorbidities observed include obesity (24.3%, hypertension (25.6%, hyperlipidemia (18%, diabetes mellitus (17.2%, ischaemic heart disease (5.4%, and cerebrovascular disease (1.6%. The mean DLQI (Dermatology Life Quality Index was 8.5 ± 6.6. One-third (33.1% of the patients had a DLQI score of more than 10, while 14.2% of patients reported no effect at all. Conclusion. Our study on the epidemiological data of adult patients with psoriasis in Malaysia showed a similar clinical profile and outcome when compared to international published studies on the epidemiology of psoriasis.

  13. Knowledge, Beliefs and Attitudes of Psoriasis Patients About the Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aslı Küçükünal

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: This study evaluates the patients’ knowledge, opinions and attitudes about psoriasis.Materials and Methods: A total of 111 patients over the age of 18, clinically and histopathologically diagnosed with chronic plaque-type psoriasis were included in the study. Patients who have psychiatric illness and inadequate intelligence were excluded. A questionnaire including items on knowledge, opinions and attitudes on psoriasis were filled out by the patients and the results were analyzed statistically.Results: One hundred-eleven (45 female, 66 male patients were included in our study. 6.3% of patients did not know the diagnosis of their disease. 68.5% of patients thought that psoriasis was a contagious disease while18% thought that psoriasis was a hereditary condition. 88.3% of patients declined that they were informed about the disease by the doctor. 62.2% of patients believed that they had adequate information about psoriasis. 51.4% of patients believed that doctors gave them enough information about psoriasis. 44.1% of patients knew that psoriasis was aggravated by stress while 38.7% did not know any of the aggravating factors of psoriasis. 70.3% of patients believed that psoriasis would spread if not treated. Patients mostly (98.2% had idea about topical treatment options. 82% of patients were afraid of having psoriasis on their face. 5.4% of patients were uncomfortable with the idea of their partners’ having psoriasis. 72.1%, 88.3%, 72.1% of patients reported no negative effect of psoriasis on their relations with friends, family members, work or school life, respectivelyDiscussion: Our results showed that psoriasis patients do not have adequate knowledge about the disease. We think that dermatologists should pay more attention to inform and raise awareness of patie

  14. Association between psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Mallbris, L; Warren, R B

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Psoriasis, Crohn disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are chronic inflammatory disorders with overlapping genetic architecture. However, data on the frequency and risk of CD and UC in psoriasis are scarce and poorly understood. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between CD...... and UC in patients with psoriasis. METHODS: All Danish individuals aged ≥ 18 years between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2012 were linked in nationwide registers. Psoriasis severity was defined in two models: hospital visits and medication. Incidence rates per 10 000 person-years were calculated......, and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: In the total cohort (n = 5 554 100) there were 75 209 incident cases of psoriasis, 11 309 incident cases of CD and 30 310 incident cases of UC, during follow-up. The adjusted IRRs (95% confidence intervals) of CD were 1·28 (1...

  15. The Immunogenetics of Psoriasis and Implications for Drug Repositioning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xuan Xu

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a genetically-regulated, T lymphocyte-mediated autoimmune skin disease that causes systemic damage, seriously affecting patient quality of life and survival. Psoriasis treatments, which aim to control the disease’s development, are greatly limited because its etiology and pathogenesis have not yet been fully elucidated. A large number of studies have demonstrated that immunogenetic elements are the most important factors responsible for psoriasis susceptibility. This paper delineates the immunogenetic mechanisms of psoriasis and provides useful information with regards to performing drug repositioning for the treatment of psoriasis.

  16. Impacts of PV Array Sizing on PV Inverter Lifetime and Reliability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sangwongwanich, Ariya; Yang, Yongheng; Sera, Dezso

    2017-01-01

    . However, oversizing the PV array will increase the loading of PV inverters, which may have undesired influence on the PV inverter lifetime and reliability. In that case, it may result in a negative impact on the overall PV energy cost, due to the increased maintenance for the PV inverters. This paper...... evaluates the lifetime of PV inverters considering the PV array sizing and installation sites, e.g., Denmark and Arizona. The results reveal that the PV array sizing has a considerable impact on the PV inverter lifetime and reliability, especially in Denmark, where the average solar irradiance level...

  17. A systematic literature review to compare quality of life in psoriasis with other chronic diseases using EQ-5D-derived utility values

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Møller AH

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Anders Holmen Møller,1 Sandra Erntoft,1 Gabrielle R Vinding,2 Gregor BE Jemec21LEO Pharma A/S, Ballerup, Denmark; 2Department of Dermatology, Roskilde Hospital, Health Sciences Faculty, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DenmarkBackground: Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated dermatological disease associated with substantial economic, clinical, and humanistic burden.Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the disutility of patients with psoriasis vulgaris, using mean baseline EuroQoL five dimensions (EQ-5D index scores reported in the published literature, and to compare this to patients with other chronic diseases.Methods: Two systematic literature searches were conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA guidelines. Searches were conducted in ten databases including Embase, MEDLINE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL. The first search (December 2013 used search terms psoria* AND (EQ5D OR EQ OR EUROQoL. Only publications of original research, which reported baseline EQ-5D scores for mild/moderate/severe psoriasis, were included. The second search (March 2014 used the terms (systematic review AND (EQ5D OR EQ 5D OR EuroQoL. Titles were screened by two independent reviewers. Four independent reviewers reviewed titles and full-length papers. EQ-5D scores for psoriasis patients were qualitatively compared with scores from patients with other chronic diseases identified through the literature search.Results: Of 133 publications on psoriasis, 12 met the inclusion criteria. The mean EQ-5D index scores for psoriasis (all severities ranged from 0.52 (standard deviation: 0.39 to 0.9 (standard deviation: 0.1. Of the 48 results from the second search, six met the inclusion criteria. The reported EQ-5D lower limit for other diseases ranged from 0.20 (Type 2 diabetes mellitus to 0.66 (liver diseases. The highest EQ-5D estimates for other diseases ranged

  18. Psoriasis in children: An insight

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandipan Dhar

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Onset of psoriasis in childhood is quite common. Chronicity, inflammation and hyperproliferation are the cardinal features by which the condition establishes its uniqueness. Clearance of disease may be farfetched in most patients and relapse is frequent. Early recognition and management of psoriasis in children and adolescents is vital in therapy in children.

  19. Impacts of PV Array Sizing on PV Inverter Lifetime and Reliability

    OpenAIRE

    Sangwongwanich, Ariya; Yang, Yongheng; Sera, Dezso; Blaabjerg, Frede

    2017-01-01

    In order to enable a more wide-scale utilization of PV systems, the cost of PV energy has to be comparable with other energy sources. Oversizing the PV array is one common approach to reduce the cost of PV energy, since it increases the PV energy yield during low solar irradiance conditions. However, oversizing the PV array will increase the loading of PV inverters, which may have undesired influence on the PV inverter lifetime and reliability. In that case, it may result in a negative impact...

  20. Biomarkers in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villanova, Federica; Di Meglio, Paola; Nestle, Frank O

    2013-04-01

    Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated disease of the skin, which associates in 20-30% of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The immunopathogenesis of both conditions is not fully understood as it is the result of a complex interaction between genetic, environmental and immunological factors. At present there is no cure for psoriasis and there are no specific markers that can accurately predict disease progression and therapeutic response. Therefore, biomarkers for disease prognosis and response to treatment are urgently needed to help clinicians with objective indications to improve patient management and outcomes. Although many efforts have been made to identify psoriasis/PsA biomarkers none of them has yet been translated into routine clinical practice. In this review we summarise the different classes of possible biomarkers explored in psoriasis and PsA so far and discuss novel strategies for biomarker discovery.

  1. Heritability of psoriasis in a large twin sample

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lønnberg, Ann Sophie; Skov, Liselotte; Skytthe, A

    2013-01-01

    AIM: To study the concordance of psoriasis in a population-based twin sample. METHODS: Data on psoriasis in 10,725 twin pairs, 20-71 years of age, from the Danish Twin Registry was collected via a questionnaire survey. The concordance and heritability of psoriasis were estimated. RESULTS: In total...

  2. Psoriasis: characteristics, psychosocial effects and treatment options.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ryan, Sheila

    2012-02-01

    Psoriasis is a complex chronic non-infectious inflammatory skin disease with a variety of different presentations. The classic presentation is of well-defined red plaques with silver scale. The characteristic scale makes the disorder highly visible and intrusive on the patient\\'s lifestyle. The visible nature of the disease ensures that psoriasis has both physical and psychosocial effects. In normal skin, epidermal cell reproduction and proliferation takes 28 days. In psoriasis this process is considerably accelerated to approximately 4 days, resulting in the deposit of immature cells on the skin. While the exact cause of this process is unknown, certain environmental and genetic factors are known to be triggers. Disease management depends on disease severity, psychosocial effects and the patient\\'s lifestyle. To effectively treat this disease the nurse must be skilled in psoriasis management, and in patient education and motivation. This article reviews the characteristics, aetiology, psychosocial effects and treatment strategies of psoriasis.

  3. General measures and quality of life issues in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rashmi Sarkar

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis generally does not affect survival but has significant detrimental effect on quality of life (QOL, which may be comparable to that of ischemic heart disease, diabetes, depression, and cancer. The foremost important thing in the management of psoriasis is counseling of the patient. The clinician needs to be empathetic and spend adequate time with the patient and educating the patient about psoriasis. Clinicians should make it clear to the patient that the primary goal of treatment is control of the disease rather than cure. Eating a balanced and low glycemic diet could be an important adjuvant factor in the prevention and treatment of moderate nonpustular psoriasis. Obese people are more likely to have severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis than people with an average body mass index. Dietary supplementation with oily fish, rich in n-3 fatty acids, in psoriasis had shown mixed results in trials. Promising results have been documented for parenteral application of n-3 fatty acid, but not with oral supplementation. Increased smoking or alcohol abuse increases the risk of developing psoriasis and may influence disease severity, and hence must be avoided. Soaking in warm water with bath oil can be done in extensive psoriasis for hydration and emollient effect, and bland soaps or soap substitutes should be used; antiseptics should be avoided as they may irritate the skin. Relatively small, localized patches of psoriasis may improve with occlusion, i.e., waterproof adhesive dressings. The use of emollients is an internationally accepted standard adjunctive to the treatment of psoriasis. Dermatology Life Quality Index is a psychometrically sound and responsive measure of psoriasis-specific outcomes and most comprehensively captures the impact of clinical signs and symptoms on patient's well-being.

  4. Prevalence of psoriasis in patients with alcoholic liver disease.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Tobin, A M

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND: Excessive alcohol use has been implicated as a risk factor in the development of psoriasis, particularly in men. Despite this, little is known of the incidence or prevalence of psoriasis in patients who misuse alcohol. OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of psoriasis in patients with alcoholic liver disease. METHODS: In total, 100 patients with proven alcoholic liver disease were surveyed for a history of psoriasis and a full skin examination was performed if relevant. RESULTS: Of the 100 patients, 15 reported a history of psoriasis and another 8 had evidence of current activity, suggesting a prevalence (past or present) of 15% in this group of patients. CONCLUSION: It would appear that the prevalence of psoriasis in patients who misuse alcohol is much higher than the 1-3% variously quoted in the general population.

  5. Psoriasis prediction from genome-wide SNP profiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fang Xiangzhong

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background With the availability of large-scale genome-wide association study (GWAS data, choosing an optimal set of SNPs for disease susceptibility prediction is a challenging task. This study aimed to use single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs to predict psoriasis from searching GWAS data. Methods Totally we had 2,798 samples and 451,724 SNPs. Process for searching a set of SNPs to predict susceptibility for psoriasis consisted of two steps. The first one was to search top 1,000 SNPs with high accuracy for prediction of psoriasis from GWAS dataset. The second one was to search for an optimal SNP subset for predicting psoriasis. The sequential information bottleneck (sIB method was compared with classical linear discriminant analysis(LDA for classification performance. Results The best test harmonic mean of sensitivity and specificity for predicting psoriasis by sIB was 0.674(95% CI: 0.650-0.698, while only 0.520(95% CI: 0.472-0.524 was reported for predicting disease by LDA. Our results indicate that the new classifier sIB performs better than LDA in the study. Conclusions The fact that a small set of SNPs can predict disease status with average accuracy of 68% makes it possible to use SNP data for psoriasis prediction.

  6. The reliability of three psoriasis assessment tools: Psoriasis area and severity index, body surface area and physician global assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bożek, Agnieszka; Reich, Adam

    2017-08-01

    A wide variety of psoriasis assessment tools have been proposed to evaluate the severity of psoriasis in clinical trials and daily practice. The most frequently used clinical instrument is the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI); however, none of the currently published severity scores used for psoriasis meets all the validation criteria required for an ideal score. The aim of this study was to compare and assess the reliability of 3 commonly used assessment instruments for psoriasis severity: the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), body surface area (BSA) and physician global assessment (PGA). On the scoring day, 10 trained dermatologists evaluated 9 adult patients with plaque-type psoriasis using the PASI, BSA and PGA. All the subjects were assessed twice by each physician. Correlations between the assessments were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to analyze intra-rater reliability, and the coefficient of variation (CV) was used to assess inter-rater variability. Significant correlations were observed among the 3 scales in both assessments. In all 3 scales the ICCs were > 0.75, indicating high intra-rater reliability. The highest ICC was for the BSA (0.96) and the lowest one for the PGA (0.87). The CV for the PGA and PASI were 29.3 and 36.9, respectively, indicating moderate inter-rater variability. The CV for the BSA was 57.1, indicating high inter-rater variability. Comparing the PASI, PGA and BSA, it was shown that the PGA had the highest inter-rater reliability, whereas the BSA had the highest intra-rater reliability. The PASI showed intermediate values in terms of interand intra-rater reliability. None of the 3 assessment instruments showed a significant advantage over the other. A reliable assessment of psoriasis severity requires the use of several independent evaluations simultaneously.

  7. Spotlight on Psoriasis: Preventing Patches of Itchy, Sore Skin

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Subscribe August 2016 Print this issue Spotlight on Psoriasis Preventing Patches of Itchy, Sore Skin En español ... Sun Damage Sun and Skin Wise Choices Avoid Psoriasis Triggers Factors that may trigger psoriasis or make ...

  8. Addiction: an underestimated problem in psoriasis health care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zink, A; Herrmann, M; Fischer, T; Lauffer, F; Garzorz-Stark, N; Böhner, A; Spinner, C D; Biedermann, T; Eyerich, K

    2017-08-01

    Psoriasis is a disease of enormous socio-economic impact. Despite approval of numerous highly efficient and costly therapies, a minor proportion of severely affected patients actually receives sufficient treatment. To investigate whether addictions are associated with psoriasis and to develop evidence-based recommendations for dermatologists in their daily clinical practice in order to improve medical assessment of psoriasis and patients' quality of life. Psoriasis patients at the University Department of Dermatology were asked to fill out a paper-based self-reported anonymous questionnaire with 92 questions of validated screening tests for the six most common addictions in Germany (alcohol, nicotine, drugs and illegal drugs, gambling, food). Body weight and height as well as current Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) were documented as well. Between October 2015 and February 2016, 102 patients (65 males, 37 females; mean age 49.7 years (SD 13.4), range 18-83 years) participated in the study. Fifty-seven of the 102 patients showed addictive behaviour. Of these, 23.8% were high-risk drinkers, 41% regular smokers, 11% at risk of drug abuse, 4.1% at risk of food dependency and 19% compulsive gamblers. Compared with the general population, these results are significantly higher for alcohol abuse (P < 0.005), nicotine (P < 0.001) and gambling (P < 0.001). Body mass index was significantly higher in the study population (P < 0.001). Addictions and gambling are more prevalent in patients with psoriasis compared with the general population. Respective screening measures are recommended in daily practice for doctors treating psoriasis patients, and PeakPASI is suggested as a score to document patients' lifetime highest PASI. Parallel to new drug approvals and even more detailed insights into the pathomechanism of psoriasis, public health strategies and interdisciplinary approaches are essential for a general sustained psoriasis treatment. © 2017 European Academy of

  9. Chronic plaque psoriasis | Luba | South African Family Practice

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chronic plaque psoriasis, the most common form of psoriasis, is a papulosquamous disease defined by erythematous plaques with a silvery scale. The diagnosis usually is clinical, but occasionally a biopsy is necessary. Psoriasis affects 0.6 to 4.8 percent of the U.S. population, and about 30 percent of affected patients have ...

  10. Treatment goals in psoriasis routine care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, M A; Reich, K; Spehr, C; Augustin, Matthias

    2015-07-01

    The treatment goal algorithm for psoriasis, first originated in 2007, has ever since been adopted into treatment guidelines. It remained unclear how many patients have experienced the use of treatment goals in routine care and how these are perceived. The aim of the pilot study was to get first insight in the use and impact of therapeutic goals in a large cohort of patients with psoriasis in routine care. This study is a multicenter, non-interventional, cross-sectional health care study in n = 213 dermatology centers across Germany. A standardized physician and patient questionnaire was used, including demographics, disease and treatment characteristics. To evaluate patient treatment perception and satisfaction, a questionnaire (PsoSat) addressing 8 specific items was designed. Consistency and validity of the questionnaire were controlled by factor analyses and reliability tests. In total n = 1,883 patients were included for analysis (54.2% male). Mean age was 52 years, mean disease duration 19 years. In total 45.5% (n = 856) stated an improvement of psoriatic symptoms in the last 4 weeks. In patients including treatment goals, the course of psoriasis in the last 4 weeks was rated significantly better and predicted significantly higher patient satisfaction. Patients reporting periodic outcomes measurement of psoriasis treatment, also had significantly better course of disease, higher satisfaction and a lower psoriasis severity. A majority of patients experienced the use of treatment goals in practice. The association of using treatment goals with clinical outcomes and treatment satisfaction was markedly positive. These findings indicate that the use of treatment goals and outcome measurements in fact improve psoriasis management.

  11. Prokineticin 2 Plays a Pivotal Role in Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiaoqin He

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is histologically characterized by keratinocytes (KC hyperproliferation, inflammation, and increased angiogenesis, but the pathological factor responsible for these symptoms is unknown. Here, a neuroendocrine peptide (prokineticin 2, PK2, is highly expressed in human and mouse psoriatic skins but no significant change in other autoimmune diseases, suggesting that PK2 is a psoriasis-specific factor. Bacterial products significantly up-regulated PK2, implying that infection induces PK2 over-expression. PK2 promoted KC and macrophage to produce interleukin-1 (IL-1, the central player of inflammation and psoriasis, which acts on adjacent fibroblast to induce inflammatory cascades and KC hyperproliferation. IL-1 feeds back on macrophages to induce PK2 production to perpetuate PK2-IL-1 positive feedback loop. PK2 also promoted angiogenesis, another psoriatic symptom. In mouse models, PK2 over-expression aggravated psoriasis while its knock-down inhibited pathological development. The results indicate that PK2 over-production perpetuates psoriatic symptoms by creating PK-2-IL-1 vicious loop. PK2 is a central player in psoriasis and a promising psoriasis-specific target.

  12. Genetics of Psoriasis and Pharmacogenetics of Biological Drugs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rocío Prieto-Pérez

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin. The causes of psoriasis are unknown, although family and twin studies have shown genetic factors to play a key role in its development. The many genes associated with psoriasis and the immune response include TNFα, IL23, and IL12. Advances in knowledge of the pathogenesis of psoriasis have enabled the development of new drugs that target cytokines (e.g., etanercept, adalimumab, and infliximab, which target TNFα, and ustekinumab, which targets the p40 subunit of IL23 and IL12. These drugs have improved the safety and efficacy of treatment in comparison with previous therapies. However, not all patients respond equally to treatment, possibly owing to interindividual genetic variability. In this review, we describe the genes associated with psoriasis and the immune response, the biological drugs used to treat chronic severe plaque psoriasis, new drugs in phase II and III trials, and current knowledge on the implications of pharmacogenomics in predicting response to these treatments.

  13. The sensitivity of patch test in patients with psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yavuz Yeşilova

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: Allergic diseases play an important role in the natural course of psoriasis. Atopic sensitization and con-tact dermatitis are common in patients with psoriasis. Since the symptoms are prolonged in patients who are resistant to therapy and exposure to itchy and external factors are common among these patients, the effects of contact aller-gens on triggering psoriasis are investigated. Contact allergens have an important role in activation and remission of psoriasis. We aimed to investigate contact sensitization rates in patients with psoriasis in the study.Material and Methods: Contact sensitization was investigated with the application of European standard series in twenty patients with psoriasis, twenty patients with contact dermatitis, and twenty healthy persons. Results: Among the whole study cases, positivity rate of patch test against one allergen at least was 25%. rate of patch test was 25% in patients with psoriasis, 35% in patients with contact dermatitis, and 15% in healthy persons. There were no significant differences between the groups according to sensitization to one or more allergens (p>0.05. There were no significant difference in clinical subgroup of psoriatic patients according to contact sensitiza-tion (p>0.05. The allergens in patients with psoriasis on patch test were as the followings: phenyldiamine, potassium dichromat, nickel, and cobalt.Conclusion: We think that the patch test has a major role in the diagnosis and elimination of allergens in patients with the chronic and resistant diseases and palmoplantar and flexural psoriasis.

  14. Risk of malignancy with systemic psoriasis treatment in the Psoriasis Longitudinal Assessment Registry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiorentino, David; Ho, Vincent; Lebwohl, Mark G; Leite, Luiz; Hopkins, Lori; Galindo, Claudia; Goyal, Kavitha; Langholff, Wayne; Fakharzadeh, Steven; Srivastava, Bhaskar; Langley, Richard G

    2017-11-01

    The effect of systemic therapy on malignancy risk among patients with psoriasis is not fully understood. Evaluate the impact of systemic treatment on malignancy risk among patients with psoriasis in the Psoriasis Longitudinal Assessment and Registry (PSOLAR). Nested case-control analyses were performed among patients with no history of malignancy. Cases were defined as first malignancy (other than nonmelanoma skin cancer) in the Psoriasis Longitudinal Assessment and Registry, and controls were matched by age, sex, geographic region, and time on registry. Study therapies included methotrexate, ustekinumab, and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) inhibitors. Exposure was defined as 1 or more doses of study therapy within 12 months of malignancy onset and further stratified by duration of therapy. Multivariate conditional logistic regression, adjusted for potential confounders, was used to estimate odds ratios of malignancies associated with therapy. Among 12,090 patients, 252 malignancy cases were identified and 1008 controls were matched. Treatment with methotrexate or ustekinumab for more than 0 months to less than 3 months, 3 months to less than 12 months, or 12 months or longer was not associated with increased malignancy risk versus no exposure. Longer-term (≥12 months) (odds ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.10-2.15; P = .01), but not shorter-term treatment, with a TNF-α inhibitor was associated with increased malignancy risk. Cases and controls could belong to 1 or more therapy categories. Long-term (≥12 months) treatment with a TNF-α inhibitor, but not methotrexate and ustekinumab, may increase risk for malignancy in patients with psoriasis. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Nail psoriasis: a questionnaire-based survey

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Klaassen, K.M.G.; Kerkhof, P.C.M. van de; Pasch, M.C.

    2013-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Skin manifestations are the most characteristic finding of psoriasis. However, nail involvement is also a clinical feature of disease although it is often overlooked. The documented prevalence of nail psoriasis varies between 10.0% and 81.1%. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this investigation is

  16. Psoriasis and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrascosa, J M; Bonanad, C; Dauden, E; Botella, R; Olveira-Martín, A

    Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most prevalent liver condition in the West. The prevalence and severity of NAFLD is higher and the prognosis worse in patients with psoriasis. The pathogenic link between psoriasis and NAFLD is chronic inflammation and peripheral insulin resistance, a common finding in diseases associated with psoriasis. NAFLD should therefore be ruled out during the initial evaluation of patients with psoriasis, in particular if they show signs of metabolic syndrome and require systemic treatment. Concomitant psoriasis and NAFLD and the likelihood of synergy between them place limitations on general recommendations and treatment for these patients given the potential for liver toxicity. As hepatotoxic risk is associated with some of the conventional drugs used in this setting (e.g., acitretin, methotrexate, and ciclosporin), patients prescribed these treatments should be monitored as appropriate. Anti-tumor necrosis factor agents hold the promise of potential benefits based on their effects on the inflammatory process and improving peripheral insulin resistance. However, cases of liver toxicity have also been reported in relation to these biologics. No evidence has emerged to suggest that anti-p40 or anti-interleukin 17 agents provide benefits or have adverse effects. Copyright © 2017 AEDV. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  17. Psoriasis and ischemic coronary artery disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahiques-Santos, L; Soriano-Navarro, C J; Perez-Pastor, G; Tomas-Cabedo, G; Pitarch-Bort, G; Valcuende-Cavero, F

    2015-03-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease associated with an increased risk of ischemic coronary artery disease (CAD) in some populations. We aimed to determine the association between these 2 diseases in our geographic area. We performed a cross-sectional study of patient records between 2005 and 2012 in the database (Abucacis, Datamart) that contains all medical case histories in the province of Castellón, Spain. Patients diagnosed with psoriasis were compared with a control group of patients diagnosed with melanocytic nevus. The prevalence of CAD and the presence or absence of the main cardiovascular risk factors were analyzed in each group. A total of 9181 patients with psoriasis and 21925 with melanocytic nevus were studied. Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that CAD was significantly associated with psoriasis, age (in years), sex, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, and obesity (P<.05). On adjustment for age, sex, and the other cardiovascular risk factors, multivariate regression analysis established that psoriasis was independently associated with CAD (P<.029). Our findings in a large sample of patients in a Mediterranean area support the hypothesis that patients in this population have an increased risk of ischemic CAD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and AEDV. All rights reserved.

  18. Psoriasis and cardiometabolic traits: modest association but distinct genetic architectures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koch, Manja; Baurecht, Hansjörg; Ried, Janina S.; Rodriguez, Elke; Schlesinger, Sabrina; Volks, Natalie; Gieger, Christian; Rückert, Ina-Maria; Heinrich, Luise; Willenborg, Christina; Smith, Catherine; Peters, Annette; Thorand, Barbara; Koenig, Wolfgang; Lamina, Claudia; Jansen, Henning; Kronenberg, Florian; Seissler, Jochen; Thiery, Joachim; Rathmann, Wolfgang; Schunkert, Heribert; Erdmann, Jeanette; Barker, Jonathan; Nair, Rajan P; Tsoi, Lam C; Elder, James T; Mrowietz, Ulrich; Weichenthal, Michael; Mucha, Sören; Schreiber, Stefan; Franke, Andre; Schmitt, Jochen; Lieb, Wolfgang; Weidinger, Stephan

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis has been linked to cardiometabolic diseases, but epidemiological findings are inconsistent. We investigated the association between psoriasis and cardiometabolic outcomes in a German cross-sectional study (n=4.185) and a prospective cohort of German Health Insurance beneficiaries (n=1.811.098). A potential genetic overlap was explored using genome-wide data from >22.000 coronary artery disease (CAD) and >4.000 psoriasis cases, and with a dense genotyping study of cardiometabolic risk loci on 927 psoriasis cases and 3.717 controls. Controlling for major confounders, in the cross-sectional analysis psoriasis was significantly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D, adjusted odd’s ratio OR=2.36; 95% confidence interval CI=1.26–4.41) and myocardial infarction (MI, OR=2.26, 95% CI=1.03–4.96). In the longitudinal study, psoriasis slightly increased the risk for incident T2D (adjusted relative risk RR=1.11; 95%CI=1.08–1.14) and MI (RR=1.14; 95%CI=1.06–1.22), with highest risk increments in systemically treated psoriasis, which accounted for 11 and 17 excess cases of T2D and MI per 10,000 person-years. Except for weak signals from within the MHC, there was no evidence for genetic risk loci shared between psoriasis and cardiometabolic traits. Our findings suggest that psoriasis, in particular severe psoriasis, increases risk for T2D and MI, and that the genetic architecture of psoriasis and cardiometabolic traits is largely distinct. PMID:25599394

  19. Partial clinical response to anakinra in severe palmoplantar pustular psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tauber, M; Viguier, M; Alimova, E; Petit, A; Lioté, F; Smahi, A; Bachelez, H

    2014-09-01

    Palmoplantar pustular psoriasis is a clinical psoriasis variant characterised by a high impact on quality of life and poor response to biologics approved for plaque type psoriasis.The recombinant interleukin-1 (IL-1) receptor antagonist anakinra has been recently used for the treatment of isolated refractory cases of generalised pustular psoriasis with contrasted results. To report the clinical response in two patients treated with anakinra as salvage therapy in two patients with severe palmoplantar pustular psoriasis refractory to currently available antipsoriatic systemic therapies. Anakinra was given subcutaneously at the daily dose of 100 mg, and clinical response was evaluated using the palmoplantar psoriasis area and severity index (PPPASI). Only partial and transient responses were observed in both patients, who had to stop anakinra due to lack of efficacy and to side effects. Anakinra appears to provide only partial clinical improvement in refractory palmoplantar pustular psoriasis. Prospective clinical studies on larger populations are warranted to investigate more accurately both efficacy and safety of IL-1-inhibiting strategies in pustular psoriasis. © 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

  20. Psoriasis and cardiovascular events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Raaby, Line; Ahlehoff, Ole; de Thurah, Annette

    2017-01-01

    So far, systematic reviews have suggested an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in psoriatic patients, though some results have been conflicting. The aim of this study was to update the current level of evidence through a systematic search in MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Central...... Register databases. In total, 13 high-quality observational studies estimating the incidence of CVD were included. Patients with mild psoriasis had an increased risk of stroke [Hazard ratio (HR) = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.0-1.19] and myocardial infarction (MI) (HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.06-1.35), but not cardiovascular...... death. The risks of both stroke (HR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.20-1.60), MI (HR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.18-2.43) and cardiovascular death (HR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.13-1.67) were increased in patients with severe psoriasis. In conclusion, this updated meta-analysis confirmed that patients with psoriasis have an increased...

  1. Risk of psoriasis in patients with childhood asthma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, A; Khalid, U; Gislason, G H

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Psoriasis and asthma are disorders driven by inflammation. Psoriasis may carry an increased risk of asthma, but the reverse relationship has not been investigated. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the risk of psoriasis in subjects with childhood asthma in a nationwide Danish cohort. METHODS......: Data on all Danish individuals aged 6-14 years at study entry between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2011 (n = 1,478,110) were linked at an individual level in nationwide registers. Incidence rates per 10,000 person-years were calculated, and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) adjusted for age, sex......, concomitant medication and comorbidity were estimated by Poisson regression models. RESULTS: There were 21,725 cases of childhood asthma and 6586 incident cases of psoriasis. There were 5697 and 889 incident cases of mild and severe psoriasis, respectively. The incidence rates of overall, mild and severe...

  2. Increased risk of migraine in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, A.; Mallbris, L.; Gislason, G. H.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Psoriasis and migraine are common conditions with potential overlap of pathophysiological mechanisms. Both these diseases have been associated with increased cardiovascular risk but little is known about their interplay. Objective: We sought to investigate the link between psoriasis...... and adjusted incidence rate ratios were estimated by Poisson regression models. Results: The study comprised a total of 5,379,859 individuals, including 53,006 and 6831 patients with mild and severe psoriasis, respectively, and 6243 patients with psoriatic arthritis. Fully adjusted incidence rate ratios...... for migraine were 1.37 (95% confidence interval 1.30-1.45), 1.55 (95% confidence interval 1.29-1.86), and 1.92 (95% confidence interval 1.65-2.22) for mild psoriasis, severe psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis, respectively. Stratification for sex revealed increased risk of migraine in both male and female...

  3. Psoriasis of the face and flexures.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kerkhof, P.C.M. van de; Murphy, G.M.; Austad, J.; Ljungberg, A.; Cambazard, F.; Duvold, L.B.

    2007-01-01

    Facial and flexural psoriasis may impair the quality of life of psoriatic patients considerably. For the adequate management of psoriasis it is important to pay attention to lesions at these sensitive sites, which require an approach different to that for lesions on other sites in several respects.

  4. Misbehaving macrophages in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Rachael A; Kupper, Thomas S

    2006-08-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease unique to humans. In this issue of the JCI, 2 studies of very different mouse models of psoriasis both report that macrophages play a key role in inducing psoriasis-like skin disease. Psoriasis is clearly a polygenic, inherited disease of uncontrolled cutaneous inflammation. The debate that currently rages in the field is whether psoriasis is a disease of autoreactive T cells or whether it reflects an intrinsic defect within the skin--or both. However, these questions have proven difficult to dissect using molecular genetic tools. In the current studies, the authors have used 2 different animal models to address the role of macrophages in disease pathogenesis: Wang et al. use a mouse model in which inflammation is T cell dependent, whereas the model used by Stratis et al. is T cell independent (see the related articles beginning on pages 2105 and 2094, respectively). Strikingly, both groups report an important contribution by macrophages, implying that macrophages can contribute to both epithelial-based and T cell-mediated pathways of inflammation.

  5. Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Linder, Michael Dennis; Piaserico, Stefano; Augustin, Matthias

    2016-01-01

    and patterns of risk. We argue that concepts from LCR and LCE could be widely applied in dermatology, in general, and, more precisely, in the study of chronic inflammatory skin diseases, e.g. atopic eczema and psoriasis. The life course approach can generally be applied in two different ways. It may be used...

  6. PV potential and potential PV rent in European regions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Anders Chr.; Thorn, Paul

    2013-01-01

    The paper provides a GIS based model for assessing the potentials of photovoltaic electricity in Europe by NUTS 2 regions. The location specific energy potential per PV-­‐panel area is estimated based on observations of solar irradiation, conversion efficiency, levelised costs and the social value...... of PV-­‐electricity. Combined with the potential density of PV-­‐panel area based on land cover and environental restrictions, the PV energy potential and the potential PV ressource rent is calculated. These calculations enbable the model to estimate the regional patterns at NUTS 2 level...

  7. Radiation therapy of psoriasis and parapsoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiskemann, A.

    1982-01-01

    Selective UV-Phototherapy with lambda 300-320 nm (SUP) as well as oral photochemotherapy with 8-methoxy-psoralen plus UVA-radiation (PUVA intern) are very effective in clearing the lesions of the generalized psoriasis and those of the chronic forms of parapsoriasis. Being treated with 4 suberythemal doses per week psoriasis patients are free or nearly free of symptoms after averagely 6.3 weeks of SUP-therapy or after 5.3 weeks of PUVA orally. The PUVA-therapy is mainly indicated in pustular, inverse and erythrodermic psoriasis as well as in parapsoriasis en plaques and variegata. In all other forms of psoriasis and in pityriasis lichenoides-chronica, we prefer the SUP-therapy because of less acute or chronic side effects, and because of its better practicability. X-rays are indicated in psoriais of nails, grenz-rays in superficial psoriatic lesions of the face, the armpits, the genitals and the anal region. (orig.) [de

  8. Biologicals in the treatment of psoriasis: The Indian perspective

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ajit B Janagond

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a common inflammatory skin disorder characterized by itchy erythematous papules and plaques topped with silvery white scales. It has a chronic relapsing course and is associated with significant morbidity and reduction in the quality of life. Therapy of psoriasis is challenging. Topical therapy forms the first line of treatment for stable plaque psoriasis affecting a limited body surface area and in extensive disease systemic agents are indicated. All these drugs have inherent side effects, and none bring prolonged remission of the disease. The other therapeutic modality for psoriasis is phototherapy, but it is delivered through a specialized machine which can be available only at referral centers. Biologics have revolutionized the management of psoriasis as they can bring a remission of disease up to several years. Although limited availability and high cost prohibit their regular usage, Indian dermatologists are rapidly adopting biologics in the treatment of psoriasis.

  9. Measurement Properties of the Psoriasis Symptom Inventory Electronic Daily Diary in Patients with Moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Viswanathan, Hema N; Mutebi, Alex; Milmont, Cassandra E; Gordon, Kenneth; Wilson, Hilary; Zhang, Hao; Klekotka, Paul A; Revicki, Dennis A; Augustin, Matthias; Kricorian, Gregory; Nirula, Ajay; Strober, Bruce

    2017-09-01

    The Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI) is a patient-reported outcome instrument that measures the severity of psoriasis signs and symptoms. This study evaluated measurement properties of the PSI in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. This secondary analysis used pooled data from a phase 3 brodalumab clinical trial (AMAGINE-1). Outcome measures included the PSI, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), static Physician's Global Assessment (sPGA), psoriasis-affected body surface area, 36-item Short-Form Health Survey version 2, and the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). The PSI was evaluated for dimensionality, item performance, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest), construct validity, ability to detect change, and agreement between PSI response and response measures based on the PASI, sPGA, and DLQI. Results supported unidimensionality, good item fit, ordered responses, and PSI scoring. The PSI demonstrated reliability: baseline Cronbach's alpha ≥ 0.92 and intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.95. Correlations between PSI total score and DLQI item 1 (r = 0.86), DLQI symptoms and feelings (r = 0.87), and 36-item Short-Form Health Survey version 2 bodily pain (r = -0.61) supported convergent validity. PSI scores differed significantly (P 10%), and DLQI (≤ 5/> 5) at weeks 8 and 12. At week 12, the PSI detected significant changes in severity based on PASI responses (psoriasis signs and symptoms. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Research prevalence of psoriasis in countries and Ukraine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    А. А. Kotvitska

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. In recent years there was a negative trend growth of dermatological diseases. One of the first places in the practice of dermatology has psoriasis, which today, unfortunately, is not a “disease” but lifelong condition. Human health is the highest value, and arrangement of conditions for the protection of public health should be a priority of any country. The study of medical-demographic characteristics, tendencies of morbidity and prevalence of diseases, including dermatological profile, patterns of changes above parameters and comparing the finding with the world data is an important part of strategic planning line of development of the public health and pharmaceutical sector of the country. The aim of this study was an investigation of the prevalence of psoriasis in the world and in Ukraine, it’s analysis taking into account geographical, racial, gender and age characteristics of patients. Analyses. Content analysis, analytical and statistical methods (analysis of statistical data of the prevalence of psoriasis, analysis of scientific information. Research results. We have analyzed the prevalence of psoriasis in 18 countries and determined that the average rate of the disease is 2.8%. The study found that the highest prevalence of psoriasis observed in countries such as Germany (up 6.5%, the Netherlands (5%, Norway (up 4.8%, France (up 4.7%, Denmark (up 4.2%. Statistical data on the prevalence of psoriasis in Ukraine differ significantly from the average for Europe and countries of the world. According to official statistics from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine prevalence of psoriasis in absolute terms in 2009 was 98,544 patients (0.21% of the population and morbidity – 13,529 persons (0.03% of the population. It should be noted that according to many experts the actual rate of this disease is much higher. According to unofficial sources in Ukraine with psoriasis suffer about 1.5 million of people (> 3% of the

  11. [The psychological and social support in patients with psoriasis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Makara-Studzińska, Marta; Ziemecki, Piotr; Ziemecka, Anna; Partyka, Iwona

    2013-09-01

    The meaning of non medical forms of support in the treatment of psoriasis is discussed in the paper. Related with psoriasis negative self image and feeling of stigmatization cause various mental disorders. Stress, depression, mental condition affect the appearance of psoriasis. Because of numerous studies and identify the factors and relationships important for psoriasis, patients can take the appropriate psychological and social support. Relaxation techniques, cognitive-behavioral therapy and support groups have a positive effect on the treatment of psoriasis. They reduce the level of stress in the patient, learn emotional control, adequate self-esteem, which leads to the acceptance of the disease and improve the quality of life of the patient.

  12. Prognosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlehoff, Ole; Lindhardsen, Jesper; Gislason, Gunnar

    2012-01-01

    and severe psoriasis, respectively. Patients with severe psoriasis were less likely to receive secondary prevention pharmacotherapy with betablockers, statins and platelet inhibitors. CONCLUSION: This first study of the prognosis following PCI in patients with psoriasis demonstrated an increased risk of all...... population undergoing first-time PCI in the period 2002--09. Cox regression models, controlling for age, gender, socioeconomic status, pharmacological treatment, and comorbidity were used to assess the risk of 1) all-cause mortality and 2) a composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, and stroke......-cause mortality and of a composite of death, myocardial infarction and stroke, respectively, in patients with severe psoriasis compared to patients without psoriasis. Further studies of this novel association are needed....

  13. Significance of clinicopathological correlation in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gopal Ambadasrao Pandit

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Context: Psoriasis affects about 1.5% to 3% of world′s population. Other papulosquamous dermatoses are Pityriasis rosea, Lichen planus, Seborrheic dermatitis, Pityriasis rubra pilaris and Parapsoriasis. Drug eruptions, tinea corporis, and secondary syphilis may also have papulosquamous morphology. Because all papulosquamous disorders are characterized by scaling papules, clinical confusion may result during their diagnosis. Separation of each of these becomes important because the treatment and prognosis for each tends to be disease-specific. Aim: To study the pattern of clinical and histopathological features of psoriasis of the skin with clinicopathological correlation. Material and methods: The present study of 42 cases of psoriasis of the skin was carried out in the Department of Pathology of a tertiary care centre from December 2009 to October 2011. In this study, the patients which were clinically diagnosed as psoriasis of skin, before starting the treatment and attending the outdoor skin department were selected. Histopathological findings were interpreted in light of clinical details. Results: Out of 42 cases of psoriasis 24 (57.14% were males, 18 (42.86% were females with male to female ratio of 1.33:1. Mean age was 34.45 years. Maximum number of cases 22 (52.38% were encountered in 3rd and 4th decade of life. Histopathological findings: parakeratosis, acanthosis, suprapapillary thinning, Munro microabscesses and hypogranulosis were noted in most of the cases. Conclusion: Histopathology serves as a diagnostic tool and rules out other lesions which mimic psoriasis. The most accurate diagnosis is the one that most closely correlates with clinical outcome and helps to direct the most appropriate clinical intervention.

  14. Implementing Best Practice in Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kragballe, Knud; Gniadecki, Robert; Mørk, Nils-Jørgen

    2014-01-01

    In the absence of Nordic-wide guidelines on the best practice management of psoriasis, this paper aims to provide Nordic recommendations for treatment goals, evaluation of quality of life impact and assessment/management of co-morbidities. This Delphi approach consisted of telephone interviews......, local Nordic face-to-face meetings, and a Nordic-wide meeting, in which questions on treatment goals, quality of life impact and assessment/management of co-morbidities were posed to 17 dermatologists with psoriasis-treatment experience to gain consensus (≥ 90% agreement). The dermatologists agreed...... on the individualisation of treatment goals using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and Dermatology Life Quality Index, which should be measured at the same frequency. Training of healthcare professionals on the use of these tools and psychological assessments were considered important, along with the referral...

  15. Evaluations of Audiovestibular Manifestations in Patients with Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    İsmail Cem Temel

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: Sensorineural hearing loss can occur as a complication of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Although psoriasis is also a chronic inflammatory skin disease characterized by T-cell mediated hyper proliferation of the keratinocytes, the information about the relationship between audiological disorders is limited in the literature and the relationship with vestibular disorders has not been investigated before. In this study, we aimed to investigate the presence of audiovestibular disorders and their relationship with disease parameters. Methods: Sixty-one patients with psoriasis and 61 healthy individuals were included in this prospective cross-sectional study. Those with possible etiologic factors that may lead to hearing and balance disorders were not included in the study. All participants were first performed a full ear, nose and throat examination. Subsequently, full audiological examination (pure audiometry, autoacoustic emission, stapes reflex, detection threshold of speech and discrimination and electronystagmography tests were performed in the audiology laboratory where sound isolation was provided. Psoriasis severity was assessed by psoriasis area and severity index, body surface area and general evaluation of researcher. Results: There were significant differences between patients and controls in terms of audiovestibular symptoms. According to audiograms, predominant bilateral sensorineural hearing loss was detected in high frequency in psoriasis patients. The vestibular abnormalities in patients with psoriasis were found to be more frequent than those in controls, only saccadic test values were observed as statistically significant. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that audiovestibular abnormalities are significantly associated with psoriasis. Therefore, patients with psoriasis should be evaluated for the co-occurrence of hearing loss or vestibular problems which might affect patients’ quality of life.

  16. The risk of melanoma and hematologic cancers in patients with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reddy, Shivani P; Martires, Kathryn; Wu, Jashin J

    2017-04-01

    The risk of melanoma and hematologic cancers in patients with psoriasis is controversial. We sought to assess the risk of melanoma and hematologic cancers in patients with psoriasis, and the association with different treatments. We used case-control and retrospective cohort designs to determine melanoma or hematologic cancer risk in patients with psoriasis. Risk with treatment type was assessed using Fisher exact test. Patients with psoriasis had 1.53 times greater risk of developing a malignancy compared with patients without psoriasis (P < .01). There were no significant differences in malignancy risk among patients treated with topicals, phototherapy, systemics, or biologic agents. Patients with psoriasis and malignancy did not have significantly worse survival than patients without psoriasis. It is possible that patients developed malignancy subsequent to the follow-up time included in the study. Patients with psoriasis may experience an elevated risk of melanoma and hematologic cancers, compared with the general population. The risk is not increased by systemic or biologic psoriasis therapies. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Critical role of environmental factors in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Jinrong; Luo, Shuaihantian; Huang, Yumeng; Lu, Qianjin

    2017-08-01

    Psoriasis is a common cutaneous disease with multifactorial etiology including genetic and non-genetic factors, such as drugs, smoking, drinking, diet, infection and mental stress. Now, the role of the interaction between environmental factors and genetics are considered to be a main factor in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. However, it is a challenge to explore the mechanisms how the environmental factors break the body balance to affect the onset and development of psoriasis. In this article, we review the pathogenesis of psoriasis and summarize numerous clinical data to reveal the association between environmental factors and psoriasis. In addition, we focus on the mechanisms of environmental risk factors impact on psoriasis and provide a series of potential treatments against environmental risk factors. © 2017 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  18. Oral Candida colonization and candidiasis in patients with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedair, Ahmad A; Darwazeh, Azmi M G; Al-Aboosi, Mustafa M

    2012-11-01

    The objective of this study was to investigate oral Candida colonization and candidosis in a group of patients with psoriasis and controls. A total of 100 patients with psoriasis and matched controls underwent the concentrated oral rinse test for Candida isolation. Candida species were identified by the VITEK 2 Identification System. Categorical variables were evaluated using the χ(2) test. The median Candida count was compared using the Mann-Whitney U test. Oral candidiasis was diagnosed in 3% of the patients with psoriasis. The Candida count and prevalence were significantly higher in the patients with psoriasis compared with controls (69% vs 44%, P Oral Candida was significantly higher in late-onset (at age ≥30 years) compared with early-onset psoriasis (at age oral Candida colonization and candidiasis. Further studies are needed to clarify the predisposing factor(s) for oral Candida in patients with psoriasis. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. Management of guttate psoriasis in patients with associated streptococcal infection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Karabudak Abuaf O

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Özlem Karabudak Abuaf, Bilal DoganDepartment of Dermatology, GATA Haydarpasa Teaching Hospital, Istanbul, TurkeyAbstract: Psoriasis is a T cell-mediated inflammatory skin disease. It can be provoked or exacerbated by environmental factors, particularly medications and infections. Guttate psoriasis is a distinctive acute form of psoriasis that generally occurs in children and young adults. The association between guttate psoriasis and Streptococcus pyogenes is well established in medical literature; however, the exact mechanism can only be theorized. Treatment guidelines are not established, and it is unclear how necessary antibiotics are for acute state guttate psoriasis. Many dermatologists have recommended using antibiotic therapy or tonsillectomy, especially for patients with recurrent streptococcal infections. This paper briefly summarizes the possible mechanisms of pathogenesis and the recent research results on this topic and examines under what conditions a curative treatment of streptococcal infection by tonsillectomy or antibiotic treatment may benefit psoriasis patients.Keywords: guttate, psoriasis, treatment, Streptococcus pyogenes

  20. A smartphone application for psoriasis segmentation and classification (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasefi, Fartash; MacKinnon, Nicholas B.; Horita, Timothy; Shi, Kevin; Khan Munia, Tamanna Tabassum; Tavakolian, Kouhyar; Alhashim, Minhal; Fazel-Rezai, Reza

    2017-02-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease affecting approximately 125 million people worldwide. Currently, dermatologists monitor changes of psoriasis by clinical evaluation or by measuring psoriasis severity scores over time which lead to Subjective management of this condition. The goal of this paper is to develop a reliable assessment system to quantitatively assess the changes of erythema and intensity of scaling of psoriatic lesions. A smartphone deployable mobile application is presented that uses the smartphone camera and cloud-based image processing to analyze physiological characteristics of psoriasis lesions, identify the type and stage of the scaling and erythema. The application targets to automatically evaluate Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) by measuring the severity and extent of psoriasis. The mobile application performs the following core functions: 1) it captures text information from user input to create a profile in a HIPAA compliant database. 2) It captures an image of the skin with psoriasis as well as image-related information entered by the user. 3) The application color correct the image based on environmental lighting condition using calibration process including calibration procedure by capturing Macbeth ColorChecker image. 4) The color-corrected image will be transmitted to a cloud-based engine for image processing. In cloud, first, the algorithm removes the non-skin background to ensure the psoriasis segmentation is only applied to the skin regions. Then, the psoriasis segmentation algorithm estimates the erythema and scaling boundary regions of lesion. We analyzed 10 images of psoriasis images captured by cellphone, determined PASI score for each subject during our pilot study, and correlated it with changes in severity scores given by dermatologists. The success of this work allows smartphone application for psoriasis severity assessment in a long-term treatment.

  1. Naevoid psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mittal R

    1999-01-01

    Full Text Available A 6-year-old male child had linear scaly erythematous band on the penis, undersuface of penis, extending to the scrotum since birth. He was diagnosed clinically as well as histopathologically as a case of naevoid psoriasis.

  2. Transcriptome classification reveals molecular subtypes in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ainali Chrysanthi

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease characterised by chronically elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels, leading to aberrant keratinocyte proliferation and differentiation. Although certain clinical phenotypes, such as plaque psoriasis, are well defined, it is currently unclear whether there are molecular subtypes that might impact on prognosis or treatment outcomes. Results We present a pipeline for patient stratification through a comprehensive analysis of gene expression in paired lesional and non-lesional psoriatic tissue samples, compared with controls, to establish differences in RNA expression patterns across all tissue types. Ensembles of decision tree predictors were employed to cluster psoriatic samples on the basis of gene expression patterns and reveal gene expression signatures that best discriminate molecular disease subtypes. This multi-stage procedure was applied to several published psoriasis studies and a comparison of gene expression patterns across datasets was performed. Conclusion Overall, classification of psoriasis gene expression patterns revealed distinct molecular sub-groups within the clinical phenotype of plaque psoriasis. Enrichment for TGFb and ErbB signaling pathways, noted in one of the two psoriasis subgroups, suggested that this group may be more amenable to therapies targeting these pathways. Our study highlights the potential biological relevance of using ensemble decision tree predictors to determine molecular disease subtypes, in what may initially appear to be a homogenous clinical group. The R code used in this paper is available upon request.

  3. Paradoxical, Cupping-Induced Localized Psoriasis: A Koebner Phenomenon.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vender, Reid; Vender, Ronald

    2015-01-01

    Cupping therapy is a traditional Chinese medicine used to heal psoriasis. The Koebner phenomenon is the occurrence of psoriatic lesions at the site of cutaneous injury. To describe the first case of biopsy-proven cupping-induced localized psoriasis, an example of the Koebner phenomenon. The histopathology of the lesions is described. A brief review of the literature regarding cupping therapy and its efficacy are discussed. A 45-year-old Asian male presented himself to the dermatology clinic for further treatment of his psoriasis. Four unusually circular plaques on the lower back were discovered. Pathologic diagnosis revealed an early lesion of psoriasis. on further inquiry, the patient admitted to undergoing a recent "cupping" procedure in an attempt to cure his condition. The efficacy of cupping therapy is controversial, and psoriatic patients may develop localized psoriasis through koebnerization as a result of cupping therapy rather than achieve desirable therapeutic benefits. © 2014 Canadian Dermatology Association.

  4. Innate immunity in the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Sweeney, Cheryl M

    2011-12-01

    Psoriasis is a common, immune-mediated inflammatory skin disorder. T helper(h)1 and Th17 lymphocytes contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis through the release of inflammatory cytokines that promote further recruitment of immune cells, keratinocyte proliferation and sustained inflammation. The innate immune system is the first line of defence against infection and plays a crucial role in the initiation of the adaptive immune response. The presence of innate immune cells and their products in psoriatic skin plaques suggests a role for innate immunity in this disease. In addition, the innate immune system can direct the development of pathogenic Th cells in psoriasis. In this article, we will summarise the role of the innate immune system in psoriasis with particular emphasis on the role of cytokines, signalling pathways and cells of the innate immune system.

  5. MicroRNAs as regulatory elements in psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liu Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic, autoimmune, and complex genetic disorder that affects 23% of the European population. The symptoms of Psoriatic skin are inflammation, raised and scaly lesions. microRNA, which is short, nonprotein-coding, regulatory RNAs, plays critical roles in psoriasis. microRNA participates in nearly all biological processes, such as cell differentiation, development and metabolism. Recent researches reveal that multitudinous novel microRNAs have been identified in skin. Some of these substantial novel microRNAs play as a class of posttranscriptional gene regulator in skin disease, such as psoriasis. In order to insight into microRNAs biological functions and verify microRNAs biomarker, we review diverse references about characterization, profiling and subtype of microRNAs. Here we will share our opinions about how and which microRNAs are as regulatory in psoriasis.

  6. Investigation of dietary supplements prevalence as complementary therapy: Comparison between hospitalized psoriasis patients and non-psoriasis patients, correlation with disease severity and quality of life.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yousefzadeh, Hadis; Mahmoudi, Mahmoud; Banihashemi, Mahnaz; Rastin, Maryam; Azad, Farahzad Jabbari

    2017-08-01

    Psoriasis patients are often displeased with traditional medical treatments and they may self-prescribe dietary supplements as an alternative or complementary treatments. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of self-medication of dietary supplements among psoriasis and non-psoriasis cases and its impact on disease severity and quality of life. This case-control study evaluated 252 records of psoriasis patients and 245 non-psoriasis cases. Dietary supplementation over last 30days and characteristics, including age, age at onset of disease, co-morbidities, smoking and education were recorded. Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and dermatology quality of life index (DLQI) were calculated. P value less than 0.05 was considered as significant level. This study consisted 138 psoriasis (females; 54) and 138 non-psoriasis cases (females; 50), aged between 21 and 91 years. Among psoriasis patients, 72% reported using at least one of dietary supplements, which was different from non-psoriasis cases (25.36%, P=0.01). Multivitamin/mineral supplements (MVM) were the most frequent used dietary supplements (26.81%) and the most common reasons for the consumption of these supplements were to maintain and improve health. The consumption of folic acid (21.73%), omega-3 fatty acids or fish oil (10.14%), herbs (12.31%) and vitamin E (1.44%) had the most frequencies after MVM. No significant differences in PASI and DLQI were found among patients with consumption of different supplements (P>0.05). There was non-significant and negative correlation between education and use of supplements (P=0.21, r=-0.02). Self-medicating of MVM over last 30days was prevalent among studied psoriasis patients. They took dietary supplements in order to improve and maintain their health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Trends in Type of Original Psoriasis Publications by Decade, 1960 to 2010.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sako, Eric; Famenini, Shannon; Wu, Jashin J

    2016-01-01

    Research investigating psoriasis has spanned decades, and as our understanding of the disease has evolved, the focus of publications has changed. We sought to characterize the trends in original psoriasis-related research from 1960 to 2010 chronologically by decade. A literature review was performed using the keyword psoriasis in the MEDLINE database. All original psoriasis-related articles published at the beginning of each decade were searched and categorized by study type and topic. Number of articles per topic. A total of 869 original psoriasis-related articles were found. The number of publications increased 18 fold over 5 decades. The immunology and pathogenesis of psoriasis was the most frequently researched topic (36%), and retrospective studies were the most common study type (37%). Recent highly published topics included biologic therapy, genetics, and psoriasis-associated cardiovascular disease. Original psoriasis-related publications have grown substantially since 1960. Basic science research into the immunology and pathogenesis has been and continues to be the mainstay of psoriasis research. Recent research trends suggest the focus has expanded to topics such as psoriasis-associated cardiovascular disease, genetics, and biologic therapy.

  8. Balneotherapy of Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Golušin Zoran

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Application of different kinds of mineral waters and peloids on the skin exerts mechanical, thermal and chemical effects. Significant reduction of inflammation and increased differentiation of keratinocytes may explain why balneotherapy has positive clinical effects in psoriatic patients. In vitro models have shown that thermal water stimulates interleukin-2 production after cell stimulation by staphylococcal enterotoxin B, and reduces interleukin-4 secretion. After balneotherapy, a significant decrease in Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI, associated with a significant reduction of interleukin-8, Staphylococcus aureus colonization and enterotoxin N, have been reported in patients with psoriasis. Mineral water was found to have inhibitory in vitro effects on substance P, TNF-α release and antigen-induced cell degranulation. Immunomodulatory effects of water depend on its content. Sulfur waters have beneficial anti-inflammatory, keratolytic, and antipruriginous effects and also possess antibacterial and antifungal properties. The effectiveness of balneotherapy in the treatment of psoriasis has been reported in many studies conducted all over the world. The majority of studies were conducted at the Dead Sea coast. Investigations showed that balneotherapy factors are important therapeutic factors in the treatment of psoriatic patients. The first and only comparable study of this kind in Serbia, was conducted in Prolom Spa with satisfactory therapeutic results.

  9. Multiplicity of comorbidities in patients with severe psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. V. Batkaeva

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Rationale: Severe treatment-resistant psoriasis and comorbidities are on the rise.Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of comorbidities in a  hospital-based cohort of patients with severe psoriases.Materials and methods: We performed a  retrospective analysis of medical files of 890  patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis (PASI > 10 treated in a  hospital from 2010 to 2015 (men, 516 [58%], women, 374 [42%]; mean age 51.9 ± 11.6 years; mean PASI, 44.3 ± 7.8  scores.Results: Comorbidities were found in 61% (543 / 890 of the patients with severe psoriasis, with cardiovascular disorders ranking first (59%, or 516 / 890 and gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary disorders ranking second (46,4%, or 413 / 890. Psoriatic arthritis was diagnosed in 34% (303 / 890 of the patients and other disorders of the musculoskeletal system unrelated to psoriasis in 19.8% (176 / 890. The proportion of diabetes was 15.4% (137 / 890.Conclusion: Psoriasis has a high rate of comorbidities, in particular of cardiovascular disorders. It significantly deteriorates the course of psoriasis and its response to therapy, and in some cases may reduce the possibility of adequate anti-psoriatic treatment due to contraindications.

  10. Metabolic Changes and Serum Ghrelin Level in Patients with Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haydar Ucak

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Serum ghrelin levels may be related to metabolic and clinical changes in patients with psoriasis. Objective. This study was performed to determine the possible effects of serum ghrelin in patients with psoriasis. Methods. The study population consisted of 25 patients with plaque psoriasis. The patients were questioned with regard to age, gender, age of onset, duration of disease, height, weight, and body mass index (BMI. In addition, fasting blood sugar, triglyceride, cholesterol levels, insulin, and ghrelin levels were measured. Results. The mean serum ghrelin level was 45.41 ± 22.41 in the psoriasis group and 29.92 ± 14.65 in the healthy control group. Serum ghrelin level was significantly higher in the psoriasis group compared with the controls (P=0.01. The mean ghrelin level in patients with a lower PASI score was significantly higher than in those with a higher PASI score (P=0.02. Conclusion. The present study was performed to determine the effects of ghrelin in psoriasis patients. We found a negative correlation between severity of psoriasis and ghrelin level. Larger and especially experimental studies focusing on correlation of immune system-ghrelin levels and severity of psoriasis may be valuable to clarify the etiopathogenesis of the disease.

  11. Risk of periodontitis in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, A; Mallbris, L; Gislason, G

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Psoriasis and periodontitis are chronic inflammatory disorders with overlapping inflammatory pathways, but data on risk of periodontitis in psoriasis are scarce and a possible pathogenic link is poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the association between psoriasis...... and periodontitis in a nationwide cohort study. METHODS: All Danish individuals aged ≥18 years between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2011 (n = 5,470,428), including 54 210 and 6988 patients with mild and severe psoriasis, and 6428 with psoriatic arthritis, were linked through administrative registers. Incidence...... rate ratios (IRRs) were estimated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: Incidence rates of periodontitis per 10 000 person-years were 3.07 (3.03-3.12), 5.89 (1.07-6.84), 8.27 (5.50-12.45) and 11.12 (7.87-15.73) for the reference population, mild psoriasis, severe psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis...

  12. Pharmacological undertreatment of coronary risk factors in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlehoff, Ole; Skov, Lone; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar

    2012-01-01

    Patients with psoriasis have increased prevalence of coronary risk factors and limited recent results have suggested that these risk factors are undertreated in patients with psoriasis. This may contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular diseases observed in patients with psoriasis....

  13. [Enlightenment from genome-wide association study to genetics of psoriasis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    ZHANG, Xue-jun

    2009-07-01

    Psoriasis is a common autoimmune and hyper proliferative skin disease, characterized by thick, silvery scale patches. Numerous family studies have provided compelling evidence of a genetic predisposition to psoriasis, although the inheritance pattern is unclear. However, few of these studies have achieved consistent results, except for the MHC locus, a problem frequently encountered in the investigation of complex disease. Using high-throughput techniques to genotype hundreds of thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms explore their relationship with phenotypes, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are now proven to be a powerful approach for screening the susceptibility genes (loci) of complex disease. Recently, three GWAS on psoriasis published in Nature Genetics have provided us with many novel clues concerning disease pathogenesis, in both immune and non-immune pathways. The MHC locus (HLA-Cw6 and other MHC variance), the major locus involved in the immune reactions of human immune disease, has consistently been shown to be associated with psoriasis, both in previous linkage and present GWAS. IL-12B and IL23R, which are the two non-MHC genes with highly associated evidence with psoriasis in multiple studies performed so far and potent cytokines with complex biological activities, should be of great importance in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Recent clinical trials, in which anti-IL-12p40 antibodies were used for the treatment of psoriasis, have provided further evidence of the role of IL-12/23 in the pathophysiology of psoriasis,and highlighted a new road of treatment for psoriasis. In 2008,we performed the first large GWAS in the Chinese population and identified a novel susceptibility locus within the late cornified envelope (LCE) gene cluster: LCE3A and LCE3D on chromosome 1q21, with conclusive evidence (rs4085613, p(combined)=6.69*10(-30); odds ratio=0.76). Meanwhile, another group also identified a deletion comprising and LCE gene cluster of LCE3B

  14. Quality of life, treatment satisfaction and efficacy of non-biological systemic therapies in patients with plaque psoriasis: study protocol for a prospective observational study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fink, Christine; Schank, Timo E; Trenkler, Nina; Uhlmann, Lorenz; Schäkel, Knut

    2017-06-30

    Psoriasis vulgaris often leads to a significant impaired quality of life and dissatisfaction with the existing therapeutic approaches. However, patients' quality of life and treatment satisfaction are of utmost importance, since it is positively related to therapy adherence and encourages patient's compliance. The study described herein evaluates the quality of life, treatment satisfaction and efficacy during the initial 6 months of treatment with a non-biological systemic agent in a real-life clinical setting. This observational study compares quality of life, treatment satisfaction and the efficacy of non-biological systemic therapy between 60 patients suffering from plaque psoriasis receiving the non-biological systemic therapies with apremilast, methotrexate and fumaric acid esters. Ethics approval was provided by the ethics committee of the medical faculty of the University of Heidelberg. Ethics approval number is S-298/2015. The design and the final results of the study will be published and made available to the public. German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS): DRKS00008721 (https://www.germanctr.de/). © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  15. Psoriasis causes significant economic burden to patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mustonen, A; Mattila, K; Leino, M; Koulu, L; Tuominen, R

    2014-06-01

    Psoriasis results in expenses to patients from many cost sources. Psoriasis treatments may result in considerable time and traveling costs, yet many studies fail to account for these costs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the multidimensional economic burden of psoriasis to patients. The study was based on 232 Finnish patients with psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis visiting a tertiary level dermatological clinic during a 1-year study period between October 1, 2009 and September 30, 2010. The data were based on a patient questionnaire, clinical data from the medical records and reimbursement data from the Finnish Social Insurance Institution. Item costs were based on true costs charged from the patients and all time cost estimates were based on the Human Capital Approach method. 199 patients with psoriasis and 33 with psoriatic arthritis were included in the study. Total costs were higher for patients receiving traditional systemic medications or phototherapy than those not receiving such treatment. Travel costs and travel time costs accounted for more than 60% of the costs of phototherapy. Skin care at home was time consuming and thus caused significant burden to patients. The majority of the visit costs arose from hospital visits and only a small proportion were attributed to visiting primary health care providers. Visit charges and other patient co-payments were estimated to play a minor role in the total cost of psoriasis incurred by patients, while travel costs and lost time comprised the majority of the costs, which should not be omitted in future studies regarding costs of treatments.

  16. No association of psoriasis with autoimmune thyroiditis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vassilatou, E; Papadavid, E; Papastamatakis, P; Alexakos, D; Koumaki, D; Katsimbri, P; Hadjidakis, D; Dimitriadis, G; Rigopoulos, D

    2017-01-01

    Common autoimmune diseases tend to coexist in the same patients. Few studies have examined the possible association between autoimmune thyroiditis and psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis (PsA), with inconsistent results. To investigate the prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in psoriatic patients with or without PsA, living in an iodine-sufficient area. We studied prospectively, 114 psoriatic patients with disease duration of 5-38 years, 30 of them with PsA, and 286 age- and body mass index (BMI)-matched subjects without psoriasis or known thyroid disease or autoimmune disease. A detailed medical history was obtained from all participants and clinical examination and laboratory evaluation was performed. Psoriasis severity was assessed with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Autoimmune thyroiditis was defined by the presence of positive autoantibodies to thyroid peroxidase and/or thyroglobulin. There was no difference in the prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis between psoriatic patients and controls (20.2% vs. 19.6%). The prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in male and female psoriatic patients was similar (9.6% and 10.5% respectively), in contrast to the increased, as expected, prevalence in female vs. male controls (14.7% vs. 4.9%, P thyroiditis were similar in psoriatic patients and controls (7.9% and 7.0% respectively). Autoimmune thyroiditis in psoriatic patients was not related with age of psoriasis onset, psoriasis duration, PASI score, PsA and obesity. These data support that psoriatic patients with or without PsA do not have an increased risk for autoimmune thyroiditis. © 2016 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  17. Poliosis overlying psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sevgi Akarsu

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Poliosis is the term used to describe a localized area of hypopigmented or depigmented hairs. It is believed that this condition is a result of the destruction of follicular melanocytes by an inflammatory or autoimmune mechanism. Poliosis can occur in several hereditary syndromes or is acquired after inflammation, irradiation or infection and some medications. Additionally, it has also been reported that it can overlie some benign and malignant lesions, including some nevi, melanoma and neurofibroma. On the other hand, there has been no prior data of an association between psoriasis, which is a T-cell-mediated autoimmune inflammatory disease, and poliosis in the literature. Here, we describe an 11-year-old female with poliosis of the scalp overlying a plaque of psoriasis.

  18. Interband cascade (IC) photovoltaic (PV) architecture for PV devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Rui Q.; Tian, Zhaobing; Mishima, Tetsuya D.; Santos, Michael B.; Johnson, Matthew B.; Klem, John F.

    2015-10-20

    A photovoltaic (PV) device, comprising a PV interband cascade (IC) stage, wherein the IC PV stage comprises an absorption region with a band gap, the absorption region configured to absorb photons, an intraband transport region configured to act as a hole barrier, and an interband tunneling region configured to act as an electron barrier. An IC PV architecture for a photovoltaic device, the IC PV architecture comprising an absorption region, an intraband transport region coupled to the absorption region, and an interband tunneling region coupled to the intraband transport region and to the adjacent absorption region, wherein the absorption region, the intraband transport region, and the interband tunneling region are positioned such that electrons will flow from the absorption region to the intraband transport region to the interband tunneling region.

  19. The Coexistence of Coeliac Disease, Psoriasis and Vitiligo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sevgi Akarsu

    2010-06-01

    Full Text Available It has been defined that coeliac disease is associated with most of the autoimmune diseases including psoriasis and vitiligo. Here, a 26-year-old woman who was diagnosed palmoplantar pustular psoriasis and already had coeliac disease and vitiligo is reported. According to our opinions, this is the first report describing the development of these three disorders in one patient, even though vitiligo, psoriasis and coeliac disease are common disorders, and the coexistence of the two of them has been previously reported in the literature. This case has been presented to emphasize the importance of considering and inquiring the possible coeliac disease in chronic and autoimmune dermatoses, although psoriasis and vitiligo may have coincidental associations with coeliac disease.

  20. Management of Psoriasis in Children: a Narrative Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zohreh Hajheydari

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is an inherited chronic inflammatory papulosquamous disorder with a variable clinical spectrum affecting about 0.5% to 2% of children and adolescence. In spite of all performed researches around the world for seeking better treatments with fewer adverse effects to control the disease, there is still no cure for psoriasis. Treatment of psoriasis in children is very conservative and many therapies used for adults may not be appropriate for children due to possible long-term or delayed adverse effects. A wide range of therapeutic options are existed including; topical therapy, phototherapy, chemotherapy, systemic therapies and biologic therapies. Here in, because of the lack of data in this specific field of dermatology, we decided to review the current therapies of childhood psoriasis.

  1. Immunologie in de medische praktijk. VII. Psoriasis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bos, J. D.; de Rie, M. A.

    1997-01-01

    A new hypothesis of the pathogenesis of psoriasis holds that psoriasis is an epidermal hyperproliferative disorder resulting from abnormal interaction between T cells and basal layer stem cell keratinocytes. New therapies aimed at reducing T cell activity are most successful, as exemplified by the

  2. Real-world burden of comorbidities in US patients with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shah, Kamal; Mellars, Lillian; Changolkar, Arun; Feldman, Steven R

    2017-08-01

    Understanding background comorbidity rates in psoriasis can provide perspective for adverse events associated with new therapies. We sought to assess the extent of comorbidities in psoriasis patients by use of the Truven Health Analytics MarketScan database. MarketScan, comprising commercial claims representative of a large US-insured population, had 1.22 million patients with ≥1 claim with a psoriasis diagnosis between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2014. Patients ≥18 years of age who had ≥2 health claims in any diagnosis field for psoriasis (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification 696.1) with a psoriasis diagnosis (index) date between July 1, 2008, and June 30, 2014, were included to allow follow-up observation time. Prevalence and incidence of 24 comorbidities were assessed in 469,097 psoriasis patients; the most common comorbidities were hyperlipidemia (45.64% and 30.83%, respectively), hypertension (42.19% and 24.19%), depression (17.91% and 12.68%), type 2 diabetes mellitus (17.45% and 8.44%), and obesity (14.38% and 11.57%). A limitation of the study was that only a certain insured population was represented. Comorbidity rates align with those described in the literature and support the concept that psoriasis patients have high rates of cardiometabolic comorbidities. This analysis highlights the potential utility of very large insurance databases for determining comorbidity prevalence in psoriasis, which may aid health care providers in managing psoriasis. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Introducing Stereology as a Tool to Assess the Severity of Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kamp, Søren; Stenderup, Karin; Rosada, Cecilia

    2008-01-01

    to histological specimens in order to obtain three-dimensional properties from two-dimensional tissue samples. The psoriasis xenograft model used in this trial is accepted as a leading animal model for psoriasis. Psoriatic skin from psoriatic patients was grafted onto severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice......  The purpose of this study was to introduce stereology as a novel tool in assessing the severity of psoriasis. Psoriasis is a well described chronic inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2% of the Caucasian population.   The severity of psoriasis has been assessed by a multitude...

  4. Pathogenesis and immunotherapy in cutaneous psoriasis: what can rheumatologists learn?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alexander, Helen; Nestle, Frank O

    2017-01-01

    This review presents our current understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of psoriasis with a particular focus on recent areas of research and emerging concepts. Psoriasis arises in genetically predisposed individuals who have an abnormal innate and adaptive immune response to environmental factors. Recent studies have identified novel genetic, epigenetic and immunological factors that play a role in the disease pathogenesis. There is emerging evidence for the role of the skin microbiome in psoriasis. Studies have shown reduced diversity and altered composition of the skin microbiota in psoriasis. Recent advances in our understanding of the complex immunopathogenesis of psoriasis have led to the identification of crucial cytokines and cell signalling pathways that are targeted by a range of immunotherapies.

  5. An Analysis of Open World PvP in LOTRO's PvMP as a Case Study for PvP Games

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toh Weimin

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available This article focuses on the analysis of emergent gameplay, based on a case study of the author's subjective gameplay experience of Player versus Monster Player (PvMP in The Lord of the Rings Online (LOTRO. The argument presented here is that although there is a core system of Player versus Player (PvP which LOTRO shares with other online games, each type of online game has a specific kind of PvP system which attracts players to engage in the gameplay. For instance, the open world sandbox type of PvP attracts certain players to play in LOTRO's PvMP. One of the main aims of this study is thus to investigate some of the core systems of PvP gameplay in open world sandbox PvP. In this article, LOTRO is shown to offer unique opportunities for studying emergent gameplay in open world games, with particular relevance to PvP studies. Two of the core systems of PvP discussed include the design of the simple gameplay rules to support emergent gameplay, and the community's attitudes towards player's behaviours. The types of emergent gameplay discussed include free play versus negotiated fair play, the players' utilisation of strategies in open world PvP to support collaborative and competitive gameplay, and the changing dynamics of open ended gameplay. It is hoped that the analysis provided in this article would form the­ basis of future work on a more general framework for understanding PvP in other online games.

  6. Correlation Between Dermatology Life Quality Index and Psoriasis Area and Severity Index in Patients with Psoriasis Treated with Ustekinumab

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hesselvig, Jeanette Halskou; Egeberg, Alexander; Loft, Nikolai Dyrberg

    2018-01-01

    Monitoring of biological treatment efficacy for psoriasis is based on clinical evaluation and patient's quality of life. However, long-term correlation between Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) in real life has not been studied in patients treated...

  7. Guttate Psoriasis Following Streptococcal Vulvovaginitis in a Five-year-old Girl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Melia; Simms-Cendan, Judith; Zendell, Kathleen

    2015-10-01

    Guttate psoriasis is frequently associated with a preceding pharyngeal or perianal streptococcal infection in children. Despite Group A beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) being the most common cause of specific bacterial vulvovaginitis in prepubertal girls, there are no reports of streptococcal vulvovaginitis triggering guttate psoriasis. A five-year-old girl presented with guttate psoriasis following an episode of Streptococcal pyogenes vulvovaginitis. Following antibiotic treatment and bacterial eradication she developed vulvar psoriasis that resolved with high potency topical steroids. Identification of an antecedent streptoccocal infection can help predict the long term prognosis in children with guttate psoriasis. The vulvovaginal area should be considered as a source of GABHS infection in young girls with guttate psoriasis, and cultures should be considered if symptoms are present. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  8. Pharmacotherapeutic approaches for treating psoriasis in difficult-to-treat areas.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kivelevitch, Dario; Frieder, Jillian; Watson, Ian; Paek, So Yeon; Menter, M Alan

    2018-04-01

    Despite great therapeutic advancements in psoriasis, four notable difficult-to-treat areas including the scalp, nails, intertriginous (including genitals), and palmoplantar regions, pose a challenge to both physicians and patients. Localized disease of these specific body regions inflicts a significant burden on patients' quality of life and requires an adequate selection of treatments. Areas covered: This manuscript discusses appropriate therapies and important treatment considerations for these difficult-to-treat areas based on the available clinical data from the literature. Expert opinion: Clinical trials assessing therapies for the difficult-to-treat areas have been inadequate. With the first biological clinical trial for genital psoriasis pending publication, it is with hope that other biological agents will be evaluated for region-specific psoriasis. A greater understanding of the genetic and immunologic aspects of regional psoriasis, as well as identification of unique biomarkers, will further guide management decisions. For example, the recent discovery of the IL-36 receptor gene for generalized pustular psoriasis may prove valuable for other forms of psoriasis. Ultimately, identification of the most beneficial treatments for each psoriasis subtype and difficult-to-treat area will provide patients with maximal quality of life.

  9. Investigation of Relationship Between Parvovirus B19 Infection and Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehmet Yıldırım

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: Psoriasis is a common, chronic, relapsing skin disease, characterized by the formation of typical scaly papules or plaques. The three factors well-recognized as triggering the onset, causing new lesions or inducing a flare in the disease are: stress, skin injury and infection. Various microorganisms are associated with provocation and/or exacerbation of psoriasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between parvovirus B19 (PVB19 and psoriasis/psoriasis area severity index (PASI. Material and Method: Sixty patients with psoriasis (36 men, 24 women and 40 healthy volunteers (22 men, 18 women were included in our study. PVB19 DNA was quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: PVB19 DNA was detected in 27 of 60 subjects in the patient group (45% and in 9 of 40 controls (22.5% (p0.05. The relationship between the viral load and the subtypes of psoriasis was not statistically significant (p>0.05.Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it was concluded that a relationship may be present between psoriasis and PVB 19 infection.

  10. Associations between STAT Gene Polymorphisms and Psoriasis in Northeastern China.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Jing; Li, Yuzhen; Sun, Donglin

    2017-01-01

    Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease with genetic and environmental factors. Based on the roles of STATs (signaling transducers and activators of transcription) in autoimmune diseases, it is assumed STAT gene polymorphisms are associated with psoriasis. To study the association between STAT gene polymorphisms and psoriasis in the northeastern Chinese population. Eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms were genotyped: rs2293152, rs3816769, rs4796793, and rs744166 in STAT3, rs7574865 and rs3024866 in STAT4, and rs324011 and rs3024974 in STAT6, using SNaPshot methods. The genotype, allele, and haplotype frequencies were compared between 400 psoriasis patients and 398 healthy individuals in northeastern China. rs744166GG in STAT3 and rs7574865TT in STAT4 had higher frequencies in the case than the control group, suggesting these 2 genotypes increase the susceptibility to psoriasis (p < 0.05). Three haplotypes (H3, H6, and H7) were found to be associated with psoriasis in the study (p < 0.05). These results indicate a role of STAT genes in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  11. Incidence and prevalence of psoriasis in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone; Gislason, Gunnar H.

    2017-01-01

    The incidence and temporal trends of psoriasis in Denmark between 2003 and 2012 were examined. There was a female predominance ranging between 50.0% (2007) and 55.4% (2009), and the mean age at time of diagnosis was 47.7-58.7 years. A total of 126,055 patients with psoriasis (prevalence 2.2%) were...... identified. Incidence rates of psoriasis (per 100,000 person years) ranged from 107.5 in 2005 to a peak incidence of 199.5 in 2010. Incidence rates were higher for women, and patients aged 60-69 years, respectively. Use of systemic non-biologic agents, i.e. methotrexate, cyclosporine, retinoids, or psoralen...... plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) increased over the study course, and were used in 15.0% of all patients. Biologic agents (efalizumab, etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, or ustekinumab) were utilized in 2.7% of patients. On a national level, incidence of psoriasis fluctuated during the 10- year study course...

  12. Management of psoriasis with nutraceuticals: An update.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raut, Gauravi; Wairkar, Sarika

    2018-05-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic skin disorder that speeds up the life cycle of skin cells, typically on the surface of the skin. Additional skin cells form thick scales and red fixes which are awfully itchy and sometimes painful. Although there are many therapeutic systems available to get symptomatic relief, unfortunately replete cure for psoriasis is not yet reported. Moreover, poor treatment outcomes as well as high toxicity profile of drugs makes these therapies more inconvenient to treat psoriasis. In search of alternative and complementary therapy for this disease, the focus has been shifted to nutraceuticals, few of them were reported since ages. It includes vitamins, herbal extracts, phytochemicals and dietary supplements. In this review, the attempt has been made to highlight key nutraceuticals for better management of psoriasis. Supplementation of appropriate nutraceutical may improve the quality of patient's life and have positive impact on overall state of disease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Incidence and Prevalence of Psoriasis in Denmark

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone; Gislason, Gunnar H

    2017-01-01

    The incidence and temporal trends of psoriasis in Denmark between 2003 and 2012 were examined. There was a female predominance ranging between 50.0% (2007) and 55.4% (2009), and the mean age at time of diagnosis was 47.7-58.7 years. A total of 126,055 patients with psoriasis (prevalence 2.2%) were...... identified. Incidence rates of psoriasis (per 100,000 person years) ranged from 107.5 in 2005 to a peak incidence of 199.5 in 2010. Incidence rates were higher for women, and patients aged 60-69 years, respectively. Use of systemic non-biologic agents, i.e. methotrexate, cyclosporine, retinoids, or psoralen...... plus ultraviolet A (PUVA) increased over the study course, and were used in 15.0% of all patients. Biologic agents (efalizumab, etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, or ustekinumab) were utilized in 2.7% of patients. On a national level, incidence of psoriasis fluctuated during the 10-year study course...

  14. Fire resistant PV shingle assembly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lenox, Carl J.

    2012-10-02

    A fire resistant PV shingle assembly includes a PV assembly, including PV body, a fire shield and a connection member connecting the fire shield below the PV body, and a support and inter-engagement assembly. The support and inter-engagement assembly is mounted to the PV assembly and comprises a vertical support element, supporting the PV assembly above a support surface, an upper interlock element, positioned towards the upper PV edge, and a lower interlock element, positioned towards the lower PV edge. The upper interlock element of one PV shingle assembly is inter-engageable with the lower interlock element of an adjacent PV shingle assembly. In some embodiments the PV shingle assembly may comprise a ventilation path below the PV body. The PV body may be slidably mounted to the connection member to facilitate removal of the PV body.

  15. PV/T slates - Laboratory measurements; PV/T-Schiefer. Labormessungen

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kropf, S.

    2003-07-01

    This comprehensive, illustrated report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) is one a series of five reports dealing with increasing the overall efficiency of photovoltaic (PV) installations by also using the heat collected by the dark-coloured PV panels. The work reported on addresses open questions on the use of the heat and its optimal use. This report deals with an experimental outdoor set-up and reviews in-situ measurements made on a prototype of a ventilated PV-tile system (PV/T-Slates). The report describes the configuration and construction of the experimental PV-tiled roof and the measurement system used to measure its electrical and thermal performance. The results of the measurements made are presented in detail in graphical form. The influence of various factors such as air-slit width and mounting angle are discussed.

  16. Pustular psoriasis of pregnancy: current perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Trivedi MK

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Megha K Trivedi,1,2 Alexandra R Vaughn,3 Jenny E Murase1,4 1Department of Dermatology, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA; 2Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; 3College of Medicine, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, USA; 4Department of Dermatology, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Palo Alto, CA, USA Abstract: Pustular psoriasis of pregnancy (PPP is a life-threatening condition for both the pregnant mother and fetus, and must be efficiently and accurately diagnosed and treated. This condition has historically been classified as a unique, separate dermatosis of pregnancy. However, current opinion and data suggest that it may be a variant of generalized pustular psoriasis. PPP typically occurs in the third trimester and is characterized by widespread coalescent pustules, desquamation, and systemic symptoms. Clinical features and histopathologic evaluation aid in diagnosis. Treatments during pregnancy include high-dose corticosteroids, cyclosporine, narrow-band ultraviolet B radiation, infliximab, granulocyte and monocyte adsorptive apheresis, and systemic antibiotics. Both the mother and fetus should be closely monitored with appropriate laboratory studies for the duration of the pregnancy and postpartum. Keywords: pustular psoriasis of pregnancy, impetigo herpetiformis, generalized pustular psoriasis, dermatoses of pregnancy

  17. JAK Inhibitors: Treatment Efficacy and Safety Profile in Patients with Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Leeyen Hsu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Janus kinase (JAK pathways are key mediators in the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis. Psoriasis treatment has evolved with the advent of targeted therapies, which inhibit specific components of the psoriasis proinflammatory cascade. JAK inhibitors have been studied in early phase trials for psoriasis patients, and the data are promising for these agents as potential treatment options. Tofacitinib, an oral or topically administered JAK1 and JAK3 inhibitor, and ruxolitinib, a topical JAK1 and JAK2 inhibitor, have been most extensively studied in psoriasis, and both improved clinical symptoms of psoriasis. Additional JAK1 or JAK3 inhibitors are being studied in clinical trials. In phase III trials for rheumatoid arthritis, tofacitinib was efficacious in patients with inadequate responses to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors, methotrexate monotherapy, or disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs. The results of phase III trials are pending for these therapies in psoriasis, and these agents may represent important alternatives for patients with inadequate responses to currently available agents. Further investigations with long-term clinical trials are necessary to verify their utility in psoriasis treatment and assess their safety in this patient population.

  18. Guselkumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Eric J; Sanchez, Isabelle M; Beck, Kristen; Sekhon, Sahil; Wu, Jashin J; Bhutani, Tina

    2018-04-01

    Guselkumab is a human monoclonal antibody targeting the p19 subunit of IL-23 that has been approved for the treatment of adult patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. This medication blocks the IL-23/IL-17 axis, which has been implicated in playing a key role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Areas covered: This review outlines the pharmacologic properties, safety, and efficacy of guselkumab for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Expert commentary: Guselkumab is the first IL-23 specific inhibitor to be approved for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Phase II and III clinical trial results have demonstrated excellent safety and efficacy of guselkumab. IL-23 inhibitors may offer potential benefits over existing therapies for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in terms of safety, frequency of administration, and efficacy. Long-term safety data will be critical in evaluating the role of guselkumab in the treatment of psoriasis.

  19. Scalp Psoriasis vs. Seborrheic Dermatitis: What's the Difference?

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... does a doctor tell the difference between scalp psoriasis and seborrheic dermatitis of the scalp? Answers from ... such as pitting. Compare signs and symptoms Scalp psoriasis Red skin covered with flakes and silvery scales ...

  20. What is Psoriasis? | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Sometimes psoriasis will appear after a cut, scratch, sunburn, or an infection. How Does Psoriasis Affect Quality ... the skin may be a reaction to severe sunburn or to taking cortisone or other medicines. It ...

  1. PDTCM: a systems pharmacology platform of traditional Chinese medicine for psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Dongmei; Gu, Jiangyong; Zhu, Wei; Luo, Fang; Chen, Lirong; Xu, Xiaojie; Lu, Chuanjian

    2017-12-01

    Psoriasis is a refractory skin disorder, and usually requires a lifetime control. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is effective and safe for this disease. However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of TCM remedies for psoriasis are still not fully understood. TCM contains numerous natural products. Natural products have historically been invaluable as a resource of therapeutic agents. Yet, there is no integrated information about active compounds of TCM for psoriasis. We use systems pharmacology methods to develop the Psoriasis Database of Traditional Chinese Medicine (PDTCM). The database covered a number of psoriasis-related information (formulas, TCM, compounds, target proteins, diseases and biomarkers). With these data information, an online platform was constructed Results: PDTCM comprises 38 empirical therapeutic formulas, 34373 compounds from 1424 medicinal plants, 44 psoriasis-related proteins and 76 biomarkers from 111 related diseases. On this platform, users can screen active compounds for a psoriasis-related target and explore molecular mechanisms of TCM. Accordingly, users can also download the retrieved structures and data information with a defined value set. In addition, it helps to get a better understanding of Chinese prescriptions in disease treatment. With the systems pharmacology-based data, PDTCM would become a valuable resource for TCM in psoriasis-related research. Key messages PDTCM platform comprises a great deal of data on TCM and psoriasis. On this platform, users can retrieve and get needed information with systems pharmacology methods, such as active compounds screening, target prediction and molecular mechanisms exploration. It is a tool for psoriasis-related research on natural drugs systematically.

  2. Köebner phenomenon induced by cupping therapy in a psoriasis patient.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Rui-Xing; Hui, Yun; Li, Cheng-Rang

    2013-06-15

    Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated inflammatory and refractory disease. The koebner phenomenon, which can be induced by trauma, is common in psoriasis patients. Herein, we report a patient with psoriasis who was treated by cupping therapy and subsequently developed the koebner phenomenon (KP) at the cupped sites. To our knowledge, it is the first report about cupping therapy leading to KP in a psoriasis patient.

  3. Hypothyroidism in Patients with Psoriasis or Rosacea: A Large Population Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Sara M; Hill, Dane E; Feldman, Steven R

    2016-10-15

    Hypothyroidism is a common disease, and there may be a link between hypothyroidism and inflammatory skin disease. The purpose of this study is to assess whether hypothyroidism is more prevalent in psoriasis or rosacea patients. We utilized a large claims-based database to analyze rates of hypothyroidism in patients with psoriasis and rosacea compared to other patients with skin diseases. Participants were patients between 20-64 years of age with ICD-9 diagnosis codes for psoriasis, rosacea, and hypothyroidism. We found that rates of hypothyroidism in rosacea and psoriasis patients were similar to rates of hypothyroidism in those without rosacea or psoriasis.

  4. Plasmodium vivax Tryptophan Rich Antigen PvTRAg36.6 Interacts with PvETRAMP and PvTRAg56.6 Interacts with PvMSP7 during Erythrocytic Stages of the Parasite.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kriti Tyagi

    Full Text Available Plasmodium vivax is most wide spread and a neglected malaria parasite. There is a lack of information on parasite biology of this species. Genome of this parasite encodes for the largest number of tryptophan-rich proteins belonging to 'Pv-fam-a' family and some of them are potential drug/vaccine targets but their functional role(s largely remains unexplored. Using bacterial and yeast two hybrid systems, we have identified the interacting partners for two of the P. vivax tryptophan-rich antigens called PvTRAg36.6 and PvTRAg56.2. The PvTRAg36.6 interacts with early transcribed membrane protein (ETRAMP of P.vivax. It is apically localized in merozoites but in early stages it is seen in parasite periphery suggesting its likely involvement in parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM development or maintenance. On the other hand, PvTRAg56.2 interacts with P.vivax merozoite surface protein7 (PvMSP7 and is localized on merozoite surface. Co-localization of PvTRAg56.2 with PvMSP1 and its molecular interaction with PvMSP7 probably suggest that, PvTRAg56.2 is part of MSP-complex, and might assist or stabilize the protein complex at the merozoite surface. In conclusion, the PvTRAg proteins have different sub cellular localizations and specific associated functions during intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle.

  5. Plasmodium vivax Tryptophan Rich Antigen PvTRAg36.6 Interacts with PvETRAMP and PvTRAg56.6 Interacts with PvMSP7 during Erythrocytic Stages of the Parasite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tyagi, Kriti; Hossain, Mohammad Enayet; Thakur, Vandana; Aggarwal, Praveen; Malhotra, Pawan; Mohmmed, Asif; Sharma, Yagya Dutta

    2016-01-01

    Plasmodium vivax is most wide spread and a neglected malaria parasite. There is a lack of information on parasite biology of this species. Genome of this parasite encodes for the largest number of tryptophan-rich proteins belonging to ‘Pv-fam-a’ family and some of them are potential drug/vaccine targets but their functional role(s) largely remains unexplored. Using bacterial and yeast two hybrid systems, we have identified the interacting partners for two of the P. vivax tryptophan-rich antigens called PvTRAg36.6 and PvTRAg56.2. The PvTRAg36.6 interacts with early transcribed membrane protein (ETRAMP) of P.vivax. It is apically localized in merozoites but in early stages it is seen in parasite periphery suggesting its likely involvement in parasitophorous vacuole membrane (PVM) development or maintenance. On the other hand, PvTRAg56.2 interacts with P.vivax merozoite surface protein7 (PvMSP7) and is localized on merozoite surface. Co-localization of PvTRAg56.2 with PvMSP1 and its molecular interaction with PvMSP7 probably suggest that, PvTRAg56.2 is part of MSP-complex, and might assist or stabilize the protein complex at the merozoite surface. In conclusion, the PvTRAg proteins have different sub cellular localizations and specific associated functions during intra-erythrocytic developmental cycle. PMID:26954579

  6. The relationship between duration of psoriasis, vascular inflammation, and cardiovascular events

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone; Joshi, Aditya A.

    2017-01-01

    of psoriasis duration [hazard ratio, 1.010; 95% confidence interval, 1.007-1.013]). Limitations These studies utilized observational data. Conclusion We found detrimental effects of psoriasis duration on vascular inflammation and MACE, suggesting that cumulative duration of exposure to low-grade chronic......Background Psoriasis is associated with risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) and a major adverse CV event (MACE). Whether psoriasis duration affects risk of vascular inflammation and MACEs has not been well characterized. Objectives We utilized two resources to understand the effect...... of psoriasis duration on vascular disease and CV events: (1) a human imaging study and (2) a population-based study of CVD events. Methods First, patients with psoriasis (N = 190) underwent fludeoxyglucose F 18 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (duration effect reported as a β...

  7. Human Langerhans Cells with Pro-inflammatory Features Relocate within Psoriasis Lesions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eidsmo, Liv; Martini, Elisa

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis is a common skin disease that presents with well-demarcated patches of inflammation. Recurrent disease in fixed areas of the skin indicates a localized disease memory that is preserved in resolved lesions. In line with such concept, the involvement of tissue-resident immune cells in psoriasis pathology is increasingly appreciated. Langerhans cells (LCs) are perfectly placed to steer resident T cells and local tissue responses in psoriasis. Here, we present an overview of the current knowledge of LCs in human psoriasis, including findings that highlight pro-inflammatory features of LCs in psoriasis lesions. We also review the literature on conflicting data regarding LC localization and functionality in psoriasis. Our review highlights that further studies are needed to elucidate the molecular mechanisms that drive LCs functionality in inflammatory diseases. PMID:29520279

  8. Generalized Pustular Psoriasis in Association with Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Hypopharynx

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Milicic Vesna

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Pustular psoriasis is an uncommon form of psoriasis consisting of widespread pustules on an erythematous background. Very rarely pustular psoriasis represent a paraneoplastic dermatosis. In this report we describe a case of generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP associated with advanced, inoperable, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the hypopharynx. We suggest that physicians should be alert for the worsening of existing psoriasis or formation of novel psoriasiform eruptions and should undertake clinical evaluation of possible neoplastic disease.

  9. Value of bone scintigraphy in psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakayama, Chikashi; Nakata, Hajime; Kimoto, Tatsuya; Nakayama, Takashi; Yokomizo, Yu

    1982-01-01

    We performed bone scintigraphy on 16 cases of psoriasis to evaluate its possible value in this disease and obtained the following results: 1) Bone scintigraph was abnormal in 15 of 16 cases and the frequent association of arthritis in psoriasis was confirmed. 2) Abnormal uptake on bone scintigraph was noted in various joints including peripheral joints of extremities, sternoclavicular joint, shoulder and rib. Abnormality of sacroiliac joint or ankle was less frequent than previously reported. 3) Findings of bone scintigraph were not necessarily related with clinical symptoms or laboratory data. Abnormal uptake was also noted in many joints whose X-ray examinations were negative. Bone scintigraphy thus seems to be useful in early detection of arthritis and to become an initial therapeutic indicator of arthritis in psoriasis. (author)

  10. Lipidomics profiling reveals the role of glycerophospholipid metabolism in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Chunwei; Wen, Bo; Hou, Guixue; Lei, Li; Mei, Zhanlong; Jia, Xuekun; Chen, Xiaomin; Zhu, Wu; Li, Jie; Kuang, Yehong; Zeng, Weiqi; Su, Juan; Liu, Siqi; Peng, Cong; Chen, Xiang

    2017-10-01

    Psoriasis is a common and chronic inflammatory skin disease that is complicated by gene-environment interactions. Although genomic, transcriptomic, and proteomic analyses have been performed to investigate the pathogenesis of psoriasis, the role of metabolites in psoriasis, particularly of lipids, remains unclear. Lipids not only comprise the bulk of the cellular membrane bilayers but also regulate a variety of biological processes such as cell proliferation, apoptosis, immunity, angiogenesis, and inflammation. In this study, an untargeted lipidomics approach was used to study the lipid profiles in psoriasis and to identify lipid metabolite signatures for psoriasis through ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem quadrupole mass spectrometry. Plasma samples from 90 participants (45 healthy and 45 psoriasis patients) were collected and analyzed. Statistical analysis was applied to find different metabolites between the disease and healthy groups. In addition, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to validate differentially expressed lipids in psoriatic patient plasma. Finally, we identified differential expression of several lipids including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), lysophosphatidylcholine (LysoPC), phosphatidylinositol (PI), phosphatidylcholine (PC), and phosphatidic acid (PA); among these metabolites, LPA, LysoPC, and PA were significantly increased, while PC and PI were down-regulated in psoriasis patients. We found that elements of glycerophospholipid metabolism such as LPA, LysoPC, PA, PI, and PC were significantly altered in the plasma of psoriatic patients; this study characterizes the circulating lipids in psoriatic patients and provides novel insight into the role of lipids in psoriasis. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

  11. Serum irisin levels in patients with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baran, Anna; Myśliwiec, Hanna; Kiluk, Paulina; Świderska, Magdalena; Flisiak, Iwona

    2017-06-01

    Irisin has been proposed to regulate metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes or metabolic syndrome which are common comorbidities in psoriasis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum irisin level in psoriasis and elucidate possible associations with disease activity, inflammatory or metabolic parameters and topical treatment. Thirty-seven individuals with active plaque-type psoriasis and 15 healthy controls were enrolled. Blood samples were collected before and after two weeks of therapy. Serum irisin concentrations were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results were correlated with psoriasis area and severity index (PASI), body mass index (BMI), inflammatory and biochemical markers, lipid profile and effectiveness of topical treatment. Irisin serum levels were insignificantly increased in psoriatic patients in comparison to the controls (p = 0.38). No significant correlations between investigated adipokine and several indicators of metabolic disorders, nor BMI (p = 0.37) or PASI (p = 0.5) were found. Significant positive correlations with C-reactive protein (CRP) (0.009), lipocalin-2 (p = 0.02), age (p = 0.02) and disease duration (p = 0.008) were noted. After topical treatment, serum irisin level did not significantly change (p = 0.31), despite clinical improvement. Irisin might be a marker of inflammation in psoriatic patients, but may not be a reliable indicator of metabolic conditions, severity of psoriasis nor efficacy of antipsoriatic treatment.

  12. The PV market

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hammond, B.

    1992-01-01

    This paper forecasts the photovoltaic (PV) market growth for the 1990s. Ten years of PV history are reviewed and used to establish market trends in terms of average selling price (ASP) and kilowatts shipped by market segment. The market is segmented into indoor consumer, stand-alone, and grid-connected applications. Indoor consumer presently represents a saturated market and is fairly predictable. The stand-alone market (i.e. not connected to the utility grid) is fairly stable and predictable. The utility PV market however is highly dependent on a number of market factors such as the cost of conventional energy the cost of PV systems utility acceptance of PV and regulatory controls. Government and institutional regulations, environmental issues, and OPEC and Middle East politics will have the greatest impact on the cost of conventional fuels. Private and federal investment in PV technology development could have a significant impact on the cost of PV systems. Forecasts are provided through the year 2000 for indoor consumer stand-alone and utility markets

  13. Medical adherence to topical corticosteroid preparations prescribed for psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svendsen, Mathias Tiedemann; Andersen, Flemming; Hansen, Jakob

    2017-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: Topical corticosteroids and corticosteroid combinations are the principal treatments in psoriasis. The aim of this study was to investigate published literature dealing with medical adherence to topical corticosteroid or corticosteroid combinations in patients with psoriasis. MATERIALS...... health outcome in topical treatment of psoriasis, further studies should be conducted addressing determinants of nonadherence and test interventions to improve adherence. Validated measurements of medical nonadherence, prescription registers, or medication-weight are needed....

  14. Limited availability of psoriasis and phototherapy care: an analysis of advertisements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hancox, John G; Balkrishnan, Rajesh; Battle, Jamila; Housman, Tam Salam; Fleischer, Alan B; Feldman, Steven R

    2005-08-01

    Because the number of dermatologists remains stable, patients with medical dermatologic conditions such as psoriasis may find it increasingly difficult to access dermatological treatment. Measuring the competition in the marketing of dermatologic care may provide insight into the availability of dermatology services. The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent dermatologists are using the Yellow Pages to advertise to patients with psoriasis. We performed a quantitative and qualitative assessment of dermatologists' Yellow Pages advertisements in small cities and the ten largest metropolitan regions in the country. Per capita, more advertisements were found in smaller markets than larger markets and a higher percentage was descriptive rather than just a name, address and phone number. Cosmetic and surgical advertisements were more common than psoriasis ads in both markets. Cosmetic ads were more prevalent in larger markets. In all regions, psoriasis and psoriasis treatment ads were least common. These findings raise the concern that incentive structures in the United States healthcare system do not adequately support delivery of dermatologic care for psoriasis. Efforts to promote psoriasis care should be encouraged.

  15. Biochemical markers of psoriasis as a metabolic disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Gerkowicz

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic immune mediated inflammatory skin disease with a population prevalence of 2–3%. In recent years, psoriasis has been recognized as a systemic disease associated with metabolic syndrome or its components such as: obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and atherogenic dyslipidemia. Many bioactive substances have appeared to be related to metabolic syndrome. Based on current literature, we here discuss the possible role of adiponectin, leptin, ghrelin, resistin, inflammatory cytokines, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1, uric acid, C-reactive protein and lipid abnormalities in psoriasis and in metabolic syndrome.

  16. Management of cardiovascular disease in patients with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone

    2016-01-01

    INTRODUCTION: Patients with psoriasis have an increased incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors, and CV undertreatment in these patients is a well-established problem. The link between psoriasis and CV disease is present on a pathogenic level, as well as due to modifiable...... lifestyle factors such as smoking and alcohol abuse. AREAS COVERED: In this manuscript we describe the evidence associating psoriasis with CV disease, as well as the pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment of CV risk factors including the CV effects of anti-psoriatic therapy and vice versa. EXPERT...

  17. Isoforms of transferrin in psoriasis patients abusing alcohol

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    P. Hoefkens (Peter); E.M. Higgins; R.J. Ward (Roberta); H.G. van Eijk (Henk)

    1997-01-01

    textabstractThe different isoforms of transferrin have been quantified by isoelectric focusing in the sera of psoriasis patients with and without a history of abusing alcohol. In both male and female psoriasis subjects abusing alcohol, there were significant increases in the

  18. Body Image, Self-esteem, and Quality of Life in Patients with Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nazik, Hulya; Nazik, Selcuk; Gul, Feride C

    2017-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that may affect the visible areas of body. Hence, the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image can be affected in psoriasis patients. We aimed in the present study to assess the effects of psoriasis on the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image. The study included 92 patients with psoriasis, along with 98 control participants. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patients were assessed, their Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores were calculated to determine the clinical severity of the psoriasis, and the values were recorded. In addition, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), Body Image Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale results were evaluated. When the control and psoriasis groups were evaluated regarding the DLQI, self-esteem, and body image, quality of life was found to be more negatively affected in the psoriasis group than the controls, which was statistically significant ( P self-esteem ( P self-esteem ( P self-esteem ( r = 0.448), however, it was negatively correlated with the body image ( r = -0.423). Psoriasis may negatively affect quality of life, self-esteem, and body image, and may also cause psychosocial problems. An assessment of new approaches on this issue may contribute to developments in the treatment of and rehabilitation from this disease.

  19. Patient-relevant treatment goals in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blome, Christine; Gosau, Ramona; Radtke, Marc A; Reich, Kristian; Rustenbach, Stephan J; Spehr, Christina; Thaçi, Diamant; Augustin, Matthias

    2016-03-01

    Patient-oriented care requires therapeutic decisions to agree with the patients' treatment needs and goals. This study addressed the following questions: What is important to psoriasis patients starting systemic treatment? How stable are these preferences within the first year of treatment? Are treatment goals associated with age, gender, or treatment success? The importance of treatment goals was assessed for patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis in the German Psoriasis Registry (PsoBest) at baseline (onset of a systemic treatment; n = 3066) and at a 1-year follow-up (n = 1444) using the Patient Benefit Index (PBI). Treatment success was measured with PBI global score and Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI). Patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis pursued a wide range of different goals. The most general treatment goals were rated most relevant, including skin healing and quick skin improvement (94.8/94.5 % "quite" or "very" important), confidence in the therapy (93.0 %), control over the disease (92.3 %), and a clear diagnosis and therapy (89.6 %). Further important goals related to not being in fear of the disease getting worse (84.8 %), reduction in itching (83.9 %), burning (70.6 %), and pain (60.6 %) as well as attaining a normal everyday life (78.4 %) and low treatment burden (64.2-77.9 %). Goals were mostly not associated with sex and gender. Goal importance slightly increased with treatment success. In a substantial proportion of patients (30.3-54.7 %) goal importance changed within 1 year after onset of systemic treatment. We conclude that treatment goal importance should be assessed in clinical practice on a regular basis.

  20. Reliability and validity of internalized stigmatization scale in psoriasis

    OpenAIRE

    Erkan Alpsoy; Yeşim Şenol; Aslı Bilgiç Temel; G. Özge Baysal; Ayşe Akman Karakaş

    2015-01-01

    Backround and design. Internalized stigma involves endorsing negative feelings and beliefs such as insignificance, shame and withdrawal triggered by applying these negative stereotypes to one self. Internalized Stigma Scale has not been applied to psoriasis patients. We aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of Internalized Stigma Scale in psoriasis patients. Materials and Methods. 100 consecutive, volunteer psoriasis patients (48 female, 52 male; aged, 40.59±15.44 years) were enro...

  1. The concept of psoriasis as a systemic inflammation: implications for disease management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reich, K

    2012-03-01

    Psoriasis is a systemic, immune-mediated disorder, characterized by inflammatory skin and joint manifestations. A range of co-morbidities is associated with psoriasis, including metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, and psychological disorders. Although the systemic nature of psoriasis often remains unrecognized, the inflammatory processes involved may be associated with the development of co-morbidities, which, themselves, have a significant impact on the patient's health and quality of life. The relative risks of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke are increased in patients with psoriasis compared with the general population. These are especially seen in younger patients with more severe disease, and are believed to contribute to the 3- to 4-year reduction in life expectancy among patients with severe psoriasis. The recent results of large studies indicate that the increased cardiovascular (CV) risk is at least partially attributable to psoriasis and independent of the presence of metabolic co-morbidities. The possible interplay between psoriasis and CV disease is complex. Metabolic diseases such as obesity and diabetes have overlapping genetic predispositions with psoriasis. Both conditions are likely to also interact at a functional level because obesity and the up-regulation of pro-inflammatory mediators in psoriasis appear to influence adipocyte homoeostasis, inducing non-professional immune functions. This may perpetuate psoriatic inflammation, displaying similarities to the immunopathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Finally, the disturbed adipokine profile and inflammation associated with psoriasis enhances insulin resistance, causing subsequent endothelial dysfunction, atherosclerosis and eventual coronary events. The differential contribution of psoriasis and uncontrolled classical CV risk factors to the increased CV risk seen in psoriasis patients is not clear. Successful treatment with methotrexate appears to lower the rates of MI in patients with

  2. Nonadherence to psoriasis medication as an outcome of limited coping resources and conflicting goals: findings from a qualitative interview study with people with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorneloe, R J; Bundy, C; Griffiths, C E M; Ashcroft, D M; Cordingley, L

    2017-03-01

    Medication nonadherence is known to limit the effectiveness of available therapies; however, little is known specifically about medication adherence in people with psoriasis. Medicines self-management can feel onerous to those with dermatological conditions due to the nature of therapies prescribed and many individuals with psoriasis experience additional challenges such as physical and psychological comorbidities that place significant additional demands on individuals and may undermine adherence. Viewing nonadherence to medication as an outcome of limited personal coping resources and conflicting goals may help to explain medication nonadherence. To explore individuals' perspectives of their psoriasis, medication and its management. Twenty people with psoriasis were recruited from community samples in England and interviewed in-depth about their perceptions of their psoriasis, medication, and adherence to medication and self-management advice. Data were analysed using Framework Analysis. Participants reported that adhering to recommended treatment regimens conflicted with the management of the physical and psychological demands of living with psoriasis. Medication usage was viewed as a source of unresolved emotional distress and, for some, resulted in poor self-reported adherence, which included medication overuse, underuse and rejection of prescribed therapies. Perceived lack of engagement by clinicians with participants' self-management difficulties was viewed as an additional source of stress and distress. Adhering to medication in psoriasis can be an additional source of considerable emotional distress. We interpreted some episodes of nonadherence to psoriasis medication as rational attempts by individuals to minimize distress and to gain control over their life. © 2016 The Authors. British Journal of Dermatology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Association of Dermatologists.

  3. Serum YKL-40 as a potential biomarker of inflammation in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baran, Anna; Myśliwiec, Hanna; Szterling-Jaworowska, Malgorzata; Kiluk, Paulina; Świderska, Magdalena; Flisiak, Iwona

    2018-02-01

    YKL-40 is an inflammatory glycoprotein associated with atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, diabetes or metabolic syndrome which are common comorbidities in psoriasis. The aim of the study was to assess serum YKL-40 level in psoriasis and elucidate possible associations with disease activity, inflammatory or metabolic parameters and treatment. A total of 37 individuals with active plaque-type psoriasis and 15 healthy controls were enrolled. Blood samples were collected before and after 2 weeks of therapy. Serum YKL-40 concentrations were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The results were correlated with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body mass index (BMI), inflammatory and biochemical markers, lipid profile and topical therapy. Median YKL-40 serum levels were significantly increased in psoriatic patients in comparison to the controls (p psoriasis and inflammation in psoriatic patients, but not a reliable indicator of metabolic conditions, severity of psoriasis nor efficacy of the treatment.

  4. KARAKTERISASI ENAM VARIETAS BUNCIS (Phaseolus vulgaris L. BERDASARKAN PANDUAN PENGUJIAN INDIVIDUAL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vina Eka Aristya

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available Beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L. is a plant that has the potential for mainstream consumers, have a large enough market opportunity and a source of vegetable protein. “Perancis” varieties are local Central Java bean varieties are widely grown in the Bandungan area. “Perancis” varieties not currently provide enough characters clear and complete. Test objectives were (1 to characterize the “Perancis” varieties in order to have a complete character information varieties and (2 to determine distinctness, uniformity and stability of the “Perancis” varieties compared with varieties Gypsie, Spectacular, Balitsa 1, Balitsa 2 and PV 072 using guidelines for the conduct of test for distinctness, uniformity and stability reference beans. Implemented on the Garden Seed Testing Bandungan Horticulture, Central Java with an altitude of 560-800 meters above sea level the place. Materials testing consists of six varieties of beans are “Perancis” varieties and the varieties used for comparison Gypsie, Spectacular, Balitsa 1, Balitsa 2 and PV 072. This research used a randomized block design six varieties of beans are planted side by side on three experimental plots as replications. Parameters observed include 49 characters corresponding guidelines bean plants are divided into the plant character, leaves character, flower character, pods character and seed character. Test results based guidelines, “Perancis” varieties showed eight unique characters compared to varieties of Gypsie, Spectacular, Balitsa 1, Balitsa 2 and PV 072 ie. plant height, leaf color, leaf rugosity, long (including beak pods, the degree of the pods curvature, the shape of distal part (excluding beak pods, length of beak pods and curvature of beak pods and “Perancis” varieties have uniformity and stability.

  5. The relationship between duration of psoriasis, vascular inflammation, and cardiovascular events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Skov, Lone; Joshi, Aditya A; Mallbris, Lotus; Gislason, Gunnar H; Wu, Jashin J; Rodante, Justin; Lerman, Joseph B; Ahlman, Mark A; Gelfand, Joel M; Mehta, Nehal N

    2017-10-01

    Psoriasis is associated with risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD) and a major adverse CV event (MACE). Whether psoriasis duration affects risk of vascular inflammation and MACEs has not been well characterized. We utilized two resources to understand the effect of psoriasis duration on vascular disease and CV events: (1) a human imaging study and (2) a population-based study of CVD events. First, patients with psoriasis (N = 190) underwent fludeoxyglucose F 18 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (duration effect reported as a β-coefficient). Second, MACE risk was examined by using nationwide registries (adjusted hazard ratios in patients with psoriasis (n = 87,161) versus the general population (n = 4,234,793). In the human imaging study, patients were young, of low CV risk by traditional risk scores, and had a high prevalence of cardiometabolic diseases. Vascular inflammation by fludeoxyglucose F 18 positron emission tomography/computed tomography was significantly associated with disease duration (β = 0.171, P = .002). In the population-based study, psoriasis duration had strong relationship with MACE risk (1.0% per additional year of psoriasis duration [hazard ratio, 1.010; 95% confidence interval, 1.007-1.013]). These studies utilized observational data. We found detrimental effects of psoriasis duration on vascular inflammation and MACE, suggesting that cumulative duration of exposure to low-grade chronic inflammation may accelerate vascular disease development and MACEs. Providers should consider inquiring about duration of disease to counsel for heightened CVD risk in psoriasis. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. A Clinician's Guide to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Candidiasis in Patients with Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, April W; Bukhalo, Michael; Blauvelt, Andrew

    2016-08-01

    Many of the molecular pathways associated with psoriasis pathogenesis are also involved in host defense mechanisms that protect against common pathogens. Candida can stimulate the production of cytokines that trigger or exacerbate psoriasis, and many systemic psoriasis treatments may put patients at increased risk for developing oral, cutaneous, and genitourinary candidiasis. Therefore, dermatologists should regularly screen patients with psoriasis for signs of Candida infection, and take steps to effectively treat these infections to prevent worsening of psoriasis symptoms. This review provides an overview of candidiasis epidemiology in patients with psoriasis, followed by a primer on the diagnosis and treatment of superficial Candida infections, with specific guidance for patients with psoriasis. Candidiasis in patients with psoriasis typically responds to topical or oral antifungal therapy. While biologic agents used to treat moderate-to-severe psoriasis, such as tumor necrosis factor-α inhibitors and interleukin-17 inhibitors, are known to increase patients' risk of developing localized candidiasis, the overall risk of infection is low, and candidiasis can be effectively managed in most patients while receiving systemic psoriasis therapies. Thus, the development of candidiasis does not usually necessitate changes to psoriasis treatment regimens.

  7. Preliminary data on Pemphigus vulgaris treatment by a proteomics-defined peptide: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mittelman Abraham

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Although described by Hippocrates in 400 B.C., pemphigus disease still needs a safe therapeutical approach, given that the currently used therapies (i.e. corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs often provoke collateral effects. Here we present preliminary data on the possible use of a proteomics derived desmoglein peptide which appears promising in halting disease progression without adverse effects. Methods The low-similarity Dsg349–60REWVKFAKPCRE peptide was topically applied for 1 wk onto a lesion in a patient with a late-stage Pemphigus vulgaris (PV complicated by diabetes and cataract disease. The peptide was applied as an adjuvant in combination with the standard corticosteroid-based immunosuppressive treatment. Results After 1 wk, the treated PV eroded lesion appeared dimensionally reduced and with an increased rate of re-epithelization when compared to adjacent non-treated lesions. Short-term benefits were: decrease of anti-Dsg antibody titer and reduction of the corticosteroid dosage. Long-term benefits: after two years following the unique 1-wk topical treatment, the decrease of anti-Dsg antibody titer persists. The patient is still at the low cortisone dosage. Adverse effects: no adverse effect could be monitored. Conclusion With the limits inherent to any preliminary study, this case report indicates that topical treatment with Dsg349–60REWVKFAKPCRE peptide may represent a feasible first step in the search for a simple, effective and safe treatment of PV.

  8. IL-17 in psoriasis: Implications for therapy and cardiovascular co-morbidities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Golden, Jackelyn B.; McCormick, Thomas S.; Ward, Nicole L.

    2013-01-01

    Psoriasis is a prevalent, chronic inflammatory disease of the skin mediated by cross-talk occurring between epidermal keratinocytes, dermal vascular cells and immunocytes, including activated antigen presenting cells (APCs), monocytes/macrophages, and Th1 and Th17 cells. Increased proliferation of keratinocytes and endothelial cells in conjunction with immune cell infiltration leads to the distinct epidermal and vascular hyperplasia that is characteristic of lesional psoriatic skin. Interaction of activated T cells with monocytes/macrophages occurs via the Th17/IL-23 axis and is crucial for maintaining the chronic inflammation. Recent epidemiological evidence has demonstrated that psoriasis patients have an increased risk of developing and dying of cardiovascular disease. Similar pathology between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease, including involvement of key immunologic cell populations together with release of common inflammatory mediators such as IL-17A suggest a mechanistic link between the two diseases. This review will focus on concepts critical to psoriasis pathogenesis, systemic manifestations of psoriasis, the role of IL-17 in psoriasis and cardiovascular disease and the potential role for IL-17 in mediating cardiovascular co-morbidities in psoriasis patients. PMID:23562549

  9. TNF blockade induces a dysregulated type I interferon response without autoimmunity in paradoxical psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conrad, Curdin; Di Domizio, Jeremy; Mylonas, Alessio; Belkhodja, Cyrine; Demaria, Olivier; Navarini, Alexander A; Lapointe, Anne-Karine; French, Lars E; Vernez, Maxime; Gilliet, Michel

    2018-01-02

    Although anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents are highly effective in the treatment of psoriasis, 2-5% of treated patients develop psoriasis-like skin lesions called paradoxical psoriasis. The pathogenesis of this side effect and its distinction from classical psoriasis remain unknown. Here we show that skin lesions from patients with paradoxical psoriasis are characterized by a selective overexpression of type I interferons, dermal accumulation of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC), and reduced T-cell numbers, when compared to classical psoriasis. Anti-TNF treatment prolongs type I interferon production by pDCs through inhibition of their maturation. The resulting type I interferon overexpression is responsible for the skin phenotype of paradoxical psoriasis, which, unlike classical psoriasis, is independent of T cells. These findings indicate that paradoxical psoriasis represents an ongoing overactive innate inflammatory process, driven by pDC-derived type I interferon that does not lead to T-cell autoimmunity.

  10. Building brighter PV business

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hacker, R.

    2002-01-01

    The current status and future prospects of the UK market for solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity are briefly discussed. Through the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the UK Government has supported research and development (R and D) into PV for a number of years. This programme has now been extended to demonstrating PV systems on houses. Phase 2 - the domestic field trial programme - aims to monitor the performance of individual systems and the impact on a cluster of systems on the electricity network. New funding had allowed a trebling of the size of this programme, which involves both private developers and housing associations. The DTI is also working to promote PV on commercial buildings, eg the installation of BP Solar PV systems at BP petrol stations. The PV industry in the UK is technically strong and is working to overcome the barriers in the UK to greater uptake of the technology (including cost, conservatism, legal requirements and metering practices). Improvements are expected in a number of recent initiatives in the electricity industry to boost PV use and the PV industry is lobbying for PV to be included in the Enhanced Capital Allowances (ECA) scheme

  11. Reasons for Treatment Changes in Patients With Moderate to Severe Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Anderson, Kathryn L; Feldman, Steven R

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis treatment involves multiple treatment arms. Treatment choice depends on many factors and may change, due to the chronicity of psoriasis. The purpose of our study is to explore reasons for treatment changes in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. Ten charts of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis were reviewed. The medication changes and reasons for change were extracted. A "treatment change" was defined as switching between medication classes, adding or removing a medication class, or switching medications within the oral or biologic medication class. Seventy-seven treatment changes were identified. On average, 1 treatment change occurred per year of follow-up. The most common reason for treatment change was inadequate disease control. Inadequate disease control with current therapy is the most common reason a physician changes treatment for moderate to severe psoriasis. More efficacious treatments or ways to improve efficacy may help improve the long-term outcomes of psoriasis. © The Author(s) 2015.

  12. Cutting edge: A critical functional role for IL-23 in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tonel, Giulia; Conrad, Curdin; Laggner, Ute; Di Meglio, Paola; Grys, Katarzyna; McClanahan, Terrill K; Blumenschein, Wendy M; Qin, Jian-Zhong; Xin, Hong; Oldham, Elizabeth; Kastelein, Robert; Nickoloff, Brian J; Nestle, Frank O

    2010-11-15

    Interleukin-23 is a key cytokine involved in the generation of Th17 effector cells. Clinical efficacy of an anti-p40 mAb blocking both IL-12 and IL-23 and disease association with single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL23R gene raise the question of a functional role of IL-23 in psoriasis. In this study, we provide a comprehensive analysis of IL-23 and its receptor in psoriasis and demonstrate its functional importance in a disease-relevant model system. The expression of IL-23 and its receptor was increased in the tissues of patients with psoriasis. Injection of a mAb specifically neutralizing human IL-23 showed IL-23-dependent inhibition of psoriasis development comparable to the use of anti-TNF blockers in a clinically relevant xenotransplant mouse model of psoriasis. Together, our results identify a critical functional role for IL-23 in psoriasis and provide the rationale for new treatment strategies in chronic epithelial inflammatory disorders.

  13. Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors: investigational therapies for the treatment of psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weidemann, Anja K; Crawshaw, Ania A; Byrne, Emily; Young, Helen S

    2013-09-26

    Psoriasis is a common inflammatory autoimmune condition in which environmental factors and genetic predisposition contribute to the development of disease in susceptible individuals. Angiogenesis is known to be a key pathogenic feature of psoriasis. Local and systemic elevation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A has been demonstrated in the skin and plasma of patients with psoriasis and is known to correlate with improvement following some traditional psoriasis treatments. A number of VEGF inhibitors are licensed for the treatment of malignancies and eye disease and isolated case reports suggest that some individuals with psoriasis may improve when exposed to these agents. The small number of cases and lack of unified reporting measures makes it difficult to draw generalizations and underline the heterogeneity of psoriasis as a disease entity. Though not yet licensed for the treatment of psoriasis in humans, experimental data supports the potential of VEGF inhibitors to influence relevant aspects of human cell biology (such as endothelial cell differentiation) and to improve animal models of skin disease. Given the multi-factorial nature of psoriasis it is unlikely that VEGF inhibitors will be effective in all patients, however they have the potential to be a valuable addition to the therapeutic arsenal in selected cases. Current VEGF inhibitors in clinical use are associated with a number of potentially serious side effects including hypertension, left ventricular dysfunction, and gastrointestinal perforation. Such risks require careful consideration in psoriasis populations particularly in light of growing concerns linking psoriasis to increased cardiovascular risk.

  14. Nail psoriasis as a severity indicator: results from the PsoReal study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, Marc A; Langenbruch, Anna K; Schäfer, Ines; Herberger, Katharina; Reich, Kristian; Augustin, Matthias

    2011-07-01

    Although nail psoriasis affects a substantial proportion of psoriasis patients and causes significant psychologic distress, few epidemiologic data characterizing patients with nail involvement are available. The aim of this research was to elucidate differences between patients with nail psoriasis and those without any nail involvement, taking quality indicators of health care from the patient's perspective into account. In total, 2449 patient members of the Deutscher Psoriasis Bund, the largest patient organization for psoriasis in Germany, were interviewed in this nationwide, noninterventional, cross-sectional study. Patients with nail psoriasis were compared with patients without any nail involvement with regard to gender, age, disease duration, affected body surface area, health-related quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI] ED-5D), patient-defined treatment benefit, amount of inpatient treatments, disease duration, and numbers of work days lost. Data from 2449 patients with psoriasis were analyzed. Overall, 44.8% (1078) of patients were female, mean age was 57.0 ± 11.7 years, and 72.8% had nail involvement and showed higher values for affected body surface area than those without nail involvement (8.3% versus 5.6%, respectively; P < 0.004). Health-related quality of life was significantly lower in patients with nail psoriasis (DLQI 7.2 versus 5.3; ED-5D 60.1 versus 67.3), who had more days off work (9.8 versus 3.3). Nail involvement is an important symptom of psoriasis and is associated with greater disease severity and quality of life impairment. Accordingly, management of psoriasis should include a special focus on nail involvement.

  15. Vascular endothelial growth factor inhibitors: investigational therapies for the treatment of psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Weidemann AK

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Anja K Weidemann,1 Ania A Crawshaw,2 Emily Byrne,3 Helen S Young1 1The Dermatology Centre, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; 2Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton, UK; 3University Hospital of South Manchester, Manchester, UK Abstract: Psoriasis is a common inflammatory autoimmune condition in which environmental factors and genetic predisposition contribute to the development of disease in susceptible individuals. Angiogenesis is known to be a key pathogenic feature of psoriasis. Local and systemic elevation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF-A has been demonstrated in the skin and plasma of patients with psoriasis and is known to correlate with improvement following some traditional psoriasis treatments. A number of VEGF inhibitors are licensed for the treatment of malignancies and eye disease and isolated case reports suggest that some individuals with psoriasis may improve when exposed to these agents. The small number of cases and lack of unified reporting measures makes it difficult to draw generalizations and underline the heterogeneity of psoriasis as a disease entity. Though not yet licensed for the treatment of psoriasis in humans, experimental data supports the potential of VEGF inhibitors to influence relevant aspects of human cell biology (such as endothelial cell differentiation and to improve animal models of skin disease. Given the multi-factorial nature of psoriasis it is unlikely that VEGF inhibitors will be effective in all patients, however they have the potential to be a valuable addition to the therapeutic arsenal in selected cases. Current VEGF inhibitors in clinical use are associated with a number of potentially serious side effects including hypertension, left ventricular dysfunction, and gastrointestinal perforation. Such risks require careful consideration in psoriasis populations particularly in light of growing concerns linking psoriasis to increased

  16. Comorbidity profiles of psoriasis in Taiwan: A latent class analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Chen-Yi; Hu, Hsiao-Yun; Li, Chung-Pin; Chou, Yiing-Jeng; Chang, Yun-Ting

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis is associated with many comorbidities. An understanding of these comorbidity patterns can help foster better care of patients with psoriasis. To identify the heterogeneity of psoriasis comorbidities using latent class analysis (LCA). LCA was used to empirically identify psoriasis comorbidity patterns in a nationwide sample of 110,729 incident cases of psoriasis (2002-2012) from the National Health Insurance database in Taiwan. The mean age of incident psoriasis was 46.1 years. Hypertension (28.8%), dyslipidemia (18.9%), and chronic liver disease/cirrhosis/hepatitis (18.1%) were the top three comorbidities in patients with psoriasis. LCA identified four distinct comorbidity classes among these patients, including 9.9% of patients in the "multi-comorbidity" class, 17.9% in the "metabolic syndrome" class, 11.3% in the "hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)" class, and 60.9% in the "relatively healthy" class. Psoriatic arthritis was evenly distributed among each class. Relative to membership in the "relative healthy" class, an increase of one year of age had a higher probability of membership in the "multi-comorbidity" (odds ratio [OR], 1.25), "metabolic syndrome" (OR, 1.11), or "hypertension and COPD" (OR, 1.34) classes. Relative to membership in the "relative healthy" class, compared to women, men had a higher probability of membership in the "multi-comorbidity" (OR, 1.39), "metabolic syndrome" (OR, 1.77), or "hypertension and COPD" (OR, 1.22) classes. We observed four distinct classes of psoriasis comorbidities, including the "multi-comorbidity", "metabolic syndrome", "hypertension and COPD", and "relatively healthy" classes, as well as the clustering of liver diseases with metabolic syndrome and clustering of COPD with hypertension.

  17. Rethinking costs of psoriasis: 10% of patients account for nearly 40% of healthcare expenditures among enrollees with psoriasis in a U.S. health plan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armstrong, April W; Zhao, Yang; Herrera, Vivian; Li, Yunfeng; Bancroft, Tim; Hull, Michael; Altan, Aylin

    2017-11-01

    To examine characteristics, healthcare utilization and costs among patients with psoriasis who have high medical costs. This is a retrospective study of patients with psoriasis with continuous enrollment from 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2013 in a large US health plan. Total paid 2012 healthcare costs excluding biologics (to identify costliest not due to biologic costs) were used to create cohorts representing the top 10% (T10) and bottom 90% (B90) of expenditures. Demographics, comorbidities, prescriptions, all-cause and psoriasis-related healthcare utilization and costs were compared between cohorts. Logistic regression identified demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the 2012 T10 cohort status. 18,653 patients (mean age 48 years; 49% female) were included. Patients in the T10 group accounted for 26% (2011), 39% (2012) and 26% (2013) of all-cause costs including biologics and 13% (2011), 18% (2012) and 11% (2013) of psoriasis-related costs. Mean 2012 total costs were $58,030 for T10 vs. $10,295 for B90 (all-cause) and $10,475 vs. $5301 (psoriasis-related). T10 patients in 2012 filled more prescriptions and were more likely to use corticosteroids (57% vs. 31%); however, biologic use and costs were similar (any use: 23% vs. 24%; prescriptions: 1.5 vs. 1.7, biologic costs: $4959 vs. $5095). Compared with B90 patients, T10 patients were more likely to have hospitalizations (all-cause: 45% vs. 3%; psoriasis-related: 14% vs. 1%) and ER visits (all-cause: 53% vs. 21%; psoriasis-related: 3% vs. 1%), and more likely to have renal disease (odds ratio (OR) = 2.05), depression (OR =1.96), cardiovascular disease (OR =1.88), psoriatic arthritis (OR =1.57) and diabetes (OR =1.50) (all p psoriasis-related biologic treatment utilization and costs. The T10 patients had significantly more inpatient and emergency utilization, and comorbid medical conditions.

  18. Impact of psoriasis on patients' work and productivity: a retrospective, matched case-control analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ying; Mills, Douglas; Bala, Mohan

    2009-01-01

    Psoriasis negatively impacts patient quality of life; however, the impact on work and productivity is not well known. To determine the impact of psoriasis on work and productivity using data from the National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). Data collected from 40 730 adults who completed the NHWS between 1 May and 30 June 2004, of whom 1127 had psoriasis, were analyzed. Psoriasis patients and a matched cohort of non-psoriasis patients were identified to assess the impact of psoriasis on work and productivity. Psoriasis patients were more likely to have missed work for health-related reasons (p work productivity impairment (p work impairment (p work (p work productivity.

  19. Mortality in patients with psoriasis. A retrospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Masson, Walter; Rossi, Emiliano; Galimberti, María Laura; Krauss, Juan; Navarro Estrada, José; Galimberti, Ricardo; Cagide, Arturo

    2017-06-07

    The immune and inflammatory pathways involved in psoriasis could favor the development of atherosclerosis, consequently increasing mortality. The objectives of this study were: 1) to assess the mortality of a population with psoriasis compared to a control group, and 2) to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. A retrospective cohort was analyzed from a secondary database (electronic medical record). All patients with a diagnosis of psoriasis at 1-01-2010 were included in the study and compared to a control group of the same health system, selected randomly (1:1). Subjects with a history of cardiovascular disease were excluded from the study. A survival analysis was performed considering death from any cause as an event. Follow-up was extended until 30-06-2015. We included 1,481 subjects with psoriasis and 1,500 controls. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors was higher in the group with psoriasis. The average follow-up time was 4.6±1.7 years. Mortality was higher in psoriasis patients compared to controls (15.1 vs. 9.6 events per 1,000 person-year, PPsoriasis was seen to be significantly associated with increased mortality rates compared to the control group in the univariate analysis (HR 1.58, 95% CI 1.16-2.15, P=.004) and after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors (HR 1.48, 95% CI 1.08-2.3, P=.014). In this population, patients with psoriasis showed a higher prevalence for the onset of cardiovascular risk factors as well as higher mortality rates during follow-up. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  20. Building opportunities in the U.S. for PV (PV:BONUS): A progress report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, R.W.

    1994-01-01

    Five contract teams are developing photovoltaic (PV) products that will have a significant impact on building-integrated PV systems. The product lines that these teams are pursuing include roofing materials, building facade materials, PV integrated into modular homes, ac-PV modules, and utility-dispatchable PV systems. The objective of these efforts is to develop product and market opportunities that can provide for the introduction of PV into the buildings market sector at higher allowable installed systems costs than conventional ground- or roof-mounted systems. Each of the teams has a unique approach, and synergistic opportunities among teams are beginning to emerge. This paper reviews the product and market development efforts of these teams and describes the links between the product efforts and parallel analytical work to develop PV as a demand-side management option

  1. Patients' perspectives in the management of psoriasis: the Italian results of the Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gisondi, Paolo; Girolomoni, Giampiero

    2017-08-01

    The perspective of patients with psoriasis about medical care treatment goals and strategies is receiving increasing attention. Here, we performed a country-based analysis of the Multinational Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (MAPP) survey, in order to provide specific information on patients' perspective of treatment of psoriasis in Italy. This was a systematic household telephone survey recruiting subjects by random digit dialing. Household members ≥18 years were included if they had ever been diagnosed with psoriasis. About 12,785 households were screened in Italy. 132 patients were ineligible for the analysis, including patients with psoriatic arthritis. 359 patients were surveyed. About half of the patients had very mild disease with less than 1 palm skin involvement, and 38% had 1-10 palm skin disease. It is noteworthy that 48% of patients with widespread disease were not taking any medication. Patients indicated the relief of symptoms, including itching (54.9%), as the main goal for their current therapy, whereas 14.2% reported no specific expectation from their medication. Overall, 70% of patients declared to be satisfied by their therapy, in terms of primary goal reached. Our findings suggest that most psoriasis patients have mild/moderate disease in Italy, and that a portion of patients with severe disease does not receive an adequate treatment.

  2. Patients with psoriasis have an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlehoff, Ole; Gislason, Gunnar; Lindhardsen, Jesper

    2012-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic immunoinflammatory disease that affects 2-3% of the population and shares pathophysiologic mechanisms and risk factors with cardiovascular diseases. Studies have suggested psoriasis as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease and Danish guidelines...... on cardiovascular risk factor modification in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis have recently been published. We provide a short review of the current evidence and the Danish guidelines....

  3. Psoriasis and staphylococcus aureus skin colonization in Moroccan ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Psoriatic lesions are rarely complicated by recurrent infections. The aim of our study is to determine skin colonisation and nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus in patients with psoriasis and in healthy persons. Patients and methods: a comparative study that include 33 patients with psoriasis and 33 healthy persons.

  4. Bacterial colonization of psoriasis plaques. Is it relevant?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Marcus

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Bacterial colonization was investigated retrospectively in patients with plaque psoriasis (n=98 inpatient treatments, n=73 patients. At least one pathogen was found in 46% of all cases. Staphylococcus aureus was the most frequent bacterium. Bacterial colonization of psoriasis plaques could be relevant in individual cases.

  5. Genetic Variations of Cytokines and Cytokine Receptors in Psoriasis Patients from China

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao-Lan Li

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory and hyperproliferative skin disease affected by both genetic and environmental factors. The aim of the present study was to investigate polymorphisms in a candidate gene family of interleukin (IL in unrelated Chinese patients with psoriasis and control subjects without psoriasis. In this case-control study, 200 unrelated Chinese psoriasis patients and 298 age- and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled. Genomic DNA was prepared from peripheral blood obtained from all psoriasis patients and control subjects. We genotyped seven single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs in candidate genes of six ILs: IL4, IL10, IL12B, IL13, IL15, and IL23R, which have been shown in the literature to be associated with psoriasis in other ethnic groups. Among the seven SNPs in the six IL genes studied, only the rs3212227 in the IL12B gene was found to be associated with psoriasis at genotypic level in the studied population. The C/C genotype in the IL12B gene is a protective factor of psoriasis (P = 0.0218; OR = 0.51; 95% CI: 0.27–0.96 in Chinese. Furthermore, the studied Chinese population has extremely low minor allele frequency for IL23R. Together, the data reveal unique genetic patterns in Chinese that may be in part responsible for the lower risk for psoriasis in this population.

  6. Severe manifestation of psoriasis in a HIV infected patient: a case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alper Gunduz

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV epidemic in Turkey reveals a slow progression and at the end of November 2015, the total official number was reported to be 11,109 cases. Approximately 90% of HIV patients develop some type of skin disease. Especially patients with psoriasis and HIV infection often present with more severe and treatment-refractory cutaneous disease. Herein, we describe a case of a patient with previously known psoriasis worsened by HIV infection. A 37-year-old housewife was admitted to our clinic with previously known psoriasis worsened during the last two years with conversion to erythrodermic psoriasis which was not controlled even by PUVA, methotrexate and systemic cyclosporine. The patient had positive HIV antibody test. HIV RNA viral load was 120.000 copy/ml and CD4 count 88/ mm3 . She also had oral candidiasis and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia. The patient received antiretroviral treatment including tenofovir/emtricitabine and lopinavir/ritonavir. Symptoms resolved gradually within one month with almost complete impovement of her erythrodermic psoriasis. . Four years later the patient was still on tenofovir/emtricitabine and lopinavir/ritonavir without concomitant spesific psoriasis treatment. Psoriasis manifestations can be severe in AIDS patients. Clinicians face diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties when psoriasis coexists with HIV infection. The HIV test should be considered in patients affected by severe erythrodermic psoriasis and resistant to conventional and biological treatments. [Dis Mol Med 2015; 3(4.000: 43-45

  7. Environmental Risk Factors in Psoriasis: The Point of View of the Nutritionist

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luigi Barrea

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a common, chronic, immune-mediated skin disease with systemic pro-inflammatory activation, where both environmental and genetic factors contribute to its pathogenesis. Among the risk factors for psoriasis, evidence is accumulating that nutrition plays a major role, per se, in psoriasis pathogenesis. In particular, body weight, nutrition, and diet may exacerbate the clinical manifestations, or even trigger the disease. Understanding the epidemiological relationship between obesity and psoriasis is also important for delineating the risk profile for the obesity-related comorbidities commonly found among psoriatic patients. Moreover, obesity can affect both drug’s pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. Additionally, the overall beneficial effects on the obesity-associated comorbidities, clinical recommendations to reduce weight and to adopt a healthy lifestyle could improve the psoriasis severity, particularly in those patients with moderate to severe disease, thus exerting additional therapeutic effects in the conventional treatment in obese patients with psoriasis. Education regarding modifiable environmental factors is essential in the treatment of this disease and represents one of the primary interventions that can affect the prognosis of patients with psoriasis. The goal is to make psoriatic patients and health care providers aware of beneficial dietary interventions. The aim of this review is to assess the relevance of the environmental factors as modifiable risk factors in psoriasis pathogenesis, with particular regard to the involvement of obesity and nutrition in the management of psoriasis, providing also specific nutrition recommendations.

  8. Erectile dysfunction in patients with psoriasis: potential impact of the metabolic syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tasliyurt, T; Bilir, Y; Sahin, S; Seckin, H Y; Kaya, S U; Sivgin, H; Demir, A K; Erdemir, F

    2014-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that affects up to 5.5% of world population and is associated with erectile dysfunction (ED). Aim of the present study was to investigate impact of metabolic syndrome (MetS) on association between psoriasis and ED as well as to improve our understanding of this association via studying other possible causes of ED such as psychological factors and disease effects. The patient group included 37 male psoriasis patients and control group 28 healthy men. Severity of psoriasis was determined using Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), and ED was evaluated using International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) Scale. Psychiatric state of the patients were determined using Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). MetS was diagnosed using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. MetS, ED prevalence and BDI score were significantly higher in psoriasis patient group (p = 0.032, p = 0.018 and p old age and smoking (but not MetS) were found to be independent predictors of ED. ED, MetS and depression frequencies were significantly higher in psoriasis patient group. In addition, psoriasis severity and ED parameters were closely associated. Depression, old age and smoking were found to be independent risk factors for ED.

  9. Cardiovascular disease and risk factors in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Tobin, Anne-Marie

    2012-02-01

    OBJECTIVE: Patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) have an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome compared to the normal population. Patients with psoriasis and PsA may also have increased risk from nonconventional risk factors such as raised levels of homocysteine and excessive alcohol consumption. We conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on CVD and all cardiovascular risk factors in patients with psoriasis and PsA. METHODS: Data sources: All studies identified from a Medline (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) search pertaining to CVD, individual risk factors in psoriasis, and PsA were included. Study selection: Studies included a healthy reference population, were published between 1975 and 2009, and were written in English. RESULTS: Our search yielded 14 studies that documented rates of CVD in patients with psoriasis and PsA compared to controls. Substantial evidence points to elevated risk of CVD in patients with psoriasis and PsA. CONCLUSION: It remains difficult to conclude if risk factors are caused by psoriasis or share a common pathogenesis. Physicians treating patients with psoriasis and PsA must be aware of all potential cardiovascular risk factors in their patients.

  10. Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Reactivity Is Heightened in Pemphigus Vulgaris and Is Driven by Human Leukocyte Antigen Status and the Absence of Desmoglein Reactivity

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kristina Seiffert-Sinha

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Pemphigus vulgaris (PV belongs to an autoimmune disease cluster that includes autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD, suggesting common mechanisms driving autoimmune susceptibility. Our group has shown that PV patients exhibit significant reactivity to AITD-related anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO, and anti-TPO antibodies affect signaling pathways in keratinocytes similar to anti-desmoglein (Dsg 3 antibodies. To further assess the relevance of anti-TPO reactivity in PV, we analyzed anti-TPO levels in 280 PV and 167 healthy control serum samples across a comprehensive set of variable and static parameters of disease activity and etiopathogenesis. PV patients have significantly higher activity rates (A.R.s for anti-TPO than healthy controls, but levels do not differ between phases of clinical activity and remission. Patients that carry both the PV-associated human leukocyte antigen (HLA alleles DRB1*0402 and DQB1*0503, or DQB1*0503 alone show a low prevalence of anti-TPO (A.R. 9.5 and 4.8%, respectively, while patients that lack expression of these alleles or carry DRB1*0402 alone have a much higher prevalence of anti-TPO (A.R. 23.1 and 15.8%, respectively, suggesting that the absence of DQB1*0503 may predispose patients to the development of anti-TPO antibodies. Similarly, anti-Dsg1−/3− patients have a higher anti-TPO A.R. (26.9% than anti-Dsg1−/3+ (18.8%, anti-Dsg1+/3− (14.3%, and anti-Dsg1+/3+ (3.9% patients. Our data suggest that anti-TPO reactivity in PV is driven by genetic markers that may be in linkage disequilibrium with the established PV-susceptibility alleles and that this association drives the selection of a combination of anti-Dsg and anti-TPO antibodies, with anti-TPO filling the gap in active patients that do not carry the established PV-associated autoantibodies and/or are lacking the established PV-HLA-susceptibility alleles.

  11. Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Reactivity Is Heightened in Pemphigus Vulgaris and Is Driven by Human Leukocyte Antigen Status and the Absence of Desmoglein Reactivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Seiffert-Sinha, Kristina; Khan, Shahzaib; Attwood, Kristopher; Gerlach, John A.; Sinha, Animesh A.

    2018-01-01

    Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) belongs to an autoimmune disease cluster that includes autoimmune thyroid disease (AITD), suggesting common mechanisms driving autoimmune susceptibility. Our group has shown that PV patients exhibit significant reactivity to AITD-related anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO), and anti-TPO antibodies affect signaling pathways in keratinocytes similar to anti-desmoglein (Dsg) 3 antibodies. To further assess the relevance of anti-TPO reactivity in PV, we analyzed anti-TPO levels in 280 PV and 167 healthy control serum samples across a comprehensive set of variable and static parameters of disease activity and etiopathogenesis. PV patients have significantly higher activity rates (A.R.s) for anti-TPO than healthy controls, but levels do not differ between phases of clinical activity and remission. Patients that carry both the PV-associated human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles DRB1*0402 and DQB1*0503, or DQB1*0503 alone show a low prevalence of anti-TPO (A.R. 9.5 and 4.8%, respectively), while patients that lack expression of these alleles or carry DRB1*0402 alone have a much higher prevalence of anti-TPO (A.R. 23.1 and 15.8%, respectively), suggesting that the absence of DQB1*0503 may predispose patients to the development of anti-TPO antibodies. Similarly, anti-Dsg1−/3− patients have a higher anti-TPO A.R. (26.9%) than anti-Dsg1−/3+ (18.8%), anti-Dsg1+/3− (14.3%), and anti-Dsg1+/3+ (3.9%) patients. Our data suggest that anti-TPO reactivity in PV is driven by genetic markers that may be in linkage disequilibrium with the established PV-susceptibility alleles and that this association drives the selection of a combination of anti-Dsg and anti-TPO antibodies, with anti-TPO filling the gap in active patients that do not carry the established PV-associated autoantibodies and/or are lacking the established PV-HLA-susceptibility alleles. PMID:29675021

  12. Severe deterioration of psoriasis due to an insulinoma.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Field, S

    2008-03-01

    We report a case of a 56-year-old woman who presented with a severe exacerbation of psoriasis with concurrent hypoglycaemic episodes. Methotrexate 17.5 mg weekly was required to control her psoriasis. Investigation of her hypoglycaemia showed raised levels of insulin, C-peptide and proinsulin. Radiological investigation showed a tumour at the tail of the pancreas and the diagnosis was insulinoma. A spleen-preserving distal pancreatectomy was performed and the hypoglycaemic symptoms resolved. Immediately following the pancreatectomy, methotrexate was stopped and the patient\\'s psoriasis went into remission. During a 2-year follow-up, she has required only minimal topical treatment for her skin.

  13. Clinical features and nail clippings in 52 children with psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uber, Marjorie; Carvalho, Vânia O; Abagge, Kerstin T; Robl Imoto, Renata; Werner, Betina

    2018-03-01

    Nail clipping, the act of cutting the distal portion of a nail for microscopic analysis, can complement the diagnosis of skin diseases with nail involvement, such as psoriasis. This study aimed to describe histopathologic findings on 81 nails from 52 children and adolescents with skin psoriasis and to determine whether these changes correlated with the severity of skin and nail involvement. Children with psoriasis were enrolled in this cross-sectional study to obtain Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) and Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) scores. The most altered nails were processed using periodic acid-Schiff with diastase staining. Fifty-two patients with a median age of 10.5 years were included. The median Nail Psoriasis Severity Index score of the 20 nails from these patients was 17 (range 3-80). The most common findings were pitting (94.2%), leukonychia (73.0%), and longitudinal ridges (63.5%). Eighty-one nail fragments were collected by clipping. Neutrophils were found in 6 samples (7.6%) and serous lakes in 15 (19%). Median nail plate thickness was 0.3 mm (range 0.1-0.63 mm). Patients whose nails had neutrophils had a higher median PASI score (6.1 vs 2.0, P = .03). Patients whose nails had serous lakes had higher median PASI (5.3 vs 1.9, P = .008) and NAPSI (median 45.0 vs 18.0, P = .006) scores. There seems to be a correlation between some microscopic nail features in children with psoriasis and their PASI and NAPSI scores, so nail clippings from children with suspected psoriasis may help with diagnosis, especially in the presence of neutrophils, and in excluding onychomycosis. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  14. Gastric bypass surgery: Improving psoriasis through a GLP-1-dependent mechanism?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Faurschou, Annesofie; Zachariae, Claus; Skov, Lone

    2011-01-01

    surgery. This most likely contributes importantly to the acute remission of type 2 diabetes, which is often induced by gastric bypass operations. The hormone is not hypersecreted after the purely restrictive bariatric procedure gastric banding and no case reports exist on improvement in psoriasis......, both a direct anti-inflammatory effect of GLP-1 as well as an indirect effect through weight loss could contribute to improvement in psoriasis. A potential involvement of GLP-1 in the remission of psoriasis observed after bariatric surgery offers exciting possibilities for research and eventually...... bypass surgery in patients with psoriasis may result in complete remission of the disease. A substantial weight loss is achieved in the months following surgery, which is likely to reduce psoriasis symptoms and risk of comorbidities. Interestingly, however, it has been described that improvement...

  15. Autoimmune disease in children and adolescents with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blegvad, Christoffer; Egeberg, Alexander; Tind Nielsen, Tilde E.

    2017-01-01

    arthritis (adjusted OR 6.61; 2.75–15.87) and vitiligo (adjusted OR 4.76; 1.71–13.20) showed strong associations with psoriasis. In addition to increased risk of selected autoimmune diseases, the presence of psoriasis was associated with increased risk of multiple concurrent autoimmune diseases compared...

  16. Pemphigus Vulgaris with Solitary Toxic Thyroid Nodule

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mostafa Alfishawy

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune vesiculobullous disease, affecting the skin and mucous membranes. It is reported to be associated with other autoimmune diseases including autoimmune thyroid diseases. However we report herein a case of pemphigus vulgaris associated with autonomous toxic nodule. Case Presentation. A 51-year-old woman was evaluated for blisters and erosions that develop on her trunk, face, and extremities, with a five-year history of progressively enlarging neck mass, and a past medical history of pemphigus vulgaris seven years ago. The condition was associated with palpitation, dyspnea, and heat intolerance. Thyroid function tests and thyroid scan were compatible with the diagnosis of thyrotoxicosis due to autonomous toxic nodule. Exacerbation of pemphigus vulgaris was proved by skin biopsy from the patient which revealed histologic picture of pemphigus vulgaris. Conclusion. Autoimmune thyroid diseases are reported to associate pemphigus vulgaris. To our knowledge, this case is the first in the English literature to report association between pemphigus vulgaris and autonomous toxic nodule and highlights the possibility of occurrence of pemphigus vulgaris with a nonautoimmune thyroid disease raising the question: is it just a coincidence or is there an explanation for the occurrence of both conditions together?

  17. Cutaneous lupus erythematosus, morphea profunda and psoriasis: A case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Arpa, Mónica; Flores-Terry, Miguel A; Ramos-Rodríguez, Claudia; Franco-Muñoz, Monserrat; González-Ruiz, Lucía; Ramírez-Huaranga, Marco Aurelio

    2018-04-03

    Psoriasis is a common inflammatory dermatosis that may be associated with a number of diseases. Recent studies provide evidence that there is a greater frequency of autoimmune diseases, but association with autoimmune connective tissue diseases is uncommon. The coexistence of psoriasis and lupus erythematosus is rare. Besides, the occurrence of morphea has rarely been reported in patients with lupus or psoriasis. We report a woman with cutaneous lupus and morphea profunda associated with psoriasis, with an excellent response to methotrexate, and review the literature. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and Sociedad Española de Reumatología y Colegio Mexicano de Reumatología. All rights reserved.

  18. Psoriasis carries an increased risk of venous thromboembolism: a danish nationwide cohort study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ahlehoff, Ole; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar; Lindhardsen, Jesper

    2011-01-01

    . In an unselected nationwide cohort, we used multivariate Poisson regression models controlling for age, gender, comorbidity, concomitant medication, socio-economic data, and calendar year, to assess the risk of VTE associated with psoriasis. A total of 35,138 patients with mild and 3,526 patients with severe...... psoriasis were identified and compared with 4,126,075 controls. Patients with psoriasis had higher incidence rates per 1000 person-years of VTE than controls (1.29, 1.92, and 3.20 for controls, mild psoriasis, and severe psoriasis, respectively). The rate ratio (RR) of VTE was elevated in all patients...... with psoriasis with RR 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.21–1.49) and RR 2.06 (CI 1.63–2.61) for mild and severe psoriasis, respectively. Exclusion of patients with malignancies, and censoring of patients undergoing surgery did not alter the results. Conclusion This nationwide cohort study indicates...

  19. Vitamin D and Psoriasis Pathology in the Mediterranean Region, Valencia (Spain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Morales Suárez-Varela

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Vitamin D has important immunomodulatory effects on psoriasis in the Mediterranean region. To measure vitamin D intake in subjects with and without psoriasis, and to find an association with relevant clinical features, a case-control study was performed using cases (n = 50, 50% participation rate clinically diagnosed with psoriasis and 200 healthy subjects (39.5% participation rate, leaving a final sample of 104 people. A survey was conducted using a food frequency questionnaire and clinical histories. Cases and controls were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses. We observed insufficient intake of cholecalciferol (vitamin D3 or ergocalciferol (vitamin D2 for both cases and controls. Patients with psoriasis were at greater risk of associated pathologies: dyslipidaemia (OR: 3.6, 95% CI: 0.8–15.2; metabolic syndrome (OR: 3.3, 95% CI: 0.2–53.9; hypertension (OR: 1.7, 95% CI: 0.4–7.2. Insufficient vitamin D intake in both psoriasis patients and controls in the Mediterranean population, and cardiovascular comorbility is more frequent in patients with psoriasis.

  20. [Side effects of biologic therapies in psoriasis].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altenburg, A; Augustin, M; Zouboulis, C C

    2018-04-01

    The introduction of biologics has revolutionized the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Due to the continuous expansion of biological therapies for psoriasis, it is particularly important to acknowledge efficacy and safety of the compounds not only in clinical trials but also in long-term registry-based observational studies. Typical side effects and significant risks of antipsoriatic biologic therapies considering psoriatic control groups are presented. A selective literature search was conducted in PubMed and long-term safety studies of the psoriasis registries PsoBest, PSOLAR and BADBIR were evaluated. To assess the long-term safety of biologics, the evaluation of the course of large patient cohorts in long-term registries is of particular medical importance. Newer biologic drugs seem to exhibit a better safety profile than older ones.

  1. Adalimumab for treating childhood plaque psoriasis: a clinical trial evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Lernia, Vito

    2017-12-01

    Most systemic therapies have not been systematically investigated in moderate to severe childhood plaque psoriasis. Evidence on the efficacy and safety of systemic treatments is limited and therapeutic guidelines are lacking. Recently adalimumab, a fully human monoclonal antibody that binds tumor necrosis factor (TNF)- alpha, was investigated in childhood psoriasis. Adalimumab is licensed for many inflammatory conditions including chronic plaque psoriasis in adults. Areas covered: A randomized phase III study published provided favourable efficacy and safety data of adalimumab in childhood psoriasis. The active comparator was methotrexate. After 16 weeks of treatment, a PASI 75 score was achieved in 58% of patients within the adalimumab 0.8 mg/kg group compared with 32% of patients within the methotrexate group. Safety data gave no evidence of drug-related serious adverse events and no organ toxicity. This is the first randomised controlled study of either adalimumab or methotrexate in children and adolescents with psoriasis. Expert opinion: The aforementioned trial was the first to provide clinical data on adalimumab's efficacy and safety in the short term when treating children and adolescents with psoriasis. Through the use of an active comparator, this study has opened the way for the future assessment of systemic therapies in children and adolescent with this condition.

  2. PV ready roofing systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2001-07-01

    The integration of PV technology into roofs of houses has become very popular in the United States, Japan, Germany and The Netherlands. There could be a considerable market in the UK for these systems, given the large number of houses that are projected to be built in the next 10 years, and taking account of increased awareness of energy issues. A significant proportion of the market share of annual installed PV is for solar PV systems installed into homes (currently 15%), this is expected to rise to 23% (900MW) by 2010. The grid connected roof and building mounted facade systems represent the fastest growing market for PV systems in Europe. In conclusion, therefore, innovative approached for fixing PV technology onto roofs have been identified for both domestic roofs and for the commercial sector. With reference to production methodologies within the roofing industry, both approaches should be capable of being designed with PV-ready connections suitable for fixing PV modules at a later date. This will help overcome the key barriers of cost of installation, skills required and the lack of retrofit potential. Based on the results of this project, Sustainable Energy together with PV Systems are keen to take forward the full research and development of PV-ready systems for both the domestic and commercial sectors.

  3. Nail psoriasis as a severity indicator: results from the PsoReal study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Schäfer

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Marc A Radtke1, Anna K Langenbruch1, I Schäfer1, Katharina Herberger1, Kristian Reich2, Matthias Augustin11Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center of Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg; 2Dermatologikum Hamburg, GermanyBackground: Although nail psoriasis affects a substantial proportion of psoriasis patients and causes significant psychologic distress, few epidemiologic data characterizing patients with nail involvement are available. The aim of this research was to elucidate differences between patients with nail psoriasis and those without any nail involvement, taking quality indicators of health care from the patient's perspective into account.Methods: In total, 2449 patient members of the Deutscher Psoriasis Bund, the largest patient organization for psoriasis in Germany, were interviewed in this nationwide, noninterventional, cross-sectional study. Patients with nail psoriasis were compared with patients without any nail involvement with regard to gender, age, disease duration, affected body surface area, health-related quality of life (Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI] ED-5D, patient-defined treatment benefit, amount of inpatient treatments, disease duration, and numbers of work days lost.Results: Data from 2449 patients with psoriasis were analyzed. Overall, 44.8% (1078 of patients were female, mean age was 57.0 ± 11.7 years, and 72.8% had nail involvement and showed higher values for affected body surface area than those without nail involvement (8.3% versus 5.6%, respectively; P < 0.004. Health-related quality of life was significantly lower in patients with nail psoriasis (DLQI 7.2 versus 5.3; ED-5D 60.1 versus 67.3, who had more days off work (9.8 versus 3.3.Conclusion: Nail involvement is an important symptom of psoriasis and is associated with greater disease severity and quality of life impairment. Accordingly, management of psoriasis should include a special focus on nail

  4. PASI and PQOL-12 score in psoriasis : Is there any correlation?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vikas Shankar

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Psoriasis, a common papulo-squamous disorder of the skin, is universal in occurrence and may interfere with the quality of life adversely. Whether extent of the disease has any bearing upon the patients′ psychology has not much been studied in this part of the world. Aims: The objective of this hospital-based cross-sectional study was to assess the disease severity objectively using Psoriasis area and severity index (PASI score and the quality of life by Psoriasis quality-of-life questionnaire-12 (PQOL-12 and to draw correlation between them, if any. Materials and Methods PASI score denotes an objective method of scoring severity of psoriasis, reflecting not only the body surface area but also erythema, induration and scaling. The PQOL-12 represents a 12-item self-administered, disease-specific psychometric instrument created to specifically assess quality-of-life issues that are more important with psoriasis patients. PASI and PQOL-12 score were calculated in each patient for objectively assessing their disease severity and quality of life. Results: In total, 34 psoriasis patients (16 males, 18 females, of age ranging from 8 to 55 years, were studied. Maximum and minimum PASI scores were 0.8 and 32.8, respectively, whereas maximum and minimum PQOL-12 scores were 4 and 120, respectively. PASI and PQOL-12 values showed minimal positive correlation (r = +0.422. Conclusion: Disease severity of psoriasis had no direct reflection upon their quality of life. Limited psoriasis on visible area may also have greater impact on mental health.

  5. Body image, self-esteem, and quality of life in patients with psoriasis

    OpenAIRE

    Hulya Nazik; Selcuk Nazik; Feride C Gul

    2017-01-01

    Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that may affect the visible areas of body. Hence, the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image can be affected in psoriasis patients. Objectives: We aimed in the present study to assess the effects of psoriasis on the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image. Materials and Methods: The study included 92 patients with psoriasis, along with 98 control participants. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patient...

  6. The relationship between oxidative stress, smoking and the clinical severity of psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Emre, S; Metin, A; Demirseren, D D; Kilic, S; Isikoglu, S; Erel, O

    2013-03-01

    Recent studies suggested that increased oxidant products and decreased antioxidant system functions may be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. In this study, we investigated total oxidative status, Paraoxonase (PON)1/arylesterase enzyme activities and severity of the disease in smoker and non-smoker psoriatic patients. Fifty-four patients with plaque type psoriasis (28 smokers and 26 non-smokers) and 62 healthy volunteers (16 smokers and 46 non-smokers) were enrolled in the study. Serum total oxidant status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and arylesterase levels were measured, and oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated in all participants. Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores were significantly higher in smoker patients than in non-smoker patients (P = 0.014). Both smoker and non-smoker patients had significantly increased TOS levels and OSI values and decreased TAC levels than healthy subjects (all P values = 0.000). The TAC and TOS levels, OSI values and arylesterase activities were similar between smoker and non-smoker patients. The levels of triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were not significantly different between smoker and non-smoker psoriasis patients. When compared with non-smoking controls, only smoking psoriasis patients had significantly higher TG (P = 0.005), lower HDL (P = 0.022) and lower arylesterase levels (P = 0.015). There were no significant correlations with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) scores and TAC, TOS, OSI, TG, TC, HDL and LDL levels in all psoriasis patients. Oxidative stress is increased in psoriasis patients regardless of their smoking status. The decreased arylesterase activity in smoker psoriasis patients suggested that smoking may be a considerable risk factor that increases the severity of psoriasis by increasing oxidative stress in these patients. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and

  7. Safety of Systemic Agents for the Treatment of Pediatric Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bronckers, Inge M G J; Seyger, Marieke M B; West, Dennis P

    2017-01-01

    Importance: Use of systemic therapies for moderate to severe psoriasis in children is increasing, but comparative data on their use and toxicities are limited. Objective: To assess patterns of use and relative risks of systemic agents for moderate to severe psoriasis in children. Design, Setting,...... per week protected more against methotrexate-induced gastrointestinal AEs than did weekly administration. A prospective registry is needed to track the long-term risks of systemic agents for pediatric psoriasis....

  8. A study of clinicohistopathological correlation in patients of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehta Shilpa

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Psoriasis has different clinical variants, which mimic diverse dermatological conditions and may require a histopathological confirmation of the diagnosis. Studies to establish a clinicohistopathological concordance (and its determinants, in psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis are lacking . Aims : The present study was designed (a to correlate the clinicohistopathological features of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis, and (b to identify determinant(s that may contribute to the diagnosis of psoriasis and psoriasiform dermatitis. Methods : This was a prospective study involving 100 patients, with a single clinical diagnosis of psoriasis or with psoriasis as one of the differential diagnoses, and its correlation with histopathological features. Results : The clinical features of typical scale (P = 0.0001 and Auspitz′s sign (P = 0.0001, and histological evidence of suprapapillary thinning (P = 0.0001 and absent granular cell layer (P = 0.0001 were found to be statistically significant contributors to the clinicohistological concordance in cases of psoriasis. Vertical orientation of collagen bundles (P = 0.0001 and lymphocytic exocytosis (P = 0.003 were found to be significantly associated with diagnosis of psoriasiform dermatitis. Conclusion : The present study reconfirms the diagnostic accuracy of silvery white scale, Auspitz′s sign, and Koebner′s phenomenon in a clinical setting suggestive of psoriasis. However, in their absence, histological evidence of suprapapillary thinning and absent granular layer, in addition to the Munro microabscess and Kogoj′s abscess, may contribute to the diagnosis of psoriasis. Similarly, vertical orientation of collagen bundles and lymphocytic exocytosis may point toward a diagnosis of psoriasiform dermatitis.

  9. Sensorless PV Array Diagnostic Method for Residential PV Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sera, Dezso; Spataru, Sergiu; Mathe, Laszlo

    2011-01-01

    This work proposes a temperature and irradiance sensorless diagnostic method suitable for small residential PV installations, focusing on detection of partial shadows. The method works by detection of failures in crystalline silicone PV arrays by concomitant monitoring of some of their key...

  10. New Drugs and Treatment Targets in Psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kofoed, Kristian; Skov, Lone; Zachariae, Claus

    2015-01-01

    , and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. We review published clinical trials, and conference abstracts presented during the last years, concerned with new drugs under development for the treatment of psoriasis. In conclusion, our psoriasis armamentarium will be filled with several new effective therapeutic options the coming...... years. We need to be aware of the limitations of drug safety data when selecting new novel treatments. Monitoring and clinical registries are still important tools....

  11. Emotion Regulation in Patients with Psoriasis: Correlates of Disability, Clinical Dimensions, and Psychopathology Symptoms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Almeida, Vera; Taveira, Sofia; Teixeira, Maribel; Almeida, Isabel; Rocha, José; Teixeira, Ana

    2017-08-01

    There are known connections between emotions and psoriasis; however, we have not established a clear pathway for this association. This study aimed to explore correlates of difficulties in emotional regulation in patients with psoriasis and predict the influence of emotional regulation in psoriasis disability. Two hundred and twenty eight participants completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Self-administered Psoriasis Area and Severity Index, Psoriasis Disability Index, and Brief Symptom Inventory. Spearman's correlation and a hierarchical stepwise multiple regression were carried out to analyse associations. Results indicated that patients with the most recent diagnoses experienced greater difficulty in acting in accordance with goals (r = .16, p psoriasis severity (r = .15, p psoriasis disability (β = .34). The results highlighted the relationship between emotional regulation difficulty, disease characteristics, and psychological variables in psoriasis disability emphasizing the importance of including a broader approach in clinical management of psoriatic patients.

  12. Objective assessment of psoriasis erythema for PASI scoring.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmad Fadzil, M H; Ihtatho, Dani; Mohd Affandi, Azura; Hussein, S H

    2009-01-01

    Skin colour is vital information in dermatological diagnosis as it reflects the pathological condition beneath the skin. It is commonly used to indicate the extent of diseases such as psoriasis, which is indicated by the appearance of red plaques. Although there is no cure for psoriasis, there are many treatment modalities to help control the disease. To evaluate treatment efficacy, the current gold standard method, PASI (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index), is used to determine severity of psoriasis lesion. Erythema (redness) is one parameter in PASI and this condition is assessed visually, thus leading to subjective and inconsistent results. Current methods or instruments that assess erythema have limitations, such as being able to measure erythema well for low pigmented skin (fair skin) but not for highly pigmented skin (dark skin) or vice versa. In this work, we proposed an objective assessment of psoriasis erythema for PASI scoring for different (low to highly pigmented) skin types. The colour of psoriasis lesions are initially obtained by using a chromameter giving the values L*, a*, and b* of CIELAB colour space. The L* value is used to classify skin into three categories: low, medium and highly pigmented skin. The lightness difference (DeltaL*), hue difference (Deltah(ab)), chroma (DeltaC*(ab)) between lesions and the surrounding normal skin are calculated and analysed. It is found that the erythema score of a lesion can be distinguished by their Deltah(ab) value within a particular skin type group. References of lesion with different scores are obtained from the selected lesions by two dermatologists. Results based on 38 lesions from 22 patients with various level of skin pigmentation show that PASI erythema score for different skin types i.e. low (fair skin) to highly pigmented (dark skin) skin types can be determined objectively and consistent with dermatology scoring.

  13. Icotinib inhibits EGFR signaling and alleviates psoriasis-like symptoms in animal models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Fenlai; Yang, Guiqun; Wang, Yanping; Chen, Haibo; Yu, Bo; Li, He; Guo, Jing; Huang, Xiaoling; Deng, Yifang; Yu, Pengxia; Ding, Lieming

    2018-02-01

    To investigate the effects of icotinib hydrochloride and a derivative cream on epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling and within animal psoriasis models, respectively. The effect of icotinib on EGFR signaling was examined in HaCaT cells, while its effect on angiogenesis was tested in chick embryo chorioallantoic membranes (CAM). The effectiveness of icotinib in treating psoriasis was tested in three psoriasis models, including diethylstilbestrol-treated mouse vaginal epithelial cells, mouse tail granular cell layer formation, and propranolol-induced psoriasis-like features in guinea pig ear skin. Icotinib treatment blocked EGFR signaling and reduced HaCaT cell viability as well as suppressed CAM angiogenesis. Topical application of icotinib ameliorated psoriasis-like histological characteristics in mouse and guinea pig psoriasis models. Icotinib also significantly inhibited mouse vaginal epithelium mitosis, promoted mouse tail squamous epidermal granular layer formation, and reduced the thickness of the horny layer in propranolol treated auricular dorsal surface of guinea pig. We conclude that icotinib can effectively inhibit psoriasis in animal models. Future clinical studies should be conducted to explore the therapeutic effects of icotinb in humans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  14. City and County Solar PV Training Program, Module 2: Screening and Identifying PV Projects

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elgqvist, Emma M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2018-04-09

    When screening and identifying PV projects, cities and counties should understand the different factors that impact the technical and economic potential of a PV project, the steps of the PV screening process, and how to use REopt Lite to screen a site for PV and storage project potential.

  15. Prevalence and heritability of psoriasis and benign migratory glossitis in one Brazilian population*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jorge, Maria Augusta; Gonzaga, Heron Fernando de Sousa; Tomimori, Jane; Picciani, Bruna Lavinas Sayed; Barbosa, Calógeras Antônio

    2017-01-01

    Background An oral condition associated to psoriasis is benign migratory glossitis. The review of the literature does not show any publication about heritability in both soriasis and benign migratory glossitis and prevalence of psoriasis in the Brazilian population. Objective This research was carried out in order to determine the prevalence of psoriasis and benign migratory glossitis in the Brazilian population from a Brazilian sample, as well as the heritability in these conditions. Methods Six thousand patients were studied from the records of the outpatient dermatology department. The sample had 129 patients with cutaneous psoriasis, 399 with benign migratory glossitis without psoriasis and a control group with 5,472 patients. After data collection, the statistical analysis was made using Woolf, Chi-square and Falconer tests. Results The prevalence of psoriasis was 2.15% and the benign migratory glossitis was 7.0%. The prevalence of benign migratory glossitis in the psoriasis group was high (16.3%), and that was statistically significant. Family history in the psoriasis group was 38% for the condition itself and 2,75% for benign migratory glossitis and in the benign migratory glossitis group was 17.54% for the condition itself and 1.5% for psoriasis. The study of heritability was 38.8% for psoriasis and 36.6% for benign migratory glossitis, both with medium heritability. Study limitations This study was only in the state of São Paulo. Conclusion This is the first publication that quantifies how much of these conditions have a genetic background and how important the environmental factors are in triggering them. PMID:29364438

  16. In-vivo optical investigation of psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kapsokalyvas, Dimitrios; Cicchi, Riccardo; Bruscino, Nicola; Alfieri, Domenico; Massi, Daniela; Lotti, Torello; Pavone, Francesco S.

    2011-03-01

    Psoriasis is an autoimmune disease of the skin characterized by hyperkeratosis, hyperproliferation of the epidermis, inflammatory cell accumulation and increased dilatation of dermal papillary blood vessels. Cases of psoriasis were investigated in vivo with optical means in order to evaluate the potential of in vivo optical biopsy. A Polarization Multispectral Dermoscope was employed for the macroscopic observation. Features such as the 'dotted' blood vessels pattern was observed with high contrast. The average size of dot vessels in Psoriasis was measured to be 974 μm2 which is much higher compared to healthy skin. High resolution image sections of the epidermis and the dermis were produced with a custom made Multiphoton Microscope. Imaging extended from the surface of the lesion down to the papillary dermis, at a depth of 200 μm. In the epidermis, a characteristic morphology of the stratum corneum found only in Psoriasis was revealed. Additionally, the cytoplasmic area of the cells in the stratum spinosum layer was found to be smaller than normal. In the dermis the morphological features were more pronounced, where the elongated dermal papillae dominated the papillary layer. Their length exceeds 100μm, which is a far greater value compared to that of healthy skin. These in vivo observations are consistent with the ex vivo histopathological observations, supporting both the applicability and potentiality of multispectral dermoscopy and multiphoton microscopy in the field of in vivo optical investigation and biopsy of skin.

  17. Facing the dilemma of patient-centred psoriasis care

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Khoury, L. R.; Skov, L.; Møller, T.

    2017-01-01

    Background: Caregivers must be aware of patients’ current needs by providing care responsive to patients’ values and preferences and by identifying what approach improves and encourages patients to participate in their treatment and disease management. Patients with psoriasis healthcare needs...... perhaps change as medical knowledge improves, new drugs emerge and the healthcare system improves its efficiency as a result of constant structural development. Objectives: To explore the unmet needs and health perceptions of people with psoriasis, regarding interaction with clinicians and the structure...... inherent to consultations in a hospital outpatient dermatological clinic. Methods: A qualitative investigation with data generated from semi-structured interviews. Transcriptions were subsequently analysed using the template analysis method. Results: Sixteen patients with psoriasis were interviewed...

  18. Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Insulin Resistance in Patients with Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yeliz Bilir

    2014-03-01

    Conclusion: The incidences of MetS and IR were found to be higher in patients with psoriasis compared to control group. Especially there was a strong association between severe psoriasis and IR risk. Therefore, psoriasis needs to be considered as not only a skin disorder, but also a metabolic and cardiovascular disease. [J Contemp Med 2014; 4(1.000: 1-5

  19. Psoriasis and wound healing outcomes: A retrospective cohort study examining wound complications and antibiotic use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Young, Paulina M; Parsi, Kory K; Schupp, Clayton W; Armstrong, April W

    2017-11-15

    Little is known about wound healing in psoriasis. We performed a cohort study examining differences in wound healing complications between patients with and without psoriasis. Psoriasis patients with traumatic wounds were matched 1:3 to non-psoriasis patients with traumatic wounds based on age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). We examined theincidence of wound complications including infection, necrosis, and hematoma as well as incident antibiotic use within three months following diagnosis of a traumatic wound. The study included 164 patients with traumatic wounds, comprised of 41 patients with psoriasis matched to 123 patients without psoriasis. No statistically significant differences were detected in the incidence of overall wound complications between wound patients with psoriasis and wound patients without psoriasis (14.6% versus. 13.0%, HR 1.18, CI 0.39-3.56). After adjustment for diabetes, peripheral vascular disease, and smoking, no statistically significant differences were detected in the incidence of overall wound complications between patients with and without psoriasis (HR 1.11, CI 0.34-3.58). Specifically, the adjusted rates of antibiotic use were not significantly different between those with and without psoriasis (HR 0.65, CI 0.29-1.46). The incidence of wound complications following traumatic wounds of the skin was found to be similar between patients with and without psoriasis.

  20. Current and potential immune therapies and vaccines in the management of psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaffenberger, Benjamin H; Lee, Grace L; Tyler, Kelly; Chan, Derek V; Jarjour, Wael; Ariza, Maria E; Williams, Marshall V; Wong, Henry K

    2014-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic, immune skin disease associated with significant morbidity. Development of psoriasis is influenced by numerous genes, one allele is HLA-CW*0602. Other genes and single nucleotide polymorphisms affect immunologic pathways and antimicrobial peptide synthesis. Dendritic cells initiate psoriasis by activating T-cells toward a Th1 and Th17 response, with increased cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6, -12, -17, -22, and -23. IL-22 appears to promote keratinocyte dedifferentiation and increased antimicrobial peptide synthesis while TNF-α and IL-17 induce leukocyte localization within the psoriatic plaque. These recent insights identifying key cytokine pathways have led to the development of inhibitors with significant efficacy in the treatment of psoriasis. While a strategy for vaccine modulation of the immune response in psoriasis is in progress, with new technology they may provide a cost-effective long-term treatment that may induce tolerance or targeted self-inhibition for patients with autoimmune disorders, such as psoriasis. PMID:24492530

  1. Progress in psoriasis therapy via novel drug delivery systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nitha Vincent

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a lifelong condition which is caused by the negative signals produced by immune system, which leads to hyper proliferation and other inflammatory reactions on the skin. In this case, keratinocytes which are the outermost layer of skin possess shortened life cycle and results in the alteration of desquamation process where the cytokines will come out through lesions of affected patients and as a result, scaling marks appears on the skin. These conditions may negatively affect the patient’s quality of life and lead to psychosocial stress. Psoriasis can be categorized as mild, moderate and severe conditions. Mild psoriasis leads to the formation of rashes, and when it becomes moderate, the skin turns into scaly. In severe conditions, red patches may be present on skin surface and becomes itchy. Topical therapy continues to be one of the pillars for psoriasis management. Drug molecules with target effect on the skin tissues and other inflammations should be selected for the treatment of psoriasis. Most of the existing drugs lead to systemic intoxication and dryness when applied in higher dose. Different scientific approaches for topical delivery are being explored by researches including emollient, modified gelling system, transdermal delivery, spray, nanogels, hydrogels, micro/nano emulsion, liposomes, nano capsules etc. These topical dosage forms are evaluated for various physico chemical properties such as drug content, viscosity, pH, extrudability, spreadability, toxicity, irritancy, permeability and drug release mechanism. This review paper focus attention to the impact of these formulation approaches on various anti-psoriasis drugs for their successful treatment.

  2. Prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese psoriasis patients: A hospital-based cross-sectional study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gui, Xin-Yu; Yu, Xiao-Ling; Jin, Hong-Zhong; Zuo, Ya-Gang; Wu, Chao

    2018-01-01

    Psoriasis, a chronic autoimmune skin disorder, is believed to contribute to cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. Psoriasis's association with the components of metabolic syndrome has been reported previously. However, large-scale cross-sectional studies about psoriasis and metabolic syndrome are rare in China. We assessed the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Chinese psoriasis patients and controls. A total of 859 psoriasis patients and 1,718 controls were recruited in an age- and sex-matched cross-sectional study. Metabolic syndrome occurred in 14.3% of the psoriasis patients as opposed to 10.0% of the control participants (P = 0.001). Psoriasis patients had a higher prevalence of overweight/obesity, hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia when compared with controls. Meanwhile, psoriasis patients with metabolic syndrome were older, and had an older age of onset and a longer disease duration when compared with those without metabolic syndrome. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome is higher in the Chinese psoriatic population, which can favor cardiovascular events. The present study strengthens the value of treating psoriasis patients not only dealing with the skin lesions, and we suggest appropriate screening and relevant health education be carried out in the treatment of psoriasis patients. © 2017 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

  3. PV power plants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2012-07-01

    Within the international seminar of the Ostbayerisches Technologie-Transfer-Institut e.V. (OTTI) at 11th June, 2012 in Munich (Federal Republic of Germany), the following lectures were held: (1) Technical due diligence (Dietmar Obst); (2) Certification / rating system for large PV plants (Robert Pfatischer); (3) O and M requirements (Lars Rulf); (4) IR photography for large scale systems (Bernhard Weinreich); (5) New market models for PV systems - direct marketing and sales of PV electricity (Martin Schneider); (6) Needs and benefits for plant certification for grid connection and operation (Christoph Luetke-Lengerich); (7) Lare volume module testing / Screening in the field and workshop (Semir Merzoug); (8) Dismantling costs of large scale PV plants (Siegfried Schimpf).

  4. Advances in treating psoriasis in the elderly with small molecule inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cline, Abigail; Cardwell, Leah A; Feldman, Steven R

    2017-12-01

    Due to the chronic nature of psoriasis, the population of elderly psoriasis patients is increasing. However, many elderly psoriatic patients are not adequately treated because management is challenging as a result of comorbidities, polypharmacy, and progressive impairment of organ systems. Physicians may hesitate to use systemic or biologic agents in elderly psoriasis patients because of an increased risk of adverse events in this patient population. Small molecule medications are emerging as promising options for elderly patients with psoriasis and other inflammatory conditions. Areas covered: Here we review the efficacy, safety and tolerability of small molecule inhibitors apremilast, tofacitinib, ruxolitinib, baricitinib, and peficitinib in the treatment of psoriasis, with focus on their use in the elderly population. Expert opinion: Although small molecule inhibitors demonstrate efficacy in elderly patients with psoriasis, they will require larger head-to-head studies and post-marketing registries to evaluate their effectiveness and safety in specific patient populations. Apremilast, ruxolitinib, and peficitinib are effective agents with favorable side effect profiles; however, physicians should exercise caution when prescribing tofacitinib or baricitinib in elderly populations due to adverse events. The high cost of these drugs in the U.S. is likely to limit their use.

  5. Oral (Systemic) Botanical Agents for the Treatment of Psoriasis: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farahnik, Benjamin; Sharma, Divya; Alban, Joseph; Sivamani, Raja

    2017-06-01

    Patients with psoriasis often use botanical therapies as part of their treatment. It is important for clinicians to be aware of the current evidence regarding these agents as they treat patients. A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE database for randomized clinical trials assessing the use of botanical therapeutics for psoriasis. The search included the following keywords: "psoriasis" and "plant" or "herbal" or "botanical." Citations within articles were also reviewed to identify relevant sources. The results were then further refined by route of administration, and the oral (systemic) botanical agents are reviewed herein. A total of 12 controlled and uncontrolled clinical trials addressing the use of oral, systemic botanical agents for psoriasis were assessed in this review. While overall evidence is limited in quantity and quality, HESA-A, curcumin, neem extract, and, to a lesser degree, Traditional Chinese Medicine seem to be the most efficacious agents. The literature addresses a large amount of studies in regards to botanicals for the treatment of psoriasis. While most agents appear to be safe, further research is necessary for evidence-based recommendation of oral botanical agents to psoriasis patients.

  6. Safety of Systemic Agents for the Treatment of Pediatric Psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bronckers, Inge M G J; Seyger, Marieke M B; West, Dennis P; Lara-Corrales, Irene; Tollefson, Megha; Tom, Wynnis L; Hogeling, Marcia; Belazarian, Leah; Zachariae, Claus; Mahé, Emmanuel; Siegfried, Elaine; Philipp, Sandra; Szalai, Zsuzsanna; Vleugels, Ruth Ann; Holland, Kristen; Murphy, Ruth; Baselga, Eulalia; Cordoro, Kelly; Lambert, Jo; Alexopoulos, Alex; Mrowietz, Ulrich; Kievit, Wietske; Paller, Amy S

    2017-11-01

    Use of systemic therapies for moderate to severe psoriasis in children is increasing, but comparative data on their use and toxicities are limited. To assess patterns of use and relative risks of systemic agents for moderate to severe psoriasis in children. A retrospective review was conducted at 20 centers in North America and Europe, and included all consecutive children with moderate to severe psoriasis who used systemic medications or phototherapy for at least 3 months from December 1, 1990, to September 16, 2014. The minimal core data set included age, sex, severity of psoriasis, systemic interventions, monitoring, adverse events (AEs), and reason for discontinuation. For 390 children (203 girls and 187 boys; mean [SD] age at diagnosis, 8.4 [3.7] years) with psoriasis who used 1 or more systemic medications, the mean interval between diagnosis and starting systemic therapy was 3.0 years. Methotrexate was used by 270 patients (69.2%), biologic agents (primarily etanercept) by 106 (27.2%), acitretin by 57 (14.6%), cyclosporine by 30 (7.7%), fumaric acid esters by 19 (4.9%), and more than 1 medication was used by 73 (18.7%). Of 270 children taking methotrexate, 130 (48.1%) reported 1 or more AEs associated with methotrexate, primarily gastrointestinal (67 [24.8%]). Folic acid 6 days per week (odds ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.06-0.41; P psoriasis.

  7. Recognition of oxidized albumin and thyroid antigens by psoriasis autoantibodies. A possible role of reactive-oxygen-species induced epitopes in chronic plaque psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hani A. Al-Shobaili

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: To investigate the role of reactive-oxygen-species (ROS induced epitopes on human-serum-albumin (HSA and thyroid antigens in psoriasis autoimmunity. Methods: This study was performed in the College of Medicine, Qassim University, Buraidah, Saudi Arabia between May 2014 and February 2015. The study was designed to explore the role of ROS-induced epitopes in psoriasis autoimmunity. Singlet-oxygen (or ROS-induced epitopes on protein (ROS-epitopes-albumin was characterized by in-vitro and in-vivo. Thyroid antigens were prepared from rabbit thyroid, and thyroglobulin was isolated from thyroid extract. Immunocross-reactions of protein-A purified anti-ROS-epitopes-HSA-immunoglobulin G (IgGs with thyroid antigen, thyroglobulin, and their oxidized forms were determined. Binding characteristics of autoantibodies in chronic plaque psoriasis patients (n=26 against ROS-epitopes-HSA and also with native and oxidized thyroid antigens were screened, and the results were compared with age-matched controls (n=22. Results: The anti-ROS-epitopes-HSA-IgGs showed cross-reactions with thyroid antigen, thyroglobulin and with their oxidized forms. High degree of specific binding by psoriasis IgGs to ROS-epitopes-HSA, ROS-thyroid antigen and ROS-thyroglobulin was observed. Immunoglobulin G from normal-human-controls showed negligible binding with all tested antigens. Moreover, sera from psoriasis patients had higher levels of carbonyl contents compared with control sera. Conclusion: Structural alterations in albumin, thyroid antigens by ROS, generate unique neo-epitopes that might be one of the factors for the induction of autoantibodies in psoriasis.

  8. Cardiovascular comorbidities of pediatric psoriasis among hospitalized children in the United States.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwa, Lauren; Kwa, Michael C; Silverberg, Jonathan I

    2017-12-01

    Psoriasis has been shown to be associated with cardiovascular disease in adults. Little is known about cardiovascular risk in pediatric psoriasis. To determine if there is an association between pediatric psoriasis and cardiovascular comorbidities. Data were analyzed from the 2002-2012 Nationwide Inpatient Sample, which included 4,884,448 hospitalized children aged 0-17 years. Bivariate and multivariate survey logistic regression models were created to calculate the odds of psoriasis on cardiovascular comorbidities. In multivariate survey logistic regression models adjusting for age, sex, and race/ethnicity, pediatric psoriasis was significantly associated with 5 of 10 cardiovascular comorbidities (adjusted odds ratio [95% confidence interval]), including obesity (3.15 [2.46-4.05]), hypertension (2.63 [1.93-3.59]), diabetes (2.90 [1.90-4.42]), arrhythmia (1.39 [1.02-1.88]), and valvular heart disease (1.90 [1.07-3.37]). The highest odds of cardiovascular risk factors occurred in blacks and Hispanics and children ages 0-9 years, but there were no sex differences. The study was limited to hospitalized children. We were unable to assess the impact of psoriasis treatment or family history on cardiovascular risk. Pediatric psoriasis is associated with higher odds of multiple cardiovascular comorbidities among hospitalized patients. Strategies for mitigating excess cardiovascular risk in pediatric psoriasis need to be determined. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Emerging targeted therapies for plaque psoriasis – impact of ixekizumab

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazemi T

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available Tiana Kazemi,1 Benjamin Farahnik,2 John Koo,3 Kourosh Beroukhim1 1University of California – Los Angeles, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, 2University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, VT, 3University of California – San Francisco, Department of Dermatology, Psoriasis and Skin Treatment Center, San Francisco, CA, USA Background: Recent studies into the pathogenesis of psoriasis have identified the importance of interleukin 17 (IL-17 in disease activity and have thus provided a new target for biologic therapy. Ixekizumab, the most recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA-approved anti-IL-17 biologic agent, appears to be a promising medication for patients suffering from moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Methods: We reviewed the results of phase III trials for ixekizumab in order to assess the efficacy, safety, and impact on quality of life of this agent in the treatment of plaque psoriasis. Additionally, we compared these results to phase II and phase III trials for other biologic psoriasis medications including the anti-IL-23 agents tildrakizumab and guselkumab, the combined anti-IL-12 and anti-IL-23 agent ustekinumab, and the anti-IL-17 agents brodalumab and secukinumab. Results: Pooled results from individual studies demonstrate that among the most efficacious dosing regimens of these anti-interleukin therapies, ixekizumab achieves higher Psoriasis Area and Severity Index 75 rates and similar or higher static Physician Global Assessment 0-1 rates than the other anti-IL-17 and anti-IL-23 agents. The safety profile of ixekizumab is similar to these agents, with nasopharyngitis, upper respiratory infection, headache, arthralgia, and injection-site erythema as the most commonly reported adverse events. Conclusion: Ixekizumab is a highly efficacious, newly FDA-approved treatment for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis that demonstrates a robust clinical response, significant improvement in patient quality of

  10. Biologic Medications for Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... open('/content/cro/en/health/prescription-drugs/best-buy-drugs/Biologics_For_Psoriasis.print.html','win2','status=no, ... we recommend the following as Consumer Reports Best Buy Drugs . Adalimumab (Humira) Etanercept (Enbrel) Studies show that for ...

  11. Prevalence and comorbidities in adults with psoriasis compared to atopic eczema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radtke, M A; Schäfer, I; Glaeske, G; Jacobi, A; Augustin, M

    2017-01-01

    Most data suggesting an association between psoriasis and cardiovascular disease (CVD) have come from specialized populations at either low or high risk of CVD. Atopic dermatitis (AD) has been associated with a number of modifiable risk factors, particularly obesity. There has been a recent controversy on the suggestion that associations with comorbidities in psoriasis may be due to overreporting or biased by disease severity and therefore not necessarily representative of the general psoriasis population. To evaluate the prevalence of AD and psoriasis and to compare the prevalence rates of comorbidities based on a large sample of health insurance data. Data were collected from a database of non-selected individuals from a German statutory health insurance organization that covers all geographic regions. Individuals identified by International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes applied to all outpatient and inpatient visits in the year 2009. Comorbidities were evaluated by ICD-10 diagnoses. The database consisted of 1 642 852 members of a German statutory health insurance. Of 1 349 671 data sets analyzed, 37 456 patients ≥18 years were diagnosed with psoriasis (prevalence 2.78%), and 48 140 patients ≥18 years of age were diagnosed with AD, equivalent to a prevalence of 3.67%. Patients with psoriasis showed increased rates of comorbidities in all age groups. Comorbidities related to the metabolic syndrome including arterial hypertension [prevalence ratio (PR), 1.94; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.90-1.98], hyperlipidaemia (PR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.73-1.81), obesity (PR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.69-1.79) and diabetes mellitus (PR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.83-1.94) were significantly more common among patients with psoriasis compared to AD. Diseases forming part of the metabolic syndrome showed significant lower prevalence rates in patients with AD than in patients with psoriasis. Within the limitations of secondary healthcare data, our study disproves the suggestion that

  12. Homocysteine status and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with psoriasis: a case-control study.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Tobin, A-M

    2012-02-01

    BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a hyperproliferative, cutaneous disorder with the potential to lower levels of folate. This may result in raised levels of homocysteine, an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. OBJECTIVE: A study was conducted to compare levels of red-cell folate (RCF) and homocysteine in patients with psoriasis and in healthy controls. Levels of homocysteine were also examined in the context of other major cardiovascular risk factors. METHODS: In total, 20 patients with psoriasis and 20 controls had their RCF, homo-cysteine and other conventional cardiovascular risk factors assessed. RESULTS: Patients with psoriasis had a trend towards lower levels of RCF. Significantly raised levels of homocysteine were found in patients with psoriasis compared with controls (P = 0.007). There was no correlation between homocysteine levels, RCF levels or disease activity as measured by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. Patients with psoriasis had higher body mass index (P < 0.004) and higher systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001) than controls. This may contribute to the excess cardiovascular mortality observed in patients with psoriasis.

  13. The impact of psoriasis on work-related problems: a multicenter cross-sectional survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayala, F; Sampogna, F; Romano, G V; Merolla, R; Guida, G; Gualberti, G; Paparatti, U D L; Amerio, P; Balato, N; Potenza, C

    2014-12-01

    Psoriasis can have cumulative physical and psychosocial effects preventing sufferers from achieving their full-life potential. Few studies have addressed the impact of psoriasis on work-related characteristics. To evaluate the impact of psoriasis on education prospects and work limitations in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This study was conducted in 29 dermatology centres across Italy. Information was collected by questionnaire during office visits. A total of 787 patients (64% male, aged 50 years) completed the questionnaire. At the time of the survey, mean Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score and disease duration were 10 and 19 years respectively. Current smokers had higher PASI scores compared to non-smokers (10.8 vs. 9.4, P = 0.02). Plaque psoriasis was the most frequently described (91.2%). Fifty-five percent of patients had limited expectations of career progression. Similarly, in 42% of cases, psoriasis reduced the prospects of improvement in employment status and 35% of patients reported having reduced earning potential. Approximately 60% of patients reported that psoriasis localized to their hands or feet caused work limitations, whilst in about 25%, it caused them to quit their job. Approximately 37% of patients reported having lost between 3-10 work days in the past 3 months due to clinical assessment or treatment. Logistic regression revealed that gender, low standard of education, number of localizations, shame, anger and self-esteem were predictors significantly associated with limitations in work. Moderate-to-severe psoriasis has a profound negative impact on the employment capacity of patients in Italy. Psoriasis also contributes to days lost from work, affects job opportunity, career prospects and revenue potential. © 2013 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  14. Psychocorrection activities in complex therapy of patients with psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Filonova A.V.

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Aim: to examine the psycho-emotional state of patients with psoriasis and to choose the optimal methods of correctional interventions with patients and their family-relatives. Materials and methods. The study included 230 patients with various different forms of psoriasis (150 men and 80 women, mean age 42±2,3 and 183 of their cohabitating relatives. The method of С D. Spielberg and J. L. Khanin was used for the assessment of anxiety degree, quality of life assessment (SF-36 health status survey, as well as a questionnaire, elaborated by our team, for patients with psoriasis. Results. After psychocorrection events in the patients there were noticed the following: decreased anxiety, increased vitality, improved relationships with loved ones, improved emotional state. Conclusion. When using psychotherapy in combination with medication, psoriasis treatment becomes more effective: reduced levels of anxiety, increased life activity, interaction with loved ones becomes more confident, improves emotional state.

  15. Vitamin D and its role in psoriasis: An overview of the dermatologist and nutritionist.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barrea, Luigi; Savanelli, Maria Cristina; Di Somma, Carolina; Napolitano, Maddalena; Megna, Matteo; Colao, Annamaria; Savastano, Silvia

    2017-06-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease. Psoriasis lesions are characterized by hyper-proliferation of epidermal keratinocytes associated with inflammatory cellular infiltrate in both dermis and epidermis. The epidermis is the natural source of vitamin D synthesis by sunlight action. Recently, a role for vitamin D in the pathogenesis of different skin diseases, including psoriasis, has been reported. Indeed, significant associations between low vitamin D status and psoriasis have been systematically observed. Due to its role in proliferation and maturation of keratinocytes, vitamin D has become an important local therapeutic option in the treatment of psoriasis. To date, the successful treatment based on adequate dietary intake of vitamin D or oral vitamin D supplementation in psoriasis represent an unmet clinical need and the evidence of its beneficial effects remains still controversial. This information is important either for Dermatologists and Nutritionists to increases the knowledge on the possible bi-directional relationships between low vitamin D status and psoriasis and on the potential usefulness of vitamin D in psoriasis with the aim not only to reduce its clinical severity, but also for delineating the risk profile for co-morbidities cardiac risk factors that may result from psoriasis. In the current review, we analyzed the possible bi-directional links between psoriatic disease and vitamin D.

  16. The Effect of Weight Loss in Obese Patients with Chronic Stable Plaque-Type Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wanjarus Roongpisuthipong

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. Chronic plaque psoriasis is frequently associated with obesity. The effect of a low-calorie diet on psoriasis has not been investigated. Objective. The objective was to investigate whether moderate weight loss increases the therapeutic response to topical treatment in obese patients with chronic stable plaque-type psoriasis. Material and Method. A 24-week clinical trial was conducted in 10 patients. The efficacy of a low-calorie diet with topical treatment was compared with baseline in obese patients with chronic stable plaque-type psoriasis. The primary measure of clinical response was the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index at weeks 12 and 24. Results. At week 12, the mean reduction in body weight was 9.6 percent. There was an improvement from baseline of 50 percent or more in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index in 50 percent of the patients. The responses as measured by improvements in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index were paralleled by improvements in global assessments by the physician and the patients and in the Dermatology Life Quality Index. Conclusion. Obese patients with chronic stable plaque-type psoriasis increase their response to a low-calorie diet. Lifestyle modifications, including a low-calorie diet, may supplement the pharmacologic treatment of obese psoriasis patients.

  17. Analysis of time-varying psoriasis lesion image patterns

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maletti, Gabriela Mariel; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær; Nielsen, Allan Aasbjerg

    2004-01-01

    The multivariate alteration detection transform is applied to pairs of within and between time varying registered psoriasis image patterns. Color band contribution to the variates explaining maximal change is analyzed.......The multivariate alteration detection transform is applied to pairs of within and between time varying registered psoriasis image patterns. Color band contribution to the variates explaining maximal change is analyzed....

  18. Pustular psoriasis of pregnancy (impetigo herpetiformis)--case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Rogerio Nabor; Araújo, Fernanda Mendes; Pereira, Allamanda Moura; Lopes, Vivian Cristina Holanda; Martins, Ligia Márcia Mario

    2013-01-01

    Impetigo herpetiformis is a rare dermatosis of pregnancy with typical onset during the last trimester of pregnancy and rapid resolution in the postpartum period. Clinically and histologically, it is consistent with pustular psoriasis. This similarity has led some authors to name the disease "the pustular psoriasis of pregnancy". We report the case of a patient who developed impetigo herpetiformis in two successive pregnancies.

  19. PV Obelisk - Information system with photovoltaics; PV-Obelisk Orientierungssystem mit Photovoltaik

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ruoss, D.; Rasmussen, J.

    2004-07-01

    This final report for the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE) describes the development of an information system powered by a photovoltaic (PV) array. As an innovative approach, the 'PV-Obelisk' project is the combination of PV with a multi-functional pillar made of natural stone in an aesthetic way. The PV modules serve both as a power supply and as a design element. Two initial prototypes led the way to a third, optimised consumer configuration that was planned to guarantee maximum user frequency. Test operation in front of the 'Heidiland' motor way restaurant confirmed the market analyses made and delivered the expected results. The product, whose three LCD displays are updated via a mobile telephony-based text-message system, proved its technical reliability and showed a high user frequency. Because of the high overall energy consumption, PV power can only partially contribute to the energy supply needed. Various compromises in the technical and aesthetic areas are discussed that were made for the sake of product acceptance in the market. The range of application areas for such a 'PV Obelisk' are discussed and the need for early co-ordination with urban planners is stressed.

  20. The stealth episome: suppression of gene expression on the excised genomic island PPHGI-1 from Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Scott A C Godfrey

    2011-03-01

    Full Text Available Pseudomonas syringae pv. phaseolicola is the causative agent of halo blight in the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. P. syringae pv. phaseolicola race 4 strain 1302A contains the avirulence gene avrPphB (syn. hopAR1, which resides on PPHGI-1, a 106 kb genomic island. Loss of PPHGI-1 from P. syringae pv. phaseolicola 1302A following exposure to the hypersensitive resistance response (HR leads to the evolution of strains with altered virulence. Here we have used fluorescent protein reporter systems to gain insight into the mobility of PPHGI-1. Confocal imaging of dual-labelled P. syringae pv. phaseolicola 1302A strain, F532 (dsRFP in chromosome and eGFP in PPHGI-1, revealed loss of PPHGI-1::eGFP encoded fluorescence during plant infection and when grown in vitro on extracted leaf apoplastic fluids. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS of fluorescent and non-fluorescent PPHGI-1::eGFP F532 populations showed that cells lost fluorescence not only when the GI was deleted, but also when it had excised and was present as a circular episome. In addition to reduced expression of eGFP, quantitative PCR on sub-populations separated by FACS showed that transcription of other genes on PPHGI-1 (avrPphB and xerC was also greatly reduced in F532 cells harbouring the excised PPHGI-1::eGFP episome. Our results show how virulence determinants located on mobile pathogenicity islands may be hidden from detection by host surveillance systems through the suppression of gene expression in the episomal state.

  1. Sonography of acne vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wortsman, Ximena; Claveria, Pedro; Valenzuela, Fernando; Molina, Maria Teresa; Wortsman, Jacobo

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the sonographic morphology of the clinical and subclinical pathology of facial acne vulgaris. We studied patients with facial acne vulgaris diagnosed by certified dermatologists, and using a standardized protocol for sonographic examinations, we sequentially described the sonographic pathomorphologic characteristics. Lesions of particular interest to the referring clinician were also analyzed separately. Additionally, acne involvement was staged clinically and sonographically (SOS-Acne) using morphologic definitions of the relevant lesions and predefined scoring systems for gradation of the severity of acne lesions. A total of 245 acne lesions in 20 consecutive patients were studied. Sonographic abnormalities consisted of pseudocysts, folliculitis, fistulas, and calcinosis. Most conditions were subclinical and mostly due to lesion extensions deep into the dermis and hypodermis (52% of pseudocysts and 68% of fistulas). The statistical concordance between acne severity scores assigned by two separate clinicians was strong (κ = 0.8020), but the corresponding sonographic scores generally showed more severe and clinically occult involvement. Facial acne vulgaris often involves deeper tissues, beyond the reach of the spatially restricted clinical examination; these subclinical conditions can be detected and defined with sonography. Additionally, acne vulgaris is amenable to sonographic scoring.

  2. Histological Stratification of Thick and Thin Plaque Psoriasis Explores Molecular Phenotypes with Clinical Implications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dong Joo; Brodmerkel, Carrie; Correa da Rosa, Joel; Krueger, James G.; Suárez-Fariñas, Mayte

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis, which presents as red, scaly patches on the body, is a common, autoimmune skin disease that affects 2 to 3 percent of the world population. To leverage recent molecular findings into the personalized treatment of psoriasis, we need a strategy that integrates clinical stratification with molecular phenotyping. In this study, we sought to stratify psoriasis patients by histological measurements of epidermal thickness, and to compare their molecular characterizations by gene expression, serum cytokines, and response to biologics. We obtained histological measures of epidermal thickness in a cohort of 609 psoriasis patients, and identified a mixture of two subpopulations—thick and thin plaque psoriasis—from which they were derived. This stratification was verified in a subcohort of 65 patients from a previously published study with significant differences in inflammatory cell infiltrates in the psoriatic skin. Thick and thin plaque psoriasis shared 84.8% of the meta-analysis-derived psoriasis transcriptome, but a stronger dysregulation of the meta-analysis-derived psoriasis transcriptome was seen in thick plaque psoriasis on microarray. RT-PCR revealed that gene expression in thick and thin plaque psoriasis was different not only within psoriatic lesional skin but also in peripheral non-lesional skin. Additionally, differences in circulating cytokines and their changes in response to biologic treatments were found between the two subgroups. All together, we were able to integrate histological stratification with molecular phenotyping as a way of exploring clinical phenotypes with different expression levels of the psoriasis transcriptome and circulating cytokines. PMID:26176783

  3. Berberis vulgaris: specifications and traditional uses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rahimi-Madiseh, Mohammad; Lorigoini, Zahra; Zamani-gharaghoshi, Hajar; Rafieian-kopaei, Mahmoud

    2017-01-01

    The medicinal plants from genus Berberis are particularly important in traditional medicine and the food basket of Iranians. Given various plants from genus Berberis and their economic, nutritional, and medicinal status in Iran, this study seeks to investigate the findings of recent studies on the phytochemical characteristics, specifications, and uses of Berberis vulgaris. In this review article, 350 articles were initially retrieved from reliable scientific databases using relevant search terms. Then, 230 articles were selected and 120 were excluded after a primary analysis. Finally, 98 articles related to the subject under study were meticulously examined and the required data were extracted and classified according to the research purposes. The findings were divided into eight separate sections: Introducing Berberidaceae family, different species of Berberis, pharmaceutical organs, B. vulgaris nutrition facts and minerals, the antioxidants and alkaloids compounds in fruit and other organs, action mechanisms of preventing and treating diseases, traditional uses of B. vulgaris, and its properties reported by recent studies. The results briefly indicate that B. vulgaris contains a large number of phytochemical materials including ascorbic acid, vitamin K, several triterpenoids, more than 10 phenolic compounds and more than 30 alkaloids. Therefore B. vulgaris may have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, analgesic and anti-nociceptive and hepato-protective effects. Regarding the use of different organs of B. vulgaris in traditional medicine and their confirmed effects in the recent studies, it is possible to use different organs of B. vulgaris, especially fruit, to develop new drugs. PMID:28656092

  4. Berberis vulgaris: specifications and traditional uses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Rahimi-Madiseh

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The medicinal plants from genus Berberis are particularly important in traditional medicine and the food basket of Iranians. Given various plants from genus Berberis and their economic, nutritional, and medicinal status in Iran, this study seeks to investigate the findings of recent studies on the phytochemical characteristics, specifications, and uses of Berberis vulgaris. In this review article, 350 articles were initially retrieved from reliable scientific databases using relevant search terms. Then, 230 articles were selected and 120 were excluded after a primary analysis. Finally, 98 articles related to the subject under study were meticulously examined and the required data were extracted and classified according to the research purposes. The findings were divided into eight separate sections: Introducing Berberidaceae family, different species of Berberis, pharmaceutical organs, B. vulgaris nutrition facts and minerals, the antioxidants and alkaloids compounds in fruit and other organs, action mechanisms of preventing and treating diseases, traditional uses of B. vulgaris, and its properties reported by recent studies. The results briefly indicate that B. vulgaris contains a large number of phytochemical materials including ascorbic acid, vitamin K, several triterpenoids, more than 10 phenolic compounds and more than 30 alkaloids. Therefore B. vulgaris may have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, antibacterial, analgesic and anti-nociceptive and hepato-protective effects. Regarding the use of different organs of B. vulgaris in traditional medicine and their confirmed effects in the recent studies, it is possible to use different organs of B. vulgaris, especially fruit, to develop new drugs.

  5. Roentgenological semiotics of joint involvement in psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spuzyak, M.I.

    1986-01-01

    The paper is concerned with the results of an X-ray study of the osteoarticular system of 103 patients with arthropathic psoriasis. Four types of disease: psoriatic polyarthritis, psoriatic polyarthrosis, psoriatic arthropathy and a mixed or combined form (the combination of inflammatory and degenerative-dystrophic changes) - were defined on the basis of X-ray findings. Roentgenological semiotics of these forms of arthropathic psoriasis with the frequency of the involvement of some joints and elements of differential radiodiagnosis was proposed

  6. Effect of a family history of psoriasis and age on comorbidities and quality of life in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis: Results from the ARIZONA study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    López-Estebaranz, Jose Luis; Sánchez-Carazo, Jose Luis; Sulleiro, Sara

    2016-04-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease whose clinical characteristics vary from patient to patient. We aimed to analyze how comorbidities and quality of life (QoL, as per the Dermatology Life Quality Index [DLQI]) may be affected by a family history of psoriasis and by age. The ARIZONA study was a multicenter, cross-sectional study in 1022 adult patients diagnosed with moderate to severe psoriasis at least 6 months prior to inclusion. The severity of psoriasis and the proportion of patients with comorbidities were not affected by the presence of a family history. The regression analysis revealed that the presence of a family history of psoriasis was associated with the effect on the patient's QoL (P = 0.002), regardless of disease severity. The mean DLQI total score varied significantly across age groups (5.1 ± 5.3 for the 18-30-year group, 5.7 ± 6.5 for the 31-60-year group and 3.8 ± 5.1 for the >60-year group; P = 0.001). In conclusion, the presence of a family history of psoriasis appears to disrupt QoL in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, but it hardly affected the prevalence of comorbid conditions. The effect of age on QoL was particularly noticeable in younger patients, highlighting its negative impact. As expected, older patients appeared to be burdened with a higher number of comorbidities than their younger counterparts. © 2015 Japanese Dermatological Association.

  7. Diprosone ointment in psoriasis | Ross | South African Medical Journal

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    A double-blind trial which compared the effects of two topical steroids on 58 successive cases of psoriasis is reported. The investigations compared the efficacy and cosmetic acceptability ... of improvement in scaling observed by the investigator (P<0,080). The phenomenon of sweating in patches of psoriasis is discussed.

  8. Emerging treatments in the management of psoriasis: biological targeting with ustekinumab

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marina Papoutsaki

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Marina Papoutsaki, Antonio Costanzo, Sergio ChimentiDepartment of Dermatology, University of Rome, “Tor vergata”, Rome, ItalyAbstract: Psoriasis is a chronic, genetically determined, immune-mediated, inflammatory skin disease affecting approximately 2% to 3% of Caucasian population. Given the well-established role of the immuno-mediated inflammation in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, in the past few years several key steps in the pathogenesis of this disease have been elucidated and the increased knowledge led to the development of specific drugs, commonly defined as “biologics” targeting one or more of these steps. At present an anti-CD11a antibody (efalizumab, an anti-LFA3/CD2 receptor (alefacept and 3 antitumor necrosis factor alpha agents (adalimumab, etanercept, infliximab are now commercially available for the treatment of both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. Recent studies have demonstrated that interleukins (IL 12 and 23 play an important role in the pathophysiology of psoriasis. In fact members of the IL-12 family of cytokines have the potential to act as the next major cytokine(s in pathogenesis and the treatment of psoriasis. Ustekinumab (CNTO 1275, Centocor Inc, Malvern, PA, USA is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the shared p40 protein subunit of human interleukins 12 and 23 with high affinity and specificity, thereby preventing interaction with their surface IL-12Rβ1 receptor. Different clinical studies have been conducted to date. In particular a phase II study and two phase III studies, PHOENIX 1 together with PHOENIX 2, show very encouraging results. This review reports on the latest progress made in the clinical use of biologic drugs for psoriasis focusing on the new human IL-12/23 monoclonal antibody, ustekinumab, for psoriasis.Keywords: psoriasis, ustekinumab, interleukin-12/23 monoclonal antibody

  9. Compounds of psoriasis with obesity and overweight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Owczarczyk-Saczonek, Agnieszka; Placek, Waldemar

    2017-08-24

    Many epidemiological studies have confirmed the relationship of obesity and psoriasis, and it is believed that obesity is an independent risk factor for its development and is associated with a worse prognosis. Furthermore, the reduction of body weight, using low-calorie diet combined with exercise, reduces the severity of psoriasis.Visceral adipose tissue is the largest endocrine organ, producing proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17) and adipokines (adiponectin, omentin, chemerin). They participate in the development of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, and consequently of the cardiovascular diseases. Macrophages of visceral adipose tissue have a special role and they increase significantly in obesity. They are responsible for the development of inflammation in adipose tissue and produce inflammatory cytokines (TNF alpha, IL-6, Il-8, Il-17, Il-18, MCP-1) and other adipokines: resistin, visfatin, retinol-binding protein 4. This explains the concept of «psoriatic march «and observations of the frequent coexistence of psoriasis with obesity. Inflammation associated with systemic disease, fanned by pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines produced by the visceral adipose tissue lead to the development of insulin resistance, endothelial cell damage. Endothelial dysfunction predisposes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and faster development of cardiovascular events. Complication of obesity is the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which states twice as likely in patients with plaque psoriasis and is associated with the severity of the disease. Another consequence is the development of depression. Probably the proinflammatory cytokines can interact with metabolism of neurotransmitters. Obesity also has a significant impact on the treatment of psoriasis, increasing the risk of adverse effects of systemic drugs, reducing the efficacy of biological agents which dose should be adjusted to the weight of the patient. It

  10. Compounds of psoriasis with obesity and overweight

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Owczarczyk-Saczonek

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Many epidemiological studies have confirmed the relationship of obesity and psoriasis, and it is believed that obesity is an independent risk factor for its development and is associated with a worse prognosis. Furthermore, the reduction of body weight, using low-calorie diet combined with exercise, reduces the severity of psoriasis.Visceral adipose tissue is the largest endocrine organ, producing proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-17 and adipokines (adiponectin, omentin, chemerin. They participate in the development of dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, diabetes, and consequently of the cardiovascular diseases. Macrophages of visceral adipose tissue have a special role and they increase significantly in obesity. They are responsible for the development of inflammation in adipose tissue and produce inflammatory cytokines (TNF alpha, IL-6, Il-8, Il-17, Il-18, MCP-1 and other adipokines: resistin, visfatin, retinol-binding protein 4. This explains the concept of «psoriatic march «and observations of the frequent coexistence of psoriasis with obesity. Inflammation associated with systemic disease, fanned by pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines produced by the visceral adipose tissue lead to the development of insulin resistance, endothelial cell damage. Endothelial dysfunction predisposes to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques and faster development of cardiovascular events. Complication of obesity is the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD, which states twice as likely in patients with plaque psoriasis and is associated with the severity of the disease. Another consequence is the development of depression. Probably the proinflammatory cytokines can interact with metabolism of neurotransmitters. Obesity also has a significant impact on the treatment of psoriasis, increasing the risk of adverse effects of systemic drugs, reducing the efficacy of biological agents which dose should be adjusted to the weight of

  11. Body image, self-esteem, and quality of life in patients with psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hulya Nazik

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin that may affect the visible areas of body. Hence, the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image can be affected in psoriasis patients. Objectives: We aimed in the present study to assess the effects of psoriasis on the quality of life, self-esteem, and body image. Materials and Methods: The study included 92 patients with psoriasis, along with 98 control participants. The sociodemographic characteristics of the patients were assessed, their Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI scores were calculated to determine the clinical severity of the psoriasis, and the values were recorded. In addition, Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI, Body Image Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale results were evaluated. Results: When the control and psoriasis groups were evaluated regarding the DLQI, self-esteem, and body image, quality of life was found to be more negatively affected in the psoriasis group than the controls, which was statistically significant (P < 0.001, and self-esteem (P < 0.001 and body image (P < 0.001 were found to be significantly lower. Educational status significantly affected self-esteem (P < 0.001 and body image (P = 0.021, however, quality of life was not significantly affected by this parameter (P = 0.345. PASI was positively correlated with the quality of life (r = 0.703 and self-esteem (r = 0.448, however, it was negatively correlated with the body image (r = −0.423. Conclusions: Psoriasis may negatively affect quality of life, self-esteem, and body image, and may also cause psychosocial problems. An assessment of new approaches on this issue may contribute to developments in the treatment of and rehabilitation from this disease.

  12. Teaching empathy to undergraduate medical students using a temporary tattoo simulating psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Latham, Lesley; MacDonald, Aimee; Kimball, Alexa B; Langley, Richard G

    2012-07-01

    Psoriasis has a profound negative effect on quality of life that is often underappreciated by health care professionals and the public. We sought to assess the perception of the burden of psoriasis relative to other medical conditions in first-year medical students, and to determine if wearing a temporary tattoo simulating psoriasis during a teaching exercise would change their perceptions. Participants completed a questionnaire assessing their perception of the impact of psoriasis and other common medical conditions (visual analog scale). Participants then wore a temporary tattoo of a psoriatic lesion for 24 hours and completed the same questionnaire after this exercise. Of 91 students approached, 61 completed the study. At baseline, psoriasis (mean = 23.6) and eczema (mean = 23.3) were perceived as having the lowest physical burden of diseases queried (P mental impact of psoriasis was scored comparably with arthritis, heart disease, and diabetes (mean = 45.1-56.7), but lower than cancer (mean = 82.2) and depression (mean = 93.8). After the exercise, the perception of the impact of eczema (physical: mean = 37.3, P mental: mean = 66.6, P = .0005) and psoriasis (physical: mean = 37.8, P = .0014; mental: mean = 68.6, P = .0293) was significantly increased. The exercise did not simulate the chronic nature of psoriasis or the scaling and pruritic characteristics of psoriatic lesions. The survey instrument used to assess empathy has not been previously validated and statistical analysis was limited by small sample size and the absence of a control group. Temporary tattoos are a novel and effective method of teaching medical students about the psychological burden of psoriasis. Copyright © 2011 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. In touch with psoriasis: topical treatments and current guidelines.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Murphy, G

    2012-02-01

    This article describes topical therapies and treatment guidelines for psoriasis and is based on a presentation given by the authors at a satellite symposium held during the 19th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 6-10 October, 2010, in Gothenburg, Sweden. The highly variable nature of psoriasis and its individual presentation in patients can make it difficult to choose the most appropriate treatment. There are many treatment options, from topical treatment with emollients for very mild psoriasis, to systemic therapy with fumaric acid esters, methotrexate or biologics for severe disease. For the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis, topical therapy is generally the most appropriate and a variety of options, both historical and recent, are available. Newer therapies offer greater convenience and fewer side-effects. Of the more recently available therapies, vitamin D analogues and topical corticosteroids are the two with the greatest proven efficacy in randomized clinical trials. A recent Cochrane review showed the highest efficacy overall with the fixed combination vitamin D analogue (calcipotriol) and corticosteroid (betamethasone dipropionate). Indeed, clinical trials have shown that two-compound calcipotriol\\/betamethasone dipropionate ointment has higher efficacy than calcipotriol or betamethasone dipropionate alone. With regard to safety, two-compound calcipotriol\\/betamethasone dipropionate was shown to be suitable for intermittent long-term treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis. The findings of the Cochrane review are reflected in the current treatment guidelines from the USA and Germany regarding the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis. In both these guidelines, which will be discussed in this article, the recommended treatments for this patient group are vitamin D analogues and corticosteroids, particularly when used in combination.

  14. In touch with psoriasis: topical treatments and current guidelines.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Murphy, G

    2011-06-01

    This article describes topical therapies and treatment guidelines for psoriasis and is based on a presentation given by the authors at a satellite symposium held during the 19th Congress of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology, 6-10 October, 2010, in Gothenburg, Sweden. The highly variable nature of psoriasis and its individual presentation in patients can make it difficult to choose the most appropriate treatment. There are many treatment options, from topical treatment with emollients for very mild psoriasis, to systemic therapy with fumaric acid esters, methotrexate or biologics for severe disease. For the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis, topical therapy is generally the most appropriate and a variety of options, both historical and recent, are available. Newer therapies offer greater convenience and fewer side-effects. Of the more recently available therapies, vitamin D analogues and topical corticosteroids are the two with the greatest proven efficacy in randomized clinical trials. A recent Cochrane review showed the highest efficacy overall with the fixed combination vitamin D analogue (calcipotriol) and corticosteroid (betamethasone dipropionate). Indeed, clinical trials have shown that two-compound calcipotriol\\/betamethasone dipropionate ointment has higher efficacy than calcipotriol or betamethasone dipropionate alone. With regard to safety, two-compound calcipotriol\\/betamethasone dipropionate was shown to be suitable for intermittent long-term treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis. The findings of the Cochrane review are reflected in the current treatment guidelines from the USA and Germany regarding the treatment of mild-to-moderate psoriasis. In both these guidelines, which will be discussed in this article, the recommended treatments for this patient group are vitamin D analogues and corticosteroids, particularly when used in combination.

  15. Barriers to guideline-compliant psoriasis care: analyses and concepts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eissing, L; Radtke, M A; Zander, N; Augustin, M

    2016-04-01

    Despite the availability of effective therapeutics and evidence-based treatment guidelines, a substantial proportion of patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis does not receive appropriate care. This under-provision of health care may cause further worsening of health, remarkable limitations of the patient's quality of life, and indirect costs for the health care system. In order to provide guideline-compliant care for every psoriasis patient, it is important to identify barriers obstructing optimal care. Studies have identified various barriers on the physician's and on the patient's side; however, respective studies approached only single barriers, and not all of them in the context of psoriasis. Other publications that describe barriers systematically did not focus on psoriasis either. The objective of this literature review was to identify barriers and facilitators, based on studies analysing quality of care and single barriers, resulting in a comprehensive model of causal factors. Our analyses revealed three categories of barriers - patient-related, physician-related and external factors: On the patient side, we found non-adherence to therapies to be an important barrier, often in close association with psychiatric factors. Barriers on the physician's side predominantly are incomplete knowledge of the guidelines as well as the complexity of psoriasis comorbidity. In some countries, payment for patients with complex disease status is poor and inconsistent reimbursement regulations potentially interfere with optimal care. The current analysis indicates that most barriers are interdependent. Thus, measures approaching related barriers simultaneously are required. To improve care for psoriasis patients, further studies systematically addressing all potentially relevant barriers in conjoint are needed. © 2015 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  16. Is the diet important for psoriasis?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Agnieszka Owczarczyk-Saczonek

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis is a systemic disease, associated with the occurrence of metabolic disorders (obesity, diabetes, hyperuricemia, lipid disorders and rapid development of atherosclerosis; therefore diet can be an important adjuvant therapy. A low-calorie diet is an important complement treatment of patients with psoriasis, particularly those with concomitant obesity. There are a lot of studies indicating that obesity is a risk factor for psoriasis and vice versa. Visceral adipose tissue produces numerous proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, Il-8, Il-17, Il-18, the same ones that participate in development of psoriatic lesions. Important factors in the diet are the essential polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids. They have an anti-inflammatory effect because they inhibit the production of proinflammatory cytokines (I-1b, IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1, VCAM-1. In addition, supplementation of omega-3 and natural antioxidants in the diet may help to reduce "oxidative stress" and systemic inflammation. The use of a gluten-free diet is controversial, but in patients with positive anti gliadin antibodies it seems justified. An essential element of the procedure is to avoid alcohol and all its forms and stimulants that have pro-inflammatory effects. We should advise our patients to avoid grapefruit juice during treatment with cyclosporine and limit the supply of simple sugars, animal fats and alcohol during treatment with retinoids. Dietary recommendations for patients with psoriasis are an important part of a holistic approach to patients who expect comprehensive care, not just the prescription.

  17. Severe and acute complications of biologics in psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oussedik, Elias; Patel, Nupur U; Cash, Devin R; Gupta, Angela S; Feldman, Steven R

    2017-12-01

    Biologic therapies have revolutionized the approach to immune-mediated diseases such as psoriasis. Due to their favorable safety profiles and excellent efficacy, biologic agents are considered the gold standard for moderate-to-severe psoriasis. The aim of this paper is to saliently review the severe and acute complications of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved biologic agents for psoriasis. Reviewed agents include tumor necrosis factor alpha inhibitors (etanercept, infliximab, and adalimumab), interleukin 12/23 inhibitors (ustekinumab), and interleukin 17 (IL-17) inhibitors (secukinumab and ixekizumab). While malignancies, serious infections, and major adverse cardiovascular events have been reported, their association with biologic therapy are not hypothesized as causal. However, IL-17 inhibitors appear to cause exacerbations and new cases of inflammatory bowel disease. While more long-term studies are warranted in understanding the biologic's long-term side effect profile, short-term studies have confirmed that the biologics are some of the safest treatment options for psoriasis. Nevertheless, certain populations yield higher risk to acute complications with the biologics than others - physicians must use their judgement and vigilance when monitoring and treating patients undergoing therapy with biological agents.

  18. Novel Methods to Determine Feeder Locational PV Hosting Capacity and PV Impact Signatures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reno, Matthew J. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Coogan, Kyle [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Seuss, John [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Broderick, Robert Joseph [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

    2017-05-01

    Often PV hosting capacity analysis is performed for a limited number of distribution feeders. For medium - voltage distribution feeders, previous results generally analyze less than 20 feeders, and then the results are extrapolated out to similar types of feeders. Previous hosting capacity research has often focused on determining a single value for the hosting capacity for the entire feeder, whereas this research expands previous hosting capacity work to investigate all the regions of the feeder that may allow many different hosting capacity values wit h an idea called locational hosting capacity (LHC)to determine the largest PV size that can be interconnected at different locations (buses) on the study feeders. This report discusses novel methods for analyzing PV interconnections with advanced simulati on methods. The focus is feeder and location - specific impacts of PV that determine the locational PV hosting capacity. Feeder PV impact signature are used to more precisely determine the local maximum hosting capacity of individual areas of the feeder. T he feeder signature provides improved interconnection screening with certain zones that show the risk of impact to the distribution feeder from PV interconnections.

  19. A review article on brodalumab in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roostaeyan, Omid; Kivelevitch, Dario; Menter, Alan

    2017-09-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic immune-mediated skin disorder affecting approximately 2-3% of the worldwide population. Recent advances in our understanding of the immunopathogenesis of psoriasis have resulted in novel therapeutic agents. IL-17, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, plays a pivotal role in psoriasis. Therapeutic agents targeting this cytokine have shown clinical effectiveness in the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Brodalumab, a human antibody against IL-17 receptor A, has been approved by the US FDA in February 2017, by the Japanese Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency in July 2016 and by the EMA in July 2017 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. This article reviews the published data relating to brodalumab for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

  20. Evaluation of abdominal fat index by ultrasonography and its relationship with psoriasis and metabolic syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gönül, Müzeyyen; Tatar, İdil; Canpolat, Filiz; Işıl Kurmus, Gökçe; Ergin, Can; Hekimoğlu, Baki

    2017-10-01

    Accumulating evidence indicates that psoriasis is associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Psoriasis and obesity share similar inflammatory mediators, and obesity may potentiate some inflammatory cytokines seen in psoriasis. Body fat distribution, particularly visceral adipose tissue (VAT), is an important factor in metabolic syndrome and atherosclerotic diseases. An association has been demonstrated between psoriasis and abdominal VAT measured by computed tomography (CT). To measure abdominal VAT noninvasively by ultrasonography (USG) in patients with psoriasis and investigated its relation to psoriasis and metabolic syndrome. The study population consisted of 41 psoriasis patients and 41 control subjects matched for age, sex, and body mass index. The maximal preperitoneal fat thickness (Pmax) at the anterior surface of the liver and the minimal subcutaneous fat thickness (Smin) of the abdomen were measured by USG. The abdominal fat index (AFI = Pmax/Smin ratio) was calculated and the results were compared between groups. The rate of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in psoriasis patients ( p = 0.0018). The mean AFI was similar in both groups. AFI was not associated with psoriasis in subjects with metabolic syndrome ( p = 0.495) or with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index ( r = 0.123, p = 0.443). This is the first study to evaluate abdominal VAT by USG. Computed tomography may be more reliable than USG, but its high cost and radiation exposure are major disadvantages. Further studies are required to determine the relationships between psoriasis and VAT.

  1. Therapeutic efficacy and safety of propylthiouracil in psoriasis: An open-label study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pushpa Gnanaraj

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Psoriasis is a common hyperproliferative disorder of the skin associated with significant morbidity. Most of the drugs used in psoriasis provide only a temporary relief, whereas they are riddled with potential toxicities and cost concerns. Hence, there is a constant need to explore newer, effective, orally administered, and cost-effective drugs with minimal adverse effects. In this scenario, propylthiouracil (PTU, an antithyroid thioureylene has been shown to be effective in psoriasis which satisfies the above criteria. Aim: The objective of our study is to assess the clinical efficacy of PTU in psoriasis. Methods: A total of 25 patients with plaque psoriasis were treated with oral PTU for 12 weeks. Clinical response was assessed using the "Psoriasis Area and Severity Index" (PASI score. Routine blood analyses and thyroid function tests were carried out periodically during the study. Results: Oral PTU produced significant clearing of lesions at 6 weeks and 12 weeks of the study period in all patients, as demonstrated by the reduction in PASI scores (33.9% in 6 weeks and 74.1% reduction in 12 weeks. Four patients experienced near complete clearing of the lesions. One patient developed mild elevation of liver enzymes which reversed on withdrawal of PTU. None of the patients had hypothyroidism or cytopenias. Conclusion: PTU significantly clears the lesions in psoriasis with minimal adverse effects. Hence, it can be considered as a therapeutic option in psoriasis, especially when the standard drugs cannot be used due to their toxicities or forbidding cost.

  2. Energy balance of the global photovoltaic (PV) industry--is the PV industry a net electricity producer?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dale, Michael; Benson, Sally M

    2013-04-02

    A combination of declining costs and policy measures motivated by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction and energy security have driven rapid growth in the global installed capacity of solar photovoltaics (PV). This paper develops a number of unique data sets, namely the following: calculation of distribution of global capacity factor for PV deployment; meta-analysis of energy consumption in PV system manufacture and deployment; and documentation of reduction in energetic costs of PV system production. These data are used as input into a new net energy analysis of the global PV industry, as opposed to device level analysis. In addition, the paper introduces a new concept: a model tracking energetic costs of manufacturing and installing PV systems, including balance of system (BOS) components. The model is used to forecast electrical energy requirements to scale up the PV industry and determine the electricity balance of the global PV industry to 2020. Results suggest that the industry was a net consumer of electricity as recently as 2010. However, there is a >50% that in 2012 the PV industry is a net electricity provider and will "pay back" the electrical energy required for its early growth before 2020. Further reducing energetic costs of PV deployment will enable more rapid growth of the PV industry. There is also great potential to increase the capacity factor of PV deployment. These conclusions have a number of implications for R&D and deployment, including the following: monitoring of the energy embodied within PV systems; designing more efficient and durable systems; and deploying PV systems in locations that will achieve high capacity factors.

  3. Guidelines of care for the management of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis Section 3. Guidelines of care for the management and treatment of psoriasis with topical therapies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Menter, A.; Korman, N.J.; Elmets, C.A.; Feldman, S.R.; Gelfand, J.M.; Gordon, K.B.; Gottlieb, A.; Koo, J.Y.M.; Lebwohl, M.; Lim, H.W.; Van Voorhees, A.S.; Beutner, K.R.; Bhushan, R. [University of Texas South West Medical Center Dallas, Dallas, TX (United States)

    2009-04-15

    Psoriasis is a common, chronic, inflammatory, multi-system disease with predominantly skin and joint manifestations affecting approximately 2% of the Population. In this third of 6 sections of the guidelines of care for psoriasis, we discuss the use of topical medications for the treatment of psoriasis. The majority of patients with psoriasis have limited disease (<5% body surface area involvement) and can be treated with topical agents, which generally provide a high efficacy-to-safety ratio. Topical agents may also be used adjunctively for patients with more extensive psoriasis undergoing therapy with either ultraviolet light, systemic or biologic medications. However, the use of topical agents as monotherapy in the setting of extensive disease or in the setting of limited, but recalcitrant, disease is not routinely recommended. Treatment should be tailored to meet individual patients' needs. We will discuss the efficacy and safety of as well as offer recommendations for the use of topical corticosteroids, vitamin D analogues, tazarotene, tacrolimus, pimecrolimus, emollients, salicylic acid, anthralin, coal tar, as well as combination therapy.

  4. Integrative biology approach identifies cytokine targeting strategies for psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perera, Gayathri K; Ainali, Chrysanthi; Semenova, Ekaterina; Hundhausen, Christian; Barinaga, Guillermo; Kassen, Deepika; Williams, Andrew E; Mirza, Muddassar M; Balazs, Mercedesz; Wang, Xiaoting; Rodriguez, Robert Sanchez; Alendar, Andrej; Barker, Jonathan; Tsoka, Sophia; Ouyang, Wenjun; Nestle, Frank O

    2014-02-12

    Cytokines are critical checkpoints of inflammation. The treatment of human autoimmune disease has been revolutionized by targeting inflammatory cytokines as key drivers of disease pathogenesis. Despite this, there exist numerous pitfalls when translating preclinical data into the clinic. We developed an integrative biology approach combining human disease transcriptome data sets with clinically relevant in vivo models in an attempt to bridge this translational gap. We chose interleukin-22 (IL-22) as a model cytokine because of its potentially important proinflammatory role in epithelial tissues. Injection of IL-22 into normal human skin grafts produced marked inflammatory skin changes resembling human psoriasis. Injection of anti-IL-22 monoclonal antibody in a human xenotransplant model of psoriasis, developed specifically to test potential therapeutic candidates, efficiently blocked skin inflammation. Bioinformatic analysis integrating both the IL-22 and anti-IL-22 cytokine transcriptomes and mapping them onto a psoriasis disease gene coexpression network identified key cytokine-dependent hub genes. Using knockout mice and small-molecule blockade, we show that one of these hub genes, the so far unexplored serine/threonine kinase PIM1, is a critical checkpoint for human skin inflammation and potential future therapeutic target in psoriasis. Using in silico integration of human data sets and biological models, we were able to identify a new target in the treatment of psoriasis.

  5. Scintigraphic investigation of clavicular bone area in patients with psoriasis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aso, Kazuo; Amano, Michiko; Sekiya, Sakae; Komatani, Akio

    1984-01-01

    Bone scintigraphy with sup(99m)Tc-methylene diphosphonate (MDP) was performed in 38 patients with psoriasis, 5 patients with palmoplantar pustulosis, and 56 control subjects. Abnormal uptake was seen primarily in the sternoclavicular junction and the cartilage of the first rib in 24 of the patients with psoriasis (63%) and in 3 of the patients with palmoplantar pustulosis (60%), and in the sternoclavicular junction in 21 of the control subjects (38%). The incidence of uptake in the sternoclavicular junction area in the psoriasis patients clearly exceeded that in the control subjects. (Namekawa, K.)

  6. Secukinumab treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in routine clinical care: real-life data of prior and concomitant use of psoriasis treatments from the PROSPECT study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Körber, A; Thaçi, D; von Kiedrowski, R; Bachhuber, T; Melzer, N; Kasparek, T; Kraehn-Senftleben, G; Amon, U; Augustin, M

    2018-03-01

    Secukinumab, a fully human anti-interleukin-17A monoclonal antibody, has demonstrated efficacy and safety in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. However, as per study protocols, transition periods from prior psoriasis treatments of a defined minimal length were required and use of concomitant psoriasis medication was prohibited. There is therefore a lack of data on the effect of shorter transition periods and concomitant psoriasis treatment with other pharmacologically active substances on the effectiveness and safety of secukinumab in routine clinical practice. The PROSPECT study was designed to assess prior and concomitant use of psoriasis treatments in subjects receiving secukinumab and the duration of transition periods from prior treatments to secukinumab. Here, we report the baseline characteristics and the duration of transition period in an interim analysis of the first 805 subjects. PROSPECT is an ongoing 24-week, single-cohort, non-interventional study. Subjects with moderate to severe psoriasis with a decision to receive secukinumab were included. The majority of subjects were male (491/796, 61.7%), with a mean age of 47.7 years (SD 13.7). The baseline Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) was available for 92.4% (744/805) of subjects, and mean baseline PASI was 17.5 (SD 13.1); 93.4% (752/805) of subjects had signs of high disease severity. Use of concomitant treatment increased with the number of signs. Within the last 12 months prior to inclusion, 10%, 40%, and 28% of subjects had received topical, conventional systemic, or biologic treatments as their last prior psoriasis therapy, respectively, and 22% of subjects had not received any psoriasis therapy. Discontinuation of prior treatment due to adverse events was high in subjects with conventional systemic treatment (93/413, 22.5%) compared to biologic treatment (5/210, 2.4%). The median duration of the transition period was 14.0, 30.5, and 38.0 days for prior topical, conventional systemic

  7. A proteomics approach to the identification of biomarkers for psoriasis utilising keratome biopsy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Williamson, James C; Scheipers, Peter; Schwämmle, Veit

    2013-01-01

    a quantitative proteomics screen of four patients with psoriasis using stable isotope dimethyl labelling and identified over 50 proteins consistently altered in abundance in psoriasis lesional versus non-lesional skin. This includes several canonical psoriasis related proteins (e.g. S100A7 [Psoriasin] and FABP5...

  8. Family history predicts major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in young adults with psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Egeberg, Alexander; Bruun, Louise E; Mallbris, Lotus

    2016-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriasis may have increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (MACE), and a family history of CV disease (CVD) is an independent risk factor for MACE. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the risk of first-time MACE in patients with psoriasis with or without a fami....... The findings call for increased focus on a family history of CVD in CV risk assessment of patients with psoriasis.......BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriasis may have increased risk of major adverse cardiovascular (CV) events (MACE), and a family history of CV disease (CVD) is an independent risk factor for MACE. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the risk of first-time MACE in patients with psoriasis with or without a family...... history of CVD. METHODS: Between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2011, we identified 2,722,375 individuals, including 25,774 and 4504 patients with mild and severe psoriasis, through administrative registers. Incidence rate ratios were estimated by Poisson regression. RESULTS: Mean baseline age was 26...

  9. Psoriasis sparing the polio-affected limb: Is it merely the koebner phenomenon?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B C Ravikumar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Psoriasis being a common skin condition, atypical forms and unusual localizations of this disease are quite frequently seen. However, psoriasis sparing a polio-affected limb is extremely rare. We report a case of an adult male, who presented with psoriasis distributed all over the body but with almost complete sparing of the polio-affected left lower limb.

  10. 21 CFR 358.710 - Active ingredients for the control of dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ..., seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis. 358.710 Section 358.710 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION... Psoriasis § 358.710 Active ingredients for the control of dandruff, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis. The... psoriasis. (1) Coal tar, 0.5 to 5 percent. When a coal tar solution, derivative, or fraction is used as the...

  11. Current and Under Development Treatment Modalities of Psoriasis: A Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Albaghdadi, Abdullah

    2017-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic and complex autoimmune inflammatory skin disease that affects over 125 million people worldwide. It can exhibit at any age, in spite of the fact that children are less normally influenced than adults. It is characterized by distinct erythematous plaques shielded with conspicuous silvery scales that shows up in different areas of the skin. Knowledge of pathophysiology, especially the pathogenesis of psoriasis, has significantly progressed in the recent decade. Advancement in molecular knowledge leads to better understanding of the disease, thus influencing the development of efficient treatment modalities. However, even with the availability of various options of treatment most of the efficient treatment modalities are costly. Expenses of health care bring about major financial weight to the patients as well as to health care systems. Thus, it was important to review the available current treatment options and those which are under development, in terms of efficacy, safety and cost to assist in selecting the most appropriate treatment for psoriasis patients. Literatures were searched by using key words psoriasis, topical treatment, systemic treatment, biologics and phototherapies, on Embase, Medline, Jstor, Cochrane and Merck Index databases. Life-style choices such as smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and stress are recognised as risk factors and triggers associated with psoriasis. Psoriasis poses psycho-social and economic burden on affected patients that sometimes leads to depression, reduced social interaction and suicidal tendencies in patients. Depending on the type, severity and extent of the disease, comorbidities, patient preference, efficacy and safety profile, numerous treatment modalities and therapeutic agents are available such as topical, systemic, biologic and phototherapeutic treatments. However, it was found that among all the current available treatments for psoriasis, biologic agents and phototherapeutic modalities are

  12. Nail psoriasis: clinical features, pathogenesis, differential diagnoses, and management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haneke E

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Eckart Haneke1–4 1Department of Dermatology, Inselspital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland; 2Dermatology Practice Dermaticum, Freiburg, Germany; 3Centro de Dermatología Epidermis, Instituto CUF, Porto, Portugal; 4Department of Dermatology, University Hospital, Gent, Belgium Abstract: Psoriasis is the skin disease that most frequently affects the nails. Depending on the very nail structure involved, different clinical nail alterations can be observed. Irritation of the apical matrix results in psoriatic pits, mid-matrix involvement may cause leukonychia, whole matrix affection may lead to red lunulae or severe nail dystrophy, nail bed involvement may cause salmon spots, subungual hyperkeratosis, and splinter hemorrhages, and psoriasis of the distal nail bed and hyponychium causes onycholysis whereas that of the proximal nail fold causes psoriatic paronychia. The more extensive the involvement, the more severe is the nail destruction. Pustular psoriasis may be seen as yellow spots under the nail or, in case of acrodermatitis continua suppurativa, as an insidious progressive loss of the nail organ. Nail psoriasis has a severe impact on quality of life and may interfere with professional and other activities. Management includes patient counseling, avoidance of stress and strain to the nail apparatus, and different types of treatment. Topical therapy may be tried but is rarely sufficiently efficient. Perilesional injections with corticosteroids and methotrexate are often beneficial but may be painful and cannot be applied to many nails. All systemic treatments clearing widespread skin lesions usually also clear the nail lesions. Recently, biologicals were introduced into nail psoriasis treatment and found to be very effective. However, their use is restricted to severe cases due to high cost and potential systemic adverse effects. Keywords: nail psoriasis, etiology, pathology, quality of life, impact, treatment

  13. Treatment changes in patients with psoriasis on etanercept or adalimumab

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lee, Erica B; Amin, Mina; Egeberg, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    PURPOSE: To determine the frequency of and reasons for treatment changes in patients with psoriasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 140 patients with psoriasis treated with adalimumab or etanercept seen at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center between September 20, ...

  14. Palmoplantar Psoriasis and Palmoplantar Pustulosis: Current Treatment and Future Prospects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raposo, Inês; Torres, Tiago

    2016-08-01

    Palmoplantar psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis are chronic skin diseases with a large impact on patient quality of life. They are frequently refractory to treatment, being generally described as a therapeutic challenge. This article aims to review the definitions of palmoplantar psoriasis and palmoplantar pustulosis, highlighting the similarities and differences in terms of epidemiology, clinical presentation, genetics, histopathology, and pathogenesis, as well as treatment options for both entities. Classical management of mild to moderate palmoplantar pustulosis and palmoplantar psoriasis relies on use of potent topical corticosteroids, phototherapy, and/or acitretin. Nevertheless, these drugs have proven to be insufficient in long-term control of extensive disease. Biologic therapy-namely, anti-interleukin-17 agents and phosphodiesterase type 4 inhibitors-has recently shown promising results in the treatment of palmoplantar psoriasis. Knowledge of the pathophysiologic pathways of both entities is of utmost importance and may, in the future, allow development of molecularly targeted therapeutics.

  15. Generalized pustular psoriasis of pregnancy successfully treated with cyclosporine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hazarika, Debeeka

    2009-01-01

    Two multigravidae aged 27 and 29 years, with previous uneventful pregnancies, second being psoriatic, reported at 24 and 28 weeks of pregnancies, with generalized pustular lesions. Laboratory findings, including serum calcium were normal. Ultrasonography showed normal fetal growth. Histopathology confirmed pustular psoriasis. Patients were put on cyclosporine 3 mg/ kg weight/ day after failure of an initial systemic steroid. Blood pressure, pulse, and fetal heart sounds were recorded every 12 hours, and ultrasonography and blood parameters, biweekly. Cyclosporine was tapered and stopped after delivery of two healthy babies at 38 weeks. We conclude that cyclosporine can be an option in the management of pustular psoriasis of pregnancy or psoriasis with pustulation in pregnancy.

  16. Differential effects of treatment with UV-light (365 nm) and 8-methoxypsoralen on chromosomes of healthy persons and psoriatic patients

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Loeber, G.; Kittler, L.

    1986-01-01

    The effect of 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP, 5 x 10 -5 M), near UV-light of 365 nm wavelength (UVA, 1.5 J/cm 2 ) and the combination of both (PUVA treatment) were studied on lymphocytes in vitro taken from healthy persons and patients with psoriasis vulgaris and psoriasis arthritis (psoriasis arthropathica). Chromosomes isolated from cell nuclei were visualized by means of Giemsa staining technique and analyzed for induction of chromosomal defects, i.e. premature centromere division (PCD), major coiling (MC), and formation of gaps and fragile sites. Exposure of nonpsoriatic lymphocytes to 8-MOP, UVA or PUVA increased the rate of PCD or MC generation. In experiments with psoriatic lymphocytes a much weaker effect was found, with a moderate increase of PCD and MC after UVA or PUVA treatment in the case of psoriasis vulgaris, and of MC after UVA treatment of psoriasis arthritis. On the average the number of chromosomes per metaphase plate displaying PCD did not exceed 10. No indication was obtained for the preference of certain chromosome groups or the appearance of 'fragile sites'. Under all experimental conditions the number of chromosome gaps ranged in the order of their spontaneous induction. The findings suggest PCD and MC investigations as possible sensitive tools for diagnosing latent psoriasis and for refined analysis of psoriatic cells or chromosomes. (author)

  17. PV Thermal systems: PV panels supplying renewable electricity and heat

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Helden, van W.G.J.; Zolingen, van R.J.C.; Zondag, H.A.

    2004-01-01

    With PV Thermal panels sunlight is converted into electricity and heat simultaneously. Per unit area the total efficiency of a PVT panel is higher than the sum of the efficiencies of separate PV panels and solar thermal collectors. During the last 20 years research into PVT techniques and concepts

  18. Erythemal and therapeutic response of psoriasis to PUVA using high-dose UVA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Speight, E.L.; Farr, P.M.

    1994-01-01

    In PUVA treatment of psoriasis, clinical observation suggests that uninvolved skin is more susceptible to PUVA erythema than lesions of psoriasis. If this is the case, then the efficacy of PUVA treatment might be increased by using localized high-dose UVA restricted to lesional skin. We have therefore studied the erythemal and therapeutic response of psoriasis to PUVA using high-dose UVA and, for comparison, the erythemal response to UVB. This study demonstrates that psoriasis may clear rapidly, without burning, using high-dose UVA. Availability of a suitable irradiation apparatus would allow rapid and effective PUVA treatment to be used for localized, resistant disease. (author)

  19. Risk of psoriasis in patients with childhood asthma: a Danish nationwide cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Egeberg, A; Khalid, U; Gislason, G H; Mallbris, L; Skov, L; Hansen, P R

    2015-07-01

    Psoriasis and asthma are disorders driven by inflammation. Psoriasis may carry an increased risk of asthma, but the reverse relationship has not been investigated. To investigate the risk of psoriasis in subjects with childhood asthma in a nationwide Danish cohort. Data on all Danish individuals aged 6-14 years at study entry between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2011 (n = 1,478,110) were linked at an individual level in nationwide registers. Incidence rates per 10,000 person-years were calculated, and incidence rate ratios (IRRs) adjusted for age, sex, concomitant medication and comorbidity were estimated by Poisson regression models. There were 21,725 cases of childhood asthma and 6586 incident cases of psoriasis. There were 5697 and 889 incident cases of mild and severe psoriasis, respectively. The incidence rates of overall, mild and severe psoriasis were 4.49, 3.88 and 0.61 for the reference population, and 5.95, 5.18 and 0.83 for subjects with childhood asthma, respectively. The IRRs for overall, mild and severe psoriasis were 3.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.16-7.17], 5.03 (95% CI 2.48-10.21) and 2.27 (95% CI 0.61-8.42) for patients with childhood asthma. Childhood asthma was associated with a significantly increased risk of psoriasis. Further studies are warranted to determine the clinical significance and effects of therapeutic interventions on this association. © 2015 British Association of Dermatologists.

  20. Cure of Psoriasis and Arthritis when Addison's Disease Was Detected.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lind, Marcus

    2010-06-01

    INTRODUCTION: Corticoid therapy is well-known to improve the symptoms of psoriasis. Addison's disease is an autoimmune disease which leads to a loss of cortisol production in the adrenal glands. This case report describes a patient with wide-spread psoriasis for 34 years who was cured when Addison's disease was detected and substitution to reach normal biological cortisol levels was introduced. CASE REPORT: A 59-year-old man was diagnosed with Addison's disease. He had been tired for several years and had had difficulties in continuing his work. His brother had Addison's disease and recommended him to make a screen for the disease. Synacthen test diagnosed Addison's disease with a clear deficiency of cortisol production. After substitution with hydrocortisone the patient's constitution improved rapidly and he felt no longer tired during work. At the same time, all skin lesions of psoriasis disappeared as well as aches in several joints, both symptoms having been present for a couple of decades. Previously, salves of cortisol had been used to reduce the symptoms of psoriasis, but now, 1-2 years later, after the treatment of Addison's disease, no symptoms in the skin or joints have reoccurred. CONCLUSIONS: This report illustrates that Addison's disease, although a rare condition, should be kept in mind before treatment of psoriasis is started. Especially if other symptoms such as fatigue are present, a screening test of serum cortisol in the morning should be liberally made. The report also illustrates a need of examining corticoid levels in patients with psoriasis compared to the general population.

  1. Psoriasis skin biopsy image segmentation using Deep Convolutional Neural Network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pal, Anabik; Garain, Utpal; Chandra, Aditi; Chatterjee, Raghunath; Senapati, Swapan

    2018-06-01

    Development of machine assisted tools for automatic analysis of psoriasis skin biopsy image plays an important role in clinical assistance. Development of automatic approach for accurate segmentation of psoriasis skin biopsy image is the initial prerequisite for developing such system. However, the complex cellular structure, presence of imaging artifacts, uneven staining variation make the task challenging. This paper presents a pioneering attempt for automatic segmentation of psoriasis skin biopsy images. Several deep neural architectures are tried for segmenting psoriasis skin biopsy images. Deep models are used for classifying the super-pixels generated by Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) and the segmentation performance of these architectures is compared with the traditional hand-crafted feature based classifiers built on popularly used classifiers like K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Random Forest (RF). A U-shaped Fully Convolutional Neural Network (FCN) is also used in an end to end learning fashion where input is the original color image and the output is the segmentation class map for the skin layers. An annotated real psoriasis skin biopsy image data set of ninety (90) images is developed and used for this research. The segmentation performance is evaluated with two metrics namely, Jaccard's Coefficient (JC) and the Ratio of Correct Pixel Classification (RCPC) accuracy. The experimental results show that the CNN based approaches outperform the traditional hand-crafted feature based classification approaches. The present research shows that practical system can be developed for machine assisted analysis of psoriasis disease. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Psoriasis and ultraviolet radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farber, E.M.; Nall, L.

    1993-01-01

    Prevention and detection screening programs as a public health service in curtailing the ever-increasing incidence of all forms of skin cancer are reviewed. The effect of solar and artificial ultraviolet radiation on the general population and persons with psoriasis is examined. 54 refs

  3. Web app based patient education in psoriasis - a randomized controlled trial.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Spencer D; Barilla, Steven; Feldman, Steven R

    2017-04-15

    Patients report wanting more information about psoriasis and clear expectations from the onset of therapy. Dermatologists do not think patients receive or internalize adequate information. There isa need for further explanation of treatment regimens to increase knowledge, compliance, and patient satisfaction. Recent advancements in web technology have the potential to improve these psoriasis outcomes. A web based application was created to educate psoriasis patients using video, graphics, and textual information. An investigator blinded, randomized, controlled study evaluated the website's efficacy in 50 psoriasis patients at Wake Forest Baptist Health Dermatology. Patients were randomized into two groups: Group 1 received a link to the educational web app and a survey following their visit; Group 2 received a link to the survey with no educational web app. The survey assessed patient knowledge, self reported adherence to medication, and adequacy of addressing concerns. Twenty two patients completed the study. Patients in the web app group scored an average of 11/14 on the psoriasis knowledge quiz, whereas patients in the control group scored an average of 9/14 for an improvement of roughly 18% (p=0.008, n=22). Web app based education via DermPatientEd.Com is an efficient way to improve knowledge, but we did not demonstrate improvements in self-reported medication adherence or the ability to address concerns of psoriasis patients.

  4. Single-center, noninterventional clinical trial to assess the safety, efficacy, and tolerability of a dimeticone-based medical device in facilitating the removal of scales after topical application in patients with psoriasis corporis or psoriasis capitis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hengge UR

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Ulrich R Hengge,1 Kristina Röschmann,2 Henning Candler3 1Skin Center, Düsseldorf, 2Department of Clinical Research, 3Department of Medical Affairs, G. Pohl‑Boskamp GmbH & Co. KG, Hohenlockstedt, Germany Introduction: Psoriasis is a frequent inflammatory skin disease affecting ~2%–3% of the population in western countries. Scaling of the psoriatic lesions is the most impairing symptom in patients with psoriasis. In contrast to conventional keratolytic treatment concepts containing salicylic acid or urea, a dimeticone-based medical device (Loyon® removes scales in a physical way without any pharmacological effect.Objective: To assess the efficacy and tolerability of a dimeticone-based medical device in removal of scales in patients with psoriasis corporis/capitis under real-life conditions.Methods: Forty patients with psoriasis capitis or corporis were included and received once-daily treatments for 7 days. Clinical assessment of the psoriasis area severity index score (psoriasis corporis and the psoriasis scalp severity index score (psoriasis capitis was performed and evaluated at baseline, after 3 and 7 days of treatment. Baseline scaling scores and redness scores were calculated for two target lesions of the scalp or the body on a 5-point scale each.Results: For the primary efficacy variable scaling score, a statistically significant decrease was observed after treatment, with a relative reduction in scaling of 36.8% after 7 days of treatment within patients affected by psoriasis capitis. Treatment success was achieved in 76.8% of patients with psoriasis capitis, and time to treatment success was evaluated to be 4.14 days for these patients and 4.33 days for patients suffering from psoriasis corporis.Conclusion: In conclusion, this trial demonstrated that the dimeticone-based medical device is a safe, well-tolerated, practicable, and efficient keratolytic compound, which can be well implemented in and recommended for standard therapy

  5. Clinical improvement in psoriasis with specific targeting of interleukin-23

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kopp, Tamara; Riedl, Elisabeth; Bangert, Christine

    2015-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder that affects approximately 2-3% of the population worldwide and has severe effects on patients' physical and psychological well-being. The discovery that psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease has led to more targeted, effective therapies; recent...

  6. A combined alignment and registration scheme of psoriasis lesion |images

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Maletti, Gabriela Mariel; Ersbøll, Bjarne Kjær

    2003-01-01

    A two-stage registration scheme of psoriasis lesion patterns is proposed. In the first stage, global rotation and translation effects of assumed equally scaled psoriasis lesion patterns are removed. In the second stage, only local translation effects are removed. In both stages a novel algorithm...

  7. Periodontitis and risk of psoriasis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ungprasert, P; Wijarnpreecha, K; Wetter, D A

    2017-05-01

    The association between periodontitis and systemic diseases has been increasingly recognized. However, the data on the association between periodontitis and psoriasis are still limited. To summarize all available data on the association between periodontitis and the risk of psoriasis. Two investigators independently searched published studies indexed in MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from inception to July 2016 using a search strategy that included terms for psoriasis and periodontitis. Studies were included if the following criteria were met: (i) case-control or cohort study comparing the risk of psoriasis in subjects with and without periodontitis; (ii) subjects without periodontitis were used as comparators in cohort studies while participants without psoriasis were used as controls in case-control studies; and (iii) effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were provided. Point estimates and standard errors from each study were extracted and combined together using the generic inverse variance technique described by DerSimonian and Laird. Two cohort studies and three case-control studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled risk ratio of psoriasis in patients with periodontitis versus comparators was 1.55 (95% CI, 1.35-1.77). The statistical heterogeneity was insignificant with an I 2 of 18%. Subgroup analysis according to study design revealed a significantly higher risk among patients with periodontitis with a pooled RR of 1.50 (95% CI, 1.37-1.64) for cohort studies and a pooled RR of 2.33 (95% CI, 1.51-3.60) for case-control studies. Patients with periodontitis have a significantly elevated risk of psoriasis. © 2016 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

  8. Apoptosis and clinical severity in patients with psoriasis and HCV infection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sami A Gabr

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: It has been proposed that hepatitis C virus (HCV antigens are involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and may contribute to severity of the disease. Increased expression of the apoptosis-regulating proteins p53 and tTG and decreased levels of bcl-2 in the keratinocytes of the skin of psoriatic patients have been reported. Aim: This study aims to identify the serum levels of apoptosis-regulating proteins in patients with psoriasis and without HCV infection and to study the relation between clinical severity of psoriasis and the presence of HCV infection. Materials and Methods: Disease severity was assessed by psoriasis area severity index score (PASI of 90 patients with psoriasis grouped as mild (n = 30, moderate (n = 30 and severe (n = 30; 20 healthy individuals were used as controls. All groups were subjected for complete history taking, clinical examination, and tests for liver function and HCV infection. The serum levels of apoptosis related proteins: p53, tTG and bcl-2 were estimated by enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA. Results: There was a statistically significant (P < 0.001 correlation between clinical severity of psoriasis and presence of HCV antibodies and HCV-mRNA. In addition, significantly (P < 0.001 raised serum p53 and tTG, and reduced bcl-2 were observed among HCV-positive patients as compared to HCV-negative patients and control patients. Conclusion: These results conclude that clinical severity of psoriasis is affected by the presence of HCV antibodies and overexpression of apoptotic related proteins. In addition, altered serum levels of apoptosis-regulating proteins could be useful prognostic markers and therapeutic targets of psoriatic disease.

  9. [Epidemiology of psoriasis in Germany--analysis of secondary health insurance data].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schäfer, I; Rustenbach, S J; Radtke, M; Augustin, J; Glaeske, G; Augustin, M

    2011-05-01

    In Germany, population-based data on the epidemiology of psoriasis are still rare. This study aims to assess the prevalence of psoriasis in the total population as well as for subgroups relevant to health care. As further epidemiological parameters the severity and regional distribution of psoriasis were analysed. A secondary analysis of data collected routinely for the members of a nationwide statutory health insurance company was conducted. Prevalences were calculated for a closed cohort of continuously insured persons in 2005. Defined criteria for the existence of psoriasis were at least one diagnoses of psoriasis (ICD-10) relating to ambulatory or hospital treatment or disability. 33,981 of the 1,344,071 continuously insured persons in 2005 were diagnosed with psoriasis, thus the one-year-prevalence in this cohort was 2.53%. Up to the age of 80 years the prevalence rate was increasing with increasing age and highest for the age groups from 50 to 79 years (range: 3.99-4.18%). Insured persons up to 20 years had a prevalence of 0.73%. Regional differences showed up after stratification for broad categories (1 digit) of ZIP codes: Lowest prevalence rates were seen in the south (2.17%) and highest (2.78%) in the north and western regions of Germany. If the prevalence rate of 2.5% assessed in this study is applied to the total resident population, 2 million people are treated because of psoriasis in Germany. Routine data from health insurance companies are a relevant and suitable data source to assess the prevalence of chronic diseases (under medical treatment) in the population. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  10. Adalimumab treatment for severe recalcitrant chronic plaque psoriasis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Ryan, C

    2012-02-01

    AIM: To assess the efficacy and safety profile of adalimumab in patients with severe, recalcitrant chronic plaque psoriasis, and to assess short-term overlapping of other systemic treatment with adalimumab to prevent flaring of disease. METHODS: This was a retrospective study comprising 39 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis treated with adalimumab between October 2005 and January 2008. All had failed treatment with other systemic agents, including biological therapies in 59% of patients. Patients were started on adalimumab 40 mg weekly or fortnightly, as clinically indicated. Severity of psoriasis was assessed by the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Therapeutic response was assessed by 75% improvement on PASI (PASI 75). All adverse events were recorded. RESULTS: Results were analysed separately for those treated with adalimumab only and those on combination treatment. PASI 75 was achieved in 38% (8 of 21 patients at week 16), 62% (13 of 21 patients) at week 24, 69% (9 of 13 patients) at week 48% and 71% (5 of 7 patients) at week 72 in the adalimumab-only group, compared with 56% (5 of 9 patients) at week 16, 50% (4 of 8 patients) at week 24, 80% (4 of 5 patients) at week 48% and 67% (2 of 3 patients) at week 72 in the combined group. Of the 39 patients, 15 (38%) achieved a PASI of 0 at some point in their treatment. Adalimumab was well tolerated; 38% of patients experienced side-effects, which were generally mild. CONCLUSION: Adalimumab was effective in a group of patients with psoriasis refractory to other systemic therapies, including biological treatments, and was well tolerated.

  11. New treatments for psoriasis: which biologic is best?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Andrew A; Pearce, Daniel J; Fleischer, Alan B; Balkrishnan, Rajesh; Feldman, Steven R

    2006-01-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic, debilitating disease affecting not only the skin, but also having a significant impact on a patient's quality of life. The treatment of severe psoriasis is quite challenging due to the chronic, relapsing nature of the disease and the difficulties inherent in treatment planning. Though the biologics are perhaps the most promising of available psoriasis treatments, the decision to institute a given therapy may be fraught with complexity for the clinician. Patients now hear of these promising new treatments for psoriasis via print, television and radio advertising; they frequently come to their physician asking if they are eligible for any of these agents and, if so, 'which biologic is best?'. This paper attempts to determine the ideal biologic agent based upon several parameters: FDA- and EU-approved indications, therapeutic efficacy, impact on quality of life, cost-effectiveness, and safety profile. Certainly the physician is central to medical decision-making, though ultimately patient preference may play the largest role in determining the 'best' biologic agent. There is no single ideal biologic for all patients and a physician's job is to educate patients on the relative advantages and disadvantages of each agent. Through informed discussion, the clinician can help each individual patient decide which biologic agent is ideal for them.

  12. 76 FR 66307 - Scientific Information Request on Phototherapy for Treatment of Chronic Plaque Psoriasis

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-10-26

    ... Information Request on Phototherapy for Treatment of Chronic Plaque Psoriasis AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare... manufacturers of Phototherapy medical devices for treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis. Scientific information... Systemic Agents and Phototherapy for Treatment of Chronic Plaque Psoriasis, which is currently being...

  13. Do patients with mild to moderate psoriasis really have a sedentary lifestyle?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demirel, Reha; Genc, Abdurrahman; Ucok, Kagan; Kacar, Seval Dogruk; Ozuguz, Pinar; Toktas, Muhsin; Sener, Umit; Karabacak, Hatice; Karaca, Semsettin

    2013-09-01

    The aim of this study was to compare aerobic exercise capacity, daily physical activity, pulmonary functions, resting metabolic rate, and body composition parameters in patients with psoriasis and healthy controls. A total of 60 participants (30 [15 men, 15 women] patients with psoriasis, and 30 [15 men, 15 women] healthy controls) ranging in age from 22-57 were included in the study. Maximal aerobic capacity was determined by Astrand exercise protocol. Daily physical activity was measured with an accelerometer. Resting metabolic rate was determined with an indirect calorimeter. Pulmonary function tests were performed with a portable spirometer. Body composition was established with a bioelectric impedance analysis system. Skinfold thicknesses and body circumference measurements were carried out. Short Form 36 quality of life questionnaire was applied to all participants. In both genders, daily physical activity parameters were found to be higher in the psoriasis group compared to the control. Maximal aerobic capacity, resting metabolic rate, pulmonary function tests, body fatness, body fat distributions, and quality of life were not statistically different between patients with psoriasis and controls in males and females. We suggest that patients with psoriasis who do not have psoriatic arthritis or severe psoriasis are well in performing daily physical activities. In addition, we suggest that this lifestyle helped to prevent impairments of body fatness, body fat distributions, resting metabolic rate, pulmonary functions, and quality of life in patients with mild to moderate psoriasis. © 2013 The International Society of Dermatology.

  14. Misinformation is prevalent in psoriasis-related YouTube videos.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qi, J; Trang, T; Doong, J; Kang, S; Chien, A L

    2016-11-15

    Background Psoriasis patients seek information online, but little is known about their interaction with YouTube. We examined the quality of content in psoriasis-related YouTube videos and investigated their interactions with viewers.Methods YouTube was searched using the term "psoriasis." Relevant videos in English were independently categorized by two reviewers as useful, misleading, or patient view (regarding experience with psoriasis). Disagreements were settled by a third reviewer. Videos were rated on a Global Quality Scale (GQS) (1=poor, 5=excellent).Results According to our reviewers, 17% of the 47 videos were useful, 21% were misleading, and 62% represented patient views. Mean GQS scores were 4.2 ± 1.3 for useful videos, 1.7 ± 0.7 for misleading videos, and 2.2 ± 1.1 for patient view videos (p<0.001). Video views per day did not differ among the categories (p=0.65), whereas useful videos had fewest "Likes" (useful: 31 ± 55, 33 misleading: 151 ± 218, patient views: 165 ± 325, p=0.06) and comments (useful: 9.8 ± 18.3, misleading: 64.1 ± 89.7, 124.9 ± 34 199.4, p=0.009).Conclusions Useful videos were highest in quality but had similar viewership as misleading and patient view videos, with lower popularity and  engagement of users compared to other categories. Physicians and psoriasis patients should be aware of this pattern when pproaching YouTube as a resource.

  15. Comparison of three different methods of perturbing the potential vorticity field in mesoscale forecasts of Mediterranean heavy precipitation events: PV-gradient, PV-adjoint and PV-satellite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vich, M.; Romero, R.; Richard, E.; Arbogast, P.; Maynard, K.

    2010-09-01

    Heavy precipitation events occur regularly in the western Mediterranean region. These events often have a high impact on the society due to economic and personal losses. The improvement of the mesoscale numerical forecasts of these events can be used to prevent or minimize their impact on the society. In previous studies, two ensemble prediction systems (EPSs) based on perturbing the model initial and boundary conditions were developed and tested for a collection of high-impact MEDEX cyclonic episodes. These EPSs perturb the initial and boundary potential vorticity (PV) field through a PV inversion algorithm. This technique ensures modifications of all the meteorological fields without compromising the mass-wind balance. One EPS introduces the perturbations along the zones of the three-dimensional PV structure presenting the local most intense values and gradients of the field (a semi-objective choice, PV-gradient), while the other perturbs the PV field over the MM5 adjoint model calculated sensitivity zones (an objective method, PV-adjoint). The PV perturbations are set from a PV error climatology (PVEC) that characterizes typical PV errors in the ECMWF forecasts, both in intensity and displacement. This intensity and displacement perturbation of the PV field is chosen randomly, while its location is given by the perturbation zones defined in each ensemble generation method. Encouraged by the good results obtained by these two EPSs that perturb the PV field, a new approach based on a manual perturbation of the PV field has been tested and compared with the previous results. This technique uses the satellite water vapor (WV) observations to guide the correction of initial PV structures. The correction of the PV field intents to improve the match between the PV distribution and the WV image, taking advantage of the relation between dark and bright features of WV images and PV anomalies, under some assumptions. Afterwards, the PV inversion algorithm is applied to run

  16. Efficacy of tofacitinib for the treatment of nail psoriasis: Two 52-week, randomized, controlled phase 3 studies in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merola, Joseph F; Elewski, Boni; Tatulych, Svitlana; Lan, Shuping; Tallman, Anna; Kaur, Mandeep

    2017-07-01

    Tofacitinib is an oral Janus kinase inhibitor. Efficacy and safety of tofacitinib in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis have been demonstrated. We sought to assess the efficacy of tofacitinib for the treatment of nail psoriasis over a period of 52 weeks. In 2 identical phase 3 studies (OPT Pivotal 1 and 2), patients were randomized 2:2:1 to receive tofacitinib 5 mg, tofacitinib 10 mg, or placebo, twice daily. At week 16, placebo-treated patients were re-randomized to tofacitinib. This post hoc analysis of patients with existing nail psoriasis assessed the Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI) score and proportions of patients achieving ≥50% reduction in NAPSI from baseline (NAPSI50), NAPSI75, or NAPSI100. Baseline mean NAPSI scores for patients treated with tofacitinib 5 mg (N = 487), tofacitinib 10 mg (N = 476), and placebo (N = 233) twice daily were 27.0, 27.3, and 26.9, respectively. At week 16, significantly (all P psoriasis versus placebo at week 16; improvements were maintained over 52 weeks [NCT01276639; NCT01309737]. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. The association between psoriasis and health-related quality of life, work productivity, and healthcare resource use in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiBonaventura, Marco; Carvalho, André Vicente Esteves de; Souza, Cacilda da Silva; Squiassi, Haline Bianca; Ferreira, Cristina Nunes

    2018-03-01

    Psoriasis is a chronic, immune mediated inflammatory condition that affects a significant amount of the global population. Yet geographic variability in the consequences of psoriasis warrants region-level analyses. The current study contributes to the psoriasis outcomes literature by offering a comprehensive assessment of the humanistic and economic burden in Brazil. The 2012 Brazil National Health and Wellness Survey (N=12,000) was used to assess health-related quality of life (Short Form-12, version 2), work productivity, and healthcare resource use associated with experiencing psoriasis vs. no psoriasis, along with varying levels of psoriasis severity. A total of 210 respondents reported diagnosis of psoriasis (N=157, 42, and 11 reporting mild, moderate, and severe psoriasis, respectively). Compared with controls, respondents with psoriasis reported diminished mental component summary scores and health utilities, as well as increased presenteeism, activity impairment, and physician visits over the past six months, adjusting for covariates. Among those with psoriasis, physical health decreased as psoriasis severity increased. Although work productivity and healthcare resource utilization did not differ with psoriasis severity, the high rates of productivity loss (e.g. 45.5% presenteeism in the severe psoriasis group) suggest an economic burden. Cost analyses were not performed, and cross-sectional patient-reported data limit causal conclusions and may reflect reporting biases. Nevertheless, these results suggest a significant burden to patients with psoriasis across both humanistic and economic outcomes. The association between psoriasis and mental health aspects and health utilities were particularly strong and exceeded what would be considered clinically meaningful.

  18. New insight into the pathogenesis of nail psoriasis and overview of treatment strategies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ventura A

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Alessandra Ventura,1 Mauro Mazzeo,1 Roberta Gaziano,2 Marco Galluzzo,1 Luca Bianchi,1 Elena Campione1 1Department of Dermatology, University of Rome “Tor Vergata”, Rome, Italy; 2Department of Experimental Medicine and Surgery, Rome, Italy Abstract: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting up to 3% of the general population. The prevalence of nail involvement in psoriasis patients varies between 15% and 79%. While the nails represent a small portion of the body surface area, psoriasis in these areas can have a disproportionate influence on a patient’s physical and psychosocial activities. Differential diagnosis between an onychomycosis and a psoriatic nail could be challenging; nevertheless, coexistence of onychomycosis and nail psoriasis also occurs and both are common disorders in the general population. Nail psoriasis can be difficult to treat. Treatment of nail psoriasis should consider the body surface area of skin disease, psoriatic arthritis, severity of nail disease, and the impairment in the quality of life. All patients should be tested for onychomycosis before starting a therapy. This recommendation is underlined by the fact that nail psoriasis is mostly treated by immunosuppressive drugs, like steroids, methotrexate, or biologics, which may aggravate mycotic nail infections. Conventional systemic therapy, such as use of steroids, cyclosporine, methotrexate, and retinoid in the long term, can cause organ toxicities. Currently, use of apremilast and tofacitinib favors an early healing of nail psoriasis because they act directly on the pathogenic targets, distressing the inflammatory signals associated with the initiation and maintenance of the disease activity, and as with several conventional synthetic disease modifying antirheumatic drugs, they are characterized by the convenience of oral administration. The number of treatment options has increased considerably in recent years; however, given the heterogeneity of

  19. Energy-Based Devices in Treatment of Acne Vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handler, Marc Z; Bloom, Bradley S; Goldberg, David J

    2016-05-01

    Acne vulgaris is a chronic dermatologic complaint with a multifactorial cause. Traditionally, antibiotics and retinoids have been used to manage the condition; patient compliance has been an ongoing issue. A variety of energy-based devices have been reported to be effective in the treatment of acne vulgaris. To review and summarize the current literature specific to treatment of acne vulgaris with energy-based devices. A review of the current literature of energy-based devices used for the treatment of acne vulgaris. Although limited randomized controlled trials for the treatment of acne have been performed, significant clinical improvement of acne vulgaris, especially of inflammatory lesions, has been demonstrated with a variety of energy-based devices. Newer approaches may lead to even better results.

  20. Photovoltaics for Buildings Cutting-Edge PV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hayter, S. J.; Martin, R. L.

    1998-01-01

    Photovoltaic (PV) technology development for building-integrated applications (commonly called PV for Buildings) is one of the fastest growing areas in the PV industry. Buildings represent a huge potential market for photovoltaics because they consume approximately two-thirds of the electricity consumed in the US. The PV and buildings industries are beginning to work together to address issues including building codes and standards, integration, after-market servicing, education, and building energy efficiency. One of the most notable programs to encourage development of new PV-for-buildings products is the PV:BONUS program, supported by the US Department of Energy. Demand for these products from building designers has escalated since the program was initiated in 1993. This paper presents a range of PV-for-buildings issues and products that are currently influencing today's PV and buildings markets

  1. Global PV Market Development

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schmidt, F.

    2009-01-01

    The dawn of 2009 saw several events which caused major turbulence in the global photovoltaic industry. In 2008 the Spanish PV market grew beyond all expectations and even outranked Germany as the world's number one market. However, the promotion scheme was modified and a market cap was introduced in 2009, cutting back the maximum capacity to be installed to about the level of 2007. In addition, the industry is facing an oversupply of PV modules and a harsh recession which is significantly affecting the traditionally strong PV markets. International photovoltaic companies are challenged by a changing market situation: all of a sudden, competition has increased significantly, pushing the customer to the fore. As a result, a consolidation process is expected within the PV industry worldwide. However, the story is not all negative. In the U.S., the election of Barack Obama may be seen as the starting signal for a massive expansion in PV, likely to bring the country to first place globally within the next five years. Furthermore, different markets and market segments are being opened up - especially in Europe - thanks to the gradual arrival of generation parity and new PV support mechanisms. EuPD Research has observed and studied international PV markets since its foundation. The information included in the presentation is based on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative studies that EuPD Research has conducted in the key markets since 2002. Florian Schmidt, EuPD Research's Head of Product Management, will give an overview of the global PV market and how it is developing in this crucial year 2009. Aspects such as technology development, production capacities and the demand side will be included, with a special emphasis on the European PV markets. So far Chinese PV companies have often benefited from the booming PV markets in Europe, above all Germany and Spain. Due to the lack of domestic market, the Chinese industry strongly depends on the export and is

  2. Genome-Wide Association Studies of Anthracnose and Angular Leaf Spot Resistance in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L..

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juliana Morini Küpper Cardoso Perseguini

    Full Text Available The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. is the world's most important legume for human consumption. Anthracnose (ANT; Colletotrichum lindemuthianum and angular leaf spot (ALS; Pseudocercospora griseola are complex diseases that cause major yield losses in common bean. Depending on the cultivar and environmental conditions, anthracnose and angular leaf spot infections can reduce crop yield drastically. This study aimed to estimate linkage disequilibrium levels and identify quantitative resistance loci (QRL controlling resistance to both ANT and ALS diseases of 180 accessions of common bean using genome-wide association analysis. A randomized complete block design with four replicates was performed for the ANT and ALS experiments, with four plants per genotype in each replicate. Association mapping analyses were performed for ANT and ALS using a mixed linear model approach implemented in TASSEL. A total of 17 and 11 significant statistically associations involving SSRs were detected for ANT and ALS resistance loci, respectively. Using SNPs, 21 and 17 significant statistically associations were obtained for ANT and angular ALS, respectively, providing more associations with this marker. The SSR-IAC167 and PvM95 markers, both located on chromosome Pv03, and the SNP scaffold00021_89379, were associated with both diseases. The other markers were distributed across the entire common bean genome, with chromosomes Pv03 and Pv08 showing the greatest number of loci associated with ANT resistance. The chromosome Pv04 was the most saturated one, with six markers associated with ALS resistance. The telomeric region of this chromosome showed four markers located between approximately 2.5 Mb and 4.4 Mb. Our results demonstrate the great potential of genome-wide association studies to identify QRLs related to ANT and ALS in common bean. The results indicate a quantitative and complex inheritance pattern for both diseases in common bean. Our findings will

  3. Genome-Wide Association Studies of Anthracnose and Angular Leaf Spot Resistance in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perseguini, Juliana Morini Küpper Cardoso; Oblessuc, Paula Rodrigues; Rosa, João Ricardo Bachega Feijó; Gomes, Kleber Alves; Chiorato, Alisson Fernando; Carbonell, Sérgio Augusto Morais; Garcia, Antonio Augusto Franco; Vianello, Rosana Pereira; Benchimol-Reis, Luciana Lasry

    2016-01-01

    The common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is the world's most important legume for human consumption. Anthracnose (ANT; Colletotrichum lindemuthianum) and angular leaf spot (ALS; Pseudocercospora griseola) are complex diseases that cause major yield losses in common bean. Depending on the cultivar and environmental conditions, anthracnose and angular leaf spot infections can reduce crop yield drastically. This study aimed to estimate linkage disequilibrium levels and identify quantitative resistance loci (QRL) controlling resistance to both ANT and ALS diseases of 180 accessions of common bean using genome-wide association analysis. A randomized complete block design with four replicates was performed for the ANT and ALS experiments, with four plants per genotype in each replicate. Association mapping analyses were performed for ANT and ALS using a mixed linear model approach implemented in TASSEL. A total of 17 and 11 significant statistically associations involving SSRs were detected for ANT and ALS resistance loci, respectively. Using SNPs, 21 and 17 significant statistically associations were obtained for ANT and angular ALS, respectively, providing more associations with this marker. The SSR-IAC167 and PvM95 markers, both located on chromosome Pv03, and the SNP scaffold00021_89379, were associated with both diseases. The other markers were distributed across the entire common bean genome, with chromosomes Pv03 and Pv08 showing the greatest number of loci associated with ANT resistance. The chromosome Pv04 was the most saturated one, with six markers associated with ALS resistance. The telomeric region of this chromosome showed four markers located between approximately 2.5 Mb and 4.4 Mb. Our results demonstrate the great potential of genome-wide association studies to identify QRLs related to ANT and ALS in common bean. The results indicate a quantitative and complex inheritance pattern for both diseases in common bean. Our findings will contribute to more

  4. Prevalence of thyroid autoimmunity in patients with pemphigus vulgaris Prevalencia de autoinmunidad tiroidea en pacientes con pénfigo vulgar

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabián Pitoia

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available Among bullous diseases, pemphigus vulgaris (PV is a classical variety of this type of skin disorders. To establish the real prevalence of thyroid abnormalities in such a disease, a prospective study was developed. For this reason, thyroid evaluation was performed in 15 consecutive patients who attended the Dermatology Clinic for PV and in a group of 15 healthy volunteers (Control Group matched by age and gender. Thyroid function was evaluated by measuring T3, T4 and TSH. The presence or absence of goiter was searched by palpation, while thyroid autoimmunity was investigated through the assay of thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPO-Ab. In each group there were 9 women and 6 men, aging 25-65 years (mean = 48.3 y in the PV Group, and 25-69 years (mean = 45.4 y in the Control Group. It was found that 7 patients (46.6% of the PV Group and 1 subject (6.7% of the Control Group (p El pénfigo vulgar (PV es una enfermedad ampollar clásica de etiología autoinmune que se caracteriza por la presencia de lesiones intraepiteliales. Para establecer la prevalencia de anormalidades tiroideas en el PV, realizamos un estudio prospectivo en 15 pacientes consecutivos que consultaron a la División Dermatología debido a PV y en un grupo de 15 voluntarios sanos (Grupo Control. La función tiroidea se evaluó a través de la medición de T3, T4 y TSH y la presencia de bocio se determinó por medio de la palpación tiroidea. La autoinmunidad se investigó usando un ensayo IRMA para la medición de anticuerpos antitiroperoxidasa (ATPO. En cada grupo había 9 mujeres y 6 hombres que fueron apareados por edad y sexo, con edades comprendidas entre 25 y 65 años (promedio 48.2 años en el grupo PV, y entre 25 y 69 años (promedio 45.4 años en el grupo control. Se encontró que 7 pacientes (46.6% del grupo PV y uno (6.6% del grupo control presentaron alteraciones tiroideas, (p<0.015. La presencia de ATPO positivos se observó en 6 pacientes con PV y en un voluntario del grupo

  5. ProvenCare-Psoriasis: A disease management model to optimize care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gionfriddo, Michael R; Pulk, Rebecca A; Sahni, Dev R; Vijayanagar, Sonal G; Chronowski, Joseph J; Jones, Laney K; Evans, Michael A; Feldman, Steven R; Pride, Howard

    2018-03-15

    There are a variety of evidence-based treatments available for psoriasis. The transition of this evidence into practice is challenging. In this article, we describe the design of our disease management approach for Psoriasis (ProvenCare®) and present preliminary evidence of the effect of its implementation. In designing our approach, we identified three barriers to optimal care: 1) lack of a standardized and discrete disease activity measure within the electronic health record, 2) lack of a system-wide, standardized approach to care, and 3) non-uniform financial access to appropriate non-pharmacologic treatments. We implemented several solutions, which collectively form our approach. We standardized the documentation of clinical data such as body surface area (BSA), created a disease management algorithm for psoriasis, and aligned incentives to facilitate the implementation of the algorithm. This approach provides more coordinated, cost effective care for psoriasis, while being acceptable to key stakeholders. Future work will examine the effect of the implementation of our approach on important clinical and patient outcomes.

  6. Significance of the S100A4 protein in psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zibert, John R; Skov, Lone; Thyssen, Jacob P

    2010-01-01

    the expression and significance of S100A4 in psoriasis. We found significant upregulation of S100A4 in the dermis of psoriatic skin compared with normal skin. This pattern of S100A4 expression differs considerably from that of other S100 proteins, S100A7 and S100A8/9, with predominant expression in the epidermis...... of psoriasis. Furthermore, we revealed a massive release of the biologically active forms of S100A4 from psoriatic skin. Interestingly, we found stabilization (increase) of p53 in the basal layer of epidermis in close proximity to cells expressing S100A4. To examine the possible implication of S100A4...... in the pathogenesis of psoriasis, we analyzed the effect of S100A4 blocking antibodies in a human psoriasis xenograft SCID mouse model and observed a significant reduction of the epidermal thickness and impairment in cell proliferation and dermal vascularization. In conclusion, we showed strong upregulation...

  7. TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 7 GENE Gln11Leu MISSENSEMUTATION AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PSORIASIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. S. Galimova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Toll-like receptor (TLR are responsible for recognizing various molecular patterns associated with pathogens. Their expression have been detected in skin cells such as keratinocytes and melanocytes. Numerous experimental studies demonstrate the key role of TLRs in the pathogenesis of immune diseases, including psoriasis. The objective of this study is to analyze the associations of polymorphisms in TLR7 gene and the risk of psoriasis development. DNA samples were collected from 138 patients with psoriasis and 317 healthy controls. Genotyping of rs179003, rs179008, rs179020, rs850632, rs12013728 polymorphic loci in TLR7 gene was performed using the SNPlex™method (AB, USA. SNP in the TLR7 gene rs179008 (Gln11Leu was associated with psoriasis in entire psoriasis, late onset and sporadic subgroups (Рс = 0.0065, OR = 1.95; Рс = 0.0004, OR = 2.50; Рс = 0.0078, OR = 2.2, respectively. In conclusion, this study is the first to identify genetic variants of the TLR7 gene significantly associated with psoriasis

  8. TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR 7 GENE Gln11Leu MISSENSEMUTATION AND SUSCEPTIBILITY TO PSORIASIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. S. Galimova

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Toll-like receptor (TLR are responsible for recognizing various molecular patterns associated with pathogens. Their expression have been detected in skin cells such as keratinocytes and melanocytes. Numerous experimental studies demonstrate the key role of TLRs in the pathogenesis of immune diseases, including psoriasis. The objective of this study is to analyze the associations of polymorphisms in TLR7 gene and the risk of psoriasis development. DNA samples were collected from 138 patients with psoriasis and 317 healthy controls. Genotyping of rs179003, rs179008, rs179020, rs850632, rs12013728 polymorphic loci in TLR7 gene was performed using the SNPlex™method (AB, USA. SNP in the TLR7 gene rs179008 (Gln11Leu was associated with psoriasis in entire psoriasis, late onset and sporadic subgroups (Рс = 0.0065, OR = 1.95; Рс = 0.0004, OR = 2.50; Рс = 0.0078, OR = 2.2, respectively. In conclusion, this study is the first to identify genetic variants of the TLR7 gene significantly associated with psoriasis.

  9. Impact of smoking on disease severity in patients with plaque type psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nuriye Kayıran

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: Psoriasis is a chronic enflammatory systemic disease involving skin, scalp, nails and joints and is characterized by remission and activation periods. Although the etiopathogenesis of psoriasis has not been fully elucidated, many genetic and environmental factors are believed to have a role in the development of the disease. Obesity, smoking, family history of psoriasis, repetitive physical traumas and stress are the factors thought to affect the severity and progress of the disease. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of smoking on the clinical severity of psoriasis in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. Materials and Methods: Three hundred outpatients with chronic plaque-type psoriasis were enrolled in the study. Data on age, gender, family history, smoking history, educational status, history of chronic illness, and psoriasis area severity index (PASI scores were recorded for each patient. The effects of these factors on PASI were evaluated. Results: Current smokers, never smokers and former smokers were compared in terms of disease severity. The median PASI values of current smokers and never smokers were compared. The mean PASI value was statistically significantly higher in smokers (p=0.049. In multiple logistic regression analysis, it was detected that the risk of moderate and severe disease increased by male sex 2 times, by family history 2.3 times, and by smoking period above 20 years, 10 times. In smokers of more than 1 pack a day, this risk further increased. Conclusion: On the basis of these data, it may be concluded that smoking affects the severity of disease significantly. In addition to amount of daily cigarette consumption, smoking period was shown to have an effect on the severity of disease. Elimination of risk factors such as smoking, which appears to increase the severity of diseases, may be helpful in the management of psoriasis.

  10. PV-hybrid and mini-grid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2010-07-01

    Within the 5th European PV-hybrid and mini-grid conference 29th and 30th April, 2010 in Tarragona (Spain) the following lectures were held: (1) Overview of IEA PVPS Task 11 PV-hybrid systems within mini grids; (2) Photovoltaic revolution for deployment in developing countries; (3) Legal and financial conditions for the sustainable operation of mini-grids; (4) EU instruments to promote renewable energies in developing countries; (5) PV hybridization of diesel electricity generators: Conditions of profitability and examples in differential power and storage size ranges; (6) Education suit of designing PV hybrid systems; (7) Sustainable renewable energy projects for intelligent rural electrification in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam; (8) Techno-economic feasibility of energy supply of remote villages in Palestine by PV systems, diesel generators and electric grid (Case studies: Emnazeil and Atouf villages); (9) Technical, economical and sustainability considerations of a solar PV mini grid as a tool for rural electrification in Uganda; (10) Can we rate inverters for rural electrification on the basis of energy efficiency?; (11) Test procedures for MPPT charge controllers characterization; (12) Energy storage for mini-grid stabilization; (13) Redox flow batteries - Already an alternative storage solution for hybrid PV mini-grids?; (14) Control methods for PV hybrid mini-grids; (15) Partial AC-coupling in mini-grids; (15) Normative issues of small wind turbines in PV hybrid systems; (16) Communication solutions for PV hybrid systems; (17) Towards flexible control and communication of mini-grids; (18) PV/methanol fuel cell hybrid system for powering a highway security variable message board; (19) Polygeneration smartgrids: A solution for the supply of electricity, potable water and hydrogen as fuel for transportation in remote Areas; (20) Implementation of the Bronsbergen micro grid using FACDS; (21) A revisited approach for the design of PV wind hybrid systems; (22

  11. Anti-interleukin-17 monoclonal antibody ixekizumab in chronic plaque psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Leonardi, Craig; Matheson, Robert; Zachariae, Claus

    2012-01-01

    Type 17 helper T cells have been suggested to play a pathological role in psoriasis. They secrete several proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-17A (also known as interleukin-17). We evaluated the safety and efficacy of ixekizumab (LY2439821), a humanized anti-interleukin-17 monoclonal...... antibody, for psoriasis treatment....

  12. Response of Desulfovibrio vulgaris to Alkaline Stress

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stolyar, S.; He, Q.; He, Z.; Yang, Z.; Borglin, S.E.; Joyner, D.; Huang, K.; Alm, E.; Hazen, T.C.; Zhou, J.; Wall, J.D.; Arkin, A.P.; Stahl, D.A.

    2007-11-30

    The response of exponentially growing Desulfovibrio vulgarisHildenborough to pH 10 stress was studied using oligonucleotidemicroarrays and a study set of mutants with genes suggested by microarraydata to be involved in the alkaline stress response deleted. The datashowed that the response of D. vulgaris to increased pH is generallysimilar to that of Escherichia coli but is apparently controlled byunique regulatory circuits since the alternative sigma factors (sigma Sand sigma E) contributing to this stress response in E. coli appear to beabsent in D. vulgaris. Genes previously reported to be up-regulated in E.coli were up-regulated in D. vulgaris; these genes included three ATPasegenes and a tryptophan synthase gene. Transcription of chaperone andprotease genes (encoding ATP-dependent Clp and La proteases and DnaK) wasalso elevated in D. vulgaris. As in E. coli, genes involved in flagellumsynthesis were down-regulated. The transcriptional data also identifiedregulators, distinct from sigma S and sigma E, that are likely part of aD. vulgaris Hildenborough-specific stress response system.Characterization of a study set of mutants with genes implicated inalkaline stress response deleted confirmed that there was protectiveinvolvement of the sodium/proton antiporter NhaC-2, tryptophanase A, andtwo putative regulators/histidine kinases (DVU0331 andDVU2580).

  13. The Role of Smoking in the Development of Psoriatic Arthritis and Psoriasis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I.Yu. Golovach

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The paper covers the new data on smoking effects on the development of psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. It was found that smoking aggravates the severity of psoriasis, worsens the prognosis, and makes the smoking patients less sensitive to treatment. Pathogenic links indicate that smoke induces oxidative damage, promotes inflammatory chan­ges and increases the expression of genes associated with psoriasis. In addition, nicotine binds acetylcholine receptors on dendritic cells, macrophages, endothelial cells, and keratinocytes. This leads to inflammation and immune stimulation of Th1-cells and later severe leukocyte migration to skin due to the increased expression of intercellular adhesion molecule‑1 and vascular adhesion molecule‑1 on endothelial cells; to the increased angiogenesis and uncontrolled keratinocyte proli­feration as well. Information about the genetic predisposition to the development of arthritis and psoriasis, and the role of smoking in the modification of genetic factors is provi­ded. Smoking causes a specific metabolic and genetic psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis comorbidity, which determines the frequency of diseases flare, its severity and complications. Currently, physicians can prevent exacerbation of smoking-related di­seases such as psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis by persuading their patients to quit smoking.

  14. Ichthyosis vulgaris

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thyssen, J P; Godoy-Gijon, E; Elias, P M

    2013-01-01

    in this review article, FLG mutations are observed in approximately 7·7% of Europeans and 3·0% of Asians, but appear to be infrequent in darker-skinned populations. This clinical review article provides an overview of ichthyosis vulgaris epidemiology, related disorders and pathomechanisms. Not only does......-deficient skin, and epidemiological studies have found higher levels of hand eczema, irritant contact dermatitis, nickel sensitization and serum vitamin D levels. When relevant, individuals should be informed about an increased risk of developing dermatitis when repeatedly or continuously exposed to nickel...... or irritants. Moreover, with our current knowledge, individuals with ichthyosis vulgaris should be protected against neonatal exposure to cats to prevent atopic dermatitis and should abstain from smoking to prevent asthma. Finally, they should be advised against excessive exposure to factors that decrease skin...

  15. The Prevalance of Diabetes in Psoriatic Patients Versus the Prevalance of Psoriasis in Diabetic Patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nahide Onsun

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available Background and Design: Previous studies reported that there are some relations between psoriasis and the diabetes mellitus. However, incidence rates of diabetes mellitus in psoriasis and also incidence rates of psoriasis in diabetes mellitus are lacking.Our aim was to assess and compare incidence rates of diabetes mellitus in patients with psoriasis and incidence rates of psorasis in diabetes mellitus and also evaluate the role of psoriasis as a risk factor for diabetes mellitus. Material and Method: Four hundred eighteen patients with psoriasis and one hundred fifty four patients with diabetes were included. Blood glucose, oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT, glycolised hemoglobine (HbA1C were performed in psoriatic patients and these results were consulted with diabetes clinic. Psoriasis screening by clinical history, dermatologic examination, skin biopsy; if it is necessary were held for patients with diabetes. Results: Prevalance of diabetes was 9.3% in psoriatic patients; prevalance of psoriasis was 1.3% in diabetic patients. The proportion of diabetes was significantly higher in psoriatic patients compared to the proportion of psoriasis in diabetic patients (odds ratio (OR: 7.82, confidence interval (CI: 1.86-32.79, p=0.001. The age and sex-adjusted proportion of diabetes was significantly higher in psoriatic patients as compared the proportion of psoriasis in diabetic patients (OR: 18.35, p<0.001. Differences of mean duration of disease and mean PASİ (psorasis area severity index were not significant between the psoriatic patients without diabetes mellitus and with diabetes mellitus.Conclusion: Risk rate of diabetes is increased in psoriatic patients. Chronic inflammation may lead insulin resistance and diabetes. We think that development of diabetes in patients with psoriasis depends on chronic inflammation. Unfortunately we could not assess the role of therapeutical agents especially effect of potent corticosteroids in development of

  16. Co-morbidity in psoriasis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lønnberg, Ann Sophie; Skov, Lone

    2017-01-01

    for the clinic to be able to recognize such co-morbidities. Areas covered: This is a review of studies investigating and discussing co-morbidities of psoriasis and screening. Literature was retrieved by searching on the PubMed database using individual and combined search terms related to relevant co...

  17. Diprosone Ointment In Psoriasis

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The phenomenon of sweating in patches of psoriasis is discussed. S. Air. Med. l., 48, 2030 (1974). Topical corticosteroids are firmly established as the first line of treatment for inflammatory dermatoses. Never- theless, no preparation yet available is completely effective and the search for better agents continues. This is.

  18. SunShot 2030 for Photovoltaics (PV): Envisioning a Low-Cost PV Future

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cole, Wesley J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Frew, Bethany A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Gagnon, Pieter J [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Richards, James [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Sun, Yinong [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Zuboy, Jarrett; Woodhouse, Michael A [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Margolis, Robert M [National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2017-10-01

    This presentation summarizes the findings from the report 'SunShot 2030 for Photovoltaics (PV): Envisioning a Low-cost PV Future.' This presentation was given as a webinar on September 26, 2017.

  19. Is the DLQI appropriate for medical decision-making in psoriasis patients?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poór, Adrienn Katalin; Brodszky, Valentin; Péntek, Márta; Gulácsi, László; Ruzsa, Gábor; Hidvégi, Bernadett; Holló, Péter; Kárpáti, Sarolta; Sárdy, Miklós; Rencz, Fanni

    2018-01-01

    Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) is the most commonly applied measure of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in psoriasis patients. It is among defining criteria of moderate-to-severe psoriasis and present in treatment guidelines. Our objective was to estimate preference-based HRQoL values (i.e., utilities) for hypothetical health states described by the 10 items of the DLQI in psoriasis patients. Moreover, we compare results to findings of a similar study previously conducted among the general public. A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 238 psoriasis patients. Seven hypothetical DLQI-defined health states with total scores of 6, 11, and 16 (3-3 and 1 states, respectively) were evaluated by time trade-off method. The difference in DLQI scores between hypothetical health states was set at 5 points, as it exceeds the minimal clinically important difference (MCID). Utility scores were found to be homogenous across the seven hypothetical health states (range of means for the 6-point states 0.85-0.91, range of means for the 11-point states 0.83-0.85, and mean of 0.84 for the 16-point state). Overall, mean utilities assessed by psoriasis patients were higher for all seven states compared with the general public (mean difference 0.16-0.28; p definition of moderate-to-severe disease and reconsideration of the DLQI in clinical assessment of psoriasis patients are suggested.

  20. Economic PV - a shift in thinking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maycock, P.

    1999-01-01

    This article argues that photovoltaic (PV) technology is already economically viable contrary to current opinion. A table of world PV module shipments for 1990 to 1998 by market sector is presented, and use of PV modules in consumer electronics such as calculators, battery trickle chargers, and garden lights; in communications and signals (eg. microwave repeaters, cellular communication); and in the residential sector in fluorescent lights, radios etc. are discussed. The early adopters of PV technology, and the value placed on PV devices by consumers are considered. Details of PV manufacturing costs for 1997, and forecasts for 2000 and 2010 are tabulated