The objective of this retrospective study is to assess neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) as inflammatory markers in patients with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). A hundred and eleven psoriasis patients and 25 PsA patients were compared with 94 healthy controls. Demographic, clinical and laboratory information were collected and analyzed. NLR and PLR were calculated. White blood cell (WBC), neutrophils, eosinophils and NLR were increased in psoriasis patients compared with controls. WBC, neutrophils, NLR, monocytes, platelets and PLR were increased in PsA patients compared with both controls and psoriasis patients. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein were significantly higher in PsA patients compared with psoriasis patients. Among psoriasis patients, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score correlated positively with platelets, NLR and PLR. These parameters were all significantly higher in moderate to severe psoriasis patients (PASI ≥ 10) compared with mild patients (PASI < 10). Elevated platelets, NLR and PLR were significantly associated with the increased PASI scores in multivariate analysis. NLR, PLR and ESR were statistically significant predictors for the presence of PsA in psoriasis patients. NLR was the strongest predictor (odds ratio = 3.351, P = 0.005). In conclusion, elevated NLR and PLR were significantly associated with psoriasis and PsA. Both NLR and PLR were strong predictors for the presence of PsA among psoriasis patients.

PLINK: a tool set for whole-genome association and population-based linkage analyses.

No abstract

PurposeThis retrospective study was done to investigate the mean platelet volume (MPV) level in patients with psoriasis vulgaris and its relationship with disease severity.Materials and MethodsWe undertook a cross-sectional study on 176 patients and 101 healthy controls to examine the association between MPV and psoriasis. Various clinical and laboratory parameters were analyzed and compared.ResultsPlatelet distribution width and MPV were significantly higher in patients with psoriasis than controls. In addition, there was positive correlation between Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) and MPV. When psoriasis patients were grouped into mild psoriasis (PASI<10) and moderate to severe psoriasis (PASI≥10), the MPV of the latter group was significantly elevated. Nevertheless, patients with higher MPV level (MPV≥10.4 fL) did not show higher PASI than lower MPV level (MPV<10.4 fL). MPV levels significantly decreased after improvements of psoriasis with various treatments. The variations of MPV and PASI also showed significant correlation.ConclusionWe have shown that MPV is increased in psoriasis patients and correlates with disease severity. Therefore, MPV levels may be considered as a marker of disease severity of psoriasis.

The prevalence and clinical features of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in psoriasis patients vary widely in different countries, and studies on Korean population are rarely reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical features of PsA in a Korean population of patients with psoriasis by using psoriatic arthritis screening questionnaires. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted, and consecutive psoriatic patients were evaluated for PsA by using two kinds of psoriatic arthritis screening questionnaires: Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation tool (PASE) and Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool (PEST). Psoriatic patients with higher score in screening questionnaires were referred to rheumatologist for confirmative diagnosis of PsA. Among 196 psoriasis patients screened by PASE and PEST, total prevalence of PsA was 11.2 % (n = 22/196) with 59.1 % of the cases being newly diagnosed. Compared with patients without PsA, patients with PsA had more extensive psoriasis, higher frequency of pustular and inverse type of psoriasis, and lower frequency of plaque type of psoriasis. Spondylitis was the most common manifestation pattern, followed by polyarthritis, oligoarthritis, predominant distal interphalangeal arthritis, and arthritis mutilans. Our findings are consistent with a low prevalence of PsA among patients with psoriasis in Asia. We also confirm a spondylitis as the most common pattern of PsA in Korea. PsA screening questionnaires can be a simple and useful tool to screen PsA in patients with psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by an erythematous scaly plaque of the skin and is occasionally accompanied by systemic complications. In the psoriatic lesions, an increased number of cytokine-producing dendritic cells and activated T cells are observed, which indicate that psoriasis is a prototype of an immune-mediated dermatosis. During the last decade, emerging studies demonstrate novel roles for the dendritic cell subsets in the process of disease initiation and maintenance of psoriasis. In addition, recently discovered anti-psoriatic therapies, which specifically target inflammatory cytokines produced by lesional dendritic cells, bring much better clinical improvement compared to conventional treatments. These new therapies implicate the crucial importance of dendritic cells in psoriasis pathogenesis. This review will summarize and discuss the dendritic cell subsets of the human skin and their pathophysiological involvement in psoriasis based on mouse- and patient-oriented studies. [BMB Reports 2014; 47(2): 60-68]

Cutaneous metastases from internal malignancies are, occurring in 0.5% to 9% of cases. Lung, breast, and colorectal cancers are common primary tumors that metastasize to the skin; cutaneous metastasis usually occurs on the chest wall and abdomen as asymptomatic nodular patterns. Esophageal cancer is not nearly as common as breast, lung, and colorectal cancers, and esophageal cancer rarely metastasizes to the skin. Cutaneous metastasis of esophageal cancer is rare and metastasis to the scalp is extremely rare. Only a few cases of cutaneous metastases of esophageal cancer have been reported in Korea. Most of the cases involved cutaneous metastases arising from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma; however, there have been several reports describing cutaneous metastases from esophageal adenocarcinomas. Herein, we describe a case of metastatic skin cancer that originated from esophageal adenocarcinoma. (Ann Dermatol 21(2) 164∼167, 2009)

Accumulating evidence has shown that the Toll-like receptor 7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ) induces psoriasiform skin inflammation in mice and that this inflammation is dependent on the IL-23/IL-17 axis. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that the main source of IL-17 is not Th17 but is dermal gamma delta (γδ) T cells in mouse psoriasiform skin. Recent advances in the understanding of immunopathogenesis of psoriasis led to an alteration in the treatment paradigm to the use of highly efficacious biologics. However, their high cost impedes the extensive use of these agents. Thus, inexpensive and safe medications are still considered valuable. In this study, we introduce the therapeutic efficacy of a newly formulated methotrexate (MTX), a chemical conjugate of MTX with cell permeable peptide, for the treatment of psoriasis. Topically applied skin-penetrating (SP)-MTX reduced the psoriasiform skin phenomenon, epidermal thickness and infiltrating immune cells into the dermis. IL-17A-producing dermal γδ T cells in the cellular infiltrate that contribute IL-23/IL-17 axis were well abrogated by SP-MTX. Furthermore, SP-MTX had no toxic effects on liver, kidney or myeloid cells, unlike systemic administration of MTX. In conclusion, topically applied SP-MTX ameliorated psoriasiform skin inflammation in mice with the criteria of clinical phenomenon, histopathology and immunology, without inducing systemic toxic effects.