In psoriatic patients, increased overweight/obesity was associated with raised leptin levels and decreased adiponectin levels. Leptin may contribute to enhance the inflammatory process in overweight/obese psoriatic patients. Resistin, IL-6, CRP and adiponectin levels appear to be dependent on psoriasis severity. CRP, together with IL-6, appears to be a useful marker of psoriasis severity. Both NBUVB and PUVA were effective; however, PUVA results seem to be more successful. Nonetheless, after NBUVB and PUVA, a low-grade inflammation still persists.

We propose CRP as a useful marker of psoriasis severity that could be used to monitor psoriasis and its treatment, and, together with PASI and elastase, could also be used as a global index of severity.

Psoriasis seems to be a complex disease in which the cytokine network is disturbed, namely in levels of IL-22, IL-17, IL-23, IL-8, TNF-α and VEGF. NB-UVB and PUVA follow-up studies suggested that the reduction in the IL-23/Th17 axis might be important in the pathogenic mechanisms of psoriasis. Further follow-up studies of patients with psoriasis treated with these and other therapies could be very helpful for the understanding of the disturbance in the cytokine network in psoriasis and indirectly in its pathogenesis.

Psoriasis is considered an immune chronic disease in which T cells are accepted as important. Nowadays, it is believed that psoriasis is most likely a T helper (Th)1/Th17 induced inflammatory disease. However, some other cells, such as endothelial cells, dendritic cells, monocytic cells, neutrophils, keratinocytes, and several cytokines, appear to have, at different stages of the disease, an important role in its pathogenesis. For instance, the response to psoriasis therapy is dependent not only on the inactivation of Th1 and Th17 immune responses but also on the inactivation of dendritic cell products. Moreover, interleukin (IL)-23 deregulation appears to be an independent factor in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Indeed, currently, the IL-23/Th17 axis is believed to be crucial in psoriasis pathogenesis, and its inhibition appears to be important for therapeutic achievement. This review presents the roles and interactions of cells and cytokines that are related to psoriasis pathogenesis.

No abstract

Background Resistance to recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) occurs in some chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, which may be due to enhanced systemic inflammatory response and to the erythropoiesis-suppressing effect of pro-inflammatory cytokines, some of which are produced by T cells. Aim of study The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between resistance to rhEPO therapy in hemodialysis CKD patients and inflammatory markers [Creactive protein (CRP), soluble interleukin (IL)-2 receptor (sIL2R), and serum albumin levels], blood cell counts, Tcell phenotype, cytokine production by T cells, and serum cytokine levels. Materials and Methods We studied 50 hemodialysis CKD patients, 25 responders and 25 nonresponders to rhEPO, and compared them to each other and with 25 healthy controls. When compared to controls, CKD patients showed increased serum levels of CRP, IL-6, and sIL2R and a T-cell lymphopenia, due to decreased numbers of both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. T cells from CKD patients had an immunophenotype compatible with chronic T-cell stimulation as shown by the increased percentage of CD28

No abstract

Our data show that psoriatic patients present with several lipid profile changes that seem to be related to the severity of the disease and/or the treatment used. Mild psoriasis patients receiving topical treatment presented before starting therapy with a lipid profile similar to controls, whereas those undergoing NB-UVB and PUVA, who had higher PASI scores, presented with several risk factors. Moreover, PUVA therapy seems to interact in a different way with lipids that might result from an interaction of psoralen with plasma lipids, namely Lp(a). Inflammation, a hallmark of psoriasis, also seems to be related to psoriasis severity. Both NB-UVB and PUVA were effective, as shown by the reduction in PASI score, as well as in the oxidative and inflammatory stress markers. However, after NB-UVB and PUVA, a low-grade inflammatory process still persisted, which might be related to the duration of remission of the disease.