SUMMARYInfants undergoing open heart surgery often have all or part of their thymus removed. The activity of the immune system has not been investigated thoroughly in these children, and only shortly after the operation. Therefore, it was decided to investigate the activity of the immune system in more detail in children several years after their operation. Peripheral blood samples from 19 children who had undergone open heart surgery during their first months of life was collected (study group) and from 19 ageand gender-matched children (control group). The activity of the immune system was evaluated by measuring the number of different cell types in peripheral blood, the phenotype of lymphocytes and the response of T cells following in vitro stimulation by mitogen, tetanus toxoid and measles antigen. The study group had significantly lower counts of total lymphocytes, which was reflected in a lower number of T cells but not B cells. Furthermore, the study group had significantly lower proportion of T cells (CD3 + ) and helper T cells (CD4 + ), but not cytotoxic T cells (CD8 + ). The level of neutrophils in peripheral blood was significantly higher in the study group. This may indicate enhanced innate immunity when the acquired immunity is defective. The results indicate a shift to extrathymic T cell maturation, which is less efficient for CD4 + helper cells than for CD8 + cytotoxic cells.

Streptococcal throat infections are known to trigger or exacerbate psoriasis, and several studies support the benefit of tonsillectomy. To evaluate the potential of tonsillectomy as a treatment, we used a retrospective study-specific questionnaire to assess the proportion of psoriasis patients with sore throat-associated psoriasis exacerbations. Our survey sampled 275 psoriasis patients. 42% of patients with plaque psoriasis reported sore throat-associated psoriasis exacerbations, and 72% of patients with confirmed streptococcal infections reported aggravation. Notably, women and early onset psoriasis patients were more likely to report psoriasis exacerbation after a sore throat (p<0.001, p=0.046 respectively). Other psoriasis aggravation factors were more common in patients with sore throat-associated exacerbations (p<0.01). 49% of tonsillectomized patients reported subsequent improvement and had more frequent sore throat-associated aggravation of psoriasis than patients who did not improve after tonsillectomy (p=0.015). These findings suggest a closer association between sore throats, streptococcal throat infections and plaque psoriasis than previously reported.

SUMMARY BackgroundThe combination of seawater baths and narrowband ultraviolet B (NB-UVB) is a known treatment for psoriasis. This study evaluates two treatment regimens that combine bathing in geothermal seawater and NB-UVB therapy in comparison with NB-UVB monotherapy.