Assessment of visfatin concentrations in the serum of male psoriatic patients in relation to metabolic abnormalities.

Background. Psoriasis is a chronic, autoinflammatory disease characterized by activation and differentiation of naive T lymphocytes towards T helper CD4 + (including Th1 and Th17) and T cytotoxic CD8 + . Osteopontin (OPN), which plays an important role in both physiological processes and inflammatory, neoplastic and autoimmune diseases, is also considered in the context of psoriasis pathogenesis. Current data indicates that OPN is a multifunctional protein involved in the modulation of Th1 and Th17 cellular responses, in stimulating keratinocyte proliferation, and in the regulation of cellular apoptosis.Objectives. The assessment of OPN and interleukin 17 (IL-17) concentrations in the peripheral blood of psoriatic patients in comparison to healthy volunteers as well as the correlations of OPN and IL-17 with the severity of psoriasis.Material and methods. The study included 107 male psoriatic patients and 41 age-matched healthy men. The serum concentrations of IL-17 and OPN were examined using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. The skin change severity of psoriasis was assessed using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), Body Surface Area (BSA), Physician Global Assessment (PGA), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).Results. Psoriatic patients had significantly higher concentrations of OPN (31.65 ng/mL on average) than the healthy volunteers (11.42 ng/mL on average) (p < 0.001). Interleukin 17 was also higher in psoriatic patients (0.53 pg/mL on average) compared to healthy volunteers (0.09 pg/mL on average) (p < 0.001). There was no significant correlation between OPN and IL-17 concentrations in psoriatic patients and in healthy volunteers. Psoriasis severity correlated positively to IL-17 serum concentration, but not to OPN. Conclusions.Although the study did not show a relationship between OPN and IL-17 concentrations in psoriatic patients, it should be emphasized that serum concentrations were significantly higher in the patients with psoriasis compared to healthy volunteers.

Psoriasis (Ps) is an immune-mediated inflammatory skin disease that is widely associated with the clinical features of metabolic syndrome (MetS), including hypertension, abdominal obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia. Osteopontin (OPN), a multifunctional protein involved in the modulation of inflammatory processes, may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and MetS. Therefore, the aim of the study was the assessment of the correlation between OPN concentration in the peripheral blood and the presence of MetS as well as its particular components in the Ps patients. The study comprised 107 male Ps patients (50 patients with MetS and 57 without MetS) and 38 healthy volunteers (HVs). The concentration of OPN in serum was determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Fasting blood glucose and lipid profile components: total cholesterol (total CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-CHOL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-CHOL), triglycerides (TG) were examined. Ps patients with MetS had significantly higher obesity, systolic blood pressure, TG, CHOL/HDL, LDL/HDL and TG/HDL ratios than Ps patients without MetS. OPN serum concentration was significantly higher in the Ps patients than in the HVs (p = 0.022) but not significantly different between the Ps patients with and without MetS (p = 0.275). OPN serum concentration in Ps patients correlated negatively with total CHOL (p = 0.004) and TG (p = 0.009). OPN is increased in Ps patients and may serve as a biomarker of some lipid abnormalities in them.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) as a compound was discovered in 1934 by Karl Meyer and John Palmer as one of the glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in the vitreous body of the bovine eye. HA occurs naturally in many organs, tissues and body fluids, and especially is presented in large quantities in articular cartilage and synovial fluid. It is a non-protein, non-sulfate glycosaminoglycan which has an important role in the physiological biomechanics of synovial fluid, there is responsible for lubrication and drug-elasticity. In the musculoskeletal system, hyaluronic acid is produced by synoviocytes, fibroblasts and chondrocytes. The concentration of hyaluronic acid decreases not only with age, but also in connection with the progression of certain diseases, for example osteoarthritis (OA). For this reason, it has been used for almost 50 years to try to alleviate and treat symptoms of OA in humans and animals. Numerous studies confirmed the beneficial effect of hyaluronic acid supplementation in OA. Patients which has intraarticular viscosupplementation of HA experience less pain and have a reduced need to take nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Intra articular HA administration shows a low risk of local and systemic side effects while maintaining proper administration under aseptic conditions. Nevertheless, local inflammatory reactions occur, but it are most often self-limiting or do not require invasive treatment. The issue of recommending hyaluronic acid in osteoarthritis is still ambiguous and controversial.

IntroductionRecent data depict psoriasis as a systemic disease with many comorbidities, especially metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases. Chemerin, an adipokine secreted by adipose tissue cells, may prove to be an important link between psoriasis and its comorbidities.AimAssessment of serum concentrations of chemerin in patients with psoriasis and the healthy control group as well as evaluation of a possible correlation between adipokine concentrations and selected psoriasis severity indices and metabolic syndrome components.Material and methodsOne hundred and two patients with diagnosed psoriasis and 40 healthy volunteers were enrolled in the study. In all subjects, serum chemerin concentrations and selected metabolic syndrome components including lipid and glucose levels were determined. Psoriasis severity was assessed using the PASI and BSA indices.ResultsA higher concentration of chemerin was demonstrated in the group of psoriasis patients compared to the control group (p < 0.05). A positive correlation between chemerin concentration and C-reactive protein concentration (p = 0.001), body mass index (p = 0.031) and triglyceride concentration (p = 0.043) was found. An inverse correlation with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (p = 0.015) was also noted. Significantly higher concentrations of chemerin were observed in psoriatic patients with elevated low-density lipoptotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in comparison with patients with normal LDL values (p = 0.032). Chemerin concentrations were also significantly higher in patients with both psoriasis and elevated glucose levels compared to patients with normal blood glucose values (p = 0.043).ConclusionsThe results obtained suggest a possible role of chemerin as an adipokine linking psoriasis with metabolic syndrome.

Przegląd Dermatologiczny 2016/4 316 StreSzczenie Leki przeciwmalaryczne są używane w medycynie od ponad 300 lat. Pierwotnie wykorzystywano je do leczenia malarii, obecnie ze względu na właściwości przeciwzapalne, immunomodulujące, antyproliferacyjne i fotoprotekcyjne stosowane są w terapii wielu jednostek chorobowych w dermatologii i reumatologii. Skuteczność preparatów wykazano w leczeniu takich chorób, jak toczeń rumieniowaty układowy, reumatoidalne zapalenie skóry, porfiria skórna późna, liszaj płaski przymieszkowy, wrzodziejące zapalenie jamy ustnej, sarkoidoza, a nawet łysienie plackowate. Chlorochina i hydroksychlorochina są lekami dobrze tolerowanymi, które rzadko powodują poważne objawy niepożądane. Do znanych skutków ubocznych należą: zaburzenia żołądkowo-jelitowe, retinopatia, kardiomiopatia, zaburzenia układu nerwowo-mięśniowego, hiperpigmentacja skóry, zaburzenia hematologiczne. Mimo to leki przeciwmalaryczne nadal są chętnie stosowane również w przebiegu chorób układowych tkanki łącznej w ciąży. Należy jednak zwrócić uwagę na konieczność monitorowania leczenia -okresowych badań narządu wzroku w czasie terapii chlorochiną, szczególnie przy terapii długotrwałej i dużymi dawkami leku. W artykule omówiono mechanizm działania, właściwości farmakokinetyczne, wskazania i działania niepożądane tej grupy leków. AbStrActAntimalarial drugs used in medicine for over 300 years, nowadays, due to their anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antiproliferative photoprotective properties, are used in the therapy of many dermatologic and rheumatologic disorders. The efficacy of these medications is proven in systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, porphyria cutanea tarda, lichen planus, ulcerative stomatitis, sarcoidosis, and even alopecia areata. Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine belong to a group of well-tolerated drugs that occasionally cause adverse effects, which include gastrointestinal disorders, retinopathy, cardiomyopathy, neuromuscular disorders, skin hyperpigmentations, and hematological disorders. Nevertheless, these drugs continue to be frequently applied, including for systemic diseases of connective tissue during pregnancy. However, the treatment must be monitored -periodic ophthalmologic examinations during therapy with chloroquine must be performed, especially during prolonged treatment with high doses of these drugs. The article discusses the mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, indications and adverse effects of these medications. toczeń rumieniowaty układowy, działania niepożądane, retinopatia, leki przeciwmalaryczne.

In the elderly, there is a reduction of the efficiency in many organs, including muscles. The weight, strength and power reduction of elderly muscles is defined as sarcopenia. The pathophysiology of sarcopenia is multifactorial, it can be influenced by intrinsic and extrinsic factors such as reduced caloric intake, denervation of muscle fibers - in the course of various neurodegenerative diseases, intracellular oxidative stress, hormonal disorders and others. The European Working Group on sarcopenia in the elderly published diagnostic criteria for sarcopenia in 2010, which should increase the recognition of this disease and speed up the treatment process. The best-confirmed methods of treatment of sarcopenia are nutritional hyperalimentation and resistance training. Pharmacological agents, i.e. selective androgen receptor modulators, and myostatin inhibitors are not sufficiently tested to be approved, by the FDA as a treatment regimen of sarcopenia.