This study support the contributing and beneficial effects of vitamin D in the treatment of CU. Replacement of vitamin D may provide improvement in both the severity of symptoms and the quality of life scores in these patients.
BACKGROUNDVitiligo is an acquired pigmentary skin disorder that affects 0.5% to 2.0% of the population.OBJECTIVEPatients' knowledge, opinions, and attitudes about vitiligo were evaluated.METHODSThe team conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive, prospective study between June 2014 and May 2015. The study included 100 patients aged over 12 years who were diagnosed with vitiligo. A questionnaire including items on knowledge, opinions, and beliefs about vitiligo and the Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) were filled out by the patients, and the results were analyzed.RESULTSIn total, 100 (58 female, 42 male) patients were included in the study. Of them, 74% knew the name of their disease, 90% thought that vitiligo was not contagious, 48% reported that they obtained information on the disease from a doctor, and 69% believed they had adequate information on vitiligo. Eighty percent reported no negative effects from vitiligo on relationships with friends or family. It was believed that stress, excessive sun exposure, and heredity were causes of vitiligo, according to 84%, 37%, and 22% of the patients, respectively. Thirty-six patients (36%) believed that their illness was a serious disease and 35% deemed that it did not have a major impact on their lives.CONCLUSIONSOur results show that vitiligo patients were generally highly aware of their condition. The disease did not negatively affect patient opinions or attitudes about vitiligo. The authors believe that improving patient-physician communication will impact positively on the course of the disease.
BackgroundVisfatin is an adipokine produced by visceral adipose tissue and has insulin-mimicking effects. Fetuin-A is a hepatic secretory protein that binds the insulin receptor and inhibits insulin action both in vivo and in vitro. The authors of the present study aimed to investigate the levels of serum visfatin and fetuin-A and their correlation with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and urine albumin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).MethodsA total of 40 obese patients with T2DM (11 males and 29 females; age, 54.47±10.83 years and 23 obese nondiabetic controls (8 males and 15 females; age, 53.04±11.33 years) were included in the study. Age, sex, and body mass index were similar in the 2 groups. Serum visfatin and fetuin-A levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. HbA1c and urine albumin levels were measured by high performance liquid chromatography and nephelometric method, respectively.ResultsSerum levels of visfatin in patients with T2DM (4.03±2.44 ng/mL) were similar to the control group (3.65±3.02 ng/mL). Serum fetuin-A levels were significantly lower in patients with T2DM than the controls (298.75±78.86 and 430.73±94.46 µg/mL, respectively). HbA1c levels were significantly higher in the T2DM group compared with controls (7.33±1.32 and 5.44±0.84%, respectively). Correlations between visfatin, fetuin-A and HbA1c levels were not observed.ConclusionThe present study suggests fetuin-A may play a role in the pathogenesis of T2DM.
BackgroundVitiligo is an acquired pigmentary skin disorder affecting 0.1-4% of the general population. The nails may be affected in patients with an autoimmune disease such as psoriasis, and in those with alopecia areata. It has been suggested that nail abnormalities should be apparent in vitiligo patients.ObjectiveWe sought to document the frequency and clinical presentation of nail abnormalities in vitiligo patients compared to healthy volunteers. We also examined the correlations between nail abnormalities and various clinical parameters.MethodsThis study included 100 vitiligo patients and 100 healthy subjects. Full medical histories were collected from the subjects, who underwent thorough general and nail examinations. All nail changes were noted. In the event of clinical suspicion of a fungal infection, additional mycological investigations were performed.ResultsNail abnormalities were more prevalent in the patients (78%) than in the controls (55%) (p=0.001). Longitudinal ridging was the most common finding (42%), followed by (in descending order): leukonychia, an absent lunula, onycholysis, nail bed pallor, onychomycosis, splinter hemorrhage and nail plate thinning. The frequency of longitudinal ridging was significantly higher in patients than in controls (p<0.001).ConclusionsNail abnormalities were more prevalent in vitiligo patients than in controls. Systematic examination of the nails in such patients is useful because nail abnormalities are frequent. However, the causes of such abnormalities require further study. Longitudinal ridging and leukonychia were the most common abnormalities observed in this study.
Aim: Although there are some treatment options for glucocorticoid induced osteoporosis (GIO), new drug alternatives are still needed. In this study, we aimed to determine the protective effects of misoprostol and melatonin in an experimental GIO model. Methods: The rats were grouped into four, with 10 rats in each group. The 1st group was chosen as the control group, which were not intervened with. Group 2 was the steroid group, group 3 the misoprostol group and group 4, the melatonin group. To the rats in groups 2, 3 and 4, 10 mg/kg subcutaneous methylprednisolone was administered for 28 days. To the rats of the 3rd group, 200 mg/day misoprostol was given per day by a cannula to the stomach. The rats in the 4th group received 5mg/kg intraperitoneal melatonin during this 28-days period. Lumbar vertebrae and femur bone mineral density (BMD) of all rats were measured by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and assessed in pre-and post-treatment periods. Results: In the steroid group, when the pre-and post-treatment-BMD values of the rats were compared, statistically significant decreases were found in vertebrae, whole femur, femur proximal, femur diaphysis and distal femur bone regions (P=0.011, P=0.005, P=0.007, P=0.005 and P=0.013; respectively). In the misoprostol group, a statistically significant decrease was observed only in the whole femur region (P=0.012) when the pre-and post-treatment BMD values of the rats were compared, while no significant changes were observed in vertebrae, femur proximal, femur diaphysis and distal femur bone regions (P=0.093, P=0.401, P=0.161 and P=0.123; respectively). In the melatonin group, when the pre-and post-treatment BMD values of the rats were compared, a statistically significant decrease was observed only in the vertebrae region (P=0.009), no significant changes were observed in whole femur, femur proximal, femur diaphysis and distal femur bone regions (P=0.386, P=0.445, P=1.000 and P=0.483; respectively). Conclusion: Positive effects of misoprostol and melatonin on bone metabolism were determined in this experimental study. Misoprostol and melatonin seem to be potential agents that can be used in the prevention of GIO.
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