Objective: Acne vulgaris is a chronic inflammatory disease, and hormonal influences, follicular plugging and follicular hyperkeratinization, increased sebum secretion, Propionibacterium acnes colonization, and inflammation are involved in its pathogenesis. Recently, a significant body of evidence has accumulated that describes the comedolytic properties of vitamin D and its roles as a modulator of the immune system, a regulator of the proliferation and differentiation of sebocytes and keratinocytes, and as an antioxidant. In this study, we aimed to compare serum vitamin D levels in a group of patients with nodulocystic acne with vitamin D levels in a group of control subjects to determine whether there was any relationship between the vitamin D and acne.Methods: Levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) were measured in 43 patients with newly diagnosed nodulocystic acne and in 46 healthy control subjects, and participants were grouped according to their 25[OH]D levels as follows: normal/sufficient (>20 ng/mL) or insufficient/deficient (<20 ng/mL). Serum concentrations of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) were measured.Results: Forty-three patients and 46 control individuals, with mean ages of 23.13 (± 5.78) years and 25.23 (± 4.73) years, respectively, were included in this study. There were no significant differences between the groups in relation to their body mass indices and Ca, P, ALP, and PTH levels. However, the patients with nodulocystic acne had significantly lower 25[OH]D levels than the subjects in the control group (P< 0.05).Conclusion: The patients with nodulocystic acne had relatively low serum vitamin D levels compared with the subjects in the control group. The findings from this study suggest that there is a connection between low vitamin D levels and acne. Larger epidemiologic studies are needed to confirm the status of vitamin D levels in patients with acne.
It was aimed to evaluate KL-6 glycoprotein levels to determine if it may be a diagnostic marker for the connective tissue diseases (CTDs) predicting CTD-related interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) (CTD-ILD) development and to examine if there was a difference between patients and healthy controls. The study included 113 patients with CTD (45 CTD without lung involvement, 68 CTD-ILD) and 45 healthy control subjects. KL-6 glycoprotein levels were analyzed with ELISA in patients and the control group. The relationship between KL-6 glycoprotein levels and CTD-ILD was assessed. In the comparison of all the groups in the study, significantly higher levels of KL-6 were determined in the CTD-ILD group than in either the CTD without pulmonary involvement group or the healthy control group (p < 0.008 and p < 0.001, respectively). There was no statistically significant difference between the KL-6 levels in the healthy control group and the CTD without pulmonary involvement group (p = 0.289). The KL-6 levels did not differ significantly according to the connective tissue diseases in the diagnostic groups (systemic lupus erythematosus, Sjögren's syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, mixed connective tissue disease, scleroderma, polymyositis/ dermatomyositis). In the healthy control group, there was a statistically significant difference between KL-6 levels in smokers and non-smokers. Smokers had significantly higher serum KL-6 levels compared with non-smokers (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between smoking status (pack-year) and serum KL-6 levels. There was no statistically significant correlation between serum KL-6 levels and time since diagnosis of CTD and CTD-ILD. The level of KL-6 as a predictive factor could be used to identify the clinical development of ILD before it is detected on imaging modality. Further prospective clinical studies are needed to define whether levels of KL-6 might have prognostic value or might predict progressive ILD.
Objective This study aims to compare the efficacy of r-ESWT treatment with sham-ESWT on pain, walking speed, physical function, and isokinetic muscle strength in knee osteoarthritis. Methods The study included 104 patients (mean age 61.0 ± 6.2 years; range 50 to 70 years) who were admitted to our outpatient clinic with newly diagnosed with knee osteoarthritis. Patients were randomly assigned to two groups. Both groups received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation for 30 minutes, hot pack for 40 minutes, and home-based exercise program of around the knee strengthening for 30 minutes in a day for three weeks (5 days in a week). Also, one group was treated with r-ESWT, while the other group was treated with sham-ESWT. For r-ESWT, patients received 2000 pulses of shockwave at 2.0 to 3.0 bar weekly for three weeks. All patients were evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS), active knee range of motion (ROM), 20metre walk test, Western Ontario and McMaster Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Lequesne's disability index, and isokinetic muscle performance before treatment, at the end of treatment, at one month and three months after treatment. Results When groups were compared, group 1 scores were significantly better than the group 2 in all outcome parameters except WOMAC-stiffness at the end of treatment, at one month and three month follow-up (all p < 0.05). The VAS-resting, VASmovement, knee ROM, 20-m walk test, WOMAC, and Lequesne's disability scores and peak torque values of knee extension improved in both groups with the highest improvement in the r-ESWT group. A comparison of difference of the two group scores showed statistically significant superior improvement in group 1 in all parameters at both one month and three months. Conclusion Our findings revealed that r-ESWT combined with conventional electrotherapy is an effective treatment for improving pain and physical function in knee osteoarthritis to control symptoms up to three months. Clinical trials ID NCT04243135
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