Daylight photodynamic therapy with methylene blue in plane warts: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Conventional photodynamic therapy is associated with inconveniently long clinic visits and discomfort during therapy. Daylight-photodynamic therapy (DL-PDT) is an effective treatment, nearly pain free and more convenient for both the clinics and patients. There are no published studies of methylene blue (MB) as a photosensitizer (PS) used in DL-PDT. METHODS: Forty patients had multiple plane warts; 20 patients were subjected to DL-PDT with topical 10% methylene blue gel, and 20 patients were subjected to DL-PDT with hematoxylin (placebo). Improvement was evaluated by change of the number of warts and the dermoscope picture. RESULTS: A total of 20 (100%) patients in group II showed no response to placebo, 13 patients (65%) in group I showed complete clearance, 2 (10%) patients showed a good response, and 5 (25%) patients had poor response to treatment (P < 0.01). No serious side effects and patients tolerated the pain well. No relapse was detected during the follow-up period (12 months). LIMITATION OF THE STUDY: Daylight exposure was not monitored with a dosimeter. CONCLUSION: Daylight-PDT using MB is safe, easy to carry out, economic, effective, acceptable cosmetic results with no recurrence, convenient especially for children and nearly painless treatment.

Increased MicroRNA-1266 levels as a biomarker for disease activity in psoriasis vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Increasing evidence has shown that serum microRNA (miR) levels are useful biomarkers for the diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic value in various diseases. Psoriasis is characterized by a specific miR expression profile, with a characteristic miR signature, distinct from that of healthy skin. OBJECTIVES: To understand the role of miR-1266 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and to explore if it has the potential as a blood biomarker. We assessed serum miR-1266 levels in patients with psoriasis before and after treatment and compared it with controls. In addition, we evaluated the relationship between miR-1266 and clinical severity in psoriasis before and after treatment. METHODS: miR-1266 was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction in 35 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis and 35 healthy controls before and after treatment. Moreover, the correlation between miR-1266 levels and psoriasis area and severity index score was determined. RESULTS: Serum miR-1266 levels were considerably higher in patients with psoriasis than in healthy control subjects. Furthermore, miR-1266 levels showed a strong positive correlation with psoriasis area and severity index score before and after treatment, having a marked decline with therapy. CONCLUSION: miR-1266 may have an important role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis vulgaris. This may presumably have possible future implications on the treatment of this chronic disease.

Role of the tumor necrosis factor family member LIGHT in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis.

BACKGROUND: LIGHT (the name of which is derived from "homologous to lymphotoxins, exhibits inducible expression, competes with herpes simplex virus glycoprotein D for herpes simplex virus entry mediator, and expressed by T lymphocytes"), is a member of the tumor necrosis factor superfamily that is involved in various inflammatory diseases. OBJECTIVES: To assess serum LIGHT levels in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) before and after treatment and compare it with controls. To correlate serum LIGHT with the severity scoring of AD (SCORAD) index. Another objective is to compare LIGHT levels between lesional skin in patients with AD and controls. METHODS: Twenty patients with AD and 20 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Serum LIGHT levels were examined using an enzyme immunoassay technique. Serum total IgE levels, absolute eosinophil count, and eosinophil percentage were also done for both patients and controls. The SCORAD index was done for every patient before and after treatment. Skin LIGHT levels were analyzed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit and compared with control skin. RESULTS: Serum LIGHT levels in patients with AD were significantly higher than that of healthy controls and correlated positively with SCORAD index. LIGHT concentrations decreased as the symptoms were improved by treatment. A significant correlation was found on comparing the LIGHT serum levels and other established markers of disease severity. LIGHT levels in lesional skin in these patients were markedly higher than LIGHT levels in normal skin. CONCLUSION: LIGHT may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD. This may presumably have possible future implications on the treatment of this chronic disease.