Relationship between Different Psoriasis Types and Thyroid Dysfunction: A Retrospective Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between different psoriasis types and thyroid dysfunction. METHODS: The data of patients diagnosed with psoriasis between January 2013 and October 2018 who underwent thyroid function tests were collected. Free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), total triiodothyronine (TT3), total thyroxine (TT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb), and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) were measured. The thyroid function of patients with psoriasis vulgaris, pustular psoriasis, erythrodermic psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis was evaluated, and the differences in hormone levels and antibodies in the pituitary-thyroid axis with psoriasis type were analyzed. RESULTS: The data of a total of 468 patients were analyzed in this study. The proportion of normal hormone levels was higher among vulgaris patients (P < 0.001), while the erythrodermic patients were more likely to have decreased FT3 or FT4 but normal TSH (P < 0.001). FT3 levels were lower in pustular patients (P < 0.05), FT4 levels were lower in erythrodermic patients (P < 0.05), and TSH levels were higher in patients with psoriatic arthritis (P < 0.05). TPOAb levels were higher than normal in all patients, but there was no significant difference in the levels of TPOAb and TGAb among 4 types of the patients. CONCLUSION: Psoriasis is related to thyroid dysfunction, especially in patients with atypical psoriasis types. The possibility of complications should be considered in erythrodermic patients.

Efficacy and safety of intense pulsed light in the treatment of inflammatory acne vulgaris with a novel filter.

Acne vulgaris is one of the most common skin diseases affecting young people. Intense pulsed light (IPL) has become a well-recognized method in the treatment of acne vulgaris. We aim evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of a novel IPL filter at wavelength of 400-600 nm and 800-1,200 nm in the treatment of inflammatory acne lesions. Twenty-one patients with Pillsbury I-III facial acne vulgaris between July 2017 and January 2018 were enrolled in this prospective clinical study. Five sessions of IPL treatment were administered to the subjects at 4-week interval. Final assessment was performed 1 month after the final treatment. One month posttreatment, over 75% subjects exhibited excellent or good response. Of the Pillsbury I-II patients, the effective rate reached 88.24%. The inflammatory lesions were dramatically decreased (25.23 ± 2.76 versus 14.01 ± 1.98) and statistically evident (P = .031). According to Hayashi assessment of acne severity, there was a significant improvement at follow-up visit (P = .022). Moreover, patients reported significant improvements in self-evaluation. The novel IPL filter at wavelength of 400-600 nm and 800-1,200 nm provides an effective option to treatment of inflammatory acne lesions, especially for Pillsbury I-II acne patients, with minimal reversible side effects, such as transient post-inflammatory pigmentation.

Long noncoding RNA expression profile and association with SLEDAI score in monocyte-derived dendritic cells from patients with systematic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) play important roles in the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Aberrant expression of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) could affect the function of moDCs. The aim of this study was to explore the lncRNA expression profile in moDCs of SLE patients to provide new insights into SLE. METHODS: LncRNA and mRNA microarrays were performed to identify differentially expressed lncRNAs and mRNAs in moDCs of SLE patients compared with normal controls. Bioinformatics analysis was also performed. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to validate the results, and correlation analysis was used to analyze the relationship between these aberrantly expressed lncRNAs and SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) scores. RESULTS: According to the gene expression profiles, 163 lncRNAs were differentially expressed between SLE and normal controls, including 118 that were upregulated and 45 that were downregulated. A total of 137 mRNAs were differentially expressed in moDCs of patients with SLE, including 83 that were upregulated and 54 that were downregulated. Furthermore, qPCR data showed that lncRNA ENST00000604411.1 (18.23-fold, P < 0.001) and ENST00000501122.2 (1.96-fold, P < 0.001) were upregulated and the other two lncRNAs, lnc-HSFY2-3:3 (0.42-fold, P < 0.001) and lnc-SERPINB9-1:2 (0.50-fold, P = 0.040), were downregulated in moDCs of SLE patients. The expression levels of ENST00000604411.1 (r = 0.593, P = 0.020) and ENST00000501122.2 (r = 0.539, P = 0.038) were positively correlated with the SLEDAI score, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that the abnormal expression of lncRNAs in moDCs may be involved in the pathological processes of SLE. The expression level of ENST00000604411.1 and ENST00000501122.2 may have potential value for the assessment of disease activity in SLE.

Platelet distribution width as a novel indicator of disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus.

BACKGROUND: Significance of platelet distribution width (PDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) in assessing disease activity of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) remains unclear. This study was aimed to evaluate PDW and MPV as potential disease activity markers in adult SLE patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 204 study participants, including 91 SLE patients and 113 age- and gender-matched healthy controls, were selected in this cross-sectional study. They were classified into three groups: control group (n = 113), active SLE group (n = 54), and inactive SLE group (n = 37). Demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were analyzed. RESULTS: In patient group, PDW was statistically higher than that in control group (13.54 ± 2.67 vs. 12.65 ± 2.34, P = 0.012), and in active group, PDW was significantly increased compared to inactive group (14.31 ± 2.90 vs. 12.25 ± 1.55, P < 0.001). However, MPV was significantly lower in SLE group than in control group (10.74 ± 0.94 vs. 11.09 ± 1.14, P = 0.016). PDW was positively correlated with SLE disease activity index (P < 0.001, r = 0.529) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P = 0.002, r = 0.321) and negatively correlated with C3 (P < 0.001, r = -0.419). However, there was no significant association between MPV and these study variables. A PDW level of 11.85% was determined as a predictive cutoff value of SLE diagnosis (sensitivity 76.9%, specificity 42.5%) and 13.65% as cutoff of active stage (sensitivity 52.6%, specificity 85.3%). CONCLUSION: This study first associates a higher PDW level with an increased SLE activity, suggesting PDW as a novel indicator to monitor the activity of SLE.