The role of new inflammatory markers in determining disease activation and severity in patients with hidradenitis suppurativa.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease. Recently published studies have suggested the use of markers of inflammation to monitor HS patients. These studies discuss the platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), pan-immune-inflammation value (PIV), and systemic immune-inflammation index (SIII), which are also used in other inflammatory diseases. This study aimed to compare the blood parameters, including NLR, PLR, SIII, and PIV, in HS patients and healthy individuals, and determine their correlation with disease severity. The study included 81 HS patients and 61 healthy volunteers. The patients' medical records and laboratory values of the control group were reviewed retrospectively. HS severity was assessed using Hurley staging. NLR, PLR, SIII, and PIV values were calculated based on complete blood counts. NLR, SIII, and PIV values were significantly higher in HS patients compared to the healthy control group and were positively associated with disease severity. There was no significant difference observed in PLR values concerning disease severity. This study suggests that NLR, SIII, and PIV values can be utilized as simple and cost-effective tests to monitor disease activity and severity in HS patients. However, larger and more comprehensive studies are needed to establish diagnostic cutoff values, and further evaluation of sensitivity and specificity is required.

Safety and Efficacy of a Novel Combination Cream (GN-037) in Healthy Volunteers and Patients with Plaque Psoriasis: A Phase 1 Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Psoriasis is a common skin disorder associated with physical and psychological burdens. Visible disfiguration can trigger a negative reaction which can cause much of the readily measurable psychological burden of the disease. Although many biological treatments provide some success in the initial clearance of lesions, there is a dispute about the long-term maintenance of the disease, as no current biological treatment has been shown to be curative. Topical therapies are still the most widely used agents as first-line and maintenance treatment for psoriasis. The present study aimed to investigate the safety, tolerability, and, to some extent, efficacy of GN-037 cream in patients with psoriasis and healthy volunteers. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind, single-center, placebo-controlled phase 1 clinical study was conducted to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and clinical efficacy of GN-037 cream topically applied twice daily for 2 weeks in healthy subjects (n = 12) and patients (n = 6) diagnosed with plaque-type psoriasis. Six healthy subjects received placebo. Patients with plaque psoriasis were evaluated by a dermatologist, and Physician Global Assessment (PGA) score was required to be ≥ 3 (moderate psoriasis) at screening. RESULTS: A total of 31 adverse events (AEs) occurred in 13 participants during the study: 9 AEs in healthy subjects receiving GN-037 cream, 3 AEs in healthy subjects receiving placebo, and 1 AE in one psoriatic patient. The most frequently reported AEs were reactions at the application site, including erythema, exfoliation, pruritus, and burning sensation. During the baseline evaluation, one patient had a PGA score of 3 (moderate) and five patients had a PGA score of 4 (severe). On day 14, in treatment, four patients experienced second grade and two patients third grade improvements compared with baseline, indicating a shift of patients from moderate and severe disease to mild disease and to almost clear (score 2 or 1). There were slight increases in plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin-17 (IL-17) and interleukin-23 (IL-23) levels in both healthy volunteers and patients throughout the study, as compared with baseline. CONCLUSION: The results of this phase 1 trial conducted in 18 healthy volunteers and 6 patients with plaque psoriasis demonstrated a favorable safety and tolerability profile for GN-037; therefore, further clinical development of GN-037 in a phase 2 clinical trial has been initiated in patients with mild to moderate plaque psoriasis (NCT05706870). TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT05428202.

The association of androgenetic alopecia and insulin resistance is independent of hyperandrogenemia: A case-control study.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Androgenetic alopecia (AGA) occurs due to the effect of androgens and genetic predisposition. The association between hyperandrogenism and insulin resistance (IR) has been clearly documented. In recent years there have been reports supporting the presence of IR in AGA. The study aimed to investigate the presence of IR in women with AGA and discern whether or not it is associated with hyperandrogenism. METHODS: Overall, 77 women with AGA were included in the study. Patients with Ludwig grades I-III AGA were enrolled in the study. Blood samples were drawn for measurements of hormone profile, basal insulin and fasting blood glucose (FBG). An oral glucose tolerance test was performed on another day. IR was assessed by the homeostasis model assessment score. RESULTS: All IR parameters were significantly higher in the 75 study subjects without DM than in the control group (P < 0.05). After excluding five patients with IGT, the level of all IR parameters were still higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). Hyperandrogenemia was found in 30 (40%) patients. When this second group (n = 45) (excluding patients with hyperandrogenemia) was compared with the control group on IR, all parameters except for basal insulin were significantly higher in the second group than in the controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest a relation between IR and AGA in female patients. We showed for the first time that the association of AGA and IR is independent of hyperandrogenemia.