Investigation of the relationship between inflammatory blood parameters and seborrheic dermatitis.

OBJECTIVE: Seborrheic dermatitis (SD) is a chronic inflammatory disease. The etiology of the disease is still unknown. The systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), red cell distribution width (RDW), mean platelet volume (MPV), C-reactive protein (CRP), monocyte to HDL cholesterol ratio (MHR), platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) have all been reported as inflammatory markers in recent studies. However, these inflammatory markers have not been explored in SD patients. This study aimed to explore inflammatory and hematological parameters in SD patients with healthy controls (HCs) and evaluate their possible relationship with disease severity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred patients who presented to our hospital were diagnosed with SD and 74 HCs were retrospectively included in our study. The seborrheic dermatitis area severity index (SDASI) score was used to assess the severity of the SD. RESULTS: The patient group's mean PLR, MPV ve CRP levels were statistically significantly higher than the HCs (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the patients compared with the control group regarding RDW, NLR, MHR, and SII levels (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between NLR, PLR, MPV, monocyte/HDL cholesterol, SII levels with age, and SDASI in the patient group. There was a significant correlation between CRP with age and RDW with SDASI score. CONCLUSION: Hematological parameters and CRP are low-cost tests. These tests can be used to define inflammation levels in inflammatory diseases. This study shows that PLR, CRP, and MPV may be used as novel inflammatory markers in SD.

Combination of infra-red light with nanogold targeting macrophages in the treatment of Leishmania major infected BALB/C mice.

PURPOSE: In the treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), developing drug resistance, existing toxic effects of drugs and failure respond to treatment cause the need to try different treatment methods. We investigated the effect of gold-conjugated macrophage-specific antibody on amastigotes under infra-red light for the treatment of CL. METHODS: Female BALB/c (4-8 weeks old, 20 ± 5 g weight) mice were used in the study. The L. major strain was inoculated on the soles of mice in amastigote form and subpassed. Nanogold (Au), Au + macrophage-specific antibody (MSA) modification and near infra-red (NIR) (5 seconds) were applied to mice groups that developed cutaneous leishmaniasis on their soles. On the 5th and 10th days of the treatment, the lesions were examined clinically and pathologically. RESULTS: When the erythema values were examined, the highest decrease was calculated in the Au + MSA + NIR group in the measurements made on the 10th day (p < 0.014). The best improvement in 10th day measurements is in the NIR and Au + MSA + NIR groups when area values were examined (p = 0.011, p = 0.001). There was a statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of parasite load (PL) (p < 0.005) in pathological evaluation. According to PL grouping, the best result is NIR (p = 0.002). When both main titles (clinical and pathological) are examined, the Au + MSA + NIR group is thought to have an optimal therapeutical feature. CONCLUSIONS: Au + MSA + NIR combination could be a new treatment approach for CL treatment.

Demodex infestation as a cause of sensitive skin in a dermatology outpatient clinic.

BACKGROUND: Sensitive skin is subjective cutaneous hyperreactivity to environmental factors. Demodicosis is a skin disorder caused by Demodex mites. There may be a link between demodicosis and sensitive skin. AIM: This study aimed to examine facial Demodex mites density and other factors associated with sensitive skin in patients. METHODS AND METHODS: A total of 349 randomly selected patients presented to the dermatology department. The research data were collected using a questionnaire form that included the participants' sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics, a sensitive skin questionnaire, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and European Health Interview Survey (EHIS). Patients underwent standardized superficial skin surface biopsy of 4 areas of the face. D. folliculorum count greater than 5 mites/cm2 was considered positive. RESULTS: In relation to Demodex, there was an increase in skin sensitivity with higher Demodex density (p = 0.04). There was a statistically significant, weak positive correlation between skin sensitivity and DLQI score (r = 0.33, p = 0.00), and there was also a significant but very weak negative correlation between skin sensitivity and EUROHIS (r = -0.164, p = 0.002). Skin sensitivity was more common in patients with a concomitant dermatological disease (p = 0.01) and increased with more frequent cosmetic use (p = 0.00). CONCLUSION: Alongside other risk factors, for the patients presenting with complaints of sensitive skin, investigating Demodex population density may help alleviate sensitive skin symptoms with appropriate therapies and preventive measures.

A multicentre prospective analysis of the incidence of pemphigoid diseases in Turkey.

BACKGROUND: The differentiation between the pemphigoid diseases is essential for treatment and prognosis. In Turkey, data on the incidence of these diseases are insufficient. Our aim in this study is to determine the incidence, demographics and clinical characteristics associated with diseases of the pemphigoid group. METHODS: We prospectively analysed 295 patients with pemphigoid who visited dermatology clinics of tertiary referral hospitals in 12 different regions of Turkey within a year. The diagnosis was based on clinical, histopathological, direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and serological (multivariant enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA], indirect immunofluorescence and mosaic-based BIOCHIP) examinations. Clinical and demographic findings, aetiological factors and concomitant diseases observed in the patients were recorded. RESULTS: A total of 295 (female/male ratio: 1.7/1) patients with pemphigoid were diagnosed in 1-year period. The overall incidence rate of pemphigoid diseases was found to be 3.55 cases per million-years. The ratio of pemphigoid group diseases to pemphigus group diseases was 1.6. The most common pemphigoid type was bullous pemphigoid (BP, 93.2%). The others were epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (3.1%), pemphigoid gestationis (2.4%), linear IgA disease (1%) and mucous membrane pemphigoid (0.3%). The most common (26.8%) possible trigger of the bullous pemphigoid was gliptin derivative drugs. The most common concomitant diseases with pemphigoid were cardiovascular (27.8%) and neurological diseases (23.7%). CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the increased frequency of bullous pemphigoid reversed the pemphigoid/pemphigus ratio in Turkey. Further studies are warranted regarding the reasons for this increase.