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The aim of our research was to evaluate redox balance parameters and biomarkers of oxidative stress (OS) in nonstimulated and stimulated saliva as well as the blood of patients with plaque psoriasis compared to healthy controls. The study involved 40 patients with plaque psoriasis and 40 generally healthy subjects matched by age and gender to the study group patients. We assayed the concentration/activity of antioxidant enzymes: salivary peroxidase (Px), catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) measured in unstimulated saliva (NWS), stimulated saliva (SWS), and erythrocytes. In plasma as well as NWS and SWS, we measured the concentration/activity of reduced glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant potential (TAC), total oxidative status (TOS), oxidative stress index (OSI), and markers of oxidative modification of proteins: advanced glycation end products (AGE), advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), and lipid oxidation products: malondialdehyde (MDA) and total lipid hydroperoxide (LOOH). In NWS and SWS, we also evaluated the rate of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The concentration of Px, CAT, and SOD was significantly higher in NWS of patients with plaque psoriasis vs. healthy subjects. In SWS of psoriatic patients, we observed considerably higher concentration of Px and CAT, and in erythrocytes of patients with plaque psoriasis, the concentration of GPx and CAT was significantly higher compared to that in the controls. The levels of AOPP, AGE, MDA, and LOOH were considerably higher in NWS, SWS, and plasma of the study group compared to the controls. The concentration of total protein and salivary amylase was significantly lower in NWS and SWS of psoriatic patients compared to the healthy control. In the course of plaque psoriasis, we observed redox imbalances with prevalence of oxidation reactions. Mechanisms involved in the synthesis/secretion of proteins and activity of amylase were depressed in both glands of psoriatic patients; however, they were more inhibited in the parotid gland compared to the submandibular gland. TOS concentration and OSI value in NWS and SWS may serve as diagnostic biomarkers of plaque psoriasis., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2020 Anna Skutnik-Radziszewska et al.)

Psychological resources such as hope have been suggested to positively influence quality of life (QoL) in chronic disorders. Here, we determined hope levels of psoriasis vulgaris in-patients and analyzed their relation to QoL. A total of 60 (29 male) patients were assessed for their QoL with a generic tool (WHOQOL-BREF) and a skin disease-specific instrument, the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Hope levels were determined by use of the Basic Hope Inventory. We found a positive correlation between hope and all domains of WHOQOL-BREF (physical: r = 0.446, p = 0.000; psychological r = 0.464, p = 0.000; social r = 0.302, p = 0.019; environmental r = 0.480, p = 0000; and global r = 0.501, p = 0.000) and a negative correlation with DLQI (r = -0.281, p = 0.030) indicating higher QoL in patients with high hope. Hope was not correlated with disease severity or duration. Hope may play a substantial role in preventing QoL impairment in psoriasis. Psychotherapeutic interventions aimed at strengthening hope could improve QoL in this condition.

Many patients with psoriasis demonstrate psychological disturbances, including decreased health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to evaluate selected personal resources and HRQoL in 168 in-patients with psoriasis vulgaris. The following questionnaires were used: Skindex-29, General Health Questionnaire, Coping with Skin Disease Scale, Acceptance of Illness Scale, Life Orientation Test, Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale and General Self-Efficacy Scale. It was demonstrated that younger patients experienced fewer problems in psychosocial functioning, and that they showed a correlation between worse HRQoL and both external powerful others and external chance domains in locus of health control. Subjective self-evaluation of health correlated with HRQoL irrespective of patient's age. Coping with stress strategies hopelessness/helplessness and distraction/catastrophization correlated with worse overall HRQoL, whereas fighting spirit strategy correlated with better overall HRQoL. Hopelessness/helplessness coping strategy, somatic symptoms, disease acceptance, psoriasis severity and patient's age explained 61% of overall HRQoL variance. Psychomedical interventions designed for psoriatic patients should take into account the above variables.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune hyperproliferative skin disease of varying severity affecting approximately 2-3% of the general population in the USA and Europe. Although the pathogenesis of psoriasis has not been fully elucidated, an immunologic-genetic relationship is likely. Cutaneous and systemic overexpression of various proinflammatory cytokines (TNF, interleukins, interferon-gamma) has been demonstrated in psoriatic patients., Methods: We reviewed the current database literature and summarized the involvement of cytokines and their receptors in the pathogenesis and treatment of psoriasis., Results: Although many cytokine/anti-cytokine therapies have been conducted, TNF antagonists in the treatment of both psoriasis arthropatica and vulgaris appear to be the most widely used clinically. Interestingly, the efficacy and tolerability of some cytokines (rhIL-11 or ABX-IL-8,) were found to be much lower than expected., Conclusions: Preliminary results obtained with cytokine and anti-cytokine therapies appear promising and as such continued research is clearly indicated.

Psoriasis is a common skin disease involving 1-4% of human population worldwide, of strong genetic background. The following cytokines are directly involved in psoriasis: TNF, IL-1, IL-2, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-15, IL-18, IL-19, IL-20, IL-23 whereas IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 as well as IL-11, IL-17 and IFN-gamma are rather indirectly engaged. This work is a review of some genetic factors and structure of selected cytokines and receptors and their genes location.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease involving 1-3% of the human population worldwide. Many systemic diseases including cardiovascular disturbances have been described in psoriatic patients. However, there is a scarcity of data on heart rate, heart rate variability, arrhythmia and conduction abnormalities in this group of patients., Methods: The study comprised 32 patients with chronic psoriasis vulgaris and negative personal history of heart problems. Severity of the disease was evaluated by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Twenty-four-h continuous electrocardiographic monitoring (24-h Holter ECG) was performed in all patients., Results: Heart rate was significantly higher both during the day and at night in patients with psoriasis vulgaris than in the control group (p < 0.0001). There was a positive correlation between the increased heat rate, both during the day and at night, in psoriatic patients and severity of the disease expressed as PASI. Single supraventricular beats were significantly more frequently observed in psoriatic patients vs. the control group (p < 0.0001)., Conclusions: An active inflammatory process observed in psoriasis seems to exert its influence on increased heart rate and supraventricular beats development. However, to confirm the above findings, further studies on larger groups of psoriatic patients, presenting different types of the disease are mandatory.

Dermatological patients present significantly more psychological disturbances of various types than the general population. The aim of the present study was to analyze anxiety and depression in relation to social support in psoriasis patients. The study was performed on a group of 32 psoriasis vulgaris in-patients of the Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Lódź. The following questionnaires were employed: The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Social Support Questionnaire (SOZU--Soziale Unterstützung). Psoriasis severity was evaluated by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI). Elderly psoriatic patients presented significantly higher levels of both anxiety and depression. Moreover, lower depression levels were observed in patients with positive psoriatic family history. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between anxiety level and cutaneous lesions severity, pruritus severity and longer disease duration. Additionally, there was a negative correlation between both anxiety and depression levels and social support. In conclusion, support groups should primarily be organized for elderly psoriatic patients with negative psoriatic family history.

Peripheral blood dendritic cells seem to play a crucial role in psoriatic inflammatory processes. The aim of our study is to investigate the relationship between plasma interleukin-18 (IL-18) levels and blood dendritic cells in psoriatic patients. IL-18 plasma levels were measured by ELISA. Phenotypes of dendritic cell subsets were analyzed by double-colour flow cytometry. Plasma IL-18 level in psoriatic males was significantly higher, whereas counts of BDCA-2+ cells were lower than in the control group. The myeloid/plasmacytoid ratio was significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control one. In the patient group, significant negative correlations between plasma IL-18 level and both the BDCA-1+ and BDCA-2+ counts were found. BDCA-1+ counts correlated negatively with percentage of skin involvement. IL-18 seems to play a role in psoriasis pathogenesis. The decreased counts of blood plasmacytoid DCs in psoriatic patients might result from IL-18 down-regulation of plasmacytoid DC precursor proliferation.

Fibroblasts have been implicated in psoriatic inflammatory processes. The aim of the study was to evaluate soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 8 (IL-8) plasma levels in psoriatic patients and IL-6 and IL-8 levels in fibroblast culture supernatants. Cytokines levels in plasma and supernatants were measured by ELISA. Plasma sIL-2R, IL-6, and IL-8 levels were higher before the treatment in comparison to healthy controls (P < 0.001) and decreased after treatment. Fibroblasts from healthy controls, psoriatic lesional skin, and noninvolved psoriatic skin, when stimulated with tumor necrosis factor alpha, released considerable amounts of IL-6 and IL-8. No significant difference between healthy controls and psoriatic fibroblasts was observed. Monitoring plasma sIL-2R levels could be employed as a reliable method of psoriasis activity. IL-8 and IL-6 plasma levels seem to reflect psoriasis activity, and treatment response, respectively. Fibroblasts are not a major source of increased IL-6 and IL-8 production in psoriasis.

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease of the skin with strong genetic and environmental risk factors and is regarded as a Th1 cell-type disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of one-month PUVA (Psoralen Ultraviolet A) therapy on a regulatory T-cell subpopulation (CD4+CD25+) and the production of some cytokines., Material/methods: The study was performed on the group of 12 patients with severe psoriasis. They were put on PUVA therapy for one month. We analyzed the level of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells using a FACSCalibur cytometer and CellQuest Software. The production of IFN-gamma (interferon-gamma), TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor alpha), IL (interleukin) -10, IL-5, IL-4, and IL-2 by lymphocytes was estimated by using a CBA system. The control group consisted of 11 healthy volunteers., Results: We found that the production of INF-gamma, TNF-alpha, IL-2, and IL-10 in psoriatic patients before PUVA application increased significantly compared with the control group. In patients after PUVA therapy we observed decreased production of TNF-alpha and a decreased number of CD4+CD25+ cells in the blood compared with the same group of patients before the treatment., Conclusions: It was demonstrated that systemic PUVA therapy led to a marked reduction in CD4+CD25+ T cells and a change in cytokine production.

Background: Psoriasis is regarded as a Th1-cell type disease. Interleukin-4, a Th2 type cytokine, is diminished in psoriatic skin. It has been postulated that switching the cytokine profile from Th1 to Th2 may be of great help in the treatment of psoriasis. Some recent reports demonstrate a favorable role of IL-4 in the treatment of psoriasis. Therefore we decided to evaluate how IL-4 plasma levels fluctuate in the case of favorable treatment outcome observed in patients with clinically active and stable disease., Material/methods: 17 patients with active psoriasis vulgaris, 17 with stable disease, and 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included in the study. IL- 4 plasma levels were evaluated by the ELISA method twice--before treatment implementation and 4 weeks thereafter., Results: We observed statistically significant higher IL-4 plasma levels in the active psoriasis group both before treatment implementation (1st examination) and after 4 weeks of treatment (2nd examination) compared with both the control group (p<0.001) and the stable psoriasis group (1st examination: p<0.001, 2nd examination: p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference in IL-4 plasma levels between the stable psoriasis and control groups in both examinations (p>0.05)., Conclusions: Our data seem to support the hypothesis of the existence of immunologically distinct psoriasis subtypes.

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Psoriasis is the most common inflammatory skin disease, characterized by the release of proinflammatory cytokines from lymphocytes, keratinocytes, and dendritic cells. Although psoriasis is considered an immune-mediated inflammatory disease, its effect on secretory activity of salivary glands and quantitative composition of saliva is still unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate the secretion of saliva as well as several selected inflammation and nitrosative stress biomarkers in unstimulated and stimulated saliva as well as plasma of psoriasis patients. We demonstrated that, with progressing severity and duration of the disease, the secretory function of the parotid and submandibular salivary glands is lost, which is manifested as decreased unstimulated and stimulated saliva secretion and reduced salivary amylase activity and total protein concentration. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (INF-γ) were significantly higher, whereas interleukin-10 (IL-10) content was considerably lower in unstimulated and stimulated saliva of patients with psoriasis compared to the controls, and the changes increased with the disease duration. Similarly, we observed that the intensity of nitrosative stress in the salivary glands of psoriasis patients depended on the duration of the disease. By means of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, we showed that the evaluation of nitric oxide (NO), nitrotyrosine, and IL-2 concentration in non-stimulated saliva with high sensitivity and specificity differentiated psoriasis patients on the basis of the rate of saliva secretion (normal salivation vs. hyposalivation). In summary, the dysfunction of salivary glands in psoriasis patients is caused by inflammation and nitrosative stress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND Numerous literature data evaluating quality of life in dermatological patients demonstrate this parameter to be considerably decreased. Psoriasis is among most studied dermatological disorders, demonstrating decreased quality of life in all examined dimensions. However, there are inconsistent data on disease influence, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and life satisfaction in psoriatic patients. The aims of the study were the following: a) to determine the level of general life satisfaction and HRQoL in psoriasis patients; b) to differentiate factors combined with life satisfaction and HRQoL assessment and determine whether the same variables are connected with life satisfaction and HRQoL. The general life satisfaction and HRQoL are response variables. Age and sex of the patients, educational status, disease severity, expressed as Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), marital status, pruritus severity, disease duration, and family history of psoriasis (explanatory variables) were taken into consideration too. participants and procedure The study comprised 97 psoriasis inpatients. The Life Satisfaction Questionnaire (FLZ) and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) were used. results Psoriatic patients demonstrated decreased life satisfaction and HRQoL in all domains. Psoriasis patients who had partners evaluated life satisfaction in Health, Financial situation, Myself, Accommodation and Sex domains as much better than singles. Total life satisfaction and HRQoL decreased with age. The study has shown that life satisfaction is different from HRQoL. conclusions The observation that total life satisfaction is not strongly determined only by medical/somatic factors could be regarded as a valuable insight for further research to determine why the majority of dermatological patients are not fully compliant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social support belongs to the best studied resources of resistance to stress. The positive influence can also be observed in somatic diseases, including psoriasis. Objectives: The purpose of this research was to examine correlations on social support and general health in psoriasis vulgaris patients. Material and methods: The study included 32 patients treated at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Medical University of Lodz. In this research General Health Questionnaire -- GHQ-28 (Goldberg), Social Support Questionnaire (Fydrich; Polish adaptation by Juczynski) and PASI index were used. Results: The research proved a positive correlation between social support and general health in psoriasis vulgaris patients. Conclusions: The obtained results support the conclusion that social support group may have positive impact on disease course and severity as well as on patient's functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]