1,721,099 research outputs found
Potential role of ustekinumab in the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis
Full text linkPsoriasis is a relatively common, chronic and disabling skin disease, with an immune-related pathogenesis and a genetic background which may be triggered by several environmental factors including smoking and infections. There is no cure but several treatment options are available. The treatment of psoriasis is far from being satisfactory due to impractical modalities of topical treatment and suboptimal safety profile of the systemic treatments available. In the last few years, parallel to an improved understanding of the disease pathogenesis, there has been a boost in research on new agents for the treatment of psoriasis. Ustekinumab, a monoclonal antibody targeting the p40 subunit of interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, is one such new agent. Psoriasis and its management are briefly reviewed before focusing on the evidence for ustekinumab in the treatment of chronic plaque psoriasis through a systematic search of the main registries of ongoing trials up to December 2009. Ustekinumab proved to be very effective short term in the control of clinical manifestations in psoriasis compared with placebo and with etanercept. Long-term and comparative data are still limited. There is a need for continuing research on the long-term effectiveness and safety of the drug
Epidemiology of comorbidities in psoriasis
No full textEpidemiological studies have shown that, in patients with psoriasis, associated disorders may occur more frequently than expected. Such comorbidities include, among others, psoriatic arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, several cancer types, and depression. Comorbidities often become clinically manifest years after onset of psoriasis and tend to be more frequently seen in severe disease
Quality of life of psoriasis patients measured by the PSOdisk: a new visual method for assessing the impact of the disease
No full textBACKGROUND: Psoriasis is an inflammatory disease with a chronic course; often it is associated with various serious comorbidity and a compromised quality of life. Psoriasis patients experience a low self-esteem, feelings of shame and frustration, they report a seriously compromised social and sentimental sphere, difficulties at work and in daily activities, coming in most serious cases to suicidal ideation. METHODS: Our job is to experiment the introduction of the innovative PSOdisk tool to quantify the impact of psoriasis on quality of life, comparing it with PASI Index. We presented the empirical analysis, gathered through a sample of 24 patients, followed for 6 months of therapy with biologics. Patients were encountered three times, at a distance of three months each, during which we calculated a PASI score and we administered the PSOdisk. RESULTS: Through various statistical analyses we have identified a relationship between PSOdisk value and other parameters such as patient age and particular locations of psoriasis. Specifically we systematically observed that patients aged less than 50 years reported a more compromised quality of life (QoL) when compared to older patients with the same clinical severity. At the same time patients with hands or genitals involvement show higher values associated with the PSOdisk compared with patients without such anatomical deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: PSOdisk instrument proved to be effective and optimal for widespread distribution in the outpatient activity. It also encourages dialogue between doctor and patient; it increases compliance of the latter with regard to the therapy and a desirable improvement in outcomes. A systematic assessment of the impact of psoriasis on patients' QoL is fundamental and must complement the objective assessment in clinical practice. © 2017 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA
Dermoscopy and pathological correlation of microcystic cutaneous lymphatic malformation: a rare cutaneous entity
No full textDermoscopy is a noninvasive technique, which has greatly improved the diagnostic accuracy of cutaneous tumors. The yellowish color of our lesion was because of lymphatic fluid that also gave a vesciculous appearance, while the linear and ectatic vessels were due to dilated, thin-walled lymphatic vessels in the papillary dermis and to relative possible microshunt
Fractional 1,927 nm Thulium Laser plus Photodynamic Therapy for the treatment of erosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp
No full textErosive pustular dermatosis of the scalp(EPDS)is a rare inflammatory disease, typically affecting elderly people, characterized by keratotic, erosive, pustular and crusting lesions. Usually, EPDS occurs after local trauma to the skin related to surgeries, skin grafting, solar damage or to local treatments for actinic keratosis.Due to its rarity, misdiagnosis and chronicity, the therapeutic options for this pathology are few and often not very satisfactory, causing frustration and discomfort in patients.Fractional 1,927 nm TL plus PDT is a valid therapeutic option for EPDS patients.Indeed, non-ablative 1,927 nm TL allows the formation of gentle cutaneous pores, which favor the penetration of MAL, leading to a clinical improvement without reactivating the disease
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Onset of vitiligo in a patient with acquired secondary hypogonadism under treatment with testosterone gel 2%: inside the pathogenesis
No full textThe present case rep-resents the first clinical confirmation of the onset ofvitiligo in a patient with hypogonadism, supporting thethesis that hypogonadism can be associated with vitiligo.At the same time, there is insufficient evidence to sup-port a role of testosterone replacement therapy in thedevelopment of vitiligo
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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