Interleukin-18 levels in the plasma of psoriatic patients correlate with the extent of skin lesions and the PASI score.

Interleukin-18 is a cytokine with a possible role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. We examined subpopulations of peripheral blood lymphocytes and their expression of activation markers and correlated this with plasma levels of IL-18 and clinical disease severity in patients with psoriasis. We included 12 patients with psoriasis who had a PASI score from 15 to 48 and compared them to controls.

Does a correlation between transaminase activity and the size of the liver in psoriatic children exist?

Psoriasis is a systemic disease. On the basis of the literature it has been stated that there is a possibility that a disease which is going on in the skin may be reflected by the increase in the activity of the hepatic cell. This activity was estimated by the McLaghan units, concentration of aspartate and alanine aminotransferases and morphometric measurements of the liver in 3 oblong dimensions.

Interleukin-18 serum concentration in patients with psoriasis triggered by infection.

The blood serum concentrations of IL-18 and the subpopulation of blood lymphocytes in peripheral blood were investigated in 14 patients with psoriasis preceded by a bacterial infection. The IL-18 concentrations were measured with the ELISA method, and the lymphocyte subpopulation--by flow cytometry. The elevated IL-18 concentrations in blood serum were observed; however, the increase was statistically insignificant in the group of psoriatic patients in comparison with the control (p > 0.