Blood to skin recirculation of CD4 memory T cells associates with cutaneous and systemic manifestations of psoriatic disease.

Blood to skin recirculation could play a role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. To investigate this possibility we dissected the phenotype of circulating T cells in psoriasis patients, calculated the correlation the clinical parameters of the disease and performed a parallel bioinformatics analysis of gene expression data in psoriatic skin. We found that circulating CCR6 CD4 T and T cells significantly correlated with systemic inflammation.

A role for CCR5(+)CD4 T cells in cutaneous psoriasis and for CD103(+) CCR4(+) CD8 Teff cells in the associated systemic inflammation.

Recent results have identified critical components of the T cell response involved in the initiation and amplification phases of psoriasis. However the link between T cell responses arising in the skin and the systemic inflammation associated with severe psoriasis is largely unknown. We hypothesized that specific subsets of memory T cells recirculating from the skin could play a role.

Metal sensitivity in patients with orthopaedic implants: a prospective study.

Background: Sensitization to orthopaedic implant materials is an unpredictable event that might affect implant performance.

Objectives: In candidates for hip or knee joint prosthesis implantation, to evaluate preoperative assessments for identifying patients with metal sensitivity, to determine the percentage of patients who developed metal sensitivity at 1 year after prosthesis implantation, and to examine the clinical relevance of patch tests and lymphocyte transformation tests (LTT-MELISA®) for the evaluation of metal sensitization.

Patients And Methods: A total of 100 patients referred for total hip or total knee arthroplasty were assessed preoperatively and then at 1 year post-implantation by means of patch tests with the metals present in the implant alloys.

Dual role of anti-TNF therapy: enhancement of TCR-mediated T cell activation in peripheral blood and inhibition of inflammation in target tissues.

The impact of anti-TNF therapy on systemic immune responses in patients has not been clearly defined. Here, we examined Th1/Th2/Th17 cytokine expression, activation and proliferation of peripheral T cells from patients with psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease before and during anti-TNF therapy. In parallel, we calculated the correlation with the clinical response and we monitored cytokine expression in biopsies from inflamed tissues.

A controlled study of comparative efficacy of oral retinoids and topical betamethasone/salicylic acid for chronic hyperkeratotic palmoplantar dermatitis.

Background: Chronic hyperkeratotic dermatitis of the palms and soles represents a severe multi-etiological problem, too often faced with ineffective or tedious topical remedies.

Methods: A single-blind, matched-sample design investigation was carried out of 42 patients with chronic hyperkeratotic palmoplantar dermatitis, who were administered acitretin 25-50 mg/day for 1 month, which was controlled versus a conventional topical treatment (betamethasone/salicylic acid ointment). Therapeutic improvement was expressed with the reduction of severity score (expressed on a 0-10 scale).