Frequency of Genotypes and Allelic Polymorphisms of Vitamin D Receptor in Egyptian Psoriatic Patients and Their Association With Disease Severity, Immune Modulation of IL-22 Levels and The Response to Topical Calcipotriol Treatment: A Case Control Study.

Objective: This study was performed to determine the genotype and allelic frequencies (polymorphisms) of the four genes of vitamin D receptor (VDR) among Egyptian psoriatic patients and healthy controls to explore their association with disease severity (PASI) score and immune modulation of IL-22 cytokine and to predict the response to topical calcipotriol treatment.

Patients And Methods: The frequencies of the four VDR gene polymorphisms (FokI, ApaI, TaqI, and BsmI) in blood samples of 51 adult Egyptian patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 50 healthy controls were evaluated using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR. Serum levels of IL-22 were measured by ELISA.

Knee enthesitis and synovitis on magnetic resonance imaging in patients with psoriasis without arthritic symptoms.

Objective: This case-control study was designed to evaluate magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of knee joints in patients with psoriasis without clinical peripheral or axial joint involvement, and to correlate MRI findings with disease and demographic variables.

Methods: In total 48 patients with psoriasis and no clinical evidence of synovitis or enthesitis in any peripheral or axial joints were enrolled. A random sample of 20 healthy subjects without knee or other joint complaints and matched for age and sex served as controls.