Biological treatments for SAPHO syndrome: an update.

Synovitis, Acne, Pustulosis, Hyperostosis and Osteitis (SAPHO) syndrome is a rare and often unrecognized disease with prominent inflammatory cutaneous and articular manifestations. Since the identification of the syndrome many immunosuppressive drugs have been used for the management of SAPHO, with variable results. The use of anti- TNF-α agents as a therapeutic option for SAPHO cases unresponsive or refractory to conventional drugs, demonstrated their efficacy for bone, skin and joints manifestations.

TH17 cells are increased in the peripheral blood of patients with SAPHO syndrome.

To assess whether the immune derangement previously observed in SAPHO syndrome could be linked to variations in blood TH1, TH2 or TH17 lymphocytes frequency. Seven SAPHO patients with a protracted course of the disease were studied ex-vivo for intracellular cytokines production by means of flow-cytometry and compared with matched groups of Psoriatic Arthritis patients and healthy controls. The Kruskal-Wallis test on the median of the three categories showed that there is a significant association between the TH17 levels and the category (p value = 0.

Successful treatment of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis caused by azole-resistant Candida albicans with posaconazole.

Refractory or recurrent infections of skin, nails, and the mucous membranes are clinical signs of chronic mucocutaneous candidiasis, frequently associated with immunological defects. Here we describe a 39-years-old female patient, with familial CMC, that presented with an extensive infection caused by an azole-resistant Candida albicans isolate, successfully treated with posaconazole.