Sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV inhibitor, improves psoriasis.

A patient with a 17-year history of plaque psoriasis accompanied by type 2 diabetes mellitus discontinued cyclosporine and steroid ointment given for treatment of psoriasis because she was dissatisfied with the effects of the drugs. After sitagliptin, a dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV) inhibitor, was administered for control of blood glucose, psoriatic skin lesions were gradually diminished, although HbA1c did not improve. Three months after the administration of sitagliptin, infiltration, scales and erythema on all psoriatic plaques disappeared, leaving pigmentation on flat skin.

Susceptibility alleles and haplotypes of human leukocyte antigen DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 in autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type III in Japanese population.

Background: It has been reported that HLA class II haplotypes DRB1*0405-DQA1*0303-DQB1*0401 and DRB1*0901-DQA1*0302-DQB1*0303 are major susceptibility haplotypes for type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) in Japanese population. However, little has been reported on the susceptibility HLA class II haplotypes in Japanese patients with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type II and type III (APS III).

Patients And Methods: HLA class II haplotypes of DRB1-DQA1-DQB1 in 31 patients with APS III, 14 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis alone, and 15 patients with Graves' disease alone were examined in Japanese population.

[Successful treatment of combination therapy using an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor and an angiotensin II receptor blocker in a patient with IgA nephropathy].

A 24-year-old Japanese woman with IgA nephropathy was admitted to our hospital due to the development of proteinuria and pretibial edema while on glucocorticoids and an angiotensin-converting-enzyme(ACE) inhibitor. She had been on both medications for more than 2 years. Urinary protein excretion was 2.

Serum paraoxonase activity decreases in rheumatoid arthritis.

Objective: To estimate the alterations of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Design And Methods: We investigated the serum enzyme activity and concentration of PON1 and their relationship with serum lipids, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) parameters, and acute phase reactants of serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with RA.

Results: Serum paraoxonase (PON) activity was significantly decreased in RA patients (n = 64, 131 +/- 53 micro mol/min/L) compared with healthy subjects (n = 155, 164 +/- 59) despite the absence of any difference in serum lipid levels between the two groups.

Proinflammatory cytokines but not acute phase serum amyloid A or C-reactive protein, downregulate paraoxonase 1 (PON1) expression by HepG2 cells.

The expression of paraoxonase1 (PON1) during inflammation has been investigated in vitro. The alteration of steady state PON1 mRNA in HepG2 cells by interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), was investigated relative to acute-phase serum amyloid A (A-SAA) mRNA. PON1 mRNA expression by HepG2 cells was decreased within three hours of stimulation by IL-1beta or TNF-alpha.