Publications by authors named "Traks T"

Article Synopsis
  • A study was conducted to investigate similarities and differences in protein expressions between psoriasis (PS) and atopic dermatitis (AD), using high-throughput mass spectrometry on skin samples from affected patients and healthy controls.
  • The analysis revealed a significant overlap in proteomic profiles of PS and AD, indicating they share common pathogenesis mechanisms, while both differed from healthy skin.
  • Notably, periostin (POSTN) was found to be highly expressed in AD but very low or absent in PS, suggesting its potential as a biomarker to distinguish between the two conditions.
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Measurements of skin surface biomarkers have enormous value for the detailed assessment of skin conditions, both for clinical application and in skin care. The main goals of the current study were to assess whether expression patterns of skin surface hBD-1, hBD-2, IL-1α, CXCL-1, and CXCL-8, examples of proteins known to be involved in psoriasis pathology, are associated with disease severity and whether expression patterns of these proteins on the skin surface can be used to measure pharmacodynamic effects of biological therapy. In this observational study using transdermal analysis patch (TAP), levels of skin surface IL-1α, hBD-1, hBD-2, CXCL-1/2, and CXCL-8 of psoriasis vulgaris (PV) patients over biological therapy were assessed.

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Psoriasis is a common, debilitating immune-mediated skin disease. Genetic studies have identified biological mechanisms of psoriasis risk, including those targeted by effective therapies. However, the genetic liability to psoriasis is not fully explained by variation at robustly identified risk loci.

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Background: Skin is a target organ and source of the corticotropin-releasing hormone-proopiomelanocortin (CRH-POMC) system, operating as a coordinator and executor of responses to stress. Environmental stress exacerbates and triggers inflammatory skin diseases through modifying the cellular components of the immune system supporting the importance of CRH-POMC system in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. The aim of this study was to analyse the association of CRH-POMC polymorphisms with psoriasis and evaluate transcript expression of lesional psoriatic and normal skin in RNA-seq data.

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Article Synopsis
  • Lichen planus is a chronic skin disease that may have similarities to conditions like psoriasis, and researchers aimed to better understand its underlying metabolic factors by comparing the blood of affected patients to that of healthy individuals.
  • The study utilized high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to analyze blood serum metabolites and lipoproteins.
  • Significant changes were found in 16 markers related to lipoproteins, which could increase the risk of comorbidities like dyslipidemia and associated cardiovascular issues due to disturbed lipoprotein particle processing.
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  • The melanocortin system plays a key role in regulating stress responses in the skin and stimulating melanin production, which is affected in psoriasis.
  • Expression levels of genes linked to melanogenesis are generally decreased in psoriasis patients, while certain opioid system genes are up-regulated, indicating a complex interaction in skin inflammation.
  • These changes in gene expression may contribute to the reduced pigmentation and increased inflammation typically seen in psoriatic skin.
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  • The Mediodorsal (MD) thalamus plays a crucial role in brain relay systems and has been overlooked in research on alcohol use disorder (AUD).
  • A study analyzed MD thalamic regions from AUD subjects and controls, revealing significant upregulation of 2802 transcripts and downregulation of 1893 genes in those with AUD.
  • Key findings included increased expression of genes related to glutamate and GABA neurotransmission, while immune system-related genes were often downregulated, highlighting major molecular changes in the MD thalamus due to long-term alcohol use.
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Background: Genetic predictors for treatment response could optimize allocation of biological treatment in patients with psoriasis. There is minimal knowledge about pharmacogenetics of anti-IL-17 agents.

Objectives: To assess whether genetic variants in the protein-coding region or untranslated regions of the IL-17A gene are associated with response to IL-17A inhibitors in patients with psoriasis.

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Background: Plaque psoriasis is a non-contagious skin disease in which characteristic red and flaky lesions result from a dysregulation involving both innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Several cytokines have been implicated in these processes and lately interleukin (IL)-36 family members have become more recognised among them. Thus far, genetic studies have only investigated IL36RN gene of this family in relation to pustular psoriasis.

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Background: Interleukin (IL)-10 family cytokines IL-10, IL-19, IL-20 and IL-24 have been implicated in autoimmune diseases and we have previously reported that genetic variants in the IL10 gene cluster were associated with psoriasis.

Objectives: To analyse the relationship between genetic polymorphisms in the IL10 gene cluster and psoriasis. This study also explores whether there are gene-gene interactions among these genetic polymorphisms.

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Background: The members of Toll-like receptor (TLR) family are responsible for recognizing various molecular patterns associated with pathogens. Their expression is not confined to immune cells and have been detected in skin cells such as keratinocytes and melanocytes. As part of a generated response to pathogens, TLRs are involved in inducing inflammatory mediators to combat these threats.

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The loss of melanocytes in vitiligo is mainly attributed to defective autoimmune mechanisms and lately autoinflammatory mediators have become more emphasized. Among these, a number of class II cytokines and their receptors have displayed altered expression patterns in vitiligo. Thus, we selected 30 SNPs from the regions of respective genes to be genotyped in Estonian case-control sample (109 and 328 individuals, respectively).

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Schizophrenia affects about 1% of the population. Its etiology is not fully understood. Environmental conditions certainly contribute to the development of schizophrenia, but the determining factor is genetic predisposition: the coefficient of heritability of schizophrenia is about 80%, which is typical for the most highly heritable multifactorial diseases.

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Background: The immune system has been increasingly implicated in the development of mood and anxiety disorders. Inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells, kinase epsilon (IKBKE) gene encodes IKKε protein that is involved in innate immunity, predominantly antiviral response generation. It also bears pro-inflammatory properties that could affect psychiatric outcomes.

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The purpose of this study was to explore relationships between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the limbic system-associated membrane protein (LSAMP) gene and schizophrenia. Twenty-two SNPs were analysed in 127 unrelated schizophrenic patients and in 171 healthy controls. The results showed significant allelic and haplotypic associations between LSAMP gene and schizophrenia.

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Psoriasis vulgaris (PsV) is a frequent, chronically relapsing, immune-mediated systemic disease with characteristic skin changes. IL22 is a cytokine of IL10 family, with significant proliferative effect on different cell lines. Copy number variations (CNV) have been discovered to have phenotypic consequences and are associated with various types of diseases.

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The purpose of this case-control genetic association study was to explore potential relationships between polymorphisms in the limbic system-associated membrane protein (LSAMP) gene and mood and anxiety disorders. A total of 21 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the LSAMP gene were analyzed in 591 unrelated patients with the diagnoses of major depressive disorder (MDD) or panic disorder (PD) and in 384 healthy control subjects. The results showed a strong association between LSAMP SNPs and MDD, and a suggestive association between LSAMP SNPs and PD.

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Background: The molecular basis of pathogenesis of psoriasis remains unclear, but one unifying hypothesis of disease aetiology is the cytokine network model. The class II cytokines (CF2) and their receptors (CRF2) are all involved in the inflammatory processes and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in respective genes have been associated with psoriasis in a previous study of the Estonian population.

Objective: We performed a replication study of 47 SNPs in CF2 and CRF2 genes in independent cohorts of psoriasis patients of two ethnic groups (Russians and Bashkirs) from the Volga-Ural region of Russia.

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Article Synopsis
  • * Researchers found that specific SNPs (rs2241880 and rs2241879) are more common in PPP patients compared to control subjects, indicating a potential genetic link to the condition.
  • * The results suggest that the ATG16L1 gene is significantly associated with PPP susceptibility and may influence immune responses through its role in the autophagy pathway.
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