Patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis preferred oral therapies to phototherapies: a preference assessment based on clinical scenarios with trade-off questions.

Objective: The importance of validly identifying and incorporating patients' views for improving health care is generally acknowledged. Common approaches to assess patients' preferences are based on the quality adjusted life year (QALY) framework, but this ignores a number of aspects that may be relevant. As an alternative, we assessed patients' treatment preferences and trade-offs for five common systemic therapies for psoriasis.

In situ demonstration of CD40- and CD154-positive cells in psoriatic lesions and keratinocyte production of chemokines by CD40 ligation in vitro.

In psoriatic lesions, T cells and keratinocytes are in an activated state. Ligation of CD40 expressed on activated keratinocytes with CD154 expressed on activated T cells is thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of psoriasis. However, the presence of CD40(+) and CD154(+) cells in psoriatic skin has not been thoroughly studied.

Costs of treatment in patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis: economic analysis in a randomized controlled comparison of methotrexate and cyclosporine.

Objectives: To document and compare the costs of treatment of psoriasis with 2 established systemic agents that differ substantially in their unit costs: methotrexate vs cyclosporine.

Design: Cost-minimization analysis within a randomized controlled trial.

Setting: Outpatient dermatology department at an academic hospital.