psoriasis tagged posts

Stylised image: Urushiol (in green), the ‘active ingredient’ in poison ivy, entrapped by CD1a molecule (in pink), which mediates the inflammatory response. Credit: Imaging CoE

Finding the molecular cause of this irritation brings us a step closer to designing agents to block this mechanism and sheds light on other serious skin conditions, such as psoriasis. The international team of scientists have shown, for the first time, a connection between an immune molecule found in the skin and skin sensitisers...

Psoriasis on elbow. Credit: © hriana / Fotolia

Improvement persists for more than a year. About 80% of patients with moderate to severe psoriasis saw their disease completely or almost completely cleared with a new drug called ixekizumab, according to 3 large, long-term clinical trials led by NW Medicine. “This group of studies not only shows very high and consistent levels of safety and efficacy, but also that the great majority of the responses persist at least 60 weeks,” said Dr. Kenneth Gordon.

Affecting about 3% of the world’s population, psoriasis is an immune-mediated inflammatory disease that causes itchy, dry and red skin. It is also associated with an increased risk for depression, heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions...

The research may strengthen researchers’ abilities to better predict a child’s risk for associated autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases, eg type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, collectively affect 1 in 12 persons in the Western hemisphere. They represent a significant cause of chronic disability.

“The results from this study enable us to better understand the genetic component of these diseases and how they are genetically related to each other, thereby explaining why different autoimmune disorders often run in the same family,” said Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D.

The research encompassed 9 pediatric-onset autoimmune diseases (pAIDs): type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, common variable immunodeficiency, systemic lupus eryth...

Scientists who analyzed the genes involved in 10 autoimmune diseases that begin in childhood have discovered 22 genome-wide signals shared by 2 or more diseases. These shared gene sites may reveal potential new targets for treating many of these diseases, in some cases with existing drugs already available for non-autoimmune disorders. Autoimmune diseases, eg Type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, and juvenile idiopathic arthritis, collectively affect 7 to 10% of the Western Hemisphere.

Meta-analysis was performed, incl a case-control study of 6,035 subjects with automimmune disease and 10,700 controls, all of European ancestry. Yun (Rose) Li, M.D./Ph.D...