Tuberculosis is a rare but a severe complication of anti-TNF treatment and may develop in spite of chemoprophylaxis. The risk of TB in psoriasis patients in the present study is comparable to literature mostly based on rheumatology patients.

In this study, we investigated the effect of pentoxifylline, an inhibitor of TNF-alpha, on the contact sensitivity response induced by nickel. For induction, open epicutaneous sensitization by NiSO4. 6 H2O (25% aq.) solution was applied on the backs of 38 albino guinea pigs 5 days a week for 4 weeks. NaCl (0.9%) solution was applied epicutaneously to 10 albino guinea pigs as a control group. 19 were sensitized by nickel and developed positive patch test reactions. Patch tests were repeated after 10 of the sensitized pigs were given pentoxifylline 20 mg/kg/day orally. At the end of this study, only 2 positive patch test reactions were observed in the pentoxifylline-treated group, while 7/9 of the untreated guinea pigs developed positive reactions. These results suggest that pentoxifylline inhibits the contact sensitivity response induced by nickel only during drug administration.

ÖzetAmaç:Sarkoidoz; nedeni bilinmeyen, nonkazeifiye granülomatöz histopatolojisi olan, özellikle akciğer, retiküloendotelyal sistem, göz ve deriyi tutan multisistemik bir hastalıktır. Tüm sarkoidozlu olgularda deri tutulumu %9-37 oranında bildirilirken, sadece deri tutulumu %5,4-13,8 arasındadır. Bu retrospektif çalışmada amaç sarkoidozlu hastalarımızın klinikopatolojik özelliklerini ve kutanöz sarkoidoz ile sistemik sarkoidoz arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir.

Objective: Monnose-Binding lectin (MBL) appears to play an important role in the immune system. The genetic polymorphisms in the MBL2 gene can result in a reduction of serum levels, leading to a predisposition to recurrent infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of a polymorphism in codon 54 of the MBL2 gene on the susceptibility to Erythema Multiforme, Stevens-Johnson Syndrome and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Overlap Syndrome (EM, SJS and SJS/TEN overlap syndrome).Material and Methods: Our study included 64 patients who were clinically and/or histopathologically diagnosed with EM, SJS, and SJS/TEN overlap syndrome and 66 healthy control subjects who were genotyped for the MBL2 gene codon 54 polymorphism using the PCR-RFLP method. For all statistical analyses, the level of significance was set at p<0.05. Results:The prevalence of the B allele was 18% in the EM, SJS and SJS/TEN patient groups and 13% in the control group. No significant differences in allele frequencies of any polymorphism were observed between the patient and control groups, although the B allele was more frequent in the patient groups (p=0.328). Conclusion:Our results provide no evidence of a relationship between MBL2 gene codon 54 polymorphism and the susceptibility to EM, SJS and SJS/ TEN overlap syndrome. However, these findings should be confirmed in studies with a larger sample size.

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