Background: Psoriasis is a chronic, complex, inflammatory disease that needs safe and effective treatment options to decrease its disease burden. Objectives: To determine the efficacy and safety of sunflower oil in mild to moderate plaque-type psoriasis at the outpatient department of a tertiary hospital. Methods: This was an 8-week, single-center, randomized, double-blind controlled trial that compared the efficacy and safety of sunflower oil + placebo cream (Group SO), betamethasone valerate cream + placebo oil (Group BC), sunflower oil + betamethasone valerate cream (Group SO-BC) in mild to moderate plaque-type psoriasis. Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) was used to measure the extent of psoriasis by assessing the erythema, induration, scaling, and body surface area involvement. The difference from baseline PASI was recorded. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) questionnaire was used to measure the impact of psoriasis on the patient’s quality of life. Results: Fifty-one patients were randomized and blinded to three treatment arms; evaluated at baseline, week 4 and 8. The proportion of patients who achieved PASI ≥50 at week 4 was 29% in Group SO, 38% in Group BC, and 60% in Group SO-BC. By week 8, Groups SO and BC achieved 80% while Group SO-BC achieved 93%. There was significant decline of PASI at week 4 and week 8 compared to baseline. The mean percentage change of PASI was highest at Group SO-BC followed by Group BC and lastly Group SO at week 4 and week 8. The mean reduction in score for scaling was significantly higher in Group SO-BC. Mean reduction in induration and erythema was not statistically significant across the three groups. There was 40-50% improvement in DLQI scores in all groups. There were no adverse events. Conclusion: This study showed that sunflower oil is effective and safe in mild to moderate plaque-type psoriasis.

BackgroundPigmented purpuric dermatosis (PPD) is characterized by grouped petechiae, purpuric macules, and pigmentation in the bilateral lower extremities. It runs a chronic and relapsing course. Pathophysiology is poorly understood, but it has been proposed to be an immune‐complex disease or capillaritis. This study aimed to determine the incidence and patterns of positive direct immunofluorescence (DIF) findings in patients with clinically and histopathologically confirmed PPD. The association between DIF deposition type and clinical profile was also analyzed.MethodsPatients with a clinical and histopathologic PPD diagnosis who had undergone DIF studies at a tertiary medical center with attached dermatopathology and immunofluorescence diagnostic centers between January 2002 and December 2021 were included in this study. Data on age, sex, disease duration, comorbidities, and drug intake were collected from medical records.ResultsThere were 65 patients who satisfied the inclusion criteria. Among them, 58 (89%) had at least one positive finding and 53 (82%) were vascular deposition of immunoglobulin (Ig), complement, or fibrinogen. The most common vascular deposition was fibrinogen (71%) followed by C3 (62%), IgM (18%), IgA (6%), and IgG (3%). Fibrinogen deposition was associated with hypertension (p < 0.03). There was no association between vascular DIF deposition of IgG, IgA, and C3, with age, sex, comorbidities, disease duration, and drug history.ConclusionThe most common DIF findings in PPD were vascular deposition of fibrinogen and C3, with or without Ig presence. DIF findings supported a vascular origin in PPD but not an immune complex‐mediated disease. Hypertension was associated with fibrinogen deposition and may play a role in its pathophysiology.