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The results of this study suggested that the presence of both ST and hyperleptinaemia in patients with STs may be associated with high levels of triglycerides and low levels of HDL and this could suggest that changing the life style of patients with ST may have a beneficial role.

Summary Background Alopecia areata (AA) is a multifactorial disease in which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF‐α) plays an important role. Objective To study the effect of oral pulse steroids on both serum and tissue levels of TNF‐α in AA patients. Methods Skin biopsies and serum samples were collected from 20 patients with patchy AA before and after treatment (oral prednisolone for two consecutive days every week for 3 months) for determination of the levels of TNF‐α levels using ELISA technique. Results Both serum and tissue levels of TNF‐α in AA patients were significantly higher than in controls before (P < 0.001) as well as after treatment (P = 0.0169 and P = 0.3051), respectively. The duration of disease negatively correlated with tissue TNF‐α before treatment (P < 0.0001). Serum and tissue levels of TNF‐α dropped significantly after treatment (P < 0.0001). The percentage of reduction of both tissue and serum TNF‐α levels correlated positively with the percentage of clinical improvement (r = 0.682, P = 0.0009; r = 0.567, P = 0.009, respectively). Conclusion TNF‐α plays an important role in the evolution of AA lesions, and alteration in both serum and tissue levels of TNF‐α could be considered one of the important mechanisms of action of systemic oral pulse steroids in the treatment of AA.

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Journal of the Egyptian Women's Dermatologic Society 2013, 10:32-36 HHV7-negative patients, but no significant relation was detected between them (P = 0.339). Conclusion HHV7 and TLR9 may play a role in the pathogenesis of LP.An agarose gel electrophoresis show PCR products of toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) in the studied group. Lane M: DNA marker with 100 bp. Lanes 1 and 2: PCR products of TLR9 in the control group. Lanes 3 and 4: PCR products of TLR9 in the diseased group.TLR9 and HHV7 in lichen planus Azzam et al. 33