Gender-specific association of androgenetic alopecia with metabolic syndrome in a middle-aged Korean population.

BACKGROUND: Although several previous studies have investigated the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the study results have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the presence of MetS and AGA according to gender in a middle-aged Korean population. METHODS: A population-based cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample from the Korean Genome Epidemiology Study. In total, 3408 subjects (1707 men and 1701 women) were enrolled between January 2008 and February 2010. The Norwood classification for men and Ludwig classification for women were used for assessment of the degree of hair loss. Information on components of MetS together with other possible risk factors was collected. RESULTS: In men, the risk of having Norwood type IV or greater was not increased for subjects with MetS compared with those without MetS. In women, the risk of having Ludwig type I or greater was significantly increased for subjects with MetS compared with those without MetS after controlling for age and smoking status (OR 1.68, 95% CI 1.14-2.48; P=0.01). Similar results were also observed for the number of fulfilled components of MetS [odds ratio (OR) 1.38, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00-1.91; P<0.05]. When each component of MetS was considered individually, associations between AGA and all five components of MetS (waist circumference, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein-C, blood glucose, and blood pressure) were not statistically significant. When multiple regression was used to adjust for age, family history and smoking, there was no significant association between the prevalence of MetS and moderate to severe AGA in the male group. On the contrary, a statistically significant positive association was noted between the prevalence of MetS and AGA in the female group. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis of AGA and the prevalence of MetS in a large population-based cohort demonstrated quite different findings compared with previous reports. The different results according to gender suggest that there may be different mechanisms that are yet to be defined between male and female AGA.

Upregulation of Fas and downregulation of CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptors on circulating natural killer cells in patients with new-onset psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis has been considered as a T-helper 1 cell-mediated autoimmune disease driven by collaboration with multiple components of innate and acquired immune cells. Natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to bridge innate and acquired immunity, and thus could potentially contribute to the pathophysiology of psoriasis. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the phenotypic changes of circulating NK cells in patients with new-onset psoriasis. METHODS: Fifteen patients with plaque psoriasis (eight women and seven men) who visited our clinic after their first episode of psoriasis and did not have a history of previous systemic therapy or phototherapy participated in this study. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and stained with a panel of antibodies against cell surface receptors expressed on T and/or NK cells and analysed by flow cytometry. RESULTS: As compared with normal healthy volunteers, patients with new-onset psoriasis showed no significant changes in numbers of peripheral NK, NK-T or T cells. NK activating receptors 2B4, CD48, NKG2D, CD16 and CD56 were found to be unchanged in new-onset psoriasis. However, the expression of Fas (activation-induced death receptor) was upregulated, whereas the expression of the NK inhibitory receptors CD94 and NKG2A was dramatically reduced on NK cells of new-onset psoriasis. These changes occurred at the level of mean fluorescent intensity, but minimally affected percentages of cells expressing Fas, CD94 and NKG2A. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that changes in the expression of Fas and CD94/NKG2A receptors on NK cells may occur during new-onset psoriasis, and are likely to contribute to the pathogenesis of psoriasis.

Tailgut cyst in a neonate.

Tailgut cyst is a rare lesion of developmental origin located in the retrorectal space, which usually presents as a multilocular cystic mass. It is usually found in adults, and neonatal cases are extremely rare. The authors report a tailgut cyst in a neonate that was found by prenatal ultrasonogram, which was like a teratoma in gross appearance.