A comprehensive, tri-national, cross-sectional analysis of characteristics and impact of pruritus in psoriasis.

BACKGROUND: Pruritus is prevalent in psoriasis but still many features of pruritus, its response to therapy and its burden in psoriasis remain to be better characterized. OBJECTIVE: To investigate characteristics and burden of pruritus in an international cohort of patients with psoriasis. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included a total of 634 patients and 246 controls from Germany, Poland and Russia. Physicians examined and interviewed participants, recording clinical characteristics, such as severity, therapy and localization of psoriatic lesions. Participants filled out self-reported questionnaires including questions on pruritus severity and impact, characteristics, and response to therapy, and quality of life (QoL). Localization patterns of pruritus and skin lesions were visualized using body heat maps. RESULTS: Most patients (82%) experienced pruritus throughout their disease, and 75% had current pruritus. The majority of patients (64%) perceived pure pruritus, and those who reported additional painful and/or burning sensations (36%) reported overall stronger pruritus. The scalp was the most frequently reported localization of pruritus, even in the absence of skin lesions. Body surface area (BSA) of pruritus was not linked to pruritus intensity, but to BSA of psoriatic lesions (rho = 0.278; P < 0.001). One third of patients (31%) reported impaired sex-life, and 4% had suicidal ideations due to pruritus. In up to one third of patients, psoriasis therapies had little or no effect on pruritus. The only therapeutic option offered to some of these patients were antihistamines, which appeared to be effective in most cases. CONCLUSION: Pruritus is highly prevalent in psoriasis and is linked to a significant burden. Current psoriasis therapies are frequently insufficient to control pruritus. Managing psoriasis should include the assessment and control of itch. Efficient antipruritic therapies should be developed and be made available for patients with psoriasis.

Size-dependent theoretical and experimental photothermal conversion efficiency of spherical gold nanoparticles.

INTRODUCTION: Due to their biocompatible and plasmonic properties, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) are good candidates to be photosensitizers in photothermal cancer therapy (PTT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this paper, the dependence of the NIR-light-to-heat energy on Au NPs size was investigated. Moreover, to determine the photosensitizing properties of gold nanoparticles, PTT was conducted on two colon cell lines: SW480 and SW620 by irradiating them with two lasers having different wavelengths. RESULTS: Transmission electron microscopy showed that the respective sizes of Au NPs were 10 nm, 12 nm and 16 nm. Moreover, local as well as global structural measurements showed that all synthesized Au NPs were crystalline and UV-Vis spectroscopy revealed that with increasing nanoparticles size the position of the surface Plasmon resonance (SPR) peaks is shifted to higher wavelengths. Decrease of cells viability was observed, when they were cultured with Au NPs and irradiated by 650 nm and 808 nm lasers. Moreover, FTIR and Raman spectra of cells, showed structural changes in DNA, phospholipids, proteins and cholesterol caused by the addition of nanoparticles and laser irradiation. The chemical changes were more pronounced in the cells cultured with Au NPs and irradiated by 650 nm lasers and these changes were dependent on the nanoparticle size. Moreover, the viability of cells investigated by the MTS assay showed, that the percentage of dead cells (∼40%) is the highest for cells cultured with 8 nm Au NPs and irradiated by the 650 nm laser. The photothermal conversion efficiency calculated from the experimental results showed a decrease of this parameter from 70% to 55% and from 61% to 48% with increasing particle size, for 650 nm and 808 nm lasers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The obtained results showed that the photothermal conversion efficiency of Au NPs is size-tunable, and can be correlated with the absorption/extinction ratios calculated by the Mie theory.

From spherical to bone-shaped gold nanoparticles-Time factor in the formation of Au NPs, their optical and photothermal properties.

Using the same synthesis method, which was stopped at different time intervals, gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) with different shapes, from spherical to bone-shaped, were obtained. The physical properties of the synthesized Au NPs were investigated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) combined with selected area electron diffraction patterns (SAED) and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis). The TEM images showed, that stopping the synthesis after one minute lead to the formation of small spherical Au NPs, which evolved to the cubic shape, rods and bone-shaped Au NPs after 15 min, 30 min, 2 h, respectively. SAED patterns showed, that all the obtained Au NPs were crystalline. UV-vis spectra revealed, that the light absorbance depends on the shape of the Au NPs. Moreover, the effects of the time factor in the formation of Au NPs on the effective conversion of electromagnetic energy into thermal energy, was studied. Furthermore, simulated photothermal therapy (PTT) in combination with the obtained NPs, was done for two cancer cell lines SW480 and SW620. The mortality of cells after using the differently shaped Au NPs as photosensitizers is between 18 % and 52 % and increases with the decrease of the synthesis time.

Size effect of platinum nanoparticles in simulated anticancer photothermal therapy.

Platinum nanoparticles (Pt NPs) with properties including damage of DNA, enzmatic activity and possibility of light absorption in the biological range could find application as effective photosensitizers in photothermal anticancer therapy (PTT). The photothermal properties of Pt NPs depend on their shape, size and crystalline structure. Therefore, in this paper the effect of Pt NPs size on photothermal efficiency is determined. For this purpose, spherical, crystalline 80 nm PtI NPs and 2 nm PtII NPs were synthesized and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area diffraction patterns (SAED) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The possibilities of using Pt NPs in PTT were investigated using two colon cancer cell lines: SW480 and SW620, which were cultured with both Pt NPs and irradiated by two, 650 nm and 808 nm lasers. Microscopy images of cells and MTS assay showed, that the PTT is the most effective when 2 nm nanoparticles and the 650 nm laser were used. The mortality of cells was around 62% for SW480 and 70% for SW620. Furthermore, higher temperatures after irradiation of Pt NPs by lasers were observed for the 2 nm Pt NPs for both wavelengths. Consequently, the values of photothermal efficiency are higher by approximately 5% and 6% for 2 nm Pt NPs, than for 80 nm ones, which were irradiated by 650 and 808 nm lasers, respectively. Moreover, the results obtained from experimental data corresponded with Mie theory.

Platinum-gold nanoraspberries as effective photosensitizer in anticancer photothermal therapy.

BACKGROUND: New nanophotosensitizers for photothermal cancer therapy (PTT) are still sought. In this paper we propose fancy shaped, non agglomerated core/shell PtAu NRs nanoraspberries (PtAu NRs) as potential nanophotosensitizers in PTT. RESULTS: Light microscopy images of two colon cancer cell lines (SW480, SW620) showed, that the laser irradiation combined with PtAu NRs caused visible changes in the cell morphology. Fourier Transform InfraRed (FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies showed chemical changes in the DNA, phospholipids, lipids and protein structures caused by laser irradiation in the presence of PtAu NRs. The MTS assay showed ~ 25% mortality of cancer cells due to the addition of PtAu NRs to the cell culture, while for laser irradiation combined with nanoparticles, the mortality of cancer cells increased to 65% for the 650 nm laser and to 60% for the 808 nm laser. The calculated photothermal conversion efficiency reached 62% and 51% for the 650 nm and 808 nm lasers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PtAu NRs could be applied as effective light-absorbers in the PTT anticancer therapy.

Predicting normal densities of amines using quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR).

This paper reports on a quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) approach applied to predict the normal density of amines. A heuristic method was applied to a dataset of experimental densities measured for more than 140 amines extracted from the literature. Statistical processing was performed to find the best correlations. The resulting model was validated successfully based on an external test set. The QSPR analysis showed the importance of intrinsic density, obtained by dividing molecular weight by calculated molecular volume. Further improvement of the model's predictive ability was achieved by introducing descriptors quantifying the influence of intermolecular volume. It has been shown that a simple correlation equation is sufficient to predict the density of amines with satisfactory accuracy. The equation requires only three descriptors: intrinsic density, overall or summation solute hydrogen bond acidity and a sum of intrinsic state values, each of which can be easily calculated using the Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System Specification (SMILES). The equation provided may be applied to determine the density of amines or their derivatives which are unavailable or unknown.

Associations between bone, fat tissue and metabolic control in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between bone-derived osteocalcin (OC), osteoprotegerin (OPG), Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor NF-ĸB ligand (RANKL), and fat tissue-derived leptin and adiponectin with a clinical outcome of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in children and adolescents. METHODS: 78 patients (43 girls and 35 boys), aged 11.5±4.3 years with T1DM and 11 age- and BMI-matched controls were included into the study. Patients were divided into 3 groups according to HbA1c level, I - below 7% [53 mmol/mol], II - 7-9% [53-75 mmol/mol] and III - above 9% [75 mmol/mol]. Blood samples for biochemical measurements were drawn at 8.00 AM, when the patients were in a fasting state. HbA1c was measured by the standardized IFCC method. OC, OPG, RANKL, leptin and adiponectin were measured by ELISA. ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Significant differences in leptin and osteocalcin levels between groups with different HbA1c values were observed (p=0.03, p=0.04). Multiple regression analysis adjusted for age showed that serum OC and leptin negatively correlated with HbA1c levels (r=-0.22, p=0.004 and r=-0.27, p=0.0001, respectively). In contrast, serum OPG correlated positively with HbA1c (r=0.26, p=0.02) as well as with adiponectin (r=0.26, p=0.02) and RANKL (r=0.27, p=0.02) levels. The correlation of OC with HbA1c was the strongest in group I - patients with good metabolic control of DM (r=-0.43, p=0.03). In that group, in multiple regression analysis adjusted for age and BMI leptin correlated positively with daily dose of insulin (r=0.52, r=0.009). In group II and III in multiple regression analysis adjusted for age and BMI OC correlated negatively with leptin (r=-0.37, p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest significant relationships between bone, fat tissue and glucose metabolism in pediatric patients with T1DM. The results can confirm that poor metabolic control is associated with reduced bone formation. On the other hand fat and bone tissue can influence glucose metabolism, potentiality in insulin-dependent manner. From these data leptin or OC may be potentially used as additional therapeutic agents for T1DM.

[The influence of demographic and behavioral factors on the risk of human papillomavirus infection]. / Ocena wplywu wybranych czynników demograficznych i srodowiskowych na ryzyko wystapienia infekcji wirusami brodawczaka ludzkiego.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was the assessment of correlation between different types of HPV and chosen factors: the number of pregnancies, childbirths and smoking habits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients were examined in the Gynaecology Clinic, Silesian Medical Academy in Zabrze from 1998 until 2000. They were either hospital patients or women subjected to routine cytological examination. The smears were simultaneously collected for both cytooncologic examination and PCR identification of HPV viruses. Cytological smears were classified according to the Bethesda system. RESULTS: A relationship between the presence of HPV and number of pregnancies or childbirths was confirmed as well as the relationship between smoking and the presence of HPV genome. The higher number of pregnancies or childbirths the higher frequency of HPV presence is. HPV presence was more frequent in the group of smoking women. CONCLUSIONS: A relationship between the presence of HPV and the number of past childbirth or pregnancies was found. The statistically significant correlation between smoking and the risk of HPV infection was also confirmed.

[Detection of human papillomavirus genome in cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions]. / Badania nad obecnoscia genomu onkogennych typów wirusa brodawczaka ludzkiego w wybranych stanach patologii szyjki macicy.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this work was the assessment of the correlation between different types of HPV and abnormal stages of uterine cervix. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The smears were simultaneously collected for both cytooncologic examination and PCR identification of HPV viruses. Cytologic smears were classified according to the Bethesda system. RESULTS: A strong relationship between the presence of HPV types 16, 18 and 33 and the intensification of cytologic changes was confirmed. The more advanced abnormal changes in the uterine cervix, the more often presence of these HPV types. The presence of HPV types 6 and 11 were more often in low grade lesions. CONCLUSIONS: The conclusions from this examinations are: there is a proportional correlation between the grades of Squamous Intraepithelial Lesions, uterine cervix carcinoma and the presence of oncogenic types of human papillomavirus.

[Clinical application of photodynamic method to the treatment of malignancies. Part II]. / Kliniczne zastosowanie metody fotodynamicznej w leczeniu nowotworów. Czesc II.

The successfully finished experimental studies in an animal model became the foundation for starting clinical trials with the use of photodynamic therapy in the treatment of malignancies in humans. The data presented in the literature worldwide include mainly early results of such studies. This method seems to be of particular usefulness in the treatment of neoplasma with location accessible to various light sources, including the use of endoscopic techniques. Several thousand patients with various degrees of disease progression were subjected to the treatment. Among others, oesophagal, gastric and large bowel cancers were treated as well as malignancies of the pancreas and bile ducts, lungs, brain, breasts skin and bladder. The results of the presented clinical trials point to the possibility of the use of photodynamic therapy as the main treatment, and also as an element of supportive therapy e.g. in classical surgical treatment.

[The clinical application of the photodynamic method for the treatment of malignancies]. / Kliniczne zastosowanie metody fotodynamicznej w leczeniu nowotworów czesc i.

The use of the photodynamic method creates new possibilities for the treatment of malignancies. The studies started in 1940 on photosensitizing substances made possible to use this method in clinical practice. Low invasiveness, selectivity of action and practically lack of adverse effects are its undeniable virtues. The effect of photodynamic destruction of malignant tissue is obtained through oxidation processes of cell membrane structures. The earliest changes include blood vessels and the degree of their occlusion depends directly on light dose and the concentration of the photosensitizer. This leads to hypoxia within tumor and its subsequent necrosis. No resistance to this method of treatment nor any recurrences at the site of irradiation have been observed as yet.