Our understanding of autoimmune inflammatory diseases such as psoriasis has increased dramatically in recent years, especially in regards to the pathophysiology of disease. Developing treatments that target T-cells and their corresponding cytokines has led to increased effectiveness when fighting these diseases. A recent article looked at the role of IL-23 in such diseases. IL-23 is …
Patients with psoriasis often have cardiovascular comorbidities and more cardiovascular risk factors. Cardiovascular disease and psoriasis share similar immunologic profiles as both are mediated by type 1 and type 17 helper T cells. Therefore, when biologic agents that target this immunologic pathway are used for treatment they may have beneficial effects on cardiovascular parameters. A …
Biologic agents used to treat chronic inflammatory diseases are complex and often expensive medications. More affordable versions of biologic agents, known as a “biosimilars” are starting to hit the marketplace, but clinicians may be unsure about their characteristics and use, and possibly more reluctant to prescribe them. A recent review article sought to provide the …
Impetigo, a common skin infection seen in daycares and schools across the world, is highly contagious and can have effects as mild as a few missed days of school to more serious complications such as rheumatic heart disease. Because the infection is so common it is often treated without a confirming culture, and there is …
In order to reduce or minimize scar formation, some clinicians have begun using lasers on an incision or wound within 3 months after injury. This method, which is attempting to target the early wound-healing process, has been used with some success, but there was no systematic review of whether the practice is recommended. A recent …
Psoriasis is a known risk factor for cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, stroke, and thromboembolism and mortality attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD) increases with the severity of psoriasis. One hypothesis for how these two diseases are connected is that pro-inflammatory cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) may be a pathogenic …