PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

A Pietrzak

Publications and source records attributed to A Pietrzak.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2001

CD45RO and CD45RA cells in peripheral blood in psoriatic patients preceded by an infection.

A group of 28 psoriatic patients was examined before a topical treatment and afterwards. Samples of peripheral blood were obtained and analysed in a flow cytometry with respect to subpopulation of lymphocytes with a particular care paid to percentage and expression of CD45RO and CD45RA cells. The received results were compared with those from the group of 22 healthy controls. The study showed that the mean percentage of CD45RO+ cells in the psoriatic patients was significantly higher than in the control group (p < 0.005). In the psoriatic group there were no statistically significant differences between the values of any of the parameters studied before and after the treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

The action of tumor necrosis factor-alpha on rat mast cells.

Taking into account that cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and mast cells (MC) both are involved in inflammation, it seems of great importance to recognize their relationships. Therefore, we have studied whether recombinant human TNF-alpha (rHuTNF-alpha) can cause histamine secretion from rat peritoneal MC. We have also examined the effect of this cytokine on MC reactivity. We have established that TNF-alpha stimulates rat MC to histamine release in a concentration-dependent manner. TNF-alpha-induced histamine secretion was evoked by concentrations > 10-16 M and reached the maximum rate at a concentration of 10-10 M (histamine release 17.1% +/- 1.9%, mean +/- SEM). We have also noticed that pretreatment of MC with TNF-alpha (in a concentration of 10-16 M) significantly inhibited concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated release of histamine, with the percent release decreasing to 51% of the control value. Treatment of mast cells with TNF-alpha resulted in a decrease of compound 48/80-dependent histamine release as well (the percent released histamine fell to 85% of the control value). This altered MC responsiveness was reversible. After 120 min of resting time, the MC reactivity came back to the initial values. We have concluded that TNF-alpha appears to be a direct stimulus for MC to release histamine, and it may regulate MC secretory function.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Concentration of an epidermal growth factor in blood serum of males during topical treatment of psoriasis.

Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a mitogen that stimulates cell division of various cells of epidermal origin. The present study was undertaken to clarify whether the serum level of EGF is correlated with the disease activity during local therapy with dithranol in psoriasis. We examined serum EGF concentrations in acute and chronic psoriasis before and after topical treatment with dithranol and the correlation with Psoriasis Activity and Severity Index (PASI). Male patients were divided into two groups: acute psoriasis (AP, 18 cases) and chronic psoriasis (CP, 17 cases). A control group C consisted of 20 healthy male volunteers. Radioimmunoassay of EGF was performed using the reagent pack (Amersham, UK). In the CP group mean EGF was higher before treatment than in the AP and C groups, but not significantly. EGF concentration after local treatment was higher in the CP group than the AP group (P < 0.02); the AP group, however, showed statistically significant decrease of EGF after the treatment (P < 0.04). No correlation between EGF and PASI was found. Serum EGF concentration increased in 19/35 treated patients.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1999

Serum level of sELAM-1 in psoriatic patients correlates with disease activity.

BACKGROUND: Endothelial leucocyte adhesion molecule-1 (ELAM-1) acts as an adhesion ligand for neutrophils and monocytes and the expression of this molecule on the vascular endothelium may reflect its ability to recruit neutrophils from circulation. The next step is the transendothelial migration of neutrophils into lesional psoriatic skin. ELAM-1 may also exist in a soluble form. METHODS: We determined the serum levels of ELAM-1 by ELISA in 41 patients with psoriasis and 20 controls. RESULTS: Patients with acute psoriasis displayed higher levels of ELAM-1 (85.45 +/- 47.72 ng/ml) than controls (36.02 +/- 15.60 ng/ml) and patients with chronic disease (61.24 +/- 27.91 ng/ml). In 25 patients we measured the serum level of ELAM-1 twice: at the beginning and after treatment of the disease and we did not find any significant changes. We also found a correlation between serum ELAM-1 and PASI score. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that there is a high serum level of E-selectin in psoriatic subjects even after clearing of the disease. Serum E-selectin may reflect the general activation of endothelial cells in the disease and may be a new sensitive marker of disease activity.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1998

[Epidermal lipids in psoriasis].

The authors have reviewed the bibliography on the behaviour of epidermis lipids in the course of psoriasis. In individual papers the researchers have reported numerous irregularities concerning epidermal lipids in psoriasis.

Cholesterol↗
PubMed1998

[Levels of LDL,HDL and total phospholipids in blood serum of male patients with psoriasis].

The levels of LDL and HDL phospholipids as well as concentrations of total phospholipids were determined in the blood serum of 38 patients with generalized form of psoriasis (PG) and in 35 healthy volunteers of the control group (C). Patients with psoriasis were divided into two groups according to age at the onset of the disease. Group I (PG I, No = 11) were patients in whom the onset of psoriasis was observed before the age of 14.5, whereas group II (PGII; No = 27) were those in whom the first symptoms of the disease manifested themselves over the age of 15. A statistically insignificant tendency was noted towards a slight decrease in the concentration of total lipids, and towards an increase in the level of LDL phospholipids, whereas a statistically significant decrease was observed in the concentration of HDL phospholipids.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1998

Changes in the digestive system in patients suffering from psoriasis.

Literature published in the recent years provides more evidence for psoriasis being a disease which involves the whole organism. In the course of the disease not only the skin, but also numerous cells and internal organs are affected (1, 2, 3, 6-12, 15, 17, 20). Despite long effort of many research teams, the etiopathogenesis of the disease has remained unknown. Among many suppositions about the cause of psoriasis the one put forward at the Third Psoriatic Congress in Stanford deserves special attention. It suggests that the starting point of the disease are kinetic disturbances of the digestive system (15). This system takes part in decomposition, modifications and synthesis of many organic compounds, including lipids, and disturbances of its function can be reflected in all the metabolic routes. In psoriatic patients structural and functional abnormalities of the digestive system were found in nearly all its segments (1-4, 6-8, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20). However, changes revealed in the alimentary tract by means of accessory examinations were hardly ever accompanied by any complications of the system. Long-term observations of a big group of psoriatics carried out in our clinics confirm the absence of subjective symptoms in these patients. The most common anatomopathologic abnormalities in psoriasis are prelipidophilia and palatal lipidophilia, inflammatory changes in the mucous membrane of the stomach and duodenum (gastritis chronica superficialis and duodentis chronica nature), as well as changes in the structure of the hepatic lobule and intestinal villi (1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 15, 17, 20).

Biopsy↗
PubMed1997

Functional studies of skin mast cells in lichen planus.

In order to identify possible functional differences between mast cells obtained from the skin of lichen planus (LP) patients and healthy donors, biopsies from lesional skin of 11 lichen planus patients and from normal skin of 7 healthy donors were sampled. Mast cells were obtained from the skin using an enzymatic dispersion technique. The cells were challenged in vitro with substance P (SP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) and anti-IgE. Their reactivity was estimated on the basis of histamine release. LP skin mast cells and healthy skin mast cells showed similar sensitivity to stimulation with TNF-alpha at a concentration of 10(-7) M (15.2% histamine release, as a proportion of total cellular content vs 15.9%) and to stimulation with anti-IgE at a dilution of 1:100) (38.8% vs 37.0%). Spontaneous histamine release was also very similar in both the populations of mast cells (10.2% vs 12.7%, respectively). However, LP skin mast cells showed significantly higher (P < 0.01) sensitivity towards stimulation with SP at a concentration of 10(-4) M than healthy skin mast cells (15.9% histamine release vs 7.0%). This finding could suggest that neurogenic inflammatory mechanisms contribute to the pathogenesis of LP.

Adolescent↗