Cosmetics for acne: indications and recommendations for an evidence-based approach.

AIM: The aim of this review was to evaluate, by a thorough revision of the literature, the true efficacy of currently available topic and systemic cosmetic acne agents. METHODS: The efficacy of currently available cosmetic acne agents has been retrospectively evaluated via thorough revision of the literature on matched electronic databases (PubMed). All retrieved studies, either randomized clinical trials or clinical trials, controlled or uncontrolled were considered. RESULTS: Scientific evidence suggests that most cosmetic products for acne may enhance the clinical outcome. Cleansers should be indicated to all acne patients; those containing benzoyl peroxide or azelaic/salicylic acid/triclosan show the best efficacy profile. Sebum-controlling agents containing nicotinamide or zinc acetate may minimize excessive sebum production. Cosmetics with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory substances such as, respectively, ethyl lactate or phytosphingosine and nicotinamide or resveratrol, may speed acne recovery. Topical corneolytics, including retinaldehyde/glycolic acid or lactic acid, induce a comedolytic effect and may also facilitate skin absorption of topical drugs. Finally, the use of specific moisturizers should be strongly recommended in all acne patients. CONCLUSION: Cosmetics, if correctly prescribed, may improve the performance of the therapy, whereas wrong procedures and/or inadequate cosmetics may worsen acne. Cosmetological recommendations may allow clinicians to make informed decisions about the role of various cosmetics and to indentify the appropriate indications and precautions. The choice of the most effective product should take into consideration the ongoing pharmacological therapy and acne type/severity as well

Headache and adverse pregnancy outcomes: a prospective study

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Common variants in FOXP1 are associated with generalized vitiligo

In a recent genome-wide association study of generalized vitiligo, we identified ten confirmed susceptibility loci. By testing additional loci that showed suggestive association in the genome-wide study, using two replication cohorts of European descent, we observed replicated association of generalized vitiligo with variants at 3p13 encompassing FOXP1 (rs17008723, combined P = 1.04 × 10−8) and with variants at 6q27 encompassing CCR6 (rs6902119, combined P = 3.94 × 10−7)

Metabolic abnormalities associated with initiation of systemic treatment for psoriasis: evidence from the Italian Psocare Registry.

Objective To evaluate variations in laboratory parameters and diagnoses of selected clinical conditions up to16 weeks after starting a new systemic psoriasis treatment for Psocare Registry enrollees.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Italian public referral centres for psoriasis treatment.Patients First-time recipients (n = 10,539) of continuous systemic psoriasis treatment for at least 16 weeks.Main outcome measure Mean variations in (weeks 8 and 16) and proportions of patients reaching a clinicallymeaningful increase in serum levels (week 16) of total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartateamino transferase, alanine amino transferase and creatinine, as well as week-16 cumulative incidences of newdiagnoses of diabetes mellitus and arterial hypertension.Results Mean cholesterol and triglyceride levels significantly increased in patients treated with acitretin orcyclosporine. Mean triglyceride levels also increased in efalizumab- and etanercept-treated patients. Meantransaminase values increased in methotrexate-treated patients, and mean aspartate amino transferase levelsincreased in infliximab-treated patients. The average serum creatinine value increased in cyclosporine-treatedpatients. Acitretin and cyclosporine were associated with risk of hypercholesterolaemia (odds ratios 1.51 and 1.34)and acitretin with risk of hypertriglyceridaemia (odds ratio 1.43). Methotrexate and infliximab were associated withrisk of more than doubling the upper normal aspartate amino transferase (odds ratios 2.06 and 1.87) and alanineamino transferase (odds ratios 2.38 and 1.74) values. The relative risk of developing arterial hypertension anddiabetes was increased for patients receiving cyclosporine (odds ratios 3.31 and 2.88).Conclusion Systemic treatments for psoriasis resulted in heterogeneous effects on the parameters analysed.Received: 1 September 2011; Accepted: 12 January 201

Variant of TYR and Autoimmunity Susceptibility Loci in Generalized Vitiligo.

BACKGROUND Generalized vitiligo is an autoimmune disease characterized by melanocyte loss, which results in patchy depigmentation of skin and hair, and is associated with an elevated risk of other autoimmune diseases. METHODS To identify generalized vitiligo susceptibility loci, we conducted a genomewide association study. We genotyped 579,146 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in 1514 patients with generalized vitiligo who were of European-derived white (CEU) ancestry and compared the genotypes with publicly available control genotypes from 2813 CEU persons. We then tested 50 SNPs in two replication sets, one comprising 677 independent CEU patients and 1106 CEU controls and the other comprising 183 CEU simplex trios with generalized vitiligo and 332 CEU multiplex families. RESULTS We detected significant associations between generalized vitiligo and SNPs at several loci previously associated with other autoimmune diseases. These included genes encoding major-histocompatibility-complex class I molecules (P=9.05×10−23) and class II molecules (P=4.50×10−34), PTPN22 (P=1.31×10−7), LPP (P=1.01×10−11), IL2RA (P=2.78×10−9), UBASH3A (P=1.26×10−9), and C1QTNF6 (P=2.21×10−16). We also detected associations between generalized vitiligo and SNPs in two additional immune-related loci, RERE (P=7.07×10−15) and GZMB (P=3.44×10−8), and in a locus containing TYR (P=1.60×10−18), encoding tyrosinase. CONCLUSIONS We observed associations between generalized vitiligo and markers implicating multiple genes, some associated with other autoimmune diseases and one (TYR) that may mediate target-cell specificity and indicate a mutually exclusive relationship between susceptibility to vitiligo and susceptibility to melanoma

La máscara del poeta : una charla con Luis Antonio de Villena

Diálogo con  Luis Antonio de Villena

La poesía de Luis Antonio de Villena: desde el gran estilo al realismo

I have resorted to several theoretic notions that had permited me to develop the thesis of the present article: the institutionalization of a contractual relation between writer and reader, in the spanish literary system. This relation shows a certain realism in Villena's writling program, which embraces the lyric bend 1971-1993. The notion of literature as system permits us see Villena's work in a lyric bend superstamped on the so called "estética novísima" and the poetry of the '80. The Villena's case results interesting because of the fact that the social personage interfuses with his other textuals subjects, in front of the great public, from a television set, or from a newspaper.He debido recurrir a una serie de nociones teóricas que permitieran desarrollar la tesis del presente trabajo: la institucionalización en el sistema literario español de una relación contractual entre autor y lector, relación a través de la cual se posibilita un cierto realismo en el programa escritural villeniano, que abarca la curva lírica 1971-1993. La literatura entendida como sistema permite ver la obra de Villena en una curva lírica sobreimpresa a la estética novísima y a la poesía de los '80, y con ello, las correlaciones de lo literario y de lo extraliterario El caso de Villena resulta interesante, porque su personaje social se imbrica con sus otros sujetos textuales, ya sea ante un gran público, ya sea desde la televisión o desde la columna periodística. Delimita así un campo mucho más amplio y complejo que el meramente textual, para la reconstrucción de una ideología

Genome-wide association analyses identify 13 new susceptibility loci for generalized vitiligo

We previously reported a genome-wide association study (GWAS) identifying 14 susceptibility loci for generalized vitiligo. We report here a second GWAS (450 individuals with vitiligo (cases) and 3,182 controls), an independent replication study (1,440 cases and 1,316 controls) and a meta-analysis (3,187 cases and 6,723 controls) identifying 13 additional vitiligo-associated loci. These include OCA2-HERC2 (combined P = 3.80 × 10 ), MC1R (P = 1.82 × 10 ), a region near TYR (P = 1.57 × 10 ), IFIH1 (P = 4.91 × 10 ), CD80 (P = 3.78 × 10 ), CLNK (P = 1.56 × 10 ), BACH2 (P = 2.53 × 10 ), SLA (P = 1.58 × 10 ), CASP7 (P = 3.56 × 10 ), CD44 (P = 1.78 × 10 ), IKZF4 (P = 2.75 × 10 ), SH2B3 (P = 3.54 × 10 ) and TOB2 (P = 6.81 × 10 ). Most vitiligo susceptibility loci encode immunoregulatory proteins or melanocyte components that likely mediate immune targeting and the relationships among vitiligo, melanoma, and eye, skin and hair coloration

Body mass index and circulating oestrone sulphate in women treated with adjuvant letrozole

Background: Obesity is an independent adverse prognostic factor in early breast cancer patients, but it is still controversial whether obesity may affect adjuvant endocrine therapy efficacy. The aim of our study (ancillary to the two clinical trials Gruppo Italiano Mammella (GIM)4 and GIM5) was to investigate whether the circulating oestrogen levels during treatment with the aromatase inhibitor letrozole are related to body mass index (BMI) in postmenopausal women with breast cancer. Methods: Plasma concentration of oestrone sulphate (ES) was evaluated by radioimmunoassay in 370 patients. Plasma samples were obtained after at least 6 weeks of letrozole therapy (steady-state time). Patients were divided into four groups according to BMI. Differences among the geometric means (by ANOVA and ANCOVA) and correlation (by Spearman's rho) between the ES levels and BMI were assessed. Results: Picomolar geometric mean values (95% confidence interval, n=patients) of circulating ES during letrozole were 58.6 (51.0-67.2, n=150) when BMI was <25.0 kg m-2; 65.6 (57.8-74.6, n=154) when 25.0-29.9 kg m-2; 59.3 (47.1-74.6, n=50) when 30.0-34.9 kg m -2; and 43.3 (23.0-81.7, n=16) when 6535.0 kg m-2. No statistically significant difference in terms of ES levels among groups and no correlation with BMI were observed. Conclusions: Body mass index does not seem to affect circulating oestrogen levels in letrozole-treated patient