Association between celiac disease and vitiligo:A review of the literature

Celiac disease(CD)is an autoimmune intestinal disease caused by the intake of gluten-containing cereals and their products by individuals with genetic susceptibility genes.Vitiligo is a commonly acquired depigmentation of the skin;its clinical manifestation are skin patches caused by localized or generalized melanin deficiency.Both diseases have similar global incidence rates(approximately 1%)and are associated to similar diseases,including autoimmune bullous disease,inflammatory bowel disease,autoimmune thyroiditis,autoimmune gastritis,and type 1 diabetes.The relationship between CD and vitiligo has been reported in several studies,but their conclusions are inconsistent.Further,it has also been reported that a gluten-free diet(GFD)can improve the symptoms of immunerelated skin diseases such as vitiligo.In this mini-review,we summarize and review the literature on the relationship between CD and vitiligo,assess the therapeutic significance of GFD for patients with vitiligo,and explore their possible physiopathology.We are hopeful that the information summarized here will assist physicians who treat patients with CD or vitiligo,thereby improving the prognosis.

Genotypes and Phenotypes of Uygur Children With Xeroderma Pigmentosum: A Case Study in Xinjiang, China

Objective:Xeroderma pigmentosum(XP)is a rare autosomal recessive dermatosis caused by genetic defects of DNA repair.This study was performed to detect and analyze the genes of 2 Uygur patients with XP and their families and assess the patients’phenotypes,which may enrich the understanding of the genetic skin disorder spectrum in Xinjiang area.Methods:We collected the clinical data from 2 patients with XP and peripheral blood samples from the patients and their family members.The patients’DNA was sequenced and detected by Sanger sequencing,and gene mutations were screened.Results:The proband in family 1 presented with brown maculae at the exposure site and squamous cell carcinoma secondary to a facial rash.The proband had a homozygous nucleotide variation of XPC c.2251-2A>G(A change from A to G in the penultimate position of the intron before the 2251 position in the coding region),which was a shear mutation.In this family,both parents were heterozygous,and no similar mutation detected in the sister.In family 2,the proband had scattered black brown spots and papules on the trunk and limbs.and his younger sister was also a patient.The proband and his younger sister had homonucleotide variation of XPA c.631C>T,which was nonsense mutation,resulting in the codon for Arg No.211 being changed into termination codon(p.arg211X),thus terminating the peptide chain synthesis prematurely.All the normal individuals in the two families were heterozygotes,and homozygous mutations occurred in all the patients,which was consistent with the autosomal recessive inheritance.Conclusion:XP is rare in Uygur population.This study expanded the mutation spectrum of XP and provided a basis for early diagnosis,treatment,prognostic prediction,and prenatal genetic consultation.

Analysis of Clinical Features of Patients With Psoriasis and Metabolic Syndrome in Xinjiang,China:A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective:Psoriasis is often closely related to metabolic syndrome (MS),herein we conducted this study to investigate the clinical characteristics of a large sample of psoriasis patients with MS in Xinjiang,China.Methods:The prevalence of MS,age,height,weight,body mass index (BMI),red blood cell count,white blood cell count,platelet count,aspartate aminotransferase level,alanine aminotransferase level,and other clinical data were analyzed in 2,492 patients with psoriasis.The patients were divided into 2 groups based on the presence of MS and their clinical features were compared.Studentt test was used for independent samples,and the chi-square test was used for count data.Results:Among the 2,492 patients,349 had MS and 1,269 were considered overweight/obese.There were significant differences in sex,age,disease course,age at onset,BMI,systolic blood pressure (SBP),and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between the patients with MS and those without (allP < 0.05).The red blood cell count (P < 0.001),white blood cell count (P = 0.013),erythrocyte sedimentation rate (P < 0.001),blood urea nitrogen level (P < 0.001),triglyceride level (P < 0.001),total cholesterol level (P < 0.001),and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level (P = 0.002) were significantly higher in the MS group than in the psoriasis-only group.The high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was significantly lower in the MS group than in the psoriasis-only group (P < 0.001).The alanine aminotransferase (P = 0.145) and albumin levels (P = 0.192) were not significantly different between the 2 groups (P > 0.05).Binary logistic regression analysis showed that sex,age,BMI,SBP,DBP,and fasting plasma glucose were independent risk factors for MS in patients with psoriasis,and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was considered a protective factor for these patients.Conclusion:The prevalence of MS in patients with psoriasis is high.Female sex,age,BMI,SBP,DBP,and fasting plasma glucose may be risk factors for psoriasis complicated by MS.

Association between acne and smoking:systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

To the Editor:Acne is a chronic inflammatory disease commonly found in areas with abundant sebaceous glands.It is more likely to produce permanent atrophic or hypertrophic scars that can cause serious psychosocial consequences and reduce the quality of life of the patients.111 Acne fades in most people after puberty and can continue into middle age in a small percentage of people.The occurrence of acne is caused by endogenous and exogenous factors,and many environmental factors can induce acne,such as occupational exposures,birth control pills,diet,certain cosmetics,and the menstrual cycle of the women.

An Analysis of HPV Infection and Distribution in Cervical and Genital Samples With Condyloma Acuminatum:A Retrospective Study

Objective:Human papillomavirus(HPV)causes condyloma acuminata,which is one of the most widespread sexually transmitted diseases.This study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of HPV infection and HPV genotype distribution in patients with condyloma acuminatum in Urumqi,China.Methods:A total of 835 cervical and genital samples were collected from outpatients treated for condyloma acuminatum between December 2016 and December 2018.HPV genotyping was performed with the HPV Genotyping Real-time PCR Kit for 23 different HPV types.Statistcal analysis was conducted using the chi-square test.Results:The total prevalence of HPV infection was 80.72%(674/835)in patients with condyloma acuminatum in Urumqi.The HPV genotypes were HPV-6(372/835,44.55%),HPV-11(180/835,21.56%),HPV-16(91/835,10.90%),HPV-43(65/835,7.78%),HPV-42(56/835,6.71%),and HPV-58(53/835,6.35%).Among HPV-infected individuals,49.11%(331/674)were infected by a single HPV subtype,while 50.89%(343/674)were infected by multiple HPV subtypes.The prevalence of HPV infection was higher in females(82.14%,276/336)than in males(79.76%,398/499)(χ^(2)=0.73,P=0.39),and higher in other ethnicities(86.36%,133/154)than in people of Han ethnicity(79.76%,541/681)(χ^(2)=3.866,P=0.049).The peak prevalence of HPV infection was observed in the age groups of 20-29 years and 30-39 years.Conclusion:HPV infection was detected in most patients with condyloma acuminatum in Urumqi with prevalence of 80.72%,and the most common HPV types were HPV-6,-11,-16,-43,-42,and-58.The detection of HPV genotypes is very important to monitor HPV infection so that effective treatment is administered to patients with condyloma acuminatum.

Expression Changes of Serum IL-1α,CCL2,and CXCL2 in Patients With Pemphigus

Objective:This study was performed to explore the possible changes of the serum levels of the cytokines including interleukin 1α(IL-1α),chemokine monocyte chemotactic protein 1(also known as chemokine[C-C motif]ligand 2[CCL2]),and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 2(CXCL2)in patients with pemphigus.Methods:The expression levels of IL-1α,CCL2,and CXCL2 in the serum of 57 patients with pemphigus PV(including 42 patients in progressive stage and 15 patients in remission stage)and 31 healthy controls were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.The indepent-samples t-test was used to compare the two groups.Oneway analysis of variance was used for multiple-group comparisons,and the post-hoc least significant difference test was used to detect differences among multiple groups.Results:The serum expression levels of CCL2 and IL-1a were all significantly higher in the patients in progressive stage than in the controls([2.69±0.23]ng/mL vs.[2.55±0.28]ng/mL,P=0.043;[0.62±0.27]ng/mL vs.[0.48±0.23]ng/mL,P=0.038,respectively).In addition,the serum expression level of CXCL2 was significantly higher in patients in progressive stage than in in the remission stage([61.70±46.38]ng/mL vs.[24.97±18.46]ng/mL,P=0.037).Sex,disease classification,disease severity,treatment,and mucosal involvement had no significant influence on the expression of IL-1α,CCL2,or CXCL2 in the serum of patients groups and controls(all P>0.05).Conclusion:IL-1α,CCL2,and CXCL2 are heavily involved in the occurrence and development of pemphigus and may be related to the activity of the disease.