title: Goeckerman's therapy for psoriasis with special reference to serum pentraxin 3 level.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Goeckerman's therapy (GT) of psoriasis is based on daily application of pharmacy grade coal tar on affected skin with subsequent exposure to UV light. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a newly identified acute phase reactant with non redundant functions in innate immunity. PTX3 has been shown to be a reliable prognostic marker in patients with various inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, and psoriasis.
  
  
  METHODS
  The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of Goeckerman's therapy of psoriasis on levels of two pentraxins: long pentraxin PTX3 and C reactive protein in 49 patients with chronic plaque psoriasis. CRP was assessed by immunonephelometry on IMMAGE 800 (Beckman, USA). PTX3 was detected using sandwich ELISA detection set (Alexis Biochemicals, Switzerland).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The serum levels of both parameters (expressed as average +/- 1 SD) were significantly diminished after GT. The level of PTX3 dropped from 1.92 +/- 0.72 ng/ml before GT to 1.66 +/- 0.58 ng/ml after GT (P= 0.0396) and the level of CRP fell from 4.64 +/- 3.93 mg/l to 1.66 +/- 0.58 mg/l (P < 0.0001).Comparing to healthy controls, the serum levels of both parameters before GT were significantly higher than those found in healthy blood donors and remained significantly increased after GT.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased serum concentrations of pentraxin 3 and CRP are alleviated by GT in patients with psoriasis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic. andrys@lfhk.cuni.cz
authors.forename: Andrys
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ctirad
authors.forename: Borska
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lenka
authors.forename: Pohl
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: David
authors.forename: Fiala
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zdenek
authors.forename: Hamakova
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kveta
authors.forename: Ettler
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karel
authors.forename: Krejsek
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003033:Coal Tar / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007641:Keratolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000097:blood* / Q000628:therapy*; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component / Q000032:analysis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014467:Ultraviolet Therapy; D055815:Young Adult; D000099153:Pentraxins
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D003033:Coal Tar; D007641:Keratolytic Agents; D000683:Serum Amyloid P-Component; D000099153:Pentraxins