title: [Effect of combined herbal medicine therapy on the expression of psoriasis-associated antigen-Pso p27 in patients with psoriasis vulgaris].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effect of combined herbal medicine therapy on the expression of psoriasis-associated antigen (Pso p27) in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen psoriasis vulgaris patients were included in the study and they were all treated with combined herbal medicine therapy for 12 weeks. Both psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) score and plaque index (PI) score were evaluated before and after treatment, while skin biopsies from selected lesions and uninvolved skin near the lesions were performed. Expression of Pso p27 in the target skin and surrounding uninjured skins were analysed using immunofluorescence method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The PASI score and PI score decreased after the combined herbal medicine therapy in both acute and silent stages (P < 0.01), so did the positive cells of Pso p27 and the intensity of fluorescein stain (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The combined herbal medicine therapy is effective in treating psoriasis vulgaris in both acute and silent stages, which may be resulted from its inhibition of the expression of Pso p27.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lysvand
authors.forename: Yu-He
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Wa-Li
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ole-Jan
authors.initials: OJ
authors.lastname: Iversen