German evidence-based guidelines for the treatment of Psoriasis vulgaris (short version)

Psoriasis vulgaris is a common and chronic inflammatory skin disease which has the potential to significantly reduce the quality of life in severely affected patients. The incidence of psoriasis in Western industrialized countries ranges from 1.5 to 2%. Despite the large variety of treatment options available, patient surveys have revealed insufficient satisfaction with the efficacy of available treatments and a high rate of medication non-compliance. To optimize the treatment of psoriasis in Germany, the Deutsche Dermatologische Gesellschaft and the Berufsverband Deutscher Dermatologen (BVDD) have initiated a project to develop evidence-based guidelines for the management of psoriasis. The guidelines focus on induction therapy in cases of mild, moderate, and severe plaque-type psoriasis in adults. The short version of the guidelines reported here consist of a series of therapeutic recommendations that are based on a systematic literature search and subsequent discussion with experts in the field; they have been approved by a team of dermatology experts. In addition to the therapeutic recommendations provided in this short version, the full version of the guidelines includes information on contraindications, adverse events, drug interactions, practicality, and costs as well as detailed information on how best to apply the treatments described (for full version, please see Nast et al., JDDG, Suppl 2:S1–S126, 2006; or http://www.psoriasis-leitlinie.de)

Unraveling the Fluorescence Features of Individual Corrole NH Tautomers

The fluorescence spectra of 10-(4,6-dichloropyrimidin-5-yl)-5,15-dimesitylcorrole have been studied in the temperature range from 4.2 to 332 K. For the first time, the individual fluorescence profiles of the two corrole NH tautomers have been assigned over the whole temperature range. The pronounced temperature dependence of the fluorescence spectra of the meso-pyrimidinylcorrole under study was found to originate from switching between the fluorescence emissions of the two tautomers due to a reduced NH tautomerization rate with decreasing temperature. As a result, the long wavelength tautomer dominates the total emission spectrum at room temperature, whereas at low temperatures, the majority of the emission comes from the short wavelength tautomer. Energy level diagrams (involving the two NH tautomers) explaining the excitation energy deactivation channels in the meso-pyrimidinylcorrole at room temperature and below are presented. A significant H/D isotope effect on the NH tautomerization rate has been observed, resulting in an enhanced contribution of the short wavelength tautomer to the total fluorescence spectrum at the expense of that of the long wavelength tautomer. Substantially different fluorescence quantum yields have been determined for the individual NH tautomers, leading to a pronounced temperature dependence of the overall fluorescence quantum yield. The obtained results allow the unambiguous statement that the two NH tautomers of corroles coexist in fluid and solid solutions in a wide range of temperatures, with the proportion depending on the corrole substitution pattern. Moreover, this study shows that the (future) interpretation of the fluorescence properties of meso-pyrimidinylcorroles and all other corrole materials should be done (more) carefully, taking into account the coexistence of NH tautomers with individual spectral signatures.This work has been carried out with financial support from FP-7 project DphotoD-PEOPLE-IRSES-GA-2009-247260. The State Program of Scientific Research "Convergence" of the Republic of Belarus (project 3.1.03) is acknowledged by M.K. and A.S. W.M., T.H.N., and W.D. thank the FWO (Fund for Scientific Research, Flanders), the KU Leuven, and the Ministerie voor Wetenschapsbeleid for continuing financial support. P.V. thanks the IWT (Institute for the Promotion of Innovation through Science and Technology in Flanders) for a doctoral fellowship. T.H.N. acknowledges the IWT and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for a doctoral and postdoctoral fellowship, respectively. The authors thank Dr. V. Knyukshto (B.I. Stepanov Institute of Physics) for his invaluable help in the low-temperature emission measurements.Chemistry, Physical; Physics, Atomic, Molecular & Chemical; free-base corroles; core-modified corroles; photophysical properties; substituted corroles; electron-transfer; energy-transfer; metal-free; dyads; chemistry; porphyrin