A Preliminary Study on the Therapeutic Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on Generalized Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a recalcitrant depigmentary autoimmune skin disorder. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an effective immunomodulatory drug which is widely used in treatment of autoimmune disorders. HCQ-induced pigmenta- tion has been previously found in patients taking HCQ due to other auto- immune diseases. The present study aimed to determine whether HCQ im- proves re-pigmentation of generalized vitiligo. HCQ was orally administered 400 mg daily (6.5 mg/Kg of body weight) by 15 patients with generalized vitiligo (more than 10% involvement of body surface area) for three months. Patients were evaluated monthly and skin re-pigmentation was assessed us- ing the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI). Laboratory data were obtained and repeated monthly. Fifteen patients (12 women and 3 men) with a mean age of 30.13±12.75 years were studied. After 3 months, the extent of re-pigmen- tation on all the body regions, including the upper extremities, hands, trunk, lower extremities, feet, and head and neck was significantly higher than the baseline (P value <0.001, 0.016, 0.029, <0.001, 0.006, 0.006, respectively). Patients with concomitant autoimmune diseases had significantly more re- pigmentation compared with others (P=0.020). No irregular laboratory data were observed during the study. HCQ could be an effective treatment for generalized vitiligo. The benefits are likely to be more evident in case of con- comitant autoimmune disease. The authors recommend additional large- scale controlled studies to draw further conclusions

A Preliminary Study on the Therapeutic Effects of Hydroxychloroquine on Generalized Vitiligo

Vitiligo is a recalcitrant depigmentary autoimmune skin disorder. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an effective immunomodulatory drug which is widely used in treatment of autoimmune disorders. HCQ-induced pigmenta- tion has been previously found in patients taking HCQ due to other auto- immune diseases. The present study aimed to determine whether HCQ im- proves re-pigmentation of generalized vitiligo. HCQ was orally administered 400 mg daily (6.5 mg/Kg of body weight) by 15 patients with generalized vitiligo (more than 10% involvement of body surface area) for three months. Patients were evaluated monthly and skin re-pigmentation was assessed us- ing the Vitiligo Area Scoring Index (VASI). Laboratory data were obtained and repeated monthly. Fifteen patients (12 women and 3 men) with a mean age of 30.13±12.75 years were studied. After 3 months, the extent of re-pigmen- tation on all the body regions, including the upper extremities, hands, trunk, lower extremities, feet, and head and neck was significantly higher than the baseline (P value <0.001, 0.016, 0.029, <0.001, 0.006, 0.006, respectively). Patients with concomitant autoimmune diseases had significantly more re- pigmentation compared with others (P=0.020). No irregular laboratory data were observed during the study. HCQ could be an effective treatment for generalized vitiligo. The benefits are likely to be more evident in case of con- comitant autoimmune disease. The authors recommend additional large- scale controlled studies to draw further conclusions

The Effects of Body Acupuncture on Obesity: Anthropometric Parameters, Lipid Profile, and Inflammatory and Immunologic Markers

A randomized controlled clinical trial in 196 obese subjects was performed to examine the effectiveness of body acupuncture on body weight loss, lipid profile and immunogenic and inflammatory markers. Subjects received authentic (cases) or sham (controls) acupuncture for 6 weeks in combination with a low-calorie diet. In the following 6 weeks, they received the low-calorie diet alone. Subjects were assessed at the beginning, 6 and 12 weeks later. Heat shock protein (Hsps)-27, 60, 65, 70 antibody titers and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were also assessed. A significant reduction in measures of adiposity and improvement in lipid profile were observed in both groups, but the levels of anti-Hsp-antibodies decreased in cases only. A reduction in anthropometric and lipid profile in cases were sustained in the second period, however, only changes in lipid profile were observed in the control group. Anti-Hsp-antibodies and hs-CRP levels continued to be reduced in cases but in controls only the reduction in hs-CRP remained. Changes in anthropometric parameters, lipid profile, and anti-Hsp-antibodies were more evident in cases. Body acupuncture in combination with diet restriction was effective in enhancing weight loss and improving dyslipidemia

Systemic Meglumine Antimoniate in Acute Cutaneous Leishmaniasis: Children versus Adults

Some studies showed that children have a lower response to systemic use of pentavalent antimoniate than adults. We aimed to evaluate the response rate to Glucantime therapy in children and compare it with adults. One hundred and twelve patients with acute cutaneous leishmaniais (ACL) were divided into two equal groups of adults (> 15 yrs) and children (≤ 15 yrs). They received meglumine antimoniate; 20 mg/kg/day for 20 days, their improvement rate was evaluated 20 and 45 days after treatment. Perprotocol analysis showed a significantly lower response in the children group 20 and 45 days after initiation of the treatment (P = 0.0001, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.190 [0.079–0.456]/P = 0.0051, 95% CI = 0.317 [0.140–0.717], respectively). Moreover, after intention-to-treat analysis, the same results were seen in the younger group 20 and 45 days after treatment (P = 0.0003, 95% CI = 0.228 [0.098–0.528]/P = 0.0132, 95% CI = 0.382 [0.177–0.825], respectively). According to our results, systemic Glucantime has lower efficacy in treating ACL in children than adults

Effects of auricular acupuncture on anthropometric, lipid profile, inflammatory, and immunologic markers: a randomized controlled trial study.

OBJECTIVES A randomized controlled clinical trial was performed to examine the effectiveness of auricular acupuncture on body weight loss and its impact on lipid profile, and immunologic and inflammatory markers in obese subjects. METHODS Participants (n=204) were randomized to therapeutic acupuncture and control groups. Subjects received authentic (cases) or sham (controls) acupuncture for 6 weeks (first period) in combination with a low-calorie diet. In the next 6 weeks (second period), the low-calorie diet was used on its own. Subjects were assessed at the beginning and 6 and 12 weeks later. In addition to anthropometric and lipid parameters, serum anti-heat shock protein (Hsp)-27, 60, 65, 70 and high sensitive C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels were assessed. RESULTS In the first period, anthropometric parameters and hs-CRP changed significantly in both groups, while significant changes in anti-Hsp antibodies were only observed in case subjects. In the second period, which shows the sustainable effects of acupuncture, changes in anthropometric parameters were more prominent in controls, while significant reductions in the group receiving authentic acupuncture were maintained for anti-Hsp antibodies. A comparison between the first and second period in both groups showed that the changes for most of the parameters were more significant in the first period. Comparison between cases and controls showed that authentic acupuncture was more effective in reducing the levels of anthropometric factors and anti-Hsp antibodies but not hs-CRP. CONCLUSIONS Auricular acupuncture in combination with diet restriction was effective for weight loss and dyslipidemia. Moreover, it was found that it has immunomodulatory but not anti-inflammatory effects on the immune system by regulation of the levels of anti-Hsp antibodies