Biosimilars for the treatment of patients with psoriasis : A consensus statement from the Biosimilar Working Group of the International Psoriasis Council

As biosimilars have become available in various parts of the world, the International Psoriasis Council has reviewed aspects of their use. To provide consensus statements from the Biosimilar Working Group about the use of biosimilars in patients with psoriasis. A semiqualitative structured process was employed to approve the consensus statements on biosimilars using the nominal group technique. The final statements were validated by a survey of the paricipants. The approval of the consensus statements was predefined as >80% positive opinions. A consensus was reached in 36/38 statements regarding regulatory considerations, extrapolation of indication, interchangeability, substitution at the pharmacy level, pharmacovigilance, traceability, naming, biosimilar policy, education, and cost of biosimilars. Example statements include "Switching a stable patient from a reference product to a biosimilar product is appropriate if the patient and physician agree to do so" and "Patients and patients' organisations should be involved in all decision making and policy development about the use of biosimilars." The International Psoriasis Council Biosimilar Working Group provides consensus statements for the use of biosimilars in the treatment of patients with psoriasis. We suggest that these statements provide global guidance to clinicians, healthcare organizations, pharmaceutical companies, regulators, and patients regarding the development and use of biosimilars in patients with psoriasis

Phylogeography and Genetic Ancestry of Tigers (Panthera tigris)

Eight traditional subspecies of tiger (Panthera tigris), of which three recently became extinct, are commonly recognized on the basis of geographic isolation and morphological characteristics. To investigate the species' evolutionary history and to establish objective methods for subspecies recognition, voucher specimens of blood, skin, hair, and/or skin biopsies from 134 tigers with verified geographic origins or heritage across the whole distribution range were examined for three molecular markers: (1) 4.0 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence; (2) allele variation in the nuclear major histocompatibility complex class II DRB gene; and (3) composite nuclear microsatellite genotypes based on 30 loci. Relatively low genetic variation with mtDNA, DRB, and microsatellite loci was found, but significant population subdivision was nonetheless apparent among five living subspecies. In addition, a distinct partition of the Indochinese subspecies P. t. corbetti into northern Indochinese and Malayan Peninsula populations was discovered. Population genetic structure would suggest recognition of six taxonomic units or subspecies: (1) Amur tiger P. t. altaica; (2) northern Indochinese tiger P. t. corbetti; (3) South China tiger P. t. amoyensis; (4) Malayan tiger P. t. jacksoni, named for the tiger conservationist Peter Jackson; (5) Sumatran tiger P. t. sumatrae; and (6) Bengal tiger P. t. tigris. The proposed South China tiger lineage is tentative due to limited sampling. The age of the most recent common ancestor for tiger mtDNA was estimated to be 72,000–108,000 y, relatively younger than some other Panthera species. A combination of population expansions, reduced gene flow, and genetic drift following the last genetic diminution, and the recent anthropogenic range contraction, have led to the distinct genetic partitions. These results provide an explicit basis for subspecies recognition and will lead to the improved management and conservation of these recently isolated but distinct geographic populations of tigers

Detection of genetic substructure and diversity in the endemic South African antelope species, Damaliscus pygargus

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this documentThesis (PhD (Microbiology))--University of Pretoria, 2006.Microbiology and Plant Pathologyunrestricte

Psoriasis and Mental Health Workshop Report:Exploring the links between psychosocial factors, psoriasis, neuroinflammation and cardiovascular disease risk

Psoriasis is a systemic, relapsing, inflammatory disease associated with serious comorbidities including mood problems and/or unhealthy lifestyle behaviours. Cutaneous and systemic abnormalities in innate and acquired immunity play a role in its pathogenesis. The exact pathogenetic mechanism remains elusive. Evidence is accumulating that TNF-alpha, IL-17 and IL-23 signalling are highly relevant as targeting these pathways reduces disease activity. Evidence suggests a strong link between psoriasis and depression in adults. The International Psoriasis Council (IPC) held a roundtable event, “Psoriasis and Mental Health”, in Barcelona, Spain which focused on the presence of depression and suicidality, plus the role of neuroinflammation in psoriasis, sleep disruption and the impact of depression on cardiovascular disease outcomes. We summarize here the expert presentations to provide additional insight into the understanding of psychiatric comorbidities of psoriasis and of the impact of chronic, systemic inflammation on neuro- and cardiovascular outcomes. the associations between psoriasis and other psychiatric comorbidities are still controversial and warrant further attention

Feasibility and Utility of the Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI) in Clinical Care Settings:A Study from the International Psoriasis Council

Contains fulltext : 208359.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: The Psoriasis Symptom Inventory (PSI) is a patient-reported outcome measure designed to assess psoriasis signs and symptoms. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to assess the usefulness of the PSI in enhancing patient care in the clinical setting. METHODS: Eight dermatology clinics in six countries enrolled adults representing the full spectrum of psoriasis severity who regularly received care at the clinic. Patients were administered the eight-item PSI (score range 0-32; higher scores indicate greater severity) while waiting for the physician; the physician conducted a static physician global assessment (sPGA) and estimated psoriasis-affected body surface area (BSA) at the same visit. Physicians completed a brief questionnaire after each patient visit, and were interviewed about the PSI after all patients were seen. RESULTS: The clinics enrolled 278 patients; mean [standard deviation (SD)] psoriasis-affected BSA was 7.6% (11.4). Based on BSA, 47.8% had mild psoriasis, 29.1% had moderate psoriasis, and 23.0% had severe psoriasis. Based on sPGA, 18.7% were clear/almost clear, 67.3% were mild/moderate, and 14.0% were severe/very severe. The mean (SD) PSI total score was 12.2 (8.3). Physicians spent a mean (SD) 4.9 (4.8) min discussing PSI findings with their patients (range 0-20 min). Key benefits of PSI discussions included the following: new information regarding symptom location and severity for physicians; prompting of quality-of-life discussions; better understanding of patient treatment priorities; change in treatment regimens to target specific symptoms or areas; and improvement of patient-physician relationship. CONCLUSIONS: The PSI was useful for treated and untreated patients to enhance patient-physician communication, and influenced treatment decisions

Family-based case-control study of MAOA and MAOB polymorphisms in Parkinson disease

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an enzyme regulating metabolism of neurotransmitters such as dopamine. Two distinct forms of enzyme, encoded by genes MAOA and MAOB located on the X chromosome, have been considered as possible factors in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD). Previous association studies of PD and MAO genes reported inconsistent results. In this study, we used a large family-based data set to test associations between MAO genes and a risk of PD. The data set includes 298 female discordant sibpairs and 348 male discordant sibpairs. For this study, all subjects analyzed were white and families with known parkin mutations were removed. We analyzed 15 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and a dinucleotide repeat marker in the MAO genes. Association was found with the intron 13 SNP of MAOB in the female subset (P = 0.02). No significant association was found in the male subset. Our results add to the evidence of involvement of MAOB in PD and suggest that the effect may be stronger in women

A cohomology for vector valued differential forms

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Variation in the miRNA-433 Binding Site of FGF20 Confers Risk for Parkinson Disease by Overexpression of α-Synuclein

Parkinson disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder caused by environmental and genetic factors. We have previously shown linkage of PD to chromosome 8p. Subsequently, fibroblast growth factor 20 (FGF20) at 8p21.3–22 was identified as a risk factor in several association studies. To identify the risk-conferring polymorphism in FGF20, we performed genetic and functional analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the gene. In a sample of 729 nuclear families with 1089 affected and 1165 unaffected individuals, the strongest evidence of association came from rs12720208 in the 3′ untranslated region of FGF20. We show in several functional assays that the risk allele for rs12720208 disrupts a binding site for microRNA-433, increasing translation of FGF20 in vitro and in vivo. In a cell-based system and in PD brains, this increase in translation of FGF20 is correlated with increased α-synuclein expression, which has previously been shown to cause PD through both overexpression and point mutations. We suggest a novel mechanism of action for PD risk in which the modulation of the susceptibility gene's translation by common variations interfere with the regulation mechanisms of microRNA. We propose this is likely to be a common mechanism of genetic modulation of individual susceptibility to complex disease