الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 123 |  |  |
| | | from | 123 | | |
Abstract
Psoriasis is a chronic and debilitating inflammatory disease which affects primarily the skin and joints with cycles of remissions and exacerbations. It characterized by infiltration of inflammatory cells into the epidermis and altered keratinocyte differentiation. It affects 1-3% of the world population, causing a significant impact on a patient‟s quality of life. Psoriasis affects both sexes equally and can appear at any age.
Clinical manifestations of psoriasis are heterogeneous, ranging from limited to extensive disease. May varieties of clinical presentation can occur; plaque, pustular, guttate and erythrodermic. chronic plaque-type psoriasis is the most common variety of psoriasis, representing about 70% to 80% of psoriatic patients. It‟s the classical pattern of psoriasis characterized by red, sharply demarcated, erythematous plaques with loosely adherent silvery-white scales, which preferentially affects the elbows, Knee and scalp. The disease is variable in extent, duration and periodicity of flare.
The etiology of psoriasis in unknown, but an evolving evidence suggests that it is complex disorder caused by interaction of multiple factors including; genetic, environmental, psychogenic, alcohol, smoking and immunological factors. It is also believed to be associated with other cellular, biochemical and metabolic defects.
Prokineticins belong to a family of small peptide discovered about twenty years ago in the skin secretions of Bombina Variegata frog and comprise two classes; prokineticin-1 and prokineticin-2. Prokineticin-2 is confirmed to be involved in the inflammatory process.
Prokineticin-2 is a multifunctional cytokine possessing abilities to induce epidermal, vascular, inflammatory change and induced production of IL-1 in KCs and macrophage. PK-2 promoted KCs and FB proliferation and differentiation, inflammation, and angiogenesis, which are all pathologic features of psoriasis
The aim of this work was to study the possible role of Prokineticin 2 in psoriasis by immunohistochemical study and to correlate its expression with the available clincopathological parameters.
This prospective case control study was carried out on 30 patients, ranged from 9 to 60 years, with different clinical types of psoriasis they were selected from Dermatology outpatient clinic, Menoufia University Hospital. Fifteen age and gender matched healthy volunteers were also included in this study as a control group.
All patients were subjected to complete history taking, clinical examination, full dermatological examination and assessment of the disease severity by Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) score.
Three millimeters punch biopsy was taken under complete aseptic condition, preceded by 2% lignocaine local anesthesia from psoriatic skin lesion and a skin biopsy was also taken from control subjects. Biopsies was fixed in neutral formalin 10% and was submitted to routine tissue processing ending with paraffin embedded blocks formation in Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University.
Summary
88
Several paraffin sections, each 4μm thick was cut from each block, one of them was stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain and the other sections was immunostained by PK2 antibody.
The present results demonstrated that an immunohistochemical expression of PK2 in studied cases revealed that: more PK2 positivity epidermal expression in 28 (93.3%) cases with mild intensity of staining and cytoplasmic localization 64.3%.
Positive epidermal and dermal expression of PK2 in epidermis and dermis of studied cases was highly significant compared with control subjects.
Positive adnexal and stromal cell expression of PK2 in the adnexa and stromal cell in the studied cases was highly significant compared with controls.
Statistically significant relationship between higher mean of H-score of PK2 in the epidermis of the studied cases and cases with marked suprapapillary thinning.
Statistically significant relationship between intensity of PK2 in epidermis and cases with suprapapillary thinning of studied cases.
Statistically significant relationship between intensity of PK2 in dermis and cases with suprapapillary thinning of studied cases.