Combined effect between CHRNB3-CHRNA6 region gene variant (rs6474412) and smoking in psoriasis vulgaris severity

Psoriasis and smoking: links and risks

Smoking is a complex environmental exposure influenced by genetic, environmental, and social factors. Nicotine is the principal alkaloid in tobacco that mediates the addicting effects of tobacco products. Tobacco is a mixture of more than 7,000 chemicals, and smoking is recognized as a risk factor for many diseases in humans, including cardiovascular and pulmonary disease and several cancers, and is the single most preventable cause of mortality worldwide. A number of inflammatory immune-related conditions have been associated with smoking, including psoriasis. Smoking affects the onset of psoriasis. In a pooled analysis of 25 case-control studies, the odds ratio of psoriasis among smokers was 1.78 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.53-2.06). A dose-effect relationship is also documented. In a pooled analysis of three cohort studies, the risk of incident psoriasis was 1.81 (95% CI: 1.38-2.36) in those who smoked 1-14 cigarettes per day, and 2.29 (95% CI: 1.74-3.01) in those who smoked ≥25 cigarettes per day. Smoking also impacts on the clinical severity of psoriasis, its response to treatment, and explains some of the associated comorbidities, eg, cardiovascular disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and several cancers (especially those of the respiratory tract). Data on the role of smoking in psoriatic arthritis are less consistent compared with those concerning psoriasis. Several pathophysiological mechanisms may explain the association of psoriasis with smoking, including oxidative stress, interaction with signaling pathways active in psoriasis, and vascular influences. In conclusion, psoriasis is just one of the many diseases associated with smoking, but it is visible and disabling. Dermatologists could play a major role in reducing the health burden of smoking by influencing the patients to change their behavior.

TLR2 and TLR4 polymorphisms in Southern Chinese Psoriasis Vulgaris patients

BACKGROUND

The toll-like receptors-(TLR)-2 and -4 play a role in the innate immune system and drive the autoimmune T cell cascade in psoriasis. But little is known about the association of the polymorphisms of TLR2/TLR4 and psoriasis vulgaris (PsV).

METHODS

We performed a hospital-based association study involved in355 PsV patients and 213 controls. Genotyping of 11 SNPs rs4696480(-16934A/T), rs121917864 (2029C/T;Arg677Trp), rs5743708 (2408G/A;Arg753Gln), rs3804099 (+597T/C), rs5743699(+1349T/C) of TLR2 on chromosome 4q32; and rs1927914 (-6143A/G), rs10759932(-5724T/C), rs4986790 (896A/G; Asp299Gly), rs4986791 (1196C/T; Thr399lle); rs11536889(+7263G/C), rs11536891(+8469T/C) of TLR4 on chromosome 9q33.1 were determined using SNaPshot Multiplex Kit (Applied Biosystems Co., USA).

RESULTS

We did not detect the presence of any of the five rare SNPs (rs5743708, rs121917864, rs5743699, rs4986790, rs4986791). The comparison of allele distributions revealed that only one SNP (rs3804099) of 6 common SNPs(rs10759932, rs11536889, rs11536891, rs1927914, rs3804099, rs4696480) was significant associated with the risk of PsV (P<0.01; FDR p-Value). However, there were no significant differences found in other subphenotypes of family history or PASI between patients positive and those negative for a particular phenotype.

CONCLUSIONS

The SNP rs3804099 of TLR2 may have significant effects on heritability of PsV in our Chinese population. TLR2 and its pathway might take part in the pathogenesis of PsV.

Nicotinic Mechanisms Modulate Ethanol Withdrawal and Modify Time Course and Symptoms Severity of Simultaneous Withdrawal from Alcohol and Nicotine

Alcohol and nicotine are among the top causes of preventable death in the United States. Unfortunately, people who are dependent on alcohol are more likely to smoke than individuals in the general population. Similarly, smokers are more likely to abuse alcohol. Alcohol and nicotine codependence affects health in many ways and leads to poorer treatment outcomes in subjects who want to quit. This study examined the interaction of alcohol and nicotine during withdrawal and compared abstinence symptoms during withdrawal from one of the two drugs only vs both. Our results indicate that simultaneous withdrawal from alcohol and nicotine produces physical symptoms that are more severe and last longer than those experienced during withdrawal from one of the two drugs alone. In animals experiencing withdrawal after chronic ethanol treatment, acute nicotine exposure was sufficient to prevent abstinence symptoms. Similarly, symptoms were prevented when alcohol was injected acutely in mice undergoing nicotine withdrawal. These experiments provide evidence for the involvement of the nicotinic cholinergic system in alcohol withdrawal. Furthermore, the outcomes of intracranial microinfusions of mecamylamine, a nonselective nicotinic receptor antagonist, highlight a major role for the nicotinic receptors expressed in medial habenula and interpeduncular nucleus during withdrawal. Overall, the data support the notion that modulating the nicotinic cholinergic system might help to maintain long-term abstinence from alcohol.