Yi-Wei Lu

Cutaneous metastases from different internal malignancies: a clinical and prognostic appraisal.

Background  Cutaneous metastases are perceived as a sign of advanced disease and are regarded as a grave prognostic indicator. In addition, few reports have focused on the cutaneous metastasis profiles of Asian patients.

Hand eczema among University Hospital nursing staff: identification of high-risk sector and impact on quality of life.

Background:  Hand eczema is a commonly encountered occupational disease and has a negative impact on life quality.

Arthritis as an important determinant for psoriatic patients to develop severe vascular events in Taiwan: a nation-wide study.

Background  Psoriasis is an important systemic inflammatory disease that often leads to severe vascular diseases. This study was launched to determine if joint involvement affects incidence of vascular comorbidities in psoriatic patients. In addition, potential vasculo‐protective effects of methotrexate in psoriatic patients were also evaluated.

Distinct SPINK5 and IL‐31 polymorphisms are associated with atopic eczema and non‐atopic hand dermatitis in Taiwanese nursing population

Abstract:  The term ‘hand dermatitis’ describes inflammatory skin condition localized to the hands. Nurses working at hospital settings are prone to develop hand dermatitis. The current study aimed to evaluate whether certain genetic polymorphisms were associated with the development of atopic eczema or non‐atopic hand dermatitis in Taiwanese population. Nurses of Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital were recruited. Atopic eczema, non‐atopic hand dermatitis and normal control groups were identified. The serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 5 (SPINK5), filaggrin and interleukin‐31 (IL‐31) gene variants were compared between the diseased and control groups. Our results showed that rs2303070 T allele of SPINK5 (assuming recessive model; OR = 3.58, 95% CI 1.63–7.84; P = 0.0014) and rs7977932 G allele of IL‐31 (assuming recessive model; OR = 18.25, 95% CI = 3.27–101.94; P = 0.0009) were associated with increased risks of developing atopic eczema, while rs6892205 G allele of SPINK5 (assuming dominant model; OR = 3.79, 95% CI 1.55–9.28; P = 0.0036) was associated with the development of non‐atopic hand dermatitis. In summary, our results showed that distinct SPINK5 and IL‐31 gene variants were associated with the development of atopic eczema and non‐atopic hand dermatitis. The barrier function, particularly those regulated by SPINK5, may play an important role in the development of both atopic eczema and non‐atopic hand dermatitis.

Hand dermatitis among university hospital nursing staff with or without atopic eczema: assessment of risk factors.

Background. Nurses are prone to develop hand dermatitis. Although an atopic constitution has been identified as a genetic risk factor, the behavioural risk factors associated with hand dermatitis in wet work conditions have not been fully explored.

Late‐onset Behçet's disease does not correlate with indolent clinical course: report of seven Taiwanese patients

Background  Behçets disease (BD) is a recurrent multisystem disease of uncertain aetiology. The young adults are most often affected, usually during the third decade. Late occurrence of the disease is considered uncommon and less frequently investigated.

Psoriasis as initiator or amplifier of the systemic inflammatory march: impact on development of severe vascular events and implications for treatment strategy.

Background  Psoriasis is a systemic disease associated with metabolic disorders and vascular complications. Both psoriasis and metabolic disorders are associated with systemic inflammation. We hypothesized that the sequence of events between the onset of psoriasis and metabolic disorder may affect the risk for subsequent development of vascular complications.

Anxiety contributes to the development of cerebrovascular disease in Taiwanese patients with psoriasis: a population-based study.

ejd.2013.1965 Auteur(s) : Cheng-Che E. Lan1,2, Hsin-Su Yu1, Wan-Chen Li1, Ying-Chin Ko3, Ching-Shuang Wu4, Yi-Wei Lu1, Yi-Hsin Yang5, Gwo-Shing Chen1 d700086@kmu.edu.tw 1 Department of Dermatology and College of Medicine, 4 Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, 5 School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, 100 Shih-Chuan 1st Rd, Kaohsiung, Taiwan 2 Department of Dermatology, Kaohsiung Municipal Ta-Tung Hospital, Kaohsiung, [...]

Psoriatic patients with diabetes are prone to develop digestive organ cancers: A population-based study in Taiwan

BACKGROUND Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition. Epidemiology studies from different parts of the world have shown that psoriasis is associated with different components of metabolic syndrome. The association between psoriasis and development of cancer has not yet been clearly established. OBJECTIVE We hypothesize that chronic inflammation is the driving force that enhances the risk of malignancy in psoriatic patients and suspect that psoriatic patients have higher risks for developing cancers that are most prevalent in the studied population. METHODS Using the nested case-control approach derived from the Taiwanese population-based cohort, the current study was launched to validate this hypothesis. Results 8180 psoriatic patients and 163,600 age-matched controls were included in this study. Psoriatic patients were 1.20 folds (95% CI=1.06-1.36; p=0.004) more likely than controls to develop cancer. Further analyses revealed that incident cancers derived from digestive tract, the most common cancer origin found in Taiwanese population, were most significantly associated psoriasis. Patients with psoriasis and diabetes mellitus, a frequent comorbid condition independently associate with both psoriasis and cancer, conferred the highest risk for developing digestive tract cancers, having risks of 1.98 folds (95% CI: 1.11-3.52) and 1.68 folds (95%CI: 1.23-2.28) for the 41-60 years-old and 61-80 years-old age group, respectively. Both psoriasis and diabetes were independently associated with development of digestive tract cancers in the 41-60 years-old patient group. CONCLUSION Prevalent cancers in the population should be carefully monitored in the psoriatic patients after middle age (beyond 40 years of age) especially for those with concomitant diabetic conditions.

Association between non‐atopic hand eczema and interleukin‐13 gene polymorphism in Taiwanese nursing population

Chronic hand eczema is an important occupational skin disease with atopic dermatitis (AD) and wet work being the most important risk factors. This study was launched to analyse the potential association between AD‐related inflammation genes and development of non‐atopic hand eczema among nurses in University Hospital. Atopic eczema, non‐atopic hand dermatitis and control groups were identified. The association between occurrence of non‐atopic hand eczema and interleukin (IL)‐13, IL‐4 and IL‐5 gene variants was analysed. IL13 rs20541 A allele [assuming recessive model; odds ratio (OR) = 3.38, 95% CI: (1.63–7.00)] showed association with development of non‐atopic hand eczema. Additive score analyses showed combination of this gene variant with previously identified risk factors including certain SPINK5 polymorphism and more than 10 years of work experience conferred highest risk for development of non‐atopic hand eczema. As non‐atopic hand eczema made up significant portion of occupational skin diseases, further studies should be focused on this commonly encountered skin condition.