View clinical trials related to Psoriasis.
Filter by:This study compares the efficacy and analyzes the cellular effects of anti-TAC (Daclizumab) and Cyclosporine in the treatment of psoriasis vulgaris. This is a three-armed study-Daclizumab alone, Cyclosporine alone, and the combination of both Daclizumab and Cyclosporine.
This study will examine the production of proteins called chemokines in inflammatory skin reactions. It is thought that chemokines attract or recruit white blood cells from the blood stream into the skin when there is a skin injury or infection, causing inflammation. This study will examine chemokine production in induced inflammatory reactions to try to gain a better understanding of how white blood cells are attracted to inflamed areas of the body. Healthy normal volunteers between 33 and 60 years old may be eligible for this study if they 1) have no history of chronic skin disease; 2) are not allergic to eggs; and 3) do not tend to form large irregular scars after trauma to the skin from, for example, cuts, scratches and surgical incisions. Candidates will be asked a short series of questions and have a limited skin examination. Participants will have 10 ml (2 tablespoons) of blood drawn from an arm vein at the start and end of the 5-day study and undergo the following procedures: 1. Day 1 - Participants receive an injection in the right upper arm of mumps antigen (a protein commonly used to tests for immunization against mumps) and an injection of "vehicle" (saline plus the preservatives thimerosal, glycine and formaldehyde) in the left upper arm. 2. Day 3 - Participants who develop a swelling from the mumps antigen larger than 5 mm wide will receive another injection of antigen in the right arm and another injection of vehicle in the left arm. Those whose swelling is not greater than 5 mm will be excluded from the study at this point. 3. Day 5 - All four injection sites, plus another site on the left upper arm will be biopsied. For this procedure the five injection areas are numbed with a local anesthetic. A punch biopsy instrument that resembles a small cookie cutter (about one-third the diameter of a dime) is inserted about one-fifth of an inch deep into the skin and the tissue is removed. Two stitches are used to close the wound. Antibiotic and bandages are applied for 5 days. Nine days after the biopsy the participant returns to NIH for removal of the stitches. New molecular biology techniques will be used to measure changes in chemokine production in the biopsied tissue.
This is a clinical study in two phases. The first phase compares the effect of an ointment containing parathyroid hormone (PTH) with the effect of a placebo ointment (inactive ointment without PTH) on psoriasis lesions. Neither the study participants nor the researchers will know who is receiving PTH ointment and who is receiving placebo until the end of this first study phase. The second phase is a study of the PTH ointment on large areas of psoriasis to find out how long the effects last.
This study will test the safety and effectiveness of a novel fiber optic device for treating scalp psoriasis with ultraviolet (UV-B) light. A effective treatment is not currently available for people with scalp psoriasis. Present methods for treating psoriasis with UV-B light cannot be used for the scalp because hair is usually blocking the light from reaching the affected skin. Our method overcomes this problem with the use of a comb that has optical fibers to deliver light directly to the skin. We will evaluate this device in a clinical setting and will use the results to tailor the design of the comb before producing it in large quantities.
This study will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of micellar paclitaxel for treating severe psoriasis. Paclitaxel in another formulation (Taxol) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in patients with cancer. This drug can decrease growth of cancer cells and of new blood vessels. Because patients with psoriasis have an increase in skin cell and blood vessel growth, paclitaxel may also improve their condition. The dose of drug used in this study is much lower than those used to treat cancer patients and is expected to cause relatively few side effects. Patients 18 to 70 years of age with psoriasis lesions affecting at least 20% of their skin may be eligible for this study. Candidates will be screened with a history and physical examination, blood and urine tests, electrocardiogram, and possibly an exercise stress test. Participants will receive six intravenous (through a vein) infusions of paclitaxel over a 6-month period. Each infusion will take about 2 hours. Patients will stay in the clinic for observation for at least 1 hour before going home and will return to the clinic for follow-up examination and tests one week after each infusion. However, on weeks 0 and 8 visit will last for approximately 8 hours and will require a return to the clinic the following morning. Blood collection will be performed during the week 0 and 8 visits to determine how fast Micellar Paclitaxel is eliminated from your body. Approximately 2 teaspoons of blood will be taken prior to the infusion, twice during the infusion, and eight times during the 22 hours following the infusion for a total of eleven samples. These return visits will last approximately 1-2 hours. Patients will have the following procedures: 1. A skin biopsy (removal of a small tissue sample for microscopic examination) will be done at the first visit (week 0) and again at weeks 6, 14 and 22. The area of the biopsy will be numbed with an anesthetic, and a small circle of skin about the width of a pencil eraser and half as deep will be cut and lifted away. Stitches will be placed and removed 1 to 2 weeks later. 2. A history and physical examination will be done at every visit. Patients will be interviewed about changes in their skin condition and about treatment side effects and will be examined by a nurse or physician. 3. Blood and urine samples will be collected at frequent intervals (nearly every visit) to test for side effects. 4. Photographs of the skin will be taken at the first visit and at several later visits to document changes in psoriasis. 5. A blood sample will be drawn for genetic testing to look for gene changes in people with psoriasis. 6. An electrocardiogram will be taken at the last visit. This will be done at week 24 and compared to the screening EKG. 7. Gonadal toxicity monitoring will be started with all patients entered into the protocol as of May 2001. Blood will be drawn to measure Inhibit A for females and Inhibit B for males at weeks 0, 6, 14, and 22.
OBJECTIVES: I. Determine the therapeutic efficacy and safety of topical calcitriol in children with psoriasis.
This study uses the psychological principle known as classical conditioning to try to improve the standard treatment of psoriasis. Classical conditioning is a process of behavioral modification in which a person learns to connect a certain response-in this case, improvement of psoriasis-with a new action, or stimulus-in this case, application of an inactive cream. The goal of this study is to show that people with psoriasis who are maintained on corticosteroid cream part of the time and an inactive (placebo) cream at other times show a lower incidence of relapse and a reduced severity of psoriasis that patients treated with that same (reduced) amount of medication administered all the time.
This study will evaluate whether digital photography is a reliable tool for diagnosing hand rashes, psoriasis and unusual moles. The findings will help determine if this method can be used in the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey (NHANES), which monitors disease in the United States. Employees of the National Institutes of Health 19 years and older may enroll in this study. Participants will complete a brief questionnaire that includes information on skin type, history of skin conditions (moles, cancer, rashes, psoriasis), and demographic information such as name, age and sex. They will be examined by a dermatologist, who will note in writing the appearance of any hand rashes, unusual moles, or psoriasis. If any areas suspicious for skin cancer are found, the participant will receive this information in writing, along with advice about where to go for treatment. A total of six photographs will then be taken of the participant's arms, legs, hands and back. The face will not be photographed, and the participants will not be identifiable.
This is a continuing study which evaluates the long-term safety and efficacy of oral acitretin in an open manner in the treatment of psoriasis, cutaneous disorders of keratinization, multiple basal cell carcinomas and other retinoid responsive diseases.
OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate the long term safety and efficacy of orally administered calcitriol in patients with at least 5% of their body covered with psoriasis. II. Evaluate the long term safety and efficacy of topically administered calcitriol in patients with at least 5% of their body covered with psoriasis. III. Compare the topical calcitriol treatment to the oral calcitriol treatment in these patients.