Active clinical trials for "Ichthyosis Vulgaris"

This study will examine microbes (e.g., bacteria, fungi, viruses) that live on human skin and how microbes contribute to health and disease. It will analyze healthy human skin and how the these microorganisms might change in patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), a skin condition also known as eczema. Healthy volunteers, as well as patients with moderate to severe eczema (AD), between 2 and 40 years of age may be eligible for this study. We also wish to enroll children and adults aged 2-40 who have been diagnosed with inherited immune disorders known as HIES (hyperimmunoglobulin-E syndrome), WAS (Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome), or DOCK8 immunodeficiency because they frequently have skin problems similar to AD. Eligible participants undergo the following tests and procedures: Medical family and medication history Skin examination Blood tests (research blood as well as serum IgE, and complete blood count) Skin samples to analyze microbes. Samples are obtained by the following methods: swabbing the skin with a cotton swab; scraping (scratching) the skin gently with a blade to remove only the outermost skin layers; and, only in adults, biopsy (surgical removal) of a small skin sample less than 1/4-inch (5 mm) in diameter. Nose swabs to analyze microbes. Patients with eczema may have photographs of their skin taken to help monitor the skin rashes. Participants may be contacted periodically for follow-up studies. Patients with atopic dermatitis may have additional skin samples collected to examine changes in the skin bacteria over time and during all of the stages of eczema. In addition, patients who have a flare of their eczema are asked to undergo a skin sample collection as soon as possible.

The objective of this study is to determine and compare the safety and efficacy of topical 146-9251 cream and vehicle cream applied twice daily for 6 weeks in subjects with moderate to severe ichthyosis vulgaris (IV).

A randomized double blinded clinical trial will be conducted comparing the effect of two simple basic moisturizers only different in the concentration of carbamide (urea). The concentrations of carbamide will be tested are 0 and 7.5, respectively. The study will be conducted as a split-body-study and will contain two arms randomized to comparing 0 and 7.5 % carbamide, respectively. Approximately 20 patients with at least clinically verified Ichthyosis Vulgaris will be enrolled to each study arm. The effect of the moisturizers will be assessed by clinical examination (score), patients assesment of effect and measurement of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and other skin parameters.

The investigators' primary objective is to identify common and rare mutations in the filaggrin gene in African American patients with a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis and ichthyosis vulgaris. Atopic dermatitis, or eczema, is a common, chronic, relapsing and remitting problem in many children and affects 10-20% of the pediatric population. Itch is a predominant feature of this disease and is quite disruptive to daily activities of life. In addition to itch, it is characterized by markedly dry skin, small red bumps that may have fluid. Ichthyosis vulgaris is characterized by extremely dry, scaly skin with a fine white scale and increased amounts of lines noted on the palms. Filaggrin is a protein that is essential for the skin to function properly as a barrier and found to be mutated in some European patients with ichthyosis vulgaris and atopic dermatitis. This association has not been looked at in the African American population. Genomic DNA (gDNA) will be purified from buccal swabs using commercially available kits and analyzed.

Pro-inflammatory cytokines are critically important drivers of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases and cytokine-targeted biologics have been transformative in the treatment of several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. As the diversity of approved cytokine-targeted biologic therapies grows, it will become increasingly important to stratify patients on the basis of specific genetic or disease biomarker phenotypes to ensure that patients receive the appropriate cytokine-targeted biologic, at the appropriate dose, and at the appropriate time. This project aims to explore patterns of pro-inflammatory cytokine/chemokine expression within normal versus (i) psoriatic, (ii) eczematic, (iii) ichthyotic human skin, as well as in human and mouse models of skin inflammation, with the objective of identifying cytokine response profiles ('cytokine fingerprints') that will provide a molecular basis for (a) the stratification of patients into disease subtypes that (b) enable cytokine-directed biologics to be targeted towards patients that are most likely to benefit from them. The investigators anticipate that 'cytokine fingerprinting' will aid in the selection of the most appropriate biologics in patients that are most likely to benefit from such therapies.