Assessment of the anxiety and depression among patients with idiopathic pruritus ani.

Introduction: Pruritus ani is an unpleasant sensation that leads to scratching of the skin around the anus. It is a common symptom due to many systemic, dermatological, and proctological conditions. In the absence of evident organic origin of a disease, pruritus may be related to mental disorders as well as personality disorders.

CHLD score, a new score based on traditional risk factor evaluation and long-term cardiovascular outcomes in patients with systemic sclerosis.

The aim of the study was to assess the predictors of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) without pulmonary arterial hypertension. The study comprised 68 patients with SSc who were followed up for the median time of 99 (96; 107) months. The main exclusion criteria involved tricuspid regurgitation maximal velocity > 2.

Extensive Cutaneous Ulceration of the Scalp - Unknown Disease Entity or Dermatitis Artefacta?

Psychological disturbances and emotional stress events may elicit a wide spectrum of skin disturbances which are classified as dermatitis artefacta. This diagnosis should be taken into consideration when symptoms coexist in a bizarre pattern or indicate at least several distinct skin pathologies while laboratory tests remain inconclusive. We present a case of dermatitis artefacta which produced very extensive loss of the scalp.

The efficacy of antimalarial drugs in the therapy of selected forms of cicatricial alopecia.

Introduction: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is primary lymphocytic cicatricial alopecia with a clinically characteristic progressive recession of the frontotemporal hairline, perifollicular erythema, as well as symptoms of itching and burning. It occurs mainly in postmenopausal women. FFA is considered as a subtype of lichen planopilaris (LPP).

Correlation between the infrared thermogram and microvascular abnormalities of the nailfold in patients with systemic sclerosis.

Introduction: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystemic disease with an extensive microvasculopathy. The gold standard for its investigation is nailfold videocapillaroscopy (NVC).

Aim: To assess the value of thermography (IRT) for the assessment of microvasculopathy in patients with SSc.

MORPHEA AND LICHEN SCLEROSUS IN A PATIENT WITH HYPORTHYROIDISM.

Thyroid gland is one of the key organs regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Its primary function is connected with increase of the metabolic conversion of the body. Skin lesions are often one of the first symptoms of hypothyroidism.

Evaluation of PSEN1 subunit of the γ-secretase gene in patients with psoriasis vulgaris: a pilot study.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory disease, the prevalence of which is 1-3% in the Polish population. Genome testing using single nucleotide polymorphisms revealed more than 50 regions associated with the risk of psoriasis, and most of these genes are associated with the immune system.

Aim: To assess the presence of PSEN1 subunits of the γ-secretase gene polymorphisms in patients with psoriasis and comparison of results with a healthy control group.

What is the Best Way to Treat Patients with Raynaud's Phenomenon and a Tendency towards Hypotension?

Episodes of excessive vasospasm are common in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP). Pharmacological treatment may often result in side-effects such as hypotension, leading to discontinuation of treatment. Review of therapeutic interventions with regard to tendency towards hypotension was done in medical databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Medline to summarize the current state of the knowledge.

Factors affecting the concentration of soluble tumour necrosis factor-α receptor type I in the blood serum of patients with localized scleroderma.

Aim: The aim of the study was to assess of sTNFαR1 concentration in the serum of patients with localized scleroderma (in comparison with a control group).

Material And Methods: This was a prospective study. The patients with localized scleroderma were divided into two groups: 21 persons treated with PUVA therapy and 20 persons treated with procaine penicillin.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia: a disease that remains enigmatic.

Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is recognized to represent a generalized process of inflammatory scarring alopecia. Apart from the classic form affecting the frontal hairline, there are a range of disease manifestations involving loss of eyebrows and of eyelashes, loss of peripheral body hair, fibrosing alopecia in a pattern distribution, facial and extrafacial skin, mucous membrane, and nail involvement. Classic linear, diffuse "zigzag", pseudo "fringe sign", androgenetic alopecia-like, cockade-like, ophiasis-like and incomplete patterns are distinguished.

Features of dermatofibroma in reflectance confocal microscopy.

Background: Dermatofibroma (DF) is a common benign skin lesion in a majority of cases located on the legs or upper limbs. The etiology of DF is still unclear.

Objectives: Reflectance confocal microscopy features of DF were described.

Does adiponectin play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic spontaneous urticaria?

Introduction: Chronic spontaneous urticaria constitutes an interdisciplinary problem and its pathogenesis is still a subject of debate. Overweight and hyperlipidemia are supposed to be related to chronic spontaneous urticaria. Fatty tissue can be the source of adipokines.

Health-related quality of life and its influencing factors in adult patients with localized scleroderma - a cross-sectional study.

Background: Localized Scleroderma (LoS) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease that affects skin and less commonly subcutaneous tissues. The illness occurs in children and adults, and may have a serious impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The goal of this study was to explore what factors might deteriorate scores on HRQoL measures in adult LoS patients.

Associations between Disease Activity/Severity and Damage and Health-Related Quality of Life in Adult Patients with Localized Scleroderma-A Comparison of LoSCAT and Visual Analogue Scales.

Localized scleroderma (LoS) is a chronic fibrosing disorder of the skin and, less commonly, subcutaneous tissues. As the disease causes subjective symptoms, cosmetic defects, and, at times, functional disability, subjects with LoS experience deterioration of their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The influence of disease activity/severity and damage status on HRQoL measures in patients with LoS is scarcely known.

Significance of the angiotensin I/angiotensin II/angiotensin-(1-7) axis in the pathogenesis of systemic sclerosis.

Background: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystemic disease with an extensive microvasculopathy. Previously, disturbances in plasma levels of angiotensin II (Ang II) and its antagonistic angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) were found in patients with SSc. Their significance in a pathogenesis of SSc stays unclear due to discrepancies of earlier studies.

Are new variants of psoriasis therapy (IL-17 inhibitors) safe?

Psoriasis is a chronic, recurrent, inflammatory, and proliferative skin disease. Its etiology has not yet been fully assessed, but undoubtedly it is a multifaceted disease. The key role in its pathomechanism is played by genetic, immunologic, and environmental factors and stress.

The safety of isotretinoin treatment in patients with bone fractures.

Isotretinoin is widely applicable in dermatology, although it may develop severe side effects in the skeletal system. An intention of this review was to establish the safety of oral isotretinoin in patients with bone fractures. Both MEDLINE/Pubmed and SCOPUS databases were searched to investigate the influence of isotretinoin on the skeletal system.

An extended high-frequency ultrasound protocol for assessing and quantifying of inflammation and fibrosis in localized scleroderma.

Background: Clinical characteristics of the lesions are used to identify activity and damage in localized scleroderma (LoS). For high-frequency ultrasound (HF-US), the features of active lesions were described.

Materials And Methods: Clinical signs of activity and damage in LoS lesions were assessed with the use of Localized Scleroderma Cutaneous Assessment Tool (LoSCAT) and HF-US by two examiners independently.

The correlation between serum E-selectin levels and soluble interleukin-2 receptors with relation to disease activity in localized scleroderma.

Introduction: Scleroderma is a chronic connective tissue disease resulting in fibrosis.

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the connection between sE-selectin and sIL-2R and the severity of skin lesions in various subtypes of LoS. Evaluation of disease severity, the location of skin lesions, the duration of symptoms and disease activity were assessed in relation to the three different LoS subtypes in patients with localized scleroderma.

Variances in the mRNA expression profile of TGF-β1-3 isoforms and its TGF-βRI-III receptors during cyclosporin a treatment of psoriatic patients.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic, immunologic, multi-factor inflammatory skin disease, strongly associated with a higher level of a number of cytokines, such as isoforms of transforming growth factor β (TGF-β1-3) and its receptors (TGF-βRI-III). One of the most popular and important drugs used to treat this disease is cyclosporin A (CsA).

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of genes encoding the transforming growth factor (TGF)-β isoforms and receptors of the cytokine TGF-βRs in psoriatic patients during an 84-day long observation of the effects of cyclosporin A therapy.

Comparison of ultrasound therapy and radial shock wave therapy in the treatment of venous leg ulcers - clinical, pilot study.

Introduction: Venous insufficiency and venous leg ulcers each year affect more and more people, especially in developed countries. The challenge of our time is to find an effective method of treating venous leg ulcers, which will further shorten treatment time and reduce the cost of treatment.

Aim: To compare the effects of treating venous leg ulcers using ultrasound therapy, radial shock wave therapy and standard care.

Clinical and molecular evaluation of therapy with the use of cyclosporine A in patients with psoriasis vulgaris.

Background: Psoriasis course involves increased secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines, among others, a beta transforming growth factor (TGFβs) and its receptors. Cyclosporine A (CsA), an immunosuppressive medicine with the molecular mechanism of operation connected with the properties of cell cycle suppression, is often used in the treatment of severe forms of psoriasis. The efficacy of therapy is assessed based on the disease clinical progression indexes - Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), body surface area (BSA), and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI).

Self-esteem is related to anxiety in psoriasis patients: A case control study.

Objective: In psoriasis, taking steps to improve emotional health is important to bring lasting benefits to patients' physical health and overall well-being. We aimed to identify factors that relate to anxiety in psoriasis and are potentially modifiable and that thus qualify as targets for future planned interventions for improving mental health. In this study, the importance of coping strategies and self-esteem as potential targets were tested.