Publications by authors named "Irena Walecka"

Article Synopsis
  • * The study involved five patients with inoperable tumors in different body locations, who received a total radiation dose of 51 Gy over 17 sessions, utilizing customized 3D-printed applicators.
  • * All patients achieved complete remission based on the RTOG scale, and post-treatment evaluations showed restored skin structure and notable healing, indicating the effectiveness of the tailored brachytherapy approach.
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Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa is a chronic, recurring skin condition characterized by inflammation of the terminal hair follicle. It presents as painful, deep-seated, inflamed lesions such as nodules, fistulas, and abscesses. While the mean onset age for hidradenitis suppurativa is typically between 21 and 29 years, the condition can also manifest in childhood.

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  • The study aimed to analyze the demographic and clinical traits of Polish patients with generalized pustular psoriasis (GPP), revealing that most patients are middle-aged women with common comorbidities like hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
  • A total of 90 patients were examined, who had a median GPP duration of 3 years and experienced an average of 2 flares, often requiring hospitalization; main triggers for flares included medications and infections.
  • The findings showed significant differences, such as younger patients often having GPP alongside psoriasis vulgaris (PV), highlighting a need for better management due to the high hospitalization rate and recurrent flares.
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Introduction And Objective: Multiple studies showed that patients with a severe course of COVID-19 may develop cardiovascular complications. Assessment of the incidence of myocardial injury in young, physically fit male patients with no comorbidities, and asymptomatic/mild course of the disease who recovered from COVID-19.

Material And Methods: A prospective, single-center, observational cohort study of 75 young (median[IQR] age 22 years) physically fit male patients, without comorbidities and smoking who recently recovered from COVID-19.

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Melanoma (malignant melanoma, MM) is an aggressive malignant skin cancer with an increasing incidence rate. The complete pathogenesis of MM in not clear. Due to DNA damage, mutations, dysregulation of growth factors, inactivation of tumor suppressor genes, and activation of oncogenes, excessive uncontrolled growth of abnormal melanocytes occurs in melanomas.

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: Oncological anxiety associated with biological therapy is a particular challenge in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and it has raised questions about the need for the dermatological assessment of the skin before starting biological therapy. : The aim of this study was to assess the frequency of dermal lesions, including cutaneous malignancies, in IBD patients. This retrospective, single-center study evaluated 805 IBD patients who qualified for biological treatment and were subjected to a dermatological assessment.

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Introduction: There are scarce data on the occurrence of dermal lesions in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor α (anti-TNF‑α) antibodies. Characteristics of the skin lesions, their clinical course, and impact on treatment are of high importance.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical sequelae of dermal lesions in IBD patients treated with anti-TNF‑α antibodies.

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Background And Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the reproducibility of a novel approach using 3D printed brachytherapy applicators for the treatment of skin cancer. Specifically, we aimed to assess the accuracy of applicator placement and to minimize the existence of air gap pockets between the applicator and the patient's skin.

Materials And Methods: A total of 20 patients plans diagnosed with skin cancer were enrolled in this study.

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Brachytherapy is a type of radiation therapy, in which a radiation source is placed directly or close to a tumor. It is commonly used to treat skin cancer, and enables precise irradiation treatment of affected area (planning target volume - PTV) while minimizing exposure dose to surrounding healthy tissue (organs at risk - OARs). Recently, the use of 3D printing has begun revolutionizing brachytherapy, as it allows manufacturing of custom-designed applicators for unique shape of skin topography, tumor, and surrounding tissues.

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Purpose: This study aimed to investigate changes in the elasticity of the median and ulnar nerves in cyclists.

Material And Methods: The study included 30 cyclists and 2 non-biking reference groups that included 32 healthy volunteers and 32 individuals with ulnar nerve entrapment neuropathies. All participants underwent physical, ultrasonographic, and elastographic examinations including assessment of nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) and stiffness (SWE).

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Opportunistic infections have significantly decreased in individuals living with human immunodeficiency virus and receiving antiretroviral therapy. However, in approximately 10%-25% of patients, severe skin reactions during immune reconstruction are constantly increasing. This may manifest as either an exacerbation of a chronic disease or the development of a new disorder, referred to as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome.

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Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic recurrent inflammatory skin disease which is characterized by painful, recurrent nodules and abscesses. The overall prevalence of HS is estimated to be 11 per 100 000 individuals in the United States and 4% of the world's population. Women are three times more affected than men, especially patients between 18 and 29 years.

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Introduction: Forced elbow flexion and pressure during bicycling result in ulnar nerve traction and pressure exerted in Guyon's canal or the nerve's distal branches. The compression of the nerves causes a change in their stiffness related to edema and eventually gradual fibrosis.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the elastography of terminal branches of the ulnar nerve in cyclists.

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Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a connective tissue disease leading to cutaneous and visceral fibrosis. Pathological features of SSc include immune dysregulation, vasculopathy, and impaired angiogenesis. Adipokines act as cytokines and hormones and are involved in various pathological processes, including metabolic disorders, inflammation, vasculopathy, and fibrosis.

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The etiopathogenesis of autoimmune skin diseases is complex and still not fully understood. The role of epigenetic factors is emphasized in the development of such diseases. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a group of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs-non-coding RNAs), are one of the important post-transcriptional epigenetic factors.

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Article Synopsis
  • A multi-center study in Poland assessed the effectiveness of risankizumab for treating moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in 185 patients over a long-term period.
  • The severity of psoriasis was measured using the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI) at multiple timepoints (4 to 96 weeks), tracking percentages of patients achieving significant responses (PASI90 and PASI100).
  • Results showed increasing PASI90 and PASI100 responses over time, with some correlations noted between treatment outcomes and factors like age, duration of psoriasis, and the presence of psoriatic arthritis.
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BACKGROUND The course of COVID-19 disease is associated with immune deregulation and excessive release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Vitamin D has an immunomodulatory effect. We aimed to assess the possible correlation between the incidence and severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection and serum vitamin D concentration.

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Introduction: Frontal fibrosing alopecia (FFA) is a relatively recently described scarring hair loss condition. Frontal hair recession is observed in a vast majority of patients; other scalp areas may be included. Assessment of hair loss progression in FFA remains challenging mainly due to difficulties in unambiguous determination of the hairline.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The article highlights important skin-related symptoms associated with NENs, like necrolytic migratory erythema in glucagonoma and unique skin features in carcinoid tumors.
  • * The study stresses the importance of thorough diagnosis, especially regarding skin lesions, to ensure timely treatment for patients with neuroendocrine tumors.
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Introduction: Scleroderma (Sc) is a connective tissue disorder associated with internal organ involvement, increased mortality, and unknown pathogenesis. It has been found that the more extensive the skin involvement the more severe internal organ manifestations and increased disability. The Rodnan skin score (RSS) is one of the established methods to examine skin thickness among patients with Sc.

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This study has a twofold objective. First, we aim to measure the levels of fear among Polish police officers using the COVID-19 Fear Scale (FCV-19S) that has a stable unidimensional structure allowing for the provision of additional data by combining variables. This structure allows the second objective to be met to measure the correlation with sociodemographic variables.

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Introduction: An increasing number of publications describing dermatoses associated with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have shown differences in the morphology and incidence of dermatoses in children compared to the general population.

Material And Methods: Among 22 selected full-text articles, dermatoses associated with COVID-19 have been described in 196 children (average age: 12.57 years).

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