Introduction. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. It occurs almost all over the world. More cases of psoriasis are seen among Caucasians than in other races. It occurs rarely, or not at all, in Aboriginal Australians or Native Americans. Objective. To analyze the prevalence of psoriasis in Polish voivodships in the years 2008-2015 considering gender, age, place of residence (urban-rural) and clinical form of the disease. Material and methods. The research was based on demographic data collected from the Central Statistical Office (GUS) in the years 2008-2015 for voivodships. The data concern all patients with psoriasis who were consulted during the study period or were hospitalized in institutions providing dermatological services under the National Health Fund (NFZ) contract. The patients were divided into several groups according to gender, age and place of residence. All groups were compared quantitatively and the results were presented in figures. Results. Based on the collected data, as many as 1,147,279 patients with psoriasis benefited from dermatological services in the years 2008-2015. People aged 41-60 years mostly suffered from psoriasis, with a slight predominance of women living in cities. There was also a noticeable increase in psoriasis patients treated in hospital conditions during the study period. Conclusions. The collected data provided a preliminary estimate of prevalence of psoriasis in the years 2008-2015 at about 2.99%. However, the data presented in this paper need further research. streszczenie Wprowadzenie. Łuszczyca jest przewlekłą, genetycznie uwarunkowaną chorobą zapalną skóry. Występuje niemal na całym świecie. Więcej przypadków stwierdza się wśród przedstawicieli rasy kaukaskiej niż rasy czarnej i żółtej. Wśród Aborygenów australijskich i Indian Ameryki Północnej choroba jest nieznana lub występuje bardzo rzadko.

Darier-White disease is one of the most common genodermatoses. The most typical clinical symptoms such as diffuse hyperkeratotic papulae usually appear during puberty or early adulthood in seborrhoeic area. It is connected with substantial deterioration of the quality of life due to aesthetic defect. Although there exist many therapeutic options, the disease still causes considerable therapeutic difficulties. Treatment with fractional CO2 laser seems to be a promising therapeutic method. In this paper, we present two cases of patients with Darier's disease who have been treated with a fractional CO2 laser with very good clinical outcome.

Melanoma is one of the most unpredictable tumours, as regards both morphology and the course of disease. It may have different clinical forms making it very difficult to diagnose. Therefore, it often surprises even the most experienced dermatologists. Despite numerous attempts, no efficient treatment of advanced stages have been elaborated, and early detection and removal of a skin lesion currently constitutes the most efficient treatment method. Diagnostics uses different types of dermoscopic techniques characterised by considerable sensitivity and specificity in detecting melanoma at an early developmental stage. A continuous development of medical technologies leads to improving many methods of skin lesion imaging. Ultrasonography is one of these methods, enabling evaluation of the thickness of melanoma in vivo with high precision. Change thickness is the decisive factor influencing 5-year survival. The paper evaluates the usefulness of high-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) in pre-operative melanoma imaging on the basis of literature review. Additionally, the use, role and placement of HFUS in skin melanoma diagnostics is determined.

Introduction: To date, there has been no consensus either on the method, frequency or total duration of follow-up for patients that have developed a basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Aim: To evaluate usefulness of high-frequency ultrasound in monitoring patients with BCC, particularly to detect residual disease or early recurrence. Material and methods: Seventy-eight patients with suspicious lesions of BCC were enrolled in this study. Only patients for whom histologic evaluation confirmed diagnosis of BCC (70) continued the study. The dermatoscopic and ultrasonographic observation started before the treatment. Three control examinations were performed 4, 12 and 24 weeks after the treatment. Results: A total of 70 basal cell carcinomas were examined in this study. The presence of cancer formation was observed in the margins of removed nodular BCC in 15% (6/40), in another 25% of cases the margin of surgical removal was narrow and was < 0.2 cm (10/40). For 4 of 6 (66%) lesions, in which histopathological examination demonstrated a positive margin, hypo or heteroechogenic, irregularly shaped focal lesions were found in the ultrasonographic examination just under the entrance echo on the first follow-up visit. In 2 other cases of positive margins of the removed BCC, no signs of residual disease were observed in ultrasonographic examination. For patients with a narrow margin of healthy tissues after surgical removal, hypo or heteroechogenic foci located directly under the entrance echo were also observed in the ultrasonographic examination 4 weeks after the surgery, suggesting the presence of cancer formation. Reduction in the suspected area and scar formation were observed on the subsequent visits. It was found that the characteristic feature of residual disease presence is an enlargement of the hypoechogenic area in subsequent ultrasonographic examinations. Conclusions: The use of high-frequency ultrasonography in the monitoring of patients after surgery can accelerate and improve the diagnosis of residual disease.

IntroductionUltrasonographic examination is commonly used in an outpatient setting, possibly due to its low cost, low risk for patients and the possibility to obtain real time images. Typically used heads have the frequency ranging from 7.5 to 12 MHz. Higher frequencies ensure higher resolution, yet they are limited by the penetration depth – reaching from several to several tens of millimetres into the skin. High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) appears to be a promising method for the detection and differential diagnostics of selected nodular skin lesions.AimThe study aimed at a comparison of the data obtained by using HFUS, histopathological and dermatoscopic images of selected skin lesions to determine their common features.Material and methodsNodular lesions classified as potentially malignant were subjected to clinical, dermatoscopic and high-frequency ultrasonographic examinations. Then the patients were referred for surgical removal with histopathological assessment.ResultsA total of 54 nodular lesions were examined, out of which 34 were diagnosed as non-melanoma. The most common lesions were melanocytic naevi dermatofibroma, nodular basal cell carcinoma and pyogenic granuloma. Other examined lesions included blue naevus, seborrheic wart, xanthogranuloma juvenile and Spits naevus. In all lesions except Spitz naevus, HFUS images corresponded at least with dermatoscopic or histopathology images.ConclusionsHFUS can be used as a supporting diagnostic tool ensuring better pre-operative proceedings. HFUS is a non-invasive, easy and inexpensive screening method for the determination of different skin cancers as it provides valuable information allowing to determine the cutting margins and lesion shape.

It was proved that transmission of some pathogens may occur between infected and uninfected ticks co-feeding on a host in the absence of systemic infection. The effect was studied of co-feeding of two different tick species Ixodes ricinus and Dermacentor reticulatus on the course of the non-parasitic stage. Species chosen for the experiment may share their habitats and co-infest animals in nature. In the course of the study the process of egg maturation, oviposition and larval hatching were investigated. In order to estimate if co-feeding influence can counteract host immunity, three subsequent infestations of rabbits were analyzed. Mono-specific groups values of such a parameters as egg amount, number of eggs per 1 mg of female engorgement weight, female oviposition weight loss, hatching success were higher in inter-specific groups were compared. The results indicate that co-feeding with other tick species may partially reduce the influence of host resistance in subsequent infestation.

Background: Scabies (caused by Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis) and pediculosis (caused by Pediculus humanus) are infectious diseases common in educational institutions and long-term care centres. The aim of the study was to assess the scale of the phenomenon in confinement conditions favouring the spread of these parasitoses. Methods: Data on the prevalence of scabies (2001–2015) and pediculosis (2008–2015) in Polish prisoners were provided by the Central Board of Prison Service. The information for the period between 2010 and 2015 in the Lublin Province was obtained from the District Inspectorate of the Prison Service in Lublin. Correlations between the prevalence of scabies and pediculosis and the number of prisoners were analysed, as well as correlations between the number of passes granted to prisoners and the prevalence of scabies and pediculosis in incarcerated individuals. Results: The prevalence of scabies and pediculosis in Polish prisoners has been estimated at 2.3% and 1.9%, respectively. Conclusions: Pediculosis and scabies are still current issues in Polish prisons. Convicts returning from passes and new prisoners should be carefully examined and monitored for the presence of S. scabiei var. hominis and P. humanus invasion. Education of prisoners could be a promising tool in prevention of scabies and pediculosis in correctional settings.

Introduction and objective. The great number of pigeon populations in many European cities promotes the spread of the European pigeon tick (Argas reflexus), the bites of which cause local and systemic reactions. The aim was to study the occurrence of A. reflexus in several cities of Upper Silesia, and skin lesions caused by A. reflexus tick bites in humans. Materials and method. The results of investigations carried out in 1995-2002 in five cities located in the Upper Silesian conurbation are presented. Specimens of A. reflexus were collected for one hour in attics and lofts inhabited by these ticks. A history of skin lesions caused by bites was taken from residents who had been infested by A. reflexus. The development of skin lesions was monitored for three months in two individuals who had been bitten several times by these arthropods. Results. In the localities, 987 A. reflexus specimens were collected, including 334 females, 269 males, and 384 various nymphal stages. Within one hour, 38-109 ticks specimens were collected at the study sites. Cases of attacks by unengorged A. reflexus were reported in all the habitats located in the residential buildings; the ticks were also found in residents' flats and in staircases. Residents who had been repeatedly attacked by European pigeon ticks developed a strong inflammatory reaction to the components of tick saliva, and had purple papules with necrosis in the centre of the lesion. The tick bite areas exhibited scars and hyperpigmentation. Conclusions. Individuals attacked by A. reflexus several times are at risk of development of severe persistent local reactions to bites. Pigeon ticks, trophically associated with pigeons present abundantly in the Upper Silesian conurbation and other European urban habitats, pose a serious threat to public health.