Medullary sponge kidney (renal spongiosis), (MSK) is a rare developmental anomaly of the kidney of unknown cause. It is presumed, that people with a genetic predisposition (<5% family occurrence) are prone to the disease. The peak of diagnosis is between the ages of 20-50, usually by chance (due to lack of symptoms) during an abdominal X-ray, where the so-called nephrocalcinosis (calcifications in the kidney) can be observed. Another radiologic test, that may suggest the condition in question is abdominal ultrasound, where cysts up to 8 mm in diameter in the medullary part of the kidney and calcifications can be seen. Diagnosis may also be based on the diagnosis of pre-existing stones and urinary tract infections, or hematuria. Urography has the highest sensitivity to sponge kidney. Symptoms, if already present, are characterized by low back pain, hematuria, hematuria, recurrent urinary tract infections, proteinuria, sterile purulence. Ultimately, the aforementioned pathologies can lead to kidney failure. To date, no causal treatment has been developed; only symptomatic treatment of lithiasis foci and urinary tract infections is possible. The purpose of the following paper was to describe the definition, epidemiology and etiology of MSK and to highlight the randomness of diagnosis and the problem in the lack of specific therapy for this renal developmental disorder. Current publications and guidelines from scientific societies around the world were reviewed, using MeSH-compliant keywords.

An adrenal incidentaloma (AI) is any lesion ≥ 1 cm in diameter detected during radiological diagnostics unrelated to suspected adrenal pathology. Each case of an AI requires extended hormonal and imaging assessments to accurately determine the nature of the tumor and its hormonal activity. The frequency of this tumor’s diagnostics has increased exponentially due to the continuous progress in the development of imaging methods, especially computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. The most common etiology of AIs are hormonally inactive adenomas of the adrenal cortex, but there are also adrenal cortex carAIcinomas, phaeochromocytoma, metastatic or infectious lesions. In the case of confirmation of the type of lesion, the management involves adrenalectomy or a sufficiently long clinical observation. In recent years, new markers of the malignancy of AI tumors have been discovered, both in imaging and biochemical diagnostics, which is associated with improvements in the accuracy of diagnosis and patient management. The aim of this study was to describe the definition, etiology and epidemiology of AIs and to draw attention to the complexity of diagnostics and therapy of accidentally diagnosed adrenal tumors. Current publications and guidelines from scientific societies around the world were reviewed, using keywords that were compatible with MeSH.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been ongoing since 2020. This period is characterized by a significant change in people's lifestyles. Children are a particularly affected group. In order to determine the impact of the pandemic on children's lives, scientific publications available in PubMed, Google Scholar, and The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Innocenti's Children and COVID-19 Library were reviewed, and the statistical data made available by the Polish Ministry of Health on incidence, death and vaccination rates was analyzed. Even if children were not infected with the virus, they felt the effects of the pandemic through restrictions in the daily functioning of schools, service facilities and households. Despite the relatively mild symptoms accompanying infections in pediatric patients, as well as the low rates of hospitalization and mortality, the pandemic have had numerous negative effects on children's mental and physical health that may trigger further "non-communicable epidemics". Weight changes, limitations in physical activity, and the intensification of social and emotional problems will certainly have a negative impact on their future lives. The introduction of vaccination for children over the age of 5 brought hope, but since then, it has been accompanied by controversy and uncertainty. Further research is necessary to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children.

The gut microbiota plays an important role in the proper functioning of the human body. The microbes present in the intestines are important for the correct functioning of the digestive tract as well as other, often distant, organs of the human body. Unfavorable conditions may lead to an imbalance of intestinal microorganisms, leading to unfavorable consequences. Under physiological conditions, the large intestine is inhabited by a significant amount of bacteria, while the small intestine contains only a small amount of them. The appearance of pathological conditions in the gastrointestinal tract may lead to the colonization of the small intestine by an excessive amount of bacteria, which, in combination with gastrointestinal symptoms, is called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The most common symptoms associated with this disease are abdominal pain, diarrhea, and gas. It is difficult to diagnose this disease due to the lack of specific symptoms and imperfect diagnostic methods. The highest quality test is the microbiological test, however, due to the invasiveness of the method and the difficulties with precise collection of the material, less invasive tests are used, primarily the hydrogen breath test. The mainstay of treatment of bacterial overgrowth is antibiotic therapy, which aims to reduce the amount of bacteria to the extent that the patient does not feel the disease. It is also important to eat a diet rich in fiber and low in fermenting oligo-, di- and monosaccharides and polyols. Patients with the small intestinal bacterial overgrowth rarely develop symptoms of a severe course of the disease, however, due to the unpleasant symptoms and relatively easy treatment methods, the disease should be included in the differential diagnosis in people with risk factors and present symptoms.

Histamine is a biogenic amine, which occurs naturally in the human body. Histamine can be metabolised with Diamine Oxidase (DAO) Enzyme. It is estimated that in 1% of people, as a result of an imbalance between the supply and degradation of histamine, a condition called histamine intolerance (HIT) develops. The case report describes a 40-year-old women who visited the Emergency Room several times due to quickly increasing face oedema, rush, chest pain and dyspnoea after eating meals containing histamine. For many years, the patient has struggled with non-specific symptoms. The woman decided to have a test performed to determine the enzymatic activity of DAO in the blood serum. The result was 5 U/ml, which indicates a significant shortage of DAO. Taking into consideration the symptoms the patient presented, extensive differential diagnosis, which excluded the presence of other diseases and serum DAO activity test, it was possible to diagnose histamine intolerance caused by DAO deficiency.

Influenza (the flu) is an acute infectious disease caused by viruses of the Orthomyxoviridae family, causing a wide variety of symptoms in humans, ranging from mildly disturbing daily activities to life-threatening pneumonia, depending on the state of their immune system. The annual increase in the incidence of this disease is called "the flu season", which is a periodic epidemic that affects people all around the world. Despite the individual, economic and epidemiological risks associated with infection with the influenza virus, the disease is often underestimated by people. The aim of this study was to present influenza as a threat to the health of individuals and society by describing the pathomechanisms of its formation and spread, available diagnostic and therapeutic options, as well as annual vaccinations as the most effective method of disease prevention. The current publications available in online scientific databases from many countries around the world were reviewed. Despite the large number of widely available research results on influenza, it is necessary to update them every year, as well as vaccines against this disease, to popularize knowledge about it, which will enable more effective epidemiological control of influenza.