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Introduction: Many historic dermatology departments keep and preserve valuable collections of dermatological moulages., Aim: The aim of the present research was to find out whether the specimens collected in the Museum of the Department of Dermatology, Venereology, and Allergology of Wroclaw Medical University are colonized by microorganisms, and whether these organisms can pose a risk of damage to this heritage or a health risk to visitors., Material and Methods: In the study 32 historic moulages and their environment (museum) were subjected to microbiological evaluation., Results: Swabs from moulages turned to be positive in 28% of cases. Micrococcus luteus was mainly isolated. The flora isolated from the air and the external surfaces of the museum display cases was much richer. Environmental bacteria and fungi were determined, as well as organisms probably associated with the hospital flora: Pseudosomonas spp., Paebacillus sp., Acinetobacter sp., Conclusions: The close proximity of clinical wards probably influences the composition of the museum environment. The surprisingly low contamination of the moulages may be due to the antiseptic properties of the bee wax from which they were made. Conservation work on the moulages as well as people visiting the museum do not pose significant health risks. However, the small number of studies devoted to this topic limits the conclusions. Further research on medical collections is needed to provide 'evidence-based care' for this heritage., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2023 Termedia Sp. z o. o.)

Introduction: Uraemic pruritus is a common and burdensome symptom in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Though a significant negative impact of chronic itch on patient's quality of life is proved, this problem is still often underestimated in clinical practice. Various instruments describing itch are in use, however only recently a specific instrument for uraemic itch - Uraemic Pruritus in Dialysis Patient (UP-Dial) - questionnaire has been created., Aim: To translate and to validate the Polish version of the UP-Dial questionnaire., Material and Methods: Forward and backward translations were conducted according to international standards. The validation was performed on a group of 30 patients undergoing haemodialysis and suffering from uraemic itch. Respondents completed the questionnaire twice with a 3-7 days' interval. Moreover, for convergent validity, the subjects were asked to assess their itch with the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS), 4-Item Itch Questionnaire (4IIQ) as well as ItchyQoL questionnaire., Results: The Polish version of the UP-Dial questionnaire showed very good internal consistency - Cronbach α coefficient was 0.90 for total score. The reproducibility assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was also very good - 0.9. Furthermore, UP-Dial correlated strongly with NRS ( r = 0.74, p < 0.01), 4IIQ ( r = 0.82, p < 0.01) and ItchyQoL ( r = 0.88, p < 0.01)., Conclusions: The Polish version of the UP-Dial questionnaire showed high internal reliability, validity and reproducibility and can be widely used both in research and in daily clinical practice., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Termedia Sp. z o. o.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Introduction: Morphea and lichen sclerosus (LS) are chronic inflammatory diseases that may pose a diagnostic challenge for a physician. High-frequency ultrasonography (HFUS) is a versatile diagnostic method utilized in dermatologic practice, allowing monitoring the course of the disease, treatment response and differentiation between certain skin disorders., Aim: To prove the usefulness of HFUS in differentiating between plaque morphea and extragenital LS lesions., Material and Methods: We examined 16 patients with plaque morphea and 4 patients with extragenital LS using 20 MHz taberna pro medicum TM (Germany) device., Results: Investigations revealed hyperechogenic entrance echo in both morphea and LS lesions, whereas a distinct polycyclic surface of the entrance echo was detected exclusively in LS., Conclusions: High-frequency ultrasonography is a current diagnostic modality that may prove useful in differentiating between morphea and LS lesions.

Lichen planus (LP) is a papulosquamous eruption of the skin, scalp, nails, and mucous membranes. Although LP is more common in adults, it has become an established pediatric disorder. Its classic presentation is characterized by 4 p's: purple, polygonal, pruritic papules. Histopathologic examination reveals characteristic interface dermatitis. Although its pathogenesis is not fully understood, there is evidence that an imbalance of immunologic cellular reactivity is central. Lichen planus usually resolves within a few months. Treatment that primarily consists of topical and/or oral steroids will expedite recovery and alleviate symptoms. Resolution of this cutaneous disease often is accompanied by postinflammatory hyperpigmentation. Long-term sequelae of LP in the pediatric population are rare, but cutaneous atrophy and pterygium unguis may occur.

A case is presented of a female Caucasian patient with chronic peripheral blood eosinophilia and unusual skin manifestations. Within a couple of years, the patient developed multiple hyperkeratotic and hyperpigmented papules and plaques all over the body, palmoplantar keratoderma, pachydermia of acral parts of the body, and generalized pruritus. Generalized lymphadenopathy appeared. Other relevant symptoms were persistent peripheral blood hypereosinophilia and increased level of total IgE. The patient was diagnosed with a very rare condition, pachydermatous eosinophilic dermatitis, and was administered combined therapy with dapsone, oral methylprednisolone and fexophenadine. After one month of treatment, the skin changes markedly improved.

Axillary hyperhidrosis poses a serious problem to the affected patients. So far, the conservative measures employed seem to be disappointing, operations with axillary skin excision, undermining and/or skin reconstruction may cause secondary functional and cosmetic problems, whereas botulinum A toxin injections need to be repeated frequently. The aim of this study was to establish the safety, efficacy, and durability of subdermal (subcorial) suction sweat gland curettage in the treatment of axillary hyperhidrosis. So far, the method seems to be devoid of possible risks and drawbacks. In the last 4.5 years, 15 patients with axillary hyperhidrosis were operated on with the use of liposuction tools. First operations were performed in general anesthesia, then in tumescent anesthesia. The procedure of suction curettage was performed with the use of 3- to 4-mm wide liposuction cannulas. The patients were closely monitored during early stages of the healing process; then they were evaluated at 1 and 3 months, and finally at 1-4 years of the operation, when they were asked to assess the effects of the operation. Four patients had recurrence of the disease within 3 months; three of them were reoperated on, with good result. At 1-4 years of the operation, all our responders (ten of 15 patients) stated that the disease had completely subsided. The following complications were observed during the process of healing: hematomas, transient skin unevenness, and partial skin flap necrosis. In conclusion, subdermal suction curettage seems to be superior to botulinum A toxin injections by the effect durability, and to the surgical methods with skin excision and undermining by the probably lower complication rates.