Introduction and purpose: Isotretinoin, the vitamin A derivative, has been commonly used in treatment of acne vulgaris for years. Despite its unquestionable efficacy, chronic oral isotretinoin treatment leads to multiple side effects. The aim of study is analysis of musculoskeletal symptoms prevalence during oral isotretinoin treatment and their impact on physical activity.Material and methods: The study was conducted using the original survey questionnaire shared online among members of Polish group of patients treated for acne. Total of 196 responses were analyzed and compared with up-to-date literature related to the topic.Results: 86,7% of respondents reported at least one of the musculoskeletal symptoms. The most common were back pain (82,7%), fatigue and lethargy (70,4%), myalgia (55,1%) and arthalgia (32,1%). In 97,6% cases adverse effects were developed within the first 6 months of treatment. In 64,2% they persisted during the whole therapy, sometimes even beyond. Due to musculoskeletal side effects, in 2,4% cases dose reduction was necessary, 1,8% of respondents had to stop treatment and 48% had to limit or stop physical activity. 71,4% of repondents reported that lower back pain occurred or escalated during isotretinoin treatment.Conclusions: Prevalence of reported musculoskeletal symptoms is very high and totals 86,7%. They result in prolonged limiting or stopping of physical activity in almost 50% of people. Although musculoskeletal symptoms are typically benign, possibility of severe disorders and potential permanent effects must be taken into consideration.

Study on the state of knowledge of medical students about the glycemic index of popular food products in Poland. A survey study.

Introduction and purpose: Pneumothorax is a condition in which air is present in the pleural cavity and often has a traumatic etiology. It can be a life-threatening condition, making quick and effective diagnosis essential. Chest ultrasound can be a useful study for this purpose. A brief description of the state of knowledge: The sonographic signs of pneumothorax are absence of lung sliding, absence of B-lines, absence of lung pulse and presence of lung point. When a pneumothorax is suspected, the supine position is the most appropriate position for the patient. The sonographic technique consists of exploration of the least gravitationally dependent areas progressing more laterally. The bedside sonographic diagnosis of pneumothorax can be performed with most ultrasound machines without the need of any sophisticated functions. The average time to perform this examination varies from two to three minutes. In the most recent meta-analysis chest ultrasound sensitivity and specificity were 0.91 (95% CI: 0.85 to 0.94) and 0.99 (95% CI: 0.97 to 1.00), respectively. There was a significant difference in the sensitivity of CUS compared to CXR with an absolute difference in sensitivity of 0.44 (95% CI: 0.27 to 0.61; P<0.001). Conclusions: Chest ultrasound is a safe, effective and sensitive method of diagnosing pneumothorax. It may be considered as the first study of trauma patients with suspected pneumothorax.

The risk of developing psoriasis in alcohol-dependent patients and possible therapeutic strategies. The literature review.

The increase in the incidence rate of multidrug resistant strains of bacteria has prompted scientists to look for alternatives to antibiotics. One option is phage therapy. The possibility of using phages (bacteriophages) in infections of almost every organ and system is being investigated. The treatment of osteoarticular infections using antibiotics is often very problematic, which is why this is an important area of interest for phage research.As part of the bacteriophage experimental therapy conducted by Patey et al., 9 patients with osteoarticular diseases were treated. In 7 cases complete recovery was obtained. One patient achieved partial eradication of the pathogen with closure of several fistulas and stabilization of the general condition.The study was carried out on an animal model by Yilmaz et al. showed greater effectiveness in eliminating MRSA colony forming units when combining bacteriophages with antibiotics (drop to 5000 units, no biofilm) than when using antibiotics alone (17,165 units survived, biofilm present). Independent application of phage therapy brought the worst effect (30,788 surviving units).The results of the cited studies indicate the possible effectiveness of phage therapy in the case of osteoarticular infections. The potential synergy of antibiotics and bacteriophages in eradicating bacterial biofilm deserves attention.