Background: Quality of life (QoL) and sleep, which are essential for well-being in the mental, physical, and socioeconomic domains, are impaired in psoriatic patients. However, the exact role of the clinical subtype of psoriasis in this aspect remains poorly studied. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in QoL impairment and sleeping problems in patients suffering from various clinical subtypes of psoriasis and to evaluate the effects of pruritus on QoL. Methods: This cross-sectional, multicenter study included 295 eligible subjects with diagnosed psoriasis. Each patient was examined with the use of the same questionnaire. Measures included predominant subtype of psoriasis, disease severity, pruritus scores, patients’ health-related QoL and the incidence of sleep disturbance. Results: The QoL of most patients was decreased irrespectively of clinical psoriasis subtype, however, the most impaired QoL was in patients with erythrodermic psoriasis. The majority of patients reported sleep disturbances caused by pruritus, albeit there was no relevant differences between analyzed subgroups in this aspect of patients’ well-being. Pruritus was an important factor determining QoL and sleeping problems in the studied population. Conclusions: Identifying the most disturbing area of life and recognizing the most bothersome subjective symptoms of psoriasis are pivotal to focusing on the most relevant treatment goal and achieving therapeutic success.

Psoriasis is a chronic, systemic inflammatory disease with a genetic background that involves almost 3% of the general population worldwide. Approximately, 70–90% of patients with psoriasis suffer from pruritus, an unpleasant sensation that provokes a desire to scratch. Despite the enormous progress in understanding the mechanisms that cause psoriasis, the pathogenesis of psoriasis-related pruritus still remains unclear. In order to improve patients’ quality of life, development of more effective and safer antipruritic therapies is necessary. In turn to make it possible, better understanding of complexed and multifactorial pathogenesis of this symptom is needed. In this article we have systematized the current knowledge about pruritus origin in psoriasis.

Background: In combat sports, successful competition and training require comprehensive motor fitness. The aim of this study was to diagnose the level of physical fitness and to determine the level of differences between athletes of combat sports characterized by stand-up fighting, such as Muay Thai; and ground fighting, such as Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Methods: The study examined and compared 30 participants divided into two equal groups: Muay Thai athletes (n = 15; age: 24.24 ± 3.24; body height: 174.91 ± 5.19; body weight: 77.56 ± 7.3), and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) (n = 15; age: 22.82 ± 1.81; body height: 175.72 ± 7.03; body weight: 77.11 ± 8.12). Basic characteristics of the somatic build were measured. Selected manifestations of the motor potential of motor skills were also evaluated using selected tests from the EUROFIT test battery, the International Test of Physical Fitness, and computer tests of coordination skills. Relative strength and maximal anaerobic work (MAW) indices were calculated. The strength of the relationship between the effect of motor fitness and training experience was also assessed. Results: The athletes of both groups (Muay Thai and BJJ) presented similar levels of basic characteristics of the somatic build. Motor fitness in the tested groups showed significant differences between the athletes of these sports in static strength (p = 0.010), relative strength (p = 0.006), arm muscle strength in pull-ups (p = 0.035), and functional strength in bent arm hanging (p = 0.023). Higher levels of these components of motor fitness were found for the athletes in the BJJ athletes. In the Muay Thai group, significant very high strength of association was found between training experience and five strength tests. Furthermore, a significantly high strength of association was found in two tests. In the BJJ group, significant relationships with very high correlation were found between the variables in five strength tests. Conclusions: Brazilian jiu-jitsu athletes performed better in strength tests (static strength, relative strength, shoulder girdle strength, functional strength). High correlations between the training load and the level of physical fitness were found in flexibility and strength tests in BJJ athletes and most strength tests in Muay Thai athletes.

The proprioceptive information received from mechanoreceptors is potentially responsible for controlling the joint position and force differentiation. However, it is unknown whether cryotherapy influences this complex mechanism. Previously reported results are not universally conclusive and sometimes even contradictory. The main objective of this study was to investigate the impact of local cryotherapy on knee joint position sense (JPS) and force production sense (FPS). The study group consisted of 55 healthy participants (age: 21 ± 2 years, body height: 171.2 ± 9 cm, body mass: 63.3 ± 12 kg, BMI: 21.5 ± 2.6). Local cooling was achieved with the use of gel-packs cooled to -2 ± 2.5°C and applied simultaneously over the knee joint and the quadriceps femoris muscle for 20 minutes. JPS and FPS were evaluated using the Biodex System 4 Pro apparatus. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) did not show any statistically significant changes of the JPS and FPS under application of cryotherapy for all analyzed variables: the JPS’s absolute error (p = 0.976), its relative error (p = 0.295), and its variable error (p = 0.489); the FPS’s absolute error (p = 0.688), its relative error (p = 0.193), and its variable error (p = 0.123). The results indicate that local cooling does not affect proprioceptive acuity of the healthy knee joint. They also suggest that local limited cooling before physical activity at low velocity did not present health or injury risk in this particular study group.

Background and Objectives: Some respiratory viruses demonstrate neurotropic capacities. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has recently taken over the globe, causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 on postural control in subjects who have recently recovered from the infection. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three convalescents who underwent COVID-19 within the preceding 2–4 weeks, and 35 healthy controls were enrolled. The ground reaction forces were registered with the use of a force platform during quiet standing. The analysis of the resultant center of foot pressure (COP) decomposed into rambling (RAMB) and trembling (TREMB) and sample entropy was conducted. Results: Range of TREMB was significantly increased in subjects who experienced anosmia/hyposmia during COVID-19 when the measurement was performed with closed eyes (p = 0.03). In addition, subjects who reported dyspnea during COVID-19 demonstrated significant increase of length and velocity of COP (p < 0.001), RAMB (p < 0.001), and TREMB (p < 0.001), indicating substantial changes in postural control. Conclusions: Subjects who had experienced olfactory dysfunction or respiratory distress during COVID-19 demonstrate symptoms of balance deficits after COVID-19 recovery, and the analysis using rambling-trembling decomposition method might point at less efficient peripheral control. Monitoring for neurological sequelae of COVID-19 should be considered.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of training experience in wrestling on postural control. Fourteen elite athletes with at least 8 years of wrestling training and competition experience participated in the study. The control group consisted of fifteen healthy adults who were not competitive athletes. The center of pressure (COP) trajectories were recorded with the use of an AMTI force plate at a sampling frequency of 50 Hz. The rambling-trembling decomposition method was used to analyze the COP trajectory data. The main finding was a significant effect of training experience on postural control in only the sagittal plane. Interestingly, significant differences in velocity were observed for the trembling component of the COP. All described variables were significantly higher in wrestlers. We hypothesized that balance training may lead to task-specific neural adaptations at the spinal and supraspinal levels. It was concluded that further research of high methodological quality is needed to determine the effect of training experience on balance control in elite athletes. Additionally, this effect should be observed in youth athletes, as it may be treated as a selection criteria in the training process.