Reply to Chambers, P. Comment on "Huțanu et al. Low Serum Vitamin D in COVID-19 Patients Is Not Related to Inflammatory Markers and Patients' Outcomes-A Single-Center Experience and a Brief Review of the Literature. 2022, , 1998".

We thank Patrick Chambers for his interest [...

Low Serum Vitamin D in COVID-19 Patients Is Not Related to Inflammatory Markers and Patients' Outcomes-A Single-Center Experience and a Brief Review of the Literature.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the vitamin D status in hospitalized COVID-19 patients and the correlation with C reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, fibrinogen, and peripheral blood leukocytes, as well as inflammatory derived indices. A prospective study was performed on 203 COVID-19 hospitalized patients, classified by disease severity. Blood was collected after admission, and inflammatory biomarkers and vitamin D status were assessed using routine laboratory procedures.

Arthritis associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a pediatric patient: A case report.

Introduction: Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) infection in infants is usually overlooked and it might result in important complications if left untreated. MP-induced arthritis is probably the least common extrapulmonary manifestation and frequently leads to delays in the diagnosis.

Patient Concerns: We report the case of a 2-year-old female child admitted in our clinic for prolonged fever (onset 2 weeks before the admission), for which the general practitioner established the diagnosis of acute pharyngitis and recommended antibiotics.

Evaluation of TNF-α genetic polymorphisms as predictors for sepsis susceptibility and progression.

Background: The goal of the study was to evaluate a potential role for tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) genetic variability as biomarker in sepsis. In particular, we aimed to determine if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of TNF-α gene are associated with sepsis in terms of risk, severity and outcome.

Methods: We performed a prospective study on 163 adult critically ill septic patients (septic shock 65, sepsis 98, further divided in 40 survivors and 123 deceased) and 232 healthy controls.

Diagnostic Difficulties in a Severely Ill HIV Patient with Multiple Superinfections - A Case Report.

Introduction: As chronic HIV infection is prone to co-infections more than any other infectious condition, many severely immune-depressed patients require advanced diagnostic investigations and complex treatment.

Case Report: The case of a 30-year-old severely immune-depressed patient with AIDS, who developed neurological impairment and was diagnosed with encephalitis is presented. Multiple diagnostic approaches had to be used in order to identify the etiologic agents responsible for the clinical, immunological and biological evolution.

The role of interleukin-6 as an early predictor of sepsis in a murine sepsis model.

Aim: Evaluating the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) as an early predictor of sepsis in a murine model.

Materials And Methods: The study divided 26 Wistar rats into two experimental groups in which sepsis was induced through the intraperitoneal injection of different Escherichia coli cultures [Group 1: Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing culture and Group 2: Standardized ATCC35218 culture] and a control group. IL-6 levels were determined at 5 and 24 hours post-inoculation and immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on tissue samples from the sacrificed animals.

Severe Austrian Syndrome in an Immunocompromised Adult Patient - A Case Report.

Background: Known also as Osler's triad, Austrian syndrome is a complex pathology which consists of pneumonia, meningitis and endocarditis, all caused by the haematogenous dissemination of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The multivalvular lesions are responsible for a severe and potential lethal outcome.

Case Report: The case of a 51-year-old female patient, with a past medical history of splenectomy, is presented.

Lung Abscess Remains a Life-Threatening Condition in Pediatrics - A Case Report.

Pulmonary abscess or lung abscess is a lung infection which destroys the lung parenchyma leading to cavitations and central necrosis in localised areas formed by thick-walled purulent material. It can be primary or secondary. Lung abscesses can occur at any age, but it seems that paediatric pulmonary abscess morbidity is lower than in adults.

Communication skills in pediatrics - the relationship between pediatrician and child.

Interpersonal and communication skills are 2 essential qualities of every physician. These are separate and distinct parts of the professional character of every physician. In pediatrics these abilities present even a higher impact.

Echocardiographic characteristics of pulmonary arterial hypertension in children with horizontally transmitted HIV.

Background: The prevalence of primitive pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in patients with human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV) is estimated at approximately 0.5%, significantly higher than in the general population.

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the echocardiographic modifications in HIV-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

The Relevance of Coding Gene Polymorphysms of Cytokines and Cellular Receptors in Sepsis.

Sepsis is an injurious systemic host response to infection, which can often lead to septic shock and death. Recently, the immune-pathogenesis and genomics of sepsis have become a research topic focusing on the establishment of diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. As yet, none have been identified as having the necessary specificity to be used independently of other factors in this respect.

Caspase 3 expression and plasma level of Fas ligand as apoptosis biomarkers in inflammatory endotoxemic lung injury.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate if the immunohistochemical expression of a pulmonary apoptosis marker and plasma level of Fas ligand (FasL) correlates with the dose- and time-dependent severity of lung injury, induced by the administration of lipo-polysaccharide (LPS) in an endotoxemic rat model.

Materials And Methods: Our study included 30 male Wistar rats, randomly divided into three groups: one control group (n=6) and two experimental groups (n=12÷group), in whom we induced endotoxemia by intraperitoneal injection of progressively increasing doses of LPS (5, 10 mg÷kg). We measured FasL plasma levels of the rats at different time points and analyzed the relationships with markers of lung injury.

Staphylococcal Scalded Skin Syndrome in Child. A Case Report and a Review from Literature.

Staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome (SSSS) is the medical term used to define a skin condition induced by the exfoliative toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus. The disorder is also known as Ritter disease, bullous impetigo, neonatal pemphigus, or staphylococcal scarlet fever. The disease especially affects infants and small children, but has also been described in adults.

Fatal endocarditis with methicilin-sensible Staphylococcus aureus and major complications: rhabdomyolysis, pericarditis, and intracerebral hematoma: A case report and review of the literature.

Background: Over the last decades Staphylococcus aureus (SA) has become the dominant etiology of native valve infective endocarditis, with the community-acquired methicillin-sensible Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MSSA) strains being the prevailing type.

Case: We report here a case of extremely severe CA-MSSA aortic valve acute endocarditis associated with persistent Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB) in a previously healthy man and include a literature review.The patient developed severe and rare complications (purpura, purulent pericarditis, intracerebral hematoma, and rhabdomyolysis) through systemic embolism; they required drainage of pericardial empyema and cerebral hematoma, the latter eventually caused a fatal outcome.

Diagnostic pitfalls in a young Romanian ranger with an acute psychotic episode.

The identification and distinction of the pathological conditions underlying acute psychosis are often challenging. We present the case of a 35-year-old ranger who had no history of acute or chronic infectious disease or any previous neuropsychiatric symptoms. He arrived at the Psychiatry Clinic and was admitted as an emergency case, displaying bizarre behavior, hallucinations, paranoid ideation, and delusional faults.

Time- and dose-dependent severity of lung injury in a rat model of sepsis.

Different animal models of experimental lung injury have been used to investigate mechanisms of lung injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration is the most often used approach to model the consequences of bacterial sepsis. We created an endotoxemia rat model, simulating sepsis-related lung injury, in order to quantify the time and dose dependent severity lesions induced by the administration of lipopolysaccharide.

Ischemic preconditioning and inflammatory response syndrome after reperfusion injury: an experimental model in diabetic rats.

Quantification of local ischemia and inflammatory response syndrome correlated with histological changes associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) after revascularization techniques. We included 12 adult male Wistar rats, aged eight weeks that were randomly divided into two groups. The first group acted as the control and at the second group, we induced diabetes by intraperitoneal streptozotocin administration (60 mg/kg).

Ultrasound and histopathological features of myocardial involvement in HIV infection in children.

Aim: HIV infection in children is an important clinical and pathologic entity, which embraces many forms of presentation and can involve multiple organs and systems. This study aimed at identifying the main forms of cardiovascular involvement in HIV-infected children with horizontally transmitted disease and describing them with the aid of ultrasound and histopathological examinations.

Results: We recorded cardiovascular anomalies in 79 (67.

Liver steatosis associated with chronic hepatitis C.

Hepatic steatosis is a common histological finding in chronic liver diseases. One of the pathological entities in which hepatic steatosis has been found is chronic hepatitis C. The prevalence of steatosis in these patients ranges from 40% to 86%, with an average of 55%, which is two times higher than the steatosis seen in adults uninfected with hepatitis C.

Temporal global changes in gene expression during temperature transition in Yersinia pestis.

DNA microarrays encompassing the entire genome of Yersinia pestis were used to characterize global regulatory changes during steady-state vegetative growth occurring after shift from 26 to 37 degrees C in the presence and absence of Ca2+. Transcriptional profiles revealed that 51, 4, and 13 respective genes and open reading frames (ORFs) on pCD, pPCP, and pMT were thermoinduced and that the majority of these genes carried by pCD were downregulated by Ca2+. In contrast, Ca2+ had little effect on chromosomal genes and ORFs, of which 235 were thermally upregulated and 274 were thermally downregulated.

The DNA sequence and biology of human chromosome 19.

Chromosome 19 has the highest gene density of all human chromosomes, more than double the genome-wide average. The large clustered gene families, corresponding high G + C content, CpG islands and density of repetitive DNA indicate a chromosome rich in biological and evolutionary significance. Here we describe 55.

Genetic variability of Yersinia pestis isolates as predicted by PCR-based IS100 genotyping and analysis of structural genes encoding glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (glpD).

A PCR-based genotyping system that detects divergence of IS100 locations within the Yersinia pestis genome was used to characterize a large collection of isolates of different biovars and geographical origins. Using sequences derived from the glycerol-negative biovar orientalis strain CO92, a set of 27 locus-specific primers was designed to amplify fragments between the end of IS100 and its neighboring gene. Geographically diverse members of the orientalis biovar formed a homogeneous group with identical genotype with the exception of strains isolated in Indochina.