Developing and piloting a set of quality-of-care indicators for Romanian public hospitals as part of a national programme to fund quality.

Background: Healthcare systems aim to enhance the health status and well-being of the individuals and populations they serve. To achieve this, measuring and evaluating the quality and safety of services provided and the outcomes achieved is essential. Like other countries, Romania faces challenges regarding the quality of care provided in its public hospitals.

Effect of aligners on patients' oral health-related quality of life and anxiety: a prospective pilot study.

Background: This prospective study explored the impact of aligners on the oral health-related quality of life and anxiety of patients during the first month of orthodontic treatment and the first month of the retention phase.

Methods: A total of 23 male and female patients (median age 25 y) treated with clear aligners were included. The OHRQoL questionnaire was used at certain time points during treatment (T1: placement of the first aligner; T2: after one day of use; T3: after seven days; T4: after one month; and T5: after one month in the retention phase).

Safety and Efficacy of Percutaneous Morton Neuroma Cryoneurolysis Under Ultrasound Guidance.

Purpose: To assess the technical success, safety and early efficacy of Morton neuroma (MN) cryoneurolysis.

Materials And Methods: Retrospective review of 54 consecutive patients with MN treated with cryoneurolysis after failure of conservative treatment, from September 2022 to June 2023. Outcomes measurements included technical success (defined a successful ultrasound-guided placement of the cryoprobe), procedural safety according to Cirse classification and change in 6 months post-procedure by pain numeric rating scale (pNRS).

Prostate Artery Embolization: Challenges, Tips, Tricks, and Perspectives.

Prostatic artery embolization (PAE) consists of blocking the arteries supplying the prostate to treat benign prostate hypertrophia (BPH). Its effectiveness on both urinary symptoms and flowmetric parameters has now been amply demonstrated by around a hundred studies, including several randomized trials. The main advantage of this procedure is the very low rate of urinary and sexual sequelae, including ejaculatory, with an excellent tolerance profile.

Cervical cancer and COVID-an assessment of the initial effect of the pandemic and subsequent projection of impact for women in England: A cohort study.

Objective: To review the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the diagnosis of cervical cancer and model the impact on workload over the next 3 years.

Design: A retrospective, control, cohort study.

Setting: Six cancer centres in the North of England representing a combined population of 11.

On the industrial symbiosis of alumina and iron/steel production: Suitability of ferroalumina as raw material in iron and steel making.

The biggest challenge for our society, in order to foster the sustainable circular economy, is the efficient recycling of wastes from industrial, commercial, domestic and other streams. The transition to a circular economy is the goal of the European Commission's Circular Economy Action, which was first launched in 2015. In 2020 the above action plan announced initiatives along the entire life cycle of the product, with the aim to make sustainable products the norm in the EU.

Persulfate activation by modified red mud for the oxidation of antibiotic sulfamethoxazole in water.

Different pre-conditioning treatments were evaluated in order to stabilize red mud, a waste product from bauxite processing, for obtaining heterogeneous catalysts (named as B1-B3) that can be employed as suitable activators of sodium persulfate (SPS) for the degradation of sulfamethoxazole (SMX), a model antibiotic, in water. The presence of FeO in the composition of the catalysts was found to be a key factor for a suitable activation of SPS, according to the XPS measurements. The oxidation of SMX was successfully fitted to a pseudo-first-order kinetic model (r > 0.

Innovative endovascular approach for limb salvage in critical limb ischemia.

In the absence of feasible revascularization, nearly one third of patients with critical limb ischemia experienced major amputation at 6 months. In patients with an independent living status, this decision is difficult to support without exhausting all chances to attain limb salvage and preserve functional autonomy. The present report describes a new procedure of revascularization by performing a full endovascular extra-anatomic femoropopliteal bypass for the treatment of limb-threatening ischemia.

Development of Photocatalytic Coatings by Thermal Hydrolysis of TiCl on Ceramic Roofing Tiles Made from Ferroalumina and Evaluation of De-Pollution Properties.

The development of new, environmental friendly building materials with photocatalytic properties remain still on the top of the investigations both for academy and industry. The main drive is the increasing air pollution and the greenhouse gas emissions that have negative effect on public health and buildings. Ceramic roofing tiles functionalized with TiO can contribute on tackling these severe environmental problems by improving their properties.

Endovascular Extra-Anatomic Femoro-Popliteal Bypass for Limb Salvage in Chronic Critical Limb Ischemia.

Purpose: To report the initial clinical experience with fully endovascular extra-anatomic femoro-popliteal bypass (FPB) for limb salvage in patients with critical limb ischemia (CLI) and no traditional endovascular or surgical revascularization options.

Methods: Between June 2013 and May 2018, endovascular procedure was proposed for limb salvage during multidisciplinary team meeting in fifteen hospitalized patients (median age 67 years; 73% men) with CLI and a high risk of major amputation. Primary outcome was amputation-free survival at 1 year.

Impact of surgical site infection (SSI) following gynaecological cancer surgery in the UK: a trainee-led multicentre audit and service evaluation.

Objectives: Surgical site infection (SSI) complicates 5% of all surgical procedures in the UK and is a major cause of postoperative morbidity and a substantial drain on healthcare resources. Little is known about the incidence of SSI and its consequences in women undergoing surgery for gynaecological cancer. Our aim was to perform the first national audit of SSI following gynaecological cancer surgery through the establishment of a UK-wide trainee-led research network.

Type II or type III radical hysterectomy compared to chemoradiotherapy as a primary intervention for stage IB2 cervical cancer.

Background: Cervical cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, with 528,000 estimated new cases globally in 2012. A large majority (around 85%) of the disease burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where it accounts for almost 12% of all female cancers. Treatment of stage IB2 cervical cancers, which sit between early and advanced disease, is controversial.

[A post-thrombotic pelvic congestion syndrome].

Introduction: Pelvic congestion syndrome is a chronic pelvic pain syndrome related to pelvic varices developed in the setting of primary venous insufficiency or secondary to venous obstruction.

Observation: We report the case of a 35-year-old patient undergoing anticoagulant therapy for an extensive unprovoked left iliac vein thrombosis, who developed a disabling pelvic congestion syndrome secondary to chronic obstruction of the left iliac vein. Recanalization with stenting of the left iliac vein, combined with antithrombotic treatment with antiplatelet therapy (aspirin 100mg) and anticoagulation (rivaroxaban 20mg) for three months, followed by antiplatelet therapy alone, led to a complete and lasting regression of symptoms.

Management of Early Cervical Stromal Invasion FIGO Stage 1A1 When Margins Are Involved With Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia.

Objective: Women with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage 1A1 cervical carcinoma were evaluated to determine whether repeat excision for large loop excision transformation zone margins positive with cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) had been undertaken according to the National Health Service Cervical Screening Programme guidelines and if deviations from guidelines adversely affected patient outcome.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively studied patients with 1A1 cervical carcinoma treated in our service between May 2010 and July 2015 to determine whether NHSCSP guidelines (May 2010) were followed. This states that if the invasive disease is excised but CIN extends to the excision margin, then a repeat large loop excision transformation zone should be undertaken to exclude further invasive disease and to confirm excision of CIN.

Ranibizumab and digital ischemia.

Unlabelled: Case report of a patient with age-related macular degeneration whose digital ischemia can most plausibly be attributed to ranibizumab.

Purpose: To report ranibizumab as the probable cause of digital ischemia in a patient treated for age-related macular degeneration.

Methods: Single-patient case report.

The role of nano-perovskite in the negligible thorium release in seawater from Greek bauxite residue (red mud).

We present new data about the chemical and structural characteristics of bauxite residue (BR) from Greek Al industry, using a combination of microscopic, analytical, and spectroscopic techniques. SEM-EDS indicated a homogeneous dominant "Al-Fe-Ca-Ti-Si-Na-Cr matrix", appearing at the microscale. The bulk chemical analyses showed considerable levels of Th (111 μg g(-1)), along with minor U (15 μg g(-1)), which are responsible for radioactivity (355 and 133 Bq kg(-1) for (232)Th and (238)U, respectively) with a total dose rate of 295 nGy h(-1).

Total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy: a change in practice for the management of early stage cervical cancer in a U.K. cancer center.

In order to evaluate the safety, surgical, and oncological outcomes of the introduction of a total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy (TLRH) service, the authors conducted a retrospective review of all TLRHs performed in the present centre from the beginning of the service in August 2010. TLRH appears in this series to be safe. Complication rates were comparable to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and literature standards.

Embolization of life-threatening arterial rupture in patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of transarterial embolization of life-threatening arterial rupture in patients with vascular Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (vEDS) in a single tertiary referral center.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed transarterial embolization for vEDS performed at our institution from 2000 to 2012. The indication of embolization was spontaneous arterial rupture or pseudoaneurysm with acute bleeding.

Healthy women with persistently elevated hCG levels: a case series of fourteen women.

Objective: To review our own data and that in the literature in order to assess likely morbidity and mortality risks and enhance the information that we can provide to patients suffering with this condition.

Study Design: This was a retrospective case series using data from the Sheffield Trophoblastic Disease Centre Database combined with data from prior publications.

Results: A diagnosis of elevated human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) in an otherwise healthy woman carries an 11-19% risk of malignancy and 1-3% risk of mortality.

Synthesis of inorganic polymers using fly ash and primary lead slag.

The present work reports on the synthesis and properties of inorganic polymers ("geopolymers") made of 100% fly ash from lignite's combustion, 100% primary lead slag and mixtures of the two. In the inorganic polymers with both fly ash and lead slag the main crystalline phases detected are wüstite, magnetite, sodium zinc silicate, quartz, anorthite, and gehlenite; litharge partially dissolves. FTIR analysis in these samples revealed that the main peaks and bands of end members also exist, along with a new amorphous reaction product.

Valorisation of electric arc furnace steel slag as raw material for low energy belite cements.

In this paper, the valorisation of electric arc furnace steel slag (EAFS) in the production of low energy belite cements is studied. Three types of clinkers were prepared with 0 wt.% (BC), 5 wt.

Valorisation of different types of boron-containing wastes for the production of lightweight aggregates.

Four boron-containing wastes (BW), named as Sieve (SBW), Dewatering (DBW), Thickener (TBW) and Mixture (MBW) waste, from Kirka Boron plant in west Turkey were investigated for the formation of artificial lightweight aggregates (LWA). The characterisation involved chemical, mineralogical and thermal analyses as well as testing of their bloating behaviour by means of heating microscopy. It was found that SBW and DBW present bloating behaviour whereas TBW and MBW do not.