Hyperspectral imaging reveals that sapropelic mud therapy may improve local tissue oxygenation in elderly.

Sapropelic muds have been used for centuries to treat various illnesses, but their effects and mechanisms are still under research. In this study the effects of Techirghiol sapropelic mud on tissue oxygenation in elderly patients diagnosed with neuromuscular disorders were investigated using spatial and spectral information provided by hyperspectral imaging technique. A group of 38 elderly patients with neuromuscular disorders for which they received mud therapy was studied.

Predictive factors regarding bullying behavior in Romanian schools.

Introduction: The present study investigates the phenomenon of bullying in schools in the city of Constanta, Romania.

Method: From the age point of view, we have had  = 210 12-year-old subjects and 193 13-year-old subjects, and from the biological gender point of view, there were 234 girls and 169 boys. The study's main objective was to investigate aggressive behavior in adolescents in a school context.

VCAM-1 targeted nanocarriers of shRNA-Smad3 mitigate endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition triggered by high glucose concentrations and osteogenic factors in valvular endothelial cells.

Endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT) of valvular endothelial cells (VEC) is a key process in the development and progression of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). High expression of the Smad3 transcription factor is crucial in the transition process. We hypothesize that silencing Smad3 could hinder EndMT and provide a novel treatment for CAVD.

Evaluation of the Consumption of Junk Food Products and Lifestyle among Teenagers and Young Population from Romania.

Background: The long-term consumption of junk food products can lead to nutritional and metabolic imbalances, especially when it is associated with a lack of physical activity and the consumption of alcohol or other high-calorie products.

Methods: The evaluation of junk food consumption among teenagers and young people in Romania was carried out with the help of a cross-sectional study based on a questionnaire.

Results: A total number of 1017 respondents participated in this study, comprising 470 males and 547 females aged between 16 and 25 years.

Hyperspectral imaging with machine learning for in vivo skin carcinoma margin assessment: a preliminary study.

Surgical excision is the most effective treatment of skin carcinomas (basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma). Preoperative assessment of tumoral margins plays a decisive role for a successful result. The aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility that hyperspectral imaging could become a valuable tool in solving this problem.

Evolving Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes in COVID-19 Patients: A Comparative Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Variant Waves in a Romanian Hospital Setting.

The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the clinical manifestations and outcomes in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a single Romanian center during four pandemic waves determined by different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs). A retrospective study on 9049 consecutive hospitalized adult patients was performed between 27 February 2020 and 31 March 2023. The study interval was divided into waves based on national data on SARS-CoV-2 VOCs' circulation.

Advances in Natural and Bio-Inspired Nanoparticles for the Treatment of Cardiovascular Diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) is a general term for disorders affecting the heart or blood vessels and represent a major cause of disability and death worldwide [...

Tri-Component Hydrogel as Template for Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Deposition Using Alternate Soaking Method for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications.

Composite hydrogels containing apatite-like particles can act as scaffolds for osteoblast proliferation, with applications in bone tissue engineering. In this respect, porous biocompatible hydrogels were obtained from chitosan, oxidized pullulan, and PVA in different ratios. The stability of the hydrogels was ensured both by covalent bonds between aldehyde groups of oxidized pullulan and free amino groups of chitosan, and by physical bonds formed during freeze-thaw cycles and lyophilization.

FLEXGRID - A novel smart grid architecture that facilitates high-RES penetration through innovative flexibility markets towards efficient stakeholder interaction.

The FLEXGRID project develops a digital platform designed to offer Digital Energy Services (DESs) that facilitate energy sector stakeholders (i.e. DSOs, TSOs, market operators, RES producers, retailers, flexibility aggregators) towards: i) automating and optimizing their investments and operation/management of their systems/assets, and ii) interacting in a dynamic and efficient way with their environment (electricity system) and the rest of the stakeholders.

Biomimetic Nanocarriers of Pro-Resolving Lipid Mediators for Resolution of Inflammation in Atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis (ATH) is a systemic disease characterized by a chronic inflammatory process and lipid deposition in the arterial walls. The chronic inflammation within ATH lesions results, at least in part, from the failed resolution of inflammation. This process is controlled actively by specialized pro-resolving lipid mediators (SPMs), namely lipoxins, resolvins, protectins, and maresins.

Nanocarriers of shRNA-Runx2 directed to collagen IV as a nanotherapeutic system to target calcific aortic valve disease.

Runx2 is a key transcription factor involved in valvular interstitial cells (VIC) osteodifferentiation, a process actively entwined with the calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD). We hypothesize that a strategy intended to silence Runx2 could be a valuable novel therapeutic option for CAVD. To this intent, we aimed at (i) developing targeted nanoparticles for efficient delivery of short hairpin (sh)RNA sequences specific for Runx2 to the aortic valve employing a relevant mouse model for CAVD and (ii) investigate their therapeutic potential in osteoblast-differentiated VIC (oVIC) cultivated into a 3D scaffold.

Comparative analysis of denoising techniques in burn depth discrimination from burn hyperspectral images.

This study analyzes and compares the performance of five denoising techniques (Lee filter, gamma filter, principal component analysis, maximum noise fraction, and wavelet transform) in order to identify the most appropriate one that lead to the most accurate classification of burned tissue in hyperspectral images. Fifteen hyperspectral images of burned patients were acquired and denoising techniques were applied to each image. Spectral angle mapper classifier was used for data classification and the confusion matrix was used for quantitative evaluation of the performances of the denoising methods.

25 Hydroxyvitamin D Serum Concentration and COVID-19 Severity and Outcome-A Retrospective Survey in a Romanian Hospital.

Interest in the immunomodulatory function of vitamin D has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Our study investigated the possible association between vitamin D deficiency and COVID-19 severity, intensive care needs, and mortality in patients hospitalized with COVID-19. A prospective cohort study was performed on 2342 COVID-19 hospitalized patients between April 2020 and May 2022 in a Romanian tertiary hospital for infectious diseases.

Effects of Ga on the structural, mechanical and electronic properties of β-Ti-45Nb alloy by experiments and ab initio calculations.

This work aims to investigate the structural, mechanical and electronic properties of four novel β-type (100-x)(Ti-45Nb)-xGa alloys (x = 2, 4, 6, 8 wt%) for implant applications by means of experimental and theoretical (ab initio) methods. All alloys retain the bcc β phase in the solution-treated and quenched state while the lattice parameter decreases with increase in Ga content. This is due to its smaller atomic radius compared to Ti and Nb, in line with the present density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Comparison of COVID-19 Severity in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients during the Delta and Omicron Wave of the Pandemic in a Romanian Tertiary Infectious Diseases Hospital.

Romania has a poor uptake of COVID-19 vaccination in its population. The study objectives were to evaluate the differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated hospitalized COVID-19 patients with regard to disease severity, intensive care need, and mortality during the fourth and the fifth wave of the pandemic associated with the Delta and Omicron variants of concern. A retrospective study on a cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients was performed in a Romanian tertiary hospital for infectious diseases.

Chemical Attachment of 5-Nitrosalicylaldimine Motif to Silatrane Resulting in an Organic-Inorganic Structure with High Medicinal Significance.

Two chemical motifs of interest for medicinal chemistry, silatrane as 1-(3-aminopropyl) silatrane (SIL M), and nitro group attached in position 5 to salicylaldehyde, are coupled in a new structure, 1-(3-{[(2-hydroxy-5-nitrophenyl)methylidene]amino}propyl)silatrane (SIL-BS), through an azomethine moiety, also known as a versatile pharmacophore. The high purity isolated compound was structurally characterized by an elemental, spectral, and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. Given the structural premises for being a biologically active compound, different specific techniques and protocols have been used to evaluate their in vitro hydrolytic stability in simulated physiological conditions, the cytotoxicity on two cancer cell lines (HepG2 and MCF7), and protein binding ability-with a major role in drug ADME (Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism and Excretion), in parallel with those of the SIL M.

Multilayer gold nanoparticles as non-viral vectors for targeting MCF-7 cancer cells.

Cargocomplexes play a vital role in non-viral delivery methods due to their capacity to target certain cells (or cells through the cell-division cycle) and inject their (macro)molecular "cargo" into them. The development of gene carriers that can efficiently transport and deliver genetic material into human-targeted cells with minimal toxicity is an important challenge in the field. The present study reports the straightforward preparation and testing of a modular non-viral gene carrier based on AuNPs.

External Validation of Mortality Scores among High-Risk COVID-19 Patients: A Romanian Retrospective Study in the First Pandemic Year.

Background: We aimed to externally validate three prognostic scores for COVID-19: the 4C Mortality Score (4CM Score), the COVID-GRAM Critical Illness Risk Score (COVID-GRAM), and COVIDAnalytics.

Methods: We evaluated the scores in a retrospective study on adult patients hospitalized with severe/critical COVID-19 (1 March 2020-1 March 2021), in the Teaching Hospital of Infectious Diseases, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. We assessed all the deceased patients matched with two survivors by age, gender, and at least two comorbidities.

Characteristics of enrolment in an intensive home-visiting programme among eligible first-time adolescent mothers in England: a linked administrative data cohort study.

Background: Intensive home visiting for adolescent mothers may help reduce health disparities. Given limited resources, such interventions need to be effectively targeted. We evaluated which mothers were enrolled in the Family Nurse Partnership (FNP), an intensive home-visiting service for first-time young mothers commissioned in >130 local authorities in England since 2007.

Mapping the Distribution of Melanin Concentration in Different Fitzpatrick Skin Types Using Hyperspectral Imaging Technique.

Measuring skin melanin concentration in order to assess skin phototype according to Fitzpatrick's classification is a constant research goal. In this study, a new approach for assessing skin melanin concentration based on hyperspectral imaging combined with an appropriate analytical model that exploits specific spectral bands to generate maps of melanin content distribution on different Fitzpatrick skin phototypes is presented. Hyperspectral images from the proximal inner side of the forearms of 51 young volunteers covering the first four classes of Fitzpatrick's phototypes were acquired using a hyperspectral imaging system.

Folic acid-decorated PEGylated magnetite nanoparticles as efficient drug carriers to tumor cells overexpressing folic acid receptor.

The improved drug delivery systems (DDS) are needed for the targeted delivery of their therapeutic cargo (biologically active protein/peptide molecules, nucleic acids, vaccines, etc.) to diseased cells. Thus, we aimed to develop magnetite nanoparticles (FeO), stabilized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) and decorated (surface-functionalized) with folic acid (FA) (FeO@PEG@FA) to ensure targeted internalization in cells expressing the folic acid receptors (FR).

Hydroxyapatite from Natural Sources for Medical Applications.

The aim of this work is to study the physical-chemical, mechanical, and biocompatible properties of hydroxyapatite obtained by hydrothermal synthesis, at relatively low temperatures and high pressures, starting from natural sources (Rapana whelk shells), knowing that these properties influence the behavior of nanostructured materials in cells or tissues. Thus, hydroxyapatite nanopowders were characterized by chemical analysis, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), dynamic light scattering (DLS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In vitro studies on osteoblast cell lines (cytotoxicity and cell proliferation), as well as preliminary mechanical tests, have been performed.

Burn characterization using object-oriented hyperspectral image classification.

This paper presents a new approach based on hyperspectral imaging combined with an object-oriented classification method that allows the generation of burn depth classification maps facilitating easier characterization of burns. Hyperspectral images of 14 patients diagnosed with burns on the upper and lower limbs were acquired using a pushbroom hyperspectral imaging system. The images were analyzed using an object-oriented classification approach that uses objects with specific spectral, textural and spatial attributes as the minimum unit for classifying information.